Stacy Horn

The New Blog is LIVE!!

I don't know if you will automatically be taken there, but just in case you're not, the address for the new blog is:

http://stacyhorn.com/~horn/stacy/

Moving and Upgrading This Blog

Hopefully today or tomorrow, or soon after I will be switching this blog over to Wordpress. It's going to look a little different but mostly the same. Wordpress will be a lot easier to use and give me features that I don't have now (like the ability to embed music, which I've been wanting to do).

In the meantime, this is my cousin Bill Kaelin and my brother Douglas Horn at the Pan Mass Challenge, a marathon bike ride which raises money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where my cousin conducts research in "Functions of Tumor Suppressor Proteins". Good god. He is also a Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. Apparently our cousin is scarily smart. We didn't know that growing up, when he got up every year at Christmas to sing Edelweiss.

They Should Not Be Allowed to Exist

No, not ladybugs. Last night one of those huge, monster flying cockroaches was loose in my apartment, freaking dive-bombing me. I can take most bugs, even spiders, but these things just terrify me for some reason. I can�t be in the same room as one without literally screaming and crying. I couldn't even bear to put a picture of one of them up here so I put up a picture of a ladybug instead, it's that nuts. I ran to my neighbors, they weren�t home, logged onto Echo and explained my problem, hoping someone would volunteer to come over, but no one did.

I had no choice but to try to come up with a plan to kill it myself, and I will already tell you I was not successful so he's going to pop up again, waving his evil "Yes, I am that evil and I see you" antennae at me.

I did come up with one idea that helped though, and that was the idea of opening an umbrella and using it as a shield. It just made me feel less panicked. My plan was to swat at him with this huge feather duster I have, which would hopefully mess up his flight, cause him to fall to the ground, then I'd smoosh him with my shoe.

So for a while I was walking around my apartment carrying an open umbrella, a big feather duster and a shoe. Yeah.

Anyway, this bug was always one step ahead of me, flying too high and too fast. Plus, I mostly cowered.

Finally I gave up and tried the neighbors again, and Beth was home this time and she sent over Malik, but the freaking bug was once again hiding. Thank you for trying, Malik! I appreciate it!! I was able to get to sleep, but he's still in here somewhere, and you know he's going to appear at the most inopportune time, like when I'm carrying a large mug of hot coffee. Over my keyboard. With a cat next to it.

It's the flying part that gets me. I just cannot cope. It's the most unfair of all unfair advantages.

The point is: they suck.

The World is Going to End on Sept. 10th

Or thereabouts. They're going to turn on the Large Hadron Collider then. That reminds me, I've started reading a science blog called Cosmic Variance because my favorite Science Times writer Dennis Overbye mentioned he reads it. Even if you don't think you're interested in science articles, just try reading Dennis Overbye every Tuesday for a while, when he has a piece in the Times. You'll be surprised, I think.

Cosmic Variance is good too, for keeping up with what is newsy for physicists. It's California Institute of Technology physicist Sean Carroll's blog. Actually no, I just read the "about" page and it's a group blog, not just Carroll's. I watched a video of Sean Carroll and his wife, also a scientist, on YouTube, and now I forget what it was about (and his wife's name, sorry!) but I remember enjoying it. I'll bet there's a nice love story there.

I'm So Tired, Make Me Stop

I've been busy learning new blog software, moving my blogs to the new software, updating all the pages on all my blogs, good God it is wearying. I am weary. Look at Finney here, collapsed on my lap. Apparently it is wearying for him, too.

I sent my camera to Canon to be fixed, so this picture was a video snapshot from my isight camera. That's why the quality is so-so.

Anyway, that's my update. I'm weary. From updating everything in my life. This blog will be last.

I missed Michael Phelps this morning. I hope to god there's some sort of Olympic's highlights tonight. Didn't you just love the outfits the U.S. athletes wore to the opening ceremony? They all looked so beautiful and smart and stylish. Speaking of the opening ceremony good god in Heaven. The Chinese and opening ceremonies!! Showing the world how it is done!! I was screaming at certain points. I mean mother of god, you have to hand it to them. Mind-blowingingly well done.

This Means Barack is Going to Win

Our boy won! WOO-HOO!! I couldn't believe it! I was thinking the last time someone I wanted to win won was Clinton, so this means, I've decided, Barack is going to win. America is on a getting-it-right streak.

Things didn't look promising at first. I liked Philip Chbeeb over the other guy, and then Katee was eliminated before Twitch (insane) and while I'm at it, Twitch should have been eliminated before Courtney too, but thank the lord, Joshua won. My sweety-pie Joshua.

Other thoughts: I loved seeing Mary dance, but that was a poor choice of a routine. I think she couldn't help suffering by comparison, that was one of Katee and Josh's best and most fun routines, and the dress was just bad. That said, she was great, and it was sweet and fun to see her dance. And Nigel too, I have to say, who did a great job.

I wish they had picked routines that featured dancers we hadn't seen in a while, like Thayne and Chelsea's samba, and I LOVED seeing dancers from former seasons. MORE OF THAT. Much more of that please. In fact, when they were picking routines they should have picked from all seasons.

Anyway, it's over until next summer. Now what am I going to do??

Oh, I don't know if I've mentioned it, but Jackie has been helping me (actually, she's doing all the work really) moving my blogs to different and more up-to-date software called Wordpress, and we're almost done. I think I will be able to imbed sound into my posts with Wordpress, which is one of the things I've wanted to do.

When I'm Rich

- I will have an apartment with a fireplace (although I had one once, when I was poor).

- A really great camera.

- A vacation (it's been decades).

- A new super duper Mac, and an iphone (actually, I don't really lust for an iphone so much, but if I'm rich, what the hell).

- Really great speakers (this should have come at the top of the list).

- A kayak.

Okay, I'm already bored. This is part of the reason why I'm not rich. I don't really enjoy this game more than a few seconds.

Today I'm going to read through my book one more time, but I think I might be done. I'm very excited. I think this one might be the one. I always think this, though. In the end, when all is said and done, I'm very much the optimist. I mean, I know that chances are things will crash and burn horribly, and not just crash and burn, but somehow this book will turn around and kick my ass, stomping on me and laughing maniacally the whole time, but then again, you never know.

I Eat a Lot of Fruit

Another picture I took during the final days of my camera -- a pile of fruit at Balducci's. The watermelons looked so pretty!

I'm almost done editing, but I feel like concentrating on moving all my blogs over to Wordpress today. Not sure if I should, but that's what I feel like doing. It really is a lot better than what I'm using now. And easier.

I woke up this morning with that wonderful feeling of I have a book coming out! Tra-la-la-la! I love this feeling. You never know what might happen. If only buying a new camera wasn't among them.

I Want a New Camera, Now I Need a New Camera

But, I can't afford a new camera. My old Canon Powershot S410 has now gone completely insane on me. From time to time it was doing this thing where everything looked like an oil painting that melted. Now it's stuck on that. I looked up the cameras my favorite photographers use, and the least expensive one (Nikon D40) is still in the $600 range. I can get a new Powershot for around $150, which is probably what it would cost me to fix it, but that's annoying. It's like spending $150 for nothing, for what I already have. Infuriating.

This is the last picture my old camera took. I took it walking down the Hudson with my neighbors Beth and Malik. This path has been closed for a while for renovations. This shot doesn't capture how nice it looks. They've landscaped it nicely, flowers all over, and terraces every once in a while with chairs under trees and shade, more than what is shown here. When I have a camera again, maybe I'll take shots of what it looks like from here to Battery Park.

I've been busy doing the final edits of my book. Oh, and my friend Jackie designed a blog for my new book, AND is helping me migrate this and my other blog to new and better blog software.

Here's the blog for Unbelievable. It's not done yet, but it's enough done that you'll get the idea.

Zombie Birds Haunt the East Coast

My friend Chris sent me this picture of an eaglet, and maybe it's because I have paranormal on the brain, but I just thought it has this lovely, spooky, kinda unreal feel to it. Doesn't it look like an eaglet in another world almost?

I saw another disappointing summer movie: The Mummy. I think I will be disappointed by The X Files movie next.

I'm Rooting for Joshua. No, Katee. No, Joshua.

Well, Mark wasn't my favorite, but seriously, he was robbed. It's insane that he and Will and Gev are gone and Twitch is still here (as talented as he is, and he is). That said, Nigel gave a good speech. In the end this has been a great thing for the remaining dancers (all the top 10-ish), and having made it this far I don't think winning is going to effect their careers in the long run.

Didn't you love it when Cat picked up that little boy?? I love Cat. She is endlessly fabulous. I love this show!!

Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee. Joshua. Katee.

Oh for the love of God, declare it a tie and put me out of my misery.

Why Can't So You Think You Can Dance be on Year Round?

The best lift I've ever seen on the show was Joshua's last night, when Katee did that I-don't-know-what-to-call-it and Joshua seemed to catch her mid-leap and froze her in that mid-leap-looking position -- my God it took my breath away!

Other thoughts:

No way do I think the partnering was random. Everyone was partnered up with exactly who I think the judges wanted to see together. Exactly.

I do not think Twitch did a good job with the mambo. He didn't pull off the mambo the way Joshua pulled off the samba earlier in the season and the paso doble last night. And look how great Mark was with the waltz. The judges were much too kind to Twitch -- I can't believe the pass Mary gave him on the mambo. And they didn't praise Mark enough.

I think Chelsie and Twitch should be the ones going home, except I don't know if they will. Twitch is very popular. And Mark's solo was kinda dumb. I'm not sure who is the more popular of the two women, Chelsie or Courtney. It was insane how Chelsie kept up with Twitch in that hip hop, but I still think Courtney can do more than Chelsie, overall.

I want Joshua and Katee as the final two, and Katee to win. Here is the samba that they did. I probably already posted this, but I continue to watch it again and again.

Is this something I can knock over?

I loved how Melinda asked, "How long was it before the cats started batting the tiny dinosaurs and naked babies under the furniture?" Pretty much the second I put them down. To get the picture from yesterday's post took constant picking up and putting Finney back on the floor. He cries when I won't let him destroy stuff. So cute. "Who's a little destructor? You are!" Here I'm saying, "Finn! Here! Good stuff to knock over here!"

Stay Away Burglars! Grrrrrrrr! (And waaaaahhh!)

Nicole suggested putting Godzilla in the window to face the burglars, so I did! Then I added some tiny dinosaurs to help him. And then I added a bunch of tiny naked babies as a second line of defense, in case Godzilla and the dinosaurs fails. Yeah. Tiny babies. That'll scare 'em. HEY! My Godzilla doesn't have as impressive pointy things on his back as the one in the previous post! Or bulging biceps. I've got the wimp Godzilla.

Battle Plans

I've been busy editing the final page drafts of my book. I go back and forth between, "This is okay," and "God, I can't write. Why didn't anyone tell me??"

Yesterday, I walked out the front door of my apartment to get something for dinner, and an old boyfriend was standing there on the street, talking on a cellphone. He glanced at me for a second, but was deep in conversation and didn't even recognize me! I had sunglasses on, but still! I took advantage of this and kept walking, because I was so hungry I was shaking and didn't want to stop to talk, but still! Not very flattering, I must say!

He and I were night and day though. He loves to travel, and does so constantly, and I mean constantly. He's in a different city or country every few weeks, and he's been living like this for decades. My idea of the perfect evening is curled up on the couch watching television. He likes big parties, I prefer hanging out with one person at a time, or small groups, etc., etc., etc. So, even though break-ups are rarely fun, ours was inevitable, so no hard feelings.

My friend Jonathan sent me this picture in an IM. I tried to find out who took it, but no go. Isn't it great?? I have that same Godzilla. He sits on the floor in the hallway, protecting me from any monsters who might try to attack me while I'm curled up on the couch, watching television. You know, maybe I should get out of the house a little more ...