Daily Themes

So I'm in a posting mood today. Technically I'm starting this entry at 11:55 on Tuesday, but I might not get it posted until after 12:00 AM Wednesday. We'll see.

Lately it seems that life has been giving me themed days. A few days ago I was thinking a bit about death and everything that goes along with it. I think I'd had a dream about dying and had woken up a little shaken by it. Then I noticed that Fringes had a post about death. And THEN I saw the first of many front page articles about the Pitonyak case that concluded today. If you haven't kept up with it, just know that there was some gruesome death associated with that case, and reading the details shook me to the core. I just couldn't get rid of this fear that maybe that was going to happen to me, and I should really be careful about who I encounter in my life. (That's just a silly fear, but still, I'm happy with my little group of sane friends)

Today's theme seemed to be sleep; or lack thereof. I had a weird night last night, going to bed rather early. I woke up in the middle of the night, used the bathroom, came back to my bed to discover that I'd fallen asleep with my laptop by my side, plugged it in to charge, and then promptly fell right back asleep. I woke to my alarm thinking "What the hell? Didn't I just go to sleep?"

To continue this theme, my friend Becks wrote a post about her rather eventful night of dreams that seemed to interrupt her sleep cycle. Then the boyfriend told me that he barely slept last night due to a bit of nervousness about something that was to happen today.

Finally, I saw a Lunestra (no link, sorry--I'm tired and want to finish this) ad which, I thought, illustrated insomnia rather well. An ex of mine had (still has, I guess) insomnia something awful, so I can definitely say that of the many things I'm thankful for, not having insomnia is definitely one of them. I LOVE to sleep, and I simply can't imagine not having that one true escape from a stressful life.

The whole point of this post is to wonder if life has themes like this and I'm just tuned in to them for some reason, or if I'm just making all of these links up because I over analyze. Do you ever have days like this? When it almost seems silly to NOT take note of consistencies?

I've also gotta say that I love what Rolling Rock is doing with their ad campaign. They're airing apologies for ads that are apparently so contraversial that they can't air them on TV. Of course I fall for it and go to their website, but come on! A party gorilla AND men in a office wearing thongs? (you don't see the thongs, for the jackets cover everything) I'll fall for those two things any time.

Oh man

Second post today, so scroll down a bit if this is your first visit for Jan. 30.

Someone needs to remind me that I have no business getting a Pomeranian puppy in the Texas heat with my schedule. Because the video below makes me want to retire and watch Pomeranian puppies all day long.

Aloneness

When I was younger I used to be in awe of people doing things by themselves. How could they stand to do that, with no one with them? Why go grocery shopping by yourself? Why eat by yourself? And the ultimate, why go to a movie by yourself?

I think this may have been a result of always going places with my parents while growing up. We lived in the country, and in order to do anything other than see family (who all lived down our dirt road) we had to either travel to our hometown, which was 10 minutes away, or the nearest town with grocery stores and such, which was 20 minutes away. And obviously, it took a while before I could drive myself anywhere. So I was always with my mom when we'd go to the post office, to the bank, to the grocery store, etc. And I couldn't imagine doing any of that on my own. Because that just wasn't the way of the world.

When I began junior college in the above-mentioned nearby town, I had to start facing the world alone. I still lived at home, but my days were mine now, almost completely, and I began to go to classes, get lunch, go to rehearsals all on my own (not all the time, but you get the idea). And then I started to realize that people do things by themselves because IT'S AWESOME. It's refreshing to drive by yourself, to eat with a book or magazine, to even go to a movie all alone (I didn't do that until my last year of college, and that was mainly a way to prove to myself that I didn't need a damn boyfriend to go to the damn movies).

I guess I still prefer going certain places with others, especially grocery shopping. I still haven't quite gotten over that one. But every once in a while, I remember how I thought being alone was such a big deal; and even though I still think that today, I've just reversed the sentiment. I like it now, instead of fearing it. It's relaxing and a bit empowering.

By the way, if you haven't seen a movie by yourself yet, I highly recommend it. At least there's no fighting over what movie you'll see.

Food diary

I just came across a post at Killer Rants! about things that are useless. Food diaries were mentioned, and this intrigued me. You mean someone (several someones, apparently) thought it was a good idea to publish a list of what they're eating? On the internet? Who cares?

But then I decided that I'd tell you all what I just ate. Yogurt. Yoplait to be exact. Light Harvest Peach. It's not that I particularly love yogurt. Or that I'm trying to be healthy. Well, maybe. I just wanted something other than waffles and pop tarts for breakfast at work. So I decided to eat yogurt again. Last time I did this, my stomach hated it after two weeks. We'll see what happens this time.

What did you just eat? Or what are you dreaming of eating?

If anyone's on a diet and starts bragging about their rice cakes, you should know that I might just have to loathe you. Unless you honestly love those rice cakes. Then we can maybe be friends. If you share. (I've never tried them, are they good?)

Yellow Turtle Jr.

My blog now has a junior. For my first assignment in my Information Sciences class, I've had to make my own i312 assignment page. This will be the page that my instructor will use to grade all of my assignments, as I will be linking them to it. If you'd like to see the progress of the page, I'll be linking it here and hopefully finding an awesome picture to use as a logo. That way the wonder that is my junior page will always be just a click away.

Yellow Turtle Junior.

It looks extremely simple right now, but I'm actually enjoying this a lot. I'm learning about Unix and Linux, using xhtml and typing "pico" a lot, and just generally feeling awesome that in a few months I'm going to have a page that I've truly created from nothing.

In other news, I'm in love with Tina Fey and Steve Carell tonight. If you don't watch NBC on Thursday nights, you're really missing something good.

Football for Ladies

My friend Rebecca just posted about this, but I shall too.

You may have noticed the nice big Austin Outlaws logo to the right of this post. I highly suggest you visit the site, because it's only the most awesome thing in this world. Mainly because my friend Marci is a member of this female football team. She tried out, she wowed and impressed, and she got in. Words can't describe how proud I am, but they will have to eventually. Because I will be holding a sign up for her at every single home game.

Please visit the website and consider a game. If you want season tickets, you can buy them from my friend directly (I recommend this), or you can buy them through the website (I'm pretty sure you can get single game tickets through her too--ask me about it if you're interested). There are only 4 home games, and season tickets only cost $35. That's more than a single seat at an NFL game, and these girls are playing for the love of the sport rather than the money. Which always makes it better.

This post may seem rushed, because it is. I apologize for this. I am trying to publish before 5.

Go Marci!

Oh No!!

I mistakenly called Pig Pen Linus!! How can I ever call myself a Peanuts fan again?

Well, I've always liked them. But as is obvious, I was never a fanatic.

I shake my head in shame.

My apologies

I've been so quiet lately! Here's what's been going on:

I've been improving my GRE math score (by 50 points on the practice tests) so that I can take the GRE and THEN figure out what I'm going to do with it.

I've also begun a class at the university where I work that will ultimately teach me more HTML. Also, I shall know CSS. I'm a bit excited.

I've finally felt ok with running my cellphone battery down to nothing (like everyone says you're supposed to) before plugging it in to charge. This is a big deal for me, because I'm not known for my patience.

I've just realized that I have two of the boyfriend's books. I've begun reading both. I've finished neither.

I cleaned a bit around the house, so that I don't feel like I'm sharing a space with Linus.

I laughed a lot at the Caveman commercial again. How does he do it?!

I've realized that I probably have a rather unfortunate addiction to the show Dirty Jobs. This revelation came when my roommate was flipping through channels in the living room. She came across Dirty Jobs and said, "Look, it's your favorite show." And then she proceeded to change the channel. Even though I wasn't even in the same room and therefore had no say over what was on the TV, my heart broke a little when Mike Rowe's voice disappeared.

I watched a Modern Marvels about balls. I'll leave it at that.

Just an aside: how did The History Channel swing www.history.com? Crazy.

Cabin Fever

I've got it, alright.

Because of inclement weather, my state institution of employment decided to close yesterday. And they're going to be closed today as well. It's currently 1:30 AM and I'm awake. I think nothing of this, only that I wish so badly that I wasn't in this terrible sleeping cycle. It's the week, after all. Shouldn't I be wasting time at work by day? Shouldn't I be sound asleep right now, dreaming of emails and office supplies to come? No. I am only sitting here listening to Ryan Adams (go here if you have no idea who Ryan Adams is) and thinking about how I really need to do something other than watch TV when I wake up (which will probably be 9 hours from now).

I know what some might be thinking, reading this. That I should NOT be complaining about having to stay home from work and that I should just enjoy the snow that fell today. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate this time of freedom, these wonderful hours in which I completely control my time. But the thing is, I'm trapped inside of my house. All of Austin is seemingly discouraged from stepping foot outside, let alone driving somewhere. And living in a city like this, well, you live here because you like to go places. It's just how it is. And I can't go anywhere. And can you tell it's making me a little crazy?

I told my roommate today that American Gladiators helped make me the person I am today. Anyone else know what I mean?

Monday

Not much happening lately. Spent some time this weekend in San Marcos, and completely forgot that I had told a friend I'd be at his house last night. Yes, I know I'm a horrible person, but all I was thinking about was wanting to see the boyfriend before his classes began. I just know that I'll have to be considerably less selfish with him once he's got professors and classmates breathing down his neck, so I decided to make this weekend a weekend of us. I didn't tell him this, mind you. I just did it. Hope he didn't mind.

This weekend I also started my GRE Test Prep class. It's an Informal Class offered through the university, so it's relatively cheap when compared to other GRE prep courses. They usually run near $1000 or so, and I've paid less than $300 to be tutored by a man who (he claims) has actually trained the instructors who teach the $1000 classes. I'll be taking this class until Feb. 4, sitting in a classroom with seven other people each Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 PM. I hope this helps. If nothing else, it'll make me feel better that I'm actually doing something to make my life more productive. And who knows, maybe I'll kick ass on the GRE in the process.

We're watching the Golden Globes right now, and I've just seen Helen Mirren and Rachel Weisz in the span of a minute. And I've concluded that I should really be British. My humor would be sharp, and my speech would be intriguing. Then again, I like that I'm from Texas. Oh well. Maybe I'll try out the British thing to see if it fits. I really think I could pull it off.

Does anyone else ever wish they were from somewhere else?

Ha

This is funny.

I realize...

...that this is probably too much information, but:

You know how in the restroom at the doctor's office they have instructions for what to do when you have to give a urine/stool sample? If yours doesn't, they probably assume you know how to pee in a cup/poop in a whatever (I've been fortunate enough to not have to poop into a whatever) and wipe it off. The office I go to doesn't. Which is probably a good thing, as sometimes I forget that others would rather not touch my urine if they can help it.

Anyway, I noticed last time that there are instructions for wiping yourself as well. As in, don't wipe from back to front. And it got me thinking about how one learns to wipe. I don't remember my mom ever actually saying "front to back," I just remember her doing it. And so I did it.

Did some people have mothers who were too busy to teach them how to wipe? Or told them the wrong direction? Because it seems to me that it's just plain gross to wipe from back to front, especially after a stool sample.

I feel that this kind of absurdly cautious direction is on par with "Be very careful. Coffee is HOT."

Oh. My. God.

Please go here for more.

I want

Double ugh

Just had another conversation about my apparent lack of motivation towards my life. My co-worker and I happen to be in the same boat. I'm still a young 'un (not yet a quarter century, at least not until May) and I still have what seems like a lot of time. And really, these days you can make a fresh start in your 60s and still have plenty of time, so I've got no need to freak out right now. And yet I am.

I'm scared not only because I don't know what I want to do, but because I have no idea what I'm good at. So far it seems I'm only good at office work, and there's no way I want to end up doing this in the years to come. I can't stand it. Sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours a day looking for work to do is not fulfilling.

But what else am I good at? Nothing comes to mind. I'm not good enough at this to pull a Dooce, so blogging is out. I was never that good at my chosen college major, so Theatre as a profession is out. I was only OK at my minor, so English is out. I don't have a lot of patience, so teaching human beings younger than 18 is definitely out. I'd like to have a career like music or something, but I have no guts and no training other than Mom teaching me piano. I can play some, but I have practiced in years. And my voice is really only mediocre as opposed to recordable. So music's out (at least until my friends let me be in a band with them.....but I've got to get band friends first). I'm vaguely interested in places like Harry Ransom Center, but I've never done anything like that. I'm going to take a class in Information Sciences, so we'll see. But as of now, that's still out. I'm also vaguely remembering my enjoyment of a Linguistics course in college, but at this point that's only a small blip on the radar.

This is depressing me. I just don't know what the hell to do, and I've felt this way for close to two years. If I don't have something figured out soon, I don't know how far my depression's going to take me down. I realize that something will happen at some point and I shouldn't be so impatient, but man this is hard. Anyone with an awesome career opportunity needing an awesome college graduate with mostly awesome hair (today's a bad day) can hire me. I'll be your dream employee. I'll also wash your dishes.

Meme!

That word looks like a French exclamation to me. Hence the exclamation point inserted behind it.

Rebecca tagged me with gusto, so I must follow orders and post. This might make or break some relationships, because after you find out certain things about me I'm not sure you're going to want to talk to me. Or you're going to want to marry me. I don't know. We'll see. (Fingers crossed for marriage proposals)

Five Things You Don't Know About Me

1. I used to eat my boogers. I know, every little kid did that. But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the different textures, the different shapes, the joy of finding something in my nose that I could then put in my mouth. I didn't do this for long, mind you. It wasn't something that my parents had to call Dr. Phil about. I imagine that if they actually had called Dr. Phil, I would have eaten boogers well into adulthood just to punish them for bringing such an evil presence into my life.

2. I CAN NOT STAND DR. PHIL. Well, you may have known this about me, but I really really don't like that man. And finding the link made me look at his face, and looking at his face made me want to tell you how much I dislike him.

3. I secretly wish I was a photographer. I now live with one, and my secret (yet non-violent) jealousy for her might rear its ugly head one day soon. I have a fascination with beautiful photos and wish that I could afford a glorious camera to make me take better photos. Because that's all I'll need to be talented.

4. I got the title of my blog from a yellow turtle stuffed toy that I inherited when I started my new job. It was sitting on my desk. Now it sits on top of my monitor. Staring at me. I love him.

5. I used to daydream about the love of my life showing up one day out of the blue (this ended after high school). Normally the daydream consisted of me being in some kind of danger; or more commonly, a hospital bed (seriously, don't ask). I would wake up and there he'd be--never a face, just a presence. He usually had facial hair though; I knew that innately. Must be part of the reason I love the boyfriend so much, eh? Mmmmm.....beards.

And there it is. The marriage proposals should come with jewelry, by the way. My ring size is probably around a 5 by now. It used to be close to a 4 in high school, but I've gained weight since then. I like food, what can I say?

I'll tag Kim, Fringes, and Avi.

Sympathy garnered here

So the apparent shit storm that was preventing me from breathing like a normal human being (through my nose) was just a severe allergy attack. I hate saying that, because it seems to take away from the miserableness that was me for a few days. I honestly thought I was going to drown in my own snot. I almost got my roommate to take me to the hospital one night. What would I have said? "I can only breathe through my nose and it's REALLY freaking me out!" God I'm silly when I'm sick.

Luckily (so that I don't sound like a complete fruit), the doctor told me that if I had let this go untreated it could have turned into a sinus infection. Score! A real 'feel sorry for me' sickness! So that's what I've been opening with when people ask me if I'm feeling better. People, I LOVE sympathy. I feel ok admitting this, because everyone knows that if you admit something bad about yourself people can't hate you for it. So anyway, any sympathy that I can get is good sympathy. I'm a sympathy whore.

The doctor gave me a sample of Nasonex to try. It's not supposed to work its best until 2-3 days have passed, but it's already made a difference. Will I have to change from pills to nasal spray? I've been so faithful to my over-the-counter (i.e. cheap) Claritin that I'd feel like a traitor going to another allergy medicine. What to do, what to do.

I do feel kind of hard-core using nasal sprays. It's like saying that my allergies are SO BAD that I need a medicine that goes directly to the trouble spot. Pills don't cut it for me people. I've got allergies.

Happy New Year!!

Yeah, happy new year everybody. While every other blogger I know was writing lots of wonderful stories, I stayed pretty quiet. I apologize for that. I ended up traveling a lot. The boyfriend's family lives way out in the country where there is no wireless internet or cellphone reception. I felt like I was in the dark ages. (Not really, but I like to tease him about that) As of tomorrow though, I'll have free internet and wonderful cellphone reception when I'm visiting him. He is finally (after a year and a half) moving closer. Thank goodness for patience.

Since it was his last weekend in his hometown, we did New Years there. I thought that surely his friends would be jumping at the chance to hang out with him on one of his last nights in town, but not much was going on. We ended up meeting up with some of his old friends from high school. This group amazes me. They've known each other for a long time (some are friends from middle or elementary school I think), and each one has changed considerably I'm sure. There are some conservatives, some liberals, artists, gun lovers, you name it. Somehow they've all grown up to be different people while still staying close friends. I don't know how this is possible, as the only person from my childhood that I see with any regularity is my cousin. And that's because she lives with me. I thought all of this while standing around a bonfire with the boyfriend's friends surrounding us. It made me a little sad that I don't have my high school friends around anymore, but it also made me very happy that this group has accepted me quite quickly. I guess they figure that if one of their own likes me, I can't be too bad.

On the frowning side of things, two consecutive nights of bonfires in 30 degree weather has taken its toll on my sinuses. I'm currently breathing out of my mouth, as my nose is completely stopped up. I hate feeling like this. But I love that tomorrow I will be having afternoon coffee with friends and helping the boyfriend move in 30 minutes away mourning, and therefore not working.

Where have I been?

In places other than Austin. Which means my addiction to all things internet has been hit hard. I didn't check my email for days. DAYS. This is a big deal for me, as I'm one of those people that assumes anything important will be communicated to me through email...rather than the more practical phone call.

Christmas time was good. I've noticed that with each passing year this holiday means less and less to me. I'm no longer religious, so going to church on Christmas Eve made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I'll always sing the carols and remember how it felt to be a kid, but I guess I'm finally becoming an adult. Which makes me a little sad.

I just noticed that we've seen two Nutrisystem commercials in one commercial break. Is this a subtle hint to those who've eaten too much over the holidays?

Caveman

It's time I come clean about something. I'm in love with the caveman from the Geico commercials.

I'm not sure if Jared knows about this, but he shouldn't worry. There's no chance of me meeting this caveman, and even if I did I don't think I'm his type.

There's just something about his tone of voice, his constant frustration, his obvious intelligence that intrigues me. See this to understand what I mean.

Don't worry, I'm still in love with the boyfriend. I wonder if he has any cavewoman crushes...

Clarification

I should clarify that I am not the person who wears sweatpants to work. That would be someone who gets paid a lot more than me.

Got that, Casey?

Office Talk

While I love our office machines (I've gotten one or two to work by spouting nice words of encouragement), I think their main purpose in life is to jam in some way. With that, I present:

What I imagine our office machines and gadgets would say to us if they could talk:

The copy machine: "Imagine this: you're resting in your nice cool area, saving energy and whatnot. It's a peaceful day, one lacking in urgent work. Then, suddenly, some woman in sweatpants (sweatpants!)comes in needing a copy. She pokes you on the head, gives you a work order, and crosses her arms impatiently. While you're warming up from your nap, she even has the gall to complain about how long she's having to wait. You finally wake and complete the request. You don't even get a 'thanks' as she rips the paper away from you. Welcome to my life. Say thanks next time, or I just might jam."

The fax machine: "Listen people, pages down. I can't tell you how many times the other fax machines and I laugh at you because you can't read the sign and your faxes come out blank. You're all idiots. I might as well jam."

The shredder: "You again? Why do you make so many damn copies if all you're gonna do is shove 'em down my throat? Oh and by the way, the next time you roll your eyes when my bag is full, you're getting a jam."

The three hole puncher: "Of course I'm giving you hanging chads--those little pieces of paper that frustrate you to no end. Have you seen how many paper holes I've got under here? Try cleaning me out a bit, graduate students! You obviously prefer me to the three hole punch feature on the copy machine. One would think you'd care more for me, the one who allows you to store your precious information in a notebook. The one who only wants to see you happy. Watch out, because I'm thinking of creative ways to jam."

The toaster: "For The Love Of God Someone Clean Me Out Once In A While! I wish I could jam. That'd show 'em."

Certain mailboxes: "Can't...Hold...Any...More...Mail. Must...Be...Checked...Soon. Will...Jam...Fingers...Of...Workers."

The computers: "Are we really at a place of work? Why aren't we being used for anything other than blogs, email, and Minesweeper? When did I sink so low? Let's jam a process. They should know better than to be on MySpace at work. Now they're going to pay for it."

Letting others do the work for me

You should read this. Because it's better than anything I'll ever write.

I'm tired and would rather be at home, sleeping the morning away. I realize that all I'm doing today is sitting around for 8 hours...and I'm getting paid for it. But there was something about that bed this morning. So nice.

Hello again

I haven't written in a while. I was out of good internet contact during the weekend, and last night when I got home it was all I could do to stay awake long enough to find something on the Discovery channel to pass out to. (I'd had a bit to drink...)

I find that when my life is changing (or just plain happening), my urge to write about it subsides. Maybe I'm more of an introspective writer, one that feels the need to explain what's going on inside of me more than record what's going on around me. Or maybe I just get lazy sometimes.

I want to rearrange my room, but I feel as if I should wait just a little longer. Doesn't feng shui tell me that I shouldn't have the foot of my bed facing the door? Well it is. And I'm tired a lot. Maybe that's why...

Any tips?

By the by, Feng Shui is also a really good Gnarls Barkley song. Sorry for the lack of links, but I'm lazy.

OK

I don't consider myself to be a silly person most of the time. At least not the kind of silly that gets offended if people don't notice I've done something different with myself. I usually just think, "Oh, I'm sure they've changed something at some point that I haven't noticed, so I shouldn't get angry at them so quickly."

But damnit people. I cut my hair. Not just trimmed, cut. Three inches. And guess what! My hair's much shorter in the front than it was yesterday! Can you guess why? Because I got bangs!! Admittedly not the five-year-old bangs of my youth, but angled bangs! Bangs that make me look cool! Goodness!

Ok, now that I'm over my tantrum, I can move on to something much more important. The miracle on Guadalupe St. It happened last night. It had seemed that the traffic lights and cars were against us all evening, and it didn't look like the drive down Guadalupe was going to be any different. (FYI, in Austin we say "Guadaloop." Some try to fight this, but they'll never win.) We sat at a light around 15th street (this is my estimation...we weren't paying that much attention), both hungry and ready to get to our destination. The light turned green. The next light turned green. We could see the lights turning green two, three intersections away, all in time to let us pass through. Around 6th we both started to believe. This was it. This was going to be it. We saw the light at Cesar Chavez turn as we were barely exiting the 3rd street intersection. I crossed my fingers and held my breath. Two more intersections and we would be on the bridge. Traffic had built up around us, threatening to ruin our perfect run. Through the 2nd street intersection, we were both thinking that the Cesar Chavez light would never stay green. Never.

But It Did!! And we made it!! A perfect run down Guadalupe!! It cut our traveling time in half. In half, people! The lights in Austin are notorious for being frustrating beyond belief, but for one magical night, we won. We hit EVERY GREEN LIGHT for 15 BLOCKS. Dreams can come true.

I am woman, therefore I have cramps

Currently at home right now. That's right, in the middle of the morning. I decided that I wouldn't ignore my lady cramps this month. And anyway, it only makes them worse to try and deal with them at work, ya know? I'd rather just curl up in my bed and curse that I am woman.

I sometimes wish women could choose when they're going to start their periods. I remember when my friends were all shaving their legs and I felt so left out. My mom, being the extremely smart woman that she is, told me that once I shaved, I couldn't go back. The hair just keeps growing, and you have to keep shaving. How right she was. (I realize that some women decide to just let the hair grow, but I really like the way my legs feel after I shave. Yeah, I'm addicted)

So if we can put off that grown-up activity until we're ready, why oh why can't we wait until, say, we're ready to have kids to start our periods? Maybe we could activate it by using a tampon or pad for the first time. Of course, we'd know that we couldn't go back, but hey, that's life, right?

I recently told Jared that I was going to start my period soon (so watch out), and he jokingly said something like, "Again? Didn't you just have it?" I told him he summed up the feelings I experience every. single. month.

HA!

I love this.

HA!

I love this.

Tarot and the Opossum

You are The Hierophant

Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching.

All things relating to education, patience, help from superiors.The Hierophant is often considered to be a Guardian Angel.

The Hierophant's purpose is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. Where the High Priestess between her two pillars deals with realms beyond this Earth, the Hierophant (or High Priest) deals with worldly problems. He is well suited to do this because he strives to create harmony and peace in the midst of a crisis. The Hierophant's only problem is that he can be stubborn and hidebound. At his best, he is wise and soothing, at his worst, he is an unbending traditionalist.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Got that from Sarcastic Fringehead. I love surveys, what can I say?

There's this strange noise coming from outside that I can't quite identify. It almost sounds like someone in the apartment parking lot next door is opening and closing their doors over and over again. Or maybe someone's moving things around in a truck bed. But occasionally it sounds like it's right outside, in our driveway. As I'm the only one home right now, I'm a little curious. I've been outside a few times, and I finally decided this last time to take all of the cds out of my car. Because if there is someone trying to break into my car or my house, you'd better believe I'm not giving up those cds without a fight.

There it is again!!

Just went outside again with the boyfriend on the phone, and between the two of us a conclusion has been made. We've got a critter under the house. I kicked the side of the house (to try and state my dominance I guess) and I haven't really heard anything since. Maybe it's moved on? I DO NOT want to hear that noise again tonight.

Oh, there it went again. Damnit.

It's a possum!! What ugly little creatures! I'm all for animals and nature, but damn. Those things are creepy looking. Especially when you only see a pointy nose and a single paw sticking out of a vent on the side of your house.

At least I know what it is. I think he's stuck though. I'd like to go loosen that vent for him, but I really don't want to get near him. Or risk scaring him back under the house. This could turn out to be an interesting night.

Ahh...

...to get out. To get out of the house, out of your own head for a little while. To have to wait for a friend to show up, which pits you alone against the world at a coffee house. To have to sit with nothing to read, no one to call, nothing to do but wait and look around you.

As promised, my friend has put me into a much better mood. I found out that I'm not the only person in the world who sometimes feels like a hermit. There are others that need to have friends who will poke and prod them to get out and enjoy. I've also been challenged to have an adventure in my life, which I hope will actually happen. I wonder what my adventure will be. A friend invited me to go on a hiking trip, and I'm actually pretty psyched about the possibility of that happening. Will a trip turn into the adventure I'll always remember? Or will it be something involving a relationship of some sort? What's going to jump start the life in me?

I've been addicted to Interpol lately. I just got Turn on the Bright Lights (yes, I know I'm behind with my music--that's what happens when you live paycheck to paycheck), and it's all I want to hear. I love those purchases that seem to be destined for certain times in your life.

Usually I find that if I'm trying to find something or figure something out I do better to just let go of it. I don't necessarily put it somewhere else, I just loosen my grip. And then somehow the solution comes. Maybe I should just loosen the grip on my life...keep my finger on the pulse just in case...but relaxing and enjoying things sounds kind of nice right now.

What a day

Well, I should know by now that when I tell a few people, "I don't do much at my job" my job's gonna suck the next day. Not so much suck as become very busy. Well wait, yeah, it sucked.

Basically it was an instance of a higher-up not knowing just how much work they wanted me to do in a matter of hours. Turning one pile of papers into four piles of papers makes for an eight hour day spent at the copy machine.

I also had my first lunch time aerobics class today. I think it gave me the energy I needed to barrel through some of those copies, but it did not make my stomach happy. I had to wait to eat an hour later than usual, and one just shouldn't do that to her body. Especially mine. My stomach knows when it's time to eat, and when I try to trick it it ends up in a horrible mood. So I did too.

Apologies for this rant. It's just been one of those days when nothing terrible has really happened but I'm ready to throw the towel in anyway. Know what I mean? Exhausting.

I'll be having coffee (or beer, oh the decisions) tonight with an old friend who always leaves me happy, so I'm sure my head will hit the pillow smiling tonight. I hope yours does the same.

movie

We're getting ready to go see For Your Consideration, so this will be a short entry.

The day trip to San Marcos was successful, as the boyfriend found an apartment. It's pretty hip, and the complex is called The Metropolitan. Yeah.

I've noticed that I've become a very easy drunk, so if anyone's planning on taking advantage of me, this time of my life is probably your best chance. Unless I'm in the drinking zone, which does happen occasionally. Then I can hang with the best of 'em.

I'm not sure where that paragraph came from. Could be the Shiner talking...

Drinking on the job

I just had a Bailey's Chocolate candy. Chocolate and Bailey's. At work. Occasionally I love this place.

Let's shake hands

Here's a story my friends told me I should blog about:

Last week I had my lady exam. You know the one I'm talking about. The visit to the doctor that I like to call "my favorite time of year."

The nurse did her thing and then left me to change into the *always* sleek check-up gown. It only took me about a minute. I then spent another five or seven minutes waiting for my doctor to come in. I was surrounded by paper. My paper gown which I desperately tried to keep closed in the back, the paper table cover which I desperately tried to NOT let my cheeks touch (I know it gets changed after every patient, but still), the papers on the walls telling me that I desperately needed to get help for skin cancer, osteoporosis, birth control, migraines, prostate cancer, and back pain. However many times you do this, it NEVER gets any easier.

So after what seemed like an eternity, my doctor finally walks in. Now, I should take a moment to describe my doctor. She's a mother of two (their pictures are in her patient room), always wears pants that are way too short, and is VERY matter-of-fact in her approach.

So like I was saying, she walks in. I expected her to say hello, ask how I was, things like that. Instead, after she's barely said hello, she REACHES OUT HER HAND FOR ME TO SHAKE. This is a woman who has been inside of me twice (now three times), a woman who has inserted cold metal things into me and swabbed my innards. Forgive me if I'm a bit taken aback by the formality of the hand shake that was about to proceed. I wanted to say, "Lady, you've seen parts of me I'LL never see. I think we're a little past shaking hands."

But instead, I took her hand and gave it a VERY lame shake. It's hard to muster up a good hand shake when you're only wearing paper, you know?

Words

I may sound like a HUGE snob, but is it really that difficult to remember the difference between you're and your? You can't say something like, "Hope your having a great day!" It Doesn't Work!! I occasionally make the mistake in an email, but I'm such a bitch about it that I try my hardest to catch it before it makes it out there to the world.

OH! Same with it's and its!! Can you say "it is"? Then use the apostrophe!

Ugh. Maybe I should stop reading Facebook and Myspace messages written by idiotic COLLEGE STUDENTS who don't know the difference.

Whew!

Can you tell I'm reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves right now?

Whew!

All of a sudden, I got a yearning to clean tonight. It could be that the floor was DIRTY. The floor always seems dirty, but I'm rather sensitive to dirt on the floor when I'm walking barefoot. And sticky stuff. And food crumbs. We all end up dropping things on the floor, but they don't always get cleaned up. And there are two girls who live in this house (soon to be three), and we shed hair. So the floor just got disgusting. Dis-gus-ting. It's now swept and Swiffered.

Then I noticed that the side of the sink we use for draining dishes had a funny smell. After I pulled out the now bone dry dishes, I had to clean the sink. Because it was, of course, dirty.

Then I decided to FINALLY try to get rid of two of the three boxes that have prevented me from getting to my bookcase since we moved in. A full trash bag later (one of those boxes had candles I'll just never burn again), and I've gotten my room down to only ONE box that needs to be emptied. Maybe I'll be through with that one when it's time for us to move out.

Talking to my roommates tonight, I almost slipped into my wondrous depression again. One roommate is leaving for a job with Iowa State, and he's busy getting ready to take his team to a bowl game and get things together to move out. My other roommate has a lot of finals and labs coming up. I'm sitting there not having anything to contribute to the conversation, and the first roommate says to me, "You're lucky you don't have anything, right?" For a moment, I didn't know what to say. I wanted to look at the floor and think about how he was right and how lame I feel. Then I decided, you know what? I do have things I'm doing. Like studying for the GRE (which I then brought up in the conversation). And dammit, the house has to be cleaned by someone.

I do miss the stress of school sometimes though.

Did I just say that??

Thievery

I stole this from Momma Loves, a fellow NaBloPoMo writer. I'll write more later, but for now, here's this. (I love surveys, by the way.)

1. 3 Things that scare me: Drowning, Spiders, the Astros when they wait until the last few innings to score

2. 3 People who make me laugh: Demetri Martin, Zach Galifianakis, and The Boyfriend

3. 3 Things I love: A tasty meal, crossword puzzles, beards

4. 3 Things I hate: The Redskins (they don't even get a link), strong smells, having to work

5. 3 Things I don’t understand: Timid drivers, the universe, any math

6. 3 Things on my desk: Today's crossword puzzle, my cell phone, a bowl of mixed paint (green and black). Yeah, I work for the state.

7. 3 Things I’m doing right now: Filling out this wonderful meme, smelling paint, thinking about this weekend

8. 3 Things I want to do before I die: Travel A LOT, live in London, learn how to kick ass at riding a bike

9. 3 Things I can do: Mail merge in Word, put Ikea things together, sleep with damp hair

10. 3 Things I can’t do: Tread water, pop my neck, buy things I want

11. 3 Things I think you should listen to: Other languages, your mother (that's a good answer, Momma Loves mentioned that one), Whiskeytown

12. 3 Things you should never listen to: Bill O'Reilly (he doesn't get a link either), George W. Bush, today's country music (Nashville Pop, yuck)

13.3 things I would like to learn: To tread water, library science, how to produce an album

14. 3 Favorite foods: Chinese, Italian, Junk

15. 3 Beverages I drink regularly: Water, Coke, Milk

16. 3 Shows I watched as a kid: Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, Sesame Street, Bugs Bunny

17. 3 People I’m tagging (to do this meme): Rebecca, Marci, Casey

Oh man.

I'm sure most have seen this video before, but you really should take a look at it again. Especially if you like cavemen and you need a laugh.

Happiness

This is what we all need

Sunday Nights

These nights are usually pretty hard for me, as I've either left the boyfriend to come back to Austin or he's left to go back to Huntsville. For a few days (this weekend was extra nice), I get to know what it feels like to have someone hold me, someone to laugh with, someone who I can be incredibly dorky with. During the week we talk every night, but it's nowhere near the same.

I know I should just be thankful that I've got someone in my life, but long distance relationships have a way of making that thought frustrating. I'm tired of having to be content with seeing him every weekend (yeah, we're one of the lucky long distance couples). I'm very ready for him to be closer. Which he will be. In a little over a month. Will our relationship change? Probably. Will it be a hard adjustment? Doubtful. We have a great sense of humor that's going to work well against either one of us getting tired of the other.

What I really wanted to say with this post is that I love the boyfriend, and I can't wait to have him nearer. Then I won't see Sunday nights as such terrible things.

Where's my inspiration?

Nowhere near. So in lieu of a proper post, I give you Monty Python.

The day after

I'm sitting in the cafe at Hastings right now, waiting for the boyfriend to get off of work (25 more minutes...can I make this blog last that long?). A jerk just walked in with a Starbucks cup in hand. Hastings makes a better mocha than Starbucks, hands down. Plus it's a few cents cheaper. Pinch your pennies!

I went shopping today with my mom. It was definitely a crowded day, but not quite as bad as I thought it'd be. Could have been that everyone in College Station had travelled to Austin for the Lone Star Showdown (aka Longhorns vs. Aggies), or it could have been that everyone had finished their shopping by the time we got there. We didn't arrive to our first store until after 9, serious shoppers that we are. I didn't do as great as I wanted, but such is the life of someone who lives from paycheck to paycheck.

Does anyone else find it odd that there is a TV show on ESPN and several magazines dedicated to Fantasy Football? Look, I realize that fantasy football is a big deal with some people (many people, apparently), but it just doesn't strike me as something that I'd want to spend my time and money on. What ever happened to good old fashioned betting? Why can't people just stick with the secret office pool and call it a day? Maybe I just don't want to take the time to understand all of the intricacies involved with it.

I can't BELIEVE the Aggies beat the Longhorns.

Remembering

Oh no. It happened again. At the beginning of this month I completely forgot to post an entry. I mean, I thought about it a lot that day, but nothing happened. Granted, internet access was spotty there, but geez, right? Well, I have no excuse for yesterday. I came to my parent's house last night. My parents who have wireless internet. My parents who listened to me talk about my blog (well, my mom). I even uttered the words, "I need to remember to post an entry tonight." But I also couldn't wait to go to bed. Friday nights (or in this case, Wednesday nights) are usually nights that I crash into bed. It could actually be any night; all I need is to know that it's the end of the work week for me, and I'm racing for my pillow as soon as I get home.

Anyway, the sad fact is that I forgot to post. And since I use blogger, I have no idea how to cheat and date this for the 22nd. And why would I? I'd lose a whole paragraph of my entry (see above)!

Lately it seems I've had a hard time remembering things. I found out today that I've forgotten to pay my Lerner (or New York and Company, whichever) credit card bill for TWO MONTHS. How does one forget to pay a bill for TWO MONTHS? I've come up with an explanation. The last time I paid, I thought to myself that I should just pay the whole thing off. It was only around $50 at the time, but it was a tight month (aren't they all?). So I ultimately decided to just pay $25 and finish it off the next month. The next month came and went. As did the one after that (this one). I am flabbergasted. I just can't believe that I didn't even think about checking it.

My mother, the person I love with all my heart, seemed to be afraid that this would reflect badly on my credit rating. And she's probably right. But to be completely honest, I just can't make myself care too much about that. I realize that having an excellent credit rating can make life a LOT easier for you down the road, especially when you want to buy a house or a new car or what have you. But my credit rating was really good before this, and I just don't think one little slip up will cost me anything big later in life. Plus, I'm so sick of the thought that we're constantly working for something that's so abstract--money. We might as well be using Monopoly money, because there isn't enough gold in the world to make all currency worth anything.

I digress.

As I was lying in bed around 6:30 this morning (damn you internal clock!) remembering that I'd forgotten to write a post yesterday, I thought this entire entry out. I somehow came to a conclusion that talked about how I didn't really like child actors. It stemmed from saying that I was constantly searching for a perfect haircut, which is a universal search for women, I believe. I don't know how I got to that, but I really believe it, so I'm putting it in. Then I thought about Project Greenlight and how when the hopeful writers were pitching their movie they kept saying that it had a universal theme. And then I started thinking about how that whole project didn't last as long as it could have, mainly because the movies weren't that great. The first one (if I remember correctly) had child actors. And, as stated above, I really don't like them. They don't yet know how to act, so they always end up looking like someone's whispering in their ear, "Ok, now look sad. Oh! Now you're surprised!" There are exceptions of course. Haley Joel Osment was adorable ( look at him now!!), and that Dakota Fanning is cute enough to eat with a spoon. She's good, too.

And that's how the post ended in my thoughts. And then I went to sleep. So even though I've missed a day, I hope I've provided enough to make up for it.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Score one for a Baptist minister

Now, if you know me, you know I've grown less and less religious as I've grown older. I'm not sure what exactly started my departure from the church, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with me not agreeing with something being taught. Once my personal belief system starting conflicting with that of the church's, I just didn't want to be a hypocrite and continue attending services. At this time, my beliefs have wandered so far away from religion's or the church's, that you'll not find me around either until my mother makes me go.

That being said, I just read this article called "When Religion Loses its Credibility." Now don't get up in arms if you're religious; this is not at all an attack on religion. It's rather a statement on the narrow minds that today's churches are littered with. It's written by a Baptist minister, and it concerns the erroneous belief by most (I said most! not all!) church goers that homosexuality is a choice and should be punished.

*A side note: I have a few friends who attend church regularly and are not the type to want to wipe homosexuality off the face of the earth. So I am by no means assuming that every religious person is a jackass. I'm glad I have religious friends; otherwise my opinion on religion and the church might be lost forever. I'm also glad I have homosexual friends, because those are the coolest fools you'll ever meet.*

Since I don't read the Bible regularly and never really did, I'm just going on faith (ha! get it?) that this Baptist minister knows what he's talking about when he quotes from it. I respect him for gathering up the courage and balls (I mean really, he's a Baptist minister talking about how homosexuality should be accepted! because it's predetermined!) to write this article. I only wish that this was required reading in all churches that preach against homosexual relationships.

I see that churches provide a family and support system, and I see that they can do more good deeds for this world than people could do alone, separate. But if religion wants to keep its numbers from dwindling, I think people are going to have to start realizing that nothing should be taken literally. That's the easy way out, and it's caused a lot of pain and suffering for so many. I feel that people should use religion as a guide, and should use the church as a charitable being. Neither should decide who gets blessed and goes to heaven and who doesn't. I may not remember much from my church days, but isn't that supposed to be God's decision?

Rebuilding Year

In the process of trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life, I've decided to take the GRE in the hopes of one day getting into graduate school. At this point, I've got an idea of what program I'd like to enter, but that's so far ahead in the future that I just can't lay any bets on it right now.

When I began studying for the GRE, I had high hopes. I figured that it couldn't be too terribly hard; surely I haven't lost ALL of the knowledge I'll need to at least take a good crack at even just the practice exams. Of course, I was wrong.

The verbal section wasn't too bad, and I know exactly what I need to work on to get better (antonyms, root words). I thought the quantitative section wouldn't give me too much trouble, because in school I'd done pretty well in math once I learned all of the formulas. Little did I know that I would have to basically re-learn everything. That means I'm starting from the ground up. And if there's one thing my brain doesn't handle well, it's having to scrap all previous beliefs (the belief that this wasn't going to be too hard) and begin anew. I'm stubborn that way, and I don't like the idea of having to admit that right now any junior high student could probably give me a good run for my money on the quantitative section of the graduate entry exam. How sad.

I realize this will eventually become easier for me, and I'll look back at this time of the studying as a necessary means to an end. I mean, it sure wouldn't mean much if I didn't have to work for it, right?

I've always felt that things came relatively easy to me but that I was still only mediocre in everything I did in life. Most people have at least one thing that they can excel at, but I've always been average or a little above in my pursuits. I'm hoping to find something other than making copies that I can kick ass at.

Rambling from a couch

I've recently had to begin to come to terms with the fact that I don't have that many people in my life. I have a good number of friends, sure, but I'm really not the type that randomly calls people to hang out or has people calling me to hang out (at least not as often as people call my boyfriend). My boyfriend and I are two separate people when it comes to that. He has a lot of different friends who will call him just wanting to grab a drink. I have a few close friends that I plan to hang out with, but it doesn't usually happen spontaneously.

Part of this could be chalked up to the fact that I have moved to a new city and had to make some new friends, while he is getting ready to move and is still surrounded by people he's known for a long time. But to be fair, I'm just not the type to have a huge group of people that I hang out with. I've had moments in my life when that was the case, but I would always end up clinging to a best friend or a boyfriend and alienate everyone else. This is basically why my senior year of college was a rebuilding year of sorts. It was my first college year alone, single, and I had to realize that I'd previously based all social activities on my ex-boyfriend. I had one friend that stood by me (sorry I don't call much anymore, Kevin). I slowly made new friends and became social again, and eventually met my current boyfriend and was introduced to his circle.

And then I moved. I knew a few people in Austin and was living with my cousin, but everyone already had their groups formed and I was going to have to find my own. I have met new people and have definitely found a very small (for now) niche in this town. But I still find myself sitting alone on the couch most nights. And really, I can't blame anyone but myself. I either forget to call people just to say hey, or I just don't find myself wanting to do something at the end of the eight hour day. I'm not sure how exactly to remedy this, or if it's even something that needs to be remedied. Is it necessarily a bad thing that I'm a bit of a loner at this stage of my life? I don't always want it to be this way, because I do enjoy seeing my current group of friends (both in Austin and Huntsville) and I always feel good after hanging out with people. But it's difficult for me to initiate social activities with others.

Having a small group of people surrounding you isn't a bad thing. But at some point I've got to remember to reach out to everyone so that my small group doesn't turn into just me.

And my god, the Cowboys beat the Colts. Romo, you crazy kid, you pulled off the best upset of the year.

Saturday

The parent visit went well, surprisingly. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents. But we were planning to try and move our satellite dish to a more productive spot, and when my dad gets into his projects he sometimes gets into a project mood. I know all about it, because a)I grew up with the man and b)I inherited it from him. But today went very smoothly, and now our beloved satellite is working again. The first thing I did was turn on Comedy Central. And lo and behold, The Royal Tenenbaums was on. Nothing else would do.

Right now Jared and I are sitting here mindlessly watching Zoolander. And while I enjoy this movie, I really don't think this is what we should be doing on a Saturday night. So now I'll try to find something to do in a city full of things to do. Wish me luck.

Network TV

I've started writing two different posts, but can't seem to find a subject I want to expound on. I'm currently waiting for Jared to arrive, and hopefully I soon I will be in a restaurant somewhere waiting for food to arrive.

Since our satellite dish was blown down by strong winds the other day, there's not much to distract me in the way of television. We have the rabbit ears, and that's it. It gets us the necessary network tv, but geez, have you watched network tv lately? This has got to be some of the worst entertainment I've seen. The Biggest Loser? Deal or No Deal? I do admit to certain tv shows. Namely Gilmore Girls and House. And I was happy that I got to catch 30 Rock and some of The Office last night. I would have never watched those if our satellite dish had been working. But my god. Howie Mandel is creeping me out.

I've got to go take my curlers out.

Whaaa??

Just read that the Pentagon used to list homosexuality along with mental retardation and personality disorders. And people wonder why this country is going to hell.

Here are links (for previous entry), as promised:

Toy Joy
Theremin
The Octopus Project
Trigger Happy TV

Quick! Post!

I'll be getting this in just under the wire. I got a wild hair up my butt tonight and decided to clean. Maybe it's because Jared (formally known only as "the boyfriend") is coming up, and I haven't seen him in two weeks. Maybe (and this is a little more likely) it's because my parents are coming over this weekend. They rarely show up in Austin, so this is an occasion to clean.

We might be getting an addition to our little family soon. It will be fluffy, with four legs and a tail. Keep your fingers crossed.

My clock says 11:53 PM. Gotta hurry.

We passed Toy Joy tonight (I'll provide the link later, must write!) and outside of their new vegan cafe was a sight to be seen. A band of three members wearing masks (one was a dog mask!) was playing in the parking lot. The dog masked guy was playing a theremin (I promise another link later), which made me the happiest girl in the land. I've grown a little obsessive with the theremin after seeing The Octopus Project live (seriously, it's coming). And I have a weakness for humans dressed up as animals. This is the main reason I LOVED the series Trigger Happy TV. Anyway, this sight is something I wouldn't have seen living in the previous cities I've inhabited, so it was basically just another reason to say that I truly love Austin.

11:58!! Publish!

Cough

That's all I've been doing. Coughing. And yawning. So I think this will be a very short entry tonight. Here's a picture of the boyfriend and I. His name is Jared. I'm on the right.

I knew it!

My health has been getting progressively worse with each passing day. Today was the worst by far, with the sneezing and the coughing, the runny nose and the imploding head. I finally took control (as well as you can take control of your health) and checked the weather for central Texas. A COLD FRONT!! As in, a real cold front. Temperatures will be getting down to the upper thirties tomorrow night. I know, I'm excited too! Mainly because this means my allergies have just been warning me that some major shit is coming, and they'll go back to being only mildly annoying in a day or two.

This also means I can pull out my winter music. I have a lot of cds, but really only listen to about half with any consistency. Of those, some seem to show up more during certain seasons. For example, The Arcade Fire is a winter band for me. Mainly because I finally bought their cd just as the weather turned cold last year. I wrapped presents to it. Good times.

I also have music that seems to be my "the seasons are changing" music. I've been listening to Whiskeytown and Wilco a lot lately. Almost exclusively. I (rather embarrasingly) didn't know much about either before I met the boyfriend. After a month of dating, I moved to Austin. A few weeks later, he went to Mexico for a month. He ended up leaving me some of his books and cds that he thought I'd like. Some of those were Whiskeytown and Wilco cds. I think I fell completely in love with him when I listened to them. While I listen to both pretty regularly, these two bands sure can accompany a change in the weather. If you've never listened to either, I suggest you grab them now while the weather's changing (assuming you're in Texas too).

I'll help get you started. Pneumonia will change your life. (Maybe. Or you'll just really enjoy a cd. Either way, it's good.)

Borat

*Disclaimer: This post contains generalizations for the purpose of making an argument. I don't think all persons living in the US (particularly the midwest) have the same opinions. After all, I am a liberal Texan.*

Just went to a blog that I semi-regularly read, Mighty Girl, and read a post she had about Borat. She basically disliked it, and I assumed a lot of people would. I don't necessarily object to her opinion, because there are some parts in the movie where he, Borat, could be seen as being mean to others. But I don't think it's what defines the movie. There were also some comments from readers who thought that by watching and laughing at this movie, we were all part of the joke. Again, I don't think that's the point of the movie.

Here is my grand overview of the opinion I formed after watching this movie. I know you are all waiting with bated breath.

I don't think Sacha Baron Cohen went into the making of this movie with any malice intended. I think he used (admittedly) easy targets for his jokes, but the reason these people are easy targets is because they have made themselves just that. The frat boys, the Secession Drive dwellers, the people at the rodeo who actually clapped when their President was called a warlord premiere, they are they type of people who, in my opinion, need to be laughed at. Mainly because their ideas are so archaic by today's standards that they are out of step with the rest of the forward-thinking world. They don't want to accept homosexuals, liberals, or those of a different race. I'm all for marching to your own drum and being true to yourself, but when your beliefs end up killing others, you might want to take a step back and wonder why everyone's looking at you funny.

By laughing at this movie, I acknowledged sadly that these people represent the voting majority in our country. (Actually, we did just replace a lot of Republicans with Democrats...maybe the country saw this movie and finally realized how appalling we all look to others...) I don't think that by laughing at this movie I've managed to include myself on the losing end of the joke. I feel that those who believe that's the case are just trying to make those of us who enjoyed the movie feel bad or stupid for doing so. It won't work. Mr. Cohen wasn't making fun of me for thinking slavery should still be around, or believing that the Iraq war is what's best for this country or this world. He wasn't making fun of me because I don't believe those things.

I'm tempted to say that this movie is getting too much attention for what it's worth, but I know that'd be wrong. This movie needs to drum up all of this talking and love and hatred. By making this movie, Mr. Cohen has forced everyone to look at themselves and others with a more careful eye. And I think that's exactly what this country needs, me included.

So in the end, I'll always like this movie. It's not a masterpiece, but it is more important than some would like to admit. It's easy to write it off as rude, stupid humor, but you're not giving it a fair shot if you do that.

And anyway, I'd be interested to see how many Borat haters watch reality TV every week. You can't tell me that some of those programs don't subject some people to ridicule.

If people have differing opinions and want to let me know about them, I'm all for 'em. After all, I'd be a hypocrite not to listen to them after this post.

I am woman

Well, I watched movies and cried again today. But this time, it was Rudy. I'd seen it a long time ago, probably while I was lying with my bean bag in my parent's living room. So today when I started watching it, it was like I was seeing it for the first time. All I remembered was that it was a tear jerker or heart warmer or anything else you say about inspirational true story sports movies. And it sure was all of those things. It jerked several tears from my very willing eyes. Ahh, football.

My friend Marci is going to be a football player. And I mean a real football player. She's not playing touch football, but serious "I'm going to take your head off" football. I'm buying season tickets.

This weekend wasn't extremely productive, but I did get the front and back yards weed whacked. I would say that I mowed them, but our mower is not a great one, our front yard is really too small to mow, and the back yard has a lot of potentially lethal rocks tucked away. So the weed whacker got a good workout today. As did my arms. I really don't have a lot of arm strength, and for hours afterwards, I couldn't lift them without a lot of motivation and momentum. And the only reason I'm typing right now is because I had a beer and three Ibuprofen. The pain is numbed for now. And the yards look great, which makes my Sunday complete.

Hormones

God help me. I'm watching The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. And I'm crying. Why oh why do we have hormones that force us to watch chick flicks and shed tears?

OH MY GOD. CAN'T STOP TEARING UP.

I should have left it on Inside the NFL.

Movie

I should have read the book before I saw the movie. Running with Scissors was the last movie I needed to watch tonight. A bit more depressing than I thought it'd be.

Always read the book. Always.

My own personal date

I'm usually driving to Huntsville or waiting for the boyfriend to arrive on Friday nights. But tonight is a bit different. We've got a girl's night planned for tomorrow, so the boyfriend isn't showing up this weekend. Almost everyone I know has got things to do, and even if some people don't, I've been a bit anti-social lately. I should remedy that, but it's hard when half of your life is in a different city and you're still fairly new to this one. But I digress.

Since I've got a lot of time to myself tonight, I think I'm going to treat myself to a movie. I'm trying to decide what to see. I've narrowed it down to Babel, The Queen, or Running with Scissors. If I'm feeling like I want to be enlightened in some way, I'll see Babel. Or The Queen. If I'm feeling quirky, it'll be Running with Scissors. I'm not sure what movie I'm more likely to see with someone else. I'll probably end up at Running with Scissors. I'm sure you're riveted by all of this.

It's been a while since I've seen a movie by myself. I think the last time was when I saw Thank You for Smoking. The first movie I ever saw on my own was Ladder 49. It was a big step for me. I was newly single, trying to remind myself that I could do things on my own, and, well, it had Joaquin Phoenix in it. (By the way, if you're not following the links, I highly recommend clicking on that one.) I'd always been nervous about seeing a movie alone, and the first time was tough. But after a few tries, I think I've got it down pretty good.

I think I'll go with Running with Scissors. I need to laugh. Has anyone else seen their first movie alone yet?

Harry and the Hendersons

I'm sitting in my living room having a drink with Casey when I discover that Harry and the Hendersons was actually on TV. An HBO channel I think. How this movie brings back memories. I wore the tape out when I was young, and watching it tonight I could still remember how I felt every time I watched the mom put a bandage on Harry's wound; or when Harry imitated a police siren to get through the traffic. Does anyone else remember this movie? I must buy it. It made me feel like a kid again.

As I was watching it tonight, I started to wonder about Harry. How did they do that? It had to be a real person under there, but was he really that tall or was it trick photography? While I was looking up the movie on IMDb, I clicked on the actor's name, Kevin Peter Hall. Turns out he was really that tall; 7'2". He was an African-American actor who was in the Predator movies, among other things. His bio states that his face is only seen at the end of Predator, a movie in which he plays the Predator and a helicopter pilot. Apparently he died in 1991 after getting a tainted blood transfusion after a car accident. He ended up with AIDS.

While I never followed this man's career, I feel a certain sense of loss in learning that he died so many years ago of something so tragic. Even tonight watching that movie from so long ago made me feel like a kid again; somehow made me feel OK. Comforted. And now that I know the man who played Harry is dead, I feel like my grown up world has somehow forced its way into my childhood. Reality has reminded me that I can't ignore it. Just makes me sad.


Anyway, I highly recommend this movie. It's not great, but if there's still some kind of child left inside of you, you might appreciate it.

So......

Rumsfeld is gone. Why did this take so long? Oh yeah, our President's got blinders on.

Walking home, I ended up behind a student finishing his cigarette. The downwind was blowing the smoke in my face, and immediately I hated it. I'm not going to say that people shouldn't smoke at all, and I'm not going to try to tell smokers when and where they should smoke. I don't understand the allure, but that doesn't matter right now.

The second I'm around smoke, my head or chest tells me what it thinks. It's worse when I'm walking rather briskly, breathing a little faster and harder than usual. I don't have asthma, but my allergies frequently make it a little more difficult for me to breathe at the same level that most others do from day to day. (I realize that asthmatics have it a lot worse, so don't get angry with me) And once that smoke gets in there, you can forget it. It just doesn't feel good.

I guess I just wish I could either a) breathe much better than I can so that smoke doesn't bother me so much, or b) figure out how to navigate the wind successfully every time I'm around a cigarette.

So anyway, I should tell you how much I love the commercial on the TV right now for Senokot. "Naturally Gentle, Gentle Naturally." It's a laxative. The commercial contained: a man giving a woman flowers he picked, a deer running, a basketful of puppies, a little boy petting a kitten, etc. Does this make you want to go to the bathroom? Or at least take Senokot if you can't? Tell me someone, because all I can do is laugh.

Thoughts thought whilst walking home and sitting on my porch

If I had a cell phone that had all kinds of capabilities, I'd never use anything else to do anything else. I'd take pictures, download music, get scores (god help me if I ever have one during baseball season), play awesome games, chat, and cuddle with it at night. I'm already one of these people who can't STAND to be anywhere without my cell phone.


My iPod loves me, despite its many scratches and drops. I know this because it randomly played three (count 'em, THREE) Elliott Smith songs in a row. It knows me so well.


A mosquito is, once again, going to prevent me from staying outside on my very nice porch. The little fucker.


I'm not sure if we're supposed to keep the grass short on the other side of the fence (the area between our fence and the sidewalk). I only wonder because it's starting to look like shit.


I told my boyfriend to write down everything he loves about me before this weekend, because I might (MIGHT) take all of my PMS aggression out on him. He'll need a list to reference when I'm crying for no apparent reason and blaming it on him. ("Wait, why do I put up with this every month?") After a year and a half of dating, should he be used to this by now? I sure as hell hope so. And I hope he takes my advice, because I'm already feeling physical pain. Emotional distress shall soon follow. It's a good thing the girls are going to get me drunk this weekend.


I'm going to miss him when the girls get me drunk this weekend.


We need a pet.

Beck

I'm sure this will be taken off of You Tube by the time people try to watch it, but I thought I'd try to post it anyway. It's a video of Beck's performance on SNL two weekends ago. It's pretty good, but I'd have to argue that it sounds like Beck stole his catchy little riff from The Unicorns. That little guitar bit is contained in their song "Child Star" near the end. If you have the cd, listen. You'll hear it. It's a tiny bit different, but it's close enough for me to think "I've heard that before. That's not his."

Beck, I think you're good, but Canadians beat you to that melody.

A post full of hearts

I sometimes wonder how I ended up dating the person I'm with. He's one of those great people who I thought would never be interested in someone like me. Not that I'm a totally lame person or anything; he was an English major and I was a bored Theatre major. We had an English class together that focused on the rise of drama in America, and the English major (of course) had much more interesting comments to make than the Theatre major. So I just naturally assumed he'd think I was some kind of flake and that'd be that. Apparently he didnt.

He's a writer; much better than most of the junk that's published these days, light years better than I could ever be. I, though, am probably a better Googler than he could ever dream of being. (These are of the same caliber, of course.) He likes a room to be freezing at night. I like a room to be just cool enough to use more than one blanket. He doesn't watch any sports. I watch football, baseball, some basketball, and The Lonestar Rollergirls. (To be fair, he likes the Rollergirls too.)

My point is that he and are probably quite different if you were to write us down on paper. But we've got the essentials: we like the same music, the same movies (mostly), the same politics, the same jokes. We grew up with similar parents, beliefs, and activities. It's just amazing to me that someone I initially thought would be so different than me is the one person I feel is most like me. Just thought I'd share that.

In other news, has anyone else seen the 5 Hour Energy commercial? It first shows people falling asleep at work (one's even a doctor--how secure I feel!). Then, after they drink the 5 Hour Energy drink, they're BAM! Back in action. It even shows this one man walking down a cubicle hallway mysteriously upper cutting the air with his fist. I mean really, have you ever felt so energized you've just HAD to throw a punch? This is excluding the boxers out there. We know how you roll.

If you don't watch the Colbert Report, allow me to tell you what he did tonight, the bastard. He has a balloon drop planned for tomorrow night after the midterms. Of course, all of the balloons are red. So if people want to see a fabulous balloon drop, they have to vote Republican. To drive the point home, he had two very cute children come out and say to the camera, to America, "Vote Republican!" Yeah, it was cute.

I'm about to post this at 11:20 PM by my computer clock. Hopefully Blogger won't screw me over and show it as a 12:01 entry again.

I swear

that my computer clock said 11:59 when I hit "Publish Post." Damn you Blogger clock. Damn you.

I have failed

I gotta say, I'm not surprised. I knew it would be hard to post when I was in Huntsville, since there are not very many opportunities to get a good internet connection there.

Does anybody else hate that Rascal Flatts cover of "Life is a Highway"? I know I do.

Does anybody else LOVE the LeBron James commercial on ESPN where he's trying to fix the copy machine? I know I do.

I've got 3 minutes until the end of Sunday, so I'd better make this quick.

My Cowboys lost, my Bearkats won, and I got to take my boyfriend out to see Borat this weekend. All in all, not a bad few days. I hope you had a good one too. See you tomorrow.

Since I said it...

Since I said the cat video wouldn't be my only post today, I have to write another one. But this one will again be short and sweet, as I have 10 minutes until the end of this VERY long work week.

It's the boyfriend's birthday today, and tomorrow I'm taking him to see Borat. I'm rather excited, and I think I'll like Sacha Baron Cohen a lot more after this. In fact, I already do. I appreciated Da Ali G Show, but I never really hooked on to it. I'll have to post a short review...although I wonder if everyone else who sees the movie will post a short review.

Now for the sweet part: I send you my cuddles. Have a good Friday evening!




Seriously, look at the Karate Cat again.

AGH!!

I've fallen in love with this video! You will too! I've watched it a dozen times already!



This will not be my only post today. But probably my best.

By the way...

This is what I'm doing.

Return to Sender

I got this flyer in the mail today that has a silhouetted picture on the front of an adult holding a child's hand, while the child is holding an American flag. It also says "On Nov 7th Your Vote Will..."

On the back it says at the top "Decide Whose Values Guide Texas." It then has a checklist of issues and says yes or no for whether the Democrats and Republicans support these issues.

"Parental Notification for a minor daughter's abortion"
"The Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage between a man and a woman"
"Laci Peterson Law, which protects pregnant women from violence"
"A ban on burning the American flag"
"Judges who will strictly interpret the Constitution"

Of course, the Democrats say "NO" to all of these issues while the Republicans say "YES."

I have a lot to say about this, but I feel like I should just wait until tomorrow, when I'll vote early.

At the bottom of the back, it says "The Choice is Clear."
I promptly turned the flyer back over, crossed my name and address out, and wrote, "Return to Sender. I'm a Democrat."*

*To be honest, I'm not sure what I am...I just know I'm not a Republican, and I'd rather see a monkey as governor than Rick Perry. And I'd rather see a Band-Aid as President rather than George.

Oh No!

I've already failed! I didn't post yesterday!

Oh well, I'll post two entries today. This one will be short and sweet, as I am at work and actually have (*shock*) work to do.

Now for the sweet part: You look gorgeous in that top.

All you need is Willie Nelson

Do you like Willie Nelson? Do you like Ryan Adams and the Cardinals? If so, we can be friends and listen to Songbird together. And we will enjoy ourselves.

I was Agnetha Faltskog for Halloween, and my cousin was Anni-Frid Lyngstad. In short, we were the wonderful women from ABBA. I had fun with this on Saturday night, but I think I had even more fun at work today. My boss fashioned a microphone for me using a screwdriver, a stress ball, and cardstock. I painted it black and sprinkled gold glitter on it. It just sat there for most of the Halloween party we had in our office; that is, until one of the professors came in. He was attempting to vote on best costume, and when my boss told him who I was, his face lit up and he declared that he loved ABBA. And he wasn't kidding. Apparently he saw Mamma Mia!, the ABBA musical, three times. And he knew all the words. AND, we ended up singing some of Ferdinand together, which ended up being filmed with the office camera. If I can, I'll try to share that with my dear readers.

I don't think I need to tell you how awesome it was to sing ABBA with a professor who tends to keep to himself and who can be a tad intimidating. No longer. He loves ABBA.

I tried to sign up to write a blog every day in November, but I have a feeling I might fail at this. I don't know if it will bother me much when it happens (the failure, that is), but right now I really, really want to make sure I write a blog entry every day. Wish me luck.

What I Do At Work

Here's a spooky picture (taken with nightvision):




And it's sort of blurry, but here's my Dragonsauraus:



I can't help but feel lucky to have this job sometimes.

Friday morning cartoon!

You can find more of Bill Sargent's cartoons here.

Early voting is still happening, and will be until Nov. 3. If for no other reason, get Perry out of office so the poor kids of Texas don't have to take a TAKS test as if their life depended on it.

I should really write more, since interesting things happen throughout the week but I forget them all by the time I decide to blog. Oh well.

If you're in Austin and you know where I live, come by tomorrow night. There will be ABBA. That's all you need to know.

Flossing

I usually use Oral-B Satin Floss, because it really does slide through my teeth like satin. And that's important, as I don't have very big gaps between my teeth. They are instead rather close together. Last night I realized that I hadn't flossed in a while, since the boyfriend (who flosses every night no matter where he is) had used the last of my Satin wonderfulness. So I borrowed, nay, stole some regular Mint Waxed floss from my cousin/roommate. I think it was Johnson's, but I can't be sure.

I hadn't realized how spoiled I'd gotten with my Satin. While using Oral-B's floss, I could vaguely remember my dentist always telling me that if floss got stuck between your teeth, don't yank--slide it out. That's mad!, I thought. My floss doesn't get stuck between my teeth!, I thought.

The regular waxed floss reacts badly when it touches water and teeth. It does not slide between my teeth; rather, it jerks up to my gums, moves a millimeter back and forth, then gets stuck on the way out. And I mean STUCK. It got so bad a couple of times that I had to freak out, calm down, remember what the dentist said, then find creative ways to manuever it out from between my teeth. Because there was no sliding. The wax acted like a glue rather than a lubricant. My teeth are still a little sensitive today, especially the ones that I got close to pulling out while trying to dislodge the demon floss.

Listen to me people. Buy the Satin floss. Your life will change. But you'll never be able to use another floss again.

Back at home

I'm sitting at home in my dad's reclining chair watching news anchors talk about the Navy's 231st birthday. My plans for this weekend changed a few days ago, and I thought I'd just be sitting around alone at home tonight. But I'm at home home now, the house I grew up in, due mainly to a slideshow emailed to me by my mother that contained pictures of my youngest niece and nephew. How can one not come home after seeing adorable family like that?

My mom and I played a stirring game of jacks tonight, which she won of course. Last weekend we had a quick challenge, and she beat me pretty handily. Tonight I gave her a run for her money, but of course she remains "the champ" (her term).

In case anyone has a hard time recalling what jacks look like,



Now we're watching If Looks Could Kill. Richard Grieco. Enough said. Well, not enough. This movie also stars the Sheriff of Rottingham.

What I Did At Work Today

Stole this picture from Party City's website:





Scanned this picture of my Driver's License:




And put the two together. Because of copyright reasons (and also because it's already on the door to our office) I can't show you the end product. But trust me, it's good.

Kinky, ACL, & Baseball (American traditions)

Kinky Friedman is a candidate I'm supporting. I know the people who take the time to read this aren't all Kinky fans. So if you're not, the next paragraph might just be scanning material.

First off, Kinky will be at UT this Wednesday. He will be in the Texas Union Ballroom beginning at 11. I'm going to take an early lunch, but I doubt I'll make it in time to be able to see the man. Hopefully they'll have their sound system blaring so those of us who are short and in the back will be able to hear him. It's officially 11-1, so if you have the time, please make it out there to hear him.

Second, I got an email from the boyfriend tonight that stated this:

"We are less than a week away from the only televised debates of this gubernatorial election. That's right: the only chance you are going to get to see the people vying to lead Texas for the next four years going head-to-head will be this Friday night, before the UT-OU football game.

Democracy! The debate's going to be an hour long, without commercials, and will run from 7pm-8pm (central time). In addition to the statewide cable channel TXCN, the following stations will run the debate:

In Dallas WFAA
In Houston KHOU
In San Antonio KENS-TV
In Austin KVUE-TV"

Even if you're not a Kinky believer, I think this debate is worth your time. Come on guys, this state just isn't getting it done anymore (the country's not doing so hot lately either). Please do something...vote.

I've finally uploaded my very lame collection of ACL pictures to Flickr. I forget that I have my camera when I'm having a good time. My Cowboys pictures are still coming...

My 'Stros aren't in the running anymore. So I'm giving my allegiance to (gasp, sigh, hanging of head) the St. Louis Cardinals. If anyone SHOULD win, it should be them. I'm not taking into account the recent slip and slide they had, mind you. But this is a good, solid team. They only thing that could hurt them (and probably will) is their lack of good pitchers. Let's hope Pujols, Edmonds, Carpenter, and the boys can pull them through. Good luck guys. This is the one time I'll be rooting for you.

Picture Essay

This is how I feel when people talk about how bad SHSU is going to lose this weekend.


On a completely unrelated note, I saw a shirt today that said on the back, "Mom. Dad. I'm Gaelic."

A hippopotumus is just a really cool opotumus.

I've come to the conclusion that I probably shouldn't read my blog. Every time I do, I wonder why I write it. I used to do that with my diaries too. Like I need to impress myself with my diary.

Last night I watched some YouTube of Mitch Hedberg. I'd never really seen him or heard his stuff, but a lot of my friends love him and I now see why. Maybe you recognized his joke in the title line.

I've grown to have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. Here's why:

The weather is beautiful. I still break a sweat walking to and from work, but it's not the kind that soaks through my shirt and makes me feel like I've just been to the sauna. The wind is blowing cool air for a change, and even the squirrels and birds seem to be more chipper. Plus, it's just a matter of time until I get to dress up in my Fall/Winter wardrobe. I probably shouldn't call it a wardrobe so much as "the few sweaters and long sleeved shirts I own," but it also includes my awesome collection of coats and jackets. Which I won't need until...well, I probably won't need any extra layers in Austin. Bummer.

But this time of year also means that almost all of the people around me are in school. Which means they have homework and exams. Which means they can't just up and go to a Shostakovich recital with me. I'm not really complaining--I have something taking up my evenings these next few months as well. But it is sad to not have those carefree nights anymore.

I think a friend of mine is angry with me, but as she's not returning my phone calls, I can't be sure. Stinks.