Today is a glorious day: sunny, warm, perfect for wandering around in. And the past two days at work have been so nice. My books are at the printer. It's quieting down. True, I'm now surrounded by stacks and stacks of page proofs that need to be organized and filed...but right now I'm enjoying it. My mom is visiting on Sunday and Monday, which will be nice (though it means I need to clean). I'm just in a pleasant frame of mind.
There was one discordant note, though. I went to Giant to pick up lunch and as I walked back, I passed a restaurant that had closed. There's nothing really surprising in that; restaurants close all the time. But it was the place that Krishni had taken me my first day on the job. It's kind of sad to see it gone.
Current song in my head:
"Every Little Thing" by Raul Malo
Swell. In addition to the upcoming cicada invasion, we have to deal with the snakeheads (a.k.a., the scary fish that can breathe air and move across land) coming back. And this time, closer to me.
I was listening to the radio this morning and the dj's mentioned a concert this summer: Alanis Morrissette and Barenaked Ladies. August 10. The Merriweather Post Pavilion. It's not up on Ticketmaster yet, but dude, that would be awesome.
A belated edit to note that August 10 is the day before Becca's birthday!
So last night Carrie and I were watching Unwrapped, which was spotlighting Tootsie Rolls. They started played an old commercial and Carrie and I immediately both start singing along:
The world looks mighty good to me
Cause Tootsie Rolls are all I see
Whatever it is I think I see
Becomes a Tootsie Roll to me
Yep. This is what we retain. At least the jingle writer can rest easy, knowing he's done his job successfully.
I was not in a good mood this morning. I really didn't want to wake up and then was in one of those I hate the world, yes, this means you! moods where I just didn't want to deal with anyone. But I'm in a decent mood now. Maybe it was going to Free Scoop Day at Ben & Jerry (and tomorrow night is Baskin Robbins's Free Scoop Night). Maybe it was depositing my tax refund. I don't know. But I'm fairly chipper now. So that's good.
And I'm looking forward to a trip to Target tonight. It's kind of sad.
Current song in my head:
"Waterfalls" by TLC
I had a great weekend. First, I found myself paint-covered on Friday after spending most of the day fixing up a house with Rebuilding Together. I still may have a drip or two of paint in my hair, but what can you do?
Then I headed up to Baltimore to watch some baseball and be an extra on The West Wing. In the season finale, President Bartlet goes to Camden Yards and throws the first pitch; naturally, I had to be there (even though I haven't watched TWW this season). The game was delayed by a torrential downpour for an hour, but then it stopped. Martin Sheen came out and they filmed four takes of him throwing the first pitch (after the announcement, "And now, the President of the United States!" and much cheering from the crowd and waving from him). He did OK his first two throws; not so much his last two throws. Also, Martin Sheen is wee; very short. Dave and I (having left Amber and Amber's coworkers to the dryness of the overhang) were sitting on the third base line, fairly close in. It rocked. Then the game got underway. We snuck down and sat in the second row for 2 innings before getting booted from the section (by a very rude usher). I was very disappointed, having looked forward to declaring my affection to Brian and Larry should they be stopped at 3rd for any period of time (which they both were, the next inning; argh!). But it all worked out, as we wound up sitting in a section surrounded by a large group of fun folks, behind some of Brent's students with fantastic signs for both of my boyfriends, as well as signs for 3 or 4 other players. Plus, the O's whupped the Blue Jays (we definitely went to the right game of the series, seeing how they lost the other two). So it was all good.
Carrie and I finally made it to the movies on Saturday, seeing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and 13 Going On 30. I really enjoyed them both, though they're obviously quite different. We wound up at the Silver Diner for dinner, where I got these fantastic Thai chicken kebab things that came with this fantastic ranch/wasabi sauce. Mmm. And we finally finished watching the first season of The Office.
Sunday I had HOSC so I headed downtown in a Metro car packed with folks heading downtown to participate in the March for Women's Lives. It was actually really cool to be in the midst of that. All of these people (hundreds of thousands) all gathered for one purpose. There was definitely an air of camaraderie. It's odd living in this area; you hear about a lot of protests, but much of the time it's in relation to traffic ("You'll want to avoid Foggy Bottom due to street closures for the IMF/World Bank protests" or "The following streets are closed for the gun march: Constitution..." etc.). But it's still neat to go and see them and experience them (and odd; a number of times I've been downtown for whatever reason, only to see a random protest go by). And it's particularly nice when you agree with what they're marching for. Plus, the museum was fairly empty, so it made for a nice afternoon.
I'm in a fairly chipper mood now. Good weekend, and I have no after work commitments this week--no tutoring, no book club. Mmm. Plus, it's all downhill at work after this week. My books need to be at the printer next week, so it's our final push. It'll all be OK; I have faith. And my mom is visiting on Sunday! Yay!
Current song in my head:
"Rockin' the Suburbs" by Ben Folds
Well, judging from his performance tonight, Brian was clearly worried about possibly losing my affections to his teammate. He was awesome. And I saw him interviewed after the game. So cute. Great smile. Nice eyes. But we'll have to see how he does tomorrow night, when I head to another game. He and Bigbie will have another chance to fight for my affection.
Oh, and I added a couple pictures to my College and Barb photo albums, so check it out!
Current song in my head:
"Back to Good" by Matchbox 20
OK, so last night may not have been the best game to go to for my first baseball game of the season. It was chilly and windy, and the O's lost 7-3. But still, it was fun. I love baseball. And hanging out with Jody and Dave was excellent. Plus, I have a new Reserve Oriole Boyfriend! He's tall and cute and left-handed and exactly one year older than me. Plus, he actually had a hit last night, which more than what my Starting Oriole Boyfriend can say. I'll have to see how they do; Brian might get bumped to the bench if he's not careful (and, of course, there's always the possibility that Hairston will come back and Brian will get traded, but I'm not thinking about that).
Current song in my head:
"Centerfield" by John Fogerty
Blender magazine is clearly smoking crack. They released their picks of the worst songs of all top. Top of the list: "We Built This City" by Starship. Other choices include "Achy Breaky Heart," "Don't Worry, Be Happy," "American Life," and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight." Lest you think it only includes songs from the past 20 years, there is also a Beatles song on there: "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da." Evidently the people at Blender have never read Dave Barry's take on the worst songs of all time. His top pick was, if I recall, "MacArthur Park," which includes the lyrics
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!
In what way is "We Built This City" worse than that?
I have the desire to go to an Orioles game tonight. I don't know if it's the warm weather, or the fact that they're currently at the top of the AL East, or if it's just because I want to see a game live instead of watching it on tv or reading about in the paper. Plus, the fate of my boyfriend Brian Roberts is up in the air; he's doing well, but who knows what will happen when my other boyfriend Jerry Hairston comes off the injured list. I'm trying to talk my mom into going to a game when she's here on May 3; they're giving away t-shirts! How could you not want to go? But we'll see.
Current song in my head:
"Christmas is All Around" by Billy Nighy (or, should I say, Billy Mack)
Ah, springtime. The trees are blooming, the temperature is rising, and my car is covered in a layer of pollen. My eyes are itchy and my nose is runny. Yay?
Great article about "friend-crushes" that I really can relate to. The thing that got me, though, was this quote:
Apparently, no one talks about the friend-crush, about the fact that it's quite common, that it usually seems to be the guy doing the crushing, and that it is endemic to high schools and college campuses.
Wow. Is this true? The article has story after story of guys who like girls and the girls not realizing it. I guess I've just dealt with this too many times from the other side of the equation--being the one with the crush, not being the one crushed on (which, as far as I know, has happened to me maybe once). So the thought that there are these guys who are secretly longing for the girl...Just bizarre. This is why I like movies like French Kiss, where you see the guy crushing on the girl. It's a nice change from movies of girls sitting around pining for romance.
And then the line about "Oh, girls just want jerks." SO not true. Well, OK, not true for me. Or any of my friends. We just want nice guys. Really! I swear. It's frequently combined with the assertion that girls play games. Which is a two-way street, because guys are just as bad. (And also stupid. But I'm biased.)
It's kind of shock that anyone manages to find a mate.
Current song in my head:
"My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors" by Moxy Fruvous
It was lovely this morning. I had my windows open and the fan going and with the early morning light and the nice breeze and the cat curled up next to me...I was content. I could've just hit snooze forever. Stupid having to get up.
Anyway, I had a great weekend. On Friday I went on a date with a married man. Dave and I headed to his law review banquet and were amused by the looks people gave me when they found out that I wasn't Amber. Anyway, it was a good time that included free food, excellent cannolis, and meeting some really cool people. Saturday I tutored, napped, and hung out with Brent, Katie, Steve, and Dave in an evening that involved more Italian food and Risk. Yesterday I did laundry, exchanged my winter wardrobe for my summer one, and did some work. Except for the work...this was a fantastic weekend.
I forgot how much I like wandering around the apartment in shorts and a t-shirt, barefoot. I feel much more free than in the winter, when I have on 20 layers and am shivering under a blanket.
Now I feel all cute. I'm wearing clothes that I bought this winter and feel all summery in my jean skirt and light top. And sandals! Yay! I also recently bought some really cute pajamas. Whee! I'm still not big into shopping, but I enjoy it more now than I used to. Of course, I used to have money, but now I don't. Which doesn't work out so well.
It's supposed to hot again today (highs near 90), but then it's supposed to dip into the much more comfortable 70s. Yay! Of course, I prefer this 90-degree weather to what we'll be getting in June and July...now we have the heat without the humidity. Which is much easier to deal with. Spring is good.
Current song in my head:
"Sunshine Day" by the Brady Bunch
This morning I was walking through the Metro parking lot when I saw a lone Canadian goose on one of the medians. My thought process went something like this:
Wow, that's odd. You usually don't see just a single goose without another around. I wonder where the others are. Looks at goose. Aww, he's cute. Pause, watch as goose starts to waddle away. Huh. Weird. It's like geese have legs, but they don't have arms. I mean, they have wings, but when they're not flying, it looks like the wings are part of their torso. So it's just like, legs, a large roundish thing, long neck, and head. Dude, birds look weird! They don't have arms!
This, my friends, is why you don't want to try to deal with me in the morning.
Anyway, today brought one of the sure signs of impending summer: the thwap-thwapping of sandals in the hallway.
Current song in my head:
"Never is Enough" by Barenaked Ladies
Because I enjoy talking about myself and want to avoid working...
1) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says: "D. J. Cohen, A. M. Donnellan, & R. Paul" (from the reference page of one of our books)
2) Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first? A stack of photocopies of tables and figures that we don't have permission to use
3) What is the last thing you watched on TV? The Today Show
4) WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is: 8:45
5) Now look at the clock, what is the actual time? 8:50
6) With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? I can hear the guy down the hall talking on the phone, but it's still fairly quiet
7) When did you last step outside? What were you doing? This morning, coming in to work
8 ) Before you came to this website, what did you look at? I was running through the blogs that I check every day
9) What are you wearing? Black pants and a light blue button-down top
10) Did you dream last night? What about? I did, but I can't remember what about
11) When did you last laugh? Last night, watching Will & Grace
12) What is on the walls of the room you are in? A bulletin board covered in pictures, comics, my calendar, some postcards, and a bunch of work-related pieces of paper; the rest of the walls are bare
13) Seen anything weird lately? There's a new bank opening near my office, and for the last two days at the Metro as I'm leaving work, there's been a guy dressed up as the bank's logo--like, in one of those large plush outfit things, but it's basically just a large rectangle with the bank's logo
14) What do you think of this quiz? It's keeping me amused and helping me avoid work, so I like it
15) What is the last film you saw? In the theater, Starsky & Hutch
16) If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? A new car--a Prius
17) Tell me something about you that I don't know: I'm perpetually convinced that I either have a sore throat or am getting a sore throat
18 ) If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? End all wars, having all sides be happy with the outcomes
19) Do you like to dance? I love to dance! I don't even need music playing--the music in my head is enough.
20) Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? Delia
21) Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? Maybe Fred, after my father (and his father and grandfather)
22) Would you ever consider living abroad? Yes, I can imagine living in London or maybe Edinburgh, but I don't know about anywhere else
I'm trying to proofread this chapter. I say "trying" because I keep running into things like this: "Clients also may lack effective lateral pinch and therefore may benefit from a transfer of the brachioradialis to the tendon of the flexor pollicis longus. The transfer of the pronator teres to the flexor digitorum profundus may allow for active finder flexion and extension." Try proofreading when your eyes keep glazing over. Doesn't help.
Which is better: To spend your tax refund on something you know will be good for your current mental state, or to use it to pay off credit cards, which may be better for you overall? Spending now will make me feel better, but using it to chip away at credit card debt will probably also help relieve me of stress. Stupid decisions.
It turns out that I was just incompetent when I tried to install a new headlight in my car. I went today to get the oil changed, and the guys at Jiffy Lube managed to put in a headlight that works. I guess I'm just not mechanically inclined.
I was very out of it when I woke up this morning. For one thing, it was still dark out and I expected it to be light. And the radio was playing songs from Jesus Christ Superstar, which convinced me that I was still dreaming, as I had just watched that the night before. It was actually a commercial--JCS will be playing at the Warner Theatre next month (I'm considering getting one of the $30 tickets). But it just felt surreal. Plus, it was one of those mornings where I look at the clock radio and try to figure out what exactly the numbers signify.
Yesterday I very much wanted to go and be surrounded by family and be taken care of--ideally, by my mother, but since she's in Oregon, that wasn't so much an option. It was good seeing everyone, but weird. Joan, who was hosting, recently moved, so it was an unfamiliar house. And it seems like everyone's becoming more adult-like, while I'm...not. The twins are buying a house. My cousin Mike has a girlfriend. My cousin Jake has a girlfriend and is moving in with her. I saw pictures of my cousin Dave holding his son, which is just weird beyond weird. And me...I'm in the same job. In the same area. My grandmother was guilting the twins and me about our love lives (or lack thereof). I remain stressed...and apparently whiny. And tired.
I know. I need to stop bitching. But it's gray and rainy and my cough has reemerged. And I always get kind of weird after spending extended periods of time at home alone (my Saturday evening consisted of alternating between playing Nintendo and proofreading and Carrie didn't get home until wicked late last night).
But I did get a chocolate bunny yesterday. I haven't had a chocolate bunny in...well, I can't remember.
Current song in my head:
"Back to Before" from Ragtime
You are a GRAMMAR GOD!
If your mission in life is not already to preserve the English tongue, it should be. Congratulations and thank you!
How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
This is a relief. At least I'm on the right track with my life.
I love the traffic in this area when schools aren't in session. There's so much less of it! I was driving to tutoring on Monday and realized that hey, I'm actually moving! I-270 only jammed up once, and that was for maybe half a mile. Then it started to click into place: the light traffic, the good parking space I got at the Metro lot that morning, the plethora of empty seats on the Metro...Montgomery County schools are on spring break. Sweet!
Here are some pictures Spike took over the weekend. Did I mention the wind and the cold?
Work continues to be insane, but I still took yesterday off. The combination of lack of sleep over the weekend and a headache that involved any movement at all causing pain (actually, I didn't even have to move--just lying in bed hurt) led to me taking a sick day. And it was great. I slept. I watched Jeeves and Wooster (Hugh Laurie + Stephen Fry = No Bad). And it was capped off by a fantastic dream I had this morning involving making out with Sark. Mmm, Sark. So now I'm all happy.
Current song in my head:
"Happy Together" by the Turtles
I had an excellent, if somewhat sleep-deprived, weekend. There was a lot of socializing and game playing. There was wandering around the chilly, windy Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms. There was staying up until far too late (early?). There was watching of infomercials and movies, and eating Reese's Pieces. I had a lot of fun and it did manage to lift me out of the funk I had been in. So yes, very good weekend.
Current song in my head:
"Light Up My Room" by Barenaked Ladies
The Amazing Race is back. Woo! And they're combining it with Big Brother. Um, which I certainly don't watch.
Last night, Carrie and I took our lives into our hands and trimmed Colin's claws. He was none too pleased about this, but the job got done (well, 3 out of 4 paws, but close enough). I knew something had to be done when yesterday he ripped one of my sheets when I was trying to make my bed.
I firmly believe that since I'm stuck at work on a Friday, I should be brought treats. Why haven't our vendors bribed us lately? Of course, I'm making up for it by baking a cake for tonight. Why? No real reason (other than the fact that cake is, of course, a miracle). Like that time last year I brought in a cake because my boss had been craving cake lately. Cake Day! Why not? So when Steve asked if there'd be cake at game night tonight...well, why shouldn't there be cake?
Cake would be good for me. I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Work is just crazy and the weather sucks and I have a headache. Just overall very blah. Hopefully this weekend will pull me up a bit. Spike's coming to visit and we're going to check out the (waterlogged) Cherry Blossom Festival. I love cherry blossoms. They're so pretty and smell fantastic. I do love spring. I just wish that the weather would get the "spring" memo and improve. I could do with some sunshine.
Current song in my head:
"Annie Waits" by Ben Folds