Dear Tokey...

My friend "Sundiver" has a fun, new drug (and drinking) etiquette advice column. You should submit a question gentle readers!

The moment I became a Cher fan

Around the late 1980's, I saw Diane Sawyer interview Cher on TV. At the time, Cher was in the gossip magazines because she was dating a younger man, Robert Camilletti. I believe Diane Sawyer was already married to Mike Nichols at that point. I didn't know a lot about Cher, but I knew she had experienced a lot in her life, including marriage, motherhood, many different relationships, long-time independence, and career highs and lows. At a certain point in the interview, Diane Sawyer asked some questions about Robert Camilletti. Then, there was this exchange:

Diane Sawyer (bright eyed): So, is he...the One?!

Cher stared at Sawyer wearily for a prolonged moment.

Cher: You know, I really expected more from you.

I don't remember how the rest of the interview went, but Cher earned my deep respect that day. I can't watch Diane Sawyer on TV without thinking of that dumbfuck question. It just doesn't seem right to ask such a thing of an old soul, such as Cher.

AFI reject: 100 Flicks 100 Trips

Mun Mun's husband's best friend works at the American Film Institute where they have put out various fun movie lists, such as 100 Years 100 Cheers: the 100 Most Inspiring Films of All Time and 100 Years, 100 Movie Quotes.

Mun Mun made a suggestion for a list, but apparently AFI is giving up the lists soon. Here's my idea:

100 Flicks 100 Trips

The hundred most surreal moments in American film

Nominees

1. Salvador Dali dream sequence - Spellbound
2. Brainwashing/garden party - Manchurian Candidate
3.Bathroom becomes torture chamber - Head
4. Jack Nicholson in red bar room - The Shining
5. Tracking through the woods - Evil Dead 2
6. Zoom in, dolly out on Roy Scheider's face - Jaws
7. Ghouls thrashing - Jacob's Ladder
8. Talking trees - Wizard of Oz
9. Closet door opening repeatedly - Patty Hearst
9. Erasing memories - Flash Gordon
10. Everyone looks like John Malkovich - Being John Malkovich
11. River sequence - Night of the Hunter
12. The mirror becomes liquid - Donnie Darko
13. In heaven everything is fine dance from Eraserhead
14. Circus Circus scene from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
15. Brooms carrying water in the Sorceror's Apprentice - Fantasia
16. Cantina scene - Star Wars
17. Cereal falling in slow motion on boy - Mysterious Skin
18. Typewriter bug - Naked Lunch
19. Large Marge - Pee Wee's Big Adventure
20 Baby old man - 2001
21. Pink elephants - Dumbo
22.Replicant workshop with little Prussian soldier - Blade Runner
23. Fight scenes - Matrix
24. Rollerskating guys with one beard from 5000 fingers of Dr. T.
25. Talking fish from the Road to Utopia.

Can you think of any more nominees? Maybe I need to consult the Psychotronic Film Guide. I guess more science fiction and horror films could go on this list.

Your Natural Selection At Work

Morning Dove,
originally uploaded by hearman.

A few years ago at my old apartment, before I had cats, a mourning dove built a nest in the window box on my porch and laid an egg. It was lovely having it there. However, one morning I woke up to total carnage; feathers and nest scattered everywhere, egg gone. Either a cat or a raccoon got it.

The past couple of days, outside my new place with TK, a mourning dove has been hanging out on a low wall. I am hearing that chirpy sound mourning doves make when they fly over and over. It's probably building a nest on the wall, goddamnit. Stupid bird. My cats are indoors, but there are about four outdoor cats that live here.

1-2-3-4 University High School!

Mun Mun played two semesters in marching band to avoid PE in high school and developed a deep dislike of football. Nevertheless, Mun Mun went to a fun Superbowl part on Sunday and memories of some of the high school cheers came back. Mun Mun also has a deep disdain for cheerleading, but has to admit Uni High's cheerleaders were pretty saucy.

The following are Mun Mun's favorite cheers.

1.We Ain’t No Cougars

We ain’t no (sh sh sh sh, sh sh sh sh) Cougars!

Hey hey we ain’t no Cougars
Hey hey we ain’t no Bulls
Ole, hey hey, ole
We ain’t no Roughriders
Whoa hey haw
We ain’t no dolphins
That swim through the sea
We ain’t no lions
They cannot scare me
We ain’t no comets
That fly through the sky
We ain’t no [chargers?eagles?]
I can’t tell a lie
We ain’t no sheiks
That ride camels back
We are the Warriors
So send them on back

We are the Warriors
Hey hey the mighty Warriors
Hey hey so check us out

Hey, you know that!

2.
OK
All the way
One play

3.
One, two, you know what to do
I said, freeze
Defrost
Three four, you don’t want no more
I said leave, bye-bye, get lost

4.
We are so live
Class of '85
We're in the mix
Class of '86
We are in heaven
Class of '87
We are so great
Class of '88

See you later on the Rooter Bus.

Hey, you know that!

And you are...?

Mun Mun has never been great at remembering faces and names. The November 2006 issue of Wired had an interesting article about prosopagnosia or face blindness. Some people can't even recognize their loved ones that they see every day. I went to the website of the researchers www.faceblind.org and took one of their face recognition tests. As I anticipated, I scored somewhat below average (5%).

I recently didn't recognize a, ahem, high level director of the organization I work for and it was a little embarrassing.

Red passion flower

Red passion flower,
originally uploaded by JanetD.

Found this on Flickr. I've only seen red passion flowers at the Juice It Up on Venice Blvd.

Mun Mun Endorses Sharon's Sorbet

Mun Mun has had a scratchy throat for many days and has been sampling sorbets from the supermarket to ease her pain. She picked up some Passion Fruit sorbet from Trader Joe's today and cannot f'ing believe how good it is. If you like passion fruit, try Sharon's Sorbet. Mun Mun also likes Haagen Dazs peach sorbet, but does not like the mango flavor quite as much.

Mun Mun is a big fan of passion flowers. There is going to be a noon lecture at LA Central Library soon on passion flowers that she will sadly miss.

Lyrics to Song From "The Daydreamer" by Rankin and Bass

Luck To Sell

I've done enough waiting for my lucky day
I'm gonna start searching for my dream today

Does anybody have some luck to sell?
Or an extra wishing well,
My luck's run out
My well's completely dry

Does anybody have some luck to sell?
Or a mystic, magic spell
The star I wished upon has left the sky

I want to pick my future from a bush, a rosy one,
Where happiness grows,
Find a clover with one leaf over,
I'm charmed right down to my toes

Does anybody have some luck to sell?
Or an extra wishing well
My luck's run out,
My well's completely dry
Does anybody have some luck to sell
To a real unlucky guy

Slowave submission?

I was on a reality show that was being shot at a hotel in Century City. The production values of the show were not very good. The set was not lavishly decorated.It was sort of like MTV's the Real World,but people in their twenties and thirties would be voted off by judges each week. The challenge this week was dressing up for Christmas and I beat out four other people in order to go on with the show another week. I had sparkly make-up on my cheeks and the other people who had survived that week were in costumes. One hairy guy dressed as an elf was vaguely Armenian-looking. It turned out the whole theme of the show was about having Christmas spirit. I had little talent in any other respect, but I had a lot of Christmas spirit.

Dream 12/29/06