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Sunday, April 29, 2007

Focus On The Bits Of Happy

I think I'll try my hand at going back to what I do best: talking about me. That whole mocking someone's poor attempt at satire was fun and all and wow was that ever the first time where 176 people actually DIDN'T search for me directly in any way and found my humble little blog despite that fact and then thought they could leave snide little comments! Oh yes they did, but I showed them! Ha ha! I have this snazzy button called DELETE! And this thing about not liking snarky commenty-type people.

So. Back to me.

Things have been going well.. like.. really. I hardly recognized myself with all the smiling. I was feeling this heaviness mostly due to issues at work and just starting to feel stagnant in life in general.. and tho I think I still have another direction as far as a career to work towards, the weight was relieved at the office quite a bit.

We called it our Come To Jesus discussion. It was productive and our CEO listened and gave feedback and asked questions and there was a sense that things would take time, but changes would eventually come to pass. And lo! There came upon us a collective sigh of relief.

But the real miracle came not even a week after that meeting when Jesus, Himself, actually made an appearance in the form of the dismissal of one bastard sales manager whom we all desperately loathed. For those of us who couldn't hold back our glee and continued to mutter how this was karma in action, yes, we know, we're all going to burn in hell and let me tell you.. it'll SO be worth it. Hee!

With work feeling better with every passing minute, it seemed appropriate to celebrate with some live music that my friend, Scott, and I had tickets to for months now. We hit the Showbox for Rodrigo Y Gabriela. I'd barely heard of them and had no idea what to expect.. and all I could muster as soon as we witnessed their greatness was, 'Uh.. wow.' Seriously, We. Were. Floored. Check out the clip below and tell me that you are not impressed. Ok.. um, don't tell me that because you won't anyway, but they just started their tour I think so you should really go see them. And then tell them I sent you. And oh yeah.. hi for me and I love them. Ok, maybe not love love, but you know what I mean.. Watch.



There has also been some hitting of the gym with Mrs. Ironika, which has been good for both of us, tho I think I whine more when there is someone around to hear it. But I go to the gym out of an internal obligation not to turn into an over-sized Miss D because that is not something pretty and this gym'ing with a friend makes the whole idea a lot more tolerable.. especially when I get to push her around. Well.. when she isn't pushing me around. It's ok. She's instilling inspiration. As am I. We are there to inspire! It's really something to witness, honestly.

Did I mention I got a smashing new and shiny pink phone?! I didn't? Well.. it's awesome! I got myself some LG Chocolate. And as if free wasn't a good enough price since I hit my two year free upgrade time frame with Verizon, I HAD to spend $43 THOUSAND dollars on fancy new ringtones that eek out the Empire Strikes Back Imperial March, Hall & Oates, and The Shins even cuz.. um.. I had to. And they don't have 50 Cent 'In Da Club', which y'all can make fun of all you like, but that song is MINE. Well.. when they get it. Right now, unless you're special and have something assigned, I hear 'Singing In The Rain' because I've always had a huge crush on Gene Kelly. Again, go ahead.. mock away. This is me.. not caring. And yeah.. my phone bill is going to rock!

In-between all this crazy goodness there might've been Potential. There was an evening with drinks and chemistry and kisses goodnight and it may have been quite lovely. There was definitely so much smiling that by the end of the first night my face actually hurt from all the happy and maybe the fact that anything he said sounded just like something I would say on any given topic. I don't think my feet actually touched the ground at all the next day.

But due to gravity, the feet have to come back to Earth at some point. Newness and blue eyes and good kisses are quite powerful, but there's always Timing to spar with and remind me that if things seem too good to be true, they probably are. And however wonderful, Potential was short-lived and tho that will probably be better soon, it pretty much sucked today.

Kari came to whisk me away from my thoughts for the day tho, which we'd had planned for a couple of weeks. Sans children (my nieces), we brunched before outdoor marketing and Mrs. Pixie met us for caffeine. We then wandered over to the Fremont Sunday Market where Kari scored some gorgeous framed photographs and I landed a lovely little rose-colored cowboy hat that added some extra sass to my day.

Since that was hardly enough, we pedicured our little toes to beauty, had a short html tutorial between ourselves and then wined and dined in the early evening while the sun was still out. There was a lot to catch up on and the girl time was a positive distraction for us both. When you've known a friend for as long as we've known each other, tho time can be hard to come by with growing family responsibilities, it's so comforting to know you don't have to work at getting the other person. We just do. We've moved in different directions and still we never have a problem being there for each other no matter what the issue. Not everyone has friends who've been close like that for almost 20 years, but she's such a gift.

Now.. if y'all want to really cheer me up.. give me your ideas for ringtones. I must have more! Retail therapy people.. it works!

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Global Warming: Apparently A Liberal Plot!

Run for your lives! Hide your children! It's really true that we, Democrats and bleeding-heart liberals, are only destroying the world! This Little Rock, Arkansas attorney says so and therefore, it must be true! Hell, that whole global warming idea that's circulating is just made up! Phew! I'm so glad! I do hope someone rushes to let all the polar bears know who are dying for clearly no reason at all because it's sure not due to the level of declining ice and whatnot. I sure wish they'd stop over-reacting! God!

Daylight exacerbates warning
You may have noticed that March of this year was particularly hot. As a matter of fact, I understand that it was the hottest March since the beginning of the last century. All of the trees were fully leafed out and legions of bugs and snakes were crawling around during a time in Arkansas when, on a normal year, we might see a snowflake or two. This should come as no surprise to any reasonable person. As you know, Daylight Saving Time started almost a month early this year. You would think that members of Congress would have considered the warming effect that an extra hour of daylight would have on our climate. Or did they ? Perhaps this is another plot by a liberal Congress to make us believe that global warming is a real threat. Perhaps next time there should be serious studies performed before Congress passes laws with such far-reaching effects.
CONNIE M. MESKIMEN / Hot Springs

The link to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in which this letter appears is here.
Connie's attorney profile, map of directions, and all her contact info are listed here.

Props to my friend, Boris (hey, he let me pick the nickname.. so.), for sending me these today!

God help the people of Little Rock.

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UPDATED!

Note to anonymous: I didn't find your proof that the above letter from Ms. Meskimen was tongue-in-cheek at all, but I did find a response from someone else in Little Rock who counters her 'logic.' Um.. my favorite part is highlighted..

Climate change is real
No doubt mine will not be the only response to letter writer Connie Meskimen. First of all, she is correct to acknowledge the changes we’ve all seen in seasonal patterns. Sadly, though, she apparently doesn’t want to believe that this is indeed a result of global climate change, which will continue to have an impact on our environment until notable measures are taken to slow the damage being done to our atmosphere. To deny that the problem exists is just willful ignorance. With regard to the extension of Daylight Saving Time, I would like to point out that this measure was enacted by a Republican-controlled Congress and signed by a Republican president as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. So much for her vast, left-wing, liberal conspiracy. But perhaps her most bizarre thinking is that somehow Congress has created an extra hour of daylight out of thin air. Anyone with even a basic understanding of reality knows that the number of hours of daylight we have on any given day isn’t altered by simply resetting a clock. We also know that this simple shift of time can help reduce the consumption of energy by delaying the increased need and use of electricity after sundown. Perhaps Meskimen can find an elementary school student to explain it to her.

C. A. GILBERT / North Little Rock

Thank you, God. There's hope for at least the northern part of Little Rock. Hallelujah!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

A Few Things That Don't Really Go Together

Doing taxes suck. I don't care if they're super easy - which mine used to be - or like mine are now, which include a Schedule K-1 for the rent and profits from the trees on the family farm that the Tree Guy (This is what my uncle calls him, so I figure, why change it.) comes by and.. takes away?? Look.. I'm not in charge of it, ok? All I know is that sometimes I get money from it, which I would never question or turn down because that'd be quite stupid now, wouldn't it? So there is interest and income and distributions and all of it makes me want to stab myself in the eye with the nearest ballpoint pen since that would be less painful than say.. this:

"Income or Loss From Partnerships.. If you have passive activity income, complete Part II, column (g), for that acivity. If you have nonpassive income or losses, complete Part II, columns (h) through (j), as appropriate."

Did you hear that? That was the sound of MY HEAD EXPLODING. THAT'S what I thought was 'appropriate.'

What was that you say? That other sound you just heard? Oh that was the cha-ching of Turbo Tax charging me $49.95 to put the pieces of my head back together. And my grumbling about it, which followed.

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Let's say you're in Target, like I was today, prior to all the hanging out with my oh-so-fun friend, Turbo Tax, and you're doing errands like picking up freezer bags and cat litter. You might notice when getting your cart, which is near the 'food' court that it's pretty much packed. At Target. Where the 'food' means scary looking hot dogs and questionable liquid cheese that probably has a shelf life of 157 years and popcorn laden in oil that clogs your arteries upon impact. And these 'customers' might've been just.. hanging out. In the 'food' court. Again, at TARGET. I think you would've thought, like me, that sure.. they might need that cheese despite its lacking of any real dairy whatsoever.. but shouldn't they be.. going after the purchase? Eventually?? Not like.. having dates there? I'm just saying.

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The days of free internetting have gone. Our open connection up and abandoned us in the middle of the night last week. Kyle and I have consequently gone thru withdrawels. Periodically, these can be relieved slightly by a sub-par connection that was recently discovered and has a way of teasing us with its signal bars that come and go every few seconds. Discussions with the new upstairs neighbors have been successful and as soon as their new bundled service is installed, we will be official payees for a portion of that lovely wireless service and thieves no longer! We are practically salivating for its arrival. If you don't hear from me soon, it's probably because the withdrawels finally got to Kyle and out of his sheer greed for a wireless signal he put me out of my frothing misery.

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I was told I was on the front page of one of our local alternative papers on Friday. In the personals section, so it was a little side feature and friends emailed and sent texts and they said oh, now you just wait for the deluge of Prince Charmings to come running! Oh yes they did! And, um.. yeah.. so far? No deluge.. no drizzle for that matter. Nothing. God.. I think it's finally come to this: I have dated the entire frickin city.

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Speaking of the potential for lovin - which there ISN'T any, but one day, maybe - I was trying out some birth control, which sounds weird when your pool of lovin has been reduced to a mud puddle, but trust me that there are other reasons for taking it than just preventing another little devyl. ANYWAY.. I only took it for three weeks. I didn't like it because I gained a little weight and my boobs hurt All. The. Time. It also didn't help my mood in the slightest, which is another reason for taking it, and it actually made me feel crabbier and since there were no benefits that I could see, I quit taking it and that was that. So it's easily been another THREE WEEKS and the boobs STILL hurt.. and they're even a tad bigger, which wouldn't be so bad, but I like them their normal size cuz hey, my rack's alright, thank you, but even if I enjoyed the current boob bounty - and had a date that might also find them rather incredible, it wouldn't matter because OW. GET AWAY. DON'T COME NEAR THEM. OW OW OW.

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Call me Martha again.. call me whatever, but just call me a frickin GENIUS because I have found a guaranteed cure-all for wine stains and anything else spotting up your life.. well, maybe not everything, but stains for sure!

I may have been kneeling in a chair and talking to friends after a few drinks during Keith's birthday party on Friday.. and I leaned over too far and fell into Paul, who was holding a large glass of wine that he promptly threw on me and into my hair due to the fact he was trying to a) catch me and b) not get fallen upon. And yes, there I was with wine all over me and one of my favorite shirts. Awesome.

The soda water I bought didn't cut it so onto the INTERWEB I went and Lo! AND Behold even! I found a miracle as sure as the baby Jesus Himself! Dishsoap and hydorgen peroxide my friends. More of the latter than the former.. and the wine disappeared on contact. The small stain on my tank that was underneath the shirt took a bit more mix to get it gone, but it still worked. Y'all can thank me later.

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I'm off to make some dinner and then checking out Blades Of Glory with Boz. Hope everyone had a lovely weekend as random as mine.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Second Level Of Hell Much More Comfortable Than Eighth

The good news is that the sun is out and it's 70 degrees in Seattle. Other Seattlites completely understand the absolutely GLORIOUS feeling this creates within each of us who live here. It's such a welcome relief. My head seems so much more uncluttered with life and work issues because I can just sit in the sun and breathe in the smell of spring. Ahhhh..

I walked around my neighborhood the other evening after work. It had been a dreadful day full of stress and uncomfortable phone calls, emails that had gone unanswered that seemed urgent to me, but not so to others, and realizing there's only so much, and that's not much at all, that I can control within the office and if others don't care, neither should I.

So my walk started out sort of tense as I was pushing myself up the first steep hill and huffing and puffing and getting it all out, feeling the exertion it took and the pounding of my heart corresponding. And I did that a couple more times, tho it started to become more a rhythm and less a forceful motion and, as I walked more even road, I noticed my mood aligning with it, my breathing calmer, my forehead less wrinkled. The day's worries finally started to ebb away and my head was clearer.

After the walk, I met up with Pixie, who'd just returned from an amazing honeymoon (see pictures on her site), and we caught up on her trip and then this head-clearing that I'd done over a couple of rum and cokes and amaretto sours.

Of course there are a lot of things I feel I'm needing in life, but a partner and a career I love, both of which should love me right back, are the big ones. Since any efforts extended towards the more masculine sex seem to be backfiring lately, I thought I'd put that aside for a while and try my hand at oh.. figuring out what I want to be when I grow up.

Like I discussed with Pixie as well as with Ironika and a few others, I think I'll need to go back to school because the idea that stands out the most is to get into counseling.. all psychologist like - yes, that's the official term. Acting and theatre used to be a passion of mine and God knows I'm an attention whore at heart, but I think if I haven't really felt that drive to pursue it as hard as one really should to succeed in that business, I don't think I ever will. Honestly, I'm not that great anyway and it's not like I don't think I could do fine.. but I want to be more than fine. Fine is boring. I want to find something in which I can really excel and.. you know.. shine. I want to be shiny!

So that is the good news. Now there's like.. work to do. Money to go and find.. employment to coordinate. What school do I pick? What type of counseling do I get into? Do I look at the UW or go to Seattle Community? Do I take classes at night or try to find enough money to support myself completely without a job so I can actually focus on my education and don't run myself into the ground working and schooling and have No Life Whatsoever?! I mean.. phew.. lots to think about and get going on.. because I could actually start all this in the fall. People! That's only TWO SEASONS AWAY!

It's pretty thrilling, isn't it? When I think about the day to day here and hitting this wall of burn out that I've been hitting over and over for weeks now.. I get really excited by the idea. Tho it could be some months away still, if I don't procrastinate like I'm used to doing, this could actually happen and there could be an end to this monotonous pressure and dead-end rut I'm currently in. I mean, HI.. I have Direction! I have Goals! And this is Something Real And Plausible And Not Terribly Crazy Sounding!

You know what? I think this is so awesome and the day so beautiful that I think I have to leave all you lovely people and go get ice cream. Yes. That's what I'm doing. I'm so not even kidding.