I Kind of Wish It Was 10 Days in the Future

I wish it was a more appropriate time to put up my Christmas tree, but I believe in holiday boundaries. Of couse, Thanksgiving needs to happen before it is officially the Christmas season. But I am excited this year because I have a new, old, full-size Christmas tree. I also have some new ornaments; a cowboy Santa, courtesy of Norman and as of today I now have a Santa Bear and a Santa that looks as though it is jumping rope. Oh, a proper Christmas tree top. Maybe I am also prematurely in the Christmas spirit because a local radio station has started playing Christmas carols on the weekends...until Thanksgiving, when they play carols 24, 7. That's when I start to hate Christmas carols and quickly lose the Christmas spirit.

I spent some time with my mom today. My parents are getting new carpet and my mom is back into a minimalist looking home. She wants to get rid of extraneous stuff and said I could take whatever I wanted. So I took the bowl I made in 8th grade wood shop and a piece of pottery and a sculpture. What is funny about the pottery and sculpture is that these are things I gave my mother for Christmas one year. They were made by NMSU art students. I had forgotten that and my mom made fun of me. "You're taking back things you gave me." But in the end it seemed appropriate. And now I have some awesome pieces of art.

One last funny note, for those of you who think my nephews are funny. Jack was teasing and trying to wrestle with Logan and Logan yells out, "Get off of me, Farticus!" Kids are way too funny. They really can think of the cleverist things. It was funnier too, later, when Jack let one disgusting-sounding fart rip. I asked him to check his pants to make sure he hadn't shat himself. And he laughed, a wonderful, giggly, kid's laugh. Oh, I do love those boys.

PS. So I have a crush on Alec Baldwin and I am watching him host SNL and he just picked Tina Fey up itno his arms and I was a little jealous. I love the Baldwin.

If You Have Not Watched Lost and Plan To, Stop Reading

Good-bye Lost. I look forward to our reunion in February. I already have February 7 circled on my calendar, not that I would ever forget.

You do worry me. You put two important people in the line of fire; my first love and my new love. My first love, Sawyer, did sort of piss me off last night by sleeping with Kate, my archenemy. I don't think anyone is going to die though. Both Sawyer and Ben are popular characters and they just killed Echo, another popular character. I don't know if the audience could take any more death. As Locke said last night, the camp had been to a lot of funerals. I feel as though I am a member of the camp (albeit a cooler member who gets to go off with Sayid and Locke on adventures) and I am tired of Lost funerals. Put their lives in danger, but let them live!

I am glad I have Heroes to fill the void of weird, metaphysical television.

"Bye bye"

VOTE

I hope everyone is going out to vote today. I unfortunately, forgot to register in enough time to vote in Toledo.So I suppose I cannot complain too much about the state of affairs surrounding the state of Ohio. Fortunately, I can still complain about Bush. Today's election day weather is much like the last election day weather, chilly and rainy. I am so happy the election season is coming to an end. I cannot take another campaign ad.

Last night I went to iTunes and put together a mellow, fall CD mix. iTunes is a wonderful thing. I enjoy it often. Last night, however, I couldn't find the two songs I really, really wanted to put on the CD. What were they, you ask? "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" by Beck and "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison.
But it turned out ok anyway. What did make it on the CD, you ask? The list is as follows:

"I Have Dreams to Remember" Otis Redding
"Breathe Me In" Sia
"The Greatest" Cat Power
"Blind Doctor" Emily Haines
"Mushaboom" Feist
"Stardust" Muse
"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" Norah Jones
"Sail Away" David Gray
"Fernando" Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins (not so much meloncholy, but I needed to back it up, so there it is )
"Where is My Mind" The Pixies

You Tell Me

As many of you know, I enjoy yoga. I like the way it makes me feel and I look forward to it. A couple of weeks ago the instructor showed us some partner poses and we tried them with partners. Now normally, hearing the words, "find a partner," would make me bolt for the door. I mean, we're sweaty and breathing heavy and your bare feet touch and most importantly, I don't know these women (I only like to get sweaty with people I don't know in a different capacity and that is only occasionally :)) But that night in yoga, I thought I would give it a chance. It was kind of cool and I showed one to Laura and did it with her because she is my friend and I don't mind doing a yoga pose with a friend.

I thought the partner poses was a one time thing in class, but apparently it is not. And now I lose my focus and I can't relax and the class is kind of ruined for me halfway through. I can't even enjoy corpse pose at the very end. Yoga for me is just for me. I look at it as a very SINGULAR activity.

So you tell me; am I the weird one? Am I being close-minded? Should I try to be more open to this? I mean, everyone else in the class seems to be ok with it. I need some advice people. Help me.

I Am

never going to see the movie I have been awaiting for a year...Little Children. Every weekend I get sadder and sadder.

But you want to know what makes me happy? 30 Rock...that show is hilarious. I love Alec Baldwin...he's awesome. Like, I am watching it now and laughing and laughing.

I love to laugh.

That damn Alec Baldwin....gets me every time!


P.S. I got to eat leftover Halloween candy today. I had my first Baby Ruth. Not bad, not good.

Happy Halloween

Friday Night Tidbit

I went to Howard's with Ashley to hear some bands and saw some people I have not seen in a long time. A few points of interest:

Mitch Ranie: Funny, but hilarious with a guitar. "Jesus invented atari with his some help from his friends, the Japanese."

The nicest thing I have heard in long time, "You're someone I realize I miss when I don't see you all the time."

An altogether very nice evening.

Picture #2

Picture #1

HIGHlarious

I was listening to this story on NPR today and it was about a family dog.... a cocker spaniel. She had a fondness for sucking toads. Sucked them white. And laid around stoned all day. In the winter when the cold scared the toads into hiding, the dog had withdrawals. When the dog finally got over her withdrawals, the family thought that the dog had conquered her problem, but the summer came and the toads returned and then turned up white again. The dog had a drug problem, plain and simple.

Here, check it out, read or listen.

Weekend

It is always so hard to go back to work after a three day weekend. Especially when there is sort of a dry spell of important work at work.

I took Friday off because it was my birthday and I didn't really say anything to anyone I worked with. I knew a couple of people would know because they see me on MySpace. When I got back this morning, my boss asked if I had a good weekend. And I said yes. And then he asked if it was relaxing, and then I kind of laughed because I understood where this line of questioning was going and told him that it had been my birthday and that since it was on a Friday that I would take it off and told him about my pedicure. But word of my birthday had definitely got around on Friday; when I returned a message to our advertising agency, the guy wished me a belated happy birthday. What's funny is that if I hadn't taken the day off, nobody would've known and never said anything.

I went to the Henry Ford Museum this weekend and had a good time. I haven't been since I was very young. There were a lot of changes. Obviously there wasn't an IMAX theater 20 years ago. But I remember Thomas Edison's signature in concrete and what I remembered as an old McDonalds, but is really just a diner near the old McDonalds sign. I saw the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile and bought my nephews Weiner Mobile Cars. Now I am excited to go to Greenfield Village when the weather is warm again. Because it certainly isn't very warm today.

Fun Wednesday Tidbits

Here ere are my new glasses. It is so awesome to be able to see clearly again.

UPDATE....as requested, a before and after.


Before



Sorry it is kind of blurry.

And after


They are similar, yet they are different. These are the first new pair of glasses I've gotten in...I think six years...might be longer, but not sooner.

Reheat and Re-eat

Reheat and Re-eat
I went to Carrabbas last night and I only ate half of everything (except the salad...I did eat the whole salad). Of course, I brought the other half home and ate it for lunch. This is the beauty of leftovers, or reruns, as my dad calls them. If I have something substantial left on my plate while eating out, it's coming home. I even reheat things with lettuce on it, like a taco or a sandwich that was hot to begin with. Some things don't taste as good the next day, but some things taste almost better.

Over Labor Day when I was visiting Laura, we went to a seafood restaurant and Laura wouldn't take any of her leftovers home. We had this whole conversation about leftovers and basically, Laura doesn't do leftovers, which lead to all of us teasing her, because that is always fun. I took my leftover fish back to her house and not only ate it the next day (because as I remember correctly, Laura was taking forever to get ready and I was starving...the teasing of Laura never ends), but I didn't reheat it. I ate it cold, which lead to another teasing session for Laura, because the question had to be asked; could she take home leftovers and eat them if they weren't reheated?

Anyhoo, what I am trying to get to here is what are everyone's leftover rules? Obviously, I have none, or, I have one...I am not really into eating leftover salads...but everything else is fair game. I mean, if it was delicious once, it'll be delicious twice.

My Friday Night

After work I went to the gym for an hour. Talked to Norman for an hour and a half. Cleaned my bathtub. Took some boxes and bike to storage (goodbye for a few months bike, I look forward to riding you again in the spring). Ate dinner. Did two loads of laundry. Dusted the corners of my ceiling. Cleaned my coffee pot. Cleaned my fridge. Uh...I can't remember what else. But it was a lot.

Doesn't sound exciting at all, but it was really needed. And my place looks presentable again.

It Just Snowed Really Weird Snow

So quick Lost thoughts; I don't think I have ever seen Sayid be wrong. And when he is wrong, boy is he wrong. Also, I wonder what Ben is going to ask Jack to do? Laura thinks he is going to ask Jack to have sex with Juliet. I am not so sure about that theory. But I am excited to see the resolution to the Locke, Echo and Desmond story next week. Or as much as a resolution as you can get on Lost.

It's cold out. Last winter, the weather was all I seemed to blog about. I can't help it; it is so distressing sometimes. People take for granted just leaving their homes with no thought to letting the car warm up, cleaning the car, shoveling around the car...even putting on a coat and some gloves takes time. At least this morning I didn't have to clean any snow. But we are supposed to have flurries today. When I was growing up and lived in northwestern Michigan, I remember it snowing a couple of times on my birthday.

And the cold weather definitely makes people cranky. One woman I work with was especially cranky today and I am blaming that on the weather. I try not to be cranky so early, because if I started with it now, I would be a homicidal bitch by March. So I just blog about the weather. Maybe Crany Work Lady should get a blog and write about the weather and then she wouldn't have to have her nickname.

Not How I Wanted to Start the Week

My car was broken into last night, or perhaps early this morning. I went down to my car to go to work and noticed that my ashtray was on the passenger seat, and then I got in and saw that my glove compartment was open. I looked around and noticed my backseats had been put in the upright position, whereas yesterday they were down, and my electric ice scraper had been put in the backseat. I looked in the back, but nothing had been taken. So while I was freaking out, I knew there was nothing I could do because nothing, but maybe a dollar in change, had been taken. Then I noticed my rear passenger window was broken and that was when I started to feel a little sick.

The girl who parks next to me, her car was broken into too. Her car had been broken into before. I didn’t have a lot of cd’s in my car, but they were all there. Apparently these assholes don’t have very good taste in music or else they would’ve taken mine. And they must not know what an electric ice scraper is because they surely would’ve taken that. No, they break open my window to take my change. And there weren’t even any quarters, I had taken them out a couple of months ago to do my laundry. And they dropped a dime on their way out.

I am referring to them, like there were multiple people, but I don’t know that.

So I call work to tell them I will be late. They were veryunderstanding and told me what would probably happen when I called the insurance. And they were right…my deductible is $500 and the window won’t cost that much, so I have to pay for it myself. Then I call the police even though they won’t be able to do anything about it. Then I get plastic and duct tape and make an appointment to get it fixed. I got teary eyed a couple of times, but haven’t really cried or anything. I just feel weird.

And what is really weird is that I never have nightmares, but last night I did. I dreamt that some of my friends and I were walking down railroad tracks and a car was driving after us and we would run off the tracks and the car would drive off the tracks to follow us. Finally, they pass us, and one friend (one of those faceless, nameless dream people) kicks the car as it drives past, and the car stops and a guy gets out and runs after us and one friend gets stabbed in the leg and I got stabbed in the hand.

It’s just a weird, weird day and a totally shitty way to start the week.

Weekend Rundown

Jenny Lewis was amazing. She sounded just like the cd, which is a rarity. She is so cute and petite and the Watson Twins had some choreography. She played some new songs that totally rocked. I want her to put out a new album pronto, which I know she won't since she is getting ready to record again with Rilo Kiley.

And of course going to Detroit was an experience in itself. There was a crazy parking lot guy who kept saying he was going to be my eyes and a girl at the concert in leopard print made fun of my jacket and didn't think I could hear. Well, I guess the last part wasn't particular to Detroit...but worth mentioning, none the less. Also, the venue turns into a nightclub around 10, so the show ended early and they kicked everyone out...even though I had just ordered a delicious Stella Artois. I just took it into the bathroom where there was even more funny drunk girl banter to be heard.

Today my parents brought over a couple of boxes of my things and in one of them was my grandpa's hat. I put it on and well, it fits, but not that well. It is a little small. So I called my mom to ask whether I had a big head or if my grandpa had a small head.

"Well, he had kind of a small head and you have kind of a big head."

I have to love my mother for her honesty...I guess.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins in Detroit

I like almost all Fridays, but today is extra special. It’s Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins Day! Hooray! Hazah! I think it’s going to be awesome. It’s been so long since I have been to a concert.



So I am heading to Detroit this evening, which is a city that I think has gotten a bad rap. Don’t get me wrong…I wouldn’t want to live there, but I think people think it’s SUPER dangerous and that you can’t walk anywhere without being jumped or something. And that just isn’t true. As long as you’re careful, it’s no more dangerous than any other city. Besides, let’s look at the facts; it’s the home of the Red Wings, the greatest hockey team in the world, it is the birthplace of Motown (there is a museum in the small house Motown Records started in…very interesting), cars used to be made there (I think some still are), it has Greek Town (Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is based there) and Jenny Lewis is going to be there tonight. What more could you ask for in a big city only an hour away?

Actually as a kid, it reminded me of Chicago like in Adventures in Babysitting. And FYI, it’s where I ate fried alligator.










UPDATE...Yeah, Detroit's awesome. So awesome that the Tigers are in a playoff game against the New York Yankees tonight. It is going to be pure madness.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Lost starts again tonight. And while last year I had been eagerly awaiting the day, this year, it snuck up on me. Maybe because the first week of October seemed so far away for so long. And now it is here. I don’t want to ruin too much out of respect for PTT who has not seen all of the second season yet, but this year we are supposed to find out who Kate chooses (I hate Kate, I hope Jack and Sawyer both dump her ass), and apparently we meet some of those people that walk around in the background. You know, the other survivors who aren’t others. It should be exciting.

As I stated before, I am going to get new glasses and contacts. I am excited, because I will be able to see better, but I actually hate picking out glass. It is very complicated for me. I don’t know the shape of my face and I see other people’s glasses that I like, but I don’t know if they would look good on me. And glasses are expensive. And invariably, I am going to really like the most expensive pair. So I need all of you to wish me luck that I find good-looking glasses. It is an important matter.

Getting My Eyes Fixed So I Can Roll Them Come Christmas

I am taking the plunge…I am going to the eye doctor this week. I have no vision insurance so I was putting it off, but I am tired of squinting and getting headaches that stem from my eyes. I am getting the whole kit and caboodle…glasses and contacts. So hopefully in a few weeks I will have headaches from being able to see too good.

I have been getting ready to do my company's holiday newsletter and it reminded me of the holiday form letter that people put in their Christmas cards. Do any of you get them? Please don't tell me you send them…those letters are a huge pet peeve for me. They are so impersonal and insincere and I didn't think the holidays were a time for insincerity, except for when you get a present you don't like and have to act like you do ("Oh my gosh, thanks for the mounted fish that talks…I LOVE it."). Besides, these letters are usually filled with information I don't care about. So what, so your 12 year old son's soccer team came in 7 th in the league? When I read that, I think, "Wow, what a loser."

David Sedaris has this great story written like one of those letters called, "Seasons Greetings to Our Family and Friends" and it is hilarious. It is featured in both Holidays on Ice and Barrel Fever. I highly recommend it. And trust me, it is so much better than reading an actual form letter.