Barb's Burblings

Today we had our monthly

Today we had our monthly division meeting, which is when my department and two others get together and update each other. It started with the head of the division acknowledging people who’ve been working hard lately, and she acknowledged me! It was great! I felt loved. Particularly because she was going on and forgot to mention Suzanne. Heh. I guess I just make people think I’m working more than Suzanne does. Excellent. It is all going according to plan.

Jody and Steve: Feel better soon.

Current song in my head:
“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls

Anyone else feel really bad

Anyone else feel really bad for Afghanistan? They just can't catch a break.

Here’s a tip for you:

Here’s a tip for you: If you’re having a low self-esteem day, don’t weigh yourself unless you’re absolutely positive you’ve lost weight. Otherwise, it leads to depression, conviction that you’ll die a tragic spinster, and a craving for jellybeans. Mmm, jellybeans. No! Besides, Meghan made Easter cookies. They’re shortbread, and mine is a duck! She frosted it and everything. Very cute. And large.

Me? Random? Never!

Current song in my head:
“Arms Wide Open” by Creed

Today is the fourth Sunday

Today is the fourth Sunday of the month, which means that I spent my afternoon docenting in the Hands on Science Room at the National Museum of American History. As it was a nice day, I got off the Metro at Metro Center and walked down to the museum (instead of transferring and going to the Smithsonian stop). Today was also the first annual Washington, D.C. Marathon. And I was walking right across it. Where I crossed it was maybe a block from where it ended, and I happened to be going by about 4½ hours after the marathon started, so there were a lot of runners finishing up. It was just this great moment--hundreds of runners going by, crowds cheering, music blaring, and an announcer pumping up the crowd and giving the names of the finishers. I stopped and watched for a few minutes. It was very happy. Then, during my break, I wandered outside and grabbed a hot dog for lunch, gave some change to a guy playing Beatles music, and sat on the Mall. It was a beautiful day.

Current song in my head:
"This is the Time" by Billy Joel

This weekend is Wide World

This weekend is Wide World Jammy Day. The theory is to spend one day this weekend in your pajamas. Just stay in the house, watch a movie, hang out. It's really for family bonding, but any excuse to just stay in the pajamas is a good one. Of course, it conflicts with my two plans for the weekend: 1) See Sorority Boys (just shut up, okay?); and 2) Docent at the Smithsonian. Oh well. No jammy day for me this weekend.

So, anyone want to do my work for me? I find myself very unmotivated...

Current song in my head:
"I've Seen Better Days"

I was listening to the

I was listening to the radio and they did one of those "Playing the best of the 80's [song clip], 90's [song clip], and today [song clip]!" And they vary them, so there are different songs. And I realized that they've had ones with U2 songs in each time period. "Pride (In the Name of Love" for 80's, "Mysterious Ways" for 90's, and "Stuck In A Moment" or "Beautiful Day" for "today." It amused me.

I'm also very happy because a) my boyfriend Timothy Goebel won silver in the world championships (he's so cute!), and b) I finally downloaded the song "At This Moment." It's the song from Family Ties when Ellen left Alex. It's the little things, okay? Now I must run and nurse Timothy back to health. He has bronchitis. (Just let me live in my fantasy world, okay?).

Current song in my head:
"Then the Morning Comes" by Smashmouth

Damn the Kennedy Center! First

Damn the Kennedy Center! First with its Sondheim Celebration. I’m going to see Company with dcplay, but I also want to see Passion. And Sunday in the Park with George. And Sweeney Todd. Then I find out that Tell Me On a Sunday will also be playing (in December). And a Reduced Shakespeare show (June 2003). And the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is coming (in April 2003) as well. Oh, this blasted weakness for musicals! And good theatre! It taunts me by saying there are $20 seats to the Sondheim shows, but I can’t find them. Oh, cruel, cruel website.

Current song in my head:
“Variations 1-9” by Andrew Lloyd Webber

I think I’ve managed to

I think I’ve managed to confuse everyone at work. After a four-day weekend, I’m supposed to be all rested and refreshed and ready for work. But I am so not. I feel all headachy and tired and very not good. We’ll see how I do this afternoon, but I may have to leave early and sleep. Stupid Smarch weather. It was 80 degrees on Friday; yesterday it snowed. No wonder we’re all getting sick. Anyway, it was a good weekend. So I came back to work finding contract problems and annoying assignments from my boss. And I don’t have the motivation to deal with any of it. On the plus side, I got a bonus, thanks to the kick-ass performance review Krishni gave me. Also, Meghan is moving into Krishni’s old office. I won’t be so lonely. Yay!

Yes, this entry is "uninteresting." Sorry, Brent.

Current song in my head:
I don’t have one. Once again, I’m using my energy to control a headache.

Sars wrote a piece about

Sars wrote a piece about how mean girls can be, and right there were all these horrible memories of middle school. Did anyone have an enjoyable experience in middle school? Did anyone like it? Everyone I’ve talked to hated middle school. So does that mean that the people who tormented me in 7th and 8th grade didn’t like doing it? The thing that got me about how these people treated me was not that they were blatantly mean…it was a mocking friendliness. Thank God they stopped once we got to high school.

Then, in the forums, someone wrote how she wants a daughter, and wants her daughter to grow up and go to parties and have a boyfriend and be popular. Which immediately made me think of a line from Carousel, when Billy finds out that Julie is pregnant and he’s imagining what it’ll be like to have a child. He’s wondering about being a father to a daughter (“You can have fun with a son, but you’ve gotta be a father to a girl”), and sings, “Dozens of boys pursue her / Many a likely lad / Does what he can to woo her / From her faithful dad.” And then I wonder if my parents are ever disappointed in me. I mean, I know they love me, and are proud of me. I’m fairly smart, did well in school, was involved in activities, got a good job, have a group of good friends. But in high school, I was definitely nowhere near popular. And boys…Kathy didn’t get a boyfriend until she was in college. Me? I have yet to have a boyfriend. Which, believe you me, bothers me a lot. But I wonder how much it bothers my parents.

I don’t know. I’m just tired and over-worked and stressed right now, and really looking forward to Becca coming and taking Thursday and Friday off.

Current song in my head:
“Hands Clean” by Alanis Morissette

Do you secretly want to

Do you secretly want to be a villain, but can't think of an eeevil plot? Help is on the way! Head over to the Villanous Plot Generator.

If you can't build up the motivation to carry out the evil plot, feel free to read my blathering. Last night I was home alone, and "Haunted History" was on the History Channel. Sadly enough, I was getting all freaked out by it. I think being home alone in a house is a lot freakier than being home alone in an efficiency. But want to hear the really sad part? It was showing "Ghosts of Gettysburg." I was scared, even though I've told those stories a bajillion times. And it's not like the quality of the show was that great, either. *sigh*

Current song in my head:
"No Matter What" from Whistle Down the Wind

Which action filmstar are

Which action filmstar are you?

You will not be fucked with. You're a streetwise veteran who often works alone. Sometimes you may seem a little crazy, but no one will ever disrespect you. And live. You don't get a lot of nookie, but you once had a fucked-up relationship with Michelle Pfeiffer. You've commanded respect in movies such as Ronin, The Godfather, Goodfellas, Jackie Brown, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull.

I was very tempted this

I was very tempted this morning to go and get an egg sandwich from the café down the street. Fortunately, someone brought in muffins! So now I’m all content and I didn’t have to spend any money. Mmm, muffins. I just wish there were corn muffins. I used to love those, but you never ever see them.

So yesterday I was at work late (stupid work piling up; I blame Krishni for it all, even though it would be just as bad if she was still here), and Suzanne came up to me at 5:30, which is the time she normally leaves. She’s all, “I’m leaving now.” Me: “OK. Have a good night.” S: “I would stay later, but I have to meet friends.” B: “Umm, that’s great. Have fun.” S: “I’ll be staying late tomorrow night.” B: “OK. Well, enjoy yourself.”

I don’t care when she leaves. I don’t care if she works late. I don’t know why she feels that if I need to stay late, she should have to, as well. Unless it’s because in our meeting with Jeff earlier in the day, Jeff was asking questions that she should be able to answer and I could answer them better than she could. Because she’s an idiot. I’m just saying.

Current song in my head:
“Drops of Jupiter” by Train

Paul McCartney is coming to

Paul McCartney is coming to D.C. on April 23 (YAY!!!). I am so there. Woo! And Krishni is going with me, which makes it even happier. We both keep giggling about it. But anyway, last night I had this dream that I was going to get tickets, and I showed up at like 6 a.m. (tickets on sale at 10 a.m.). But I stayed in my car and I fell asleep, and when I woke up, they were sold out! It was very traumatizing. However, he was randomly playing at the 9:30 Club, and I either got tickets for that, or got a discount for tickets for that. Strange.

Current song in my head:
Finale to The Muppet Movie

I roll in the

I roll in the hay with Hobbits

That's just a bad picture. I apparently am a Merry girl. Hee! It says, "You're either very greedy or afraid of commitment. What you lust after in Merry is a man who can be your best friend and a fun roll in the hay at the same time, one who can laugh off problems in the heartbeat. However, he can also laugh at that weird birthmark on your ass. At least you don't have to worry about cold feet under the covers." I will just have to help Merry realize that even though Pippin is cuter, Merry is not Indistinguishable Backup Hobbit.