September 20, 2006 10:31 a.m.

I am, right now at this moment, quite possibly the happiest that I have been, ever.

Technical difficulties.

I didn't write on this for a week because I forgot my password. I thought it was my name and my age so I was typing in maura28 over and over and it wasn't working. Then I got lazy and gave up, and finally went and changed my password. This morning it occurred to me what the problem was, after the password had been changed. I'm not 28, I'm 27.
I need a vacation.

Back to the drawing board...

Humph. There goes my plans for how I want to be buried. Nothing ever goes my way.

Good Old Days.

After playing an exciting game of Oregon Trail last week after a reminder of its existence from Corie, is started feeling nostalgic for things from my childhood. The following have tugged a bit at my heart strings:

• jelly shoes (and the inevitable sea of blisters that they produced).
• Mork and Mindy
• Fruit Wrinkles
• Transformers
• Small Wonder
• Jem (she's truly outrageous)
• the game statue maker. Did anyone else play this? I have mentioned it to friends before and been met with blank stares. There is no way that my siblings and I were smart enough to make this up.
• the Great Collectible Eraser Craze of '89. Every recess was spent viewing and trading. My mother thought the craze was a bit silly and did not provide much financial backing, which adversely affected my social status that year. The mushroom haircut and navy glasses didn't help.

Leave Jon Voight Alone!

I saw this story yesterday while flipping through the channels and laughed so hard. Poor Jon Voight gets his granddaughter mixed up with the belly-dancing belle of "Hips Don't Lie" fame. Although the press was acting like it was some horrible faux paux, when I saw the clip I was filled with a sense of surrogate fatherly love for the poor man. I mean really, whose dad wouldn't do this? You take the average male memory, add in old age, mix in an obscure hollywood-child name, and getting the name right is like trying to catch a falling star.
I have the greatest dad in the world, but I have learned long ago to answer to any Gaelic-sounding M name. Molly, Maureen, Maeve, Meaghan, Michaleen (town drunk from The Quiet Man)- heck, no need to be picky!

Never Have I Ever.

I spent this past weekend in Northern Wisconsin, where I played Scrabble for the first time in my life. I am not sure why I have never played before, as I come from a family of word lovers. Upon my stating that I had never played, I was given a look of sheer amazement.
I began to think about other fairly simple things that I have never done...
*seen the movie Old School
*eaten falafel
* had a Krispy Kreme Doughnut
*gone to a Pro Football Game, or seen one, technically speaking
*watched Survivor or The Apprentice
*touched a bald man's head
*kissed a man with facial hair (not counting a cheek kiss to an old relative)
*worn jeans to work
*whistled
*gone to California

Scrabble was fun but a bit disastrous. I had a bit of a meltdown when I allowed my opponent's use of the word ferro (Italian for "iron") and he questioned my word quid, as in quid pro quo. I'm getting fired up just thinking about it. Now I know to always play with a gynormous dictionary. Is gynormous a word?

Wait, Wait...

I got tickets to see an upcoming episode of NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. I am very pumped. This is actually a great way to spend an evening for those living in Chi-town or visiting. Thursday night 7:30 to 9:30, $20 to be in a live studio audience entertained by Peter Sagal, Carl Kasell, and a panel including regulars like Paula Poundstone, Mo Rocca, Adam Felber, Roy Blunt Jr., Charlie Pierce, PJ O'Rourke... heck I may become a regular myself. I kinda wonder if there are people who go every week. Anyone ever gone? Or to see Prairie Home Companion? (the radio show, not the movie with LiLo)