VGNO: Dear Diary...

Happy VGNO kittens! For those of you who are heading over from Ann's blog, welcome! If you're heading over from somewhere else, welcome! If you're a regular here, welcome!

Anyhoo, tonight's VGNO has a version of one of my favorite games as a child: Mad Libs. I absolutely adored Mad Libs. And as I got older, some of them were...well, interesting. Wink, wink!

Here is the link to Ann's VGNO post for the week, which also has the rules for tonight's party game. All of the fill in the blanks are based on the year you entered high school. Let's just say that we participants are all going to show our ages tonight!

And away we go!

Dear Diary,My best friend Jennifer and I went shopping for black rubber bracelets. We wanted to show them off when we went to hang out at the multi-plex. You won't BELIEVE who we saw at the mall. Brad Pitt! We screamed so loud they had to call Security. It was the best day ever!

Okay, I'm fine with all of the choices except Brad Pitt. Yeah, I know, I'm in the minority here, given that many American women swoon over him. Sorry, it's just a matter of personal taste. I was never a big fan of his. Give me Hugh Jackman or Eric Bana any day, and I'll be happy.

Well, I'm off to go blog-hopping. Thanks for stopping by!

VGNO: Only in my dreams

It's Friday night, kittens, and it's time for another VGNO, hosted, as always, by the lovely miss Ann over at Ann Again...and Again. I am a wee bit late for the par-tay tonight, since I was just at a real-life GNO. It was a potluck at a friend's house, her hubby ran errands for us, and a fabulous time was had by all!

Anyhoo, this week, Ann has asked us this question:

"What is one of the strangest dreams you've ever had?"

This is an interesting question, kittens. As some of you know, I've had some really weird dreams. But the weirdest dreams I've ever had have been a result of illness, medicinal side effects, or both. I'm about to describe this one really weird dream I had in 1996, when I was studying in Paris during the first semester of my junior year of college:

About two weeks into my stay I came down with a cold. I really didn't want to go to a doctor, but everyone around me insisted that I buy some medicine. My host family sent me to a pharmacy across the street from their apartment to get some meds.

Now in France, when you go to the pharmacy, you don't just grab whatever medicine you need off the shelf. You have to talk directly to the pharmacist. You explain your symptoms, and they ask more questions. They talk to you for a couple of minutes, and then they go into this back room where they keep all of the medications. They search for a medication that works best to alleviate your symptoms and bring it back for you.

So I got my little box of "Rhinofebral, a la vitamine C" and went back to my apartment. I took two capsules, as was recommended on the box, and soon found myself in a wonderful, blissfully deeeeeep sleeeeeep.

That's when I had the dream.

It was a rawther weird dream...Carol Burnett was in it, as well as Kermit the Frog. I know that Carol guested in an episode of The Muppet Show, but it was quite a long time since I saw it, so I don't know why these two popped up all of a sudden--in Paris, of all places. Anyhoo, I don't remember much of the dream itself, other than Carol and Kermit were dancing and singing, and there were a lot of swirly, trippy psychedelic patterns, shapes, and colors throughout.

I remember waking up, after about three hours, and feeling two things: One, I had never felt so well-rested before. Two, "what the hell was in that medicine, and why don't they sell it in the States?"

By the way, when I woke up, my cold was gone.

I still wish they sold Rhinofebral in the States.

Even if it does provoke some rawther weird dreams.

VGNO: They say it's Ann's Birthday!

Welcome to another edition of the Virtual Girls Night Out, or as we say it, the VGNO. Our weekly Friday night party is hosted by the lovely Ann.

Anyhoo, this is the first anniversary edition of the VGNO, which also coincides with Ann's birthday! Happy Birthday to you, ma chere amie! Ann is celebrating at a Coldplay concert tonight, lucky gal!

Every week Ann has a question for us gals (and guys, if they participate). This week's question is:

"What band or artist would you have playing at your birthday party?"

Well that's an easy one, kittens! For my B-day celebration, it's gotta be none other than Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!

This is my all-time fave Bruce song, "Hungry Heart":

What are your weekend plans, kittens? I'm still housesitting. This current gig finishes up Monday afternoon. Then I have a week's worth of errands and appointments to catch up on.

I'm also bummed because, once again, most of my friends are out of town. Some are still on their European choir trip, some are camping or hiking, and others are with their families. I really can't go too far away because of my housesitting gig. I'm not complaining; I like housesitting, but I can't wait to be back home and sleep in my own bed again.

I was lazy today. I didn't do any reading; if you've been following my blog, in the past week I posted six book reviews. I needed a break from books! Tomorrow I'll resume; I just got to a point in Beginner's Greek where it's starting to get gooood.

Oh! Speaking of book reviews...yesterday I posted a review of Holly's Inbox, and guess what happened?

I got a comment on the review from the author himself!!!!!!

That's the first time I ever got a comment from an author on a book I've reviewed! Wow! I am soooo freakin' happy. That totally made my day. When I opened my inbox and saw who it was from, I literally went, "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

Well, I'm off to go blog-hopping now! Happy VGNO to one and all!!!