if i had the money...

i'd go out and get some pinball machines. just a few ;) ya see, i grew up playing skeeball, pinball, and 80's video games at Celebrity Sports Center and watching movies at the Cooper theater, just down the street...did anyone else see Star Wars there in the summer of '77?

lately, i've been lurking in eBay, looking for cool pinball machines. just something to do.



recently, i came across one machine that i played quite alot in the late 70's...a very difficult machine called "Gorgar". i distinctly remember a slightly james earl jones-esque voice that would occasionally say "I AM GORGAR" or "GORGAR WILL EAT YOU" lol or sumpin' like that. it's not that i have fond memories of the voice...perhaps i was traumatized by it ;) mebbe it was the striking frazetta-like artwork (although not as good). i just always remember the redness of gorgar. who knows. maybe i just followed my brother, who probably played it because of the scantily clad female laid down at the altar in front of good ol' gorgie.

i'm just a sucker for cool artwork, bright colors, and flashing lights. it's all about sensory overload, eh? it's a good thing i don't drop acid...stay tuned though, i may blog about some other machines. btw, Gorgar was the first pinball machine with a voice...a whole seven word vocabulary...more than our prez!!!

give it away...

been helping my mom go through decades of clothing/pics/reading material...a herculean task in itself. in the clothing department, not only do we have to sort through piles of worn out t-shirts/dated outfits/dozens of linens, but we're finally contending with dad's wardrobe. in a couple days, we've stuffed at least a dozen lawn/leaf trash bags.

kinda cool though. i've come across some concert t-shirts that i wore in high school (when i was 30 lbs. lighter ;) as well as a half dozen ties which were still tagged. i even fished out my baby blanket (receiving, not a linus dragger). so while she's simplifying, i'm compiling :)

the picture sifting has been a total boon. over the past couple years, i had recovered many pictures of my parents when they were courting and primary school pics of my brothers (i.e., the period between 1947 to 1958). well, in this last salvage project, i've found the family photos from 1962 to 1969 (just before i was born). i hate to squirrel away many of my findings, but i've already got a couple picture (storage) boxes that i'll arrange and fill. who knows, they may end up in mom's hot little hands at christmas...

as for the stacks of reading material, THAT is surely the monumental undertaking. for the past fifteen years, it seems that mom has started something, set it down, and started anew on a different reading path. i can somewhat relate though. i've got three bookcases of books, one of magazines, and three boxes of comics (>1000) BUT they're organized either alphabetically, chronologically, or by subject. still, i can't be too hard on mom because i'm a reflection of her in many ways. if i make it to 78 years old, NO ONE is gonna advise me about my reading materials; what should be kept or discarded!

mom...keep yer stuff, just don't burn the house down. love, spencer

a walk...

decided to forgo the car and walked to dinner tonight. initially, we were planning on going to chipotleh for a couple of barbacoa burritos...until we passed by this place, which was a half block from our destination.

we had never eaten there before because the wait is usually too long...but a holiday weekend took care of that ;) we waited about 25 minutes but were awarded with a patio table in the cool may dusk. the stout concrete round tables on their raised patio are surrounded by heavy wood and metal chairs. it's slightly cramped but not enough to put a damper on yer evening.

service wasn't stellar but cheerful and adequate. we had a couple beers and a burger and waldorf salad. pretty tasty. during our meal, i had visions of the luscious gelato that's served at this place, a mere four blocks to the west. been going there for at least six or seven years. and when the weather warms up, we head on over and get our fill of flavors such as white peach champagne, tiramisu, amaretto, pear, pomegranate, passion fruit, and chocolate raspberry - sigh. tonight, i had euro (smaller than regular) scoops of banana, amaretto, and pomegranate. i think next time (like tomorrow), i'm gonna have dark chocolate, lavender, and cherry.

it really was a perfect night to take a walk. the weather wasn't chilly and the air was calm. during our walk between dinner and gelato, we vowed to leave the car at home on sundays and wander on down to cherry creek more or to the colorado blvd. eateries between 7th and 9th avenues. i think it's a promise we'll be able to keep w/o any difficulties! the strolls may be even more rewarding when gas tops $4 a gallon...

it's there...

but in an awkward place. i'll have to figure out how to put my music playlist on the left side of my blog. still, at least it's there ;) some good songs...some you might not like...and some that will send you running heh.

stuffed...

with food from our favorite restaurant. we had tiger cry, tom kha gai, and kow pad kra prow (w/ pork)...now go find those items on the menu ;) the owner, whom we've known for 12 years, came out and hooked us up with a wonderful 'just picked from the garden' salad - phenomenal. wash that down w/ a couple singha beers and you have a blogger that's too far gone to post.

we're gonna settle down with one of the two netflixx movies we got today. whichever is the shorter one will be the chosen one.




looks like the winner is maggie smith...her movie is 40 minutes shorter; we may just not doze off in our delirious satiety. hope you're having a great night :)

groan...

my sister is graduating from dental hygiene school this friday. after two years of nearly barricading herself in her home, she'll be able to clean yer teeth and make some really good money. i think she'll be a fine hygienist. she had been a dental assistant for 25 years before she decided to go back to school. and she's got some really steady hands that can do detailed work; she was once a concert violinist who also was a phenomenal artist.

i'm not groaning over having teeth cleaned either. i haven't had a cavity in 5+ years. in fact, i just got 'em done about three weeks ago...

nope.

i'm groaning because of my niece. you remember, my sister's daughter who's coming in from florida for the graduation.

well, she apparently has made reservations at this place for a little graduation bash. not exactly one of my favorite places. the food is usually pretty lame and the service, atrocious. i've only been there a couple times in the last twenty years and neither meal is worth mentioning.

about the only things i like about the place are the hi-ball glasses that the italian sodas come in and the historic building in which it's located. i guess you go there for the ambience and "experience." after all, is it not the italian version of casa bonita...which, by the way, i have been able to avoid my entire life ;)


i just wish we could all go to the attivo just around the corner from my sister's house. who cares if it's in a strip mall next to a dingy 7-11...they've got killer pizza and pasta sauces. oh well, i guess as long as friday is unforgettable for my sister, that's all that matters.

maybe in my oldspaghettifactory rant, i'll have a couple extra italian sodas. yeah, i'll start off w/ cherry...segue into blackberry...and move on to orange afterwards. i wonder if those mysterious neon colored syrups would make technicolor pee?

now, THAT would be memorable...

have ya heard?

this is one of the hottest tix in town. some of you have already been to the DCPA to see it. however, to those who haven't gone but want tix, you're now relegated to arriving 2.5 hours before curtain and putting your name in a lottery for a limited number of tickets ($25 each and a maximum of two)...which is probably what we'll do. if our luck of the draw is lousy, we may do this instead.

Celebrate the start of summer with a Memorial Day picnic and a performance of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. $30 will buy you a ticket to the show and a picnic supper from the Hot Ticket Cafe, DCTC's popular lobby food service.

Monday, May 28
Show begins at 6:30pm

Choose from:

Roast beef, Gouda cheese, horseradish mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato on ciabatti.

OR

Tarragon Chicken Salad with Apples and Walnuts served with artisan bread.

Meals include a salad of mixed greens, balsamic vinaigrette, chocolate chip cookie and chips.

it's quite a deal considering tickets and a picnic combo are usually $54-$61 each. so we may as well save at least $48 by taking advantage of this promotion...and the money saved will probably go towards a couple $90 seats for the second show of this group. god, how can anyone spring for the $225 tix?!?

would you...

buy this house? it's located about four blocks from ours...i pass it almost every day. they're asking $700,000 for this 85 year-old brick bungalow...3 bed/2 bath...2300 square feet...2 car garage...and a lot that's twice the size of ours. looks like new windows...new wood floors and cabinets too. did i also mention the beautiful landscaping? talk about curb appeal. and there's a HOT TUB!!!


a charming home...maybe a bit overpriced...but would you consider it if money was no issue? after all, it's right along 7th avenue...wide parkway...mature trees...close to congress park/botanic gardens...an easy walk to cherry creek shopping center and just a few blocks from university hospital.

a prime location.


now, would you still buy it if i told you that the owner was murdered (shot in the head) and left in his bathtub? because that's exactly what happened last november.

any takers?

been so long...

since i've had this. when we were at the store a couple days ago, i actually had butter pecan on my mind (thanks to my brother...who got me talking about ice cream). in searching for it, i came across a half gallon of this sweettartgoodness...on sale and i just couldn't pass it up ;) i bet it has been at least a decade since the last time it graced my tastebuds. anyone a fan of sherbets? lime? raspberry? orange? howabout that ol' standby...RAINBOW ;) and is it me or is it just impossible to not get anything sticky whenever you scoop sherbet? it always seems messier than ice cream or sorbet...

coming...

to a town near you.

this is my great nephew, marlee. he and his mother (my niece, natalie) will be in town for a week starting wednesday. they're leaving their heavenly confines in hollywood beach, FL for my sister's graduation from dental hygiene school.

i cannot wait! is the kid a character or what :)

ya gotta...

love it.

have you discovered project playlist? it's a stand alone music player that you can personalize by uploading up to 75 songs. once finished, you can insert it on yer blogpage or stream it to your computer. it's better than pandora and your local radio station, since you pick the songs and there's no commercial interruptions. you can find the link right underneath imbibe magazine of my blogroll...go try it out or check out my playlist i'm thinking about plopping it down on this page as soon as i can find a place to put it...

a plug...

for my brother's choir, the musicians of st. clare. yesterday, i accompanied my mother to their concert at st. paul's lutheran, located downtown on 16th & grant.

for a small choir, they are phenomenal. i think i've mentioned them before a couple times in past posts but i just am always blown away by their talent. the group was originally formed as the John Paul II Youth Choral in 1993, when he was in denver for world youth day. after the choir took the st. clare moniker, they've gone to the vatican on a few occasions to sing for the pope. in fact, they were slated to sing at the pope's funeral but could not secure any hotel accomodations (it was such a crazy time), so they ended up performing a funeral mass in golden.

right now, there are between 25-30 members...my brother is one of the tenors. you should be able to pick him out easily from the pics since he's the only asian in the group ;) i think they're slated to go back to rome in october to perform verdi's requiem...sure would be nice to go with them ;) check out the pic of them standing in st. peter's square.

happy...

mother's day to all those out there w/ rugrats. it's time for the hubby/SO to show appreciation in kind by giving you a day, er, week, off!

a couple weeks ago, ellenn degeneress was interviewing a lady who had submitted her favorite mother's day moment. i wish i could find the video snippet online but no one has had the foresight to post it...so you'll just have to read it instead. the following dialogue is the guest's recalling of her story:

So, we had this great 10 year old cat named Jack who just recently died. Jack was a great cat and the kids would carry him around and sit on him...nothing ever bothered him. He used to hang out and nap all day long on this mat in our bathroom.

Well, we have three kids and at the time of this story they were 4 years old, 3 years old and 1 year old. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loves chapstick. LOVES IT. He constantly asked to use my chapstick and then would always lose it. So, one day, I finally showed him where in the bathroom I keep my chapstick and how he could use it whenever he wanted to...but he needed to put it right back in the drawer when he was finished.

Last year on Mother's Day, we were rushing around, with everyone crying and carrying on, trying to get ready for church. My two boys were fighting over cereal box toy, while I was trying to nurse my little one and apply my make-up at the same time. Everything was a mess and everyone had long forgotten about that wonderful day to honor both me and motherhood.

We finally loaded the eldest and baby in the car and I went looking for Eli. I had searched everywhere before ending up in the bathroom. And there was Eli. He was very carefully applying my chapstick to Jack's...REAR END. Eli peered right into my eyes and said, "Chapped." Now if you have a cat, you know that he is right--their little butts do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn't seem to mind.

Now, the only question to really ask at that point was whether it was the first time Eli had done that to the cat's behind or the HUNDREDTH...

And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment because it reminds us that no matter how hard we try to civilize these glorious little creatures, there will always be that day when you realize they've been using your chapstick on the cat's butt.

so...if you share a house w/ young children and feline companions, it may be high time to spring clean yer lip balm collection!

pucker up!!!

retro...

for a while. i've gone back to my old template. we'll see how long it lasts...

just out of curiosity, which do you prefer? i liked having the sidebar pics on the latest one, but i'm clueless when it comes to the widgets compared to html. eventually, i'll find a good compromise.

so it's back to zillow and denvergasprices with my weatherpixies.

mebbe i'll fiddle with the colors. the least i can do (while you're here) is offer you soothing hues in an acid-dropping experience ;) thanks to 3datelier.com for this freaky pic.

resurrected...

for a little while. i actually have a monday movie! it's a pretty recent release starring the oscar winner for this movie, the ex-husband of this actress, and Romulus' (not related to Remus) daughter.

give up w/ the vague six degrees (well, three...)? i'm talking about Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, and Laura Linney. they're the main stars of 'Breach'...a thriller based on the true story of a longtime FBI agent, Robert Hanssen (Cooper), whose assistant (Phillippe) has been planted as a mole and sent to out him by Kate Burroughs (Linney), a senior official bent on catching Hanssen red-handed in the act of divulging (i.e., selling) yet more secrets to the russians; something he had been doing without detection for more than fifteen years.

a better than average thriller. not much action but the tension between the characters and the uncertainty of Phillippe's character, Eric O'Neill, kept the audience riveted (or at least interested). throughout the movie, you wonder if Hanssen will ultimately catch O'Neill rummaging through his personal belongings or if he will finally fall into the trap set for his demise...very cat and mouse. granted, the movie was by no means a hitchcockian masterpiece, but it was well worth the $1.75 ticket at the cheapies (even if the theater did kinda smell like overbuttered, mildewy popcorn). btw, since tomorrow is 50 cent (not the rapper) tuesday, you may want to head down to Tiffany Plaza 6 at 12:45pm | 3:00 | 5:10 | 7:15 | 9:20 for the show.

btw, here's a pic of the REAL Hanssen. he was paid $50,000 for his last drop (of documents). on february 18, 2001, he was arrested in the sting and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in may 2002. supposedly, he had been paid over $1.5 million in cash and diamonds in his fifteen years as a double agent. the state of colorado is significant in the life of this convicted spy because he is actually serving his sentence at the Supermax penitentiary, near Florence, CO.

look like a happy place? not especially since most of the inmates there spend 23 hours a day in solitary confinement. they're constantly under video camera surveillance in a tiny and usually windowless cell. even the cell walls are soundproofed, as to deter any clandestine communication between inmates. sounds like SO much fun...

maybe you and me...

were never meant to be. just maybe think of me once in a while. i'm at:



ever since i heard that the show was being released on dvd...i can't get the damn song out of my head!!! so i thought i would torment you guys heh

things are tough...

in argentina. our friends who retired there are not having the best of harvests. seems that the rain has pretty much ruined any possibility of good grape prices...but they're sticking it out and learning to really go with the flow. that's promising. i hope they have a quiet fall/winter because we're going to wreck next year's, when we show up on their doorstep ;)

four things...

we need to use soon. all are prizes that i've won within the past 6-8 months from the oldies station. match the photos to the prize...

$50 in food from this restaurant

a free night's stay at this hotel

two tix for this play (today is our last chance...we'll probably catch the matinee)

$50 card to this new spa, located downtown (i've actually relinquished it to lois...but not w/o a fight ;)







and just ten more days until i can win again...