To the dudes at the gym,

I get that cruising each other is part of the whole Gym Thing for you, and I'm cool with that. But seriously, if you're just gonna sit there and flirt or gossip or whatever it is you're doing, and not lift one of those muscles of yours, get off the damn machine so I can use it!

Love,
Caryn

No matter how much weight one loses, I wonder if it takes a whole other kind of workout not to see a fat girl in the mirror. You know, hypothetically.

Women/Goddesses I was compared to this week:
*Kelly Clarkson
*Madonna
*Kali

Upcoming movies I want to see:
*Water
*Brick
*Happy Feet

Recently dreamed about:
*My mom announcing that she's leaving my dad
*My grandpa, played by Johnny Cash
*Getting out of work with the excuse of running a 5k
*Borrowing a digital stopwatch from my grandma, played by Hillary Clinton
*Britney Spears' car on fire
*Matthew McConaughey as my live-in boyfriend

Three Flickr favorites from my contacts:
*The Hardest Job As A Parent
*At High Levels, the Rogue Becomes Adept at Hiding in Shadows
*Run for your lives!

Emails that made me laugh:
*A Friendster message from one of the cutest guys from high school
*An online dating match found for me, a cutie pie I smooched after a Christmas party
*Oh, that Dilbert

Body parts that have improved this year:
*Arms
*Tummy/Waist
*Hips
*Skin

Parts I'm still working to improve:
*Thighs
*Thighs
*Thighs

Tonight's shopping:
*Milk
*Pepperoni
*Cheese
*Peas

Things I am indecisive about:
*The length of my hair
*What book to read next
*Finally buy my own Settlers game?

Favorite quotes of the week:
*"You have a city dangling from your sweater."
*[contents of Valentine]
*"You're goth." Goth! "Goth that smells like bubblegum."

In New York's post-blizzard quiet, a few friends and I warmed up with drinks in SoHo. One is a guy I've been meaning to hang out with more often on our own.

"Hey, we need to see a movie together sometime," I said.
"Yes!"
"This week?"
"Yes!"
"Do you want to see Brokeback Mountain?"
"Yes! Thursday and Friday aren't good for me."
"Me either."
"And Tuesday would be better than Monday."
"Me too!"

Tuesday it is.

Only later did it occur to me that Tuesday is Valentine's Day. D'oh? Yay? Heh? Yes, heh.

If you can catch it, Cuddle Party will be featured on tomorrow's Valentine's Day episode of The Montel Williams Show.

UPDATE: Another stellar performance! Way to go!



*Cuddlemania

On February 7, 2005, I wrote an email and saved it in my Drafts folder.

To: Mike Wolf
From: Caryn Solly

While we were chatting, I wanted to say that I'd "bite my tongue" until you saw it ... but I couldn't -- just couldn't -- say it. Because of the movie.

Over AIM, I had just convinced Mike that he would like Million Dollar Baby and that he should see it. Mike and I loved to talk about movies, and he had unique reservations about the film, which I had anticipated and successfully assuaged. He said he was pretty busy and wouldn't get to see it for at least a few days.

He wouldn't have gotten the joke, but I wouldn't have been able to help from laughing at myself and having to explain it. I restrained myself. I planned to send the email after he came back and told me he saw it.

Mike never made it to the movie. And I've never been able to bring myself to delete that email from that Drafts folder. I like being reminded of him when I see it.

We still remember you, Mike.

Kissing Beth Fisher
Some of the best writing I've come across on a blog in a long time. Nice, Murph.

Alien Loves Predator
My favoritest Cuddle Party reference. Ever.

Volunteer at the Tribeca Film Festival
I will be doing it again! Want to join me?

Princess Alicia
Almost 40-Year-Old Virgin goes Googling.

Love, Daddy
"Letters and stories from my jailed deaf dad." A new blog from Kambri Crews.

A Cure for AIDS?!
"In addition to being a potential checkmate to HIV, the compounds show indications of being just as effective against other diseases plaguing humankind - among them influenza, possibly even the dread bird flu, along with smallpox and herpes."
Any medical types out there who can comment on this?

Discussion: Am I the only one who thinks that lilies are a stinky flower? A girl in my office got a beautiful bouquet of them, but damn! P.U.

Hello February ...