We haven’t been doing a lot worth blogging blog about lately as we’ve been kind of confined to our jar. We did go to a doctor appointment and sit in a crowded waiting room and brood for a long time about how it can be legal or ethical for doctors to schedule 6, 7, 8 patients for the exact same time slot, and then another 6-8 people for 15 minutes later, and so on.
Yesterday we waited two hours in the waiting room before being placed in an airless examining room to wait some more until a doctor showed up.
But, thankfully, Buck’s doing well. We found out the numbness in his jaw and chin should go away within six months. He’s supposed to continue resting, taking it easy.
Other than that, and researching our new healthy eating plan, I’ve been working on my book and working on the magazine. Nothing exciting, thank God.
I did have a close call with GoodReads.com in which I very nearly sent a jubilant happy “Invitation to join me!” to every single person whose ever sent me an email since the beginning of time. For some reason, after![Library1952[1]](http://awriterinthedesert.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/library19521.jpg)
you sign in to GoodReads it now asks you if you want to send an invitation to your friends — but it’s confusing and looks like these are people you know (real friends) who happen to be members of GoodReads just like you. So just as I’m about to click on “yes” I happen to see that this long list of people they’re sending an invitation to includes editors and customer service reps I’ve emailed back and forth with since 2003, chain mail and money requests from Nigeria, Buck’s friends from kindergarten who would be shocked if I asked them to join GoodReads, and people I haven’t spoken to in years. What if I clicked it?! How humiliating would that be for me?! UGH. They should fix that.
Speaking of me. A statistics tracker called How Many Of Me.com will tell you how many people in the U.S. share your name.
I know, I know. It’s too exciting.
There are 282,139 Wendys in the U.S., but only 85 with both my first and last name. 99.9% of us are women. That really means all of us Wendys are women, right? I’ve never understood statistics, like people having 2.5 children. I don’t get it. Why do they have to fractionate everything, even your name stats?
I saw that Casio is coming out with a camera that has a “makeup” feature to smooth skin, soften shadows, and get rid of wrinkles. Seriously! It comes out in October. But I’m wondering if it will just put a kind of Cybil Shepherd filter on photos. You know what I’m talking about. That softy 
and fuzzy lens they use when shooting Cybil. They used it on Doris Day, too. Because I can already do that. I took a photo of myself yesterday and it was out of focus — which is always a boon for women over 40. I tried to photoshop it into a classic painting from the Hudson River School of artists, and wanted to take it further and really turn it into something bizarre to use as my new avatar, but we had to leave for the doctors’ office and I never really got to finish it. It might make a good postcard, though.
I’m often questioned about the strange things I do with photographs of myself. This one, for instance, frightens people so I don’t use it often, although some people think it’s hilarious to ask if that’s Buck in the background. It isn’t. It’s a movie version of Svengali, I think. I’ve run it before, but I’m running it again because it’s so awesomely scary:
Then there’s this one of me from last summer that I turned sepia hoping it would look very 1970s album-cover chic. It was suggested I use it as my profile photo in the staff 
section of our magazine, but the problem is it doesn’t really look like me. It looks like some biker chick, which I’m not (I can’t even drive a stick-shift car), and I’m wearing an $8 cowboy hat from K-Mart that I reserve for the fleamarket or when I’m making politically incorrect jokes.
The photo I chose to use as my staff photo is highly unpopular. I’m the only person who likes it. Some people have gone so far as to say it makes me look mean and crazy — which was exactly the look what I was going for. Mission accomplished:
But I feel that the best photo to use as my staff photo would be this one, which makes me look like Annie Leibowitz. And while looking like Ms. Leibowitz is not something women aspire to, it is kind of funny. And this is how I look 99.9% of the time anyway, pale and kind of smirky, with my hair unkempt and my roots in desperate need of a hairdresser, which is why this photo would be great in the staff profile section.
But I can’t use this one. They won’t let me for some reason.
So that about wraps it up for today. We’re still alive and well without cable TV, and I did find a deliciously great recipe for lentil and spinach soup than even Buck likes, and he hates lentils. But he likes this recipe so hooray.
Peace out everybody, and give lentils a second try.
I’m happy to hear that Buck is doing well. I’ve always loved the photo with Svengali. I like the photo of you with the Motherfucker T-shirt. Probably because I love that shirt.
Thank goodness you didn’t click that Goodreads button.
I love lentil soup. Soupy used to make a red lentil soup with sweet potatoes and mushrooms that was really good.
Hi Joan! Thanks. I thought I remembered Soupy making some great lentil soup.
Have you seen that thing on GoodReads? It’s dangerous, man, I nearly humiliated myself. And godforbid I should humiliate myself in invitational form.
You could always crop the last photo above the words, or black out the writing.
I like your mean/crazy pic. 
I like them all. 
This was a cute little post.
Thanks, I like my mean/crazy photo too. Keeps people on their toes.
i’m not from nigeria, but i knew buck as a kid, could you please send me some money? you should not be humilated.
LOL.
Yah. The check’s in the mail.
Do you think they’d let you use the bottom picture if you put a blur over the motherfucker? I mean, the word? That would be pretty funny.
Glad to hear Buck is improving!
Hi Steph! Nah, I can’t use any of those photos my staff pic. I’ll come up with a good one, though. I just need to focus. Thanks on the Buck thing, and I loved the list on your blog today. It was hilarious.
I love this post simply because of your pictures.
I have my own sepia/black & white album cover shot you can find it here:
http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c167/dragonfly3085/?action=view¤t=IMG_2276.jpg
I don’t think I can post pictures in comments so just follow the link
As for how many of me?
* There are 41,183 people in the U.S. with the first name Aimee
* There are 231,845 people in the U.S. with the last name Harrison
* There are 31 people in the U.S. named Aimee Harrison
Only 31! Hah!! That’s funny!
Let’s try my maiden name….
* There are 158,630 people in the U.S. with the last name Peters
* There are 21 people in the U.S. named Aimee Peters
21! Damn I’m getting less unique every day!
I’m glad to hear buck is doing well
Aimee I LOVE your album cover photo! That is so spectacular…I’d be playing around with that thing on photoshop for days putting various titles on it, stickers that said stuff like Including Grammy Award Winning song California, release dates, etc. I love it, it’s fantastic. Thank you for sharing it.
I can’t believe there are 21 people in the US with your full maiden name. I can’t believe the stats on my own name, either! When I saw them I thought the US it was crazy. How could there be so many people with the same name?
Holy crap – there are only five people in the states with my same first and last name. I guess I’ll never be giving out my real name on here. LOL. Not that I do anything that would make people want to hunt me down. Not that I know of, anyway.
I was glad to see a post from you and happier to hear that Buck is doing well.
I love, love, LOVE all the photos of you! How do you get so relaxed in front of the camera? I’ve been trying to get over myself but you are such a natural – maybe you can give me some tips. Maybe I need to play more. What programs do you use?
Oh my God, Teeni, I take the worst photos ever. I have to take about 30-50 photos before I get a usable one out of the bunch. Seriously. I have an entire photo album called “The Worst Photos Ever Taken Of Me” that I use to make my friends and family laugh. Actually, this post came about because I was looking for that album to post something from it and couldn’t find it.
If you don’t have a photoshop-type of program, a free online program that’s fun is here :
http://www49.blibs.com/editor/
I used that site to make my scary Svengali gif. I think I used it also for the Life With Buck header in Andy Warhol style. Try it, it’s fun!
And only 5 people have your name?! It’s crazy, isn’t it? You think it’s common and it turns out rare, or vice versa.
Wendy, if this is true: “I’m wearing an $8 cowboy hat from K-Mart that I reserve for the fleamarket or when I’m making politically incorrect jokes.”
I have to assume you wear that motherfucker ALL THE TIME! And I’m not implying you’re a fleamarket junkie.
There are 13 of me????? The world is not safe.
What’s weird is 4-5 of them have got in touch with me. Out of that 4-5, 4-5 of them have been pissed to find out others have their name.
Egotistical bastards!
I’m the one who should be pissed.
I was there first! At least that’s what I believe.
Have 4-5 of them really been in touch with you? Now that’s just wack. I thought your name is really unusual so I’m shocked at this news.
I don’t wear the $8 hat all that often but maybe I should, like a signal that says “Okay, I’m kidding, just fuckin’ with you now.” Except I’d be the only one who got it, since the people who need a signal are wearing those hats for real.
There are 2 people with my name but I suspect, what with how many times I’ve moved around, that they are counting me twice.
LOVE ALL THE PICS!!
Are you kidding me? Just two people?! Wow you’re lucky. Lucky C we should call you.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I loved this post Wendy!! I’m glad Buck is feeling better too! That picture of you in the cowboy hat is HOT, you should put it in a frame on Buck’s dressing table (next to the shaving brush and straight razor) so he can remember how lucky he is to have found you.
I like the other pix a lot too, and would LOVE to work in an office where people wore such t-shirts. Mean and crazy? I say “Fuck You If You Can’t Take A Joke!”
There are 470 guys (PLEASE don’t let there be any women named David Levine!) with my name. That’s like 9.4 of me per state. Dead common. Is that comforting? Not sure …
In conclusion, I have always loved lentils.
Thanks for all the hearts!
Hat photo: But see, I don’t think that pic looks like me. I hate those hats, actually. I CANNOT BELIEVE THERE IS AN ARMY OF DAVID LEVINES OUT THERE. That’s incredible, 9.4 per state? Seriously, you DLs needs your own club or something.
I like lentils too, but they scared the shit out of me this morning. I had a baggy of them, uncooked, in the bottom of the vegetable cooler and at first glance (I need glasses, my prescription is old) I thought a freaking rattlesnake had gotten into our fridge! Seriously. I’m extremely paranoid and I’m always thinking this, that a rattlesnake has gotten into the house. Lentils can look like a rattlesnake.
Thanks for the photo editing link, Wendy – I’ve been having fun playing with stuff over there. And I love your idea of photos to make your family laugh. You are such a hoot. Hopefully all this stuff helps me get less camera shy (losing a few pounds will help too).
That editing site is really fun, isn’t it?
You shouldn’t be self-concious about photos of yourself that you don’t like…you should turn them into comedy material for your family. When your family or friends are faced with an entire photo album of the worst photos ever taken of you it kills them, they can’t stop laughing. And that makes me laugh. Granted, some people find it a little too hilarious, but then I know where I stand with them; they’ve tipped their hand so to speak.
Wendy,
I am way, way, way behind on my reading, writing and blogging. Here’s my attempt to catch up…
1. You rock for the wonderful note you sent last week. You truly put a whistle in my workload.
2. Glad to hear Buck is doing well. I am a big fan of blueberries, oatmeal, spinach and tomatoes. They’ll all make you feel better, but not if you eat them together.
3. I have a photo phobia. I admire you of being able to play around with your photos in public. My blog photo shows the top of my head.
4. I love not having a TV, though I’m tempted to try the regular-set-with-rabbit-ears approach.
5. I don’t know who da Brat is. I’m ok with that.
Oh, there are lots of comments I’m forgetting. But I’m still reading. Please keep writing.
Your old blogging pal,
Beth
Hi Beth, and thank you! Your site and your newsletter have turned into great, great stuff.
Da Brat was a rapper (?) but Buck and I know her from when she was on Celebrity Fit Club. She got off to a terrible start on that show but then she really turned it all around.
And like I told Teeni, don’t hate your bad photos…turn them into comedy fodder. People love it when they see truly bad photos of their friends or family. My photo album cracks my sister up so much, I have to take it away from her. And my mother LOVED it; isn’t that awful, having your mother get such a freaking kick out of looking at terrible photos of you? And the whole time she was laughing her head off she was saying, “No, you’re adorable! People are just jealous.” Then she’d laugh some more.
I don’t know if I’m going to give lentils a try, but I am going to have nightmares after seeing that moving picture of you, AHHHHHHHHH…it reminds me of the “The Ring” or something, you freak! Hahaha
PS: glad Buck is going well, but damn that waiting-room simul-appointment sh*t!
Yes, it is like The Ring! And you couldn’t know this, but I love to brush my hair over my face and do that “Ring stagger” at them across a dark living room when they’re watching TV. I actually got to do it when my youngest son was watching The Ring for the first time! He said he nearly killed me, nearly stabbed me with a fork that was on the coffee table.
Sigh. I don’t get to do the “Ring stagger” nearly enough these days…
You are too freakin’ funny. I thoroughly enjoyed the photos and think you look very Stevie Nicks in the “scary” one.
I do look like Stevie in that photo, don’t I? I have a friend who went to a Stevie Nicks concert a few years ago and he said there were tons of women dressed in various stages of Stevie’s career. So, if she ever plays El Paso…
[...] I’M RICH!! I have a really common name. Thanks to a recent post by Wendy, at Life With Buck, it was revealed that there are about 9.4 people per state that have the same name as me. According to this website [...]
hi wendy- had to leave ya note to say i love the black shirt in the last paragraph ! yah .. i would totally wear that one ..
i’m serious . where did you get it? i want it . walmart? k-mart? talk to me . love joann
I got from Gawker but they stopped selling them for some reason. I guess they weren’t popular enough. Did you honestly think WalMart or KMart would hav a “motherfucker” T-shirt?
Three words:
Best. Shirt. Ever.
Thanks, Paul!
Great photos! There may be 85 people out there with your name, but there’s only one you. You’re an original, and getting to play catch up on your blog has made my day.