"so did you hear j just say she's leaving?"
"what? i was sitting 2.5 feet away from her all night and i didn't catch that! where is she going?"
"oh she's leaving the business completely, going to work for some law firm downtown on trial graphics or something."
"wow. can you imagine? must be daytime hours and a consistent schedule!"
"yeah, and she probably doesn't have to work holidays."
"i'll bet the pay is better, too."
"when's her last day?"
"next saturday."
"isn't it sad that when somebody leaves it just makes the rest of us think about what we'd rather be doing and instead of doing anything about it, we sit here and obsess about the fact that they had the exit velocity to make it happen?"
"and she's not going to have to go to the dungeon, either!"
"dammit. tonight is my last night after like SEVEN weeks. i hope they don't make me go back for her rotation, too."
When you're up when everyone else is asleep and you're home when they're all at work, it's a real quest to find answers to burning questions.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
ten years didn't do much
the high school reunion went down as expected. out of a class of some 696 (give or take a few), i'd day about 150 packed a cozy country club party room. at first mostly at the door-- likely stalling on actually going in-- and of course, at the bar.
right around check-in time (ri and her hubby, c, who were kind enough to give me a ride, forgot their tickets in the city and had to turn back) i had this text message exchange:
"have you left yet?"
"no, ri is driving and she's running late. why, are you there?"
"yeah, just checked in."
"are there a lot of people already?"
"yeah. but not the good kind. hurry up!"
that was with nika, who is the hybrid kind of family-friend who also intersects with your personal life here and there. six months older than me, she hung out with my parents before i did. we touch base every once in awhile and i get the lowdown about people i didn't know very well from school. it's funny, because by the time i got to the place, she seemed like she was doing just fine. i guess the right kind of people showed up, and several of them asked for her phone number and twirled her around the dancefloor. people who she said wouldn't have given her the time of day when we were in school.
walking around that hall was a little surreal. faces and nametags jumped out at me like dead bodies at a wake sitting straight up in their coffins. it was creepy, but familiar. i'm good with names and faces, but not necessarily together. so i'd catch a glimpse of someone and then spend 20 minutes trying to figure out if it was that cool girl in my gym class or that annoying cheerleader who would keep one leg on top of her desk in class so that pretty much anyone would take note of the orange underthing she had on under the uniform.
mostly everyone looked the same. well, to be perfectly honest, the women had fared much better than the men. they were sleeker, better dressed, better coiffed and looked the same if not more trim. the guys all seemed a little chubbier with hairlines a little farther back than they were a decade ago. granted, we can get away with a lot more in terms of flaw-hiding than the guys, but still.
there were exceptions, however. this broad who continually pissed me off in seventh grade-- namely for being an allaround snooty beeyatch as well as taking credit for singing the harder part in our duet during "the music man" (which she was supposed to sing but couldn't hit the high notes, so i had to switch parts) pretty much doubled in size. and then there was the one girl who lost control of her breasts and allowed them to lead her around that evening in a flimsy contraption that had to have been held together with doublesided tape. one guy even said, "dude, i'm GAY and i can't stop staring at those things." the but everyone else looked nice.
there were even a few eyebrow-raising moments, like when the boy one of my friends pined over for nearly all of senior year psychology asked one of us, "hey, who's that girl over there?" even though it was painfully obvious he knew very well and was trying to play it cool. i found that a pal from speech class works about a block from my office, and we may meet up for lunch sometime.
we schmoozed, but i ended up sort of sticking to my peeps. i'm not sure if i would have been more friendly if i wasn't starting to feel the deathflu take over, but i sure wish i had. because as cliquey as everyone was in highschool and even today, i think people were making an effort. those who had existing ties, like being neighbors or teammates or mutual friends obviously had an easier time mingling than those who ogled each other on the bus or cracked jokes in the back of english class. but there was a friendly vibe, even just a smile and nod as you walked by. most of us survived. most of us are pretty happy with where we are. and as kaiya put it at the end of the night, "you know, we were all really different and separated in high school. now, not so much. we're all pretty much the same."
maybe it'll take another ten years to really be true.
right around check-in time (ri and her hubby, c, who were kind enough to give me a ride, forgot their tickets in the city and had to turn back) i had this text message exchange:
"have you left yet?"
"no, ri is driving and she's running late. why, are you there?"
"yeah, just checked in."
"are there a lot of people already?"
"yeah. but not the good kind. hurry up!"
that was with nika, who is the hybrid kind of family-friend who also intersects with your personal life here and there. six months older than me, she hung out with my parents before i did. we touch base every once in awhile and i get the lowdown about people i didn't know very well from school. it's funny, because by the time i got to the place, she seemed like she was doing just fine. i guess the right kind of people showed up, and several of them asked for her phone number and twirled her around the dancefloor. people who she said wouldn't have given her the time of day when we were in school.
walking around that hall was a little surreal. faces and nametags jumped out at me like dead bodies at a wake sitting straight up in their coffins. it was creepy, but familiar. i'm good with names and faces, but not necessarily together. so i'd catch a glimpse of someone and then spend 20 minutes trying to figure out if it was that cool girl in my gym class or that annoying cheerleader who would keep one leg on top of her desk in class so that pretty much anyone would take note of the orange underthing she had on under the uniform.
mostly everyone looked the same. well, to be perfectly honest, the women had fared much better than the men. they were sleeker, better dressed, better coiffed and looked the same if not more trim. the guys all seemed a little chubbier with hairlines a little farther back than they were a decade ago. granted, we can get away with a lot more in terms of flaw-hiding than the guys, but still.
there were exceptions, however. this broad who continually pissed me off in seventh grade-- namely for being an allaround snooty beeyatch as well as taking credit for singing the harder part in our duet during "the music man" (which she was supposed to sing but couldn't hit the high notes, so i had to switch parts) pretty much doubled in size. and then there was the one girl who lost control of her breasts and allowed them to lead her around that evening in a flimsy contraption that had to have been held together with doublesided tape. one guy even said, "dude, i'm GAY and i can't stop staring at those things." the but everyone else looked nice.
there were even a few eyebrow-raising moments, like when the boy one of my friends pined over for nearly all of senior year psychology asked one of us, "hey, who's that girl over there?" even though it was painfully obvious he knew very well and was trying to play it cool. i found that a pal from speech class works about a block from my office, and we may meet up for lunch sometime.
we schmoozed, but i ended up sort of sticking to my peeps. i'm not sure if i would have been more friendly if i wasn't starting to feel the deathflu take over, but i sure wish i had. because as cliquey as everyone was in highschool and even today, i think people were making an effort. those who had existing ties, like being neighbors or teammates or mutual friends obviously had an easier time mingling than those who ogled each other on the bus or cracked jokes in the back of english class. but there was a friendly vibe, even just a smile and nod as you walked by. most of us survived. most of us are pretty happy with where we are. and as kaiya put it at the end of the night, "you know, we were all really different and separated in high school. now, not so much. we're all pretty much the same."
maybe it'll take another ten years to really be true.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
the secret life of blogs
whenever something ridiculous happens, one of my coworkers loves to say, "that's it. this is going on my blog." or "oh you'll have to read all about that on my blog," but he refuses to tell us anything else about it. i can't decide if the guy has somehow discovered this place and it's his way of teasing me or if he actually has a blog, and if so, why he keeps talking about it and refuses to give us any hints. i'm intrigued. because i've gone to such trouble to keep this thing a secret. but mostly because inquiring minds want to know. but at the end of the day i'm thinking the real reason he toys with us is because he doesn't have a blog at all and revels in the slow torture of unquenched curiousity.
Monday, November 27, 2006
get with the beat, daddy
so my parents are addicted to the indian version of "dancing with the stars." my mom records it on the satellite dvr and i'll catch it when i'm around. my father especially loves the competition -- celebrity couples (it's only proper) directed by a choreogapher every week-- as he's quite the music aficionado and comes home from work every night asking if it's currently on tv. now i can't stand the incessant, repetitive commercial breaks so i refuse to watch it live, but my dad? he refuses to watch it UNLESS it's on live. this doesn't make sense for several reasons: a) the commercials are properly annoying and a waste of time, b) it's not live ANYWAY because it was broadcast the night before HALFWAY AROUND THE EARTH and c) voting is not open to anyone outside India. not that he'd be voting anyway.
maybe it's the meds, but i'm baffled. the man just doesn't appreciate the beauty of a dvr.
maybe it's the meds, but i'm baffled. the man just doesn't appreciate the beauty of a dvr.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
a well-oiled machine
i don't mean to harp on it, but i don't get this sick very often. in the last few days i've managed to fill the contents of FIVE extra-large boxes of Puffs Plus with the emissions from my face, have been awake roughly 12 hours out of 36 and have acquired a voice that, while certainly not as sexy, sounds a hell of a lot like Smurfette. but i have to admit, death doesn't seem around the corner anymore.
at the reunion, i spent a lot of time talking to croc and her husband. she and her college roommate were angels one of the last times i was this sick. they lived three floors above me our freshman year and we hung out nearly every day.
everyone knows that college dormitories are breeding grounds for all kinds of airborne viruses and sniffles and colds, but that year, i managed to pick up the death flu. all i can remember is that i thought i was going to die. because my roommate had gone home for the weekend and my impending death seemed like a real possibility, i took a swig from the NyQuil bottle, dragged my scraggly ass up to croc's room and basically collapsed.
their tiny room pretty much only had space for a bunk bed, two desks and a small tv, with an area to sit on the floor. so they inflated an air mattress and i pretty much passed out there. for 21 hours. at first they were careful to try and talk quietly and keep the television down, but because i had the blanket completely over my face and didn't stir, they got bolder. i'm told they were going about their business, rocking to music and laughing and talking on the phone even louder than usual. i didn't even flinch.
after i came out of my coma, i felt nearly brand-new. all i had needed was to be in a place with other people, even if they weren't interacting with me, just to recharge and let my body fight the demon. God knows what my roommate would have found at the end of the weekend, had i been alone.
thanks, croc! it was great to see you.
at the reunion, i spent a lot of time talking to croc and her husband. she and her college roommate were angels one of the last times i was this sick. they lived three floors above me our freshman year and we hung out nearly every day.
everyone knows that college dormitories are breeding grounds for all kinds of airborne viruses and sniffles and colds, but that year, i managed to pick up the death flu. all i can remember is that i thought i was going to die. because my roommate had gone home for the weekend and my impending death seemed like a real possibility, i took a swig from the NyQuil bottle, dragged my scraggly ass up to croc's room and basically collapsed.
their tiny room pretty much only had space for a bunk bed, two desks and a small tv, with an area to sit on the floor. so they inflated an air mattress and i pretty much passed out there. for 21 hours. at first they were careful to try and talk quietly and keep the television down, but because i had the blanket completely over my face and didn't stir, they got bolder. i'm told they were going about their business, rocking to music and laughing and talking on the phone even louder than usual. i didn't even flinch.
after i came out of my coma, i felt nearly brand-new. all i had needed was to be in a place with other people, even if they weren't interacting with me, just to recharge and let my body fight the demon. God knows what my roommate would have found at the end of the weekend, had i been alone.
thanks, croc! it was great to see you.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
prevention? so much better
well, the cold medicine hasn't seemed to do the trick. the cough has gotten so bad that i've graduated to antibiotics and have spent the majority of the last 24 hours trying to sleep. hopefully the drugs will kick in and i'll be up and about sooner rather than later. but in the meantime, i may be in the market for a new lining for my throat. but damn, it's good to finally be home.
so take my advice, kiddies: load up on that vitamin c and Airborne! i wouldn't wish this misery on anybody.
so take my advice, kiddies: load up on that vitamin c and Airborne! i wouldn't wish this misery on anybody.
Friday, November 24, 2006
homecoming
tomorrow i'm going home for the weekend. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't looking forward to the aroma of curry and the lumpy couch, upon which i will sit until my ass contours to the shape and catch up on all the shows i missed this week while i was in the land of the air mattress and canned soup.
but that will have to wait till saturday. because tomorrow is the high-school reunion. highcon went on a mission to find something HOTT to wear and has issued a mandate that we all walk in together with our hair breezing back in slow motion to some barry white background music. ri was going to buy new clothes and some of the others are fretting about dress code, too. from the beginning, i had decided to wear work clothes (the invite says "dressy casual"). is this wrong? i mean, i did go with highcon to barney's and club monaco and of course he didn't like anything there and ended up at banana republic per usual. but seriously? shave my legs at the end of november in chicago? for losers whom i probably won't remember? uh, no. i think a black sweater and grey pants will suit me just fine. it works in the office. of course, now that i've proclaimed it in such a haughty way, everyone and their mom is going to show up as if they're reliving the senior prom and i'm going to feel like a fool. whatever.
i've already decided that the people who will be there will most likely be a combination of those whom i see fairly regularly and those i couldn't give two shits about. you know the ones-- selfabsorbed twits who pretty much lived and died based on who was dating whom and how long they could continue making out in front of my locker before i smacked the back of one of their heads with my chemistry book. on accident. maybe. highcon talked to a few of our far-flung acquaintances and found out that many of them hadn't even heard about the event. granted, that's probably because of the whole ReunionMakers snafu, but you know this thing is going to be the spirit committee and their rippling circle.
eh, i'll be hopped up on cold medicine. it should be fun.
but that will have to wait till saturday. because tomorrow is the high-school reunion. highcon went on a mission to find something HOTT to wear and has issued a mandate that we all walk in together with our hair breezing back in slow motion to some barry white background music. ri was going to buy new clothes and some of the others are fretting about dress code, too. from the beginning, i had decided to wear work clothes (the invite says "dressy casual"). is this wrong? i mean, i did go with highcon to barney's and club monaco and of course he didn't like anything there and ended up at banana republic per usual. but seriously? shave my legs at the end of november in chicago? for losers whom i probably won't remember? uh, no. i think a black sweater and grey pants will suit me just fine. it works in the office. of course, now that i've proclaimed it in such a haughty way, everyone and their mom is going to show up as if they're reliving the senior prom and i'm going to feel like a fool. whatever.
i've already decided that the people who will be there will most likely be a combination of those whom i see fairly regularly and those i couldn't give two shits about. you know the ones-- selfabsorbed twits who pretty much lived and died based on who was dating whom and how long they could continue making out in front of my locker before i smacked the back of one of their heads with my chemistry book. on accident. maybe. highcon talked to a few of our far-flung acquaintances and found out that many of them hadn't even heard about the event. granted, that's probably because of the whole ReunionMakers snafu, but you know this thing is going to be the spirit committee and their rippling circle.
eh, i'll be hopped up on cold medicine. it should be fun.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
the ones that won't let you down
i was all set to write this really depressing post about how this Thanksgiving was going to be really crappy because i'm all alone downtown and i have to go into work just as my family will be sitting down to eat scrumptious food and how nothing compares to the way my mother prepares turkey with masala and all the indian side dishes AS WELL as mashed potatoes and cranberry and all that stuff. she's the best, man. but then i took a healthy dose of NyQuil and passed out. for like 14 hours.
but THEN! this morning came a knock on the door and there they were! my mom, dad and brother (who's home for the holiday) came in with all this fantastic food. i guess they were going to some auntie's house for the official meal, but my mom felt so bad that i was alone and would have to work that she prepared a small chicken for me and all the trimmings!
man, even though i couldn't completely taste it, i knew it was fabulous. when i'm most feeling down and out and too proud to admit it, i have people in my life who see through the bravado and do just the thing that i need the most. for that, i am utterly thankful.
i hope all of you had a rich and fulfilling holiday, too.
but THEN! this morning came a knock on the door and there they were! my mom, dad and brother (who's home for the holiday) came in with all this fantastic food. i guess they were going to some auntie's house for the official meal, but my mom felt so bad that i was alone and would have to work that she prepared a small chicken for me and all the trimmings!
man, even though i couldn't completely taste it, i knew it was fabulous. when i'm most feeling down and out and too proud to admit it, i have people in my life who see through the bravado and do just the thing that i need the most. for that, i am utterly thankful.
i hope all of you had a rich and fulfilling holiday, too.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
the cure is that ratty old couch
i woke up this morning with a scratchy throat. i watched Family Ties, Who's the Boss and The Facts of Life, ate, got ready and came to work. during my shift, my nose began to run. i took a break from the dungeon to go to the drugstore and buy NyQuil and ramen noodles. currently, i'm sitting in the dungeon and slowly eviscerating a box of Kleenex as well as the skin of my nose, waiting for reports. i'm not looking forward to standing outside and waiting for a cab in the middle of the night.
being sick is so much worse when you know you're not going home.
being sick is so much worse when you know you're not going home.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
spend my time just making rhymes
it's starting to sink in.
i've been there since saturday, but spoiled because people came to help me bring my meager belongings (not staying long, don't need much). also, cc hung out and celebrated her birthday with me all weekend. but now she's back home with her family.
i've never *technically* lived alone, but for the last two years i've been awake when everyone is sleeping, at work when everyone is socializing and sitting around when everyone is at work. so really, i've been more alone than the average roommate-less person. yet somehow this sucks worse. probably because i'm doing all that same stuff but with a tv that gets 3 (THREE) channels, if i'm lucky.
in the middle of the night at home i know there are breathing bodies in the other rooms. i know that if i choke on a wheat thin and start to asphyxiate, i can run over and collapse onto one of their doors and they'd wake up and call 911. here, i'm surrounded by hundreds of people on dozens of floors, but somehow i think they'd be dialing different digits at 3 a.m. if i tried that maneuver.
i have wi-fi internet access from the lobby. but i'd describe it like having a three-legged dog with cataracts: you can walk him, but it's gonna take a lot of patience. never fear, i'm working the dungeon this week which, despite what it lacks (windows, humans, joy) has got a pretty damn fast computer. it's the only reason i'm still sane.
this afternoon, i got up early and went to an appointment. i walked around and peoplewatched and went inside. then i proceeded to watch 5 (FIVE) judge shows before i went to work. The People's Court was on twice. i can't even remember any of the other judges. but they were all witty and fair. even though the plaintiffs and defendants were insane. or scripted; i couldn't decide. the reason for this is because i somehow used up all my daytime minutes. so i cannot harass my loved ones at their places of business until monday.
so i'd better find something to occupy myself. at least before commuting starts looking good.
i've been there since saturday, but spoiled because people came to help me bring my meager belongings (not staying long, don't need much). also, cc hung out and celebrated her birthday with me all weekend. but now she's back home with her family.
i've never *technically* lived alone, but for the last two years i've been awake when everyone is sleeping, at work when everyone is socializing and sitting around when everyone is at work. so really, i've been more alone than the average roommate-less person. yet somehow this sucks worse. probably because i'm doing all that same stuff but with a tv that gets 3 (THREE) channels, if i'm lucky.
in the middle of the night at home i know there are breathing bodies in the other rooms. i know that if i choke on a wheat thin and start to asphyxiate, i can run over and collapse onto one of their doors and they'd wake up and call 911. here, i'm surrounded by hundreds of people on dozens of floors, but somehow i think they'd be dialing different digits at 3 a.m. if i tried that maneuver.
i have wi-fi internet access from the lobby. but i'd describe it like having a three-legged dog with cataracts: you can walk him, but it's gonna take a lot of patience. never fear, i'm working the dungeon this week which, despite what it lacks (windows, humans, joy) has got a pretty damn fast computer. it's the only reason i'm still sane.
this afternoon, i got up early and went to an appointment. i walked around and peoplewatched and went inside. then i proceeded to watch 5 (FIVE) judge shows before i went to work. The People's Court was on twice. i can't even remember any of the other judges. but they were all witty and fair. even though the plaintiffs and defendants were insane. or scripted; i couldn't decide. the reason for this is because i somehow used up all my daytime minutes. so i cannot harass my loved ones at their places of business until monday.
so i'd better find something to occupy myself. at least before commuting starts looking good.
Monday, November 20, 2006
deja view
after 3 days of house-sitting, i have one resounding opinion about life in the high-rise:
it's appallingly like living in a college dorm. but without the crappy cafeteria. and, you know, the school.
it's appallingly like living in a college dorm. but without the crappy cafeteria. and, you know, the school.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
a time to grow
"i haven't seen you girls in such a long time. i'm so glad we were able to meet up and celebrate cc's birthday."
"yeah and nothing says 'happy birthday' better than a yummy margarita. i think i'll have another one of these babies."
"dude, i've been in the dungeon too long. i haven't been out dancing in forever and i don't even remember the last time i had something with tequila in it."
"well nobody asked you to order the one with three different kinds of tequila in it, crazy."
"what? that's one of the drinks the waitress recommended! ray, you're the one who asked her opinion in the first place."
"that's only because i don't know what half this stuff is. you tell her what we're ordering; i always pronounce this stuff wrong."
"um, yeah. i think this drink is it for me tonight. i might not be able to even finish all this."
"cadiz! you cannot be telling me that your first drink is your last drink of the night. oh, grow some tits and suck it down."
happy birthday, cc. i hope i'll always have you to look to in mock horror when ray says something appalling.
"yeah and nothing says 'happy birthday' better than a yummy margarita. i think i'll have another one of these babies."
"dude, i've been in the dungeon too long. i haven't been out dancing in forever and i don't even remember the last time i had something with tequila in it."
"well nobody asked you to order the one with three different kinds of tequila in it, crazy."
"what? that's one of the drinks the waitress recommended! ray, you're the one who asked her opinion in the first place."
"that's only because i don't know what half this stuff is. you tell her what we're ordering; i always pronounce this stuff wrong."
"um, yeah. i think this drink is it for me tonight. i might not be able to even finish all this."
"cadiz! you cannot be telling me that your first drink is your last drink of the night. oh, grow some tits and suck it down."
happy birthday, cc. i hope i'll always have you to look to in mock horror when ray says something appalling.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
testing out the waters
some of you may recall the problem with parking series i did last year. yes, parking in the city is a bitch. and though i've gotten adept at it, trolling around to find a spot is still not my favorite way to spend forty-five minutes worth of automobile fuel.
so i'm going to do something absolutely ridiculous and out of character. i'm moving to the city. okay, okay, for like a week. or so. maybe.
i'm going to be apartment-sitting in highrise downtown. this is big for me because a) i've never lived alone b) i've never lived in a city and c) i love my car, and i can't bring it with me. that last one is going to be rough if you consider the fact that i spend almost three hours in my car every weekday and sometimes on the weekends, too. the place is pretty close to my job, so i'll have an added two-to-three hours a day to myself, but my biggest fear is boredom because there's only a tiny, non-cable tv. it's going to be a cold-turkey cutoff from the dvr.
i'm not sure how long this is going to last, or if i'll even be able to cut it using mass transportation and remembering to feed myself. granted, i could just go in and check the mail/water the plants, etc and go back home to my cozy bed and chatty roommates, but i'm going to really try and give it a go.
don't fret; i'll keep you posted.
so i'm going to do something absolutely ridiculous and out of character. i'm moving to the city. okay, okay, for like a week. or so. maybe.
i'm going to be apartment-sitting in highrise downtown. this is big for me because a) i've never lived alone b) i've never lived in a city and c) i love my car, and i can't bring it with me. that last one is going to be rough if you consider the fact that i spend almost three hours in my car every weekday and sometimes on the weekends, too. the place is pretty close to my job, so i'll have an added two-to-three hours a day to myself, but my biggest fear is boredom because there's only a tiny, non-cable tv. it's going to be a cold-turkey cutoff from the dvr.
i'm not sure how long this is going to last, or if i'll even be able to cut it using mass transportation and remembering to feed myself. granted, i could just go in and check the mail/water the plants, etc and go back home to my cozy bed and chatty roommates, but i'm going to really try and give it a go.
don't fret; i'll keep you posted.
Friday, November 17, 2006
close your eyes and pay the price
i admit it: i am a procrastinator.
because of this, i am no stranger to the more than occasional all-night paper-writing/ project-finishing/ entire-book-reading that i liked to call "College." and you know on these endeavors i wasted even more time watching tom & jerry, arranging my socks, making the coffee *just* right and most of all (in what some have said were the very early precursors to my blog) crafting long, rambling e-mails at 3 a.m. from random computer labs to my twenty closest friends about the freaks who were up all night with me. i guess they were pretty popular, but i never really found out till people said they'd be missed after graduation. pp's boyfriend, k, was likeminded; we took turns napping on the couch instead of studying while pp, who always did her homework with time to spare, got a full night's beauty rest. every time.
but i have to say, without that "i did it!" payoff, pulling an allnighter just isn't that fun. especially when you're supposed to be on vacation.
in about 20 minutes, i will have been awake -- no naps and hardly any yawning, but three cups of tea -- for 24 straight hours. i don't know how it happened. it wasn't smart. but i did get a lot of things done. unfortunately, one thing is absolutely clear: i'm going to be HURTING for this tomorrow.
because of this, i am no stranger to the more than occasional all-night paper-writing/ project-finishing/ entire-book-reading that i liked to call "College." and you know on these endeavors i wasted even more time watching tom & jerry, arranging my socks, making the coffee *just* right and most of all (in what some have said were the very early precursors to my blog) crafting long, rambling e-mails at 3 a.m. from random computer labs to my twenty closest friends about the freaks who were up all night with me. i guess they were pretty popular, but i never really found out till people said they'd be missed after graduation. pp's boyfriend, k, was likeminded; we took turns napping on the couch instead of studying while pp, who always did her homework with time to spare, got a full night's beauty rest. every time.
but i have to say, without that "i did it!" payoff, pulling an allnighter just isn't that fun. especially when you're supposed to be on vacation.
in about 20 minutes, i will have been awake -- no naps and hardly any yawning, but three cups of tea -- for 24 straight hours. i don't know how it happened. it wasn't smart. but i did get a lot of things done. unfortunately, one thing is absolutely clear: i'm going to be HURTING for this tomorrow.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
feeling like a million minutes
getting up early is a little bit like winning the lottery: you're wide awake, showered, dressed and ready to rock hours before your usual. you're walking on sunshine. you have ALL this time ahead of you to accomplish everything you've let lag for the last several days. because you're so rich, of course you can spare some time to sit through recorded episodes of America's Next Top Model, the news, Dancing With the Stars AND the finale episode! (i'm very pleased with the result, by the way).
but unfortunately just like lottery winnings, if not invested wisely the treasure trove of time slips out from under that sheen of hope and confidence and evaporates. that's the problem with becoming cocky.
so yes, i may have gotten up at 6 a.m. this morning. but now, six hours later, i have nothing to show for it but a full stomach, a less-empty inbox and fewer items left to watch on the DVR.
so much for all the work i was going to get done. sigh. might as well make the most of the time i've got left.
but unfortunately just like lottery winnings, if not invested wisely the treasure trove of time slips out from under that sheen of hope and confidence and evaporates. that's the problem with becoming cocky.
so yes, i may have gotten up at 6 a.m. this morning. but now, six hours later, i have nothing to show for it but a full stomach, a less-empty inbox and fewer items left to watch on the DVR.
so much for all the work i was going to get done. sigh. might as well make the most of the time i've got left.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
backwards body clock
dungeon duty allows me one week of vacation a year, so i have to be choosy. all year, i made grand plans for my time off-- during which i'd finally not be commuting or keeping such ridiculous hours. but the reality? i've spent the last several days in the house, doing some long overdue personal projects. the biggest of which is to change my sleep schedule back to that of normal human beings. sadly, my rhythm is so incredibly jacked that yesterday i saw the sun for the first time in five days. granted, daylight hours are pretty short here, but still.
i have tried EVERYTHING to train myself to be awake during the day and asleep during the night. i've pulled a couple all-nighters, only to pass out haphazardly and awaken in the dark with carpet marks on my face. and when i do manage to caffeinate enough to make it, i'm so jittery and loopy that i don't trust myself behind the wheel of a car, so nothing gets done anyway.
so basically, i'm torturing myself to switch my body clock to days. i will probably only manage it with little time left for any fun and then i'll go back to working nights and be all turned upside down again.
i have tried EVERYTHING to train myself to be awake during the day and asleep during the night. i've pulled a couple all-nighters, only to pass out haphazardly and awaken in the dark with carpet marks on my face. and when i do manage to caffeinate enough to make it, i'm so jittery and loopy that i don't trust myself behind the wheel of a car, so nothing gets done anyway.
so basically, i'm torturing myself to switch my body clock to days. i will probably only manage it with little time left for any fun and then i'll go back to working nights and be all turned upside down again.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
at least i'm not claiming Post-Its
okay, so the high school reunion spirit committee sent out a form asking for the particulars. you know, name, married name, kids' names, pets' names, address, blablabla. but then they wanted to know other stuff, too. stuff you really shouldn't be trying to come up with when you've been commuting/working for 14 hours on 3 hours' sleep. stuff such as:
sadly, because of this halfass form filling, i will be remembered as the girl who blocked out all the fantabulous things she actually did and focused on what earned demerits. furthermore, i will be the broad who spent the decade after getting a diploma cultivating her frigging nocturnal oratory skills.
what i should have said:
i STILL can't think of the right thing to say until it's too way late.
favorite song from '92-'96? okay, that's pretty easy. i put "california love" by Dr. Dre/Tupac, but only because one of my friends mentioned it during a discussion on the topic, so i can't even take credit for that. however, i agree wholeheartedly.
what i should have said:
"california love" by Dr. Dre/Tupac
favorite high school memory: i grasped for straws and came up with an all-school coordinated waterballoon fight we had between 2nd and 3rd period during "freshmen hell week." (yeah, i got some great shots in, but we were sophomores then, and had been completely terrorized the year before by seniors who sprayed our hall with waterguns filled with fox urine and cut off random locks, emptying the contents and setting them on fire and having a live pig run amok. security protected the freshman the next year, so we got hazed as sophomores, too. and by the time we were seniors we had no energy to expend on traumatizing younger classes. but the balloon fight was still fun.)
what i should have said:
as my friend, ri, aptly remembered: our senior class trip down the western coast of italy, from Rome to Sicily. seriously one of the biggest eye-opening, horizon-broadening, taste-for-travel-inducing experiences of my life. it solidified my love for Spanish and my persona as the make-sure-your-giddy-friends-don't-do-stupid-shit-like-run-off
-on-a-ferry-with-strange-foreign-men schoolmarm. whatever. say what you will, but nobody got assaulted under my watch.
interesting fact about you:
this one stings the most. let's remember, i was on ZERO SLEEP so it was on my mind. i wrote, "i talk in my sleep." upon further thought, i am now positive everyone else's is going to be "i found the cure for psoriasis" or "i help starving orphans when i'm not improving the quality of anti-gravity space boots." even Mr. High Contrast is going to say he climbed the Himalayas, though we all know he was motionsick and on a donkey.
what i should have said:
SO MANY THINGS I COULD HAVE SAID INSTEAD! i could have talked about camping out in the Sahara with camels (come to think of it, i had food poisoning then too, so i feel ya, highcon.) Or seeing William "refrigerator" Perry perform his part of the Superbowl Shuffle literally ten feet in front of me. or you know, risking my life every night by working in a DUNGEON, for God's sake.
sadly, because of this halfass form filling, i will be remembered as the girl who blocked out all the fantabulous things she actually did and focused on what earned demerits. furthermore, i will be the broad who spent the decade after getting a diploma cultivating her frigging nocturnal oratory skills.
what i should have said:
i STILL can't think of the right thing to say until it's too way late.
Monday, November 13, 2006
back off with that baby, beeyatch
it's a well-known fact that my mother is awesome.
sure, when young people at her work started calling her "mom," i bristled a little bit. she's a sweetheart to nearly everyone and so damn loveable. however, they don't have to deal with her high expectations or her bitter disappointment. they don't have to fight against her reluctance to see the doctor when something's wrong or her rigidly low tolerance for ineptitude. and the guilt. don't get me started on the GUILT. they get all her sage advice, listen to her laugh and sample her fabulous cooking, all without fielding one iota of guilt. they get 8 hours a day with her, when all i get at best is a ten-minute phonecall because of our schedules. but i've made my peace with that. i've come to accept that aside from my brother, there are a dozen or so people who lovingly call the woman by our name for her. and it irritates me only slightly.
but this past week, one of those hangers-on crossed the line.
she came to our house and brought her handsome, well-behaved boyfriend, who wanted to ask my mom about India to gear up for his study abroad trip there. he came bringing cake and offering to do the dishes-- obviously well-trained. she also brought her handsome, well-behaved 2-year-old to eat neatly, play with his dumptruck on the kitchen floor quietly and sit in her lap adoringly. which was also fine by me at that point in the story. because i know this girl. she and i were lab partners freshman year of high school. and though our paths split then and went in opposite directions, somehow she's back in my life, calling my mother mom. which is okay, i guess.
what i do take issue with is the fact that she also has the kid calling my mother "grandma."
it's no secret that my mom would gladly trade two legs and a duodenum to have somebody of her very own to call her grandma. and that i've been taught, as oldest and as daughter, that it's my cultural obligation to have given her one like five years ago. but i haven't. because in some twisted form of logic, i believe that one should only produce grandchildren when one has found a suitable partner and only then if both parties are good and ready. but that doesn't stop my mom from hinting at how jealous she is of her friends who have them and it certainly hasn't put a damper on the one-woman babyblanket knitting factory she's running out of the living room.
don't get me wrong, i know what kind of pressure my mother's under. she's got the entire auntie patrol slyly insinuating that there must be something wrong with me, that i may in fact be expired in some way. and that it's such a shame. i'm well aware. and i'm sure she's only allowing this breach of namecalling ethics because she's just that nice. what's she going to say? "no, you can't call me that because my daughter will be jealous and bitter?" i understand that. but why confuse this poor 2-year-old? he's got a perfectly great grandma in his own house.
i know there's nothing i can do about this, save for going out and getting the woman what she wants myself. but that's just not the right thing to do at this time, nor the right reason. i've come to terms with sharing my mother, but i will be DAMNED if i will allow the children who are now just a sparkle in my eye to have to share their grandmother with ANYONE not bound by the law. i am not suffering the torture of guilt for nothing.
sure, when young people at her work started calling her "mom," i bristled a little bit. she's a sweetheart to nearly everyone and so damn loveable. however, they don't have to deal with her high expectations or her bitter disappointment. they don't have to fight against her reluctance to see the doctor when something's wrong or her rigidly low tolerance for ineptitude. and the guilt. don't get me started on the GUILT. they get all her sage advice, listen to her laugh and sample her fabulous cooking, all without fielding one iota of guilt. they get 8 hours a day with her, when all i get at best is a ten-minute phonecall because of our schedules. but i've made my peace with that. i've come to accept that aside from my brother, there are a dozen or so people who lovingly call the woman by our name for her. and it irritates me only slightly.
but this past week, one of those hangers-on crossed the line.
she came to our house and brought her handsome, well-behaved boyfriend, who wanted to ask my mom about India to gear up for his study abroad trip there. he came bringing cake and offering to do the dishes-- obviously well-trained. she also brought her handsome, well-behaved 2-year-old to eat neatly, play with his dumptruck on the kitchen floor quietly and sit in her lap adoringly. which was also fine by me at that point in the story. because i know this girl. she and i were lab partners freshman year of high school. and though our paths split then and went in opposite directions, somehow she's back in my life, calling my mother mom. which is okay, i guess.
what i do take issue with is the fact that she also has the kid calling my mother "grandma."
it's no secret that my mom would gladly trade two legs and a duodenum to have somebody of her very own to call her grandma. and that i've been taught, as oldest and as daughter, that it's my cultural obligation to have given her one like five years ago. but i haven't. because in some twisted form of logic, i believe that one should only produce grandchildren when one has found a suitable partner and only then if both parties are good and ready. but that doesn't stop my mom from hinting at how jealous she is of her friends who have them and it certainly hasn't put a damper on the one-woman babyblanket knitting factory she's running out of the living room.
don't get me wrong, i know what kind of pressure my mother's under. she's got the entire auntie patrol slyly insinuating that there must be something wrong with me, that i may in fact be expired in some way. and that it's such a shame. i'm well aware. and i'm sure she's only allowing this breach of namecalling ethics because she's just that nice. what's she going to say? "no, you can't call me that because my daughter will be jealous and bitter?" i understand that. but why confuse this poor 2-year-old? he's got a perfectly great grandma in his own house.
i know there's nothing i can do about this, save for going out and getting the woman what she wants myself. but that's just not the right thing to do at this time, nor the right reason. i've come to terms with sharing my mother, but i will be DAMNED if i will allow the children who are now just a sparkle in my eye to have to share their grandmother with ANYONE not bound by the law. i am not suffering the torture of guilt for nothing.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
fine, then. mark this one half off.
"i don't think i'm hot anymore."
"what? you called me at work for this?"
"i never had this problem before."
"just how DRUNK are you right now?"
"i'm past my prime."
"you're insane. someone is probably going to hit on you later tonight and this conversation will mean nothing."
"sigh. well, it was good while it lasted."
"i give up."
"what? you called me at work for this?"
"i never had this problem before."
"just how DRUNK are you right now?"
"i'm past my prime."
"you're insane. someone is probably going to hit on you later tonight and this conversation will mean nothing."
"sigh. well, it was good while it lasted."
"i give up."
Saturday, November 11, 2006
how about some Armistice?
I guess i can't say "Happy Veterans Day," when there have been servicepeople dying in the war every day. So i'll just say thank you and i hope that you come home soon.
Friday, November 10, 2006
November: National GET BUSY month
okay, so i'm participating in this NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), which was inspired by NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which also inspired NaKniSweMo (National Knit a Sweater in a Month) and NaSoAlMo (National Solo Album Month).
there's also Naplwrimo (National Playwriting Month) and NaNoMangO (i don't know what it stands for, but it's 30 pages of sequential art.)
and let's not forget National Diabetes Month , National Adoption Month, National Family Caregivers Month, National American Indian Heritage Month and National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
all of the above are November. (except NaNoMangO, which is november AND june.) and God knows what else is out there that i haven't stumbled upon.
my question to you is: why november? is it chock full of dead time that could be dedicated to things we always wished we did? is it biologically the best time of the year to be committed to something? if so, why aren't more people engaged or married at this time? are extra projects what is needed to burn off all that extra turkey? because let's face it, you know we're going to put this stuff off till the last minute and be scrambling during thanksgiving anyway.
personally, i think it's because november goes really well with naming things beginning with "Na" and ending with "Mo." but that's just me.
there's also Naplwrimo (National Playwriting Month) and NaNoMangO (i don't know what it stands for, but it's 30 pages of sequential art.)
and let's not forget National Diabetes Month , National Adoption Month, National Family Caregivers Month, National American Indian Heritage Month and National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
all of the above are November. (except NaNoMangO, which is november AND june.) and God knows what else is out there that i haven't stumbled upon.
my question to you is: why november? is it chock full of dead time that could be dedicated to things we always wished we did? is it biologically the best time of the year to be committed to something? if so, why aren't more people engaged or married at this time? are extra projects what is needed to burn off all that extra turkey? because let's face it, you know we're going to put this stuff off till the last minute and be scrambling during thanksgiving anyway.
personally, i think it's because november goes really well with naming things beginning with "Na" and ending with "Mo." but that's just me.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
secret tesoro
i love spanish music. that includes music sung in Spanish but not limited to music that comes from Spain. several years ago, i started listening to spanish top-40 radio. there were a few stations to choose from, and i could enjoy the artists i already loved as well as discover new music.
but all that changed when the national radio corporate monster thought it'd be better to turn the stations i liked into all-reggaeton-all-the-time to appeal to a younger, hipper audience. today, the only options are channels that offer thumping and bumping reggaeton or regurgitated dance hiphop with some spanish sampling thrown in, or the more regional stations. (sorry, rancheras aren't really my cup of tea.) don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a little reggaeton, but after three songs it all starts sounding the same to me. or maybe i'm just getting old.
i was very sad about this because all i had were my old cds and no way to discover new music (i have a dialup connection, so internet radio is out of the question). i guess i could follow the groups i like on the internet and buy their music online, but that requires a lot of keeping track of things, and i can't even remember to feed myself, let along check up on a band.
in true fashion, i forgot all about it. i continued listening to my golden old tracks and didn't think twice. until the day i was out visiting H, and he showed me the magical record store.
they have nearly everything! even more obscure stuff i only heard in Spain. and not just Spanish, but all kinds of crazy music. it was very cool. it definitely beats the selection at Best Buy or Borders and it's not as intimidating as going to the Spanish-only music store where people stare at you and tell you your accent is good. the first time i went there, i discovered that la oreja de van gogh was out with a new cd. the next time we went back, i picked up the latest from julieta venegas and maná. i'm happy and up to date. for now.
p.s. "tesoro" means treasure
but all that changed when the national radio corporate monster thought it'd be better to turn the stations i liked into all-reggaeton-all-the-time to appeal to a younger, hipper audience. today, the only options are channels that offer thumping and bumping reggaeton or regurgitated dance hiphop with some spanish sampling thrown in, or the more regional stations. (sorry, rancheras aren't really my cup of tea.) don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a little reggaeton, but after three songs it all starts sounding the same to me. or maybe i'm just getting old.
i was very sad about this because all i had were my old cds and no way to discover new music (i have a dialup connection, so internet radio is out of the question). i guess i could follow the groups i like on the internet and buy their music online, but that requires a lot of keeping track of things, and i can't even remember to feed myself, let along check up on a band.
in true fashion, i forgot all about it. i continued listening to my golden old tracks and didn't think twice. until the day i was out visiting H, and he showed me the magical record store.
they have nearly everything! even more obscure stuff i only heard in Spain. and not just Spanish, but all kinds of crazy music. it was very cool. it definitely beats the selection at Best Buy or Borders and it's not as intimidating as going to the Spanish-only music store where people stare at you and tell you your accent is good. the first time i went there, i discovered that la oreja de van gogh was out with a new cd. the next time we went back, i picked up the latest from julieta venegas and maná. i'm happy and up to date. for now.
p.s. "tesoro" means treasure
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
maybe peggy sue will show up
in february, i got a letter inviting me to my ten-year high school reunion. it was scheduled for the day after thanksgiving. i've always planned on attending, if anything just to see people with whom i made small talk during class but didn't really see outside of school. plus it's always interesting to see if the so-and-sos have lived up to their potential.
i put the wheels in motion to try and get the day off (read: offered to work on thanksgiving and christmas to have that most coveted friday in november free). but after all that trouble, i got another letter in the mail, saying the reunion was canceled. i guess the agency in charge of planning it, ReunionMakers, went out of business. after they took a whole bunch of money from people.
so it looked like the whole thing was off. most of my friends didn't really care. our tightknit highschool group has managed to survive college, bad relationships, marriages and multiple cross-country moves and is now still moderately tightknit. but i was disappointed. working on turkey day for nothing? uh-uh. i wanted to see some acquaintance-types, dammit. you know, like j.w.. (i heard he gained a lot of weight and lost a lot of hair. but i'm sure his eyes are still crinkly.) i figured, if they already had the venue and the date/time set, why couldn't we cut out the shady middleman and put on the party ourselves?
now if you think i actually tore myself away from dungeon duty to attempt such a thing, you are sadly mistaken. but some girls from our class took up the task because they've got spirit, yes, they do. the cost has come down and it's turned from a formal sitdown dinner to 3 hours of open bar and appetizers. so i'm happy. now i just have to convince more friends. because if the whole thing is lame, we can sit in the corner sipping alcohol and talking smack about people.
C'MON. what else is a high school reunion for anyway?
i put the wheels in motion to try and get the day off (read: offered to work on thanksgiving and christmas to have that most coveted friday in november free). but after all that trouble, i got another letter in the mail, saying the reunion was canceled. i guess the agency in charge of planning it, ReunionMakers, went out of business. after they took a whole bunch of money from people.
so it looked like the whole thing was off. most of my friends didn't really care. our tightknit highschool group has managed to survive college, bad relationships, marriages and multiple cross-country moves and is now still moderately tightknit. but i was disappointed. working on turkey day for nothing? uh-uh. i wanted to see some acquaintance-types, dammit. you know, like j.w.. (i heard he gained a lot of weight and lost a lot of hair. but i'm sure his eyes are still crinkly.) i figured, if they already had the venue and the date/time set, why couldn't we cut out the shady middleman and put on the party ourselves?
now if you think i actually tore myself away from dungeon duty to attempt such a thing, you are sadly mistaken. but some girls from our class took up the task because they've got spirit, yes, they do. the cost has come down and it's turned from a formal sitdown dinner to 3 hours of open bar and appetizers. so i'm happy. now i just have to convince more friends. because if the whole thing is lame, we can sit in the corner sipping alcohol and talking smack about people.
C'MON. what else is a high school reunion for anyway?
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
you know what to do
we all know that the extremists on both sides will be out there, IN LINE, when the polls open, ready and eager to push their extreme agendas.
do we really want them picking the people who can potentially make our lives a living hell?
last march i started feeling guilty about my inconsistent voting record. i studied the candidates and the issues, got up early, stood in line and was late to work just to vote. but when i finally got to the front of the line, my name magically "could not be found" despite the older gentleman's use of some very fancy blackberry-ish voter information-locating equipment. i hustled off to fight traffic, grumbling the whole way, only to hear that three hours later my family members-- who live in the same precinct and have the same name -- got their ticket into the booth, no problem. and the lady had no trouble seeing my earlier invisible voter information right there on the list under theirs. she passed on her apologies, but i still didn't get my say because i was stuck in the dungeon.
maybe if enough people vote, they'll raise the bar for personnel quality at polling places. no offense, they're lovely folks; i just think they should be required to be able to see.
do it for the people who actually care about making a difference. but if you don't, you have no right to bitch.
do we really want them picking the people who can potentially make our lives a living hell?
last march i started feeling guilty about my inconsistent voting record. i studied the candidates and the issues, got up early, stood in line and was late to work just to vote. but when i finally got to the front of the line, my name magically "could not be found" despite the older gentleman's use of some very fancy blackberry-ish voter information-locating equipment. i hustled off to fight traffic, grumbling the whole way, only to hear that three hours later my family members-- who live in the same precinct and have the same name -- got their ticket into the booth, no problem. and the lady had no trouble seeing my earlier invisible voter information right there on the list under theirs. she passed on her apologies, but i still didn't get my say because i was stuck in the dungeon.
maybe if enough people vote, they'll raise the bar for personnel quality at polling places. no offense, they're lovely folks; i just think they should be required to be able to see.
do it for the people who actually care about making a difference. but if you don't, you have no right to bitch.
Monday, November 06, 2006
damn domino effect
it really sucks when so much of a person's life can be dependent on decisions made by people who go about their business every day, completely oblivious of just how much they are leaving that person unable to get a full night's rest.
they should be responsible for the ulcer bills.
they should be responsible for the ulcer bills.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
without both, you just get half
ever since my friend ri got married to her love in july, they've been cultivating all the things good marriages have, like divided chores, making time for dates, and most importantly, speaking as a unit.
"i'm so crazed with all the things i have to take care of lately that i'm losing my mind!"
"and her keys; before we left to come here, she lost her keys, her phone or both several times. all in the span of five minutes."
"ha ha! yeah, and this afternoon i left them hanging in the mailbox in the lobby! can you imagine? oh man, that was bad."
"especially because you came all the way upstairs without them."
"yeah! and i'm sitting here knocking on the door, thinking my husband would open it for me, but noooo."
"hey, i was in the shower!"
"don't lie, you were standing at the end of the hall, ignoring me!"
"that's not true, i thought you were a neighbor."
"you see, i left the keys in the mailbox downstairs in the lobby and went all the way upstairs. and c was in the shower--"
"and she realized she had no way of getting in. meanwhile, i'm coming out of the shower in a towel and hear a knocking on the door. i figured if it was ri, she'd just use her key, so i ignored it. what! i was in a towel!"
"so i had to go back downstairs, but i didn't want to haul all the mail with me. so i put it under the door."
"i see mail sliding in from under the door, so i figured it was a neighbor who got something of ours by mistake."
"it wasn't one thing! it was a whole pile with newspaper advertisements and everything!"
"yeah, yeah, and then i saw that one envelope had been opened and i said, 'man, the neighbors are going through our mail!' and i figured that's probably why they knocked, to apologize for accidentally opening it."
"but not at first! at first you thought it was a robber."
"right, at first i went for my baseball bat and thought, 'okay guy, let's do this thing.' "
"but it really was just me."
"yeah. ridiculous."
"yeah."
"i'm so crazed with all the things i have to take care of lately that i'm losing my mind!"
"and her keys; before we left to come here, she lost her keys, her phone or both several times. all in the span of five minutes."
"ha ha! yeah, and this afternoon i left them hanging in the mailbox in the lobby! can you imagine? oh man, that was bad."
"especially because you came all the way upstairs without them."
"yeah! and i'm sitting here knocking on the door, thinking my husband would open it for me, but noooo."
"hey, i was in the shower!"
"don't lie, you were standing at the end of the hall, ignoring me!"
"that's not true, i thought you were a neighbor."
"you see, i left the keys in the mailbox downstairs in the lobby and went all the way upstairs. and c was in the shower--"
"and she realized she had no way of getting in. meanwhile, i'm coming out of the shower in a towel and hear a knocking on the door. i figured if it was ri, she'd just use her key, so i ignored it. what! i was in a towel!"
"so i had to go back downstairs, but i didn't want to haul all the mail with me. so i put it under the door."
"i see mail sliding in from under the door, so i figured it was a neighbor who got something of ours by mistake."
"it wasn't one thing! it was a whole pile with newspaper advertisements and everything!"
"yeah, yeah, and then i saw that one envelope had been opened and i said, 'man, the neighbors are going through our mail!' and i figured that's probably why they knocked, to apologize for accidentally opening it."
"but not at first! at first you thought it was a robber."
"right, at first i went for my baseball bat and thought, 'okay guy, let's do this thing.' "
"but it really was just me."
"yeah. ridiculous."
"yeah."
Saturday, November 04, 2006
secret stash
"hey, what happened to that pile of leftover halloween candy that was sitting here on the counter? i have a taste for an almond joy right now."
"it should still be there... i don't know where your father hides it."
"geez! i mean, we all know that every year when he buys the candy he gets twice as much and then hoards some for himself. but he wasted NO TIME in snatching up all the leftovers, too! that man needs help."
"tell me about it, i've been dealing with his sweet tooth for 35 years. but there are bad habits that are a lot worse."
"yeah, i guess searching around the house for chocolate is a lot better than frantically trying to find where he's hiding the crack."
"it should still be there... i don't know where your father hides it."
"geez! i mean, we all know that every year when he buys the candy he gets twice as much and then hoards some for himself. but he wasted NO TIME in snatching up all the leftovers, too! that man needs help."
"tell me about it, i've been dealing with his sweet tooth for 35 years. but there are bad habits that are a lot worse."
"yeah, i guess searching around the house for chocolate is a lot better than frantically trying to find where he's hiding the crack."
Friday, November 03, 2006
multitasking
so i'm sitting here waiting for reports, minding my own business. suddenly i get an e-mail chat from the ex-boyfriend of my good friend, with whom my friend has had some drama as of late. i'm just making small talk with him-- about work, the weather, maybe getting together for coffee sometime. that is unlikely to actually happen considering he a) is no longer dating my friend b) i work in a dungeon at night and c) he's a medical resident on call all the time. plus i'm not comfortable with the idea of hanging out alone with a friend's ex. so i continue along, hoping that my friend does not come up as a topic of discussion because, while i think this guy is sweet, i really don't want to get involved in their personal matters.
as i'm chatting away about superficial nonsense, another window pops up with a boing; it's the friend who i'm trying very hard not to talk about.
so i'm looking at two little windows next to each other, carrying on separate conversation with each and wondering what the odds are that these two (who live in different time zones) would be up so late and both in the mood to talk to me.
it gets more interesting. i tell my friend that the exboyfriend and i are e-mail chatting and ask if they've settled their issues. friend tells me, "we're on the phone. we're okay."
so not only are they talking to me via computer, they're talking to EACH OTHER via telephone, too. until magically, they both feel the need to end their talks with me and go to bed. at the same time.
i'm still trying to wrap my head around this.
as i'm chatting away about superficial nonsense, another window pops up with a boing; it's the friend who i'm trying very hard not to talk about.
so i'm looking at two little windows next to each other, carrying on separate conversation with each and wondering what the odds are that these two (who live in different time zones) would be up so late and both in the mood to talk to me.
it gets more interesting. i tell my friend that the exboyfriend and i are e-mail chatting and ask if they've settled their issues. friend tells me, "we're on the phone. we're okay."
so not only are they talking to me via computer, they're talking to EACH OTHER via telephone, too. until magically, they both feel the need to end their talks with me and go to bed. at the same time.
i'm still trying to wrap my head around this.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
typical 2 a.m.
you know, nothing's changed.
i'm still sitting here, in the middle of the night, waiting for reports.
i'm still browsing around the internet, chuckling at what other people have to say about their boyfriends, bad jobs, housebreaking puppies or america's next top model.
i'm still thinking about how fast i can safely get home without getting a ticket or killed to watch lost (even though i'm holding judgement on this season because the ratio of commercials to storyline is becoming more and more equal with each episode)
i'm still dartingly eyeing the corners of the hallway for anyone who may be lurking there to quietly strangle, dismember and stash the pieces that were me in a utility closet on some rarely used floor.
i'm still bleary-eyed because i didn't get enough sleep because i just had to watch the daily show AND the colbert report at 7 a.m.
i'm still craving a grilled cheese sandwich from the cafeteria downstairs, but won't go because the second i leave my office is when they'll bring me the reports.
i'm still feebly fighting off the idea that i traded my life for my television when i agreed to take on this job two years ago.
i'm still sitting here trying to come up with something coherent to post while i wait.
the only difference? now i'm COMMITTED, which generally means any fledgling genius ideas have run for the hills to snuggle up with wads of cotton and leaves and nuts or whatever else hibernating things love to snuggle with. only to return in december. when NaBloPoMo is over.
i'm still sitting here, in the middle of the night, waiting for reports.
i'm still browsing around the internet, chuckling at what other people have to say about their boyfriends, bad jobs, housebreaking puppies or america's next top model.
i'm still thinking about how fast i can safely get home without getting a ticket or killed to watch lost (even though i'm holding judgement on this season because the ratio of commercials to storyline is becoming more and more equal with each episode)
i'm still dartingly eyeing the corners of the hallway for anyone who may be lurking there to quietly strangle, dismember and stash the pieces that were me in a utility closet on some rarely used floor.
i'm still bleary-eyed because i didn't get enough sleep because i just had to watch the daily show AND the colbert report at 7 a.m.
i'm still craving a grilled cheese sandwich from the cafeteria downstairs, but won't go because the second i leave my office is when they'll bring me the reports.
i'm still feebly fighting off the idea that i traded my life for my television when i agreed to take on this job two years ago.
i'm still sitting here trying to come up with something coherent to post while i wait.
the only difference? now i'm COMMITTED, which generally means any fledgling genius ideas have run for the hills to snuggle up with wads of cotton and leaves and nuts or whatever else hibernating things love to snuggle with. only to return in december. when NaBloPoMo is over.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
i'm taking requests
while lurking around last month, i stumbled upon NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. in the spirit of National Novel Writing Month-- when some really dedicated writers spin an entire novel out in thirty days-- these people pledge to post every day for the entire month of November.
so i thought i'd give it a whirl, too. i especially liked this part:
so basically, i'm a sure thing daily for the next thirty days. regardless, if you go to the NaBloPoMo site, you'll see an ENORMOUS list of participants, including myself, and maybe you'll find a blog you like enough to follow the whole month through.
wish me luck!
so i thought i'd give it a whirl, too. i especially liked this part:
"If you don't want to participate as a NaBloPoMo blogger then your mission is simply to delurk and comment on one of the sites below, or another of your favorite blogs, once a day in the month of November as a show of support. This will also prove that you can read and that you think blogging is nice."
-- fussy, of www.fussy.org
so basically, i'm a sure thing daily for the next thirty days. regardless, if you go to the NaBloPoMo site, you'll see an ENORMOUS list of participants, including myself, and maybe you'll find a blog you like enough to follow the whole month through.
wish me luck!