Heroic Effort

Through heroic efforts, I managed this morning to login to "Old Blogger". What I had to do was sign into the "New Blogger" using a Gmail account. I am not on the "New Blogger" (as I reported yesterday), but I pretended I was. It was sort of like walking proudly into a private party without invitation and just acting like you are a VIP.

So here I am, for one more day. I do not know if it will work tomorrow, but I will keep trying until I manage to talk with Pony about the possibility of helping me move somewhere else. (All technical decisions must be cleared through him, because he is my personal IT advisor.)

Your comments yesterday were incredibly kind. Thanks for the encouragement!

Walking home last evening, my timing was perfect for viewing an amazing sunset. I couldn't capture the beauty of the evening on my little cell phone, but when I looked at the picture today it reminded me of an impressionist painting. I think my hands must have been shaking, but I am going to pretend I created the look on purpose using a special lens and tons of expensive photography equipment.

This is a view of the Willamette River looking south from the Burnside Bridge. My hometown often takes my breath away.

The Harbinger

Things aren't looking good for Hot Toddy's Toaster Oven.

For some reason, Blogger is unable to switch this blog to the new version. But accessing the old login page is becoming more and more difficult. Today I spent 20 minutes trying to bypass the invitations to switch to the new blogger, but I couldn't get to the login. I read the Help articles and forums. I used the links that Blogger claimed would take me to the old login screen, but I just kept getting a message asking me to switch to the new version. So I gave in and tried to switch again today, even though I knew it wouldn't work. After attempting the switch, I just received a message letting me know I couldn't switch at this time, and I'd be notified when I should try again. But every time I tried to access the old login, I was taken to a message inviting me to switch.

And on and on...

It makes me wonder if I really want to blog badly enough to go through this.

Starting over with a new blog host seems overwhelming and tedious.

I feel like giving up, and I don't even feel despair or frustration about it. It is like, in some ways, life would be easier if I no longer had a blog to maintain.

Then again, I've done this for years and have met some great people (and a couple complete jerks) through this blog. At home I have a multitude of half-empty journals that I've abandoned, but I've managed to keep up with the Toaster Oven for years.

I want to quit. But I also don't want to be a quitter. I'm not sure I can have both.

Oh, God. I'm Close. I'm So Close.

Thank you for your comment yesterday, Debbi. Not to be shallow (okay, maybe a tiny bit), but this one's for you...

Doesn't it feel good to get close?

Oh, right. That feels good too. But what I meant was, doesn't it feel good to get close to achieving a goal? For my whole entire cock-a-doodie life I have wanted to be a person who only had to lose 10 pounds to be considered "fit". But I've never even been close. Usually I was someone who needed to lose about 20-25 pounds. For a few miserable years, I needed to lose over 60 pounds, which just seemed impossible.

It's not impossible of course. For inspiration click here.

Yesterday I went for my body composition test, which I do every six weeks. I am now carrying the results around with me everywhere I go. (Not just on my body - I'm referring to the piece of paper I can't seem to set down!) I keep looking down at the L.E.A.N. Body System report for Hot Toddy and reading these words over and over...

"You could safely lose 8.03 pounds of fat"

I've never been so close. Once I had 11 pounds of fat to lose, but I got distracted. Then I got discouraged. Then I got depressed. Then I got further distracted, more discouraged and depressed. And so on and so on until I gained 55 pounds of fat.

I usually hate numbers. I can't do fractions, and I failed Algebra 2 in high school. But at this moment, I love doing math.

Exactly a year ago, my body fat was at 32.38%.
Yesterday, my body fat was 12.62%.

Since January 2006, I've lost 55.83 pounds of fat. I've also gained 51.83 pounds of lean body mass. That is only a difference of four pounds if you're looking at the scale (which is why I think paying attention to the scale and ignoring body composition is a mistake).

If I can lose eight pounds

When I lose eight pounds of fat, my body fat will be 10%. When I am being good (working out, watching what I eat and being careful not to drink too much), I lose an average of 1% body fat every 4-6 weeks.

When Auburn Pisces has her birthday in March, I should be around 11.62% (I will also get to meet our dear friend Pua in person!)

By the time softball season starts, and around the time The Golden Boy has his birthday, I should be at 10.62%. (But I still won't have abs like his!)

I'm attending two weddings in May. The Math Whiz and The Handsome Prince are tying the knot. Also, Juju and Metro are getting married that month. I will be celebrating these marriages with my friends, but if I work hard I will be celebrating a whole lot more!

Me and My Toddtender

The Toddtender, who works as a bartender of course, took me to see Kathy Griffin a couple weeks ago. Between writing about important things like my belt size and Christmas plans for 2008, I haven't really had time to talk about that night, but it was fantastic.

On the afternoon of the show, the Toddtender called to check in with me. When he called, I was actually standing there holding my kitchen window in my hands, but I still managed to answer my cell phone.

Toddtender: Hi, how are you doing?

Me: Not too good. My kitchen window just fell out.

Toddtender: Fell out where?

Me: Well, it is in my hands right now. I mean, it didn't fall out onto the ground. That would be bad because I am three floors up. (Silence on the other end of the phone.) But I was just trying to open it and suddenly it came out in my hands. It has been loose for a little while, but I didn't think it would just come out. (Silence.) So I called maintenance. (Silence.) I think they are paging the maintenance guy for me.

(Long silence, and then...)

Toddtender: Can I call you back?

For some reason I feel like I can't shut up when I talk to the Toddtender. He makes me nervous or something.

Anyway, he showed up later and brought me duct tape in case the window thing didn't work out and I had to tape plastic over the opening. We were planning on going to dinner but had to wait for Andre the Russian Maintenance Man to finish working on my window. Turns out we didn't have time for dinner anyway, because the Toddtender realized he had forgotten the tickets and flew out of my apartment in a panic.

So I watched Andre work as I waited for the Toddtender. I noticed Andre's jacket was ripped, and the lining was coming out. It made me sad, and I tried to decide if Andre would be offended if I offered to give him one of my old jackets. In the end, I didn't offer him a coat because it seemed insulting.

Andre finished up his work, and then the Toddtender returned, so we headed off for a night of fun. We got to the theater in plenty of time to chat with other people. I walked around the lobby like I was some kind of freakin' supermodel because I was trying to trick people into thinking I was on an actual date with the Toddtender. I am not sure I fooled anyone, but it was fun to pretend.

The show was great, but I think my favorite part of the night was just hanging out with the Toddtender at his home bar. I mean, he didn't have to work, so it was fun to have him standing on my side of the bar. And later, when he had a few drinks, he flexed his biceps for me, but I couldn't touch them because I was afraid my face would melt off from desecrating something so obviously holy and divine as his arms.

Don't get me wrong. The Toddtender is, first and foremost, my friend. He is like a brother to me. But he is like a really, really hot brother who is, maybe, only a stepbrother and we didn't really grow up together so it is hard not to have sometimes inappropriate thoughts about him. Or maybe we are very, very distant cousins, and we grew up in separate towns raised by our respective parents, but then someone's parents die (his) and so the other parents (mine) take him in and start calling him my brother, but I still always want to go down to the basement and watch him whenever he works out because there is something so amazing about seeing him perform the bench press.

Silence.

Can I call you back?

Christmas is Coming

Today I was washing dishes in my tiny kitchen and started feeling like I wanted to hear Christmas carols.

I have joked on the podcast about Christmas being just around the corner. The other night at the bar I asked a couple guys what plans they had for Christmas. What is up with this?

I like Christmas, but have never in my life started thinking about the holiday before January ends. Maybe something big is coming for me this year. Maybe by this Christmas my dating hiatus will be over (it has been a year since I've been on a date) and I will have a boyfriend!

It would be so cool to have a boyfriend at Christmas. I've never been involved with someone during Christmas - well, not since my long-term relationship ended over four years ago.

So I am thinking that maybe I am clairvoyant on some level and can see that this Christmas will be a very special one for me, and that is why I'm looking forward to it so much.

Do you think it is possible that I am psychic and don't know it? Wouldn't that be quite a paradox!

The Burning Crusade and Why I'm Missing It

I don't talk about gaming much, but I figured I owe at least a passing nod to the game now played by over 8 million people worldwide, World of Warcraft. For those of you who are not geeks, I promise to be gentle.

The World of Warcraft Burning Crusade was released by Blizzard this week, which means I am spending a lot of time alone in this massively multi-player online roleplaying game (MMORPG).

See, I didn't reserve a copy of the expansion, so I have to wait until the fuss dies down before I will find an available copy to purchase. So for now I am still playing WoW without all the new features, and there are lots of them -

Higher Levels!
Ever since people found out this expansion to WoW was coming, they have been frantically trying to level up their characters so they could play in all the new areas contained in The Burning Crusade. Leveling up is just what it sounds like. You complete quests and fight enemies in order to advance, or level up, in skills and abilities. Up until now, the highest level character you could have was 60. Now there is a new cap, or high level, of 70. You can't even explore some of the new areas of the game until you reach these higher levels. Since many players have reached higher levels, they are off exploring zones my level 41 character can't visit.

So last night it was just me and a bunch of starving vultures and prowling tigers hanging out in the "Badlands" - which, incidentally was the name of a great bar I visited once in San Francisco, and I actually got propositioned to join a three-way that night - but that is not what this post is about.

Remind me later, and I'll tell you more about that.

New Races!
Some players are actually starting the game over so they can create, or "roll up", a new character. The new races are the Blood Elves and the Draenei. I won't go into that now. New characters always start in a newbie zone where they can begin fighting and leveling without harassment from powerful enemies. Since so many people are starting up in the Blood Elf and Draenei homelands, that means more room for me in all the other areas. Usually I find that I am sort of competing to kill monsters, but right now the creatures are plentiful. In fact, they are a little overwhelming. The minute I kill one raptor, another one is right behind me.

I am curious about what it must be like to play a Draenei or Blood Elf, but even if I had the expansion, I wouldn't start over with a new character. I am too monogamous for my own good sometimes. I have been really committed to my rogue character, Secrecy.

World of Warcraft, for those who have goals, must be so much fun. For me, it is a way to pass time. Yes, I enjoy "leveling up", but I also waste tremendous amounts of time. The other day I just followed random non-player characters (NPC) around Stormwind to see where they were going. NPCs are just computer characters who are built into the game. You can interact with some of these characters. Or, if you are like me, you can just follow them around.

I saw one NPC walking with her two children. Her son kept saying, "Are we there yet?" or "Why are we going this way?". I thought maybe if I followed them I would get to see the children get kidnapped by an evil wizard - or maybe the frustrated mother would murder her offspring. (Things like this never actually happen in the game, but I always think I will be the first to witness a wizard kidnapper or a double filicide in a dark alley.) So I followed behind them for about 35 minutes as they trekked from one end of the city to the other. Finally, the lady, we'll call her Shirley, and her children entered a shop. This is the riveting scene I witnessed:

Shirley: Hello, Mandy. I need to buy some cheese.
Mandy: Certainly! It is good to see you.
Shirley: How is business?
Mandy: Great! Well, here is your cheese. Thanks so much for coming in, Shirley. Say hello to your husband.
Shirley: Will do! Light's honor, friend.

Shirley and her children exit the store, walk a few feet and disappear back to their "starting point" to begin their story all over again.

What a waste of 35 minutes. Now you can see why I am still level 41.

Open Letter to Big Red Dave

From: Todd, the STAR of the Todd & Pony Show
To: Big Red Dave
Subject: Your Complete Awesomeness

Dave -

We can't thank you enough for being our very first donor! Someone almost beat you to the punch, but not quite.

Last week I received word from a listener in Uganda who said she wanted to transfer a million dollars into my bank account because her father died in some revolutionary action there, but I haven't heard back from her since I faxed my social security number and bank account numbers to her. So, because of her procrastination, you are officially the first Todd & Pony Show donor. (I keep accidentally typing "fist donor" and am trying to figure out if that is some sort of Freudian slip)

Thank you, Dave! We will be sure to mention our deep love for you and all things big and red on our next show. We will be happy to send the accolades of our listeners your way, so we'll be sure to link to your website when we post our show next week. (When I say "we", of course I mean "Pony - with little or no assistance from Toddy")

Hugs & Kisses,
Todd & Pony

www.toddandponyshow.com

Let's Go Back in Time!

I hope this isn't overkill, because I actually wrote this post a few days ago when I was reflecting on Hot Toddy's Toaster Oven and blogs in general.

Your comments from the last post have officially humbled me. I could never be as good as your comments make me feel. Thank you for your generous spirits, dear readers and friends.

I need to update you on seeing the hilarious Kathy Griffin on Saturday night, and I also should tell you about the latest fun episode of the Todd & Pony Show. But I will have to save that for another day, because right now I wanna talk about the distant past.

In February of 2004, I wrote about why I write.

I mean:
I wrote about the reason I write in February 2004.

Uh:
It was February 2004 when I posted my reasons for writing.

No:
Back in February of 2004, I shared my reasons for blogging.

I do that all the time. If you blog, I'll bet you do it too. C'mon, admit it. You edit yourself too, right? Surely I can't be alone in this.

Sometimes it gets frustrating. I'll have to write a sentence three or four different ways before it sounds okay. (That's another thing - you don't really know how it sounds unless you read it out loud - so really I'm just talking about how it sounds in my head - by the way I have such a sexy voice in my own mind - you wouldn't even believe it!)

Did you see the way I employed parentheses in that last paragraph? It is astounding, isn't it? I have always felt that my use of parentheses at Hot Toddy's Toaster Oven is somewhat revolutionary. I am the Che Guevara of grammar. (Not really.)

Anyway - do you wanna see what I wrote in February 2004? No? Okay see you later!

Thanks for sticking around. You're my favorite reader. I can't stand those impatient ones who surf away just because I threaten to share material that is almost three years old.

Here is what I wrote way, way back in the beginning...

[Insert dreamy time travel music here, and stare straight ahead really hard for a couple seconds until your vision goes blurry. This will increase your enjoyment of the rest of this post, because you will actually feel as if you have traveled back to February of 2004.]

[[Oh, one more thing - Do not try this if you are operating heavy machinery - although I think you are safe if you are just sitting at your computer - which is, technically, heavy machinery, I guess - but I think the warning generally applies to bulldozers and stuff like that. Anyway - back to the dreamy time travel thing....]]

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

What Sort of Diary?

I went a bit link crazy today. No, a LOT link crazy.

I finally got around to seeing The Hours. I was probably one of the first to read the book. But, in spite of my love for all things Streep, I didn't see the movie until last night.

The DVD had some great special features, and I was particularly pleased with the Virginia Woolf biography.

I know these words have been posted on countless blogs before, but Virginia Woolf's thoughts on keeping a diary are so applicable to so many of us who blog. If you've seen this before, just consider it a reminder.

What sort of diary should I like mine to be?

Something loose-knit and yet not slovenly,
so elastic that it will embrace anything solemn, slight or beautiful that comes into my mind.

I should like it to resemble some deep, old desk,
a capacious hold-all in which one flings a mass of
odds and ends without looking them through.

I should like to come back after a year or two
and find that the collection had sorted itself and
refined itself and coalesced -- as such deposits so mysteriously do -- into a mold,
transparent enough to reflect the light of our life
and yet steady, tranquil compounds
with the aloofness of a work of art.- - Virginia Woolf

The pressure is off. I don't have to be as politically savvy as Adam or top (no pun intended) Ryan's steamy exploits.

I can't begin to arrange my words as artfully as he can.

My life is nowhere near as exciting as his or his.

I am not as funny as Skot or Greg. But, damn, I want to be.

My blog is ugly and bland when compared to...well, most people's, but especially Philo's.

But Toaster Oven is mine, all mine. I am so pleased to be part of such a creative and stimulating dialogue. I had no idea that blogging would enhance my life so much. I think differently and am conversing with interesting people and learning new things every day.

It is a bit scary to have Virginia Woolf as a role model, I admit. There are rivers galore in Portland, and the temptation to drown myself pulls at me every time George W. opens his mouth. But, thankfully, I have a source of comfort Virginia Woolf never had.

[Insert dreamy "return to present day" music here so readers understand they are no longer back in February 2004]

Well, at least I can say that my blog is no longer ugly and bland, thanks to Pony's design!

Several of the people I linked to in that post are no longer blogging. If you want to, you can go back and check the links in the original post, but you'll run into a lot of dead ends. Even the link about my source of comfort has vanished, and I have no idea what I was referring to. But it was probably a picture of a ketchup bottle.

Perseverance

See those blogs I've listed over on the right side of the screen? Do you realize how much work I have put into those links?

I don't do it the new-fangled way. I understand there are programs that allow you to just click a button to add a new blog to your links. But I type every single blog link under "Worship Them" into my template. Now that's dedication. If only I could find time to read them all on a regular basis.

All too often, it seems that these blogs disappear within a month or two. There are probably so many blogs in my blogroll that are defunct. (There is a theatre company in Portland called Defunkt and they have permanently ruined my ability to spell the word without looking it up.)

I understand why people quit blogging. There are so many reasons. Some people feel let down when stats are low and indicate nobody is reading. Others have so many hits that they feel overwhelmed and get performance anxiety. Finding a new boyfriend or girlfriend is a big reason for people to drift away from blogging. Boredom, illness, drama and alien abduction are also very popular reasons people stop blogging.

There have been many times since starting Hot Toddy's Toaster Oven that I have felt like quitting. Sometimes I have wanted to quit when my personal life blew up because of something I posted. (This could be a book. I swear. You have no idea.)

People have been upset with me for writing about them, and others have been upset for not writing about them. Sometimes it feels like you can't win. But I don't care anymore. I really don't. In fact, if you were about to leave a very nice comment saying that this is my blog and I should write what I want, please don't trouble yourself. For one thing, you are correct and very kind to want to encourage me. For another thing, I don't need encouragement in that area. It has become a full-fledged conviction of mine that I am allowed to write whatever I want.

Another reason I have almost quit writing is that I've felt lazy. Just don't want to be bothered to update. That is a little bit of how I'm feeling right now. But I'm trying to push through. Even if I post pictures of my belt, (hard-hitting commentary is not my forte) at least I'm posting something.

Why is it important for me to post something, even if I don't think I have anything to say? Well, as it turns out, sometimes the posts I think are most inane and pointless actually provoke discussions and change in others. I have received e-mails from people who told me they decided to come out of the closet because of something I wrote. Another person decided to move across the country after he read a post of mine. (No, he wasn't moving further away from me. You know you were thinking that.) Maybe posting about tightening my belt will inspire someone to lose weight. Maybe it will inspire someone to buy me a new belt. Maybe it will inspire someone to start a blog because they know they could do a much better job of writing than I do, and that person will become famous for his or her blog, and they will rise to international acclaim. And all because I wrote about my belt.

Once I almost quit blogging because someone I know had legal issues and I was linked to the person. So, it seemed that my blog was suddenly under investigation due to someone else's actions. It made me paranoid. But I didn't quit. I did, however, destroy all evidence of my links to the Russian secret police.

I know some of you have stuck around for quite awhile. Do you remember some of those crazy crushes I felt compelled to share with the world? Some readers know everything that happened on some of my first dates and all sorts of intimate details of second dates. Sometimes I've said too much - sometimes not enough.

I love you readers who have stuck with me through the years. Staying power means something to me. Too many bloggers have come and gone. Too many readers have come and gone. But you and me? We're gonna be a "happily ever after" story. I feel it deep down inside.

Love,
Hot Toddy

P.S. Once I wrote all my friends a letter on my birthday to let them know how much I love them. Two people perceived it as a suicide letter. I guess I sometimes become over-zealous about letting people know they make me happy, but, trust me, I'm feeling great.

Nine Days of Bliss

Obviously I did not make a resolution to blog more often.

Even though I haven't written lately, life has been very fulfilling. Honestly, I haven't felt any pressure to write, and the first nine days of January have been blissful.

Last week I was at home one evening, and I watched two episodes of Neat on Discovery Home that motivated me to jump off the couch and begin purging my apartment of clutter. Two full trash bags were carried out to the dumpster that evening.

My closet is getting emptier. I've begun the process of "retiring" my big baggy clothes. Because I'm oddly concerned about hurting my clothes feelings, I take them out one last time before I trash them. I've worn some really baggy clothes to CC Slaughters in the past few weeks, but everything I've trashed has had a goodbye party so at least I don't feel as guilty.



My belt is tightened to the last hole now.


I threw out some stuff that a couple ex-boyfriends gave me. Items that once held emotional significance for me had started to feel more like burdens I felt obliged to store on someone else's behalf.

It feels good to throw out stuff that no longer fits my body, but it feels better to throw out stuff that no longer fits my heart.

Future and Past

The Future

I am not much for making new year's resolutions. The whole idea of goal-setting is just so left-brained and logical. I really like to make impulsive and highly emotional decisions. It works for five-year-olds and mental patients, and that's good enough for me!

Nevertheless, I have done some thinking about what I'd like to accomplish this year, so I thought I'd write out my goals here. My little sister, who always has more money than I do and who is successful in all her professional endeavors, has a mantra. She says "An unwritten goal is just a dream." My mantra is, "An unwritten goal usually stays unwritten because I've usually forgotten the goal by the time I find a pen." I'll try, though, to capture a few ways I could improve myself this year. Let's just wait and see what happens.

In 2007 I would like to study a foreign language. I was a French minor in college, but I haven't kept up with it, so I'm going to try to brush up on that one. I also know some Swedish, but am not at all fluent. Norwegian is similar, but is just different enough to be frustrating, so maybe I will try to study that language this year. After all, my heritage is Norwegian, which might explain why tears filled my eyes when I watched the film about Norway when I was at Epcot last week. The thing is, I am really wanting to start from scratch and learn a language that I'm completely unfamiliar with. Since I am planning a trip to Germany in 2010 for the Gay Games, I plan to start studying German. Immersing myself in German culture and the language will be very fun and interesting to me, and I'm hoping I can find a course that I can load onto my iPod.

Another accomplishment I'd like to strive for this year would be getting something published or having another play produced. Writing is something I feel I do well, but I'm still very insecure about my ability to create a compelling story. The idea of trying to write a book or even a magazine article is daunting to me, but I think it is mostly fear of the unknown. When I write a play I constantly feel tentative about the choices I'm making for the characters, and I usually feel that my plot is weak. Generally, I require a shove from someone like my friend Juju or her fiance Metro before I start writing. It would be nice if I could be my own coach this year in that area.

The Past

Last year was a good one, and I've identified a few highlights. There were many great moments, but I think the most impacting and memorable experiences for me were these:

In January I was able to travel to Tokyo, thanks to a very convincing e-mail from my buddy Metro. This was my first trip to an Asian country, and I had very little idea of what to expect. Traveling with five other guys made the trip more fun, and since Metro speaks Japanese we were able to have a lot more fun as well as avoid spending too much money in touristy areas. I also learned how to play both poker and dice games. This was a great way for all of us to unwind in the inn, or ryokan, every night before dinner, and it is one of my favorite memories of the trip.

Softball brought a tremendous amount of personal growth into my life in the spring and summer of 2006. I surprised myself in many ways, and I found great satisfaction in competition. My team honored me with the title of Most Improved Player, and I am already looking forward to this year's softball season. If it were not for the Toddtender, my great friend who is also a bartender at CC Slaughters, I would never have attempted this journey into the world of sports. I'm so glad I did!

In July I experienced a life-changing event. I traveled to Chicago for the Gay Games, and I cheered for my friend, Muscle Chick, who competed in the bodybuilding competition. She was a friend who really helped me pull myself together in the early part of 2006 when I was really doing poorly emotionally, physically and mentally, and because of her pep talk, I decided I'd be an all-around healthier person by the time I visited Chicago. Muscle Chick took home a bronze medal from the games, and I took home a powerful feeling of pride. There was a time in my life when I would have given anything to be able to be heterosexual. I'll never feel that way again, because being at the Gay Games made me feel honored to be a gay man. There are no words to describe the power of my experiences at the Gay Games, and I will never forget the deep truths I learned from being part of the celebration.

As I mentioned previously, Juju has always been an inspiration to me, and it's because of her that I was published in 2006. From Boys to Men is an anthology of stories about growing up gay. I'm ashamed to tell you that I almost didn't submit my story for this book. I actually missed the first deadline for submissions but Juju reprimanded me, so I made sure to send something to the editors in order to get her off my back. I'm so fortunate to have friends like Juju who push me to achieve!

The Todd & Pony Show debuted in 2006 and has been a wonderful experience. Surprisingly, I've developed some discipline and am learning more about putting together a show than I learned as a Broadcast Communications major in college. Pony is an awesome partner, and he is the true driving force behind the podcast. He keeps us on schedule, and sometimes he is even successful at keeping me from drifting too far off topic during the show. He edits the show and handles every technical aspect of our podcast, and I do nothing but show up with a couple page of notes for podcast topics and segments. Every week we tackle a new topic, and we have a great time with special guests too. The Golden Boy was our first guest. He is a great guy, and we had a lot of fun with him! Juju's guest appearance was so popular with our listeners that we brought her back again and again. She has become a regular on the show, and it seems nobody can get enough of her wit and charm! Zeroes recently discussed porn and sexuality with us on the show, and I hope we can have him back sometime soon.

In looking back over the year, I realize that all of my favorite experiences were brought about through friendships. My friends push me towards the light, and they pull me from the pit. Having a friend who makes your life happier is a blessing that should never be taken for granted. True friendship should be honored with fierce loyalty and heartfelt gratitude. The biggest blessing of my life is that I have so many friends, and it would take me hours to write the names of those I love who love me in return. A handful of my friends have been mentioned here, but there are so many more who have made me smile throughout the year, and many of you who read Hot Toddy's Toaster Oven are included in that number. Your e-mails and phone calls and comments have meant so much to me on a daily basis. I hope that we all continue to inspire each other in 2007, and I look forward to making even more friends this year!

New Year's Egg Explosion

After spending a loooooong holiday with my family at Walt Disney World, I've returned home to my sweet hometown of Portland, Oregon. My Orlando Christmas was jam-packed with activities such as trying to reign in my 63-year-old "Disney Fast Pass" obsessed father and attempting to get my darling mother to stop giving me money. (Every time I turned around she was shoving twenties at me) - "Mom, stop giving me money, I'm okay!"

Due to tornadoes in TX, many flights routed through Dallas were cancelled, so I returned home two days later than expected. I finally rolled into town late yesterday and promptly jumped onto my couch for a nap so I'd be ready for New Year's Eve festivities.

I woke up at 10:30 pm, and I felt like I'd been run over by Cinderella's carriage. So I turned in for the night, sad to know I'd miss ringing in the new year with friends, but thankful to be at home in my wonderful apartment sanctuary.

This morning I kicked off the new year right with a big explosion in my kitchen. Did you know that if you peel hard-boiled eggs and then heat them in the microwave for one minute you can create an egg bomb? As I used a spoon to cut a freshly microwaved egg in half, I heard a loud pop (Happy New Year!), and my face was sprayed with hot egg yolk confetti. Fortunately, I was wearing my glasses, so my eyes were protected from the yolk.

Is this an indication of things to come in 2007?

Hope your 2007 is safe and happy! Be careful of eggs.