So I'm watching the Oscars right now since I was at work when they were on. Thanks Tivo. But what the heck is up with the president of the Academy bashing DVDs and then everyone clapping? Hey jackasses: Stop making so many crappy movies and charging $10 to see them along with a ton of commercials. You're still getting our money. And if you hate DVD so much, why are you making the release times sooner and sooner? And Jon Stewart has been great. What were people expecting? The Daily Show? It's the freaking Oscars. Meh.

I'm not sure how many of you are on their mailing list or are on the bbs, but I just wanted to give an update on Colin's situation in Iraq if you haven't heard about it.

Colin was wounded when there was a chain of bombs (I think on the road) that went off. He was airlifted to the hospital with third degree burns to his face and hand. He does not need skin surgery or grafting, was transfered to Germany for further medical attention, then they will keep him there until he is able to travel in the next couple of days. Then he will be sent to Brook Army Medical Center in Texas with a possible stop at Bethesda in Washing D.C.

Straight from Liz:

"He does have third degree burns on his face from his eyebrow to his lower lip and on his left hand. His goggles saved his vision. His parents and I will probably fly to the burn center at Brook Army. Burns will heal.

"The Navy and Marine Corps has done a good job keeping me informed. Colin's Chief from the last deployment has kept track of Colin even though he isn't in the same unit. He called me late Sunday just to check up on me. He promised to call everyday. Today he made the effort to call Germany and speak with the doctors and Colin before he called me. He said Colin was in good spirits and they laughed a little. This is especially meaningful because Colin respects this man so much. Before Colin left, he showed me where Chief Dominguez works and told me if there was ever a problem, he would take care of everything for me. Before I thought to call him, he called me."

So there you are. Praise God that he is safe, his vision is safe, and that he will be able to return home sometime soon.

Compared to last year, where I played it low-key and took the day off after going to South Dakota (Happy Anniversary, David!), this year I can't seem to escape the partying.

Friday Ric and I went out to dinner with my family for my birthday at De Luca's (good Italian). Yummy. We had angel food cake at my parents' house for dessert and I received some cool DVDs, cash, and clothes from the fam.

Saturday evening, a small group of friends went out to dinner with us at El Torito. One of the gifts was a dvd of Sin City, so Jon commandeered the rest of the night in such a way that we would end up at his house watching the movie. :) I also got another of the later Johnny Cash CDs. It's like listening to Walk the Line, almost!

Sunday I did nothing, which was a birthday gift in itself. I watched the Oscars, which were boring and predictable.

Today the office went out to eat at the Elephant Bar. We were there for almost two hours! I love that we get paid even when we have long lunches. The four birthday girls all got free lunch and dessert. Tomorrow is the office birthday party - more dessert. Friday we'll drive out to Arizona to visit Ric's brother's family, where we'll celebrate a little bit more.

Oh, on a side-note, Ruth freaked me out by passing out at our regular workout Saturday morning. We work out all the time together and had never had that problem. She was out for at least a minute or two, which was a scary time for me. Thankfully, she woke up just fine and is still doing fine.

So today I had what I would consider the biggest celebrity sighting of my tenure at Disneyland. I always like working gate 5, also known as the proxy gate, because it is where cast members come in the park and it is also where VIP tours usually enter. I've seen the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Voigt, Lisa Kudrow, George Lopez, and the USC Football team while working gate 5. Now I can add John Travolta and Kelly Preston to that list. They were with their kids and they were very nice.

In other Disneyland news, I might get promoted to lead when I get back from vacation. But I'm still waiting to hear back from a few other jobs. I'm almost positive I'm going to get offered a job soon that pays a pretty good salary. But I don't know if I want to work in an office all day. I think I'd actually stay at Disneyland and make less money if they offered me the lead job. I would get my 40 hours a week and benefits, plus this could be the next step on my way to something even bigger in the company. So I'll probably have some decisions to make once I get back from vacation and Spring Break season is over at work. Thanks again for all your good advice and support. I really appreciate it.