Yes, It's For Real.

Just another day at the office this week...

This from the Orlando Examiner:

Southwest Airlines is in cahoots with Sports Illustrated to promote the 46th edition of the notorious swimsuit issue-with a bikini plane.

Now, before you go reminiscing back to all those flights you took on Hooters Air, just simmer down. The Southwest Airlines charter will have regular-variety flight attendants slinging regular Southwest Airlines peanuts. And chances are, once word gets out that positions need to be filled on a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue plane, those positions will go to very senior, experienced, mature (do you see where I'm going with this?) flight attendants.

(Or not. I was on this plane less than a week after the new decor. Should I be offended?)

The Southwest Boeing 737 will be painted with the heavenly body of Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Bar Rafaeli.The Bikini Boeing will fly VIPs from New York's LaGuardia to Las Vegas for an extravaganza at the Luxor resort. The aircraft will remain in service with its sexy skin through April.

So after this airplane's illustrious beginning, I was able to work on it. I felt a little badly for the passengers to have me onboard and not Bar. At least no one made a comment about my bikini (or lack thereof.) It was business as usual, except for the rampers who would take pictures outside in every city we went. Who can blame them? I took my own pictures.
Ironically, one of my earliest posts was of my desire for work to return a bit to its roots. I guess I should be careful what I wish for. Who knew anyone was listening?

Arabian Nights

Please, do yourself a favor and watch/listen to this.

I watched the San Francisco Symphony preform Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

(I have loved this music since my mother introduced me to it years ago. I have come to find out that my grandmother introduced it to my mother. I am grateful for my heritage of musical appreciation. The guidance and example of my mother has influenced me greatly.)

The music is thrilling! I sat upright with rapt attention. I couldn't contain my enjoyment of the grandeur and power of The Sea and Sinbad's Ship. I found I was smiling the majority of the performance. The music is so lyrical and passionate. The sweeping romantic melody of The Young Prince and The Young Princess lingers in my mind. It's no wonder ballets have been set to this music. I was barely able to stay in my seat. (Well, okay - maybe not exactly. Although... I admit I did dance on the way to the parking lot. I couldn't help myself!) The final 5 minutes of the last movement rendered me speechless.

Initially, Rimsky-Korsakov intended to name the respective movements in Scheherazade: Prelude, Ballade, Adagio and Finale. However, after weighing the opinions of Anatoly Lyadov and others, he settled upon thematic headings, based upon the tales from The Arabian Nights.The composer deliberately made the titles vague, so that they are not associated with specific tales or voyages of Sinbad. However, in the epigraph to the finale, he does make reference to the adventure of Prince Ajib.In a later edition, he did away with titles altogether, desiring instead that the listener should hear his work only as an Oriental-themed symphonic music, that evokes a sense of the fairy-tale adventure.
(Wikipedia)

I am grateful to have the names of each movement. It's gives me a setting for the adventures. I felt transported to another time and place.

Here is another association of mine: I made sure that I listened to this music when I went to Morocco. My favorite memory was staying the night in the Sahara desert, in a tent. Yes, one of those colorful low tents, with cushions to sit on. We arrived by camel caravan - through a sandstorm. We ate our tangine pot dinner before reading 1,001 Nights (Arabian Nights) by candlelight. I can't help but remember the smells, sights, and sounds of that night and that region of the world, when I listen to this music.

A Return to the Island

So... it's kind of cool that I found this in Entertainment Weekly's website. Didn't I kind of say the exact same thing in my Lost posting? ( Great minds and all...)

EVANGELINE LILLY ON HAVING FAITH: ''You're either along for the ride and part of it, or you're not. And if you don't trust the writers, you might as well get off the boat.''

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,1550612_20245765_20257259,00.html

Just like old times

It is great that friends can weave in and out of our lives, all the while enriching us as we go.

Heather A (one of my fave girls in the world) came back home to us in Cali temporarily. The MBA classes that hold her hostage gave us a free weekend to play (under the disguise of checking out tech companies.)

We had a fabulous weekend. We walked The Dish (it's so popular it was even referenced in Gilmore Girls once.) We ate at Ann's Coffee Shop. (It has to die for french toast with yummy whipped cream.) We shopped in the City (San Fran, of course. We hit H&M, FT, and Anthro.) We ate at Osha for Thai. (I highly recommend the pumpkin curry. ) Plus, we enjoyed Target runs,Tivo'd shows, chick flick movies, and a Sunday dinner with numerous friends.

All in all, it was pretty great. It felt like normal ( although I know it's not the way it is anymore.) It made me appreciate that good friends always fall back into place with one another. Thank you Heather, Marisa, and Amanda. (Tara, you were definitely missed. We're just so happy to know that you'll be visiting soon enough. Your blog posting will come...)