I am pretty sure I have a party jinx. Whenever I throw a party, invite people over for a get-together, whatever...if it's not family, they don't come. I had ONE person come to the book club meeting last night. Three people emailed to cancel the morning OF the meeting (like they didn't know it was coming up? Even though they got a reminder email a week ago?). Two other people just didn't bother. Whatever.
I, of course, spent the better part of two days cooking & cleaning. I bought $40 worth of wine. I made fantastic food: caramelized onion & goat cheese tarts, prosciutto & gruyere pinwheels, stuffed mushrooms, lacy almond cookies with fresh fruit. And now? I have half a bottle of wine leftover in the fridge (because the one woman who showed up was 8 months pregnant and I had to drink the wine alone), and I gorged myself on mushrooms last night so I wouldn't have to throw them away. I have a couple of the onion & goat cheese things left, and I sent the other lady home with most of the remaining pinwheels, half the cookies, and all the fruit. It's not like I can just keep this stuff around - I'm leaving for Washington tomorrow, for a family reunion.
I am never throwing a party again. It's just not worth the stress.
Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 4-oz log fresh goat cheese
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
Minced fresh thyme (couple teaspoons, I guess. "Just eyeball it," as Rachael would say)
Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 425°.
In a heavy pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the olive oil. Add the onions, salt & pepper to taste, then cook over medium heat for a long time, stirring occasionally, until they get golden brown and caramelized. You can throw in a little sugar if you want (maybe a tablespoon), while the onions are cooking. This helps them caramelize and makes them even sweeter.
When the onions are done, roll out your puff pastry sheet until it's about 18" x 11". Trim off any uneven edges, and then cut into squares about 2-3" on each side. You don't have to get all anal about it, just make roughly the same size/shape for each tart. Put the puff pastry squares on cookie sheets (I use silpats with mine) and with a fork, gently pierce the squares at about half-inch intervals, leaving about a 3/4" border all around that is un-pierced. When you pierce the pastry, that part doesn't puff up; the unpierced part will puff up and make a pretty square border around the filling.
Put a little of the onions and goat cheese in the middle of each square, and sprinkle with fresh thyme. Bake for 15 minutes, until the puff pastry is, well, puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature. They're good either way.
Prosciutto & Gruyere Pinwheels
1/2 lb thinly sliced prosciutto
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 sheet puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten with a little water
Roll out the puff pastry sheet until it's about 18" x 11". Trim off any uneven edges so that it's a rectangle. Starting at the side closest to you, which should be a wide edge, lay strips of prosciutto on the pastry until it's all covered, leaving about a half-inch to an inch of the edge farthest from you uncovered. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese on top. Then just roll the sheet up until you get almost to the end. Brush the bare edge with the egg wash, the finish rolling. Wrap the entire roll in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for at least half an hour (up to a day or two, if you are making this ahead of time).
Preheat oven to 425°.
After the roll is chilled, pull it out and slice it into circles about 3/4" thick. Lay them down on a parchment- or silpat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown and puffed up a bit. These are also tasty warm or at room temp.
Stuffed Mushrooms
This is such a "whatever" recipe; the amounts below are really just guesses.
1 lb white button mushrooms (bigger ones are better)
4 Tbsp butter
Olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh minced herbs (thyme, sage, marjoram, whatever you like)
Salt & pepper to taste
Saltines, crushed
1/4 c shredded Parmesan
Preheat oven to 400°, or thereabouts. 425° is fine.
Gently clean the mushrooms (do NOT run under water) with a damp cloth. Pop off the stems and set aside. Lay out the mushroom caps, bottoms up, on a cookie sheet.
Over medium heat in a skillet, melt the butter and add a little olive oil, maybe a couple tablespoons. Chop the reserved mushroom stems finely. Add the shallot to the pan, then a minute or two later add the garlic and the mushrooms. Saute for a couple minutes, then throw in the herbs and salt & pepper. It should be pretty loose at this point, with lots of butter and oil. Add in enough cracker crumbs to soak up the liquid and bind it all together. I can't give you an exact amount here, sorry. It's just one of those things. If it gets too dry, add a little more olive oil. Cook it for another minute or so to keep the crackers from tasting too raw.
With a spoon, push the filling into the mushroom caps, mounding it up slightly. Really kind of pack it in and on top of the mushroom. You should have just about exactly the right amount to fill all your mushroom caps. Sprinkle the mushrooms with shredded Parmesan and then pop it in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, until the mushrooms are giving off their liquid and are cooked through, but still a little bit firm to the bite. For the last minute or two, turn on the broiler to brown the tops. Serve immediately.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Party Jinx
I am pretty sure I have a party jinx. Whenever I throw a party, invite people over for a get-together, whatever...if it's not family, they don't come. I had ONE person come to the book club meeting last night. Three people emailed to cancel the morning OF the meeting (like they didn't know it was coming up? Even though they got a reminder email a week ago?). Two other people just didn't bother. Whatever.
I, of course, spent the better part of two days cooking & cleaning. I bought $40 worth of wine. I made fantastic food: caramelized onion & goat cheese tarts, prosciutto & gruyere pinwheels, stuffed mushrooms, lacy almond cookies with fresh fruit. And now? I have half a bottle of wine leftover in the fridge (because the one woman who showed up was 8 months pregnant and I had to drink the wine alone), and I gorged myself on mushrooms last night so I wouldn't have to throw them away. I have a couple of the onion & goat cheese things left, and I sent the other lady home with most of the remaining pinwheels, half the cookies, and all the fruit. It's not like I can just keep this stuff around - I'm leaving for Washington tomorrow, for the family reunion thing.
I am never throwing a party again. It's just not worth the stress.
I, of course, spent the better part of two days cooking & cleaning. I bought $40 worth of wine. I made fantastic food: caramelized onion & goat cheese tarts, prosciutto & gruyere pinwheels, stuffed mushrooms, lacy almond cookies with fresh fruit. And now? I have half a bottle of wine leftover in the fridge (because the one woman who showed up was 8 months pregnant and I had to drink the wine alone), and I gorged myself on mushrooms last night so I wouldn't have to throw them away. I have a couple of the onion & goat cheese things left, and I sent the other lady home with most of the remaining pinwheels, half the cookies, and all the fruit. It's not like I can just keep this stuff around - I'm leaving for Washington tomorrow, for the family reunion thing.
I am never throwing a party again. It's just not worth the stress.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Book club!
I've started a book club! We've got 7 members, and our first meeting is coming up a week from Thursday. I am so excited, y'all!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Could I BE any more stupid?
About a week ago, I was getting ready to go out with friends on Friday night, when I managed to lock myself out of the house. Great. Lovely. Had to go across the street and borrow the neighbor's phone (AND phonebook) to call a locksmith because Babydaddy's phone was going straight to voicemail (he's got a spare key for me...somewhere). About an hour later, the locksmith finally shows up, opens up my house in about 5 minutes, and hands me a bill for $130. Greeeeeat.
So, this last Friday (yes, exactly one week after the first lockout incident), I decided to go out front to await the Bee Man and escape the kamikaze bees in my house. And what did I do? What, oh what, did I do?
LOCKED MYSELF OUT OF THE HOUSE.
AGAIN.
Of course Babydaddy was on his way to LA with his brother. Literally, on the Grapevine, and could not help. And I was due to pick up the Rugrat at daycare in a half hour. And there I was, locked out again, this time in my slippers, in the pouring rain. So Babydaddy called his mom, who graciously picked up Rugrat and dropped him off here, where I was still waiting for the locksmith. Bee Guy showed up shortly after I get locked out, and sprayed his lovely bee-killing powder in my house, but since I don't have my purse with me, he says he'll bill me for the service (and I truly love that guy, he was SO sweet). An hour and a half after I call the locksmith (who said he'd be here in 45 minutes), he finally shows up, opens my door, and charges me $60. At least I found a cheaper locksmith this time. *sigh*
I swear to God, those Manolos I bought at Christmastime have truly vaporized at least half of my brain cells. Twice?? In one week?? How much of a loser could I BE?
Anyhoo, once I finally got in the house again, Rugrat & I grabbed our stuff and hauled ass outta there, headed for drive-through food and then my dad's house. I had many, many glasses of scotch that night (celebrating both my stupidity and Dad's decision to retire), and woke up painfully hungover.
Needless to say, I did get a spare key and hide it this weekend, FINALLY. Only takes $200 to smarten me up, I guess. Maybe I should sell those Manolos on eBay after all.
So, this last Friday (yes, exactly one week after the first lockout incident), I decided to go out front to await the Bee Man and escape the kamikaze bees in my house. And what did I do? What, oh what, did I do?
LOCKED MYSELF OUT OF THE HOUSE.
AGAIN.
Of course Babydaddy was on his way to LA with his brother. Literally, on the Grapevine, and could not help. And I was due to pick up the Rugrat at daycare in a half hour. And there I was, locked out again, this time in my slippers, in the pouring rain. So Babydaddy called his mom, who graciously picked up Rugrat and dropped him off here, where I was still waiting for the locksmith. Bee Guy showed up shortly after I get locked out, and sprayed his lovely bee-killing powder in my house, but since I don't have my purse with me, he says he'll bill me for the service (and I truly love that guy, he was SO sweet). An hour and a half after I call the locksmith (who said he'd be here in 45 minutes), he finally shows up, opens my door, and charges me $60. At least I found a cheaper locksmith this time. *sigh*
I swear to God, those Manolos I bought at Christmastime have truly vaporized at least half of my brain cells. Twice?? In one week?? How much of a loser could I BE?
Anyhoo, once I finally got in the house again, Rugrat & I grabbed our stuff and hauled ass outta there, headed for drive-through food and then my dad's house. I had many, many glasses of scotch that night (celebrating both my stupidity and Dad's decision to retire), and woke up painfully hungover.
Needless to say, I did get a spare key and hide it this weekend, FINALLY. Only takes $200 to smarten me up, I guess. Maybe I should sell those Manolos on eBay after all.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Holy Fucking Crap!!!!
What did I do to deserve this kind of karma?
I have a swarm of bees flying in through my kitchen stove vent. They are coming out through the recessed kitchen lights.
WHAT THE FUCK????????
I called pest control - they won't do it. It's not covered in their liability insurance, apparently. So I had to call a beekeeper. They'll do it, but it will cost me $240 dollars, and they won't be out until late this afternoon/early evening. Greeeeeaaaat.
In the meantime, I haven't had anything to eat for lunch because I'm too chicken to go in the kitchen while they're all diving out of the lights. You can HEAR them buzzing aorund in the ceiling. It is freaky as hell. So I'm holed up in my office, trying to stay away from them.
I have a swarm of bees flying in through my kitchen stove vent. They are coming out through the recessed kitchen lights.
WHAT THE FUCK????????
I called pest control - they won't do it. It's not covered in their liability insurance, apparently. So I had to call a beekeeper. They'll do it, but it will cost me $240 dollars, and they won't be out until late this afternoon/early evening. Greeeeeaaaat.
In the meantime, I haven't had anything to eat for lunch because I'm too chicken to go in the kitchen while they're all diving out of the lights. You can HEAR them buzzing aorund in the ceiling. It is freaky as hell. So I'm holed up in my office, trying to stay away from them.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Wasps
The rain has cleared up - for a few days anyway; we're supposed to get more this weekend unfortunately - and now, just when I'm enjoying my backyard in all its wildly overgrown, sunny splendor, I've discovered that we've got a wasp problem.
Not a fat, lazy, buzzing bumblebee problem. A wasp problem. As in: silent, evil, elongated flying things that seem to be strangely attracted to the old wooden adirondack chairs in my backyard, the chairs I love to sit on while I'm smoking. Scary things that can sting you over & over & over again, without pulling their insides out through their butt (unlike bumblebees, which will think twice about stinging you because it is a kamikaze mission for them).
Thankfully, they haven't stung me yet. In fact, I've never been stung by a bee of any kind. But it's really making me nervous to sit out back for my periodic cigarette break.
Not a fat, lazy, buzzing bumblebee problem. A wasp problem. As in: silent, evil, elongated flying things that seem to be strangely attracted to the old wooden adirondack chairs in my backyard, the chairs I love to sit on while I'm smoking. Scary things that can sting you over & over & over again, without pulling their insides out through their butt (unlike bumblebees, which will think twice about stinging you because it is a kamikaze mission for them).
Thankfully, they haven't stung me yet. In fact, I've never been stung by a bee of any kind. But it's really making me nervous to sit out back for my periodic cigarette break.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The Tax Man
That time of year again...taxes. I hate doing taxes. And I hate waiting for Babydaddy to do HIS taxes, so that we can figure out if it's more advantageous for me to take the Head of Household status or him (depending on who has the larger difference in refund amount). It's always me, so I always end up as HoH. But every year I have to wait for him to do his taxes so that we can figure it out, and every year he waits until the last minute. My taxes have been done for a few weeks (thank you, TurboTax!) but I have been waiting to file until I hear from him. It would be so nice, just once, to file really early and get that refund in February or March, but nooooo...gotta wait until the very last freaking second, even though we both get refunds, because Babydaddy is a procrastinator extraordinaire. I mean, I hate sitting down with the forms and the receipts and all that and doing it, because it's a boring couple of hours entering in numbers and going through all the ridiculous questions that never pertain to me (farm equipment?), but still...that $5K would be much better off earning interest for an extra month or two.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Arrrgghhh!
I cannot take it. The rain is driving me batshit crazy. And on top of that, we went on daylight savings time this last weekend, and I'm exhausted. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold or the flu or something. I mean, seriously, why are we still doing this? It's barbaric! It's simply ridiculous and totally unnecessary. And it causes accidents because people are tired.
But mostly I'm just sick of the rain. We've already exceeded our average rainfall for April. Less than a week into the month and we're OVER our average amount. That is just wrong, folks. Looks like there won't be any relief from it for the next few weeks either. I am so ready for summer - even spring! I'd welcome spring right now. Even though I'll be sick as a dog with allergies this year - at least it means SUNSHINE!!!!
Oh, and I am sore from yoga last night. Yikes! Learned the "salutation to the moon" though, and that's a good short routine that I can do a couple times a day to de-stress.
But mostly I'm just sick of the rain. We've already exceeded our average rainfall for April. Less than a week into the month and we're OVER our average amount. That is just wrong, folks. Looks like there won't be any relief from it for the next few weeks either. I am so ready for summer - even spring! I'd welcome spring right now. Even though I'll be sick as a dog with allergies this year - at least it means SUNSHINE!!!!
Oh, and I am sore from yoga last night. Yikes! Learned the "salutation to the moon" though, and that's a good short routine that I can do a couple times a day to de-stress.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Surprise! More rain...
OK, the rain is really starting to get to me. We've had more than 20 days of rain this month. And if you believe the online forecasts, it's not going to get any better in April. I believe the weeds in my backyard now outnumber the actual blades of grass. The biggest ones are about three feet tall. The yard hasn't been mowed in six months.
But the worst part is the depression...when the weather is like this, all I want to do is crawl back into bed and snore the day away. Seriously, who has energy when it's overcast and cold and rainy all the time? Well, I guess people in Seattle do...but I live in California for a reason. And that reason is: NO RAIN. Or at least not much of it. You know, maybe two or three months of "winter," where it rains for a few days and then we get two or three weeks of sun before the next "storm." This year, we've shattered rainfall records, and the Sierras have gotten dumped with feet upon feet upon feet of snow. I guess I could be happy about it if I liked skiing or snowboarding or something. But what I like to do is go out and drink with my friends. Or maybe go dancing. What I don't like to do is sit on my couch moaning about the fact that we've got yet ANOTHER rainy day and if I go outside my hair is going to frizz like crazy and so why even bother blow-drying? And my rainy day coat is an ugly light-blue hooded parka thing, which is not in any way, shape, or form able to be construed as "cool." So if I wear the raincoat, I am fugly. If I wear the black wool coat, my head gets soaked, and see above re: frizz. Not to mention the loveliness that is non-waterproof mascara when you're slogging through a downpour.
God, I'm just freakin' DONE already. Bring on the sunshine, dammit!
But the worst part is the depression...when the weather is like this, all I want to do is crawl back into bed and snore the day away. Seriously, who has energy when it's overcast and cold and rainy all the time? Well, I guess people in Seattle do...but I live in California for a reason. And that reason is: NO RAIN. Or at least not much of it. You know, maybe two or three months of "winter," where it rains for a few days and then we get two or three weeks of sun before the next "storm." This year, we've shattered rainfall records, and the Sierras have gotten dumped with feet upon feet upon feet of snow. I guess I could be happy about it if I liked skiing or snowboarding or something. But what I like to do is go out and drink with my friends. Or maybe go dancing. What I don't like to do is sit on my couch moaning about the fact that we've got yet ANOTHER rainy day and if I go outside my hair is going to frizz like crazy and so why even bother blow-drying? And my rainy day coat is an ugly light-blue hooded parka thing, which is not in any way, shape, or form able to be construed as "cool." So if I wear the raincoat, I am fugly. If I wear the black wool coat, my head gets soaked, and see above re: frizz. Not to mention the loveliness that is non-waterproof mascara when you're slogging through a downpour.
God, I'm just freakin' DONE already. Bring on the sunshine, dammit!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Mama-san
Mom came to visit this past weekend. We had a nice time, although the weather suuuuucked and Rugrat was being a pill. But we still got to have some nice chats. Mom, citing a need to not sit on her ass all day, ended up doing my dishes and laundry all weekend. While it was certainly welcome, I did feel just the teeensiest bit guilty at her doing all the scut work around here. However, I didn't spend the *whole* weekend on my butt -- I made dinner Saturday & Sunday, and whipped up a luscious maple cake for Aunt L, who came over to visit for a little while Sunday night to celebrate her birthday (actual b'day was a few days before).
I'm done with the sick thing now, except for a lingering dry cough occasionally. I did manage to spread the love though - Babydaddy came down with it last week and was looking like hell. In fact, he didn't even take Rugrat to school on Friday because he couldn't drag his ass outta bed. Rugrat hasn't gotten sick (knock on wood) although he did have a weird pink rashy-thing around his eye Friday night. I thought he might be coming down with pink eye since that eye was all watery and drippy. Of course I had to drag him to the airport to pick up Mom at 8:30, and damned if he wasn't the whiniest thing on two legs. "Mommy, I'm cooooold." "Mommy, I'm thirsty." "Mommy, I can't walk." Blah blah blah. Yeah, OK, so it was bedtime - but still! He was in TEARS at the airport, and I was feeling like the world's worst mother. And it wasn't that cold. I knew he was feeling really crappy when he fell asleep in the car on the way home - only ten minutes into the drive and he was out like a light! So Saturday I decided to try Benadryl for the drippy pink eye, and lo & behold, he was cured. It must have just been an allergy thing. Very weird.
I'm done with the sick thing now, except for a lingering dry cough occasionally. I did manage to spread the love though - Babydaddy came down with it last week and was looking like hell. In fact, he didn't even take Rugrat to school on Friday because he couldn't drag his ass outta bed. Rugrat hasn't gotten sick (knock on wood) although he did have a weird pink rashy-thing around his eye Friday night. I thought he might be coming down with pink eye since that eye was all watery and drippy. Of course I had to drag him to the airport to pick up Mom at 8:30, and damned if he wasn't the whiniest thing on two legs. "Mommy, I'm cooooold." "Mommy, I'm thirsty." "Mommy, I can't walk." Blah blah blah. Yeah, OK, so it was bedtime - but still! He was in TEARS at the airport, and I was feeling like the world's worst mother. And it wasn't that cold. I knew he was feeling really crappy when he fell asleep in the car on the way home - only ten minutes into the drive and he was out like a light! So Saturday I decided to try Benadryl for the drippy pink eye, and lo & behold, he was cured. It must have just been an allergy thing. Very weird.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
What happened to February?
It's been over a month since I've posted...I can't believe how time flies.
The house remodeling is nearly done (well, at least the downstairs). The bathroom is done, with everything new except for the toilet. The kitchen is almost done as well - new lighting, flooring, paint, sink, and...almost all the countertops. Stupid IDIOTS keep screwing up the bar. We ordered the bar countertop at home depot, along with everything else. The bar was to be 80.75 inches long. They delivered it (along with rest of the countertops) several weeks ago...but the bar was only 80 inches long. Even though it said quite clearly on both the original order AND the shipping manifest: 80.75 inches. So Babydaddy & I went over to Home Depot and told them that they sent the wrong size. Of course they got all confused and it took a good half hour to straighten them out, but they sent off the order again. Two weeks later, the new bar was delivered: 80 inches AGAIN! Are those people on dope? And if they are, can they get me some? Because it must be some good shit. So they called again this last Tuesday, wanting to ship it out (only a week later this time) and I asked the girl, is it 80.75 inches this time? And she's all, let me check. So I hold on for fifteen minutes while she putzes around, smokes a doob, and gets back on the line to say, "Oh, sorry, I was looking at the old manifest; yours should be in next week." Sigh.
Also done: new fireplace surround (slate tile - yay!) and mantel custom-built by Babydaddy. New six-panel doors - painted & almost all new doorhandles installed. Bought some tumbled stone mosaic tile for the backsplash in the kitchen, which just came in yesterday at HD. The end is in sight....I'll just take a break for a while and then we'll tackle the upstairs bathrooms, which should be fairly quick & easy.
Last month there were two birthdays: Babydaddy's, and my friend K's. For Babydaddy, I made him a special dinner. His requests? "Something with cauliflower, some asparagus, some pasta (so Rugrat will have something he'll eat), and some meat." He bought some delicious pork chops from Kinder's and I seared & roasted them. I made roasted asparagus with sea salt & pepper & olive oil, and cauliflower au gratin (which was super-yummy), and pasta with sauteed crimini mushrooms and olive oil & spices. Oh, and I got him a cheesecake too - his favorite.
For K's birthday, last weekend, we went to Vegas. We drove out and stayed at the casino where her mom works, and went to a couple of clubs. We had a bunch of stuff comped - free dinner one night, loads of free drinks, free hotel room. We also got VIP entrance (no line, no cover) at the clubs we went to. It was awesome (and cheap!). The club we went to on Friday was amazing, too - Body English in the Hard Rock casino. I have never seen so many gorgeous people in one place - that casino was just CRAWLING with hotties! Oh, and I saw Z & N (my step-siblings) at the Hard Rock -- they live in Vegas so they came out to meet us for drinks. The club on Saturday, Jet at the Mirage, sucked though. The DJ was awful, and we were tired and sore from the night before. Oh well, can't be fabulous all the time, I guess.
Unfortunately, between the super-dry air of Vegas and all the alcohol, I ran down my immune system pretty hard and when I came back home I got hit with a vicious flu bug. With a temp of 103, I went to the Doctor's office on Tuesday afternoon and got a prescription for Tamiflu. This is my new favorite thing. I took some that night, and by the following morning I had nearly recovered. Little to no fever, body aches all gone - just stuck with the stuffy nose & cough that sounds like I'm an emphysema patient. I decided to try & do some work today since things are so busy, but I'm feeling really beat now. I'm definitely going to shut down early and take a long nap this afternoon.
The house remodeling is nearly done (well, at least the downstairs). The bathroom is done, with everything new except for the toilet. The kitchen is almost done as well - new lighting, flooring, paint, sink, and...almost all the countertops. Stupid IDIOTS keep screwing up the bar. We ordered the bar countertop at home depot, along with everything else. The bar was to be 80.75 inches long. They delivered it (along with rest of the countertops) several weeks ago...but the bar was only 80 inches long. Even though it said quite clearly on both the original order AND the shipping manifest: 80.75 inches. So Babydaddy & I went over to Home Depot and told them that they sent the wrong size. Of course they got all confused and it took a good half hour to straighten them out, but they sent off the order again. Two weeks later, the new bar was delivered: 80 inches AGAIN! Are those people on dope? And if they are, can they get me some? Because it must be some good shit. So they called again this last Tuesday, wanting to ship it out (only a week later this time) and I asked the girl, is it 80.75 inches this time? And she's all, let me check. So I hold on for fifteen minutes while she putzes around, smokes a doob, and gets back on the line to say, "Oh, sorry, I was looking at the old manifest; yours should be in next week." Sigh.Also done: new fireplace surround (slate tile - yay!) and mantel custom-built by Babydaddy. New six-panel doors - painted & almost all new doorhandles installed. Bought some tumbled stone mosaic tile for the backsplash in the kitchen, which just came in yesterday at HD. The end is in sight....I'll just take a break for a while and then we'll tackle the upstairs bathrooms, which should be fairly quick & easy.Last month there were two birthdays: Babydaddy's, and my friend K's. For Babydaddy, I made him a special dinner. His requests? "Something with cauliflower, some asparagus, some pasta (so Rugrat will have something he'll eat), and some meat." He bought some delicious pork chops from Kinder's and I seared & roasted them. I made roasted asparagus with sea salt & pepper & olive oil, and cauliflower au gratin (which was super-yummy), and pasta with sauteed crimini mushrooms and olive oil & spices. Oh, and I got him a cheesecake too - his favorite.
For K's birthday, last weekend, we went to Vegas. We drove out and stayed at the casino where her mom works, and went to a couple of clubs. We had a bunch of stuff comped - free dinner one night, loads of free drinks, free hotel room. We also got VIP entrance (no line, no cover) at the clubs we went to. It was awesome (and cheap!). The club we went to on Friday was amazing, too - Body English in the Hard Rock casino. I have never seen so many gorgeous people in one place - that casino was just CRAWLING with hotties! Oh, and I saw Z & N (my step-siblings) at the Hard Rock -- they live in Vegas so they came out to meet us for drinks. The club on Saturday, Jet at the Mirage, sucked though. The DJ was awful, and we were tired and sore from the night before. Oh well, can't be fabulous all the time, I guess.
Unfortunately, between the super-dry air of Vegas and all the alcohol, I ran down my immune system pretty hard and when I came back home I got hit with a vicious flu bug. With a temp of 103, I went to the Doctor's office on Tuesday afternoon and got a prescription for Tamiflu. This is my new favorite thing. I took some that night, and by the following morning I had nearly recovered. Little to no fever, body aches all gone - just stuck with the stuffy nose & cough that sounds like I'm an emphysema patient. I decided to try & do some work today since things are so busy, but I'm feeling really beat now. I'm definitely going to shut down early and take a long nap this afternoon.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Crazy kid
Rugrat's teacher just called me. He just started back "on track" today, and she called me up, very concerned. She said that he'd told her this whole detailed story about his baby brother who'd died in a fire at home when Rugrat and I went to the grocery store. He had a name for the kid and everything! She said at first she thought he was just telling a story, and then he started to convince her that it was true because he had so many details...and then as she continued asking him questions about it, he started pausing more...and she realized that it was, after all, just a story. Then he said that it wasn't a baby brother, that it was a baby sister. Finally, he said that he'd heard the story from a friend.
WTF???
I assured her that all is well, that he doesn't have - and never has had - any siblings; that he lives with cousins half the time but none of them have DIED, fer chrissakes.
What a strange kid. On the plus side, that's an amazing imagination he's got.
WTF???
I assured her that all is well, that he doesn't have - and never has had - any siblings; that he lives with cousins half the time but none of them have DIED, fer chrissakes.
What a strange kid. On the plus side, that's an amazing imagination he's got.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Turmoil...of a different sort
OK, the job turmoil is over. I talked to CurrentBoss and he said he really didn't want to lose me, and offered me a 10% raise. Sweet! This covers my monthly deficit & then some. So I backed out of the other job, and things have calmed down now on that front.
On the other hand, though...house turmoil. Babydaddy is out of work now, having left the body shop and his brother's asshole ways. So he offered to come work on my house while he's got all this free time, and I jumped at the chance. He's really good with this stuff, and I was happy to get things moving finally. So for the last couple of weeks I've had no downstairs bathroom. First he ripped out all the old crap, and we shopped for a new sink & light fixture & faucets and all that other good stuff. He had to do some drywall stuff because the old light fixture was one of those fugly flourescent things in the ceiling. But it's all coming together now...it's painted and the new light fixture is in, and the new mirror is up. Flooring will be going in later today (a nice stone-looking vinyl tile), and I'll have a toilet downstairs again either tonight or tomorrow. Yay!
In the meantime, he's also been working on the kitchen. He ripped out the ugly (again, flourescent) light fixture and put in recessed cans, which look great and put off a lot more light. I bought some laminate tile-look flooring (it's a lot nicer than it sounds) and that should be going down in a day or two. AND he started ripping up my countertops. The horrible white tile will soon be gone! Woohoo! For the time being, I'm keeping the cabinets I've got and just buying a laminate (granite-look) countertop. Eventually I'll replace the cabinets, because the ones I have now don't give me nearly enough storage space, and at that point I'll spring for the nice granite countertops. But this will at least tide me over and make the place look a lot nicer in the meantime.
On the other hand, though...house turmoil. Babydaddy is out of work now, having left the body shop and his brother's asshole ways. So he offered to come work on my house while he's got all this free time, and I jumped at the chance. He's really good with this stuff, and I was happy to get things moving finally. So for the last couple of weeks I've had no downstairs bathroom. First he ripped out all the old crap, and we shopped for a new sink & light fixture & faucets and all that other good stuff. He had to do some drywall stuff because the old light fixture was one of those fugly flourescent things in the ceiling. But it's all coming together now...it's painted and the new light fixture is in, and the new mirror is up. Flooring will be going in later today (a nice stone-looking vinyl tile), and I'll have a toilet downstairs again either tonight or tomorrow. Yay!
In the meantime, he's also been working on the kitchen. He ripped out the ugly (again, flourescent) light fixture and put in recessed cans, which look great and put off a lot more light. I bought some laminate tile-look flooring (it's a lot nicer than it sounds) and that should be going down in a day or two. AND he started ripping up my countertops. The horrible white tile will soon be gone! Woohoo! For the time being, I'm keeping the cabinets I've got and just buying a laminate (granite-look) countertop. Eventually I'll replace the cabinets, because the ones I have now don't give me nearly enough storage space, and at that point I'll spring for the nice granite countertops. But this will at least tide me over and make the place look a lot nicer in the meantime.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Turmoil
I've been offered a new job. A bit more money, and I'll still be able to telecommute. It's not a huge raise, but between the salary and the health benefits, I'll be pulling in enough now that I won't have to raid my savings account every month like I've been doing for the last two years (!). But I feel pretty guilty about leaving my current employer in the lurch. My current job is with a tiny, tiny company and I'm the only programmer there, so they'll be pretty screwed until they get someone else in.
And...GG came out to see me on Wednesday. It was just odd. We had a bottle of wine and a pizza, and chatted for a few hours, and then started making out. Unfortunately, it was not great. I mean, the making out was OK, but as for what came after...I think we were both just really nervous and it didn't go well. He was worried about me feeling "used" (since he doesn't know what his future plans are) and I told him that I wasn't expecting any kind of a relationship to come out of this (but dammit, I just REALLY needed to get laid, yanno?). Anyway, we did have sex, sort of. There were a lot of attempts, but he was having problems...um..."standing at attention," if you know what I mean. So it was awkward. I think he tried to make up for it by being very enthusiastic in other areas but it just came off as rough. He spent the night, and of course I couldn't sleep. I just have a big problem with sleeping in the same bed with someone I am not very, very comfortable with. So I only got a few hours' sleep, kind of dozing. I was exhausted yesterday, and then I had all these phone interviews with the new company. So...yeah. Not a great experience. I wish I could just curl up in bed and hibernate for a week or two.
And...GG came out to see me on Wednesday. It was just odd. We had a bottle of wine and a pizza, and chatted for a few hours, and then started making out. Unfortunately, it was not great. I mean, the making out was OK, but as for what came after...I think we were both just really nervous and it didn't go well. He was worried about me feeling "used" (since he doesn't know what his future plans are) and I told him that I wasn't expecting any kind of a relationship to come out of this (but dammit, I just REALLY needed to get laid, yanno?). Anyway, we did have sex, sort of. There were a lot of attempts, but he was having problems...um..."standing at attention," if you know what I mean. So it was awkward. I think he tried to make up for it by being very enthusiastic in other areas but it just came off as rough. He spent the night, and of course I couldn't sleep. I just have a big problem with sleeping in the same bed with someone I am not very, very comfortable with. So I only got a few hours' sleep, kind of dozing. I was exhausted yesterday, and then I had all these phone interviews with the new company. So...yeah. Not a great experience. I wish I could just curl up in bed and hibernate for a week or two.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Christmas Eve
Ooooh, I'm so excited. On Christmas Eve I'm going to make a big dinner for the three of us (Babydaddy, Rugrat and I):
- French onion soup (starter)
- Roast chicken
- Sweet potato casserole
- Brussels sprouts with bacon
- Bananas Foster (for dessert, obviously) with vanilla ice cream
Monday, December 19, 2005
It's the mooooost wonderful tiiiiime of the year
And why is it so wonderful, you ask? Because:
Now all I have to do is pack up the goodies in tins for Rugrat's teachers and the neighbors, and I can officially sit down with a big ol' glass of wine and call it good. Whew!
- Christmas trees & the "halls" are all decked with holiday cheer
- My Christmas shopping has been done for more than a week
- All presents are wrapped and ready to go
- All my cards have been sent out (about 50 - including color copies of the annual update & photos), with the exception of the one card that I need an air-mail stamp for, since it's going to Belgium
- All my holiday baking is done
Now all I have to do is pack up the goodies in tins for Rugrat's teachers and the neighbors, and I can officially sit down with a big ol' glass of wine and call it good. Whew!
Monday, December 12, 2005
She's completely insane
CPSIL must have some sort of narcissism disorder. You won't believe this...
I talked to Babydaddy this weekend and told him about the crazy conversation with CPSIL. Apparently, when CPSIL and L split up, they agreed that he would pay for A's daycare expenses and CPSIL would pay for B's daycare. Her whole thing about him not paying for B's daycare? Was because she decided that she didn't want to pay it anymore, and asked him to pay for both A's and B's daycare...and to give her $1500 spousal support. And of course he balked and told her that if she could afford a $1900/month rental house and to go out to concerts and such, she could certainly pay for B's daycare.
That crazy, crazy bitch.
On a happier note, I got ALL my Christmas shopping done on Saturday, and everything is wrapped and ready to go. Yay! I even made lemon pound cakes last night and put them in the freezer. I feel so productive. :-)
I talked to Babydaddy this weekend and told him about the crazy conversation with CPSIL. Apparently, when CPSIL and L split up, they agreed that he would pay for A's daycare expenses and CPSIL would pay for B's daycare. Her whole thing about him not paying for B's daycare? Was because she decided that she didn't want to pay it anymore, and asked him to pay for both A's and B's daycare...and to give her $1500 spousal support. And of course he balked and told her that if she could afford a $1900/month rental house and to go out to concerts and such, she could certainly pay for B's daycare.
That crazy, crazy bitch.
On a happier note, I got ALL my Christmas shopping done on Saturday, and everything is wrapped and ready to go. Yay! I even made lemon pound cakes last night and put them in the freezer. I feel so productive. :-)
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Someone kill me now...
No good deed goes unpunished. It's true.
Last week, crazy pseudo-sister-in-law (hereafter referred to as CPSIL) called and cornered me in her usual way: "What are you doing Saturday?" Well, just as I usually do every other weekend, I had Rugrat. Which I told her. Which she KNEW, because she has the same schedule with her kids. So then she asks me to babysit her four-year-old, B, and because I was cornered and she knew I was going to be home with Rugrat, I felt obligated to say OK. So, I figured it wouldn't be a big deal - he'd come & spend the night, the kids would have fun together, and then CPSIL would owe me and I could get her to babysit for ME sometime when I really needed it (read: when GG is in town and I am absolutely desperate to get laid).
So she drops off B on Saturday at about 5 (not 6:30, like she originally said she would - you know, AFTER DINNER). She assured me that he "will eat anything". I made risotto for dinner. You know, rice. With some chicken and peas and mushrooms thrown in. I figured Rugrat would balk a bit but he'd eat some of it, because it's RICE. And he did. But B...well, B took one look and said, "I don't like it." Rugrat and I explained that it didn't matter because that was dinner, and the rule is, you must take one bite for each year of your age and NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT IT and if you are still hungry after that, you can make yourself a waffle. B grumbled and procrastinated a lot, but eventually ate his four bites. Rugrat professed to like it, but still only ate six bites (he said he was "being polite" - he didn't really like it). So afterwards, the two of them made themselves some waffles. Fine, no problem. The boys "play" (read: fight) for a while. Then it comes time to get ready for bed. I look at the woefully small pile of clothes that CPSIL brought over and realize that she forgot to send:
Rugrat jumps in the shower and starts cleaning up, but B freaked the hell out and wouldn't get in the shower for love or money. Oh nooooo, he only takes baths. Fine, I figured I'd just ditch the "clean up" idea to keep him from going postal. They get jammies on and we read a couple of books. The boys go to bed. And then for the next hour, B and Rugrat are giggling and whispering and getting out of bed until I finally separate them by making Rugrat go to my room. And Rugrat was pretty exhausted by this point, so he fell right to sleep. But B? B kept getting up and opening the door and I kept telling him to go back to bed, for the next half hour. It was almost 10 PM before he finally settled down.
Next morning, B wakes up at the ass-crack of dawn. Yes, before 7 AM. I hear him in Rugrat's bedroom, hollering at him to "get up, it's time to get up!" Rugrat tries to ignore him for a few minutes, but finally drags his poor sleepy butt outta bed and then they come in to wake ME up. I get them settled down with hot cocoa and waffles and a video, then crawl back into bed. But every half hour or so, I hear them hollering and fighting. I keep having to get up and yell at them to BE QUIET, but B and Rugrat together are like a gigantic ball of crazy, and finally I get up. CPSIL calls around 9 AM and says she's on her way to pick up her little one, and then she'll be out to get B. The boys "play" some more, and basically Rugrat is on the verge of a nervous breakdown from having to deal with B all morning and not getting enough sleep the night before.
CPSIL finally gets here around 10:15 and everything goes to hell in a handbasket. B runs away from her, and then when he finally went back downstairs, something happened where I assume she grabbed him and he lost his balance and hurt his hip. I didn't see it, so I don't know what really happened, but B was in total meltdown phase (although after a few seconds it was that "fake crying" that kids do), and then little A, B's younger brother, comes over and B shoves A, and then A is crying and CPSIL is spanking B and everything is craziness. CPSIL orders B to put on his shoes and B of course refuses. I am sick of it all and just want them out of my house now. So I tell B to put on his shoes, and he glares at me. I ask him if he needs some help, and he glares at me some more. I give him a couple seconds, and then I am done. I go over and put his shoes on him, while he's flailing around, trying to kick me. I give him my "don't fuck with me" voice and tell him not to kick me, and he stops. CPSIL is yelling at him again, and I'm like, OMG, just get OUT of my HOUSE! They finally leave and Rugrat & I breathe a big sigh of relief. I swear to myself that I will never, ever send Rugrat over to her house to be babysat. And I will NEVER get roped in to doing it for her again, either.
And then, here is the kicker. Last night, I was sitting at home watching TV, and CPSIL calls me up. She wants to know if I told Babydaddy that she went to a concert on Saturday night. I said, "Yes, Babydaddy came over on Sunday night for dinner, and Rugrat mentioned that B was here so I told him that B spent the night while you went to a concert." So she gets kind of pissy and is like, "Well, you know every time you talk to Babydaddy about what I'm doing, it gets back to L [her soon-to-be-ex-husband]." So I said, "Well, I didn't know it was a state secret." And she was like, "Oh, I'm not mad at you, but L got all fired up and now he won't give me money for B's tuition [daycare fee]." And I'm like, whatever. I told her I didn't want to be in the middle of it. Her problems with L are NOT my problem. Yes, I can agree that he is being an ass, but if she didn't want him to know that she went out, maybe she shouldn't have gone out. Or she should have left B with her parents or something. Because seriously, doesn't she realize that B would tell his dad that he spent the night at Rugrat's house? L is just looking for any possible thing he can blame her for and that is NOT MY PROBLEM. As far as I'm concerned, if she doesn't want me to tell Babydaddy anything, then she shouldn't tell ME anything, because I don't hate Babydaddy; I am actually friends with him. So I talk to him. About things like the horrific babysitting debacle of 2005. And since he and L are brothers, I am sure he DOES tell L things that I say about CPSIL. But honestly? I just don't care. CPSIL and L are two completely insane people, and their fighting is tearing those poor kids apart, but there's nothing I can do about that, so...I'm done. No more going out with CPSIL and no more doing her favors. No more listening to her crazy man-hungry talk and hearing about how she's stalking her latest flavor of the month. No more pretending to sympathize with her dramas when all I can think is, "You brought this on yourself!" Just...no more.
Last week, crazy pseudo-sister-in-law (hereafter referred to as CPSIL) called and cornered me in her usual way: "What are you doing Saturday?" Well, just as I usually do every other weekend, I had Rugrat. Which I told her. Which she KNEW, because she has the same schedule with her kids. So then she asks me to babysit her four-year-old, B, and because I was cornered and she knew I was going to be home with Rugrat, I felt obligated to say OK. So, I figured it wouldn't be a big deal - he'd come & spend the night, the kids would have fun together, and then CPSIL would owe me and I could get her to babysit for ME sometime when I really needed it (read: when GG is in town and I am absolutely desperate to get laid).
So she drops off B on Saturday at about 5 (not 6:30, like she originally said she would - you know, AFTER DINNER). She assured me that he "will eat anything". I made risotto for dinner. You know, rice. With some chicken and peas and mushrooms thrown in. I figured Rugrat would balk a bit but he'd eat some of it, because it's RICE. And he did. But B...well, B took one look and said, "I don't like it." Rugrat and I explained that it didn't matter because that was dinner, and the rule is, you must take one bite for each year of your age and NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT IT and if you are still hungry after that, you can make yourself a waffle. B grumbled and procrastinated a lot, but eventually ate his four bites. Rugrat professed to like it, but still only ate six bites (he said he was "being polite" - he didn't really like it). So afterwards, the two of them made themselves some waffles. Fine, no problem. The boys "play" (read: fight) for a while. Then it comes time to get ready for bed. I look at the woefully small pile of clothes that CPSIL brought over and realize that she forgot to send:
- underwear
- pajamas
- socks
- toothbrush
Rugrat jumps in the shower and starts cleaning up, but B freaked the hell out and wouldn't get in the shower for love or money. Oh nooooo, he only takes baths. Fine, I figured I'd just ditch the "clean up" idea to keep him from going postal. They get jammies on and we read a couple of books. The boys go to bed. And then for the next hour, B and Rugrat are giggling and whispering and getting out of bed until I finally separate them by making Rugrat go to my room. And Rugrat was pretty exhausted by this point, so he fell right to sleep. But B? B kept getting up and opening the door and I kept telling him to go back to bed, for the next half hour. It was almost 10 PM before he finally settled down.
Next morning, B wakes up at the ass-crack of dawn. Yes, before 7 AM. I hear him in Rugrat's bedroom, hollering at him to "get up, it's time to get up!" Rugrat tries to ignore him for a few minutes, but finally drags his poor sleepy butt outta bed and then they come in to wake ME up. I get them settled down with hot cocoa and waffles and a video, then crawl back into bed. But every half hour or so, I hear them hollering and fighting. I keep having to get up and yell at them to BE QUIET, but B and Rugrat together are like a gigantic ball of crazy, and finally I get up. CPSIL calls around 9 AM and says she's on her way to pick up her little one, and then she'll be out to get B. The boys "play" some more, and basically Rugrat is on the verge of a nervous breakdown from having to deal with B all morning and not getting enough sleep the night before.
CPSIL finally gets here around 10:15 and everything goes to hell in a handbasket. B runs away from her, and then when he finally went back downstairs, something happened where I assume she grabbed him and he lost his balance and hurt his hip. I didn't see it, so I don't know what really happened, but B was in total meltdown phase (although after a few seconds it was that "fake crying" that kids do), and then little A, B's younger brother, comes over and B shoves A, and then A is crying and CPSIL is spanking B and everything is craziness. CPSIL orders B to put on his shoes and B of course refuses. I am sick of it all and just want them out of my house now. So I tell B to put on his shoes, and he glares at me. I ask him if he needs some help, and he glares at me some more. I give him a couple seconds, and then I am done. I go over and put his shoes on him, while he's flailing around, trying to kick me. I give him my "don't fuck with me" voice and tell him not to kick me, and he stops. CPSIL is yelling at him again, and I'm like, OMG, just get OUT of my HOUSE! They finally leave and Rugrat & I breathe a big sigh of relief. I swear to myself that I will never, ever send Rugrat over to her house to be babysat. And I will NEVER get roped in to doing it for her again, either.
And then, here is the kicker. Last night, I was sitting at home watching TV, and CPSIL calls me up. She wants to know if I told Babydaddy that she went to a concert on Saturday night. I said, "Yes, Babydaddy came over on Sunday night for dinner, and Rugrat mentioned that B was here so I told him that B spent the night while you went to a concert." So she gets kind of pissy and is like, "Well, you know every time you talk to Babydaddy about what I'm doing, it gets back to L [her soon-to-be-ex-husband]." So I said, "Well, I didn't know it was a state secret." And she was like, "Oh, I'm not mad at you, but L got all fired up and now he won't give me money for B's tuition [daycare fee]." And I'm like, whatever. I told her I didn't want to be in the middle of it. Her problems with L are NOT my problem. Yes, I can agree that he is being an ass, but if she didn't want him to know that she went out, maybe she shouldn't have gone out. Or she should have left B with her parents or something. Because seriously, doesn't she realize that B would tell his dad that he spent the night at Rugrat's house? L is just looking for any possible thing he can blame her for and that is NOT MY PROBLEM. As far as I'm concerned, if she doesn't want me to tell Babydaddy anything, then she shouldn't tell ME anything, because I don't hate Babydaddy; I am actually friends with him. So I talk to him. About things like the horrific babysitting debacle of 2005. And since he and L are brothers, I am sure he DOES tell L things that I say about CPSIL. But honestly? I just don't care. CPSIL and L are two completely insane people, and their fighting is tearing those poor kids apart, but there's nothing I can do about that, so...I'm done. No more going out with CPSIL and no more doing her favors. No more listening to her crazy man-hungry talk and hearing about how she's stalking her latest flavor of the month. No more pretending to sympathize with her dramas when all I can think is, "You brought this on yourself!" Just...no more.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Oh, excellent!
I came across the coolest video today: Lotion by Greenskeepers. Seriously, you MUST watch it. (Warning: not for the faint of heart, or those who've not yet seen The Silence of the Lambs -- too many spoilers.)
Been a while
I know, it's been a while since my last post. So here's the update, in a nutshell:
Thanksgiving was wonderful, except for the fact that I had horrendous allergies all day and even after taking a dose of Benadryl they wouldn't leave me alone. I tried to nap (because that usually helps immensely) but I must have been too excited about seeing family & stuffing my face, because even with the Benadryl fog I couldn't sleep. The food was, of course, delish. And it was lovely to see my cousin Kelly and his girlfriend and baby. :)
A week later (last Thursday) was my company's annual Christmas party. We're a tiny little company so we all went to see Cirque du Soleil and then out to dinner afterwards in SF. Cirque du Soleil was REALLY cool - lots of amazing acrobatics and gorgeous costumes and just...theatrical spectacle, I guess. I was very impressed with the tightrope walker, who balanced way up high on a skinny little wire while hula-hooping about 20 hoops! Afterwards we went to a tiny Basque restaurant for dinner, and had an outstanding meal. Yay for French food!
Speaking of French food, I made a delicious French onion soup last night for dinner. I invited Babydaddy over for dinner, since I knew there would be plenty (and plus it's really, really good and I spent two hours making it, so I thought it would be nice to let someone else enjoy it, too). Yum. My newest addiction is Gruyere. I've been making toast for lunch, with melted Gruyere on top and some freshly ground pepper - for about the last week. Pretty soon I'll get sick of it (I hope! That stuff is expensive) but for now I'm content to scarf the yummy fattening melted cheese every day. Mmmm....cheese...
Also over the weekend, I made cookies and fruitcake. The fruitcake didn't turn out too well - apparently it wasn't cooked all the way on the bottom because half of it stuck in the pan (the NON-STICK pan) when I tried to pull it out. I guess my toothpicks just aren't long enough, because when I stuck it in after baking for 50 minutes, it came out clean. Next time I'll make fruitcake muffins instead. *sigh*
Thanksgiving was wonderful, except for the fact that I had horrendous allergies all day and even after taking a dose of Benadryl they wouldn't leave me alone. I tried to nap (because that usually helps immensely) but I must have been too excited about seeing family & stuffing my face, because even with the Benadryl fog I couldn't sleep. The food was, of course, delish. And it was lovely to see my cousin Kelly and his girlfriend and baby. :)
A week later (last Thursday) was my company's annual Christmas party. We're a tiny little company so we all went to see Cirque du Soleil and then out to dinner afterwards in SF. Cirque du Soleil was REALLY cool - lots of amazing acrobatics and gorgeous costumes and just...theatrical spectacle, I guess. I was very impressed with the tightrope walker, who balanced way up high on a skinny little wire while hula-hooping about 20 hoops! Afterwards we went to a tiny Basque restaurant for dinner, and had an outstanding meal. Yay for French food!
Speaking of French food, I made a delicious French onion soup last night for dinner. I invited Babydaddy over for dinner, since I knew there would be plenty (and plus it's really, really good and I spent two hours making it, so I thought it would be nice to let someone else enjoy it, too). Yum. My newest addiction is Gruyere. I've been making toast for lunch, with melted Gruyere on top and some freshly ground pepper - for about the last week. Pretty soon I'll get sick of it (I hope! That stuff is expensive) but for now I'm content to scarf the yummy fattening melted cheese every day. Mmmm....cheese...
Also over the weekend, I made cookies and fruitcake. The fruitcake didn't turn out too well - apparently it wasn't cooked all the way on the bottom because half of it stuck in the pan (the NON-STICK pan) when I tried to pull it out. I guess my toothpicks just aren't long enough, because when I stuck it in after baking for 50 minutes, it came out clean. Next time I'll make fruitcake muffins instead. *sigh*
Monday, November 21, 2005
Oh, just go to hell
Remember that weekend, over a month ago, when I looked all cute in my little black skirt and the girls and I went out to D'ville first, and then WC to the dive bar where K knew the bartender? And I met a guy there, and we shared a few kisses, and I called him like I said I would and expected that I'd hear back from him in a couple days?
Well, I didn't. He didn't call me...until today. And he called my friggin' WORK phone number, which is crap, because I am never in the office and I TOLD him to just email me - or he could've called me back on my cell, because that's what I called HIM from. But no. He called the office. Freakin' idiot. So Coworker IMs me and says, "You got a call from JG, here's his number. He said he was returning your call." And I'm like, WHO? Because this was OVER A MONTH AGO. And God, it's not like I have a life or anything, I was just sitting at home waiting for his friggin' phone call. [/sarcasm]
So here I am thinking that this must be something work-related and I'm racking my brain; I just can't figure out what client this is, because...seriously, a MONTH! So I call back and he's like, "Yeah, I just wanted to apologize for not calling you back. I was really busy." FOR A MONTH??? "You're at work aren't you?" Yeah, dumbshit, I am at work. You called me AT WORK. From my business card! After I told you not to! "So, I just wanted to let you know that I hadn't forgotten about you...and you can call me sometime if you want." Yeah, I'll get right the fuck on that, buddy.
Jesus, how desperate do I look?
Well, I didn't. He didn't call me...until today. And he called my friggin' WORK phone number, which is crap, because I am never in the office and I TOLD him to just email me - or he could've called me back on my cell, because that's what I called HIM from. But no. He called the office. Freakin' idiot. So Coworker IMs me and says, "You got a call from JG, here's his number. He said he was returning your call." And I'm like, WHO? Because this was OVER A MONTH AGO. And God, it's not like I have a life or anything, I was just sitting at home waiting for his friggin' phone call. [/sarcasm]
So here I am thinking that this must be something work-related and I'm racking my brain; I just can't figure out what client this is, because...seriously, a MONTH! So I call back and he's like, "Yeah, I just wanted to apologize for not calling you back. I was really busy." FOR A MONTH??? "You're at work aren't you?" Yeah, dumbshit, I am at work. You called me AT WORK. From my business card! After I told you not to! "So, I just wanted to let you know that I hadn't forgotten about you...and you can call me sometime if you want." Yeah, I'll get right the fuck on that, buddy.
Jesus, how desperate do I look?
The anti-fang
When Rugrat was about five months old, he got a tooth. One little bitty tooth, on the bottom. And that was it...he didn't get any more teeth for five months. We called him "Fang."
So on Saturday, he finally lost his first tooth. That one little bitty fang he sprouted when he was a baby. Most of the kids in his class are already growing in half a dozen adult teeth, but my little Rugrat held on to those itty bitty pearly whites for the loooongest time. And then Saturday, it was so loose - he'd been wiggling it all morning. I gave him an apple with his lunch, and halfway through his lunch it was obvious it was coming out really soon (because it was practically horizontal, barely hanging in there) so we went into the bathroom to wiggle it and monitor the progress. The quesadillas got cold, but we stayed in the bathroom, moving it back and forth until it was only held in place by a couple little bits of gum-flesh on the sides. Ewww, that's a gross visual. Anyway, I went upstairs to get the camera and WHILE I WAS GONE Rugrat pulled it out. Dammit. But anyway, it was done, and he was thrilled ("It didn't even hurt at all!"), and we put the tooth in a little box to stick under his pillow for the tooth fairy (who brought him a nice gold dollar coin for it). I took pictures of his gappy little-boy smile but every one I took had him squinting his eyes shut, so I don't think I'll post them here.
I gotta say, though, I don't think he's going to lose another tooth for five months. The one next to it is a little bit loose, but not so much that it's coming out anytime soon. And all the others are very firmly rooted in. Probably in six months or so he'll have a smile that's more "little old man without dentures" than "little boy with buckteeth." They'll all fall out at once, just like they all came in at once, five months after that first fang.
So on Saturday, he finally lost his first tooth. That one little bitty fang he sprouted when he was a baby. Most of the kids in his class are already growing in half a dozen adult teeth, but my little Rugrat held on to those itty bitty pearly whites for the loooongest time. And then Saturday, it was so loose - he'd been wiggling it all morning. I gave him an apple with his lunch, and halfway through his lunch it was obvious it was coming out really soon (because it was practically horizontal, barely hanging in there) so we went into the bathroom to wiggle it and monitor the progress. The quesadillas got cold, but we stayed in the bathroom, moving it back and forth until it was only held in place by a couple little bits of gum-flesh on the sides. Ewww, that's a gross visual. Anyway, I went upstairs to get the camera and WHILE I WAS GONE Rugrat pulled it out. Dammit. But anyway, it was done, and he was thrilled ("It didn't even hurt at all!"), and we put the tooth in a little box to stick under his pillow for the tooth fairy (who brought him a nice gold dollar coin for it). I took pictures of his gappy little-boy smile but every one I took had him squinting his eyes shut, so I don't think I'll post them here.
I gotta say, though, I don't think he's going to lose another tooth for five months. The one next to it is a little bit loose, but not so much that it's coming out anytime soon. And all the others are very firmly rooted in. Probably in six months or so he'll have a smile that's more "little old man without dentures" than "little boy with buckteeth." They'll all fall out at once, just like they all came in at once, five months after that first fang.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Mosquito Lounge
I tried a new restaurant last night: Mosquito Lounge, in Brentwood. First impression was good - yes, it's located in a tacky stripmall (not even a good stripmall, like the one with Barnes & Noble), but the decor was AWESOME. I absolutely love the atmosphere in that place. Unfortunately, the food sucked. First of all, they don't have any hard liquor, so my cosmo was made with sake, which...okay, it wasn't disgusting, but it wasn't great. Second, the actual food: I ordered crab cakes to start with, and then dragon prawns. Big servings, but ewww. The crab cakes were just warm, not hot. And they were all mushy like they'd used 90% bread crumbs and 10% Krab and seasonings, and then fried those lumps. The sauce was yummy, and the salad served with it was fine. But the "crab" cakes themselves were horrendous. Then, the shrimp. Dear God, is everything in this place fried? Because they were thinly covered with some kind of fried tempura batter or something. And they were overcooked (but at least they were hot!). Again, the sauce was yummy, but the main focus of the dish? Not so much.
So...I won't be going back.
It's like there's some kind of mental block here - the restaurants in the area are all either 1) boring and kinda gross chain restaurants or 2) great atmosphere, lousy food or 3) great food, lousy atmosphere. I went to Strings with Babydaddy and Rugrat last week (again, strip mall location), and the food was fantastic, but it felt like I was dining in a cafeteria. Babydaddy said he'd gone another day and sat on the other side of the restaurant, which was much more atmospheric. Whatever. It's not something I'd take someone to for a fancy dinner, but it's a damn sight better than Chili's.
So...I won't be going back.
It's like there's some kind of mental block here - the restaurants in the area are all either 1) boring and kinda gross chain restaurants or 2) great atmosphere, lousy food or 3) great food, lousy atmosphere. I went to Strings with Babydaddy and Rugrat last week (again, strip mall location), and the food was fantastic, but it felt like I was dining in a cafeteria. Babydaddy said he'd gone another day and sat on the other side of the restaurant, which was much more atmospheric. Whatever. It's not something I'd take someone to for a fancy dinner, but it's a damn sight better than Chili's.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Disney photos
Here they are!
This first photo was taken during breakfast on Monday morning, at the Storyteller's Cafe in the Grand Californian hotel (where we stayed during this trip). Really nice hotel. Really bad food at this restaurant though.
This next photo was taken in New Orleans Square.
Look at all the gorgeous decorations up for the holidays!
Here's Rugrat with his favorite character (albeit just a statue) - Jack Skellington.
Look how beautiful Sleeping Beauty's castle is! They repainted it and added lots of gold accents, including the five lovely crowns, representing the five decades of Disneyland. (This photo was taken during our Early Entry morning - the park wasn't always this deserted! LOL)
And here's the Haunted Mansion, all decked out in its Nightmare Before Christmas finery. I tried taking some flash-free photos inside but they didn't turn out well at all. :-( You really can't get a feel for how amazing it is without seeing all the fantastic changes they made inside. It was just incredible. My favorite part was the singing jack-o-lanterns.
This first photo was taken during breakfast on Monday morning, at the Storyteller's Cafe in the Grand Californian hotel (where we stayed during this trip). Really nice hotel. Really bad food at this restaurant though.
This next photo was taken in New Orleans Square.
Look at all the gorgeous decorations up for the holidays!
Here's Rugrat with his favorite character (albeit just a statue) - Jack Skellington.
Look how beautiful Sleeping Beauty's castle is! They repainted it and added lots of gold accents, including the five lovely crowns, representing the five decades of Disneyland. (This photo was taken during our Early Entry morning - the park wasn't always this deserted! LOL)
And here's the Haunted Mansion, all decked out in its Nightmare Before Christmas finery. I tried taking some flash-free photos inside but they didn't turn out well at all. :-( You really can't get a feel for how amazing it is without seeing all the fantastic changes they made inside. It was just incredible. My favorite part was the singing jack-o-lanterns.Jack Skellington
My little monster-child, prior to trick-or-treatiing downtown on the Saturday before Halloween. (Click for a bigger photo.)
Friday, November 04, 2005
Disneyland & date recap
Rugrat discovered the joy of roller coasters on this trip. He was apprehensive about Space Mountain and wanted to "work up to it". So, the first roller coaster we went on was Big Thunder and he loved it. Then we went on the Matterhorn (which I despise, because it's 40 years old and has no padding in the seats anymore and is bumpy as hell). He loved that one too. Finally he felt ready to tackle SM. When it was over I turned around to look at him (he was sitting behind me with Babydaddy) and he had this look of absolute terror on his face and then as I watched he broke into a huge grin and said, "That's the best ride EVER!" So we rode SM a bazillion times. He wouldn't ride California Screamin' (the big roller coaster at California Adventure, with a loop) until the very last day, a few hours before the park closed. He finally decided to ride it, and then THAT was his new favorite ride and he rode it about a half dozen times more before the park closed. LOL
Not a whole lot of people there (Monday-Wednesday) so the lines were short. Haunted Mansion (all decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas finery) was incredible. We went on all our favorites, usually multiple times. We hit Fantasyland on Tuesday morning, when we used Early Entry (you get in one hour early), so we walked right on all the FL rides. No waiting for Peter Pan; no waiting for Dumbo. It was excellent. The weather couldn't have been better - sunny and hot, perfect t-shirt & shorts weather. It actually hit 95 degrees on Monday!!
We had a nice time visiting with Mom & Stepdad too. They left at about mid-day Tuesday, so we had about a day and a half there together. As usual, our visit together was too short and we didn't get a whole lot of time to just catch up & hang out (because we were so busy going on rides!) but it was fun nonetheless.
The only downside was the food. It was terrible. Cold and horribly overpriced. There were a couple of bright spots: the bakery next to Carnation Cafe on Main Street sells great croissants and coffee (all our "real" breakfasts were pretty awful, with cold eggs and "icky" - Rugrat's word - waffles and pancakes). The Napa Rose in our hotel (Grand Californian) was excellent, but incredibly expensive so we only ate there once. White Water Snacks was good - the food is actually cooked when it's ordered, and it seemed less expensive than in the rest of the park (chili cheese dog & lots of hot, fresh fries for about $6). Mostly it seemed like the food was cooked and then left under heat lamps all day, so you'd get chicken strips that were cooked an hour ago and barely warm from the lamps. It was just gross.
Now....Monday night! My date with GG went REALLY, REALLY well. So well, in fact, that I am not going to jinx it by giving details. Let's just say that the chemistry and attraction was definitely still there (but I was a good girl and restrained myself). And he is coming up to the bay area to visit family at Thanksgiving. :-D
P.S. Pictures coming soon!
Not a whole lot of people there (Monday-Wednesday) so the lines were short. Haunted Mansion (all decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas finery) was incredible. We went on all our favorites, usually multiple times. We hit Fantasyland on Tuesday morning, when we used Early Entry (you get in one hour early), so we walked right on all the FL rides. No waiting for Peter Pan; no waiting for Dumbo. It was excellent. The weather couldn't have been better - sunny and hot, perfect t-shirt & shorts weather. It actually hit 95 degrees on Monday!!
We had a nice time visiting with Mom & Stepdad too. They left at about mid-day Tuesday, so we had about a day and a half there together. As usual, our visit together was too short and we didn't get a whole lot of time to just catch up & hang out (because we were so busy going on rides!) but it was fun nonetheless.
The only downside was the food. It was terrible. Cold and horribly overpriced. There were a couple of bright spots: the bakery next to Carnation Cafe on Main Street sells great croissants and coffee (all our "real" breakfasts were pretty awful, with cold eggs and "icky" - Rugrat's word - waffles and pancakes). The Napa Rose in our hotel (Grand Californian) was excellent, but incredibly expensive so we only ate there once. White Water Snacks was good - the food is actually cooked when it's ordered, and it seemed less expensive than in the rest of the park (chili cheese dog & lots of hot, fresh fries for about $6). Mostly it seemed like the food was cooked and then left under heat lamps all day, so you'd get chicken strips that were cooked an hour ago and barely warm from the lamps. It was just gross.
Now....Monday night! My date with GG went REALLY, REALLY well. So well, in fact, that I am not going to jinx it by giving details. Let's just say that the chemistry and attraction was definitely still there (but I was a good girl and restrained myself). And he is coming up to the bay area to visit family at Thanksgiving. :-D
P.S. Pictures coming soon!
Friday, October 28, 2005
I've got a date!
With GG - my first "boyfriend" from high school!
I found him on myspace.com a few months ago & we've been emailing back and forth for a couple of months. He lives down in LA and I haven't seen him in FIFTEEN YEARS, y'all! So we're going to meet up on Monday night - Halloween - to catch up and have drinks. Can I just say...I am SO excited about this! (Yes, I've seen pictures...and YES, he is still totally my type and smokin' hot to boot!)
I found him on myspace.com a few months ago & we've been emailing back and forth for a couple of months. He lives down in LA and I haven't seen him in FIFTEEN YEARS, y'all! So we're going to meet up on Monday night - Halloween - to catch up and have drinks. Can I just say...I am SO excited about this! (Yes, I've seen pictures...and YES, he is still totally my type and smokin' hot to boot!)
Monday, October 24, 2005
Dizz Knee Land
We're getting really excited here about our Disneyland trip next week...yesterday I spent way too much money on eBay - but I got four tickets to Mickey's Halloween Treat! It's a special trick-or-treat party they're having at California Adventure. It's three hours, from 7:30-10:30 on Sunday night (after regular park hours; it closes at 6 PM that day). There are several "trick or treat" stations where you get candy, and a bunch of photo opportunities with the characters. Some of the rides will be open, and I heard that you can play the carnival games for free (they give out candy as prizes, rather than toys). Whee!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
My weekend
Friday night I had a craigslist date. I'm not really sure why I keep putting myself through this, it never turns out any differently. The guy was nice, polite, not hideously ugly or anything, but there was no spark at all. Our date was over an hour and a half after it began, and that included dinner. But no goodnight kiss. (WTF?)
Saturday night I went out with the girls. And if I say so myself, I looked pretty hot: tight black skirt, lavender and black patterned cami with a black v-neck cardigan and a lavender sash at my waist. And my hair was all big bouncy curls, kind of 40's but without the shellac. We went to a dance club down in D'ville, but left after a couple hours because the crowd was almost completely made up of couples. Kind of useless, when we were looking so good. So we headed back to da Creek, and went to a dive bar. My friend K knew one of the bartenders (whose parents own the bar), and after some wrangling with the asshole bouncer, we got in for free and got free drinks. I met this adorable boy - and I do mean boy. I can't remember how old he said he was (ok, so I was a wee bit tipsy) but he was at least 6-8 years younger than me. That's ok, I just want a boytoy anyway. Anyway, I got his card (and a few kisses) and told him I'd call him the next day (yesterday), which I did. Now he'll wait the requisite two days and then call me back. *sigh* I really hate the game.
I woke up on K's couch with a glorious hangover and spent most of the day recovering from that, and then getting a pedicure. :) But the very best part of my weekend actually occurred early this morning, when I had the most fabulous dream. I dreamed I was Kendall (from All My Children - and yes, I am a total dork), and Zach had me pinned up against a wall. Unfortunately I woke up before it was...*ahem*...consummated, but even so - this was the hottest dream I've had in years. I really need to get laid, y'all.
Saturday night I went out with the girls. And if I say so myself, I looked pretty hot: tight black skirt, lavender and black patterned cami with a black v-neck cardigan and a lavender sash at my waist. And my hair was all big bouncy curls, kind of 40's but without the shellac. We went to a dance club down in D'ville, but left after a couple hours because the crowd was almost completely made up of couples. Kind of useless, when we were looking so good. So we headed back to da Creek, and went to a dive bar. My friend K knew one of the bartenders (whose parents own the bar), and after some wrangling with the asshole bouncer, we got in for free and got free drinks. I met this adorable boy - and I do mean boy. I can't remember how old he said he was (ok, so I was a wee bit tipsy) but he was at least 6-8 years younger than me. That's ok, I just want a boytoy anyway. Anyway, I got his card (and a few kisses) and told him I'd call him the next day (yesterday), which I did. Now he'll wait the requisite two days and then call me back. *sigh* I really hate the game.
I woke up on K's couch with a glorious hangover and spent most of the day recovering from that, and then getting a pedicure. :) But the very best part of my weekend actually occurred early this morning, when I had the most fabulous dream. I dreamed I was Kendall (from All My Children - and yes, I am a total dork), and Zach had me pinned up against a wall. Unfortunately I woke up before it was...*ahem*...consummated, but even so - this was the hottest dream I've had in years. I really need to get laid, y'all.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
The end of babyhood...
I finally gave up the last little teeny tiny part of me that thought that MAYBE someday I might have another child. I sold my glider (rocking chair) on craigslist tonight.
I had no problems getting rid of Rugrat's crib, his changing table, his stroller (well, actually, that filthy thing is still in the garage because I couldn't even GIVE it away). Baby clothes? Gone, for the most part - I kept a few things for sentimental reasons, but handed down the rest of his barely-worn, gorgeous baby clothes. I was the first one to have a baby in my group - everyone else came after. And almost all of those babies were boys, so my hand-me-downs were always in demand among the sisters-in-law and friends. Baby toys were disposed of too, given to cousins or donated to charities.
But I held on to the glider. I had such lovely memories of holding my little infant Rugrat, nursing him, rocking him, singing to him. Sitting upright, rocking in the middle of the night, asleep - both of us. It's amazing that you can actually continue to rock the chair and be sound asleep at the same time, but I'm sure I'm not the only mother who's done it. When he got a wee bit older, we'd snuggle up in the chair to read bedtime stories.
Time marched on, and Rugrat got too big for us to share the chair anymore (without my legs falling asleep, that is). So the chair sat, unused, in his room until we moved two years ago. Then the chair migrated to MY room. I had some fleeting idea about it being a "reading chair" because it's so comfortable. But when I read in my bedroom, I read in bed. And the chair ended up just holding stacks of clean clothes.
Why did I keep the chair for so long? I kept thinking that someday I might meet someone and get married. And someday we might decide that it would be totally cool to have a baby together. And if that happened - if I somehow changed my mind and thought, "OK, it would be fine to have another baby. I could totally live through another twelve months of being a braindead zombie. I could totally put up with a few more years of diapers and tantrums and whining and picky eating and the nonstop physical and emotional drain," if I REALLY TRULY believed that...then I'd want to have a glider. So I held on to it for way longer than I should have.
And now it's gone. That last little bit of Rugrat's infancy. That last little link to breastfeeding, which was totally the best (and worst) part of the first six months of his life. So I'm a little sad. But still, it's good to move on.
I had no problems getting rid of Rugrat's crib, his changing table, his stroller (well, actually, that filthy thing is still in the garage because I couldn't even GIVE it away). Baby clothes? Gone, for the most part - I kept a few things for sentimental reasons, but handed down the rest of his barely-worn, gorgeous baby clothes. I was the first one to have a baby in my group - everyone else came after. And almost all of those babies were boys, so my hand-me-downs were always in demand among the sisters-in-law and friends. Baby toys were disposed of too, given to cousins or donated to charities.
But I held on to the glider. I had such lovely memories of holding my little infant Rugrat, nursing him, rocking him, singing to him. Sitting upright, rocking in the middle of the night, asleep - both of us. It's amazing that you can actually continue to rock the chair and be sound asleep at the same time, but I'm sure I'm not the only mother who's done it. When he got a wee bit older, we'd snuggle up in the chair to read bedtime stories.
Time marched on, and Rugrat got too big for us to share the chair anymore (without my legs falling asleep, that is). So the chair sat, unused, in his room until we moved two years ago. Then the chair migrated to MY room. I had some fleeting idea about it being a "reading chair" because it's so comfortable. But when I read in my bedroom, I read in bed. And the chair ended up just holding stacks of clean clothes.
Why did I keep the chair for so long? I kept thinking that someday I might meet someone and get married. And someday we might decide that it would be totally cool to have a baby together. And if that happened - if I somehow changed my mind and thought, "OK, it would be fine to have another baby. I could totally live through another twelve months of being a braindead zombie. I could totally put up with a few more years of diapers and tantrums and whining and picky eating and the nonstop physical and emotional drain," if I REALLY TRULY believed that...then I'd want to have a glider. So I held on to it for way longer than I should have.
And now it's gone. That last little bit of Rugrat's infancy. That last little link to breastfeeding, which was totally the best (and worst) part of the first six months of his life. So I'm a little sad. But still, it's good to move on.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Rugrat, Babydaddy and I went to see this movie yesterday. I love W&G - I've seen all three of the earlier movies - and I wasn't disappointed with this one. It was really cute. My favorite thing was Lady Tottington's very veggie dresses. I didn't notice it until near the end of the movie, but some of her dresses were meant to emulate vegetables: at the competition she was dressed as a carrot, and in the final scene she was dressed as an ear of corn. Adorable!
Zippity doo dah
Dad & stepmom came over on Saturday for my birthday. I ran off to a seminar at the library on starting your own small business, and while I was gone, they started changing the switches and electrical outlets in the house. I don't mean that they started rewiring them so as to completely confound me, but that they switched the actual switches and outlets from nasty almond to a lovely, clean white. So...whee! I have all new outlets & switches, including GFCIs in the kitchen & bath (which were not there before, despite the violated building codes). Bitchin' birthday present, even if dad nearly gave himself a heart attack doing it all in one day. Seriously, I was hollerin' at him to TAKE A FRIGGIN BREAK ALREADY by the time he started on the upstairs rooms. He was turning purple and huffin' and puffin' every time he had to get back up off the floor.
I also got a fabulous birthday dinner of boeuf bourgignon and garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach with pine nuts and sultanas (golden raisins). And dessert: creme brulee. Who can resist that? In addition, I marinated myself in pinot noir and a good snort of that fabulous $200 scotch. Amazingly enough, I was NOT hung over the next day (may have something to do with the fact that I basically passed out at 9 PM and slept TWELVE HOURS).
And now I am 32. I was thinking the other day about how I could be on that old television show Thirtysomething now.
Haircut tonight! Will celebrate with something a little different - very long bangs (or very short layers) and at least four inches off the ends. My hair has gotten unwieldy, y'all. The last time I actually styled my hair (blow dry, curling iron, etc.) it took forever. I have at least four inches of incredibly dry ends that resemble straw. AND I woke up in the middle of the night a few times with my hair wrapped around my neck and trying to strangle me. I don't want my hair to be so long that it's strangling me. Seriously. And when I'm not laying down, the hair occasionally will wrap under my armpit and my head gets yanked to the side. That's just too long.
I also got a fabulous birthday dinner of boeuf bourgignon and garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach with pine nuts and sultanas (golden raisins). And dessert: creme brulee. Who can resist that? In addition, I marinated myself in pinot noir and a good snort of that fabulous $200 scotch. Amazingly enough, I was NOT hung over the next day (may have something to do with the fact that I basically passed out at 9 PM and slept TWELVE HOURS).
And now I am 32. I was thinking the other day about how I could be on that old television show Thirtysomething now.
Haircut tonight! Will celebrate with something a little different - very long bangs (or very short layers) and at least four inches off the ends. My hair has gotten unwieldy, y'all. The last time I actually styled my hair (blow dry, curling iron, etc.) it took forever. I have at least four inches of incredibly dry ends that resemble straw. AND I woke up in the middle of the night a few times with my hair wrapped around my neck and trying to strangle me. I don't want my hair to be so long that it's strangling me. Seriously. And when I'm not laying down, the hair occasionally will wrap under my armpit and my head gets yanked to the side. That's just too long.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
My favorite day of the week
...is now officially Wednesdays. Between Lost and Veronica Mars, plus a healthy helping of my newest favorite train wreck, America's Next Top Model...I am just in heaven.
Saturday...meh. Wednesday is the new IT day!
Saturday...meh. Wednesday is the new IT day!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Yum!
Mmmmm...made the greatest dinner tonight! Roasted tiny potatoes and butternut squash soup. Thank god for Williams Sonoma!
Oh, and La Bicyclette merlot. Cheap and tasty, at $10/bottle!
Oh, and La Bicyclette merlot. Cheap and tasty, at $10/bottle!
Sunday, October 02, 2005
"Spring" cleaning
Today I spent three hours weeding in the backyard and planting spring bulbs. Almost 250 spring bulbs, actually. I planted:- 90 crocuses
- 88 tulips
- 36 daffodils
- 22 hyacinths
So, no grout yet. But I will have an abundance of spring flowers this year. :-)
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Lost...Arrrrggghhhh!
OK, seriously. What fresh hell is this???
#1 - Michael's whole flashback stuff. Why? What was the point? I thought it was spelled out really clearly last season that 1) he loves his kid, 2) his ex was a raging bitch and 3) eventually she manipulated him into giving up his parental rights so her new hubby could adopt him. So what was the whole frigging point of this flashback? That he gave Walt a stuffed polar bear? Jesus H Christ.
#2 - WASTE OF TIME, folks. All the little bits they re-showed from last week? Why couldn't they have just made the season premiere last week be 2 hours long? Oh, yeah. Because they wanted to have 23 (!!) episodes this season.
#3 - Waiting all damn hour to see Jin. I was getting pretty worried about him, actually. And the tailaways? Not exactly stunning, y'all. Not when it's been spoiled left, right & center.
#4 - Jack is still an unsufferable ass.
But on the plus side:
#1 - Numbers resetting the countdown thingamajig. How much you wanna bet that if Dezzy doesn't reset it in time, Lostzilla starts yanking trees underground?
#2 - Ooooh, what's with the patch? Eagle-eyed TWoP'ers saw the exact same logo ON THE SHARK!!!! WTF????? (I totally missed it, but will re-watch tomorrow.) Must be more of that loverly "island security system." Shark scenes were very tense overall; I liked that bit.
#3 - Kate & the Kandy. I was hollerin' at her to "go on, girl, get your chocolate on!" Hee!Monday, September 26, 2005
The decline of literacy
I'm disgusted. I've come to expect poor spelling and grammar from the vast majority of online personal ads. I cringe at (but am not particularly surprised to see) the horrible spelling and poor sentence structure in the little local community newspaper. But I found at least three spelling errors in a single article on CNN.com. CNN!! I am just...aghast. I cannot believe how far the level of literacy in our country has fallen.
Dammit, pick up a freakin' book and READ, y'all! Expand your brain a bit!
Dammit, pick up a freakin' book and READ, y'all! Expand your brain a bit!
My little artist
Rugrat is such an amazing artist. He just keeps on surprising me. Kid has got some mad skillz! This is one his most recent creations:
Seriously - check out the gnarly skeleton on the flaming skateboard! I love his expression - the hand position, the forked tongue sticking out...it just rocks. And the angry sun & moon in the upper corners - so cool! Not sure what to make of the flying/boarding dragon/cobra though, LOL.
Seriously - check out the gnarly skeleton on the flaming skateboard! I love his expression - the hand position, the forked tongue sticking out...it just rocks. And the angry sun & moon in the upper corners - so cool! Not sure what to make of the flying/boarding dragon/cobra though, LOL.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Carpet is done!
Looks FANTASTIC. Feels silky soft and super-cushy too. Yay!
God, I'm so freakin' tired. I just want to sleeeeeeeep. I have been having serious insomnia the last week or two, and haven't been able to fall asleep until at least 1 or 2 AM. I'm just exhausted, y'all.
God, I'm so freakin' tired. I just want to sleeeeeeeep. I have been having serious insomnia the last week or two, and haven't been able to fall asleep until at least 1 or 2 AM. I'm just exhausted, y'all.
Stinky
My carpet is being installed. Dude, it smells AWFUL. What is that crap they use to glue down the pad? Toxic waste?
Sittin' outside on the patio trying to squint & see my laptop screen. Glare sucks.
Sittin' outside on the patio trying to squint & see my laptop screen. Glare sucks.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Lost!! Squeee!!!!
OK, how big a dork am I? I am so excited about the Lost season premiere tonight that I am literally bouncing around the house. Yes, I need to finish moving stuff out of the bedrooms before the carpeting guys come tomorrow. Yes, I should be working for the next half hour. But all I can think about is...just a few more hours 'til Lost!!! God, I am SO that show's bitch.
OK, here's my wish list for this season:
OK, here's my wish list for this season:
- Kate gets ripped to pieces by Lostzilla so I don't have to look at her whiny bitchface anymore
- Sawyer has RHMS with someone (but not Kate, because she'll be teeny tiny bits of gore splattered around the jungle)
- Jin & Sun get jiggy
- We find out how Locke ended up in a wheelchair
- We find out what is down the hatch...REALLY SOON
- We find out what the deal is with the Others
- We find out what the deal is with the Numbers
- We find out what the deal is with Craphole Island in general
- We get answers...any answers...to any of the big questions. And we don't have to wait all damn season for those answers.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Tile is done!
Well, it's not grouted yet (we decided it needed grout after all - the tiles are way too irregular to try and do it groutless). But it's all stuck to the ground. And it looks freakin' fantastic! Here's a picture of Babydaddy laying the tile yesterday.Carpet is being installed on Thursday. I am so excited! My house is going to look SO much better. :) Of course then I'll want to gut my kitchen...
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Rest in peace
A good friend of mine died last night. I never met him in person, but for the last seven years he's been a part of my life, each and every day. He maintained a bulletin board that I visit almost daily. For seven years, this board has been a constant source of comfort, joy, support, love and hope. When Rugrat had his toothbrush accident, I got cards from people all over the country (and Canada), as well as gifts and prayers and good wishes. Whenever there is a tragedy, the board rallies around and takes care of the person in need. When something wonderful happens, we tell the board, and everyone rejoices with us. Daily frustrations, parenting questions, recipes, television show recaps, movie reviews, high-profile criminal trials, jokes, games, pictures, poems, songs...we share it all. When our "board babies" pass a milestone, everyone marvels at how fast time flies. When politics is the dominant topic of the day we all choose sides and argue - sometimes getting a bit out of hand - but we come back "home" after we've cooled down and taken a breather. In other words...we're friends. We're there for each other. We are a huge "virtual" support network and I am blessed to have found the board. MikeyD made it possible for us to have a place we could come to online, anytime, to find a friend.
RIP, Mike Helton. Your RT HO's will miss you every day. :'-(
RIP, Mike Helton. Your RT HO's will miss you every day. :'-(
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
New carpet!
I ordered new carpeting this weekend, finally. And what the hell is wrong with me that I needed to get the absolute most expensive carpeting in the whole freakin' store?? Over $5 per square foot! Thank goodness for the Home Depot 20% discount sale -- but even that didn't bring down the price too terribly much, because I've got stairs to carpet (you know they charge extra for each one) AND I asked them to move the furniture. Do you know how much they charge for moving furniture? For two bedrooms? $350! I couldn't believe it! I'm going to call back and tell them I'll move my own damn furniture for that price, and give me back my $350.
Sheesh.
On the plus side, me finally ordering carpet has galvanized Babydaddy, who (in a fit of generosity that I never expected or asked for) offered to install new tile in my entryway. So last night he took out the old tile. Only took about half an hour - I would've thought it would take longer than that, but he was lickity split. We're going to install the new tile this weekend, which means I better get my butt out and buy it. Heh. I'm doing slate tiles, since it's such a tiny area (about 30 sf) - and that means we won't have to grout!! YAY! No grout! That's the most irritating part of tile installation anyway.
Sheesh.
On the plus side, me finally ordering carpet has galvanized Babydaddy, who (in a fit of generosity that I never expected or asked for) offered to install new tile in my entryway. So last night he took out the old tile. Only took about half an hour - I would've thought it would take longer than that, but he was lickity split. We're going to install the new tile this weekend, which means I better get my butt out and buy it. Heh. I'm doing slate tiles, since it's such a tiny area (about 30 sf) - and that means we won't have to grout!! YAY! No grout! That's the most irritating part of tile installation anyway.
Whew! No evil spirits...
...in my garage. ;-)
Turns out it was a problem with the remote control that was hooked to the visor in my car. There's a little metal thing inside it that sends the signal to the opener when it's pressed down. Since the opener & remote are so darn old, the metal thing isn't as "springy" as it used to be. The garage door guy bent the little metal thing and put the remote back together and now all is well.
Turns out it was a problem with the remote control that was hooked to the visor in my car. There's a little metal thing inside it that sends the signal to the opener when it's pressed down. Since the opener & remote are so darn old, the metal thing isn't as "springy" as it used to be. The garage door guy bent the little metal thing and put the remote back together and now all is well.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
My garage door opener is POSSESSED!
Holy crap! My garage door opener just went batshit. I was upstairs, working in the office and I heard the door open, and thought that Babydaddy had come over with his nephew to mow my lawn. But then I heard the door shut...and nobody came to the front door. And then the garage door opened AGAIN...and shut AGAIN. Finally after about 3 full cycles I went down to find out what was going on and walked into my garage and saw the garage door just...open by itself. And then it shut partway, and then it opened partway...and then it shut. I tried punching the button on the wall and it didn't seem to do anything. But then a few seconds later it opened again. The HELL????
So I placed this panicked call to my home warranty company and they are sending out an emergency technician to look at it tonight. Man, this is freaky as hell, though!
So I placed this panicked call to my home warranty company and they are sending out an emergency technician to look at it tonight. Man, this is freaky as hell, though!
My doctor
Look, I really like my doctor. I do. He's very thorough; he keeps track of what's going on and doesn't let shit slip through the cracks. He's not stingy with prescriptions if I need 'em.
But he runs SO far behind. Like, hours behind. If I have an appointment for 10 AM or later, I can guarantee that I'll be there for three hours; two of those hours spent in the freezing waiting room.
This morning I had a follow-up appointment at 8:30 AM. Just a "quick" appointment so I could give him my blood pressure record (kept track of over the last two weeks) and he could give up and put me back on HCTZ. So after about 5-10 minutes in the waiting room, they called me back. I thought, "Cool, I got right in. I'll be at my desk by 9:15". Forty-five minutes later, I was still waiting to see the doctor, but in the freezing exam room instead of the freezing waiting room. FINALLY at 9:30, the doctor came in. I was seriously pissed. I mean, at 8:30 in the morning he was already an hour behind schedule? What the HELL?
Anyway, as I predicted...back on HCTZ. I suppose at 31, with intermimittent blood pressure issues over the last five years, it's time for me to finally acknowledge the fact that I will be on medication for the rest of my life. It's not awful stuff, I mean, it doesn't have horrible side effects or anything, but it just sucks that I'll be popping pills for the rest of my life. Why does this bother me? I've been taking birth control almost continuously for the last fifteen years. Another tiny little pill shouldn't be a big deal. I guess I just don't like the idea that I'm getting old. No, 31 isn't old. But high blood pressure? That's pretty much an old person's disease.
But he runs SO far behind. Like, hours behind. If I have an appointment for 10 AM or later, I can guarantee that I'll be there for three hours; two of those hours spent in the freezing waiting room.
This morning I had a follow-up appointment at 8:30 AM. Just a "quick" appointment so I could give him my blood pressure record (kept track of over the last two weeks) and he could give up and put me back on HCTZ. So after about 5-10 minutes in the waiting room, they called me back. I thought, "Cool, I got right in. I'll be at my desk by 9:15". Forty-five minutes later, I was still waiting to see the doctor, but in the freezing exam room instead of the freezing waiting room. FINALLY at 9:30, the doctor came in. I was seriously pissed. I mean, at 8:30 in the morning he was already an hour behind schedule? What the HELL?
Anyway, as I predicted...back on HCTZ. I suppose at 31, with intermimittent blood pressure issues over the last five years, it's time for me to finally acknowledge the fact that I will be on medication for the rest of my life. It's not awful stuff, I mean, it doesn't have horrible side effects or anything, but it just sucks that I'll be popping pills for the rest of my life. Why does this bother me? I've been taking birth control almost continuously for the last fifteen years. Another tiny little pill shouldn't be a big deal. I guess I just don't like the idea that I'm getting old. No, 31 isn't old. But high blood pressure? That's pretty much an old person's disease.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Just shut the fuck up, part 2
This one is aimed at C's hubby (Rugrat's uncle). Oh, and C herself. Because I am fucking pissed at the way she dragged me into her shit and I'm pissed at him for putting me on the spot.
Here's how it all went down: remember the night a couple weeks ago when C & I went out? Well she had told her hubby that she was going out with people from work. Why? I don't know. She seemed to think that he would be more "OK" with her going out with them, than with me. Whatever. But then she got trashed. And, since I was the designated driver for the evening, I had to drive her home. Which is fine. But she left her car at my house and then had to come back early the next morning to get it because she had an appt for something (I forget what). So her hubby had to drive her to MY house to get her car. Which looked kind of fishy, since the original story was that she went out with work peeps & then "ran into" me in WC.
So, fast-forward to this weekend. C has told her hubby that she wants a separation. Hubby goes out with his brothers, gets all riled up about shit. C has gone to Oregon to visit her brother & "clear her head." Whatever. C's hubby calls me like four times in the space of a half hour on Saturday morning. I finally give up on the whole "sleep a little longer" thing and pick up the phone. And there he is, asking me what exactly went down when C & I went out that one night. He wants to know if it was planned between the two of us in advance. He says he has phone records, blah blah blah. He wants me to tell him the truth, because his wife obviously is lying to him, blah blah blah bitchcakes. He says he wants to know so that he can decide how to proceed with the whole separation thing, because he thinks she's just stringing him along and she's not really working on saving their marriage. I told him I did not want to be involved, that it was their problem and they needed to work it out themselves. And he started getting upset, saying that I *was* involved because my rugrat is their kids' cousin. I said yes, I am a part of your (collective) lives, but that doesn't mean I'm involved in your marital problems. He starts badgering me some more, and I said that we did talk beforehand about possibly meeting up in WC, because we were both going to be there. And he just jumped all over that: "Well then how did her car get to your house, huh??" I didn't say a word. He starts freaking out, asking me if she's "doing something she shouldn't be" and I'm like, "No! Look, chill out..." and he says, "Are you telling me to chill out?" and that's when it really started getting uncomfortable. So I told him that I wasn't going to put up with him talking to me that way, that I wasn't a child, and that the conversation was over. And then I hung up.
So now, I am like the world's biggest bitch because I wouldn't give him ammunition for his next fight with C? Dude, fight your own fucking battles. Don't pull me into this shit. I don't need the aggravation. And seriously, if you think your wife is lying to you, and you don't trust her to tell you the truth? If you believe she might be screwing around on you? What could I possibly fucking say that would make you feel better?
And fuck C for asking me to lie for her in the first place. Dammit, that shit is NOT cool. I can't always be remembering her latest fucking fairy tale.
Here's how it all went down: remember the night a couple weeks ago when C & I went out? Well she had told her hubby that she was going out with people from work. Why? I don't know. She seemed to think that he would be more "OK" with her going out with them, than with me. Whatever. But then she got trashed. And, since I was the designated driver for the evening, I had to drive her home. Which is fine. But she left her car at my house and then had to come back early the next morning to get it because she had an appt for something (I forget what). So her hubby had to drive her to MY house to get her car. Which looked kind of fishy, since the original story was that she went out with work peeps & then "ran into" me in WC.
So, fast-forward to this weekend. C has told her hubby that she wants a separation. Hubby goes out with his brothers, gets all riled up about shit. C has gone to Oregon to visit her brother & "clear her head." Whatever. C's hubby calls me like four times in the space of a half hour on Saturday morning. I finally give up on the whole "sleep a little longer" thing and pick up the phone. And there he is, asking me what exactly went down when C & I went out that one night. He wants to know if it was planned between the two of us in advance. He says he has phone records, blah blah blah. He wants me to tell him the truth, because his wife obviously is lying to him, blah blah blah bitchcakes. He says he wants to know so that he can decide how to proceed with the whole separation thing, because he thinks she's just stringing him along and she's not really working on saving their marriage. I told him I did not want to be involved, that it was their problem and they needed to work it out themselves. And he started getting upset, saying that I *was* involved because my rugrat is their kids' cousin. I said yes, I am a part of your (collective) lives, but that doesn't mean I'm involved in your marital problems. He starts badgering me some more, and I said that we did talk beforehand about possibly meeting up in WC, because we were both going to be there. And he just jumped all over that: "Well then how did her car get to your house, huh??" I didn't say a word. He starts freaking out, asking me if she's "doing something she shouldn't be" and I'm like, "No! Look, chill out..." and he says, "Are you telling me to chill out?" and that's when it really started getting uncomfortable. So I told him that I wasn't going to put up with him talking to me that way, that I wasn't a child, and that the conversation was over. And then I hung up.
So now, I am like the world's biggest bitch because I wouldn't give him ammunition for his next fight with C? Dude, fight your own fucking battles. Don't pull me into this shit. I don't need the aggravation. And seriously, if you think your wife is lying to you, and you don't trust her to tell you the truth? If you believe she might be screwing around on you? What could I possibly fucking say that would make you feel better?
And fuck C for asking me to lie for her in the first place. Dammit, that shit is NOT cool. I can't always be remembering her latest fucking fairy tale.
Just shut the fuck up
God, I HATE it when Boss is being a complete dumbass. How many different ways do I have to explain something to him? Jesus H. Christ. And the doctor wonders why my blood pressure is so high? Yeah, this is part of it. Stupid people. In fact, stupid people that I have to deal with every FUCKING day.
I had to explain to him SEVERAL times why we went over the estimated hours. For one thing, what was requested of me originally (when I was asked to make an hours estimate) is NOT what was in the specs. And what they put in the specs is fucking impossible. They somehow wanted a URL to magically appear on the server, and homie don't play dat. Basically I tried for half a day to mess with the 404 processing on the dev server to "catch" these stray URLs, and it simply is impossible. Oh, and for another thing, they changed the fucking requirements halfway through the project. And even with all that, we're not over the hours by much.
I hate feeling like I need to scream at him to just shut the fuck up already. He's all, "But I don't understaaaaand...." Well, then live with your ignorance. Because I'm not going to explain it again. OK, I think I officially hate my job.
But, on the other hand...I have been quit for 4 Weeks, 2 Days, 15 hours, 34 minutes and 41 seconds. I have saved $98.82 by not smoking 459 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day, 14 hours and 15 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 8/7/2005 12:30 AM.
I had to explain to him SEVERAL times why we went over the estimated hours. For one thing, what was requested of me originally (when I was asked to make an hours estimate) is NOT what was in the specs. And what they put in the specs is fucking impossible. They somehow wanted a URL to magically appear on the server, and homie don't play dat. Basically I tried for half a day to mess with the 404 processing on the dev server to "catch" these stray URLs, and it simply is impossible. Oh, and for another thing, they changed the fucking requirements halfway through the project. And even with all that, we're not over the hours by much.
I hate feeling like I need to scream at him to just shut the fuck up already. He's all, "But I don't understaaaaand...." Well, then live with your ignorance. Because I'm not going to explain it again. OK, I think I officially hate my job.
But, on the other hand...I have been quit for 4 Weeks, 2 Days, 15 hours, 34 minutes and 41 seconds. I have saved $98.82 by not smoking 459 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day, 14 hours and 15 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 8/7/2005 12:30 AM.
I have nothing against gay guys, but...
I don't want to date them. Seriously, I don't. Yes, it may seem that every guy I'm hot for ends up being gay, but it's not on PURPOSE.
I met a guy on Friday night when I was out with the girls. He seemed nice enough; he's in the IT field, which means we had something in common. He's Italian (looks a lot like a young DeNiro, actually), right age range, a few inches taller than me, nice bod. It's all good, right? So we went out on Sunday night to dinner. Nice dinner, great food, he definitely dropped some cash on the meal, etc. Afterwards we walked around downtown WC (it was late, everything was closed). We talked quite a bit about home decor, since we're both kind of into that. And he pointed out some great stores I hadn't noticed before (I had no clue there was a high-end store selling Jimmy Choo shoes in downtown WC). We were VERY comfortable with each other, and found lots to talk about...and yet, he seemed very preoccupied with making sure that people didn't think he was gay. I suggested going to a certain fabric store & having a pillow custom-made for his extra-deep couch, and he said he didn't want to go in to the store by himself because people might think he was gay. That sort of thing came up over & over in the course of the evening.
So, at the end of the night, he walks me back to my car & we say our goodbyes. He kissed me: once, twice, three times...and each time, it was like kissing a family member. Not at all like kissing a DATE. No tongue, for one thing. No passion AT ALL, for another. It was just...meh.
He is so, so gay. Shit.
I met a guy on Friday night when I was out with the girls. He seemed nice enough; he's in the IT field, which means we had something in common. He's Italian (looks a lot like a young DeNiro, actually), right age range, a few inches taller than me, nice bod. It's all good, right? So we went out on Sunday night to dinner. Nice dinner, great food, he definitely dropped some cash on the meal, etc. Afterwards we walked around downtown WC (it was late, everything was closed). We talked quite a bit about home decor, since we're both kind of into that. And he pointed out some great stores I hadn't noticed before (I had no clue there was a high-end store selling Jimmy Choo shoes in downtown WC). We were VERY comfortable with each other, and found lots to talk about...and yet, he seemed very preoccupied with making sure that people didn't think he was gay. I suggested going to a certain fabric store & having a pillow custom-made for his extra-deep couch, and he said he didn't want to go in to the store by himself because people might think he was gay. That sort of thing came up over & over in the course of the evening.
So, at the end of the night, he walks me back to my car & we say our goodbyes. He kissed me: once, twice, three times...and each time, it was like kissing a family member. Not at all like kissing a DATE. No tongue, for one thing. No passion AT ALL, for another. It was just...meh.
He is so, so gay. Shit.
Friday, September 02, 2005
New Orleans
What the HELL? Why is it taking so damn long to get help to the people down there? It's a disgrace. For four days now, they've been stranded with no food, no water, no electricity, inadequate medical assistance, and ineffective law enforcement. And to top it all off, the weather there is in the mid-90's with high humidity. Can you imagine being outside in 90+ degree heat all day, with 75% humidity, with no water and no possibility of going into a nice air conditioned building? Now imagine that, surrounded by garbage, dead bodies, and crap. Literally, crap. It's disgusting and horrifying.
Bush, get off your ass and get some fucking help down there NOW! We keep hearing that "help is coming" -- but it's been FOUR DAYS. And the help that gets through is woefully inadequate. Not enough troops to restore order. Not enough buses to evacuate people. Not enough food and water and medical help to keep them alive until they CAN be evacuated. People are dropping like flies down there. And the ones that aren't dying of starvation or dehydration or for lack of medical attention are getting raped and shot by roving gangs of thugs, desperate to impose some sense of control on their world. I've been crying for days, hearing about the mess down there.
And New Orleans is probably gone for good. Which is a damn shame, because that was one seriously FUN town. Even if they do rebuild the city, it will never be the same. And I don't think it's a certainty that they will rebuild, considering how much it will cost and the likelihood that a catastrophe like this might happen again. I mean, the whole town is below sea level. If it were me, and I woke up one morning to find my house underwater and I knew that it could easily happen again, and that I'd be stranded for days with no help? I'd move my ass to higher ground, y'all. All the jazz and beignets and bananas foster and lagniappe and beads and hurricanes (the libation, not the natural disaster) in the world wouldn't induce me to live there.
I'm in mourning.
Bush, get off your ass and get some fucking help down there NOW! We keep hearing that "help is coming" -- but it's been FOUR DAYS. And the help that gets through is woefully inadequate. Not enough troops to restore order. Not enough buses to evacuate people. Not enough food and water and medical help to keep them alive until they CAN be evacuated. People are dropping like flies down there. And the ones that aren't dying of starvation or dehydration or for lack of medical attention are getting raped and shot by roving gangs of thugs, desperate to impose some sense of control on their world. I've been crying for days, hearing about the mess down there.
And New Orleans is probably gone for good. Which is a damn shame, because that was one seriously FUN town. Even if they do rebuild the city, it will never be the same. And I don't think it's a certainty that they will rebuild, considering how much it will cost and the likelihood that a catastrophe like this might happen again. I mean, the whole town is below sea level. If it were me, and I woke up one morning to find my house underwater and I knew that it could easily happen again, and that I'd be stranded for days with no help? I'd move my ass to higher ground, y'all. All the jazz and beignets and bananas foster and lagniappe and beads and hurricanes (the libation, not the natural disaster) in the world wouldn't induce me to live there.
I'm in mourning.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Ouch!
Here's a riddle for you: Who's stupid and clumsy and typing only with her left hand? Yes, me!
I made tuna casserole for dinner tonight. I pulled it out of the oven just fine with the potholder, then set the potholder down and reached for the 350° handle. Stupid? You betcha! Got what is likely a second-degree burn on half my hand. Hurts like hell, y'all.
Oh, and: I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 4 Days, 19 hours, 41 minutes and 26 seconds. I have saved $83.26 by not smoking 387 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day, 8 hours and 15 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 8/7/2005 12:30 AM
I made tuna casserole for dinner tonight. I pulled it out of the oven just fine with the potholder, then set the potholder down and reached for the 350° handle. Stupid? You betcha! Got what is likely a second-degree burn on half my hand. Hurts like hell, y'all.
Oh, and: I have been quit for 3 Weeks, 4 Days, 19 hours, 41 minutes and 26 seconds. I have saved $83.26 by not smoking 387 cigarettes. I have saved 1 Day, 8 hours and 15 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 8/7/2005 12:30 AM
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Hurricane Katrina
Man, what a horrific disaster. My heart goes out to all those poor people in the south who are homeless and jobless now. And dude! New Orleans! Is totally fucked!!! I was just there last summer with my friend M, and the idea of it all being underwater? Scary.Of course, we're going to get royally screwed at the gas pumps now. And this winter? Sure to be a record-breaking PG&E bill, since they'll take advantage of the opportunity to raise the rates. The thing that gets me with the gas stations & the electric companies: do you ever hear of prices going DOWN? They claim that gas prices will shoot up for a couple of months and then "normalize." What that means is that they'll just not rise as fast anymore. Gas prices won't drop below $3 ever again, not once they've got it over that hump. It will probably climb to about $4 and then maybe, if we're lucky, it will drop back down to $3.50 and stay there. But we won't see $2.50 again. Ever.
And hello? What's with all the freakin' insane weather anyway? Is this global warming finally taking effect in a dramatic way? Very, very scary, y'all. We thought last winter's Florida hurricanes were bad? This is much, much worse. And honestly, it's not looking like the weather is going to be normal ever again either. The "natural disasters" just keep on coming. Actually, now that I think about it...California is overdue for a devastating earthquake, isn't it? As long as we've got a big ol' chunk of the southern U.S. out of commission, why not crack off the coastline for a couple hundred miles and drop it into the ocean? Amazingly enough, we haven't even had any really devastating wildfires in California this year, despite the six months straight of rain we had last winter and the consistently hot, dry summer we're having. Knock on wood.
New job?
Keep your fingers crossed for me...I applied for a new job today & they are moving FAST with the phone interviews! Sounds like an ideal fit for me: liberal-minded, progressive, etc.; great benefits; stable & growing business. If they can deal with my telecommuting & meet my salary requirements, I'll jump at it. Yes, I'll feel bad for leaving CurrentEmployer in the lurch, especially with Boss's father practically on his deathbed, but I can't keep hemorrhaging money every month. I've been working there for a year and a half, stealing from my savings account and running up debt. I just can't keep doing this.
Friday, August 26, 2005
One of the great things about being a Mommy...
...is that I've got someone who appreciates my horrific, off-key singing. He actually asks me to sing to him before he goes to sleep. It's so sweet. I think maybe his brain shuts off in self-defense though, because as soon as I start singing he starts yawning...it's like his brain wants to become comatose as soon as possible so it doesn't have to suffer through my singing. LOL
He's so adorable when he's sleeping though. So peaceful, so completely opposite his bouncing-off-the-walls waking self.
He's so adorable when he's sleeping though. So peaceful, so completely opposite his bouncing-off-the-walls waking self.
Am I getting old?
I went back to the doctor yesterday for my follow-up appointment after last week's physical. Blood pressure: still high. Cholesterol: still high. Tetanus? Not boosted for about, oh, 25 years. Hepatitis A & B? Yeah, apparently I've never been vaccinated against them either.
So...three shots in the left arm (Hep A, Hep B, Tetanus). Ouch.
I'm supposed to take my blood pressure every day for two weeks & keep a record of it. Then I go in and he'll put me back on medication, because the blood pressure is not going to go down in two weeks, I can guaran-fucking-tee it. Cholesterol? Doc told me to start taking niacin tablets (I hate that shit) again, and add flaxseed oil capsules along with the fish oil capsules I started taking last week. Oh, and he gave me this loooooverly handout with my new low-cholesterol diet on it. Get this: I'm supposed to eat/drink only skim milk dairy products. Like hell. I'll be damned if I'm going to eat SKIM MILK CHEESE. Sorry, but life is not worth living without good cheese.
Foods to avoid: everything I love. Such as:
So...three shots in the left arm (Hep A, Hep B, Tetanus). Ouch.
I'm supposed to take my blood pressure every day for two weeks & keep a record of it. Then I go in and he'll put me back on medication, because the blood pressure is not going to go down in two weeks, I can guaran-fucking-tee it. Cholesterol? Doc told me to start taking niacin tablets (I hate that shit) again, and add flaxseed oil capsules along with the fish oil capsules I started taking last week. Oh, and he gave me this loooooverly handout with my new low-cholesterol diet on it. Get this: I'm supposed to eat/drink only skim milk dairy products. Like hell. I'll be damned if I'm going to eat SKIM MILK CHEESE. Sorry, but life is not worth living without good cheese.
Foods to avoid: everything I love. Such as:
- bacon, hamburgers, salami, SHRIMP
- avocados!!!!
- cashews, macadamia nuts
- croissants
- rich baked goods with eggs, shortening and/or sugar (and that would leave exactly WHAT baked goods?)
- butter, gravy, bacon drippings, cream sauces (waaaaah!)
- sugared soft drinks
- fried snack foods (like I'm going to give up potato chips!)
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Quit v.2005 update
I have been quit for 2 Weeks, 3 Days, 16 hours, 50 minutes and 3 seconds. I have saved $57.07 by not smoking 265 cigarettes. I have saved 22 hours and 5 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 8/7/2005 12:30 AMExcept for that one smoke I had laaaaate Saturday night after that bottle & a half of wine. The one I was actually going to WALK to 7-11 for (yeah, at midnight. I was HAMMERED, y'all). K insisted on driving me there & back, which was awfully damn nice of her. K was over because we had girl's night "in" instead of "out" for a change...take-out pizza, wine, and DVDs. Anyhoo, K drove me down to 7-11 and I bought a pack. She dropped me back off at home, and went on her merry way. I lit up, smoked my smoke, and then somehow managed to watch half of Sense & Sensibility before passing out. The next morning I awoke, thoroughly disgusted with my lack will power under the influence of copious amounts of drink. I threw away the pack (yay!) and the lighter (YAY!). I drank a ton of water. I went back to bed (YAY!!!!!).
Oh, and I *did* go out this weekend, with crazy C, my sort-of ex-sister-in-law. She was never really my SIL because rugrat's dad & I never actually got hitched, but she is practically my SIL anyway, so I usually just call her that for simplicity's sake. Anyhoo...we went out because she is all pissed at her hubby (my ex's brother). She's decided that she definitely wants to divorce him but she basically wants to have somebody lined up first. This is not how she says it, but it's basically what she means. I told her that's fucked up. Either leave him or don't, but don't play those stupid games.
So anyway, she said that night (Friday) that she wanted to flirt with someone. OK fine. Flirt away. But when I was ready (very, very ready) to leave at midnight, she did NOT want to go. We were out dancing at a club and I wasn't drinking (OK, I had one drink after dinner) in order to keep my will power & refrain from smoking. But still, at the club there's always people outside smoking, and I really really wanted one. So I was ready to go, or have a cigarette - one of the two. And I told her, "I'm leaving in five minutes. If you're not ready to go, you can find your own way home." Harsh, yes. But I'd been telling her for half an hour that I wanted to leave, and I was done. She pouted the whole way home because [**whine**] "I wanted to kiss someone!" The hell??? If you want to do it, just do it. Fer chrissakes, it's not like she didn't have ANY opportunities. Men were dancing with her. She didn't really want to just kiss someone. She wanted to meet her "soulmate" and fall in love so she could have an escape route when she left her hubby and her two kids.
So yesterday evening she calls me, and she's all, "How would you feel about renting out a room?" Um, no. For one thing, I would never, EVER live with her. For another, it's not like I have a whole lot of spare room here. It's a little three-bedroom house, and that third bedroom is my office, and it's jam-packed with books. Boxes & boxes of books. Not to mention spare computers and stuff.
So then she goes on & on about how her hubby will lie in divorce court about how much he makes, because he's been lying for years on his tax returns (he owns his own roofing company). And then she won't get any child support. And I'm like, what the hell? You have a job, woman. You guys are going to share custody of the kids, right? So if you are sharing custody, and you have a good-paying job, what the hell do you need his money for? I mean, yes, you will each pay half of the daycare & so on, but beyond that...what the fuck? And she tries to tell me that she should be able to keep the same level of lifestyle after the divorce. I cut her right off. Um, no. You don't get to keep the same lifestyle. You will be living in separate houses; it costs a lot more money to keep up two households than it does to keep up one. You will probably have to sell your new BMW and get something cheaper. You will not get to be a privileged little princess anymore.
But she was insistent that she should get some of his money because she "worked to support them while he built up his business." OK, I don't know where the hell she's getting this from, but I distinctly remember her quitting and getting fired from jobs several times over the years, and being out of work for quite a while, and he was supporting HER. And I also remember when she first moved in with him, when they were dating/engaged, and she refused to pay him any rent because she wasn't on his mortgage and she didn't think she should have to pay anything. And I ALSO remember that she is a fucking narcissistic whack-job who thinks the world should revolve around her and what she wants. That is all.
Woman is on crack, y'all. She is just...on crack.
Anxious
I've been all jittery for about a week now. I indulged in about $500 worth of retail therapy this weekend, and couldn't seem to spend myself into a state of calm. I drank a $120 bottle of 7-yr-old cabernet, plus another half a bottle of pinot noir, and woke up with an awful hangover, but I was still acting like a coke fiend after half a dozen lines and an entire pot of coffee.
I think I've alienated GG...he probably thinks I am a freaky stalker because I always email him back immediately. It's the equivalent of picking up your phone on the first ring, I think. And he is probably gay. Gay, gay, gay. It would be just my luck. Because I always seem to fall for the guys that are gay. I'm always going out with friends and saying "He's hot," and my friends will say, "He's gay." Always happens, y'all. And yanno, it's been 15 years at least since I saw him last; a person can discover a lot about themselves in 15 years. True, we had carnal knowledge of each other in high school -- but that was high school, and maybe he got a little older and thought to himself, "Self: you do not like screwing women. You only want to see someone naked if they have a penis." It could happen. It does, all the time, in towns all across the country. Yes, GG is probably gay.
So I am trying to convince myself that he is gay so that I don't have to think about the fact that I am thinking about him ALL THE F'ING TIME, y'all. I think about how I can make it seem casual if I drive down to SoCal for Labor Day weekend (a good 8-10 hours one way). Yes, my mom lives down there, but...yeah, it's just not casual. It's stalker-y. I can't go down for Labor Day weekend. He does not WANT to see me. Because he is gay, y'all. But I haven't asked him if he wants to see me...because wouldn't he have volunteered that information by now? Like just a "hey, I'd love to see you sometime, here is my number, call if you're in the area"? Because that's what I did on my 2nd or 3rd email to him. Maybe he didn't do that because he doesn't know where he's going to be living. Since he's looking for a job, and is willing to pretty much move anywhere, that means he doesn't know where he's gonna be in a month or two or whatever. Right? It doesn't mean that he never wants to see me.
Oh jesus, I need to get a fucking grip. He is like a myth, a figment of my imagination. Even if I DID see him again? And he wasn't gay? He would probably be an asshole, because he's in his 30's and he's not married; so what does that tell you? Either gay, or divorced (read: bitter and never getting married again), or player (read: never getting married, period). So I need to give it up because I am getting all worked up over something that is NEVER going to happen.
I think I've alienated GG...he probably thinks I am a freaky stalker because I always email him back immediately. It's the equivalent of picking up your phone on the first ring, I think. And he is probably gay. Gay, gay, gay. It would be just my luck. Because I always seem to fall for the guys that are gay. I'm always going out with friends and saying "He's hot," and my friends will say, "He's gay." Always happens, y'all. And yanno, it's been 15 years at least since I saw him last; a person can discover a lot about themselves in 15 years. True, we had carnal knowledge of each other in high school -- but that was high school, and maybe he got a little older and thought to himself, "Self: you do not like screwing women. You only want to see someone naked if they have a penis." It could happen. It does, all the time, in towns all across the country. Yes, GG is probably gay.
So I am trying to convince myself that he is gay so that I don't have to think about the fact that I am thinking about him ALL THE F'ING TIME, y'all. I think about how I can make it seem casual if I drive down to SoCal for Labor Day weekend (a good 8-10 hours one way). Yes, my mom lives down there, but...yeah, it's just not casual. It's stalker-y. I can't go down for Labor Day weekend. He does not WANT to see me. Because he is gay, y'all. But I haven't asked him if he wants to see me...because wouldn't he have volunteered that information by now? Like just a "hey, I'd love to see you sometime, here is my number, call if you're in the area"? Because that's what I did on my 2nd or 3rd email to him. Maybe he didn't do that because he doesn't know where he's going to be living. Since he's looking for a job, and is willing to pretty much move anywhere, that means he doesn't know where he's gonna be in a month or two or whatever. Right? It doesn't mean that he never wants to see me.
Oh jesus, I need to get a fucking grip. He is like a myth, a figment of my imagination. Even if I DID see him again? And he wasn't gay? He would probably be an asshole, because he's in his 30's and he's not married; so what does that tell you? Either gay, or divorced (read: bitter and never getting married again), or player (read: never getting married, period). So I need to give it up because I am getting all worked up over something that is NEVER going to happen.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Oh dear God, he's smokin' HOT!
So I'd just about convinced myself that it was too good to be true and GG would have to be fat or bald or something. But I just saw pictures of him (very recent; 2 months old), and he is SMOKIN' HOTTTT! He is exactly my type...tall, dark, on the slender side. Very mediterranean-looking. And did I mention that he's freakin' HOT?!?! Jesus.
Oh, and no ring on the left hand. No tan line from a missing ring either.
I seriously want to jump his bones.
Oh, and no ring on the left hand. No tan line from a missing ring either.
I seriously want to jump his bones.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Oh. My. God.
GG!! The boy who was the focus of all my early high school fantasies! The boy I lost my virginity to (well, I didn't really lose it...more like I threw it at him)! He of the glorious dimples!
Well, GG is on myspace. And he is now one of my myspace friends. And we are conversing via email. And he is still in the state, actually within driving distance. Well, for a long weekend...not for an afternoon. But he would like to live closer...up here in the bay area, in fact. And he was actually up here last WEEK!! Last week, y'all! Why am I so jacked about this? For God's sake, I haven't seen the guy in probably 15 years...but he was my first love, for sure. In fact, I'd say he was my first obsession. And we are conversing via email! And I gave him my phone numbers and told him to call the next time he's up here! God, I'm so transparent. Will he think I'm a total stalker chick, after FIFTEEN YEARS? But he is SO nice in email...*sigh* I'm half in love with him again already.
Well, GG is on myspace. And he is now one of my myspace friends. And we are conversing via email. And he is still in the state, actually within driving distance. Well, for a long weekend...not for an afternoon. But he would like to live closer...up here in the bay area, in fact. And he was actually up here last WEEK!! Last week, y'all! Why am I so jacked about this? For God's sake, I haven't seen the guy in probably 15 years...but he was my first love, for sure. In fact, I'd say he was my first obsession. And we are conversing via email! And I gave him my phone numbers and told him to call the next time he's up here! God, I'm so transparent. Will he think I'm a total stalker chick, after FIFTEEN YEARS? But he is SO nice in email...*sigh* I'm half in love with him again already.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Jury Duty. Fuck.
Went for jury duty today. I was highly tempted to bum a cigarette from someone but I resisted. Nearly two weeks now without nicotine.Anyhoo, I didn't get selected for the jury. That's cool. But after the jury panel and an alternate had been selected, the goddamn judge went into this lame-ass five minute fucking monologue about how fantastic jury duty is and how we should all be thrilled that we got to waste a fucking day. Seriously. If he wanted to deliver a sermon on the glories of the justice system, couldn't he have done it when we first got there, instead of waiting until we're all just fucking DYING to run out the door?
Grrrr....
Oh, and I totally f'ed up my alarm clock. Last night I set it to go off a half hour early so I'd have a chance to blow dry my hair & look halfway decent (in the hopes that I'd get out of the courthouse early enough to swing by DMV and rectify that hideous mess they call my driver's license photo). Anyway...somehow I set the CLOCK an hour ahead. So this morning, I wake up, clock says 6:30, I drag my really fucking tired ass out of bed, pop in my lenses, brush my teeth, and hop in the shower. I get out of the shower thinking, "Damn, it's still awfully dark outside. Shouldn't the sun have come up by now?" I blow dry my hair. I head downstairs to make coffee, and what do I see? Yeah, it's now six AM. Not seven, like it says on my alarm clock. Six. I wrenched my butt outta bed at 5:30 in the goddamn morning? And now, of course, I'm totally awake, and it would be useless to try to go to sleep for an hour (plus I'd probably crease my hair all funky). Damn. So I folded clean laundry & watched reruns of That 70's Show on TiVo. *sigh*
Friday, August 12, 2005
Updates on CFUNITED, dog, etc.
OK, looking back over the blog I see that I left a few things hanging...
First of all, I did indeed get laid at CFUNITED. Broke my crazy dry spell with TWO men, actually. The first one was just incredibly fucking hot, but not exactly superman in the sack. Disappointing, but that seems par for the course with the hot guys.
Second guy was geeky and kinda scrawny, but hung like a horse. Seriously, the most beautiful cock I've ever seen in my life. Unfortunately, he's married. Yes, yes, I know, I'm a hideous fucking bitch for messing around with a married man. I have two things to say in my defense: #1 - we did not do "it" (everything but...) and #2 - CONFERENCE, people! Everyone knows that a conference is like a complete break from reality. Married men always have affairs at conferences. It's like a tradition. But seriously, I could not help myself. His cock was that amazing. I was hypnotized by it, I think.
Alrighty, now about Ginger...well, she stayed with us for a week, before I realized that I was completely fucking insane to think that I wanted a dog. I don't want a dog. I don't like animals. She was very sweet, but she needed a lot more exercise than we could give her. I couldn't walk her, because she pratically dislocated my shoulder whenever I tried. She couldn't just run around outside in the yard all day because it was 95+ degrees every day. So she would sleep in the hall while I worked in the office. And at night, she'd be banging around in her crate, because she got loads of sleep during the day. It was just kind of ridiculous. So, the doggy went back to the rescue group. I told rugrat that I'd get him a turtle instead. ;-)
First of all, I did indeed get laid at CFUNITED. Broke my crazy dry spell with TWO men, actually. The first one was just incredibly fucking hot, but not exactly superman in the sack. Disappointing, but that seems par for the course with the hot guys.
Second guy was geeky and kinda scrawny, but hung like a horse. Seriously, the most beautiful cock I've ever seen in my life. Unfortunately, he's married. Yes, yes, I know, I'm a hideous fucking bitch for messing around with a married man. I have two things to say in my defense: #1 - we did not do "it" (everything but...) and #2 - CONFERENCE, people! Everyone knows that a conference is like a complete break from reality. Married men always have affairs at conferences. It's like a tradition. But seriously, I could not help myself. His cock was that amazing. I was hypnotized by it, I think.
Alrighty, now about Ginger...well, she stayed with us for a week, before I realized that I was completely fucking insane to think that I wanted a dog. I don't want a dog. I don't like animals. She was very sweet, but she needed a lot more exercise than we could give her. I couldn't walk her, because she pratically dislocated my shoulder whenever I tried. She couldn't just run around outside in the yard all day because it was 95+ degrees every day. So she would sleep in the hall while I worked in the office. And at night, she'd be banging around in her crate, because she got loads of sleep during the day. It was just kind of ridiculous. So, the doggy went back to the rescue group. I told rugrat that I'd get him a turtle instead. ;-)
Day 6
Today is day 6 of the great non-smoking campaign of 2005. Now, don't get me wrong. I love smoking. True, it smells nasty, will supposedly make me look old before my time, is expensive, and in general makes me a second-class citizen, since I must remove myself from all polite society in order to get my fix. BUT...I love it. I love lighting up and inhaling that first smoke of the day. I love having my last cigarette before going to bed. And I especially love the post-meal and post-sex cigarettes. Those are truly the best. But I just can't smoke anymore. Last week my blood pressure was so high I was afraid I was going to have a stroke or a heart attack and nobody would know until I just didn't show up to pick up Rugrat from daycare. So I quit, because I'm not quite ready to die yet.And already, the smoking dreams have started. You know, the ones where you have that one cigarette and it's glorious and then all of the sudden, the crushing weight of guilt when you realize that you've fallen off the wagon YET AGAIN. I guess it's ok, as long as you feel guilty in your dreams. When you stop feeling guilty and just enjoy the smoke in your dreams, then you're actually in danger of falling off the wagon in "real life."
I had actual physical withdrawals this time. That pretty much sucked. The first couple of days I had a horrendous sore throat, and felt like I was getting the flu. Achy body, nausea & gas & all kinds of nasty gastro-intestinal issues, utter exhaustion coupled with complete insomnia, even after taking glorious NyQuil - I slept *maybe* two hours on Sunday night (after my first full day without nicotine). I even had a low-grade fever. It was unpleasant.
And BOY, am I a bitch. I finally left the house yesterday to do a session at The Full Plate in WC. I was allllll about the road rage. I just wanted to kill everyone else on the road. Now that's gotta be real good for my blood pressure. ;-)
M wanted me to go out last night. I just couldn't face leaving the house again. Instead, I curled up on the couch with a bottle of Merlot and some trashy TV. God, I am such a flake. I haven't seen him in about two weeks. That's OK. I'm just...not that into him.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
It's so hot
It's been hot for weeks now. Not just normal summertime hot but blistering, get-a-sunburn-five-minutes-after-you-step-outside hot. I'm over it. The whole stupid weather thing that's been going on for a year...it's just been one extreme after another.
On the other hand...I've had a couple of dates with a new guy (M). Not so sure yet how I feel about him. He seems nice but was *VERY* clingy after our before our first & second dates. Now I haven't heard a peep since last Friday. It's just...strange. Yes, I kind of blew him off on our second date (not horribly, but I was a bit buzzed & with my friends and kind of just chatting with everyone, not paying attention exclusively to him). So...whatever. I'm not really stressed over it either way. I mean, I could see him a few more times but I'm not sure if I'm really into it, so I don't much care if I don't hear from him anymore.
Sometimes I wonder if I have just gotten too used to my independence. I haven't fallen in love (or even, really, in lust) for a long, long time. Years, actually. Unless you count the conference guy. That was definitely just lust, and definitely a conference-only kind of thing. Not only does he live 3000 miles away, but he's...um...married. I never thought I would be the kind of person who would knowingly mess around with a married man, but dayum, the man was hung like Secretariat, and he was very persistent. I did put up a bit of a fight, but once I saw his stellar package, I couldn't turn it away. Just...oh my god.
Anyway, I don't know what I'm doing here. I feel like I need to break out of whatever weird cycle I'm in and get back in the game - really in the game. I haven't felt that fluttery feeling in years, and I hate thinking that I might never feel it again.
On the other hand...I've had a couple of dates with a new guy (M). Not so sure yet how I feel about him. He seems nice but was *VERY* clingy after our before our first & second dates. Now I haven't heard a peep since last Friday. It's just...strange. Yes, I kind of blew him off on our second date (not horribly, but I was a bit buzzed & with my friends and kind of just chatting with everyone, not paying attention exclusively to him). So...whatever. I'm not really stressed over it either way. I mean, I could see him a few more times but I'm not sure if I'm really into it, so I don't much care if I don't hear from him anymore.
Sometimes I wonder if I have just gotten too used to my independence. I haven't fallen in love (or even, really, in lust) for a long, long time. Years, actually. Unless you count the conference guy. That was definitely just lust, and definitely a conference-only kind of thing. Not only does he live 3000 miles away, but he's...um...married. I never thought I would be the kind of person who would knowingly mess around with a married man, but dayum, the man was hung like Secretariat, and he was very persistent. I did put up a bit of a fight, but once I saw his stellar package, I couldn't turn it away. Just...oh my god.
Anyway, I don't know what I'm doing here. I feel like I need to break out of whatever weird cycle I'm in and get back in the game - really in the game. I haven't felt that fluttery feeling in years, and I hate thinking that I might never feel it again.
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