Conan O'Brien: Long May You Run

I'm a fan of late night talk shows and a big fan of Conan O'Brien. After a busy day, Conan with his self-deprecating humor and whit, always made me smile and laugh (out loud, might I add -- has anyone seen his skit -- In the Year 3000?) I was overjoyed after learning he would be taking over The Tonight Show after Leno stepped down. And unless you have been living under a rock, I'm sure you heard or saw the ongoing dispute among Conan, Jay Leno, and NBC Studios. For those of you who are under-rock dwellers (or just don't care about pop culture), I will catch you up.

Jay Leno left the Tonight Show to pursue his own television show that would air before The Tonight Show, which would be hosted by Conan O'Brien. The Jay Leno show was cancelled due to poor ratings and NBC decided to offer Leno back The Tonight Show and move Conan back to his original spot. Conan refused and the ongoing fued was captured through the television with verbal jabs at each other on their own shows as well as from other hosts (like David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel). Actors/guest stars lined up behind Conan to support him and he stood his ground against NBC. Finally, last week, both announced a deal. Conan O'Brien would leave The Tonight Show and receive $33 million dollars out of the total payout of $45 million. The remaineder would be split among his producers and writers of the show. So on Friday, January 22nd, Conan made his last appearance on NBC as a talk show.

I know stereotypes are made about people and their professions, and I confess that I can tend to make unknown claims too. I tend to think that stand-up comedians or people who make humor their career only know how to make people laugh --when it comes to the serious stuff, they lack emotion and poise. But I could not have been more wrong when Conan took the last part of his show to completely surprise me with his emotional and graceful goodbye (including a perfect song performed by Neil Young -- "Long May You Run":

"Before we end this rodeo, a few things need to be said. There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can't say about NBC. To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at Saturday Night Live, the Late Night show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I have worked with NBC for over twenty years. "Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we're going to go our separate ways. But this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.

Walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I've had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-Eleven parking lot, we'll find a way to make it fun.

And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism — it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere.

"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. "

Conan, I will always be a fan. I know great things are in store for you. Stay humble. Stay cheerful. Stay passionate. Long May You Run.

Twenty Ten or Two Thousand Ten

Wow! 2009 has come and gone and now we are entering a new decade! It was hard for me to comprehend all that has happened in 10 short years......in my own life and our society. It may not even seem like much until you really think about it. We had the closest presidental race in history between Bush and Gore (remember that??) and since have had two other presidential elections. We went through some great tragedies like September 11th, the Challenger exploding in 2003, the Tsumani that left 200,000 dead, Hurricane Katrina, a war that has been going on for almost 7 years, and most recently, a recession that has affected everyone (if you haven't been affected directly, I'm sure you can name someone that has).

Look at your own life now. What has happened in the last 10 years? Are you where you imagined yourself to be? I examined the last ten years and was ultimately surprised by the changes and experiences I have had. I graduated from middle school, high school, college, and will be finishing my Masters Degree this May. That equals A LOT OF SCHOOL and it will be a big change after May to not have classes at all. I had the experience of teaching a class and chaperoning the same high school field trips that I once took. I've been to an island, Vegas, the Rockies, an abandoned isane asylum, and explored the downtown city of Chicago so far. I've seen countless weddings, made and lost friends, had heartbreaks, have seen wonderful expansions to my family and witnessed part of my family torn apart. I've welcomed the birth of two little cousins and said goodbye to my grandpa. I have received and parted with my first and only car I have owned thus far. I watched as 6 of the 7 Harry Potter books were transformed onscreen and the truly amazing invention of the Ipod changed the way I listened to music. I found priorities, changed some values that I had previously held and gained a bit of wisdom along the way. Let's hope the next ten years only get better!
Stephanie

P.S. I do plan on blogging a lot more than I did in 2010
P.S.S. The reason for the title: There is this massive debate among grammer-correct-people about whether we should pronounce 2010 as Twenty-Ten or Two Thousand Ten.......and my answer is........whichever one tickles your fancy. I won't correct you if you say either one and I hope that this debate among um....grammatical experts can be resolved peacefully. Thanks.

Conquering the Adult Playground of America

Many of you know that I recently took a trip to Las Vegas at the beginning of July. Me and two friends from college (let's call them Sasha and Ivy because those were the fake names we donned while there....mine was Harley in case you were curious) packed up and flew out for five days. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. It was a new place after all and nicknamed "sin city" for a reason -- an adult playground where most anything goes and is accepted behavior. But, I can say with confidence that I had an amazing time, experienced things that I'll never forget, and would love to go back again someday. Before I get into the details, was there anything that happened in Vegas that stayed in Vegas? Yes. It was wonderful and exciting and no regrets and that is what I will say about that.

Being in our early twenties, the one thing we wanted to experience was the nightclub scene and experience we did.....EVERY night. We went to small clubs and huge clubs and clubs with lounging couches and even had a V.I.P. experience on our last night there at the Playboy Club at the Palms Hotel. I met so many different kinds of people from all over the world. We were stuck on a double-decker bus with two native (and handsome-as-hell) French men who taught us a bit of french, partied with two girls from England whose word for drunk was "pissed", a hilarious cab driver from Virginia and two older ladies from New Hampshire who we met in the pool with their big hats and jewelry who officially labeled themselves our "Vegas grandmas" and were two of the funniest and most genuine people I have met. Oh....and the MEN in Vegas........they are something else......I swear. One man offered to be our pimps and help us make money, I had a man bluntly say this exact phrase to me -- "You have beautiful eyes. Want to f*** in the elevator?" When I politely declined his offer, he counteroffered with "How about a hand job? Or a feel?" Another man I danced with at the club told me I made him hot and he wanted to "marinate" me if I'd come by his hotel room.....no joke...marinate? Like you marinate meat before you cook it? Had to chuckle at that one so good thing it was loud and dark in the club.

You need to come to Vegas with an open mind and heart and not take anything too seriously. It's about coming to the party and making it fun. You meet some doozies and may have an offensive remark thrown your way once in a while and if you let it get to you, you will have a miserable time. But if you can throw the remark back in a whitty, humorous way or brush it off or laugh it down, then you will fit in just fine. For every gross or preverted person you might meet, there are 10 or 20 good people you will run into. Well, this is Part I of three blogs I will be doing about Vegas. There's so many subjects to talk about, it hard to fit them in to one blog. My next blog will talk about being a girl in Vegas because being a girl in Vegas is GREAT and being a guy in Vegas SUCKS. I'll tell you why next time!
Later dayz,
Steph

Having a Passion for Hauntings

So, me and a very good friend of mine Emily recently took a trip down to Decatur, IL to attend the Lucky 13 Haunting Conference. It is basically a gathering of paranormal groups, investigators, and paranormal fans like me and Em who come together and talk about the paranormal. They had different speakers on many different subjects (one of them sex...go figure!) and lots of stories to tell. We were unable to get onto any of the sold out haunting tours that were happening, but it was still something to experience. Best of all, I was able to meet with Troy Taylor. He's like the king of paranormal. He's traveled all over the country holding investigations and has written over 60 books on the subect. And to my deligtful surprise, he is one of the most down-to-earth and coolest people to talk to. By coincidence, he was staying in the same hotel as us and came into the bar where we chatted a bit. I met so many different paranormal groups..ordinary people/friends who get together and check out haunted places. I met the owner of the Bartonville insane asylum that me and Em toured together back in November. We bounced back and forth our own stories of our haunted experiences and it was excited to have people who have a passion for this as much (and sometimes more!) than I do. I've loved learning about hauntings since I was a kid in front of the television watching "Unsolved Mysteries" while others were tuning into "Party of Five." To do this for a living would be such an experience -- to travel and meet people and hear their stories and try to get them some validation. We had groups with techology galore, others with matching T-shirts, and little ole me and Em, who probably looked outta place, but we soon got comfortable with the atmosphere. There was one other highlight of our weekend and that was the reading we signed up for with the famed psychic Ken Berg. Though I will not say what he told Em (in case she'd rather keep that to herself), I will share some things he saw for me:


1. I will be taking an exciting trip within the next two months and will have a great time

2. There is a change of residence within the next year

3. I will be getting more responsibility at my job but I will not hold that job or stay on that job path by the next year

4. No sudden deaths or health problems within my family for the next year.

5. I will be a mom someday -- he is saying 3 kids

6. I have a fear of rejection

7. A relationship dynamic will change within the next three months

8. I really hold back with men and should put myself out there more. The results will be good if I do.

I think that was the gist of it. I was kinda unprepared because he does a tarot card reading and then you can ask him questions. I would like to do it again and have questions prepared. I would like to learn more about what areas he thinks I would be good at with a career (since I'm stuck on that right now). I know maybe I shouldn't rely on a psychic to find that out but another opinion wouldn't hurt. He had some good insights with not only me but on Em as well. Wouldn't mind doing it again sometime. He's back in October. :)

I've attached a couple articles that explains more about the various speakers and activities that happened over the weekend. He does a really good job at reporting the details of the events and tells it better and with a better memory than I have.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977718294
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977718310

If you are interested in coming with me on future endeavors, I get the ideas from this great website. They have overnight excursions, haunted tours, conferences, and other events. Take a look and let me know if you want to go! Visit http://www.prairieghosts.com/
Later Dayz,

Steph

The Plague

I think a plague has swept through my family. Since Wednesday, I have been sick with the stomach flu and it horrendously sucks. Today hasn't been as bad as the other days but I can't eat much still (which, on a positive note, has resulted in me losing 5 lbs in 4 days). I tried to be productive today and start cleaning out the garage for my birthday party next weekend but once I got inside I couldn't hold a glass of water because both of my arms were shaking so bad....weird? I started laughing at myself because what else could I do except wallow in self pity or laugh? So I started seeing how much water I could hold without spilling for entertainment. I have not been out of the house much except to mull around the yard a bit for the past three days. Cabin fever will start to take hold and soon you will find me huddled in a corner with my shaking hands.......nice thought.
My brother and dad both have fevers, my grandma was in the hospital for a bit this morning with flu-like symptoms, and numerous cousins have it or are just getting over it. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I want food to taste good again and want to be able to go farther than my driveway. I've started to make plans for next week in hopes that this illness will leave. I do have a new-found love for Canada Dry Ginger Ale that seems to calm down my stomach. I'm pretty healthy most of the time and haven't been this sick in a LONG time so it just seems to literally STOP my life and I hate my life to stop with something I can't control. But that is just it...just keep taking the medicine, resting, drinking the liquids, etc. is what is in my power to do so I guess there's no use complaining much more about it.....and keep laughing at my shakiness. I just want this to go away.........
Steph

All Good Things Must Come To An End

I know that nothing lives forever (materially anyway), but it's hard not to think that they do. You think the job you have and that you've had for so long will never go away until one day after 20-some years, they pop into your office with a pink slip. The television show that kept you glued to the tv one night a week with new seasons and episodes will come to an end (with a hopefully good conclusion instead of a dreaded cancellation that leaves you hanging). The book series that kept your nose in the book will have its last written word (R.I.P. Harry Potter!). I'm okay with things coming to an end as long as their ending is dignified and not stolen from them. I can accept changes that must occur and are probably a good thing. So things like retirement, or quitting a job (when they are on your terms), or a television show whose contracts are up, or graduating, or moving, or finishing a series of books........but I was upset on Friday when I woke up at 9am to hear that the Kathy & Judy Radio Show on 720AM -- WGN was cancelled -- suddenly and without warning. The day they announced it at 9am was the last broadcast. It was a shock not only to their audience but also other radio hosts throughout the day that knew nothing of this.

I know it was a radio talk show and some people might think I'm a bit too sentimental to get too worked up over this, but this is what I know. I know that these two women had been on from 9am-12pm on WGN radio for over 20 years and at the time of the cancellation, still had 9 months left on their contract. Being both in their 60's now, it was safe to assume that after these 9 months, they would not renew their contract and would have retired. My parents listened to these women and I use to groan when they turned them on because I felt radio was only good for the music until the day I had my own car. No good song was on and I tuned in and listened to the entire broadcast. In those three hours, these 2 women could me me laugh, entertain me, inform me, and open my mind. Since then, on my way to work or school in the morning, I would turn to the station and learn something new. They had "speak your peace" where callers had 30 seconds to gripe about anything, Sex Thursday talks, serious discussion, funny discussion, and the list goes on. They encouraged callers and had such a charisma with each other that you couldn't help but want to be a "girlfriend" (what they called their listeners). They did not deserve this sudden drop. Their last broadcast was a recollection of their best times but it felt too short....unprepared. If they could have finished up their broadcast at the end of their last 9 months, there would have been no surprises. The end would be smooth and full of celebration and best of all....dignified. This move on WGN was shameful and disgraceful and....although I'll probably regret this later because this is usually not me....but deep down I'm hoping that whatever they are replacing them with or whatever new strategy they have (their reasoning for doing this) crashes and burns.....
Sorry this post was kinda negative.....on a good note, I feel a storm coming on....I love storms...
Later Dayz,
Stephanie

Don't Dip the Sandals in the Lemonade

If you are wondering about the title of this blog, the two images I think of when summer is mentioned are flip flops and a tall, iced glass of lemonade. This is my first week of having no work. I'm liking it now but I know by next week, unless I get busy fast, I'm gonna hate it. I like work and the satisfaction it gives me and the routine I have. No, that does not mean I'm totally against spontaneity (in fact, it is a must), but I like knowing what my next day is going to be like -- at least on outline of what it is going to be like. I'm a planner...and I like plans. Summer jobs have dramatically dropped off and it shows in the classifieds with very few jobs (much less summer jobs) to choose from. I do mow a lawn for $30 a week, will do a rare fill-in at the Mary Kay office, and will pray that my textbooks will sell on Half.com (I've sold one!!). I have saved up a good amount of money in case this summer was a jobless summer that would let me travel and bit and maybe work on some personal growth. I've already started this week with summer plans:

• I cleaned out the room, brought up the summer clothes, tied up loose ends at work, and caught up on emails, got my car fixed ($675 later for full brake replacement...ugh), almost got graduation cards mailed out, mom's birthday.....and all that jazz
• Became the designated house cleaner since my parents do not charge me rent or make me buy groceries. If I'm not rushing off to work, I better make this house my work, so I make sure to pick up, vaccuum, and unload/reload dishwasher each day among other little things so show my appreciation

And I've started filling up the calendar with events, travel, and things that I hope to cross off my life list or continue things that I have started and quit:

1. I am heading to Decatur, IL with my friend Emily to attend a Haunting Conference. I'm so lucky to have a friend that is as much into haunted places and the paranormal as I am. We are staying two days, taking a haunted tour, participating in a seance, and meeting some haunted book authors!
2. Las Vegas Here I Come -- and you thought I wasn't spontaneous enough! Within two days of being invited by my friend Traci, I had my flight booked. Do I know what we are going to do? Nope. Where we are staying? Nope. But I'm excited!
3. Weddings -- One in July and one in August of an old roommate and a co-worker of mine which leads me to....
4. Getting in shape!! I have started and quit so many times and I always have the excuse of not having enough time....NO MORE! I've been doing pretty good actually. The bad thing is I walked a lot at work and didn't have much time to eat a lot and that might pose a problem.
5. Turning 23!! On June 13th
6. Cooking -- I am forcing myself to learn to cook meals and be better....this will be tough because I do not find cooking enjoyable yet but hopefully I will get motivated....I need to watch Ratatouille....that always gets me motivated
7. GNO -- Otherwise known as the Girls Night Out that me, my mom, and my aunt have traditionally done for the past four years. We take 3 or four days and head to different places....Shippsewana, IN (Amish country), Galena, Gurnee, etc.
   
8. Horseback Riding -- My life list has learning to gallop and canter a horse. Found a stable at a reasonable price. Will go there the 1st week of June and sign up!
9. READING -- Have wanted to read all the classics that have never made it into my hands. Oh, and I've started a Book Club. Wanted to follow through with that as well
10. Scrapbook and writing -- starting with keeping up this blog and starting to turn the pictures and cards and letters and ticket stubs into something that isn't a pile or a box.
11. Love -- don't want to touch this one too much....I know what the situation is....It's in a very uncertain zone right now and I'm afraid to push it one way or another just yet....so having a bit of faith that circumstances will change somehow before summer is up

Pheww.....wow.....let summer begin!
Steph