WanderingAmylessly 2.0

Everyone seems to think it's hilarious that Mel Gibson's ranting and cussing and threatening his ex. I find it sad. While everyone else is calling Mel an abuser and a racist and an anti-Semite, I'm going to go out on a not-very-long-limb and say he's sick. As in mentally ill. And there's nothing remotely funny about it, Hollywood reporters. I just read an article in People magazine -- linked here -- about some trendy bar in NYC creating a new drink called the Mel "Bipolar" Gibson. The lede of the story asks "Mood swings got you down?" and suggests drinking is a way to heal. Nice. Classy. Incredibly irresponsible. In addition to his rumored bipolar disorder, Mel's also reportedly an alcoholic. It's a sad tale of self-medicating, if you ask me. He's manic, he has an addictive personality, he's incredibly famous and under intense pressure as a public figure, and he's unpredictable. Danger, danger, train wreck ahead. He's not

Going back to work after a super fun vacation is miserable. Plain old miserable. I can't get motivated to do anything. Except maybe try to take another day off.

Sat Jul 10 Partly Cloudy High 68° Low 64° Sun Jul 11 AM Clouds / PM Sun High 68° Low 64° Mon Jul 12 Sunny High 67° Low 63° Tue Jul 13 Sunny High 67° Low 63° Wed Jul 14 Sunny High 68° Low 64° Thu Jul 15 Sunny High 69° Low 64°

What do I want to do on my vacation to San Diego? Legoland! Seaworld! Wild animal park! The Beach!!!! Meet Denise Richards! OK. So the last one was just thrown in to see if you were paying attention. Actually, she reportedly lives in the area. I wouldn't mind seeing someone famous. Tim would joke that he could stand right next to one of People's top 100 stars and have no clue. He would make a very bad paparazzo. The trip had me thinking of the possibilities. Who might I be able to see? The likelihood is near nil, I realize. You never know though. Dan Dierdorf once almost ran over Tim and me in a Perkins parking lot. And Tim had Jack Nicholson touch his arm and say "Excuse me, son," at a Jazz/Lakers game once. I googled "famous people who are from/who live in San Diego" and the pickings were slim -- or at least rather uninteresting to me. What do you think? I'm guessing many of these live in smaller 'burbs rather than the city. And it's probably o

Yesterday, my arm started to swell, turn red and hot, and itch like mad. I figured I was having an allergic reaction to something, but I thought I ought to get a professional opinion before self-medicating. I called my doctor, but no appointments were available. LUCKILY, there are some UI Quick Care offices in our area. Run by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and staffed by physicians assistants and nurse practitioners poised to treat minor ailments, these Quick Care offices are advertised on their doors to be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with no appointment necessary. Gee, how lucky I am to have these places available. Especially because their slogan is "Illness is never convenient. But UI QuickCare is." Here's how yesterday went: I drove all the way across town from work to the clinic near my house and arrived at about 1:30 p.m. I walked in. The woman at the desk says, "Do you need something?" I explain that I have this swollen arm and think I'm

It's not a truffle. That's a type of chocolate. It might also be some sort of mushroom. It's a TRIFLE. No one I've talked to has ever heard of one. But it's as close to Martha Stewart Living as I'm going to get, so I'm pretty proud. Anyway, I made one for a 4th of July party we went to on Sunday. It requires a special trifle bowl, but not too special (I got it for $6 at Wal-mart). And it involves layering cake and fruit and whipped cream. It tasted pretty yummy. It looked amazing. Very patriotic -- red velvet cake and strawberries, blue berries, and the white cream. Now I'm imagining all sorts of creations I can concoct layering various flavors of cake with fruit and cream. Feel free to make suggestions. I'm thinking the next version will involve a tropical theme -- pineapples, bananas, coconut, and spice cake. Red, White, and Blue Trifle Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee, 2008, Food Network Prep Time: 25 min Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min Cook Time: 35 m