so just for your fun on sunday, check out this link to a video (with no picture - sound only) about someone who called bp with some suggestions of how bp could fix the oil spill... it made me chuckle.
what would you suggest??
Sunday, May 30, 2010
baby don't hurt me
sunday morning. i set my alarm for 9:40 am so i could finish picking up and organizing before i have people over today, BUT i woke up at 7am because of some cats in the park fighting. it sounded like it was right next to my ear. i stayed in bed until 8 trying to get back to sleep and was not able to. its after 9 now and so i am going to throw some books in a box and take them downstairs to storage. then i need to vacuum and sweep the floor and... i guess i should probably eat breakfast and then shower and get ready.
one of my best friends is moving from boston - she actually moved TO boston when i moved away, SO... i'm thinking this is some sort of hint or something that she doesnt want to be in the same city as me. :) actually, she just graduated from babson and is moving to texas. she is having a going away party today: first at a restaurant in my neighborhood and then at her place afterwards. since she's coming all the way over to this area, i thought i'd have her and her bf over for some mimosas before brunch. so that is what i'm getting ready for.
my room is still a mess. actually, the word "mess" is being too nice. its a disaster. whenever i dont know where to put something, i just throw it in my room. then i'll start organizing my room and i'll make piles on my bed, then not get to them until later, which just means that when i want to go to bed, i have to clear off the piles and i still have no where to put them, so i just throw everything on the floor. then the cycle repeats the next day. ugh.
well i'm off to be super productive and get clean...
[my roommate has "what is love? baby, don't hurt me, don't hurt me" on downstairs. hence the subject by haddaway. feel free to begin bobbing head a la night at the roxbury.]
one of my best friends is moving from boston - she actually moved TO boston when i moved away, SO... i'm thinking this is some sort of hint or something that she doesnt want to be in the same city as me. :) actually, she just graduated from babson and is moving to texas. she is having a going away party today: first at a restaurant in my neighborhood and then at her place afterwards. since she's coming all the way over to this area, i thought i'd have her and her bf over for some mimosas before brunch. so that is what i'm getting ready for.
my room is still a mess. actually, the word "mess" is being too nice. its a disaster. whenever i dont know where to put something, i just throw it in my room. then i'll start organizing my room and i'll make piles on my bed, then not get to them until later, which just means that when i want to go to bed, i have to clear off the piles and i still have no where to put them, so i just throw everything on the floor. then the cycle repeats the next day. ugh.
well i'm off to be super productive and get clean...
[my roommate has "what is love? baby, don't hurt me, don't hurt me" on downstairs. hence the subject by haddaway. feel free to begin bobbing head a la night at the roxbury.]
Saturday, May 29, 2010
up all night (frankie miller goes to hollywood)
it's 3:09am on saturday morning (/friday night) and there are birds CHIRPING out my window. is that normal?? i have no idea. i am not usually awake at this time. which is to say that it is not that i just WOKE UP. i have been awake since friday morning when i got up to go to work. i left work at about 3pm today (friday, that is, technically "today" is saturday) because it was the day before a holiday and the office closed at 2. i had enough stuff to do to stay longer, BUT i really really really need to unpack and get my place organized or my whole zenness is gone... or never arrived, i guess. i'm feeling a lot of self-imposed pressure to get this place in tip-top shape. ohh and now i have even MORE pressure (and external forces, at that): guests coming sunday morning. SO.... i have less than 48 hours to get this place in order. i walked home with a bunch of stuff in my bag, such that my back and shoulder hurt. i must find a masseuse here in boston. any suggestions? and i stopped for some chicken naan - LOVE it - so i didnt get home until 4pm. i ate and then higgi and i got to work. we picked out spots for all our artwork. it was so much fun! i'm really excited to hang things. then i set out working on the 20 or so boxes with some sort of kitchen stuff in them (also including, but not limited to, a pair of boots i bought in france and have never worn - they are STILL sexy sexy, sheets, a magazine rack, underwear (clean! i promise!), lots and LOTS of socks, golf balls, etc). we figured out what we would keep out and what i would put in storage, once i have bins in which to store them. this is all with some wine, of course.
we did a bit of work upstairs and after higgs left, i talked to a friend in asia online. it was good fun talking to her and she is the reason why i am still online (although technically she no longer is... hmph). i've been organizing my books and realized a few things:
my.
gosh.
i JUST put on a podcast while i was thinking of some more things i learned about myself during the unpacking and she said "do you have too many business books and not enough time to read them?" thats me!! holy crap! how ironic. i'll have to listen to what she says.
anyway, i think i did a pretty good job of packing... only 3 broken glasses! (one wine glass, one martini glass, and one sushi bowl) i can't find a lamp, so that is a bit interesting... i have the lamp shade and the twisty thing that goes on TOP of the lamp (to hold the lamp shade in). but no actual lamp. hmph.
so my first (business) week (5 days) in boston is almost over. thus far, i have run to catch the bus, worn the same sweat pants for 4 days (NOT to work - but changed when i got home), locked myself out of the apartment, almost caught up on my restaurants (i had a certain number i really wanted to eat at when i got back), worked two days, found about 39 bruises all over my lower body. and more, i'm sure.
saturdays goals (after i wake up): get furniture, finish basement, finish books, finish bedroom, finish jewelry, finish bathroom. potentially go to work to catch up on emails, etc.
having said all that, i need to go to bed. time is now 3:24.... night!
[song (because i am up so late!) is by counting crows. i dont listen to them or have their cd, but this song name was on a list about ... something. nice title. its funny. get it? ha ha]
we did a bit of work upstairs and after higgs left, i talked to a friend in asia online. it was good fun talking to her and she is the reason why i am still online (although technically she no longer is... hmph). i've been organizing my books and realized a few things:
- i buy a lot of books
- i have not read 90% of them
- i have a lot of books on how to learn french and how to learn german
- i barely speak french and do not speak german
- i have a lot of books that would be FABULOUS for my career
- i need to read them
- i have a lot of books that were cheap that i probably shouldn't have bought
- once i read them, i will donate them
my.
gosh.
i JUST put on a podcast while i was thinking of some more things i learned about myself during the unpacking and she said "do you have too many business books and not enough time to read them?" thats me!! holy crap! how ironic. i'll have to listen to what she says.
anyway, i think i did a pretty good job of packing... only 3 broken glasses! (one wine glass, one martini glass, and one sushi bowl) i can't find a lamp, so that is a bit interesting... i have the lamp shade and the twisty thing that goes on TOP of the lamp (to hold the lamp shade in). but no actual lamp. hmph.
so my first (business) week (5 days) in boston is almost over. thus far, i have run to catch the bus, worn the same sweat pants for 4 days (NOT to work - but changed when i got home), locked myself out of the apartment, almost caught up on my restaurants (i had a certain number i really wanted to eat at when i got back), worked two days, found about 39 bruises all over my lower body. and more, i'm sure.
saturdays goals (after i wake up): get furniture, finish basement, finish books, finish bedroom, finish jewelry, finish bathroom. potentially go to work to catch up on emails, etc.
having said all that, i need to go to bed. time is now 3:24.... night!
[song (because i am up so late!) is by counting crows. i dont listen to them or have their cd, but this song name was on a list about ... something. nice title. its funny. get it? ha ha]
Thursday, May 27, 2010
informer
good morning my lovelies!
i didn't think i'd get a chance to write today before work (my first day - eek!), but my alarm just went off and i've been awake for over an hour... i've already showered AND put my clothes in the dryer. talk about being productive. i LOVE being productive.
and how productive have i been at unpacking?? well... i've emptied most of my boxes... i had people come by last night to pick empties up (posted an ad on craigslist and made sure my buff, scary roommate was around so that i wouldn't get held up - you know boxes are obviously a hot commodity). wait. when i say "empties" does that imply beer? hmm.... you know what i mean. for my room, i basically just took boxes that would normally go in my room, threw the clothes and office stuff on the floor and cut up the boxes. i dont' have a dresser, or a desk, or a bookshelf. nothing. for some reason, i own a lot of side tables. side tables don't do much for storing clothes, though.
tonight i'm going to get some more people to pick up some more boxes and then attack my room. i have to get organized with my clothes - i have NO IDEA where my work clothes are - on the bottom of a pile? in some other boxes? who knows? i found some and threw those in the washer last night, but i don't have enough for next week. and to that extent, i need to actually get some new clothes for work. so i was thinking of opening a credit card with a department store to get some good discounts - i was thinking macy's, but my roommate "hates" them (i forgot to ask why). he suggested lord and taylors, which to me seems way more expensive. i want to take advantage of memorial day savings this weekend - so, which do you think? macys or lord and taylors? i want to do business with a company that i like, that treats its employees well, and has a strong US presence, etc. i'm still learning towards macy's because 1) its also in fargo 2) its on the way to work and 3) i've always shopped there. let me know your thoughts, though. or is there some other department store you prefer?
this makes me think of an article i read about the best customer service companies, found here. the main thing: big banks, credit card companies, cable companies and sprint (oh and aol, but who uses them??) are the worst companies for their customers. i only really do business with one (a bank) and am looking to shut that off soon... ooo... i'm just reviewing the good companies and nordstrom is on it. should i shop there maybe?? i feel like they're pretty expensive, but idk. i like netflix, trader joes, and amazon. so that makes me happy that they are high on the good list.
what do you think? wish me luck on my first day!
[Snow - "Informer" song was picked as the 84th best song of the 1990s. it came out in 1993, and was #1 US)]
i didn't think i'd get a chance to write today before work (my first day - eek!), but my alarm just went off and i've been awake for over an hour... i've already showered AND put my clothes in the dryer. talk about being productive. i LOVE being productive.
and how productive have i been at unpacking?? well... i've emptied most of my boxes... i had people come by last night to pick empties up (posted an ad on craigslist and made sure my buff, scary roommate was around so that i wouldn't get held up - you know boxes are obviously a hot commodity). wait. when i say "empties" does that imply beer? hmm.... you know what i mean. for my room, i basically just took boxes that would normally go in my room, threw the clothes and office stuff on the floor and cut up the boxes. i dont' have a dresser, or a desk, or a bookshelf. nothing. for some reason, i own a lot of side tables. side tables don't do much for storing clothes, though.
tonight i'm going to get some more people to pick up some more boxes and then attack my room. i have to get organized with my clothes - i have NO IDEA where my work clothes are - on the bottom of a pile? in some other boxes? who knows? i found some and threw those in the washer last night, but i don't have enough for next week. and to that extent, i need to actually get some new clothes for work. so i was thinking of opening a credit card with a department store to get some good discounts - i was thinking macy's, but my roommate "hates" them (i forgot to ask why). he suggested lord and taylors, which to me seems way more expensive. i want to take advantage of memorial day savings this weekend - so, which do you think? macys or lord and taylors? i want to do business with a company that i like, that treats its employees well, and has a strong US presence, etc. i'm still learning towards macy's because 1) its also in fargo 2) its on the way to work and 3) i've always shopped there. let me know your thoughts, though. or is there some other department store you prefer?
this makes me think of an article i read about the best customer service companies, found here. the main thing: big banks, credit card companies, cable companies and sprint (oh and aol, but who uses them??) are the worst companies for their customers. i only really do business with one (a bank) and am looking to shut that off soon... ooo... i'm just reviewing the good companies and nordstrom is on it. should i shop there maybe?? i feel like they're pretty expensive, but idk. i like netflix, trader joes, and amazon. so that makes me happy that they are high on the good list.
what do you think? wish me luck on my first day!
[Snow - "Informer" song was picked as the 84th best song of the 1990s. it came out in 1993, and was #1 US)]
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
long, long way from home
well hello again.
this time from boston. i am sooo exhausted despite waking up after a good night's sleep. i look around me and i just get... overwhelmed. there is soo much stuff! and everything is up in the air! maybe i should back up...
i arrived in boston on monday - safely and on time. my roommate, higgs, and i unloaded the truck. it was HOT outside and i have a ton of stuff. it was sticky. and gross. after we took a break to have a beer (which is my new favorite "refreshing" drink, btw), my friend lisa showed up to help us unpack, so that got us going again. all in all, it took about 3-4 hours to unload (with breaks). higgs and i were tired and sore, sweaty and sticky, the kind where you touch your face and it feels like you stuck your head in the ocean and then let your face dry. ugh. i HATE that feeling. so we took the rental truck back to its campground, but they were closed, so we had to leave it there. then we walked and walked and walked looking for a cab to take us home. we got pizza and had some more beer and then bubbly to celebrate me moving in and we watched chuck. it was too much to even think about unpacking.
yesterday morning, i woke up after spending the night on the couch because we had loaded boxes all over my bed and took some videos of the chaos that is now my apartment.
and this is video two, taken a bit later because i had to delete a bunch of pictures on my camera so these videos would fit...
i spent like 8 hours yesterday just moving boxes around to the "area" in the apartment where they should go. BUT i'm moving in to a fully furnished apartment, so most of my stuff isn't even needed; HOWEVER, i can't really just throw my boxes in storage (of which there is plenty - dont get me wrong) because almost all of my boxes were packed 2 years ago in a fit of packing by all my friends when my moving company just decided not to show up... (long story - will DEF write about later). SO i have NO IDEA what is in half of these boxes. some are labeled accurately ("cds and towels" - there are like 5 or 6 boxes labeled this way) and some are not "wine - empty" (and its no longer wine NOR empty). and none of the boxes are strictly for one room. e.g. "kitchen" i'll find glass vases with computer stuff or light bulbs mixed in with workout stuff. i'm not complaining, at least not in that way, i'm just explaining why this is such a daunting process. its taking a long time and that is making me not so pleased. actually, i kind of like the stress. BUT i am still stressed...
so its wed morning and i promised i would upload these videos, so i have finished that. now i am going to get dressed, start unpacking some more before the heat sets in for the day. then i am going to run to cvs and work on unpacking downstairs (its much much cooler down there). tonight i need to fill out a kazillion forms for work tomorrow (oh yeah! did i tell you i start tomorrow?? which just makes this process all the more disheartening) and find work clothes... crap! i have NO IDEA where my work clothes are...
ok, i gotta go. will write more about my trip later.
[long, long way from home by foreigner - from the complete greatest hits. because i am now a long, long way from fargo...]
this time from boston. i am sooo exhausted despite waking up after a good night's sleep. i look around me and i just get... overwhelmed. there is soo much stuff! and everything is up in the air! maybe i should back up...
i arrived in boston on monday - safely and on time. my roommate, higgs, and i unloaded the truck. it was HOT outside and i have a ton of stuff. it was sticky. and gross. after we took a break to have a beer (which is my new favorite "refreshing" drink, btw), my friend lisa showed up to help us unpack, so that got us going again. all in all, it took about 3-4 hours to unload (with breaks). higgs and i were tired and sore, sweaty and sticky, the kind where you touch your face and it feels like you stuck your head in the ocean and then let your face dry. ugh. i HATE that feeling. so we took the rental truck back to its campground, but they were closed, so we had to leave it there. then we walked and walked and walked looking for a cab to take us home. we got pizza and had some more beer and then bubbly to celebrate me moving in and we watched chuck. it was too much to even think about unpacking.
yesterday morning, i woke up after spending the night on the couch because we had loaded boxes all over my bed and took some videos of the chaos that is now my apartment.
and this is video two, taken a bit later because i had to delete a bunch of pictures on my camera so these videos would fit...
i spent like 8 hours yesterday just moving boxes around to the "area" in the apartment where they should go. BUT i'm moving in to a fully furnished apartment, so most of my stuff isn't even needed; HOWEVER, i can't really just throw my boxes in storage (of which there is plenty - dont get me wrong) because almost all of my boxes were packed 2 years ago in a fit of packing by all my friends when my moving company just decided not to show up... (long story - will DEF write about later). SO i have NO IDEA what is in half of these boxes. some are labeled accurately ("cds and towels" - there are like 5 or 6 boxes labeled this way) and some are not "wine - empty" (and its no longer wine NOR empty). and none of the boxes are strictly for one room. e.g. "kitchen" i'll find glass vases with computer stuff or light bulbs mixed in with workout stuff. i'm not complaining, at least not in that way, i'm just explaining why this is such a daunting process. its taking a long time and that is making me not so pleased. actually, i kind of like the stress. BUT i am still stressed...
so its wed morning and i promised i would upload these videos, so i have finished that. now i am going to get dressed, start unpacking some more before the heat sets in for the day. then i am going to run to cvs and work on unpacking downstairs (its much much cooler down there). tonight i need to fill out a kazillion forms for work tomorrow (oh yeah! did i tell you i start tomorrow?? which just makes this process all the more disheartening) and find work clothes... crap! i have NO IDEA where my work clothes are...
ok, i gotta go. will write more about my trip later.
[long, long way from home by foreigner - from the complete greatest hits. because i am now a long, long way from fargo...]
Friday, May 21, 2010
another quick update
greetings from milwaukee where i stayed last night. i can't believe how quickly time is passing and apologies - i meant to write about my first two days driving last night, and didnt get a chance to. yesterday i was 15 min late and today i'm over 45 - more like an hour late. its raining in milwaukee and i am hoping i didnt get a parking ticket for my truck. i am going to leave in a bit and head to columbus - today is my longest day (8 hrs). eek! and tonight is the one night i'd actually like to have some time in columbus except, its raining there TOO. and i have to leave early tomorrow morning because i'm taking my friend to the airport and then getting on the road. i hope we dont have a banger of a night tonight. i'm going to try and take it easy since i'm driving so much tomorrow... (to syracuse which is 7 hrs). i will most certainly try and catch up and fill you in on all my travels tomorrow night. i've taken some fun pictures from the road... so i'll post those, too.
ok, gotta run.
ok, gotta run.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
quick update
super super quick note - i'm running 15 min behind this morning. i am fine and well - on day 2 of my journey across the country. thank you to everyone for the birthday emails, texts, twitters, facebook thingies (which, my account is now deleted, btw, as i said), calls, etc from yesterday. i will get back to everyone later today hopefully...
gotta hit the road to milwaukee!
gotta hit the road to milwaukee!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
happy birthday to.... meeeeeeeee!!!!
i found this article on line titled "26 things i've learned in 26 years" and i thought - what i good idea! so in honor of my birthday, i am making my own list of 29 things i've learned in my 29 years... in no particular order:
- education is of utmost importance
- treat others how you would like to be treated - even if it means doing something you dont want to
- family is very important and won't be around forever
- respect yourself
- respect others
- don't take everything so personally - that person who cut you off on your drive to work may be a bad driver, or may be in a hurry to get to a sick loved one, or may just be a jerk, but the point is, he wasnt trying to cut YOU off.
- always make sure to have an unexpired passport handy
- you aren't always right. its practically statistically impossible to be correct 100% of the time
- ask questions
- be sure to always have dreams. if you obtain your goals, set new ones.
- the world does not revolve around you
- travel. to see the world, to understand yourself, to understand others
- try new foods. at least once.
- laugh at yourself
- be consistent
- respect your elders
- know how to do at least one thing really well
- its ok to be different, and should even be encouraged
- stand up for yourself
- stand up for something
- do not trust companies 100%
- eat a variety of foods to naturally get vitamins and minerals (instead of taking a multivitamin)
- be open minded
- stay active
- give up one thing for at least a few months
- don't spend more than you make
- save for a rainy day
- keep in touch with friends, but when a friendship/relationship is over, let it be over
- feel honored to know me. :)
Monday, May 17, 2010
bah da bah da da da
so it is. monday morning. and i have a lot to do, but not QUITE enough for me to feel stressed about it. yet. . . oh hmmm... i rather like the ellipses with a space between. . . yes, indeed. i do.
anyway, i'm back in fargo for a few days.
saturday was a fun party chez mes parents. my aunt and uncle, grandma, great aunt, and two cousins came (along with my brothers and sister - lets just get this straight right off the bat: i have a soon-to-be sister-in-law which is waay to long to type all the time, so i'll just call her my sister and you can note that she CHOOSES to be my sister, unlike my brothers who have no choice). and my parents were there, of course. my dad and i almost got into an all-out war over whether or not he was going to show up. i won. he came. ha ha. just kidding. not at all. wouldn't that be funny if i just started telling stupid stories that weren't true?? i wonder if people would object or just ignore it... good question if i do say so myself.
so saturday night was slightly dramatic at the fargo theater. my siblings and i (that's four of us, keep in mind) went to see iron man2. it was apparently a bit of a coup that they got this film instead of marcus theaters in town. not sure the total reason why, but i was glad to see that the theater had a massive blockbuster and assumed it would be totally full because iron man 2 is a huge film. not so. the theater was disappointedly NOT full (maybe like... 50 people there?? out of 300+ seats...?) AND we had to fight through some zombie party to get there. then they wouldn't let my brother and sister use this pass that i had gotten them expressly FOR iron man. we argued, but i'm still uncomfortable with how everything went down. i think the guy behind the counter was a little stressed and then my other brother didnt have cash (oh woops - player i owe you money. i'll send it to you) and he was my wallet for the night, so he had to rush to use the ATM... i still feel like we could've done something differently with the guy behind the counter - the passes say good for all movies EXCEPT special engagements, which this wasn't (it wasnt a play or concert), so i think they should've gotten to see the movie , get their popcorn and drinks, guilt-free. it was wasted and it totally soured the whole thing for me. i'm thinking of writing a letter to the fargo theater. oh. player, i think you have my ticket stub, too. . . i do like to keep those. anyway, the movie was good, but i was tired and i couldnt follow it. AND i felt like it was too far away from the seats. it wasn't in-your-face like at a normal movie theater. and my brother complained about the floors (which i didnt notice), but... the whole thing was sad. i wonder if they are making money on it. i hope so. player and i walked home which i would never do on my own. i told him that, despite being from fargo, to me, lack of lights on the streets = unsafe. thats the city side of me. and the fact that there were still zombies around was kind of freaky. but i was with a 6'5" guy and i didnt have a purse so we expertly escaped any unrightfulness. i just made that word up.
sunday (yesterday) my mom and i went to thrift stores looking for furniture for me to bring to bos, mostly so we can freak out higgs. mwahahahaha. jk. i really did want to find something cute, but it was no good. just last week, my parents donated their old entertainment center to the arc, and we saw it there and not being in our house made it look HORRIBLE. it was a shock! its like, you dont notice all the scratches, and style, etc until its out of context. it was crazy. i still told people to buy it because i think $35 is a very good price for it, but they just looked at me funny.
i also tried finding a silver chain to wear this necklace that i bought. or would that be a pendant and the act of putting it on a chain makes it a necklace? whatever it is, i couldnt find a chain long enough. i was at the jewelry counter and the guy was talking about chains and kept saying "but the sterling silver is over there" and pointing to the costume jewelry area. i was like, "ok, no problem, i'm not really worried about price" because i wasn't. how much can a strand of white gold cost? SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS IT CAN! i was SHOCKED. all of a sudden i WAS worried about price. but nothing was long enough anyway. nor were the "cheap" strands.
so last night we started to play a game of settlers of catan and i pretty much sucked sucked sucked. i've never played a game so poorly in my life. well, aside from basketball or something like that. i was pretty good at kickball back in the day. and i was decent at volleyball until i quit because i didnt want to have to have a physical. i have since gotten over my dislike of doctors. no wait. i still dislike them, but i find them necessary now. but i digress. i sucked it up big time, i'm glad we quit early and let my mom win (did we let her claim victory?) and i didnt suffer any longer. this morning, i packed up my settlers games (my family will be so sad they can't play them anymore!) and am taking them to boston to force all my friends to play. i AM willing to fight physically for the chance to play these games...
i better get going. gotta shower so i dont smell for lunch with a friend and then i've got a pedicure later this evening. other than that, the day is meant to be for packing. . .
catch you on the flip side dot space dot space dot
[monday, monday by the mamas and the papas' first line...]
anyway, i'm back in fargo for a few days.
saturday was a fun party chez mes parents. my aunt and uncle, grandma, great aunt, and two cousins came (along with my brothers and sister - lets just get this straight right off the bat: i have a soon-to-be sister-in-law which is waay to long to type all the time, so i'll just call her my sister and you can note that she CHOOSES to be my sister, unlike my brothers who have no choice). and my parents were there, of course. my dad and i almost got into an all-out war over whether or not he was going to show up. i won. he came. ha ha. just kidding. not at all. wouldn't that be funny if i just started telling stupid stories that weren't true?? i wonder if people would object or just ignore it... good question if i do say so myself.
so saturday night was slightly dramatic at the fargo theater. my siblings and i (that's four of us, keep in mind) went to see iron man2. it was apparently a bit of a coup that they got this film instead of marcus theaters in town. not sure the total reason why, but i was glad to see that the theater had a massive blockbuster and assumed it would be totally full because iron man 2 is a huge film. not so. the theater was disappointedly NOT full (maybe like... 50 people there?? out of 300+ seats...?) AND we had to fight through some zombie party to get there. then they wouldn't let my brother and sister use this pass that i had gotten them expressly FOR iron man. we argued, but i'm still uncomfortable with how everything went down. i think the guy behind the counter was a little stressed and then my other brother didnt have cash (oh woops - player i owe you money. i'll send it to you) and he was my wallet for the night, so he had to rush to use the ATM... i still feel like we could've done something differently with the guy behind the counter - the passes say good for all movies EXCEPT special engagements, which this wasn't (it wasnt a play or concert), so i think they should've gotten to see the movie , get their popcorn and drinks, guilt-free. it was wasted and it totally soured the whole thing for me. i'm thinking of writing a letter to the fargo theater. oh. player, i think you have my ticket stub, too. . . i do like to keep those. anyway, the movie was good, but i was tired and i couldnt follow it. AND i felt like it was too far away from the seats. it wasn't in-your-face like at a normal movie theater. and my brother complained about the floors (which i didnt notice), but... the whole thing was sad. i wonder if they are making money on it. i hope so. player and i walked home which i would never do on my own. i told him that, despite being from fargo, to me, lack of lights on the streets = unsafe. thats the city side of me. and the fact that there were still zombies around was kind of freaky. but i was with a 6'5" guy and i didnt have a purse so we expertly escaped any unrightfulness. i just made that word up.
sunday (yesterday) my mom and i went to thrift stores looking for furniture for me to bring to bos, mostly so we can freak out higgs. mwahahahaha. jk. i really did want to find something cute, but it was no good. just last week, my parents donated their old entertainment center to the arc, and we saw it there and not being in our house made it look HORRIBLE. it was a shock! its like, you dont notice all the scratches, and style, etc until its out of context. it was crazy. i still told people to buy it because i think $35 is a very good price for it, but they just looked at me funny.
i also tried finding a silver chain to wear this necklace that i bought. or would that be a pendant and the act of putting it on a chain makes it a necklace? whatever it is, i couldnt find a chain long enough. i was at the jewelry counter and the guy was talking about chains and kept saying "but the sterling silver is over there" and pointing to the costume jewelry area. i was like, "ok, no problem, i'm not really worried about price" because i wasn't. how much can a strand of white gold cost? SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS IT CAN! i was SHOCKED. all of a sudden i WAS worried about price. but nothing was long enough anyway. nor were the "cheap" strands.
so last night we started to play a game of settlers of catan and i pretty much sucked sucked sucked. i've never played a game so poorly in my life. well, aside from basketball or something like that. i was pretty good at kickball back in the day. and i was decent at volleyball until i quit because i didnt want to have to have a physical. i have since gotten over my dislike of doctors. no wait. i still dislike them, but i find them necessary now. but i digress. i sucked it up big time, i'm glad we quit early and let my mom win (did we let her claim victory?) and i didnt suffer any longer. this morning, i packed up my settlers games (my family will be so sad they can't play them anymore!) and am taking them to boston to force all my friends to play. i AM willing to fight physically for the chance to play these games...
i better get going. gotta shower so i dont smell for lunch with a friend and then i've got a pedicure later this evening. other than that, the day is meant to be for packing. . .
catch you on the flip side dot space dot space dot
[monday, monday by the mamas and the papas' first line...]
Saturday, May 15, 2010
fly away
by the time you read this, i'll be flying in the air above on my way from either smf to den or den to far. wait. why are you reading this on a saturday??? loser! go outside and DO something! at the very least, get ready for my party. :) [this is funny because we all know that the first thing i'll do when i get home is pull out my computer and log on. but thats ok, i AM a loser. you are not.]
also by the time you read this i am cursing myself for booking such an effin early flight. 6am out of sacramento. and i'm staying about 40 min from the airport, which means i had to leave my house around 4am so that i could load my stuff up, drive to the airport in the DARK, drop off the rental car and then head in to the airport, which is going to be quite cumbersome because i'll have 3 suitcases and a purse. bleh. i booked this flight so my company could save like $200. now, i'm thinking, "what the heck?? they dont care about two hundred bucks but my sleep-deprived body does!" oh well. too late now. hopefully i'm home. to be fair, i DO like traveling early in the morning because most flights are less full and the airlines havent had time to be delayed. (that's me, liking no crowds and being on time) BUT i always worry about not waking up on time and missing my flight. and i have taken a LOT of early morning flights. and too many flights have come after 2 or 3 hours of sleep because 1) i rarely start packing until 1am or 2) ... nope. just the packing thing. i guess sometimes i've gone out before a flight. yeah, that happens more often than not because i'm able to sleep on the plane. over the years, i have developed quite a few tricks to make sure i wake up on time. such as 1) before going to sleep, i drink like two or three glasses of water so that when my alarm goes off, my body HAS to get up to go to the bathroom. 2) i set two or three alarms and 3) if i'm going to get less than 4 hours of sleep, i sleep with the light on so its easier for me to wake up. since i am writing this in advance, i cant tell you if i've had to any of these things today, but i'm hoping not. i'd like to be in bed by 9pm or so... and i hope it will be easy for me to sleep because i had a massage at 4:30. i packed one suitcase on thur night and brought a bunch of boxes to work to ship. so i should be good to go. i never did get to drink the bubbly i had in the fridge. shucks. guess i'll leave that for my hosts. enjoy, a&j!
in any case, i'm back in far. (i hope!) short short short trip - only 4 days. wish me luck. or something. catch you on the flip side.
[by lenny kravitz because... dum dum dum... i'm flying!]
also by the time you read this i am cursing myself for booking such an effin early flight. 6am out of sacramento. and i'm staying about 40 min from the airport, which means i had to leave my house around 4am so that i could load my stuff up, drive to the airport in the DARK, drop off the rental car and then head in to the airport, which is going to be quite cumbersome because i'll have 3 suitcases and a purse. bleh. i booked this flight so my company could save like $200. now, i'm thinking, "what the heck?? they dont care about two hundred bucks but my sleep-deprived body does!" oh well. too late now. hopefully i'm home. to be fair, i DO like traveling early in the morning because most flights are less full and the airlines havent had time to be delayed. (that's me, liking no crowds and being on time) BUT i always worry about not waking up on time and missing my flight. and i have taken a LOT of early morning flights. and too many flights have come after 2 or 3 hours of sleep because 1) i rarely start packing until 1am or 2) ... nope. just the packing thing. i guess sometimes i've gone out before a flight. yeah, that happens more often than not because i'm able to sleep on the plane. over the years, i have developed quite a few tricks to make sure i wake up on time. such as 1) before going to sleep, i drink like two or three glasses of water so that when my alarm goes off, my body HAS to get up to go to the bathroom. 2) i set two or three alarms and 3) if i'm going to get less than 4 hours of sleep, i sleep with the light on so its easier for me to wake up. since i am writing this in advance, i cant tell you if i've had to any of these things today, but i'm hoping not. i'd like to be in bed by 9pm or so... and i hope it will be easy for me to sleep because i had a massage at 4:30. i packed one suitcase on thur night and brought a bunch of boxes to work to ship. so i should be good to go. i never did get to drink the bubbly i had in the fridge. shucks. guess i'll leave that for my hosts. enjoy, a&j!
in any case, i'm back in far. (i hope!) short short short trip - only 4 days. wish me luck. or something. catch you on the flip side.
[by lenny kravitz because... dum dum dum... i'm flying!]
Friday, May 14, 2010
don't speak
its thursday night. i am at the salon. getting my hair did. i really like having a stylist that gets to know you and remembers things you talk about each time you go. i've been to a LOT of stylists all over and i have finally found 2 or 3 i like. they're all around the country, so thats good. i have my stylist i have been seeing since my sophomore year prom in high school (back in fargo). my mom and i even switched salons when she moved. then i have my stylist in california (who i am seeing right now, but i'm under the heater and she has netbooks for people to use! how cool is that??). then, of course, right before i left, i found a stylist in columbus who i really really liked. i would def go see her again (i saw her twice). but i have never ONCE found a stylist i connect with in boston. and that is sad since i am moving back there. oh, the best haircut i EVER got was by this guy in paris. it was fab-u-lous. i could never find him again, though...
anyway, i'm at the salon and its been a busy few days. i went yesterday to see my friend in the middle of nowhere, california. we were to meet at this cafe in turlock, ca, but i drove to the address and it wsan't there. so i found this irish/english pub and we met there instead. she is heading to the philippines, so i wanted to see her before she leaves. it was GOOD FUN catching up and we took pictures of first dude and whatnot. i'll try to post them if i can get my camera set up. i left work around 315 and then drove the 1hr 45 min to see her. we were together until about 8pm and then i drove home, getting back to sac around 10pm. i was dead tired, and yet still managed to stay up until 1130 doing nothing worthwhile online. oops. i even meant to do yoga, but didnt. the past two days have been pretty sedentary and i dont love that. i basically, woke up, went to work, sat, went home (or to turlock), sat some more, then went to bed. i think you need to have at LEAST 30 min of exercise a day. it just doesnt make sense that its good for our bodies to not move around a lot. i need to go for a walk or do something tonight BUT i'm going to have fancy, great hair, so... what ever will i do?? maybe i'll do yoga. and try to get to bed early because tomorrow (which is most likely today that i am posting) i am heading to work, then i have a massage after work (mmmmm... massaaaaggggeee). then i head home and am going out with my friend most likely and then i have to go to bed early because i have to get up at 330 am so i can make my 6am flight. ug. i HATE IT when i pick early flights and then regret it. bleh.
-----------------
ok i wrote all that while i was at the salon earlier. now i'm at home and just finished packing one suitcase and a bunch of fed ex boxes. yep, thats right. i have to ship some stuff to boston. thats ok. its better than me carrying it to fargo, unpacking, repacking, then moving it to boston. i'll let fed ex do that. yippee!
for some fun for you all, i thought you might enjoy this link that talks about the fact that clever people drink more alcohol. :)
here is one of the charts they have on their site:
my vocabulary isnt that great, but i like to think its greater than 5...
oh, also here is a great posting by someone who explains how great the album "tragic kingdom" is. do you like it??
[i once got my hair cut like gwen stefani's in the video "don't speak"]
anyway, i'm at the salon and its been a busy few days. i went yesterday to see my friend in the middle of nowhere, california. we were to meet at this cafe in turlock, ca, but i drove to the address and it wsan't there. so i found this irish/english pub and we met there instead. she is heading to the philippines, so i wanted to see her before she leaves. it was GOOD FUN catching up and we took pictures of first dude and whatnot. i'll try to post them if i can get my camera set up. i left work around 315 and then drove the 1hr 45 min to see her. we were together until about 8pm and then i drove home, getting back to sac around 10pm. i was dead tired, and yet still managed to stay up until 1130 doing nothing worthwhile online. oops. i even meant to do yoga, but didnt. the past two days have been pretty sedentary and i dont love that. i basically, woke up, went to work, sat, went home (or to turlock), sat some more, then went to bed. i think you need to have at LEAST 30 min of exercise a day. it just doesnt make sense that its good for our bodies to not move around a lot. i need to go for a walk or do something tonight BUT i'm going to have fancy, great hair, so... what ever will i do?? maybe i'll do yoga. and try to get to bed early because tomorrow (which is most likely today that i am posting) i am heading to work, then i have a massage after work (mmmmm... massaaaaggggeee). then i head home and am going out with my friend most likely and then i have to go to bed early because i have to get up at 330 am so i can make my 6am flight. ug. i HATE IT when i pick early flights and then regret it. bleh.
-----------------
ok i wrote all that while i was at the salon earlier. now i'm at home and just finished packing one suitcase and a bunch of fed ex boxes. yep, thats right. i have to ship some stuff to boston. thats ok. its better than me carrying it to fargo, unpacking, repacking, then moving it to boston. i'll let fed ex do that. yippee!
for some fun for you all, i thought you might enjoy this link that talks about the fact that clever people drink more alcohol. :)
here is one of the charts they have on their site:
my vocabulary isnt that great, but i like to think its greater than 5...oh, also here is a great posting by someone who explains how great the album "tragic kingdom" is. do you like it??
[i once got my hair cut like gwen stefani's in the video "don't speak"]
Thursday, May 13, 2010
memories
so i thought that i would start a new series for your enjoyment (but mostly mine) recording stories from my grandma and great aunt who are both in decreasing health. my grandma just turned 78 and has alzheimer's/dementia (i can never keep the differences straight - she for sure has dementia and i think alzheimer's is a form of dementia and its believed that she has that). some days she does great - she's on-point and makes tons of jokes and doesn't repeat herself a lot. other days, not so much. she can't keep it straight what day of the week it is, the fact that she just told you 5 times that there was an earthquake in san diego (which was a few weeks ago, but she thinks it was yesterday), or she becomes paranoid that either nuns are coming into her apartment at night, drinking her alcohol, or someone is leaving her notes to scare her. i try to call my grandma at least twice a week (i have a calendar reminder set up on tuesdays and fridays to call right after days of our lives because i know she'll be awake and most likely somewhat lucid) and she now tells people that i call her every day. sometimes i do talk to her 3-4 times a week, but this isn't often - she doesn't know how to use call waiting, so sometimes when i call she doesnt answer (she's on the other line) and then i don't get an answering machine and sometimes i forget to call back.
i don't call my great aunt very often because its very difficult to hear her on the phone - she is 83 and has parkinsons. it is hard for her to walk, so she often doesn't get to the phone before it stops ringing. and when she does make it to the phone, she is so soft-spoken, that if there is any noise behind me, i cannot hear her.
both women have lost their husbands and live alone in (different) assisted living communities. a few weeks ago, i went to san diego with my grandma and mom and we saw my grandma's two younger brothers. they told me some fun stories that i thought would be great to record here because i think it's really important to learn from our elders and, well, quite frankly, i think the worst thing in the world is to be forgotten. and i dont want to forget my grandmother, great aunt, or have their stories forgotten. AND i think it might be helpful for others to see how dementia has affected the lives of my family. so... in that spirit, please welcome story number 1 from my grandmother...
the other day, i called my grandma and 1) she was SHOCKED that i am moving back to beantown. even though i have had this planned for 2 months and have told her many times. THEN she proceeded to call me "a brat." three times. i kid you not. here was part of our conversation:
and such is the mind of a woman with advanced dementia. they say that dementia is actually hardest for the people AROUND the person with dementia because the patient doesn't realize/remember that he/she is forgetful, repetitive, etc. which is sad, but at the same time, helpful. its certainly something to keep in mind.
have you any experience with alzeheimers or dementia?
["memories" is the instrumental song by harold faltermeyer from top gun. its played during the part after goose dies and they show maverick really upset about it. not used here to forecast death, but because i'm making my own memories...]
i don't call my great aunt very often because its very difficult to hear her on the phone - she is 83 and has parkinsons. it is hard for her to walk, so she often doesn't get to the phone before it stops ringing. and when she does make it to the phone, she is so soft-spoken, that if there is any noise behind me, i cannot hear her.
both women have lost their husbands and live alone in (different) assisted living communities. a few weeks ago, i went to san diego with my grandma and mom and we saw my grandma's two younger brothers. they told me some fun stories that i thought would be great to record here because i think it's really important to learn from our elders and, well, quite frankly, i think the worst thing in the world is to be forgotten. and i dont want to forget my grandmother, great aunt, or have their stories forgotten. AND i think it might be helpful for others to see how dementia has affected the lives of my family. so... in that spirit, please welcome story number 1 from my grandmother...
the other day, i called my grandma and 1) she was SHOCKED that i am moving back to beantown. even though i have had this planned for 2 months and have told her many times. THEN she proceeded to call me "a brat." three times. i kid you not. here was part of our conversation:
me: "hi, grandma, it's me." [except i really said my name, not "me"]just like that. a statement. i was a brat. so i asked why and she explained that she would worry about me and my unnecessarily making her worry makes me a brat. i tried to assuage her fears and told her that i was going to drive carefully, not drive a lot each day and would call her every day. she seemed to feel better about the decision. so we went back to talking about saturday.
gma: "hi there. how are you?"
me: "i'm fine, how are you?"
gma: "oh, i'm good. bored. not doing anything."
me: "oh yeah? did you just watch days of our lives?"
gma: "days? oh! i forgot!"
me: "oh really? i purposefully waited to call you because i thought you would be watching days of our lives."
gma: "oh yeah, i guess i forgot today. that happens sometimes."
me: "yeah, it's no big deal. so, it'll be a few days and i'll see you again!"
gma: "oh yeah? you're coming home?"
me: "yeah, i'm coming home on saturday and we're having a party for my going away."
gma: "you're going away?"
me: "yeah, i'm moving to boston."
gma: "what?! boston?!"
me: "yeah, i have a job and i'm moving in with a friend."
gma: "well, are you moving your stuff?"
me: "yeah, i've rented a moving truck and i'm driving it there."
gma: "you're driving it to boston?"
me: "yes"
gma: "by yourself?"
me: "yes"
gma: "you little BRAT."
me: "what?! grandma, did you just call me a brat??"
gma: "yes, i can't believe you're driving the truck by yourself. are you driving it yourself?"
me: "yes, i'm driving it myself."
gma: "well, you're a brat then."
gma: "so you're coming home?"...
me: "yes, i'm coming home on saturday."
gma: "what day is it?"
me: "today is tuesday. i'll be home this saturday."
gma: "you'll be home saturday?"
me: "yes, and we're having a party that night."
gma: "oh, i like parties."
me: "yeah, it'll be fun. we're gonna have sloppy joes and play whist and other board games."
gma: "are you having a party saturday night?"
and such is the mind of a woman with advanced dementia. they say that dementia is actually hardest for the people AROUND the person with dementia because the patient doesn't realize/remember that he/she is forgetful, repetitive, etc. which is sad, but at the same time, helpful. its certainly something to keep in mind.
have you any experience with alzeheimers or dementia?
["memories" is the instrumental song by harold faltermeyer from top gun. its played during the part after goose dies and they show maverick really upset about it. not used here to forecast death, but because i'm making my own memories...]
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
"you've earned every squeeze"
ok. enough is enough. i've said this for EVER and... well, its time. effective my birthday, next week, i am quitting facebook. i can't come up with a reason to keep using it aside from keeping in touch with my high school crush. and, let's be honest. i'm not REALLY keeping in touch with him other than checking every now and then to see if he is still dating that skanky whore. no, i'm kidding. i'm sure she's... ummm, yeah.
i actually started this rambling on february 22. thats almost 3 months ago! and since then, i've been saving any facebook article i find and there are a LOT. and NONE of them are GOOD. privacy issues here, data mining there. how is the "networking" that it provides worth all of these issues? i don't get it. i just dont get it. and i even gave it a shot. the past few weeks, i have logged in often and tried doing those stupid updates and its really uninteresting to me. and then when facebook changed their privacy settings, all these people who i hardly know and some i dont even like, tried to be friends with me! and i dont want to be a bitch and NOT friend them, but at the same time... they're NOT my friends! why should i give them access to my updates and my actual friends and ... well, everything. and i absolutely HATE it when people "tag" me in those stupid photos! its really effing annoying. i don't appreciate people posting pictures of me that their "friends" who i dont know, can see. ugh! its so frustrating. so i'm quitting. i'm stopping. i'm out. as of next week. we'll give HIM a week to get in touch with me. we'll see what happens. wink, wink.
so that you can see just how DIRE the situation is with facebook and your privacy and the scariness of it all, check out these articles - i'll try to summarize them for you. but sometimes, the title just says it all. (oh, but before that, this was pretty great about facebook owning south dakota. i'm just glad its not north.) to begin, you can check out this facebook timeline.
IF you are going to keep your facebook account (i dont know WHY), then please please please read this article about restoring your privacy. if you're all about deleting your accounts, like me, check out this article on how to delete them forever (on many different social networks). this one is specifically for deleting facebook forever. and if you do, as i will next week, we won't be the only ones doing it. check out this article about how many people are searching to delete their accounts.
phew. i'm tired. exhausted, even. just from rereading all these articles and summarizing them. think about it people. is it worth it??
oh, and the final straw that just came out today - delete your account, but they're keeping your information.
[i'm writing this as i watch dwts from last night and just heard tom bergeron say "you've earned every squeeze" and thought it was just... hilariously perfect.]
i actually started this rambling on february 22. thats almost 3 months ago! and since then, i've been saving any facebook article i find and there are a LOT. and NONE of them are GOOD. privacy issues here, data mining there. how is the "networking" that it provides worth all of these issues? i don't get it. i just dont get it. and i even gave it a shot. the past few weeks, i have logged in often and tried doing those stupid updates and its really uninteresting to me. and then when facebook changed their privacy settings, all these people who i hardly know and some i dont even like, tried to be friends with me! and i dont want to be a bitch and NOT friend them, but at the same time... they're NOT my friends! why should i give them access to my updates and my actual friends and ... well, everything. and i absolutely HATE it when people "tag" me in those stupid photos! its really effing annoying. i don't appreciate people posting pictures of me that their "friends" who i dont know, can see. ugh! its so frustrating. so i'm quitting. i'm stopping. i'm out. as of next week. we'll give HIM a week to get in touch with me. we'll see what happens. wink, wink.
so that you can see just how DIRE the situation is with facebook and your privacy and the scariness of it all, check out these articles - i'll try to summarize them for you. but sometimes, the title just says it all. (oh, but before that, this was pretty great about facebook owning south dakota. i'm just glad its not north.) to begin, you can check out this facebook timeline.
- the article that got me thinking of the evilness of facebook - its potentially damaging to the environment
- but maybe that doesn't interest you. does facebook leaking email addresses bother you??
- not so much "bad news" but the realization that i was looking for a job, and the truth is - your facebook profile can only hurt you
- i have this same issue with google storing all this information about you so that it can create ads for you. great for marketers, not so great that my information is stored somewhere and someone can access it
- more bad news about facebook not caring about your privacy and just wanting cash - they give away your location even when your profile is set to private
- did you know that fb used to have partners delete your data after 24 hrs but now they don't?? who is storing your data? do you have any idea??
- they purposefully confuse their members so that they can get more cash. its all about the profits
- former employees are starting to sing about all the privacy issues
- oh! and don't get me started about the current employees spying on YOU. i dont want anyone else seeing how often i check so-and-sos profile
- five scary facebook monsters waiting to scare you
- franken - and how great is he?? - even says its not good (all the privacy issues, that is). listen up, people!
- oh and your IP addresses are leaked...
- oh and here's franken again and again - this time annoyed at the facebook ceos
- ok and its not just potential employees using facebook against people - creditors are, too!
- consumer reports even says that people are oversharing on facebook - be careful people!
- facebook privacy hole lets see where users go.
IF you are going to keep your facebook account (i dont know WHY), then please please please read this article about restoring your privacy. if you're all about deleting your accounts, like me, check out this article on how to delete them forever (on many different social networks). this one is specifically for deleting facebook forever. and if you do, as i will next week, we won't be the only ones doing it. check out this article about how many people are searching to delete their accounts.
phew. i'm tired. exhausted, even. just from rereading all these articles and summarizing them. think about it people. is it worth it??
oh, and the final straw that just came out today - delete your account, but they're keeping your information.
[i'm writing this as i watch dwts from last night and just heard tom bergeron say "you've earned every squeeze" and thought it was just... hilariously perfect.]
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
ain't that a shame
today didn't really turn out the way i thought it would. which is... fine, i guess. i mean, no guess. fine. just fine. i just dislike how i'm not able to turn around from one plan and do the backup plan. at least today anyway.
i knew today would be busy at work, so i got there pretty early. and from the moment i walked in, it was go go go go. i was initially going to leave around 2:30 to go to san fran to visit a friend, but then she turned out not to be in san fran, so we rescheduled for wednesday in modesto. i know, big excitement. but its ok. it works out better for me, i think because today was so busy. then my next plan was, since i got there early, i would leave around 4 to beat traffic. well, i ended up being there until 4:40 which meant i got on the highway at 4:42 and boy! what a difference those 42 minutes make! i thought for sure there would be way more traffic, but there was TONS LESS. it was great. i sped home, stopped at the post office and entered my FREEZING bedroom. it was literally 60 degrees in here. my feet were freezing. i had to put the heater on and its MAY. thats sad.
i am not even sure how i spent the rest of my evening. i talked to my "roommates" and that was fun. but now its 9:31 and i don't know what happened to my night! i was going to finish packing, write a bunch, catch up on some reading, finish my friend's business plan, etc. LOTS of stuff! and NONE of it got done. shame, shame, shame.
oh and guess what happened at work today. i was getting up from sitting for a meeting - only 30 min or so in the boss's office and bam! down i fell. i just crumpled to the ground. it wasn't as if i tripped or hit myself and fell, i literally had NO FEELING in my leg. i tried standing up and i just fell again. my coworker had to help me up. i have no idea what happened. i couldn't put any pressure on my right leg. it wasn't even as if it was asleep - it wasn't tingly at all. and i dont remember putting any pressure on it or sitting oddly during the meeting. everyone outside of the office heard this big crash, so they all stood up to look in on me. i wasn't embarrassed so much as worried - what the heck happened?? it was as if i was one-legged, and had centered my body as if i had two legs (but didn't). my coworker walked back to my desk with me and i had to look down and make sure my right foot was flat on the ground before putting any pressure on it. i got back to my desk and was still talking to my coworker. i started typing an email and both of my hands were shaking. i don't know if it was from nerves or connected to my (lack of) leg.
i mentioned my fall to my mom and we were talking about it and she brought up that maybe i had a pinched nerve in my back (or a slipped disk?). back pain is scary. i just sat up straighter as i typed that. ha. anyway, then i was talking to my "roommates" and we were talking about how bad back pain is and having back surgery would be bad. so i brought up how i swam for over an hour on saturday and last night i did yoga (which i haven't done in quite some time). i was going to go to the gym and / or do yoga tonight, but after talking about straining my back a bit more (and reading about slipped disks online), i decided to take it easy. i also called to try and get a massage in before i leave this week... i haven't heard back, but that would be ni-ice to get a rub-down this week. wait. is that dirty? i dont mean it to be. you know what i mean. totally innocent.
well i'm off to bed. i resolve to get at least ... THREE worthwhile things done after work tomorrow. no more wasting days! be productive, be be productive!
[fats domino provides today's entry title because i am so shameful for not getting things done. i have this song thanks to the american graffiti soundtrack. check it out.]
i knew today would be busy at work, so i got there pretty early. and from the moment i walked in, it was go go go go. i was initially going to leave around 2:30 to go to san fran to visit a friend, but then she turned out not to be in san fran, so we rescheduled for wednesday in modesto. i know, big excitement. but its ok. it works out better for me, i think because today was so busy. then my next plan was, since i got there early, i would leave around 4 to beat traffic. well, i ended up being there until 4:40 which meant i got on the highway at 4:42 and boy! what a difference those 42 minutes make! i thought for sure there would be way more traffic, but there was TONS LESS. it was great. i sped home, stopped at the post office and entered my FREEZING bedroom. it was literally 60 degrees in here. my feet were freezing. i had to put the heater on and its MAY. thats sad.
i am not even sure how i spent the rest of my evening. i talked to my "roommates" and that was fun. but now its 9:31 and i don't know what happened to my night! i was going to finish packing, write a bunch, catch up on some reading, finish my friend's business plan, etc. LOTS of stuff! and NONE of it got done. shame, shame, shame.
oh and guess what happened at work today. i was getting up from sitting for a meeting - only 30 min or so in the boss's office and bam! down i fell. i just crumpled to the ground. it wasn't as if i tripped or hit myself and fell, i literally had NO FEELING in my leg. i tried standing up and i just fell again. my coworker had to help me up. i have no idea what happened. i couldn't put any pressure on my right leg. it wasn't even as if it was asleep - it wasn't tingly at all. and i dont remember putting any pressure on it or sitting oddly during the meeting. everyone outside of the office heard this big crash, so they all stood up to look in on me. i wasn't embarrassed so much as worried - what the heck happened?? it was as if i was one-legged, and had centered my body as if i had two legs (but didn't). my coworker walked back to my desk with me and i had to look down and make sure my right foot was flat on the ground before putting any pressure on it. i got back to my desk and was still talking to my coworker. i started typing an email and both of my hands were shaking. i don't know if it was from nerves or connected to my (lack of) leg.
i mentioned my fall to my mom and we were talking about it and she brought up that maybe i had a pinched nerve in my back (or a slipped disk?). back pain is scary. i just sat up straighter as i typed that. ha. anyway, then i was talking to my "roommates" and we were talking about how bad back pain is and having back surgery would be bad. so i brought up how i swam for over an hour on saturday and last night i did yoga (which i haven't done in quite some time). i was going to go to the gym and / or do yoga tonight, but after talking about straining my back a bit more (and reading about slipped disks online), i decided to take it easy. i also called to try and get a massage in before i leave this week... i haven't heard back, but that would be ni-ice to get a rub-down this week. wait. is that dirty? i dont mean it to be. you know what i mean. totally innocent.
well i'm off to bed. i resolve to get at least ... THREE worthwhile things done after work tomorrow. no more wasting days! be productive, be be productive!
[fats domino provides today's entry title because i am so shameful for not getting things done. i have this song thanks to the american graffiti soundtrack. check it out.]
Monday, May 10, 2010
tell her about it
whew. what a weekend. i'm really sorry its over. i've been uber productive, but didn't get nearly enough done. take today, for instance. i wanted to write a post about my mom, in honor of mothers day. but i went to work and work has blocked blogger. what the hey. (or would that be hay?) and then i got home and i can't really think of what to say. i wanted to write a fabulous post about some great story about my mom, but i can't really think of one in particular because everything about her is fabulous. :) and i just write about whatever we do whenever we do it, so... happy mothers day, mom! love ya lots.
anyway, this is my last weekend in sacramento. i caught up on reading, movies, etc. i started packing, but didn't finish. oh, i joined a gym. ha. just kidding. not really. i really did join a gym, but only to the extent that i have a free one-week pass. i went to the gym a few times and went swimming for an hour yesterday. i went in to work today to get some work done. i did yoga. i wanted to blog more, but didn't get a chance to do that.
tomorrow will be super busy at work. we have to do post auction prep. then i am going to leave early to head to san fran to see my friend who is heading to asia for a few months. i hope to get back not-too-late so i can go swimming again. i love me some swimming. i guess tuesday i'll finish packing and blogging. i also have a TON of cards i need to write. i have lots of pictures from san diego i have to send to family members. i also have to start changing my address. and since i'll be gone from work for almost 2 weeks, i have a ton of stuff to do for that. oh! i also have to figure out my tickets to europe and any other time i'll be traveling in the next few months.
ok, i'm boring myself. the point is this: so much to do, so little time! what are you up to this week?
oh, and for fun, i've added another thing to my time enhancers section... this fun mario brothers throw-back game. enjoy!
[tell her about it is by billy joel. no real reason i picked it.]
anyway, this is my last weekend in sacramento. i caught up on reading, movies, etc. i started packing, but didn't finish. oh, i joined a gym. ha. just kidding. not really. i really did join a gym, but only to the extent that i have a free one-week pass. i went to the gym a few times and went swimming for an hour yesterday. i went in to work today to get some work done. i did yoga. i wanted to blog more, but didn't get a chance to do that.
tomorrow will be super busy at work. we have to do post auction prep. then i am going to leave early to head to san fran to see my friend who is heading to asia for a few months. i hope to get back not-too-late so i can go swimming again. i love me some swimming. i guess tuesday i'll finish packing and blogging. i also have a TON of cards i need to write. i have lots of pictures from san diego i have to send to family members. i also have to start changing my address. and since i'll be gone from work for almost 2 weeks, i have a ton of stuff to do for that. oh! i also have to figure out my tickets to europe and any other time i'll be traveling in the next few months.
ok, i'm boring myself. the point is this: so much to do, so little time! what are you up to this week?
oh, and for fun, i've added another thing to my time enhancers section... this fun mario brothers throw-back game. enjoy!
[tell her about it is by billy joel. no real reason i picked it.]
Saturday, May 8, 2010
presents to send you
i've been doing a lot of flying lately. which means i have been looking at the skymall magazine a lot. and i'm always intrigued by skymall magazines. they have such fun, useless stuff! who thinks up this stuff? and my mom keeps buggging me about what she should get me for my birthday. and now my friend in london is, too. which i don't really understand. since when are birthday gifts such a big deal?? but i dont really have a good answer on "what i want" for my birthday. i'm fortunate enough that if i want something, i usually just get it for myself. but, since my birthday is coming in T-11 days, i thought i would put some thoughts about the skymall magazine down for you. or them. or just to be fun. so here you go. birthday present ideas...
i'm flipping through the book and the first thing i see that i want is on pg 24 of the skymall magazine. and it's pretty effing fabulous. that's right: "the only underwater pogo stick." i mean, how many people have underwater pogo sticks?? my goal is rarely to look like or have the things that other people have. i think owning an underwater pogo stick would be a pretty distinctive thing to have. so that goes on the list.
then that makes me realize i dont have a pool, or access to a pool, so how would i use my underwater pogo stick? so i look for a pool in the magazine and find this: "swim at home year-round, indoors or out!" i'm realizing that the skymall magazine doesn't really "title" their products - they have these weird catchy phrases that are supposed to tell you what the product is. so i want the "swim at home year-round, indoors or out!" if you can't tell, it's a wave pool - big enough for just one person, but the pool pushes the water at you so you can swim laps without going anywhere. this is aweSOME. except the fastlane is $5,900 and that's the cheapest. i think i would definitely want the supreme fastlane pool, which is $10,900. i dont know what the difference is, but thats the one i want. the supreme fastlane.
the problem: its over $6,000.
but this gets me dreaming of my new apartment. which is kind of funny, now that i think about it. i'm already paying for it, but i don't live there quite yet. that's in T-16 days. is that 16? 24 minus today? i think so. anyway, this pool looks like its the perfect size to put in our garden outside. EXCEPT i have to take into account that boston is not northern california and i wouldn't be able to use the fastlane all year because boston gets a bit chilly. and the stupid skymall description doesn't say if the water is heated or not. so i think, then, that i'll put the pool in the dining room of my new apartment. that should give the whole place a great, clean, chlorine-smell. this gift is original, BUT it isn't cost efficient, so that's a bummer. gifts should also be a good mix between price (how much people spend) and how much enjoyment you'll get out of it. i'm not sure i'll get $10,000 of enjoyment out of my fastlane. maybe $9,000. but not 10.
so i think i should get something more practical. so i think this: the "skyrest travel pillow" because it says "this person is able to sleep comfortably in any seat! can you say the same? probably not, unless you have skyrest." and i don't have skyrest, so i can't say the same. and i am traveling more these days. and sleep is VERY important. but then i realize i'll just buy skyrest for myself - sleeping forward is the BEST way to go. so not on the list.
then i figure out what i really, truly, want for my birthday (or as my friend, w, says: "birfday"): pg 68 of he skymall magazine, aptly titled "the greatest gift... is to help others help themselves." i would like to "learn to play the piano anytime, anywhere!" with the "roll-up electric piano." it's perfect! i have ALWAYS wanted to learn to play piano. when i was little, i used to look in the midweek newspaper at all the ads and show my mom whenever there was a piano on sale. and we had the perfect place for it to go in our house - right under the stairs. alas, we never got one. and i never got to buy those fun "learn to play piano" books. i need some of those, too. i am so serious about this.
i can see it now: i'll learn to play piano, then i'll start writing songs, and i'll become a famous musician playing at the local seafood restaurant on friday nights. people will line up outside just to see me. it'll be fab-u-lous! so not only is this a great gift, its actually an investment in my future. just think of the earning potential!
thus, the perfect gift: not a lot of people have, portable, practical (but not in the i-would-buy-it-myself way), and an investment in my future!
[presents to send you is a song by jimmy buffett - used because he didn't sing a song called "presents to send me"]
i'm flipping through the book and the first thing i see that i want is on pg 24 of the skymall magazine. and it's pretty effing fabulous. that's right: "the only underwater pogo stick." i mean, how many people have underwater pogo sticks?? my goal is rarely to look like or have the things that other people have. i think owning an underwater pogo stick would be a pretty distinctive thing to have. so that goes on the list.
then that makes me realize i dont have a pool, or access to a pool, so how would i use my underwater pogo stick? so i look for a pool in the magazine and find this: "swim at home year-round, indoors or out!" i'm realizing that the skymall magazine doesn't really "title" their products - they have these weird catchy phrases that are supposed to tell you what the product is. so i want the "swim at home year-round, indoors or out!" if you can't tell, it's a wave pool - big enough for just one person, but the pool pushes the water at you so you can swim laps without going anywhere. this is aweSOME. except the fastlane is $5,900 and that's the cheapest. i think i would definitely want the supreme fastlane pool, which is $10,900. i dont know what the difference is, but thats the one i want. the supreme fastlane.the problem: its over $6,000.but this gets me dreaming of my new apartment. which is kind of funny, now that i think about it. i'm already paying for it, but i don't live there quite yet. that's in T-16 days. is that 16? 24 minus today? i think so. anyway, this pool looks like its the perfect size to put in our garden outside. EXCEPT i have to take into account that boston is not northern california and i wouldn't be able to use the fastlane all year because boston gets a bit chilly. and the stupid skymall description doesn't say if the water is heated or not. so i think, then, that i'll put the pool in the dining room of my new apartment. that should give the whole place a great, clean, chlorine-smell. this gift is original, BUT it isn't cost efficient, so that's a bummer. gifts should also be a good mix between price (how much people spend) and how much enjoyment you'll get out of it. i'm not sure i'll get $10,000 of enjoyment out of my fastlane. maybe $9,000. but not 10.
so i think i should get something more practical. so i think this: the "skyrest travel pillow" because it says "this person is able to sleep comfortably in any seat! can you say the same? probably not, unless you have skyrest." and i don't have skyrest, so i can't say the same. and i am traveling more these days. and sleep is VERY important. but then i realize i'll just buy skyrest for myself - sleeping forward is the BEST way to go. so not on the list.
then i figure out what i really, truly, want for my birthday (or as my friend, w, says: "birfday"): pg 68 of he skymall magazine, aptly titled "the greatest gift... is to help others help themselves." i would like to "learn to play the piano anytime, anywhere!" with the "roll-up electric piano." it's perfect! i have ALWAYS wanted to learn to play piano. when i was little, i used to look in the midweek newspaper at all the ads and show my mom whenever there was a piano on sale. and we had the perfect place for it to go in our house - right under the stairs. alas, we never got one. and i never got to buy those fun "learn to play piano" books. i need some of those, too. i am so serious about this.i can see it now: i'll learn to play piano, then i'll start writing songs, and i'll become a famous musician playing at the local seafood restaurant on friday nights. people will line up outside just to see me. it'll be fab-u-lous! so not only is this a great gift, its actually an investment in my future. just think of the earning potential!thus, the perfect gift: not a lot of people have, portable, practical (but not in the i-would-buy-it-myself way), and an investment in my future!
[presents to send you is a song by jimmy buffett - used because he didn't sing a song called "presents to send me"]
Thursday, May 6, 2010
don't call it a comeback...
whoa nelly!
this is the longest i've gone without writing in .... a few months? i'm not sure. apologies. i have been uber busy at work and then at night, i come home and am tired and sometimes the internet doesn't work. oh, and i have self diagnosed bronchitis, which since that affects the mind, means i can't write. :)
so what's been going on people? for me, a few things. i finalized my new assignment at work. i start in boston at the office on may 27. i am leaving smf on may 15 and then get to far that day. i am having a party for myself, fyi, if you want to come, that night - its a birthday party / going away / celebrate my soon-to-be sister-in-law's graduation from grad school. that makes her, officially, the smartest person in my family. (or will make her - still a week+ away. ha) it will be a fun barbeque-type night with lots of board games and whist playing. woop woop. i have been planning for my trip, which is keeping me busy. i had to reorder my bed and get a split box frame so i can get it in the door of my new apartment. i did that yesterday, so check that off the list. i've been contemplating getting the chair or not...
oh! that reminds me - maybe i shall ask you all... what is the optimal way of packing a u-haul? pack the mattress first or last? i can understand first because then you can put all the boxes in behind it and its just another wall. i can also understand last because then you move that in first and can set that up. anyone an expert packer? what say you? maybe i just put it in FIRST but put it on the side of the truck so that when i get to my destination, i can pull it out first... ??
anyway, back to the trip. i leave on my birthday and am heading to minneapolis that night. i'll be staying with my cousin and her husband in their fancy new house. then i head to milwaukee to stay with a friend from high school. that should be fun. the next night i will be in columbus having fun in my old stomping ground. then i plan to spend two days in syracuse with my aunt and uncle and then head to bos. i haven't had any worries about this trip at all, until a few nights ago when i had a bad dream about it. that started me worrying. do i have to stop at all the weigh stations? what if i hit a bridge that i dont fit under? my issue with this is - how will i know beforehand?? and im not super crazy about trying to park this thing in some of the cities... what is the car breaks down? or i fall asleep and drive off the road?? that would suck.
back to why i've been busy. we had an auction at work. so i've been getting in at 7 quite a few days (not today). last night was cinco de mayo, obviously, but that means its also one of my best friends bdays - woot woot! happy bday, w!
oh. that came out really small. hmph.
in any case, i was going to blog last night, but i went out for a margarita (or 3) with some friends. it was fun. i got home at 11 or so, and i dont like to go to sleep right away, so i stayed up for an hour to let my body process the alcohol. i'm super smaht like that.
i'm in sac for a little over a week and i have tons of stuff to do during that time. the first thing, i have to get to work. so catch you on the flip side. (i've got a ton of posts almost-ready, so be sure to check back!)
oh, and thank you all for playing. maybe i'll put some fun links here of things that have amused me lately...
this is the longest i've gone without writing in .... a few months? i'm not sure. apologies. i have been uber busy at work and then at night, i come home and am tired and sometimes the internet doesn't work. oh, and i have self diagnosed bronchitis, which since that affects the mind, means i can't write. :)
so what's been going on people? for me, a few things. i finalized my new assignment at work. i start in boston at the office on may 27. i am leaving smf on may 15 and then get to far that day. i am having a party for myself, fyi, if you want to come, that night - its a birthday party / going away / celebrate my soon-to-be sister-in-law's graduation from grad school. that makes her, officially, the smartest person in my family. (or will make her - still a week+ away. ha) it will be a fun barbeque-type night with lots of board games and whist playing. woop woop. i have been planning for my trip, which is keeping me busy. i had to reorder my bed and get a split box frame so i can get it in the door of my new apartment. i did that yesterday, so check that off the list. i've been contemplating getting the chair or not...
oh! that reminds me - maybe i shall ask you all... what is the optimal way of packing a u-haul? pack the mattress first or last? i can understand first because then you can put all the boxes in behind it and its just another wall. i can also understand last because then you move that in first and can set that up. anyone an expert packer? what say you? maybe i just put it in FIRST but put it on the side of the truck so that when i get to my destination, i can pull it out first... ??
anyway, back to the trip. i leave on my birthday and am heading to minneapolis that night. i'll be staying with my cousin and her husband in their fancy new house. then i head to milwaukee to stay with a friend from high school. that should be fun. the next night i will be in columbus having fun in my old stomping ground. then i plan to spend two days in syracuse with my aunt and uncle and then head to bos. i haven't had any worries about this trip at all, until a few nights ago when i had a bad dream about it. that started me worrying. do i have to stop at all the weigh stations? what if i hit a bridge that i dont fit under? my issue with this is - how will i know beforehand?? and im not super crazy about trying to park this thing in some of the cities... what is the car breaks down? or i fall asleep and drive off the road?? that would suck.
back to why i've been busy. we had an auction at work. so i've been getting in at 7 quite a few days (not today). last night was cinco de mayo, obviously, but that means its also one of my best friends bdays - woot woot! happy bday, w!
oh. that came out really small. hmph.in any case, i was going to blog last night, but i went out for a margarita (or 3) with some friends. it was fun. i got home at 11 or so, and i dont like to go to sleep right away, so i stayed up for an hour to let my body process the alcohol. i'm super smaht like that.
i'm in sac for a little over a week and i have tons of stuff to do during that time. the first thing, i have to get to work. so catch you on the flip side. (i've got a ton of posts almost-ready, so be sure to check back!)
oh, and thank you all for playing. maybe i'll put some fun links here of things that have amused me lately...
- an article which says that purses are not an investment. pishaw! actually, i agree with this, BUT i still like fancy bags. what say you?
- this is crazy - things you didn't know google maps could do. i'm leery of google (despite me using it, i know) because they are so big and have soo much information of mine. i dont think i like it... but i dont dislike it more than i like the product (for now)
- article on missing golf balls and how they affect the environment. i would have never thought of that! and rather than getting worried, dear brothers and father (and other golf lovers), i will not start berating you for your un-environmentally friendly (potentially) past time. (yet) BUT it does mean i should go on the golf course more often with you and go fetch golf balls!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
dream apartment - 26
if i can't have a hidden passageway, i'll settle for an invisible wardrobe, or both. i like that it hides things, but mostly i like that its called a jaboopee.
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