I was saddened to receive a text yesterday from my friend letting me know that Rik Mayall passed away. This was from the same friend who called and told me Phil Hartman had been murdered.

When I was in high school, I was a nerd. Seriously nerdy. I read comic books, was obsessed with music, Monty Python, comedy shows, reading, watching old TV shows and everything British and Australian (Kiwi too). Don't get me wrong, I had friends, but I was a little different. I liked my friends, but since we lived kinda far from everything, I spent loads of time on my own.

One day I discovered the Young Ones.   Since no one else had heard of it, it didn't help my nerd status, but it was so great. I had such a huge crush on both Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson! This show had amazing guest stars that would go on to become HUGE, although we didn't know it then. My next crushes were Stephen Fry, Robbie Coltrane, Griff Rhys-Jones , Stephan Frost and Hugh Laurie. All of them were on the show at some point. I'd already had a crush on Griff from watching him and Mel Smith on their show "Alas Smith and Jines", but it was neat seeing him on this show. Then there were the bands on the show: Madness, Motörhead, Amazulu, the Damned, Jools Holland with members of Squeeze, Ultravox, , etc. this was stuff you couldn't see anywhere!  Even Emma Thomson was on the show...

I couldn't believe my luck when, a few years later, I found a vinyl copy of " British Comic Relief Presents: Utterly Utterly Live". I got it for The Young Ones with Cliff Richard, but it opened my eyes to Billy Connolly, Lenny Henry and French and Saunders.  AMAZING.  I owe so much to the Rik and the Young Ones.

Rik was in other great things: Blackadder, Comic Strip Presents (I have a cd of Bad News!), Filthy  Rich and Catflap, Dangerous Brothers, New Statesman, the movie Drop Dead Fred, Bottom, Jonathan Creek.....all sorts of stuff. It was the Young Ones that started it all. I can still recite lines from it.  Not as geeky as when I used to recite Python lines, but close. Here is a poem I know by heart, that Rik recited while looking in the mirror, pinching his face to pop a zit. If you know the show, it should bring back good memories--

"Pollution. All around. Sometimes up. Sometimes down. Pollution, are you coming to my town, or am I coming to yours? Ha, we're on different buses pollution, but we're both using petrol...ha"

If you want, I can't recite Python too....

I have had this picture for man, many years (mainly on my fridge, where it still resides), I will raise a glass to it and miss the great, crude, filthy genius of Rik Mayall. I used to have the picture saved, but when I updated my computer, it was lost. I can't find it online anymore.  Hopefully it will show up below:

Update 6/29 = I finally tracked down the image online.

For some reason this didn't publish last weekend-- trying again.

I went out to breakfast this morning with my staff from my last job. It was awesome to see everyone and spend time catching up. I can't believe it's been over two months since I left. A lot has changed at my old company... And two of my gals gave me birthday presents, I love presents!!! I miss these ladies like crazy.  We're going to do it again in a month or two.

I was lucky enough to have birthday breakfast with two friends on my bday. I'm so fortunate to have these two ladies as my friends.   My dad sent me an awesome text. My mom, of course, forgot to call. Maybe she got mixed up since I'd seen them the weekend before? I don't know. Makes me laugh though! One year she called me on the wrong day and when I pointed it out, she said "I know when it is, I was there". :-)

I can't believe I'm another year older. So much has happened in the last 12 months. I've moved, passed a major exam (it pisses me off that I'm not using the license, but hey, I passed!) and I found a new job in Brentwood.

My new bosses gave me a beautiful orchid, which was neat since my last boss never even said "happy birthday" when I worked for him.

The rest of my birthday was quiet.  I went to a special screening of the Thrilling Adventure Hour web series with a bonus performance of my favorite: Sparks Nevada, Marshall on Mars. My friend drove and I got to be the second passenger in her new SUV. It was great! They were also showing Serenity, but we bailed early. One of the actors came over to My friend to tell her he'd met her sister back east. How neat is that?

As most of you know, the passenger side mirror on my car was clipped off when I was at LAX a few years ago picking up a friend. Because it was snapped off and left hanging, the one tiny tension post that keeps mirrors like mine on, was broken in half (with half still being in the housing on the car side). This meant that I wasn't really able to fix it, so, being the classy gal I am, I flooded it with epoxy and slapped some black Gorilla Tape on it. I always hated it, but I could live with it... Until I started working in Brentwood.

Now, all of a sudden it's bothering me. What can I do? I can't really get a new one because the epoxy I originally used would have to be removed, and that would probably entail use of a heat gun. I figured I would probably melt off the plastic housing as well, so that's out. How about this, take off the tape and the adhesive residue (from 4 years of slapping new tape on) and see how well the mirror does on its own?

Great idea!!! So this past Sunday morning I go out to my car (early) armed with a microfiber cloth and a bottle of Goof Off. For AN HOUR I scrubbed. I kept going until all the adhesive was gone. Off the frame of the car and off the plastic housing for the mirror.

I thought my fingers were gonna die! Constant scrubbing for sixty minutes!

When I was done, I was really proud of myself! The mirror stayed up (barely) and my car looks presentable. A job well done!!

Until...... I woke up Monday morning to fingers swollen up to twice their normal size. It felt like I had on really sticky thick rubber gloves. It didn't hurt much, but it was hard to work (and grab things). Now that they're almost back to their normal size, guess what they're doing? Yup, PEELING!!!! Just from the knuckle to the tips mind you. So glamorous!

I hope, at the very least, the young kid who drives the Porsche and parks next to me every day at work notices the mirror before it falls off again. Maybe he won't give my car that sad look with a shake of his head anymore. :-(. Meanwhile, I'll just sit here scrubbing my hands and applying lotion.

What price vanity indeed!

(I typed this on my phone, so please excuse typos until I can get to a computer to fix them).

I recently posed this question to my friend Sam (Samantha): "how many times does it take for me to mutter to myself "well, you're just a c*nt in a Prius (or BMW, Mercedes, Ford or whatever)" on the way to/from work before it loses meaning?"  She said "never".

I hope she's right. I say it an awful lot to myself on the way to work and on the way home each night. :-)

I don't know which is worse, students on the way to UCLA (late for class, of course) in the morning or the rich Brentwood commuters getting off work each night....

Wow, I forgot what a great movie L.A. Confidential is.  Amazing acting all around.

It's been years since I saw it in the movie theater....

I came across the DVD while I was doing a little bit of cleaning this afternoon.  What a great way to spend a couple of hours and avoid finishing the cleaning.

Argh! Work was exhausting this week (again).

To add to the stress I'm experiencing at work (I still haven't gotten the hang of things yet),  the President was in town and, while I love our commander-in-chief, I really wish they would choose non-rush hour travel times when he needs to get around town. You know, 7pm instead of 5pm.  10am instead of 9am. They shut everything down WAY ahead of time!!!!  A stretch of Wilshire ended up getting shut down without it being announced ahead of time!!!  Luckily, I had my Waze up and running, so that when I made the snap decision to flee the snarl I was stuck in, it was there, guiding me along.

I still don't have the hang of things at work. I'm not used to things like this taking so long. What I AM used to is getting things at work right off the bat. It's a hit to my pride and confidence?

I'm frustrated and tired.

Week two-done!!!

Went to EC today after work with Sam and her husband David. We had fun! Danny is a hero behind the bar! I had a designated driver in David, so I was able to relax and have a cocktail.

I've changed my evening commute route to Wilshire - S. Santa Monica- Barton. Less traffic than the snarl I encounter in Beverly Hills each evening on Wilshire.

Bosses were out of the office the last couple of days, so we got a lot if training done AND I was able to rearrange things so that I'm not getting bruised shins when I sit at my desk.

Still haven't ventured out of the office yet during my lunch hour.  I'm using the heat as my excuse this week, but in all honesty, I'm just not at ease yet.

Not much on for the weekend. Thrilling Adventure Hour tomorrow night and chores the rest of the weekend. I'm behind because I was knocked out with a migraine last weekend.

You wouldn't believe the amount of laundry I have to do. And fabric steaming. And dusting. And vacuuming. BAH!!!