Mishmash Musings

It’s been a while since I’ve done a “5 Things” list, and since I don’t really have anything else to write about today, I figured this meme would help get me back into the writing groove. Here are 5 movies that are in my “To View” queue (not that I belong to Netflix or anything like that; these are just movies that I’ve already rented, will rent, or will see at the theater soon).

1. Things We Lost in the Fire (Halle Berry, David Duchovny)
2. The Mist (Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden)
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett)
4. Sex and the City (SJP, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis)
5. Scoop (Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman)

With gas prices above $4 per gallon and continuing to rise, I’ve definitely had to change the way I go shopping. I no longer run out to the grocery store whenever I need something, but instead make a list and force myself to limit my shopping trips to once a week.

This means I have to plan out most of my menus as well, so I can determine if I’m likely to run out of an important item like milk, bread, or eggs. I also try to plan my shopping for a day when most of the items I need are on sale, which means I have to monitor the circulars in the newspapers and mail.

It’s kind of a hassle to have to shop this way, but it really does make a difference in my wallet, so I guess I can’t complain too much!

It’s official: the long-awaited announcement from Apple concerning a 3G iPhone has finally come. The new version will be available on July 11th of this year, and will be far cheaper than the original that was released a year ago.

An 8GB 3G iPhone will cost about $199, while a 16GB version will sell for $299. There are several other upgrades to these phones, including longer battery life, faster page loads, and GPS capability, as well as thinner edges, a full plastic back, and flush headphone jack.

Personally, I’m still “meh” on the iPhone. I don’t really think it’s that big a deal, and I’m not too fond of the whole touch screen concept for a phone. But my husband is interested in the device, so if he gets one, I’ll be able to check his out to see if I want to buy one for myself.

After 10 long days (and one major meltdown on my part), my houseguests are finally gone! That means I can get back to my normal lifestyle and regularly daily schedule without having to cater to other people. It’s not that I don’t enjoy spending time with relatives, it’s just that our place is so small that having extra adults here really causes logistical problems with the bathrooms, showers, TVs, and computers. It’s a nightmare!

At any rate, it’s over now, so I’m looking forward to putting in a productive day at the computer. I also need to hit the gym and/or read a few diet pill reviews to help me get back on the weight-loss track. Needless to say, my diet and exercise program got totally derailed when my guests were here, so nearly three months of progress went right down the drain.

Well, here’s to better days ahead!

Hillary Clinton officially “suspended” her campaign for the presidential nomination today, effectively ending one of the most grueling primary battles in recent history. Clinton made the announcement in Washington, D.C., urging her supporters to get behind Barack Obama to show unification and solidarity in the upcoming run against Republican nominee John McCain.

Clinton leaves the campaign trail with staggering debts amounting to some $20 million — $11.4 million of which was from her own money. Early indications are that the Obama camp will make an effort to help Clinton pay down (“retire”) her debts before the Aug. 25-28 Democratic National Convention, after which time she’d be able to recover no more than $250,000 of that money. Yikes!

At any rate, the 16-month Democratic primary is now at an end, and the next Presidential election will come down to John McCain and Barack Obama. Will Obama ask Hillary to be his VP running mate? Only time will tell!

Here’s an excerpt from Clinton’s concession speech:

The way to continue our fight now – to accomplish the goals for which we stand – is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States.

Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him, and throw my full support behind him. And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.

Click here to get the full text of Hillary Clinton’s concession speech from her website.

When I was younger, I watched the live-action version of Wonder Woman on TV. It only lasted for three seasons, but survived quite a bit longer in syndication, I believe.

At any rate, the show starred Lynda Carter as the crime-fighting superhero. I haven’t heard much about Carter’s post-Wonder Woman career, so I figured maybe she left acting and became a futures broker or something. But no — after checking Carter’s IMDb.com page, I saw that she has had guest-starring roles in a number of TV shows over the years, and is still getting some work. Maybe I’ll have to check out one of her Smallville or Law & Order eps soon.

Why was I even thinking about Lynda Carter today? Because apparently she discovered a dead body floating in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. earlier this week. Yeah, why that would make the front page of Yahoo! is a mystery to me, but there ya go!

Call me dense, but I simply don’t get all the buzz about the fist bump between Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. Was that really such a big deal? Judging by the countless news stories and videos about it, I guess it is. I mean, you’d think people had never seen such a thing before. Wow.

The kicker has to be this headline that I saw on the Yahoo! homepage today (click to enlarge):

It says “After Obama, fist bump catching on as new trend in U.S.”

Wait, are you kidding me????? The fist bump has been widespread for YEARS already, and is certainly not a “new” trend at all. Fortunately, the actual video that went along with the headline pretty much made it clear that the fist bump has been around for a long time, but still… what a dumb headline!

My gosh, between the night I had last night and the morning I’ve had already, I could just scream. Scratch that, I think I did scream several times. After years of putting up with some incredibly annoying behavior from my mom, I finally reached my boiling point and just let her have a piece of my mind. There was no tact involved, no pulling punches. I let it all out.

I felt better for a little bit, but now all I want to do is crawl back into bed, turn off the phones, close the blinds, and sleep all day. Of course, I have way too much to do, so hiding in my room isn’t going to be possible. Ugh, I hate days like this!