On Productivity And The Opposite Thereof

Wait, is that dust on my window? A couple of bugs?



Spiderman and a sidekick?



Are Alain Robert and a friend in town?



Nope! It's the ever impressive acrobatic window washers of the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Man, I love window washing day. I just never get a lot done.

Photos: Sway Sovay

My Car Is Proud of Me, and You Should Be Too

Today I did something I've never done before: I changed one of my tail light bulbs on my Explorer.

You have no idea what an accomplishment this was. Not only because I (embarrassingly enough) know next to nothing about what keeps my car running, but also because it was a freaking nightmare trying to get my hands on those little light bulbs.

I think it must have been The Week to Buy Replacement Tail Bulbs citywide or something, because I went to WalMart and Target a total of three times -- three times -- in order to find the stinkin' things.

My frustration at the drought of replacement bulbs subsided, however, after I snapped the cover back into place and had a successful test. I know this will sound hilarious to anyone who has even a shred of a clue more than I do regarding his or her vehicle, but I'm going to say it anyway: I felt like a total badass.

Double Take: Katharine McPhee and Jacinda Barrett

Am I the only one who thinks they look exactly alike??

Katharine McPhee:



Jacinda Barrett:

A Little Greenery Never Hurt Anyone

...unless maybe we're talking about Poison Ivy, ala the adventures of Batman and Robin.

Someone left this super cute little plant on my desk before I got into the office this morning, and thankfully, poison ivy is it not.

It's such a handsome little plant. I wonder how long it will take me to kill it. Ladies and gentlemen, start the clock.

And start the second clock for how long it takes me to find out who left the poor doomed thing on my desk.

Under Pressure, Part 2

I think that it must be awfully hard for some guys to live with the idea that they should be the ones to put the first foot forward. A lot of girls like for guys to step up and make the first move, and I can see how that would be hard for someone a little more introverted. I mean, first the guy has to get up the courage to say something or do something (and hope that it's the "right" thing), and then he has to wait and see if it's going to be followed up with a rejection. He has to continually put himself out there and run the risk of being completely embarrassed or looking like a total jerk.

But I think girls have to go through a lot of the same thing, just in a different form. Girls may have the luxury of waiting for and expecting the guy to be the one to make the first move, but we have to live the with the idea that no guy is even going to bother unless we can keep their attention. I think girls can say all day long that they don't care what they look like, but come on, every girl cares at least a little on some level. And every girl worries that she may not be "pretty enough" to get whatever kind of guy she's looking for.

The truth is, everyone wants to appeal to the opposite sex and no one likes rejection. So I think that men and women have the same problems, and are under equal amounts of pressure, but we just have to deal with it in different ways.

Under Pressure, Part 1

Which do you think is stronger: the pressure on guys to always be the instigators, or the pressure on women to always be attractive and desirable?

Incubus in Concert at Mesa Amphitheatre

I went to a concert last night with a friend from work. The bands were: Simon Dawes, The Bravery, and Incubus. And I can't say I'm a huge fan of any of those, but I like The Bravery well enough.

It was kind of a last minute thing. My friend had gotten the tickets a while ago for her boyfriend and herself, but something came up and he couldn't go. So she asked her brother-in-law, who loves Incubus just as much as she does, but he also couldn't make it. So I turned out to be third in line.

I can't say I was excited about going when my friend asked me. But I can say I was excited just to be asked. It was great to get out for a night and do something for a change, because moving to a brand new city where you don't know a soul is tough, and staying in every evening gets really old really fast.

But enough about that. If you weren't there, here's what you missed:

In the Category of Shows I Can Never Turn Off:

If you haven't caught an episode of Man vs. Wild yet, then man, do I feel sorry for you. Watching a man (think: ex-member of British special forces) get dropped off in the middle of some the craziest terrain on the face of the planet (think: Everglades, Moab Desert, Iceland, the center of a volcano) and then find his way back to civilization will always be fascinating to most of the population. And maybe what's even crazier is that the same individual would be willing to do it over and over and over again. Take all that footage, chop it up and put it back together again, and you have an entire season of Man vs. Wild. Which, by the way, is infinitely better than Survivorman. Pffffff... what is that about. Nowhere near as good as the real deal.

Well, if you're not going to watch either show, then at least answer me this: Which name sounds more hardcore to you: Les Stroud......... or Bear Grylls?

That's what I thought.

Photo: Bear Grylls makes sunscreen.
©2007 Discovery Communications

Photo: Les Stroud working the fire.
©2005 Survivorman Productions, Inc.

This Isn't Really A Post About Spas

You're just going to have to stay with me on this one and try not to get lost.

Last week I spent my lunch hour looking into a potential trip to the spa. I've never been to one before, and it sounded like a nice way to relax. I quickly uncovered that even a weekend stay at any one of these places is not cheap.

To be truthful, I did always suspect that these places were pretty expensive, but somehow I imagined that I would still be able to find something more in line with say, the Holiday Inns of spas, as opposed to the Hiltons or the Hyatts. And then I was forced to remember that I live in the Phoenix metro area, a.k.a. the Resort and Spa Capital of the Southwest. That's like living in Tiffany's and yet still expecting to find a cheap diamond within arm's reach. (Oh fine, it was lousy, but you get my point anyway, right?)

So, having absolutely no problem whatsoever admitting that I earn nowhere near enough to fund a full-fledged relaxation getaway, but not wanting to abandon all hope just yet, I checked for any special rates and/or packages. And lo and behold, I found some.

But as I read on, it became apparent that the vast number of them were created for couples.

Not just friends.

Couples.

Do people not go to the spa alone?

I think it's interesting that there are so many situations where people are expected to arrive, to enjoy, and to leave with another person.

I go to the movie theater and buy a ticket for myself, and the ticket salesperson will ask the person behind me, "Same movie?" assuming that we came together.

I go to restaurants and the hostesses frequently ask me, "...And will there be two tonight?"

The company plans events and the all-important question is, "Who will you be bringing?"

I don't have a problem with being with someone, and I don't have a problem with being alone. But there are these little things I notice which make me wonder if most of society doesn't expect for a person to either already be in a relationship or be working on being in one. Very interesting.

But my god, who are these couples who are always going to the spa?? Can I be their friend??


Photos, top two: ©2007 The Phoenician, LLC

Photos, bottom two: ©2005 Sanctuary Camelback Mountain