Is There a "Rewind" Button On This Thing?

I have always tried to live life in such a way that I don't have to look back and say "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda", but as I'm getting closer & closer to 40 years old (yargh), I do find myself looking back and wondering what might have been. Damn this Plinky thing for bringing up the right question at the right time.

I wonder what would have happened if I had been more aggressive in the group interview for a high school student exchange program. Would spending a year in Germany have made me a different person?

I often wonder what kind of love I lost when I didn't act on my crush on my dear friend Donnie in high school. He was simply amazing, and now he's not with us. The fact that I'll never know if he felt the same way towards me is a major regret.

The decision to stay in Tennessee and work at a small, non-profit theatre company was never a regret for me…I learned a lot, did quality work, and had a steady paycheck for almost 14 years. I met my husband and got married there. Even so, sometimes I ponder what might have happened if I'd decided to move to New York and tried to be a working artist in the "big city".

I'm terribly afraid that I'm going to be one of those women who wakes up and realizes that she forgot to have kids…I have put off having children for so long now (due to concerns over money, mostly), that I'm afraid it's never going to happen. I wish I hadn't been so cavalier about time. It flies, whether you're having fun or not.

I hope that this doesn't come off as a sad-sack post. I'm really pretty happy with where life has taken me. I truly don't regret anything so far…except maybe the kids thing. That will come back to bite me in the ass, just you wait and see.

My road-trip mix tape

Plinky asked me to name three songs I'd put on a road trip mix tape. Only three? I almost always play these songs on the road…especially the first one. Goddamn right it's a beautiful day, uh-huh!

Mr. E's Beautiful Blues by Eels

Gotta Get Up From Here by Ellie Lawson

Gimme One Reason by Tracy Chapman

Will The Fun Never End?

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am blogging from work, and my Christmas recap will be postponed indefinitely.

Thanks, Apple.

Just before Christmas, I noticed that my beloved MacBook had developed a small crack beneath the trackpad.  Nothing huge, just a little hairline crack that ran vertically from the trackpad button to the edge of the computer.  I made a mental note to call Applecare when I got home from vacation.

Lo and behold, last Saturday morning I noticed that there was another crack forming – on the right wrist rest area, exactly where the little plastic tab on the screen hits when it closes.  I called Applecare immediately, and had no problem setting up a mail-in repair order.  Later that night, the plastic near the new crack just fell off.  Nice.

Anyhoo, Applecare rocks, and the box to ship the computer to repair was on my doorstep Monday afternoon.  I sent the ‘puter off on Tuesday, and had it back in my hands yesterday morning.  Awesome turnaround, although I was completely lost without the laptop for 3 nights.  I actually read a book.  Hardcore.

So yesterday morning I was ecstatic about the return of my beloved MacBook.  On first glance, it looked very pretty…a new keyboard cover was in place, and I think they may have put in a new keyboard and trackpad as well.  Then I tried using the computer.

Something is very, very wrong…whenever I place any pressure on the wrist-rest area, the computer acts like I’ve pushed the trackpad button.  It moves the cursor, it selects text, it deletes text (like a cut & paste, without the “paste”).  Meanwhile, the trackpad button no longer clicks.  So, I’m back on the phone with Applecare.  Once again, the customer service rep was very nice and apologetic, and put in a new repair order.  The box should be here on Monday.

But wait…there’s more!  I was rooting around online last night to see if other MacBook users have had the same problems that I’m experiencing, and find out that everything I am experiencing is a known issue.  Great.  Then I see that people’s external cases are cracking as well, so I start checking out my case a little more closely.  Crap!  I have a crack on the side where a screw was obviously tightened too hard, a crack on the front edge of the case, and a crack on the back near the fan!  My beloved MacBook is falling apart!  Not to mention that the new keyboard cover was kind of buckled on one side and gapping.  Argh.

So this morning I spoke to my third AppleCare rep this week.  Jose was a pretty nice guy, but he obviously didn’t believe me when I said that there were no Apple service centers in my immediate area, and had to spend a few minutes confirming it for himself.  (For the record, the nearest one is 130 miles away.)  Eventually he understood that I just wanted to put a note on the existing service order to look at the issue of the cracks & gaps, and did so.  Thanks, sweet Jose.

I love Apple.  I love Apple products.  If I made more money, I would own Apple stock and every Apple product out there.  This MacBook is the fourth Apple laptop I have owned, and it saddens me that it is falling apart at less than one year old.  It’s obviously just not made well.  As always, I have purchased the Applecare Protection Plan and have faith that Apple will continue fixing the unit…but why would they WANT to continue having to repair what is obviously a design/manufacturing defect?  Sigh.

Long story longer, as of Monday I will be without my sweet, sweet laptop for another 3 days or so.  I’ll be reading blogs, posting on Twitter, checking on my Facebook peeps, and playing poker watching CS3 tutorials on my super-crappy work computer until the Mac is back.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Another quiz, but this time it’s in LIST form! :)

Happy New Year!  We had a great Christmas vacation, and hopefully I’ll get around to posting a little about it on Monday.  I know that it will take a while, and this week has been eaten up with work, so I’ve been avoiding writing and instead spending some time sorting photos and reading Breaking Dawn.

I just stole this from Amy, whom I have known since kindergarten, but haven’t seen since high school.  Thanks to the wonder of Facebook we’ve gotten back in touch with one another in the last year.  Ain’t the internet grand?

(If I have done it, it is BOLD.)
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (if singing along with a tambourine counts…but only in rehearsals.)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Been to Disneyland/world
7. Climbed a mountain.
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Sang a solo
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Taught yourself an art from scratch (knitting, although I had to ask my mother-in-law for help on purling)
14. Adopted a child
15. Had food poisoning
16. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
17. Grown your own vegetables
18. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
19. Slept on an overnight train
20. Had a pillow fight
21. Hitch hiked (our car broke down on the interstate.  The guy who picked us up had a gun rack w/rifles.  That wasn’t weird.)
22. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (at least, not that I remember)
23. Built a snow fort
24. Held a lamb
25. Gone skinny dipping
26. Run a Marathon
27. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
28. Seen a total eclipse
29. Watched a sunrise or sunset
30. Hit a home run
31. Been on a cruise
32. Seen Niagara Falls in person
33. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
34. Seen an Amish community

35. Taught yourself a new language (I learned French in high school, but I didn’t teach myself.  This question makes my head hurt a little.)

36. Had enough money to be truly satisfied37. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

38. Gone rock climbing

39. Seen Michelangelo’s David
40. Sung karaoke
41. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
42. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
43. Visited Africa
44. Walked on a beach by moonlight
45. Been transported in an ambulance
46. Had your portrait painted
47. Gone deep sea fishing
48. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
49. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
50. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
51. Kissed in the rain
52. Played in the mud
53. Gone to a drive-in theater
54. Been in a movie (I was an extra in the Sean Penn movie At Close Range… it filmed at my high school & later at a local amusement park in Nashville.  Actually, that’s a good story.  I should tell you all about it sometime.)
55. Visited the Great Wall of China
56. Started a business
57. Taken a martial arts class
58. Visited Russia
59. Served at a soup kitchen
60. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
61. Gone whale watching
62. Gotten flowers for no reason (my husband is sweet like that)
63. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
64. Gone sky diving
65. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (it was eye-opening, awful, and I had to go back to the bus because the whole vibe was making me physically ill. I was 17 years old.)
66. Bounced a check (I was in college, and the check was for $5.00!!!  Ridiculous. It’s never happened again.)
67. Flown in a helicopter
68. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Somewhere in storage I still have a teddy bear that one of my mom’s friends made for me when I was little.  It used to make me happy because it smelled like suntan lotion on its back, and I would go to sleep smelling the coconut goodness.  I don’t know how the lotion got there, but the smell lasted forever.)
69. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
70. Eaten Caviar (and wasn’t impressed.  Not my speed, really.)
71. Pieced a quilt
72. Stood in Times Square
73. Toured the Everglades
74. Been fired from a job
75. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
76. Broken a bone
77. Been on a speeding motorcycle
78. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
79. Published a book
80. Visited the Vatican
81. Bought a brand new car
82. Walked in Jerusalem
83. Had your picture in the newspaper
84. Read the entire Bible
85. Visited the White House
86. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
87. Had chickenpox
88. Saved someone’s life
89. Sat on a jury
90. Met someone famous
91. Joined a book club (if the Literary Guild counts.)
92. Lost a loved one
93. Had a baby
94. Seen the Alamo in person
95. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
96. Been involved in a lawsuit
97. Owned a cell phone
98. Been stung by a bee
99. Fallen in LOVE
100. Decorated a Birthday Cake

Anxious

I’m pretty sure that this is the same plane that is supposed to carry us to Dallas tomorrow morning, where we will hopefully connect with our next flight to Nashville.  If all goes well, we should be home by 2:30p.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed, since we had a huge snowfall yesterday (at least 8 inches fell at our house), and another major storm is supposed to blow through tomorrow and last through Christmas Day.  Forecasters are saying we might get one or two feet of snow.  Not inches;  FEET.  If we don’t get out tomorrow morning, we’re probably not getting home for Christmas.  If we don’t get home for Christmas, Tracy is going to be one sad, sad puppy.  I’ve been looking forward to seeing my family & friends for weeks.

I hope that everyone whose travels have been disrupted by the crazy winter weather finds their way home to family & friends safely.  Happy holidays to all, and if I don’t make it back here before New Year’s Eve, I wish everyone the best for 2009!  Merry Christmas!

Christmas, Christmas Time is Here

I’ve spent the day working on Christmas-related activities.

Christmas tree?

Check.

Cute little Christmas treats?

Check.

Christmas cards?  Get off my back.  I’m working on them.  Didn’t you see all the other stuff I did today? 

My Week in Review.

Happy Holidays, you’ns! (Really, I wish you could hear me say that word. “You’ns” is a distinctly East Tennessee version of “y’all”. I didn’t even know it existed until I moved there.)

We officially opened our holiday show last night, and I can only hope that ticket sales will pick up a little bit next week.  Last year’s production was so traumatic that I was in a foul, foul mood for the entire week of Christmas.  The set was never finished, and we never ran Act II until we were in front of an audience.  This year, we have a complete and detailed set, much better costumes, and a stronger cast overall.  If only we weren’t struggling to pull in an audience…this would be a magical holiday show.

Anyhoo, now I have to actually think about Christmas.  We’ve basically finished our shopping (we’re only buying for parents & the nephews), but we haven’t touched any greeting cards or our little fakey tree.  I have two shows today, one show tomorrow, and the Survivor finale tomorrow night, so it looks like Monday will be the day to get the tree up, cards thrown together, and presents in the mail.  I have my priorities straight, don’t I?  Our South Beach diet went the way of the buffalo this week since we didn’t have time to eat at home, so tomorrow night I plan on making chicken & dumplings and sitting in front of the TV to see if Sugar takes home the big money.  I hope she does.  Plus, I cannot wait to see that bastard Randy on the reunion show.  He got what he deserved, and got served well.

In other news, we got 3 1/2 inches of snow overnight, so I need to get out the snow shovel and clear the driveway.  First, though, I’m going to call my BFF, who had surgery this week.  Things went well with the surgery, but I am a bad friend and haven’t had a chance to talk to her.  It’s time, daddy, it’s time.

Another Quizzy Thing (aka Could You Survive a Great Depression?)

You Are 66% Likely to Survive Another Great Depression

Even though you may not be expecting the worst, you’re the type of person who prepares for the worst. You live a relatively modest life. You don’t overspend, and you aren’t very materialistic. You are also quite self sufficient and independent. You have many useful skills. You can take care of yourself and those you love… which is crucial to surviving another Great Depression.

Could You Survive Another Great Depression?

Okay, it turns out that my last post was incorrect on a couple of points:

• I have done another quizzy-thingy meme in the past – something about quirkiness.  I didn’t remember it until I saw that someone had viewed that post.  D’oh!
• I also realized that I miscounted my piercings…I actually have three.  I added an extra earring back in college, and I guess I always think of the two original holes as one thing.

I just found this quiz through NYC Watchdog, and thought I would see what my results were.  My father and I have been talking a lot lately about the possibility of another Great Depression.  Apparently my grandmother (who lived through the first Depression) used to warn my father that it could happen again.  He has spent most of his adult life thinking that it couldn’t happen, that we are too advanced as a society for it to happen again, and look where we are now.  Lo and behold, it’s a very REAL possibility.

I work in the arts.  My income has always been on the low end, and heaven knows, I could lose my job at any moment because funding for the arts is so hard to come by.  I currently live in the most expensive place I’ve ever lived, but I take heart in the knowledge that I have a little shack back in Tennessee that is 100% paid for.  We can always move back there.  We have no debt to speak of, and we live within our means.  I take pride in the fact that we try not to buy anything that we can’t afford to pay for, and that we make a habit of saving money by eating at home and entertaining ourselves at home.  We don’t lack for the things we want, we just try to keep the urge to buy new stuff under control and take care of the things we own.

My point is, if America DOES sink into another Great Depression, I think that (outside of a major medical emergency) my husband and I could survive for a good while without having to make significant lifestyle changes.  What would a Great Depression mean for you?

My First Meme – Nine Layers

It’s Wednesday morning, and I’m a little bored, so I’m going to do this meme that I found on Gingersnap’s blog.  Before we begin…can someone please explain what ‘MEME’ means and how it’s pronounced?  Obviously, I’m new here.

Okay, here’s the quizzy-thingie meme:

9 Layers
A meme to peel away the layers of you. (Deep.  Very Deep.)

LAYER ONE:
– Name: Tracy
– Birth date: July 31 (That’s also Harry Potter’s birthday.)
– Birthplace: Nashville
– Current Location: Jackson, WY
– Eye Color: Blue
– Hair Color: Brown
– Height: 5′7″
– Righty or Lefty: Righty
– Zodiac Sign: Leo

LAYER TWO:
– Your heritage: Hillbilly
– The shoes you wore today: Currently in my slipper booties
– Your weakness: Smoking
– Your fears: Dying young…ironic, isn’t it?
– Your perfect pizza: Thin crust, fire-oven baked, with lots of veggies
– Goal you’d like to achieve: Leaving something behind that people can remember me for

LAYER THREE:
– Your most overused phrase on AIM: I rarely chat…but maybe “Whassup?”, only in my mind I sound like those beer commercials.
– Your first waking thoughts: What was that dream about?
– Your best physical feature: Eyes
– Your most missed memory: My friend Donnie (who is no longer with us and I miss him like crazy) once scootched a little closer to me in high school…I got one of those crazy chills up my back and then, big geek that I am, scootched away.  I wish I’d acted on that chill instead of being scared of it.

LAYER FOUR:
– Pepsi or Coke: Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi, baby.  It’s my crack.
– McDonald’s or Burger King:  I’m not crazy about either, but I prefer BK’s burgers.  Unfortunately, there’s only a Mickey D’s in this town.
– Single or group dates: I’m married, so single dates, please.
– Adidas or Nike: New Balance
– Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Neither…I prefer Tetley or Luzianne if I’m making iced tea.
– Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
– Cappuccino or coffee: Mainly coffee, but sometimes I crave a latte.

LAYER FIVE:
– Smoke: Unfortunately.
– Cuss: Yes…it makes my mother proud.
– Sing: I wish I could.
– Take a shower everyday: Yes, unless I’m not going out.
– Do you think you’ve been in love: Yes, most definitely.
– Want to go to college: Been there, done that, would love to go again.
– Liked high school: Not particularly.
– Want to get married: I’m currently married.
– Believe in yourself: Yes.
– Get motion sickness: Never.  I can do pretty much anything in the car.
– Think you’re attractive: I think I’m presentable.
– Think you’re a health freak: Not at all.  I need to take better care of myself.
– Get along with your parent(s): I always get along with them, but we don’t always agree.
– Like thunderstorms: Yes, especially here in the mountains.  They tend to be rare and wonderful.
– Play an instrument: I played the flute from 6th grade to 8th grade, but I don’t think I still could.

LAYER SIX: In the past month…
– Drank alcohol: Yes.
– Smoked: Yes.
– Done a drug: Yes.
– Made Out: Yes.
– Gone on a date: Yes.
– Gone to the mall?: Yes.
– Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: No.
– Eaten sushi: No.
– Been on stage: Yes.
– Been dumped:  No.
– Gone skating:  No.
– Made homemade cookies: No.
– Gone skinny dipping:  No.
– Dyed your hair: Yes.
– Stolen Anything: No.

LAYER SEVEN: Ever…
– Played a game that required removal of clothing: No.
– Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Yes.
– Been caught “doing something”:  Yes…I had to think about it, but “yes”.
– Been called a tease: No.
– Gotten beaten up: Yes.  By this crazy girl that thought I had wrecked her bike with no brakes on purpose.  Right.
– Shoplifted: No.  Stealing is bad, mmm’kay?
– Changed who you were to fit in: As a teenager, but not majorly.

LAYER EIGHT:
– Age you hope to be married: Got married at 26.
– Names of Children:  I don’t have any;  if I did – Samantha Ann or Samuel David (after parents)
– Describe your Dream Wedding: I never had a dream wedding, but I loved mine…married in an outdoor theatre on the set of a show that took place in a tiny Baptist church.
– How do you want to die: Old and happy with lots of loved ones around me.
– Where you want to go to college: Wow, this thing must be geared towards the teenagers.  I went to Western Kentucky U.
– What do you want to be when you grow up:  Same thing I’m doing now, only union & in a larger venue.
– What country would you most like to visit: France…since I studied French for 6 years of my life and never went anywhere to use it.

LAYER NINE:
– Number of drugs taken illegally: 2 (I went to college!)
– Number of people I could trust with my life: I can’t imagine…my parents & my husband?
– Number of CDs that I own: Hundreds of CD’s that I don’t even use anymore…I’ve gone digital.
– Number of piercings: 2
– Number of tattoos: 1
– Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: I never counted, but luckily none of the appearances were in the “Court” section.
– Number of scars on my body: a couple of small ones.
– Number of things in my past that I regret: 1 (see above).

Whew.  Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?  Do you feel like you know me now…or am I just the inside of an onion?

Hi-Larious…Best Awards Show Speech Ever.

I just caught a few minutes of BORAT on cable…right before the awesome naked fight scene, which of course I had to watch again because it makes me pee in my pants a little. Sascha Baron Cohen made the best acceptance speech ever when he won the Golden Globe for BORAT.  Have I mentioned lately that I just *love* the internet for stuff like this?

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