cactus i.v.

By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
I wrote last week’s article about lunching in the workplace. If you missed it, I talked about some benefits of going out to lunch with coworkers to sort of mix up the everyday boringness of the work environment. And I thought I would give that concept a little bit more nurturing. […]

By JENNIFER KARPIK
pshh_jenxownsx0@hotmail.com
You know how most people say you never know what you have until it’s gone? This weekend I experienced that… almost. Nothing was taken from me — I should really say no one — but a person almost was.
I’m not getting into the story behind it or the reason for this, but I […]

By C.D. Allen
cdavidallen(at)gmail.com
Today is my birthday. Twenty-seven years ago I was born at around 2:30 in the afternoon.
So far I’m glad it happened.
Given that my column is running on the day it is this year I feel obligated to write about it. The problem is that I don’t have any sort of revelation to add. […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping
Tattoo made this one to benefit an animal shelter in Colorado.

By LAURA SIMON
laura.m.simon(at)gmail.com
A little more than three weeks after the Carolina Panthers released Keyshawn Johnson, a three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, he announced his retirement from the NFL. Johnson worked for ESPN during the NFL draft and now will join the network as a studio analyst. During his career, Johnson played for four […]

I had my brother’s college graduation last weekend. It was more of a reception for the School of Management because he didn’t want to walk in the actual ceremony.
It still took a long time for them to call my brother’s name, just to hand him a mug, a card and a pin.
The actual diploma, I’m […]

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
I was cleaning a set of drawers this weekend — which was really difficult since it was my “important papers” drawer, and I came across something I wrote a long time ago.
Spin had run a review of a Dashboard Confessional album that annoyed me so much, so I wrote a letter to the […]

By DIZZ TATE
dizztate(at)hotmail.com
Yesterday was a rather interesting day for me, as I was one of the millions of people who went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 3 at the early 8 p.m showing. Even as I came out — quite frankly saying, “What the heck was that all about?” — I did start to […]

By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
I don’t know if I’ve ever expressed how much I love my dog. She’s more like my child than a dog because I’ve had her since she was three-weeks-old. What do I know about raising a dog? Nothing, so I just spoiled her instead of trying to train her.
I was at a local […]

By BEN SZMANDA
It’s always harder to talk about a really good book than it is to tear down a really bad one. A nasty review is easy. The only problem is making your explanation of why the book is awful look pretty. A good book is a bit more of a trick though, […]

Niki,
I need some advice. My daughter and I have always been very close, however since she’s turned 16, I feel she has built a wall up. She a wonderful girl. She gets good grades, is on the cheerleading squad and is very popular. But I miss that connection. How can I get back in touch […]

By ROXY RETAIL
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
I always have manicured nails, but they’re not always perfect.
Maybe I don’t drink enough calcium, so my nails are brittle and they break.
Maybe the nail strengthening clear polish I use is just a hoax.
Or, maybe I need more biotin in my diet.
Biotin — also known as Vitamin H or B7 — according […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Set in Franco, Spain, Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) follows the journey of a little girl who is mesmerized by stories of the fairy tale world. While the world around her crumbles, she is put to the test, and if she succeeds, she will retake her throne as the long lost princess of the […]

By CATHY S.
sokocathy(at)gmail.com
JORDIN SPARKS!
A cactus i.v. reader told me that she was glad that Blake didn’t win because if he had to release This Is My Now as his first single, that would be the end of his entire career. You have to admit that it was a perfect song for Jordin though. […]

By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Its twelve o’clock and one thing seems to be the same among you and your coworkers. You are all starving, so you head out to the Mexican restaurant down the block to get a little mid-day grub.
This is nice. It’s important. It’s healthy for people — who probably do not spend […]

By C.D. ALLEN
cdavidallen(at)gmail.com
In this new town that I’ve moved to, I’ve had a little bit of trouble finding a job. I put in a lot of applications at a lot of places but haven’t heard back from anyone so far. For two weeks, I spent my days driving and walking around, signing […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping
Tattoo made this skate deck to raise money for charity. Pinstriping + a good cause = a great idea.

By LAURA SIMON
laura.m.simon(at)gmail.com
Well, we are back for another week of sports. While the NFL mini training camps are off and running throughout the country, the NBA and NHL are deep into their respective playoffs.
In the NBA, the Cavaliers and the Pistons are squaring off in the Eastern Conference, while the Western Conference finals […]

The cactus can be huge if we ban together.
I know we helped Carmen win the Chock Full O’Nuts contest, and we’re soon going to help Adam win a spot to be on The Real World.
But, I heard about this contest where you can be Avril’s model [[and you can win some free Vans, and goodness […]

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
I got my iPod a few Christmases ago. I got it after the ugly click wheel had been retired, but before a picture and video iPod were available. That places my iPod around the three year old age.
That’s not exactly true.
Two years ago, my iPod decided to fry its hard drive. When I […]

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
[[Editor’s note: Dizz has finals this week, so I’m playing her part as street fashion writer. Don’t worry. She’ll be back next week]]
Beth Oliver is one of the prettiest women I’ve seen.
Sure, I’ve seen women in pictures who are perfect, but they get help from makeup artists and computer programmers to make them […]

By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
I have a new favorite grocery store. It used to be PathMark, but then I moved too far away, so I started going to A&P because it was convenient. But the food wasn’t as fresh, and I kept getting harassed with strange comments from the cashiers like “You just had a baby right? […]

Dear Ms. Niki -
I’m 32 and never married. I’ve done blind dates, bars, clubs, everything — except online dating. My friends, who are married, are pushing me to give it a try, but I just don’t feel comfortable. Yet, at the same time, everyone is doing it. Should I ?
[…]

By BEN SZMANDA
There’s a recurring type of book review on Amazon.com. The particulars may change — slightly — but the basic format runs something like this: “I am the president of Mensa, hold five PhDs, was the recipient of four gold medals in the Mathlympics in high school and have been in space […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Princess Diana, referred to as the “People’s Princess” by Tony Blair in a speech he made after her death, was a beloved public figure in England and in other parts of the world. She was many things to many people: She was a philanthropist, she was a fashion icon, and above all, […]

By ROXY RETAIL
cactusi(at)gmail.com
Modeling is hard work.
That’s what America’s Next Top Model wants you to believe.
Models can send me hate mail. That’s fine. I use Lisa’s email address anyway.
The show’s finale was on Wednesday night, and I was watching it with just a tiny bit of interest. At least, I was interested in the first half.
You […]

By CATHY S. and LISA SOKOLOWSKI
sokocathy(at)gmail.com
(I was enjoying a high school spring concert while you were home enjoying the A.I. concert on Tuesday night. I did try to record the show but my VCR is broken so I needed help and turned to our e-i-c.)
We’re down to the final two: Jordin Sparks and […]

By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Being the job hopper that I seem to be these past three years, I am constantly meeting and greeting new people. Some people are very open and happy, ready to introduce themselves to a new face. Others just go about their day, not being antisocial, but are simply focused on the job and […]

By LAURA SIMON
laura.m.simon(at)gmail.com
I hope you enjoyed the Yankees review last week while I was busy finishing up my first year of grad school! I know I sure did!
Lots of sports news has come and gone since we last met, but here are just a few highlights:
In NHL news, the Ottawa Senators are up on […]

By C.D. ALLEN
cdavidallen(at)gmail.com
A few weeks ago, before I fell asleep and forgot to write something for an entire week, I told a story about getting kicked out of a thrift store. I’m kind of surprised that no one called me out about what I was doing - shopping.
Hi. My name is David, and […]

By JENNIFER KARPIK
pshh_jenxownsx0@hotmail.com
There are times when I forget about what the real problem of something is and focus on something else that can wait. It’s so easy to get caught up in what I think needs to happen or be done, and I totally lose my head. Everything important passes by, and I don’t even […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping
Talk about a souped up tricycle.

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
I was a sports reporter for five years, and when I finally moved to the features section of the newspaper, I hoped to never write an article about sports again.
But here I am. When you’re the editor-in-chief, sometimes you’ve just gotta bite the bullet.
So what can I tell you about sports this week?
Well, […]

I’m going to use the word ironic, but I’m going to use it wrong. Not on purpose, but because of circumstance.
It’s ironic how death makes us think about life.
Now you understand the first two sentences of this editor’s note. It’s not ironic. One reflects the other, although death, it would seem, should make you focus […]

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN APPEL
chrisapps(at)gmail.com
On May 7th, 2005 the greatest boxing match ever seen by these two eyes went down. On May 7th, 2007 the victor of the match two years prior — Diego “Chico” Corrales — got KO’ed by the reaper, the only puncher who’s never missed.
Castillo-Corrales I was not just an exciting fight, it’s […]

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
I woke up Sunday morning with Bayside in my head.
It’s kind of weird. I always wake up with something in my head, but it’s hardly ever Bayside. I like Bayside. Sirens and Condolences is what I run to at the gym [[it alternates with old Hellogoodbye, if you want to know the […]

By DIZZ TATE
dizztate(at)hotmail.com
Prior to various other judgments, the true indie chick is so much more than a pair of headphones and a black hoodie. They are a tiny, little, music loving, fashionable –  and totally cute — bundle of joy, which perfectly describes my friend Carina Iskuh, who is taking up my fashion spotlight this […]

By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
“Look at you!” is probably one of the funniest and my favorite line from a movie ever. It’s from the movie Elf with Will Ferrell. The scene where he goes to tell his dad that he is in love, but his dad is in a meeting with a book writer who is a […]

By BEN SZMANDA
I’ve been meaning to get around to Nancy Huston for a while now: She’s one of those names I’ve always brushed into in the bookstores, picked up, thumbed through, and eventually went with something else. Last week I finally grabbed a copy of her book “Mark of an Angel.” It wasn’t bad […]

Dear Niki,
I love your column, and I wanted to ask your opinion on my current problem with my 12-year-old daughter. I recently got a divorce, and “Amy” refuses to have anything to do with her father. She hasn’t spoken to him in over three months. They were always close. My ex keeps leaving messages for […]

By ROXY RETAIL
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
I was talking to Niki Answers the other day (except we were both using our real names), and she asked if polka dots were in.
I laughed.
But then I started to think about it.
Now, granted, polka dots only look good on the elephant from The Land of Misfit Toys, but that doesn’t mean the […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Alright, so I had a really crappy week at work and the last thing I felt like doing was watching The Queen which I bought specifically to review for today. Tragedy, politics and English people just weren’t going to hold my attention, so I decided on light and fluffy. Yeah…I think […]

By CATHY S.
sokocathy(at)gmail.com
Four months ago we were wondering if we could pick out the next A.I. from a crowd of thousands. Now that we are down to the final three, I can tell you that most of us have one of the three remaining contestants on our original list of favorites. One […]

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
Quitting your job is never easy. At least, not for me, so I try to do it as infrequently as possible.
I worked at a camp once, so my job was over when the summer was. I kept stats for a basketball team, and when the season was done, so was I.
And then there […]

Today, cactus i.v. celebrates its six-month anniversary.
Gosh. I don’t even have a speech prepared. Oh wait, look, there was one in my pocket, just in case.
Ahem.
First, I’d like to thank my family.
Actually, I should seriously thank them. And every single columnist. And each person who reads the site daily — or weekly, or when you […]

By JENNIFER KARPIK
pshh_jenxownsx0@hotmail.com
I’m making this one short. No one’s perfect. Everyone knows that, — or so they should. Being in a relationship makes you think harder and love harder. You forgive and forget.
At least some of us do.
Things happen unexpectedly, you know, and sometimes they’re not meant to happen. One of you mess up and […]

By BRIAN ALBIN
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
With Laura on the disabled list, I have been asked to pinch hit in this week’s sports column. Although Laura normally gives an overall review of everything from bass fishing to rugby, I’ve decided to focus solely on a topic that may make you all want to scroll down, well, unless you are […]

by JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping
Jump on this (band)wagon.

Sunburn hurts.
I spent all day Saturday at Bamboozle with Atari Jay [[read the music article for a little update]], and I didn’t put any suntan lotion on.
I usually do. I mean, I’m almost as pale as the page that I’m typing this on, by genetics, so sun block is my bff in the summer.
But it […]

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
The excitement of the mosh pit has worn off.
I never thought I’d say that. I always imagined myself as a 45-year-old mom, taking my 16-year-old daughter to concerts, hanging out in the pit with her.
We’d both love The Starting Line, and we’d both be singing every word while our bodies were pressed against […]

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN APPEL
chrisapps(at)gmail.com
The republican debate sucked, I’ll be honest with you, it did nothing for me.
The *big story* Rudy’s not pro life, well, uhh, yeah, everybody already knew that!
It was boring, to be honest. Of the second tiers, well, Gilmore was strong, so was Huckabee. My man T-double (Tommy Thompson) messed up and came […]

By DIZZ TATE
dizztate(at)hotmail.com
There are many nice things to do in the world of fashion, but one of my favorites is to simply look around. Beauty is often found in the strangest and most unlikely places — in an electrical appliance store, or maybe in the face of a friend you have known all your life […]

Dear Niki,
So heres my question: My best friend and I are arguing over something very stupid (I don’t want to sdaay what it is), and I was being immature about the whole thing. However, we haven’t spoken in a month, and I don’t want to lose a friendship over it. I mean, I know I’m […]

By BEN SZMANDA
People tell me I’m a cynic. If you asked me, I’d describe myself as a realist, but I’m assured that’s something all cynics say, so fine, I’ll take it. Consider it a qualification for everything I’m about to say in regards to Nicholas Christopher’s “A Trip to the Stars”: a very well […]

By ROXY RETAIL
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
It’s not exactly the summer yet, but it’s getting close enough to the warm weather to talk about ponytails.
Everyone loves them. The back of your neck starts getting hot, and you quickly pull that elastic off your wrist and put your hair up. Voila. Instant coolness.
Except, well, that little elastic can do so […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
An obsession for some, a burden for others… Little Children (2006).
Being a housewife is not always what it’s cracked up to be. Sure, you don’t need to race to work every day or deal with the traffic. You get to sit home, watch soap operas and spend your time at the […]

By CATHY S.
sokocathy(at)gmail.com
[[Editor’s note: New this week — If you click on the contestant’s name, you will be brought to the YouTube video of the performance]]

With only four hopefuls left, I went back to look at all the predictions we made way before we even knew the Top 24. We had 48 people to […]

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN APPEL
chrisapps(at)gmail.com
Last week it was the Dems, tonight it is the extra-crowded Republican field’s turn to set the political geek’s world on fire. We got 10, count ‘em TEN candidates on stage tonight on MSNBC, and bear in mind that the gaggle doesn’t even include two *important* candidates that might jump in later […]

By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Temping might sounds tempting, but is it for you? Last week, I talked about temping from the company’s point of view. What benefits it has when deciding to go with a temporary employee. But of course, the same elements that are good for a company may not be good for an employee. […]

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN APPEL
chrisapps(at)gmail.com
For most of his life, Boris Yeltsin (who died on April 23, 2007, for those of you who don’t follow the news) was an ardent Communist. He chanted the slogans, did the party’s bidding and rose through its ranks. All the while on his rise to prominence, he also observed the fallacy […]

By JENNIFER KARPIK
pshh_jenxownsx0@hotmail.com
My column is sex and relationships. Does that mean it always has to be about a romantic relationship? This week it’s not.
I’ve never had a close relationship with any of my brothers or sister [gosh that made me sound old].
My oldest brother was such a bad kid. Ever since 14, he was into […]

By C.D. ALLEN
cdavidallen(at)gmail.com
By far the most interesting thing I’ve done since visiting and potentially moving to Myrtle Beach is a tour I took of the Meher Spiritual Center. I found myself there because of a misunderstanding and just in time to get shown around. It’s beautiful land, and I’m glad I went.
The […]