i am a poster girl with no poster

2009 recap

2010-01-13T10:35:00.002-05:00

Apparently, I blog once a year LOL

1.What did you do in 2009 that you've never done before? made and decorated a birthday cake

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I did make strides toward getting our finances under control... will continue to do so this year

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister, Heather; my friend, Cathy; my friend, Sam

4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandmother

5. What countries did you visit? None.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Hmm... maybe prospects on a house?

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Probably my son's first birthday... not only was it amazing to think that he was already a year old, but it was also when I found out I was pregnant with our second!!

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year? I consider being a good mom to my son a great achievement.

9. What was your biggest failure? Can't say that I failed at anything important

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I severely sprained my ankle over Memorial Day weekend when I got knocked down by a happy dog.

11. What was the best thing you bought? New living room furniture and a new bed

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My son's. He's turning into SUCH a great kid already :)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Once again, anyone in reality television. Especially Jersey Shore. Dear god those people are ridiculous.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, bills, bills

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I was thrilled about Christmas this year. My nieces and Lucas are all getting to an age where the magic has really been restored to the holiday.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? probably anything by Lady Gaga

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier

ii. thinner or fatter? fatter ... but it's baby weight again, so that's ok :)

iii. richer or poorer? about the same... but making our way toward richer after having paid down a ton of credit card debt! woot!

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Not sure... my house could certainly use some more organizing. That's a never-ending project.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? I could probably lay off the facebook LOL

20. How have you spent Christmas? Same as always. Thought we were going to incorporate our own tradition this year, but Lucas was still too young to really care. So I think this Christmas is going to be the first.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009? Over and over again with my son and husband :)

23. How many one-night stands? zero

24. What was your favorite TV program? Project Runway, The Closer

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? nah

26. What was the best book you read? The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon!

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? I really like Lady Gaga... she's interesting

28. What did you want and get? Rid of credit card debt

29. What did you want and not get? A dog... well sort of... we had Daisy for a little while, but gave her away

30. What was your favorite film of this year? District 9

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 28. Kev gave me tickets to see Wicked on Broadway, so we went on our anniversary! It was amazing!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Can't think of anything

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? This never really changes LOL

34. What kept you sane? My family and close friends. I always know I have someone I can call in order to vent.

35. What drove you crazy? Work-related insanity

36. What political issue stirred you the most? healthcare... gay marriage rights

37. Who did you miss? My best friend and my sister

38. Who was the best new person you met? I don't think I met anyone new

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009? It really is true that it usually all works out in the end.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up this past year: I don't know! Give me some ideas :)

2008 recap

2009-01-05T12:41:00.001-05:00

1.What did you do in 2008 that you've never done before? had a baby

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? once again, didn't have any to break ... but want to try and get a handle on finances this year

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I did!! :) So did my best friend, Elisabeth, and my friend, Michelle

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit? None.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? less debt!

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 9th, the birth of my beautiful son, Lucas

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year? Giving birth to my son without any drugs or intervention. I was incredibly proud of myself.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not starting grad school - having a baby sort of put the kabosh on that for now

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Yep, emergency appen..omy in November.

11. What was the best thing you bought? New windows for the townhouse

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My husband's. He's such a fantastic father.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? ugh, anyone in celeb-reality ... booooo

14. Where did most of your money go? The house, the cars, medical bills

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The birth of my son :)

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Probably "The Alphabet Song" by John Lithgow ... it calms down Lucas better than anything else!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? WAY happier

ii. thinner or fatter? oh fatter, but there was good reason for it this year :)

iii. richer or poorer? poorer *sigh*

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? paying down debt - it's so hard!

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? can't really think of anything

20. How have you spent Christmas? It was Lucas's first :) Once again, we split it between the families ... next year we'll start our own tradition!

22. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yes, with my baby boy!

23. How many one-night stands? zero

24. What was your favorite TV program? Heroes, Project Runway, Top Chef

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, but I REALLY dislike someone I work with right now.

26. What was the best book you read? Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Didn't really discover anyone new...

28. What did you want and get? Wanted a healthy baby and I got one :)

29. What did you want and not get? Winning the lottery

30. What was your favorite film of this year? The Dark Knight kicked ass

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Well, I had just had Lucas the week before so we spent it at home. I turned 27.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Umm ... the ridiculous MOUND of medical bills would have eased the stress a bit.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Maternity for the first half, then back to my same old, same old after that.

34. What kept you sane? My husband, my son, my sisters, my parents, my friends ... basically all the wonderful people who surround and support me every day

35. What drove you crazy? finances, ugh

36. What political issue stirred you the most? I thought the presidential election was very interesting.

37. Who did you miss? My sister and my friends.

38. Who was the best new person you met? I have a couple! Nicole, my new photographer friend, and Laurel, my new great mommy friend :)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008? there really is nothing more wonderful than having a supportive family

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up this past year: "U made my life complete"

Girl Crush

2007-02-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

I have a new girl crush. Now, when I tell you who it is, you may think I'm sort of weird, but eh... like most crushes, I can't really explain why it is - it just is.

Have you heard of Imogen Heap? I want to meet her. I want to be friends with her. I don't care that she wore plants in her hair to the Grammys (ok, I care a little bit) But anyway, her song "Hide and Seek" is simply amazing. I don't own any of her CDs (yet) but after hearing this song - and listening to it OVER AND OVER again - I plan on rectifying that situation soon. She reminds me of Alanis Morrissette in looks and a little bit also in her adventurous sense of fashion and music.

She's playing a little concert in NYC on Thursday night and I totally want to go, but I'd have to go by myself and I'm just not that adventurous. Oh well. I'm sure there will be other opportunities (at least I hope so!!)

Pet Peeves

2007-01-26T21:44:00.000-05:00

Here are two of my biggest pet peeves:

1. I HATE it when a reliable news organization makes an incorrect reference to the Immaculate Conception. For those of you non-Catholics out there, the Immaculate Conception is the celebration of the miracle of Mary, the mother of Jesus, being born without original sin - NOT the celebration of Jesus being born to a virgin, as many people erroneously believe. I was listening to NPR the other day and they did a story about an old female at a chimp sanctuary called Chimp Haven who mysteriously showed up pregnant despite the fact that all the males in the sanctuary had been given vasectomies. To my dismay, when introducing the story they called it a "story of Immaculate Conchimption." I groaned out loud. How could NPR make such a mistake?! Boo.

2. I HATE that in credit card commercials the person using the card always swipes the card upside down. Have you ever noticed that? The strip is on the top backside of the card, yes? Have you ever noticed that when the person uses the card, you can see the logo? Therefore, the person is swiping the card upside down. Again ... BOO.

the first post of 2007 - ok so the first post in almost a year, but bah

2007-01-03T20:12:00.000-05:00

I ganked this from my friend Diana and I thought it would be a good way to start out the year. Enjoy!!

1.What did you do in 2006 that you've never done before?
ummm... got married :)

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Ehh.. I think I resolved to lose weight for the wedding ... that didn't happen. Kev and I are going to try and get in shape this year, but I refuse to call it a "resolution" as I feel that only will set us up for disappointment if we fail.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Absolutely! My sister had my beautiful niece, Olivia; my good friend Michelle had her gorgeous baby, Maggie; another friend Sam had her daughter, Angelina ... there were babies galore!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness.

5. What countries did you visit?
Stayed in the good old USA last year - but want to get out again this year!!

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
A greater sense of stability in my life and a job that I love!

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 21st. If you don't know why, we're not friends.

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Ok, I know there's an annoying theme developing, but I pulled off planning much of our wedding myself and I'm damn proud of it!

9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I "failed" at anything.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really. I was too busy to get sick!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My wedding ring :)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My whole family was so supportive and wonderful all year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
ehh ... everyone's, at times, I'm sure. It happens and you move on. No big deal.

14. Where did most of your money go?
The house and the wedding.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Ok, aside from the obvious, I got really, really, really excited about the birth of my new niece.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
"Fly Me to the Moon" - Frank Sinatra

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier, definitely

ii. thinner or fatter? ehh... about the same

iii. richer or poorer? probably a little poorer... damn credit cards

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Saving money, seeing friends, traveling

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Spending money, watching tv, (Kevin would probably add 'nagging' hah)

20. How have you spent Christmas?
Split between the two sides of the family - it was glorious

22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
Over and over again (I know, I know *barf* hehe)

23. How many one-night stands?
n/a

24. What was your favorite TV program?
HEROES!!! If you don't watch it, START!! Returns January 22nd on NBC!

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
"Hate" is such a strong word ... how about "detest with a seething passion"?

26. What was the best book you read?
Hmmm ... oh there were so many ... "Stiff" by Mary Roach stands out

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Probably the Killers

28. What did you want and get?
MARRIED! :)

29. What did you want and not get?
ummm ... a new kitten? I dunno.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Hmmm ... Brokeback Mountain - was that 2006?

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 25. Didn't do much, really. It was an anti-climatic birthday.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I really can't say. I'm pretty satisfied overall with the year as it was.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
No different than it has been for the past five years at least. Comfort before anything.

34. What kept you sane?
My husband, my parents, my sisters, my friends, ice cream, and red wine

35. What drove you crazy?
My husband :)

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
uggghhh ... politics ... probably the whole gay marriage issue

37. Who did you miss?
All my college girls - you're so far away!! I love you!!

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Hmmm... didn't meet too many new people this year.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
Nagging DOES NOT work!! (Actually, I'm still learning that)

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up this past year:
I tried .... but I can't think of anything!! Boo. :)

an experiment

2006-04-18T09:22:00.000-04:00

I went to the post office yesterday to file the BF's taxes -- last minute, I know. The guy at the counter who helped me was very pleasant and patient considering there was a line practically out the door only minutes before the post office was supposed to close. As I'm standing there, I notice his name tag. His name is Tom. He was a small, mousey man with glasses and a balding pate; he was also incredibly soft-spoken - quite the inverse of the large, brash black woman working the adjacent window.

I decided to try an experiment and call him by his name, just to see if it illicited any sort of response at all. Working at the post office all day has got to get rather boring and lonely. People just want to get in and out as fast as they can. The people standing at the counter may as well be machines for all the typical customer cares. They just want the transaction to be quick, efficient and simple. I figured the people working there must feel a bit invisible at times. So as I picked up my change and receipt, I caught his eye and chirped "Thanks, Tom!"

He looked like he'd been stung by a bee. His eyes got wide for a brief second before he was able to choke out, "Uh, and have a nice day."

Isn't it sad that a stranger being friendly and calling you by name can be such a shocking and surprising experience?

2006-04-12T14:22:00.000-04:00

So I mentor a first-grade boy named Dakota for an hour each week. I try my best to make sure that he has fun and that he's comfortable talking and sharing with me. I'm not his mentor because he's a discipline case or because he has academic issues. From what I gather, his teacher and the social worker thought he needed some help opening up and being social. So every week I make sure to ask him how his week went, if he did anything new or exciting or if he had anything fun to share. This week, he didn't really have much to say. When I asked him what he did this past week, he told me he slept when at home and had nothing to report about school. So to get him talking, I made a game out of it. We were playing catch and I made the rule that when you have the ball, you have to say something interesting about yourself. I started by saying, "I have three sisters," and the game went from there. The reason for my post is the following exchange:

Me: "My favorite music is rock and roll." (I toss the ball to Dakota)
Dakota: "My favorite music is 'My Humps.'" (He tosses the ball to me)
Me: "You like 'My Humps?' Do you even know the words?"
Dakota: (while shaking his hips) "Whatcha gon' do with all the junk, all the junk in your trunk..... That's all I know. But I know there's bad words in it too."
Me: "Yes, yes there are bad words."

Kids are funny.

Spring has sprung!

2006-03-07T09:38:00.000-05:00

I saw about a half dozen robins flitting about on a hotel lawn this morning on my way to work!! Yay!! Ever since I was a kid these scarlett-breasted birds have always brought a smile to my face with their promise of imminent spring! I'm so excited! Warm weather is just around the corner!! It's supposed to be in the sixties this weekend and I. CANNOT. WAIT!

"Must be hard to get a job at Fox." - the BF

2006-03-02T14:06:00.000-05:00

I'm watching coverage of a high speed chase after a woman who stole a police SUV. The following exchange just took place:

On screen: footage from the news helicopter of the SUV speeding through residential areas

Male Anchor: What's that red thing on the back of the car? Is that a logo or something?

Female Anchor: I think that's a light.

'nuff said.

Extra! Extra!

2005-10-21T15:50:00.000-04:00

Ok so my previous post was a little premature in the celebrating... I wasn't actually approved for my mortgage yet. I'd gotten something called a "commitment letter" from the bank I was using, yes, but it turns out that even though that's a positive step, it's not my actual approval. What I really needed was that same type of letter from CHFA (Connecticut Housing Finance Authority) before I could consider myself in the home stretch.

I found all this out after attending a mandatory educational seminar about home-ownership. It was a three-hour class in a small back room of the mall that covered stuff I basically already knew. But I did learn a few things (like, you actually need TWO different commitment letters).

Anyway, to make a long story short, I got that second commitment today!! Hurrah!! Now I really AM only a few pieces of paper and a bunch of closing cost money away from owning my own home!!! Hella scary, people, hella scary.

I was thinking it could be really cool to have Thanksgiving in my new house. Or maybe Christmas. I think that would really make me feel like a grown-up. It's odd because even though I'm going to be owning my own place as of next week, I still don't really feel grown up at all. I don't know when that stepping off point is going to be, but I don't know that I'm really looking forward to it. I kind of like that I still feel young and energetic and full of hope and promise. Like I could do anything. I think I associate "feeling like a grown-up" with "feeling burdened with worry and responsibility." Certainly, owning a home is going to up those feelings, but hopefully it won't be too overwhelming.

I'll have to figure out how to post pictures of the place once I move in so anyone can see it if they want to! :)

Movin' on up!

2005-10-05T13:09:00.000-04:00

So it's taken me a little while to get back to post here, but I have good news ... I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.

No, just kidding. Geico sucks, I have Progressive.

My good news is this... I've been approved for my mortgage and I'm essentially several dozens of pieces of paper and a couple grand in closing costs away from owning my first home! Yay!! I can hardly believe it. Things have been going so smoothly thus far *knock on wood* that I could potentially be in my new house before Halloween! Wouldn't that be crazy?! The BF is sort of nervous that we'll never see each other once I move, but I think it's going to be good for our relationship. The time we spend together will be quality one-on-one time. We won't have to worry about our families taking the attention or anything like that. We'll be able to focus on one other totally. Emotionally ... and otherwise ;)

On a completely unrelated and random note, is anyone else as outraged as I am that Nicholas Cage has named his son after a fictional superhero? Kal-el Coppola Cage?!?! KAL-EL??!??! Are you serious, dude??? I just don't understand why celebrities feel the need to name their children ridiculous things. Really, what is the appeal? Sometimes I think it's really nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt. Think about it. The odder the name, the more likely the press is going to pick up on it and write a story about it. That gets the mommy or daddy's name in print. Voila! Instant publicity! Check out this list for some of the more ridiculous celebrity baby names.

Comment here on your personal favorites. I'm partial to Jermajesty Jackson myself.

My new home?

2005-09-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

Check it out here

I'm like 98% excited and 2% scared, or maybe it's 98% scared and 2% excited. I'm not really sure, but that's what makes this so intense!

2005-09-20T10:03:00.000-04:00

The title of this blog pretty much sums up exactly what I'm feeling right now. Why, you ask? Because I've found myself a condo and am in the process of making it mine. That's right! I'm finally going to carve out my own little corner of the world! It's a two-bedroom townhouse about half an hour away from where I work (that cuts my commute just about in half!) It is the cutest little place ever!! There's a living room, kitchen and dining room downstairs and two bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs. Then, to top it all off, there's a half finished basement! Woohoo! It's all been freshly painted, the carpets are new, and there are beautiful hardwood floors in the dining room and hallway. AND, I get to keep all the appliances, including the washer, dryer and dishwasher! Yay!! I went to look at it on Saturday and I absolutely love it. It's the perfect size for me. Not too big, but big enough to be spacious and allow for guests. Hey, I'll have an extra bedroom! That means plenty of room for sleepovers!
But, the condo itself isn't just what sold me on it. It's also in a great location. Lots of families in the complex. It's right across the street from a park and right down the road from a state park. It's also very close to the center of town - which is TOTALLY quaint and adorable.
I have an appointment this afternoon in order to put down a deposit and present my offer. I'll let you know how that goes. Wish me luck!!

The biggest shocker of the year!

2005-09-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

Seriously, can you hear the sarcasm? Because I'm literally dripping with it. I have to say, though, I'm more than a little bit amused.

In court papers filed Wednesday, Zellweger listed "fraud" as the reason for the breakup

Now what could that possibly mean??

Hope in the face of despair

2005-09-08T14:52:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why, but I really loved this article on Slate today.

In fact, there have been quite a few stories about Katrina's survivors that I've heard recently that have really amazed me. In one, a woman likens the catastrophe in New Orleans to the Great Flood. She believed that there was too much "nonsense" going on in the city and that God sent the hurricane to wipe it clean. She believed that being evacuated was a new lease on life.

In that same vein, another woman was evacuated with her six children and only the clothes on their backs. Her response? She was happy to have had an opportunity to leave a neighborhood filled with drugs and violence. She didn't have a single worldly possession, but had the optimistic attitude that this was an opportunity to begin a better life for her children.

Isn't that amazing?

My weekend in a nutshell

2005-09-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

I went to Tucson this weekend to visit my BFFE, Elisabeth, and to help her pick out a wedding dress. This is a brief synopsis of my experiences there:

1. I helped Elisabeth find a wedding dress within two hours of landing in Tucson. How's that for efficiency?

2. I was bitten by a dog, an ostrich and multiple mosquitoes.

3. I went to my first drive-in movie. A double feature for five bucks! Sweet!

4. I got a pedicure while seated in the BEST massage chair EVER.

5. I bought sexy underwear and a couple new books.

6. I spent some quality time with my best friend on earth.

Care for a bit of extrapolation? You'll have to wait. I have to get some work done :)

Bonus Moment of Zen!!!!

2005-09-02T15:15:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!!

Your Moment of Zen

2005-09-02T13:48:00.000-04:00

I just pulled into a parking space after my lunch break and there was an open can of Bud Light sitting toward the side of the space - as if someone had just opened their car door and placed the empty can on the ground.

Someone started their Labor Day celebrations a little bit early.

I'm starting to rethink this whole "being a grownup" thing

2005-09-02T11:49:00.000-04:00

So I had my meeting with the mortgage company last night and it looks like I'll be able to afford a condo priced around $125,000. But that's stretching it a little bit I think. I'm really going to have to curb my spending habits (no more Victoria's Secret shopping sprees!) but I really think I'm going to be able to do this! It's really very exciting ... and really f-ing scary. There is a LOT of time, effort and especially MONEY invested in this sort of decision. I can't help but think "Will I be able to afford it? Can I have a condo and still be able to eat? Will I be able to buy furniture or will I have to deal with crates and cardboard boxes for the rest of my life? Can't I just crawl into a hole or live in a shack in the woods somewhere?" However, I've decided that there's no backing out now. I need to do this for myself for many different reasons. I need to maintain my sanity. I need to learn to grow up and take care of myself without relying on my parents. I need to start planning my life and my future - away from my family. I need to start cultivating a life with the BF without the intrusion of my family or his family during every moment we're together. I really think our lack of privacy takes a substantial toll on our relationship. Even though we've been together over a year now, I still think we haven't been able to connect as deeply as I know we can simply because we're both so stressed out by being at home still and dealing with our parents. Christ, I'm 24 and I still get phone calls from my father asking me when I'm coming home! It's ridiculous.

So anyway, I'm diving head-first into the world of homeownership. Let's hope I don't drown.

It's like the Apocalypse down there.

2005-09-01T15:40:00.000-04:00

I've been keeping up with all the developments along the Gulf Coast post-Katrina and I have to say I am both fascinated and horrified. It's like a real-life Lord of the Flies except on a much, much bigger and more devastating scale. People don't know what to do with themselves - and it seems like it's getting scarier by the minute. There have been shots fired at rescue helicopters! There are reports of sniper fire! It's tumbling toward anarchy and that is terrifying. I've been watching video on CNN documenting what is going on down there and it's so hard to believe that I'm watching footage of a major, iconic American city. People are wandering around in a daze. I can't even begin to imagine the fear and frustration they must be feeling. Not only are they shut off from water, electricity, food and other necessities, but many of them are shut off from friends and family. I saw one interview of a woman who was certain her family thought she was dead because she had no way to contact anyone. In other video, a woman told of how she started having contractions while swimming to get help for her five-year-old who was having an asthma attack. She, luckily, was airlifted to a hospital where she had her baby - she has no idea where her five-year-old is.

The photos of the devastation are just incredible. I was looking through an online album of "after" photos and at first glance, one of them looked like a picture of a lake. Upon looking more closely, I could just barely make out the roofs of hundreds of homes and the tops of hundreds of trees! It's all underwater! I can just imagine in a couple hundreds years children learning about "the old city of New Orleans. You can still see the foundations of the homes and the remnants of roads, children, at the bottom of Lake New Orleans!"

On top of all of this, I can't help but be astounded at the rising gas prices. My "cheap" gas station by the office jumped from being a $2.81/gallon at nine this morning to being $2.97 at noon! That's almost a 6% increase in three hours!! And from what I read, it's only going to get worse. Yesterday, I spent over $30 filling my tank - and I drive a Honda Civic! One woman I work with drives a Chevy Suburban and spends over $70 filling up. That is just mind-boggling to me. To think I used to complain about having to spend 20!

I pray for the day when this is all over. When we're no longer fighting a meaningless war, when gas prices are back to normal and when those poor people have returned to their homes and their lives - or at least have had the opportunity to begin new ones.

Let him out of the damn closet!

2005-08-31T16:21:00.000-04:00

I have never understood how R Kelly ever got popular. I think he's horrible. And THIS just underscores why. Did people honestly enjoy this? Do people actually like this song!?! It's atrocious! I was literally feeling sick to my stomach just watching this performance. How is this man a multi-millionaire singer? I mean, where is the creativity in this song? Where is the SONG in this song?? I can't fathom how people can listen to this on the radio - I had enough problems with it when there was visual AND oral stimuli. I wanted to shut it off, but I thought maybe (just maybe!) there would be some sort of redeeming quality to it that came in at the very end.

Oh but I was wrong.

So very wrong.

If you plan on clicking that link, don't say I didn't warn you.

In a pickle...

2005-08-31T12:15:00.000-04:00

I passed a man on the way to lunch carrying what looked to be a bowl filled with pickles. Now I love pickles just as much as the next guy - perhaps a bit more, in fact - but I can't see myself getting a bowlful of them just to snack on. And these weren't the little round ones you get on your McDonalds hamburger, either. These were the large, freshly-cut pickles - a quarter wedge of a full-size pickle. I think he had about eight of them in his bowl - that's two whole pickles!

Ok... I'm going to stop writing about pickles now, the word is starting to sound weird in my head.

Isn't that Curious George?

2005-08-30T15:53:00.000-04:00

I love the title of this article.

File this under: Awkward

2005-08-30T14:53:00.000-04:00

So a couple of minutes ago, I had to take a quick jaunt to the lav. As I approach the door, a woman I work with (let's call her Jill) is walking in right ahead of me. Now this was a problem for two reasons:

1. I hate walking into the bathroom at the same time as someone else because that means I can put a face with the gross noises I'm inevitably going to hear especially if it's only the two of us. Furthermore, I get a shy bladder (or other things) when I know the other person knows its me in the stall - I've even left the bathroom without even going at all. It's especially bad if I know the person personally. But as long as I don't see the other person, I really couldn't care less.

2. I hate talking in the bathroom. But seeing as I work rather closely with Jill she starts talking to me about a project we're working on and asking whether things were going ok. I answered quickly in the affirmative and then headed into my personal potty space.

Now it could have ended there, but then this is where it got really awkward. Jill continues talking about the project! WHILE SHE'S PEEING!!! IN THE STALL RIGHT NEXT TO ME!!! Auuuggghh! It was horrible! I honestly could not have been more uncomfortable. I don't think I even responded to her when she asked me a question, I think just sort of said an unintelligible "huh" and left it at that. Then I waited a little while longer than necessary just so she would leave the bathroom before I left my stall.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this was weird and distressing.

Black Thumb

2005-08-29T12:38:00.000-04:00

I don't think I'm ever going to have a garden at my house. I have no luck with plants whatsoever. Currently in my cube I have one of those large leafy green plants that thrive on artificial light and little to no attention. Ostensibly I should be able to water it once a week and just let it thrive. Yeah, not so much. The damn thing loses leaves every day. Invariably, I come in in the morning and have to pull off two or three yellow leaves. On the other hand, it definitely hasn't stopped growing. Over the course of a week, I can watch the development of a tiny bud into a full- grown, brand-new leaf at the end of one of the plant's many vines. I don't get it. I think I'll just maintain a garden like my mother's - more cute garden gnomes and other such knick-knacks than flowers. I'm fine with that.

Afternoon Delight

2005-08-27T20:34:00.000-04:00

Today really could not have been a more perfect late summer day. I spent last night at the BFs and I woke him up this morning around 930ish. He wasn't too happy about the relatively early hour, but he got to sleep in a few mornings this week so I didn't allow him to be too cranky. We walked down the street to have breakfast at this diner located right on the beach. We got a table right next to a window facing the water, so it was a beautiful way to start our day. After we finished eating our omelettes, we went to Beardsley Zoo. Compared to the more famous zoos in the area (like the Bronx Zoo or isn't there a zoo in D.C.?) the Beardsley Zoo isn't really that great. It's in the middle of a park in Bridgeport. It's pretty small with a limited number of animals. I felt bad for the wolves; their enclosures were all smaller than my backyard. But I wanted to go for one reason - well, three reasons - tiger cubs!!
There is a billboard next to the highway advertising the newborn cubs who were born in April and the picture they have displayed is just painfully adorable. So I decided yesterday that since we had the time today, I was going to drag the BF to see them. He did his best to play the tough guy and complain about it, but I could tell he was excited. The tiger cage was one of the first large exhibits in the park and I literally skipped toward it like a little girl when I saw it. The cubs were bigger than I expected, but then again, they are four months old and I remember how fast my kitten grew when we first got her, so I shouldn't have been too surprised. We did get pretty lucky, though. There was a sign warning visitors that the tiger and her three cubs are sometimes kept inside to rest so they may not be visible, but they were out and about today and the cubs were very frisky! They kept pouncing on one another and wrestling and bothering their mother - it was so cute! We stood at the cage for quite a while and the BF was enjoying watching them just as much as I was.
The rest of the zoo was very nice and it really was the perfect day to walk around. We took our time, watched a zoo volunteer feed some otters, watched another guy feed fetal mice to a garter snake and salads topped with squirmy grubs to the turtles. All in all I had a very relaxing and interesting time. I love stuff like that.
After the zoo, we had lunch at a great restaurant near the BFs house. Again, we got a table facing the water and the view was gorgeous. We were both a little beat from walking around so much, so we went back to his house afterward and took it easy before he had to go to work.
I saw a great friend this evening after I got home and we had some time to catch up - so that wrapped up my day very nicely.
I really can't think of anything I love better than a day complete with interesting adventure, good friends, beautiful weather and being with the one you love. Tomorrow should be just as wonderful.

A new beginning

2005-08-26T14:40:00.000-04:00

This is my second attempt at blog writing. I didn't really get into it the first time and wrote only a couple mediocre posts at irregular intervals. I guess I just didn't really believe that I had that much to say, or that what I did have to say wasn't that interesting to the outside reader. But now, I feel like my life is headed into a relatively new direction and now maybe (just maybe!) I'll be interesting enough to share my life with you. Well, at least I'll find myself interesting enough to share with you! :) So here goes nothing.

The most exciting news in my life right now is that I've finally made some concrete steps toward buying myself a condo. I went to a first-time home buyers' seminar a month or two ago and got some really great information, but didn't really do anything with it because, quite honestly, I was scared shitless. Buying property of any kind is a really giant decision with some pretty scary consequences if you screw it up. I didn't know if I'd be able to handle the financial aspect of it, and frankly part of me just wanted to stay as far away from being a grown-up as I could. However, in the past month or so I've been leaning more toward finally just jumping into it mostly because I just cannot handle sleeping at home anymore. I'm pretty lucky because I don't really mind living with my parents at all. They're relatively laid-back people and let me come and go as I please. They are even fine with letting the BF stay over whenever he wants. However, I have three younger sisters, one of whom has an eighteen-month old daughter. My niece is a total doll and I love her to death, but she has a problem with sleeping through the night - she doesn't. More often times than not, she's up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning screaming. I realize that that's just part of being a baby, but because she's not actually my baby and I have to get up early in the morning for work, it's a pretty big pain in the ass. I decided that I finally just needed to get my own space. Because I live in one of the most expensive areas in the country, though, I figured renting would just be a big, fat, nasty waste of money so why not just go ahead and buy? So tada! That's what I'm doing. I'll most likely end up in a small one bedroom condo in a slightly-lower-than-average neighborhood, but hey, you gotta start somewhere right?

On a totally unrelated note, something really interesting happened to me a couple weeks ago and I wanted to post it here, mostly so I would never forget it. I was walking down the hallway at work kind of staring at the floor in front of me, minding my own business when I glanced up and made eye contact with a guy walking toward me on the other side of the hall. I did what you normally do in that situation and said a quick, awkward hi then just as quickly averted my eyes and kept on walking. Now here's where the interesting part comes in... this guy responded with a "hi" but cut himself off with "wow." Now, there was no one around us and there was nothing to "wow" about in the beige, empty hallway so I assume he was wow-ing at me. After he walked past me, I glanced back but he seemed to be beating a hasty retreat around the corner. If he was wow-ing at me (and I say "if" because he really could have been amazed by the cube walls he was nearing) that's a pretty awesome thing, is it not? It was the first and only time I elicited that kind of response out of anyone beside the BF - and he's sort of required to do that. :)