Record Store Rita

The End

2009-01-01T17:03:00.003-06:00

I haven't been posting here much, as you may have noticed.

The thing is, I don't think I'm a very good writer, and I don't know that I have all that much to say. I have the occasional desire to rant, but I don't know that that justifies having a blog.

The sock monkeys that I have been making have proved to be very popular. So, I'm going to try my hand at selling them online and see where that goes. I'm dropping the psuedonym and starting a new blog. I have opened an etsy store (though not with any inventory, yet) and my new blog will mostly be a place where I can showcase the monkeys I've made that already have homes, though I will also keep writing from time-to-time on random topics.

Girls' Guide: Winter Shoe Care

2008-10-11T15:18:00.004-05:00

Hi Rita! i found you through eastside bride, who sent me to alphamom, where you commented on leather shoes in the winter. i'm moving to chicago from LA in january and trying to figure out what kind of shoes to get. i'd like to get a pair of brown leather boots but don't want to get them ruined. i found one that is already waterproof. would that protect against the salt? and if i got non-waterproof ones, would all i need to do is water proof spray them? please help!

Hi Tealeaf! Chicago is a big change from LA. If you are going to live or work downtown, you will be doing a lot more walking in a wider variety of weather. Protecting your shoes is a necessity.

I'm a little skeptical of leather shoes that say they are waterproof - it just seems odd to me. However, if they are, fantastic, but giving them a little extra help would still be a good idea. Protecting any shoes - leather, suede or fabric - will make them last longer and keep your feet dryer.

For my leather boots - the more rugged ones that help me hike through snow and the fancy knee-high variety - I use Penguin Himalaya Wax. I don't remember where I found it, but the brand isn't really important. It uses bees wax and silicone to keep leather supple and form a protective barrier to keep out snow and, most importantly, salt. Salt will ruin your shoes. It will break down the leather and then, when the snow melts and gets the shoes wet, you'll end up with a white, salty outline of where the shoes were wet. Not cute. Once you use a spray like this, you can just use a rag to wipe off any dirt or debris that your shoes collect.

Only use wax-based products on smooth leather. They will ruin suede or fabric. Also, it is a good idea to apply the spray outside, if possible, as it can get kind of fume-y. If you can't do it outside, spread some newspaper on the floor, and cover a good, wide area. This spray is obviously not good for carpets, and it will make hardwood floors super-slick. If your shoes look a little dull once the spray dries, just give them a quick buff with a soft, clean cloth.

For suede, you have to find a spray that says it is for leather and fabric shoes - for some reason, a lot of them don't specify that it is safe for suede. However, the ones that are NOT ok will say, in big, bold letters "NOT SAFE FOR SUEDE AND NUBUCK." I really liked the stuff that Aerosoles sells, and I've also used Kiwi Protect-all. Again, you spray it on, let it dry, and then when you run into salt or other dirt, you can just wipe it off when you get home.

Protect your shoes around now, before winter really gets going, and try to keep them clean. You want to keep an eye out to see if the spray is starting to wear off, but I usually just apply it in the fall. If it is a long winter, you might need to go again, depending on how often you wear your shoes. At the end of the season, really wipe them down to make sure there is no dirt hanging around. Stuff tall boots with newspaper to help them keep their shape while in storage. Next fall, start over again, reapply the protecting spray. You can easily extend the life of your shoes by protecting them at the start of the winter.

I hope this helps. Welcome to Chicago!

75 Books Every Woman Must Read

2008-09-23T14:32:00.004-05:00

Jezebel just posted the 75 books every woman must read. Here's their list (with the ones I've read in orange, plus some comments):

The Lottery (and Other Stories), Shirley Jackson
To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende
Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion (Didion is an amazing writer. Before her, I never read non-fiction. Her prose is beautiful)
Excellent Women, Barbara Pym
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys (Read this in college, shortly after reading Jane Eyre. Our whole class was in love with Rochester, and did not want to hear Bertha's slander of him. All the same, this is a truly lovely book)
The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
Beloved, Toni Morrison (I actually think I've read this, but I'm not sure).
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
Like Life, Lorrie Moore
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (Probably one of my all-time favorites. I have read it many times, and it still brings me to tears. Also one of the few successful film adaptions - the BBC/Colin Firth version, obviously)
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
The Delta of Venus, Anais Nin
A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
A Good Man Is Hard To Find (and Other Stories), Flannery O'Connor
The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx
You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down, Alice Walker
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston (Awesome. If you haven't read this, read it before any other on this list. Except Pride and Prejudice)
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Fear of Flying, Erica Jong
Earthly Paradise, Colette
Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt
Property, Valerie Martin
Middlemarch, George Eliot
Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid
The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir (I was a philosophy major in college. I read most of this, but not, technically, all of it. I was so pissed to find Borders had categorized this as Wellness>Women's Studies, and not with the other philosophy books. They still categorize it this way and, while I sort of get it, I also hate it)
Runaway, Alice Munro
The Heart is A Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
You Must Remember This, Joyce Carol Oates
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill
The Liars' Club, Mary Karr
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith
And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie (I love mysteries of any sort)
Bastard out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
The Little Disturbances of Man, Grace Paley
The Portable Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker (I wish I was as witty as Parker. She is my literary hero)
The Group, Mary McCarthy (McCarthy is under-appreciated)
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing
The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (Surprisingly, this book has one of the most accurate descriptions of the feelings of loss after a loved one dies that I have ever read)
Against Interpretation, Susan Sontag
In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez
The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
Three Junes, Julia Glass
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft
Sophie's Choice, William Styron
Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann
Love in a Cold Climate, Nancy Mitford
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell (I read this in sixth grade, and can still remember finishing it, under the covers, around 3am, because I couldn't put it down. I had heard that line "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." my whole life, and never would have thought it could possibly be as devastating as it was to actually read it)
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
The Face of War, Martha Gellhorn
My Antonia, Willa Cather
Love In The Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Harsh Voice, Rebecca West
Spending, Mary Gordon
The Lover, Marguerite Duras
The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
Tell Me a Riddle, Tillie Olsen
Nightwood, Djuna Barnes
Three Lives, Gertrude Stein
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
Possession, A.S. Byatt

T-Mobile, You Make Me Sad

2008-09-14T13:02:00.004-05:00

I just sent a long and rambling e-mail to T-Mobile's customer support. I doubt I'll get a response, but we'll see.

I have been using a phone that I got in 2003. I had briefly switched to a Razr that a friend unlocked for me, but it stopped getting software updates and was getting buggy. I switched back and am generally happy with the old phone, but the call quality is not as good as I would like it to be and I am eligible for an upgrade, so I started looking for new phones.

I finally found one I liked and went to order it online. That's when I discovered that T-Mobile has instituted an $18 upgrade fee. This is not new news, but it was new to me. T-Mobile support says that the fee is for shipping and handling, which they advertise as free, but that first link indicated that it is really to offset the cost of subsidized phones for new customers.

I like to get myself all worked up over things like this. I am a firm believer that customer service is more important than saving a few bucks. I have no idea if T-Mobile is the best carrier, has the best network, or the cheapest prices. They did have very reasonable prices when I signed up, but that was in 2001 and might not be true anymore. I stayed with them because of their customer service. Now, I'm annoyed. Here's my complaint:

I have been a loyal T-Mobile customer since 2001. In 2005, I convinced my husband to switch to T-Mobile. I have stayed with T-Mobile, and recommended you to others, because of your customer service.

I haven't upgraded my phone in at least two years, and was surprised when I went to checkout and saw the $18 upgrade fee.

Your website says the fee is for the administrative costs of an upgrade - shipping and handling. But choosing the express shipping, which is not “free,” doesn’t eliminate the charge. Shipping UPS ground from Albuquerque, NM to Des Plaines, IL (where I live) is $10.03. Since I'm ordering online, and not on the phone with a person whose salary you have to pay, it is clear this is not a handling charge.

After some searching, I see that the fee was established in November, 2007, and is generally assumed to offset the cost of subsidized phones for new customers. This is poor business planning on your part. I am willing to sign up for a new, two-year contract to get a new phone. My contract costs should cover the cost of the phone over time and, given my history of staying with one phone for much longer than my contract time and rarely using even half of my plan minutes, I think you are getting a pretty good deal with me as a customer. I pay my bills on time, use less of your services than I pay for, and rarely ask for new phones.

Since my contract has expired, there is no reason for me not to look for another carrier, where I won't have to pay an extra fee for a new phone. This fee shows disrespect for your customer and erases all of the goodwill my previous experiences have created. It is easy to charge the same fees your competitors are charging, but, by joining them, you’ve eliminated what distinguished T-Mobile from the others in the first place. I hope someone over there comes to their senses and eliminates this fee. Until then, I’ll stick with my old phone and start shopping around for another network.

We'll see if I hear anything from them, but I doubt it.

The Things I do for my Team

2008-09-05T08:24:00.002-05:00

This is one of the images I was thinking of using for fantasy football trophies. This picture of Dave Wannstedt has to be hosted somewhere, and it doesn't seem to work from where I found it. Basically, this post is just so that I have a place to save this picture. Enjoy!

Self Torture

2008-08-22T10:12:00.002-05:00

I don't know why I do this to myself. Whenever I am home during the day, I watch The View. They drive me nuts, but I love it. Hank doesn't seem to mind me yelling at the TV, so I keep doing it.

This morning, Barbra showed an excerpt from her interview with Carla Bruni, wife of the president of France. She mentioned that she had asked Bruni about being called an adulterer. Bruni said that she was never married, therefore, she was not an adulterer.

The ladies of The View seemed to have a different opinion. I would expect Elizabeth to blame the "other woman," but I was surprised that Joy Behar agreed with her. Thankfully, Whoopi Goldberg provided some rational input, which I agree with.

When you get married, you make a commitment to your partner. You promise many things, including - for most people, but not all - fidelity. It is your responsibility to uphold your word. You made a promise. The world did not promise to leave you alone because you now belong to someone else.

I'm sure if my husband cheated on me, I would not be a big fan of whoever he was cheating with. That's human nature, to dislike the person your partner has chosen to fool around with. However, the blame for that relationship, and the blame for failing to uphold our vows would fall squarely on his shoulders. She didn't promise to respect our marriage. He did.

I think this almost instinctual hatred for the other woman comes from our culture's patriarchal tendencies. Though we give a lot of lip service to be equals, men are still given free reign when it comes to certain things. One of those things is sex. Men want it, they need it, they can't control themselves. Women, sure they might enjoy it, but really it is something we are supposed to put up with to keep our husband happy and provide babies. A woman who likes sex because it is fun is going against the grain. There must be something wrong with her. That's why the other woman is so easy to hate: she is clearly a sexual deviant, wantonly using her evil, feminine wiles to seduce your poor, befuddled husband who, after all, can't help himself. He's just a man, for crying out loud.

I think this is also why there is such an irrational fear of pornography in our culture. Porn has to subjugate and abuse women, because there is no way those women want to be in porn. They must have been forced to do it. If they think they like it, it is only because they were abused as children and have a broken sense of what is good for them. Porn is demeaning to women, because only men like it. Because women don't like sex. Women who want sex, who want that kind of base, animal pleasure have something wrong with them. Women are saints, set on earth to be mothers. Men are base and animalistic.

It's stupid, and it hurts men as much as it does women. It teaches men that it is ok to want these things, to have these urges, and it is ok to act on them. But it also teaches them that if they find a woman who wants to do those things with him, there is something wrong with her.

Ok, my brain is about to explode. I'm going to go back to The View now.

Bump Day?

2008-05-15T13:45:00.003-05:00

Can I just say right now that I hate the popularization of the word "bump" to indicate pregnancy? I guess I can.

This has to be begging for a lawsuit. Wednesday, May 21st, Baskin Robins is celebrating "Bump Day" with a free 3oz soft-serve cone for expectant mothers with this coupon. Their site says it is for expectant mothers only.

Are they going to question any woman who tries to claim it without a readily-apparent "bump"?

Random Thoughts

2008-05-13T21:41:00.003-05:00

1. Can someone tell me why Hanes decided to go with a campaign filled with homo-erotic undertones? I never got Kevin Bacon & Micheal Jordan playing grab-ass, and I really don't get Cuba Gooding Jr. "inadvertently" yelling embarrassing, easily-misinterpreted things like "I'm wearing your underwear!"

2. I have planted a ton of seeds this year. My miscalculation was that a) I might remember where I planted them, b) that I might remember what I planted and c) that I have the patience to wait for seeds to grow. Now I just want to go buy more flowers and plant them because waiting for seeds BLOWS.

3. This American Life is on-demand with WOW cable. Season 1 stops being available today. :(

4. WOW's DVR sucks ass. Way worse than Dish Network's. But I hated Dish Networks DVR so much, that it almost makes the craptastic WOW one ok. Like, if I can't have Tivo, I REALLY can't have it.

5. Our old Tivo died this weekend. :( RIP Barry. (I named my Tivo Barry. I don't know why. Possibly because we got the Tivo not long after we got Hank and Barry was one of the names I considered for Hank).

Fashion 911

2008-05-06T14:58:00.005-05:00

I have a fashion emergency.

I am going to a black-tie gala on Friday. I didn't realize it was black tie until yesterday. I bought this dress from Macy's. I got really lucky. It was like 65% off plus yesterday was the last day of a friends and family event where any customer in the store qualified as friend & family and I got an extra 20% off.

It's not quite so neon, more of a kelly green, really.

My problem is shoes. And a purse. I was thinking I would wear the hot hot hot and so comfortable white patent leather pumps that I wore at my wedding. But, I also just ordered these from Zappos.com. I also have a white patent faux-leather clutch.

Here are the big questions:

1. Is white shoes with a white purse just too much?

2. Is a white patent clutch just no good to begin with? I love it, but sometimes, I am a little tacky.

3. It is supposed to rain on Friday. I have a black trench, but I know that, if it is raining, I will be cold. Is it ok to wear a bronz-ish wrap? It's a fake pashmina, but it isn't super-fancy. Sometimes I wear it with jeans. It is a for-serious black-tie deal - Mr is renting a tux. I don't want to look out of place.

4. What the heck do I do about accessories? Necklace? Earrings? Arg!

Dear readers, if you are out there, please help me. I'm a fashion moron when it comes to myself.

ps - the shoes may be a moot point. I ordered from Zappos, but they've stopped advertising and guaranteeing free overnight shipping. They claim that most customers will still get it overnight, but they only promise 4-5 business days. This will be the topic of another post, soon.

An Open Letter to Steve Jobs

2008-04-26T12:06:00.002-05:00

Dear Steve,

Can we talk? I have some issues with the iPod. I think you are missing the mark with what the average consumer wants and needs in a portable audio device. I am an avid music fan, and I think I have a good perspective on what your customers are looking for. My current iPod, which is about three years old, is a fourth-generation 'pod - 20G, click wheel, no color screen. It's still trucking along, but it will soon need to be replaced. Speaking of which: kudos on the recycling program. I would normally buy any electronics from Crutchfield, but I'm going to an Apple store instead.

Here's my issue: the current iPod lineup doesn't fit my listening needs. I would guess that my iTunes library is on the high-side of average. I have just over 17G of music in my library and just over 1G of podcasts. On my iPod, I keep about 16G of stuff - nearly the whole library, but not quite.

The "small" iPod classic has 80G of memory. This is insane, nearly the same amount of memory as my MacBook. The nano, at just $50 less, has only 8G of memory. The small size is very appealing and, at just under $200, the price is perfect. However, I can't quite carry all that I want to have with me. It doesn't make sense to buy the 8G nano when for an extra $50, I can have ten times the memory. But the iPod classic seems like over-kill. Don't even get me started on the 160G model. Who has the capacity to have all of that music on one computer? Who is the target customer there? Even if that is designed to hold movies and TV shows, who has the space on a hard drive to store it at home?

The perfect iPod is only available in the iPod Touch - 32G. But, at $500, that's a little too rich for my blood. Plus, I have no desire to go online or check my email with an iPod. I just want to keep myself occupied on the commute to and from work, and on vacation.

The problem, I think, is in the plan for the nano. Just because people want something small, doesn't mean they want less capacity. If they wanted just a few songs, they'd go for a Shuffle. I want something small, that I can put in my purse without adding too much weight to what I carry around.

Here's my vision for the product line: Shuffle: 2G & 4G; Nano: 10G & 32G; Classic: 80G, & 160G; Touch - do whatever you want. The people who buy this just want an iPhone but for whatever reason don't want AT&T.

My Feminist Education

2008-04-12T09:55:00.002-05:00

I went to a women's college. It is a very good women's college and consistently ranks very high in the US News & World Report listing of colleges. My education there framed how I interpret a lot of things in our culture.

Virtually every course had at least a section on women in that field, if not a specifically feminist bent (of course, this is probably less true for science, math, or business majors but as and English and Philosophy major, a LOT of my classes focused heavily on women writers and feminist works).

I'm very proud of my school and proud that I went there. After my wedding, I sent in my update about what alumnae were in and at the wedding. Last week, I got an email from someone at the Alumnae Relations office, saying that they had gotten a notice that I had married Jason, but their records said Mr. I corrected her.

Yesterday, I got a lovely little card from them congratulating us.

It was addressed to Mr & Mrs Husband Newlastname.

So, all that feminist education, all the messages that we are the leaders of tomorrow? You are still reduced to Mrs. Husband.

This seems off to me. It is really bothering me. I know that is the traditional way to do things, but we were taught that traditions are to be respected when they make sense, not just because they are traditions. Is it so hard to write Mr & Mrs Husband & Wife Newlastname?

Shameless

2008-04-10T14:35:00.002-05:00

Please buy my books.

I have decided not to actually spend money on the trashy novels I love and to clear out some of my shelves. So, I'm selling some of the books I've read and don't plan to read again, or have never gotten around to reading and using the proceeds to buy books I want to read.

I'm especially craving the Sew Everything Workshop, which looks awesome.

Special deal for my blog readers: if there is more than one book you want, and one of the books you want is priced under $1, I will give you the cheaper one free. Just buy one book for more than a dollar (or two books for less) and email me the one you want that is under a dollar, and I'll take that one out of inventory: recordstorerita@hotmail.com.

Monkeys!

2008-03-27T22:33:00.005-05:00

First, there was Harry:Harry is not a pretty monkey, but he is loved. I tried, but I knew the first time around wouldn't be the best.
Next came Gene:

Who knew the second try would turn out so well? I got hooked. The following is my little monkey brood, all together for possibly the last time.
From left to right, in order of creation: Harry, Gene (gift for a friend having a baby), siblings Martha and Eddie (gift for a friend having twins), [Not pictured: Hanes, made from boy-sized socks. He's a white and silver sweatsock monkey, and mid-sized. Hanes was almost immediately adopted by the lovely wife of a friend of mine who saw Gene and felt a deep need for a monkey of her own) and the newest edition, little Pete.
Pete is pretty much the cutest thing ever. I stole - I mean, was inspired by an etsy shop of monkeys, which I didn't bookmark. I will find it and link to it. Anyway, I saw some monkeys on etsy with little felt half-moons for the eye area and the idea stuck with me. I would have kept to buttons except that Gene's adoptive family took me up on my offer to replace his button eyes with embroidered ones. Since I've never embroidered anything before, I decided to test it out on little Petey here. Pete was also a test to see if I could successfully handle baby socks.

Pete is, quite possibly, the most successful test of anything, ever, and I think I will keep him for myself for all time. He's got my first all-embroidered face, which I think turned out rather well. He's also got my first attempt at some new limb-attachment techniques, which I learned from a book I just got called Stupid Sock Creatures.

I haven't made any Stupid Creatures yet, but I plan on it soon. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

And, in case you're wondering, Gene's cosmetic surgery went off rather well. The button eyes give much more personality than my limited embroidery skills, so I had to add eyebrows to Gene. Please don't say anything about his scar, he's very sensitive about it.

Girl's Guide: Home Repair

2008-03-02T11:28:00.002-06:00

When we moved in to our house, as I was reveling at the glory of a whole laundry room (as opposed to the laundry closet we used to have), I noticed that our washing machine had been rigged in some way. Usually, if you open a washing machine during the spin cycle, it will stop spinning. This is because it would be dangerous to reach in there , and people are dumb. I didn't think much of it at the time.

Then, I decided to wash a blanket. The machine stopped right before the spin cycle. I went down and saw my blanket sitting in a lot of water, and soapy. I tried just starting the machine over again, and the same thing happened. So I tried it again.

Because I'm brilliant.

I figured I had broken the machine because our addition was finished, and the bathroom was finished, and we were thinking about maybe, someday, having some spare cash to buy a couch, so it would make sense that now I would do something stupid and break the machine and cost us basically another grand.

Because being a home owner has taught me to be an optimist.

Thankfully, I was wrong. The rigging for the lid switch had broken. This is what had been making my washing machine work:
A lid switch basically functions like this: There is a little tab on the washer lid that fits into a hole on the machine. When you close the lid, the tab hits a lever, which closes the circuit to the wiring in the machine, that tells it that it is ok to spin.

Of course, I did not know that it was a lid switch problem, or what a lid switch was, until I did some searching on the internet. The internet told me that it would cost about $15 to replace the part and that I (yes! Me!) could fix it myself. Getting a guy out to replace the $15 part would cost about $100 plus parts plus labor. That's more plus than I'm looking for, so I found directions for taking the washing machine apart and got to work fixing it my damn self.

First, obviously, I had to get a new lid switch. Thankfully, Sears Service Centers are conveniently located near you (or my husband's office). They had one lid switch for our model washing machine. It's more like $25, but still ok with me. Of course, Mr kept forgetting to go pick it up, so it was a week later (and now a desperate laundry situation) that I finally went my damn self.

Naturally, being a week later, they do not have the part. But lo! A new Sears has opened a mere two minutes from my house (as opposed to the 30 it took to drive to the first one) and it seems they have it in stock. I drove over there, and, naturally, they do not have it in stock. A snotty saleswoman informs me that they just recently moved to that location, so their inventory is "all messed up." She offers to order it for me, but I won't get it for three years. I decline, and order it myself at home, because Sears will feel my wrath and lose my $25 sale.

However, now we need clothes. I can't even just buy new ones because I prefer to wash my clothes before I wear them. So I soldier on, determined to fix it temporarily until I get the part.

First step: pry off the side caps. They look like they're permanent, and it feels like you're breaking your washing machine, but you aren't. Just get a screw driver (preferably a flat head) and wedge it under one of the corners of the end caps and pop it off.

Take off both end caps and unscrew the screws that they were hiding. Then, you just have to flip that control panel part up. Only it isn't just an easy flip. The next picture is a bit fuzzy. It is also on its side. The left-hand side is actually the top. See the little white thingy poking out of the black metal part? That is basically a hinge. Once you pop the end caps off, you have to work the whole control panel up until the white thingies on both sides move up that groove and into the top part, where they will have room to move.

Then it will just flip up:
Pretty cool, right?

Ok, next, you pop out those gold doo-dads, which connect the cover to the back and base. Again, just use the screw driver to pry them out. This takes a little bit of muscle, but isn't as nerve-wracking because those gold doo-dads clearly work on tension, so you don't have to worry about breaking them. They tend to really pop out though, so make sure you don't lose them when they go flying.
(Look how gross it gets under the console. Who knew?) The next part is a little scary, but also fun. If you go up to the picture with the control panel flipped back, you'll see a bundle of wires leading to a clear-ish white tab heading into the cover. You have to disconnect them by taking the screw driver again and prying the tab on the big tab up.

Then, you walk the cover off of your washing machine. Once the cover is no longer secured to the back, washing machines are really, really flimsy. In reality, a washing machine is a big barrel with a thin metal box around it. Without some reinforcements, they wiggle a lot.

To replace the lid switch, you have to basically get inside the washing machine cover.

In the next picture, you can see the switch. It's the gray plastic thingy. See the little white plastic post? That is supposed to be pushing down a little lever, which broke off, which is when the previous owners used a zip tie to hold down the broken tab, which eventually broke off.
It is connected by the screw on the right-hand side, which is also grounding the wires. Everything else is in clips that you can just pull out. It's surprisingly simple. If your machine is broken, I highly recommend the site I linked to above - they have pretty good instructions. Plus, it never occurred to me to take a picture of the new switch. Oops. Anyway, since I didn't have a new switch when I did the first fix, this is how I solved the problem:

Electrical tape is good, because it is stretchy, so you can really get a tight fit. Sadly, this worked for only a short time, but long enough to get a few loads of laundry done and carry us through until the replacement switch arrived.

Check it out:

New and Improved (maybe)

2008-02-28T09:07:00.002-06:00

I have a new look! I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging regularly, and writing more focused posts. I started a good one yesterday, but then Blogger decided to be a butthead and wouldn't let me upload pictures. So, that should be up soon.

The guy in the banner is my first-ever sock monkey. I had a bunch of extra fabric from hemming some drapes, and I wanted to find a pattern to make a bear or something for a friend's baby shower. Instead of a bear pattern, I found a sock monkey pattern. The banner monkey was my test run and the much-improved second monkey was given to my friend. I'll add pictures soon.

Interesting Choice

2008-01-23T13:49:00.000-06:00

So, Mr sent me a link to some shoes on Zappos.com. I found their description rather odd:

Make an alternative fashion choice in the Chukka-Kan.
Leather upper.
Lace-up, half boot style.
Stitch detailing on the front and around the midsole.
Rubber sole. Placed here due to endless situation.

Check out that last point again. Any idea what that might mean? It seems like someone in the description-writing cave was feeling a little blue that day. For what endless situation might a rubber sole come in handy?

The Right Person Will Still Think the Sun Shines Out of Your Ass

2008-01-13T00:55:00.000-06:00

Go see "Juno."

It is so good. Every single performance. And so sweet. Everyone should have a Bleeker. I can't possibly do it justice here. Just go see it.

Unless you are struggling with infertility. Then, maybe don't see it. Jennifer Garner is so good as a woman just desperate to be a mother. I could hardly stand it and I only know others who have been there. I can't imagine sitting through that and holding it together if I was there myself.

Post-Bridal Confusion

2008-01-10T14:20:00.000-06:00

Not about the wedding or marriage itself, of course, but of the bridesmaid dresses. I really tried to pick generally flattering and possibly-useful-again dresses. But I know that all brides say that. I was feeling pretty good about my dresses. I thought all of my friends looked lovely and were kind of happy with them. Then I read this on Jezebel.

Mavis is my only 'maid who reads this blog, but anyone else who wants to comment, this is the style of dress:

The center dress is the style, the left-hand one was the body of the dress and the right-hand one was the trim. There was a more flattering style that I was going to choose, but it was over $300 and that seemed a bit excessive.

Sometimes, I sort of wish I had that kind of elaborate "dream" or "vision" of what my wedding would be, just so that I could see how far my friends would go for me. Then, I think about my friends. One of the things I love about them is that almost all of them would take me aside and calmly tell me that I'm delusional if I thought they would put on a hoop skirt for me. Some of them might even slap me if they felt it was called for. They're feisty bitches, and I love them.

Google Analytics

2008-01-09T16:17:00.000-06:00

To the person searching for "ann curry nipples:"

What the hell were you looking for?

And I wonder what in my blog prompted google to send you here?

Christmas Dreaming

2007-12-26T10:17:00.000-06:00

Christmas was lovely, even without a tree. We got up fairly early - I don't know if I've shared before, but I am what you would call and "active sleeper." When I dream, I frequently move around a lot and talk. Christmas morning started for Mr at 6am when I woke him up with my sobbing. I dreamt that someone had gotten chocolate all over my wedding dress. It was very, very real and devastating, though I don't know why. I know that, in the dream, the wedding was over, so it wasn't like it was ruined before the big day. I had actually been toying with the idea of reselling it.

I don't think my dress is symbolic of anything other than the fact that I spent most of the day on the 24th looking at pictures from our wedding. I'm working on making an album for my mother-in-law. Plus, there was nothing on TV in the morning, and I watched part of one of the wedding shows on Style Network or WE TV or something.

Those shows are interesting to me, and they got me to reflect on our wedding a bit. Now, I have to say, that I had a blast at our wedding. The only thing that went "wrong" was the limo driver getting lost. Even that didn't bother me too much, since I was just so happy to be getting married. It was almost a little bizarre how happy I was. I remember sitting in the limo, knowing that I should be upset with this knucklehead, but also knowing that I was the bride and they couldn't start without me. As long as we got there, it was ok.

In retrospect, there were a lot of things that happened that could have "ruined" the day for me, and would have for many of the brides on reality shows. The limo was late picking us up and got lost, but there were other things. The programs weren't handed out the way they should have been, the priest never said "you may kiss the bride" so we didn't kiss after saying our vows. They didn't have the readings for my readers, even though I had given it to them, so my brother never saw what he was supposed to read until he was up there, reading it. We would have been without it altogether, had not one of my aunt's been really on the ball. We started an inadvertent receiving line after the ceremony, which shorted our picture time even more, so we missed out on some pictures. No one told my grandma to hang around so I have no pictures of me with her.

The florist, despite numerous reminders from me, made my bouquet huge and in a plastic holder-thingy even though I explicitly said I wanted it hand-tied and the same size as my bridesmaids. The cake decorations were also in a terrible plastic/doily looking thing. My mother-in-law took the right boutonniere off of him after the ceremony and put on the rose that his grandfather was supposed to wear but didn't because, well, grandpa doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. She claims it was labeled "groom" and he backs her up (even though he knew that he was supposed to be different and not the same as his guys, because he was there and helped make the choice of his flower. He said he just figured something had changed). So, in the pictures after the ceremony, he has a white rose in his lapel and during the ceremony it is a dark red calla lily.

In many of the pictures, my in laws are looking at one of the aunts who was hanging around instead of the professional photographer we hired. My aunt who fancies herself a photographer followed us up to the golf course and then, after I politely said that was enough, proceeded to help herself to the champagne and strawberries set aside in the little room we were supposed to wait in before being announced.

The reception hall initially had a sign up that said "Congratulations Rita & Mike!" Mr's name is NOT Mike. His grandmother corrected them and they actually tried to argue with her.

So, lots of things didn't go the way we planned. But it was all ok. Because what mattered was that we were there. All of those other things? They're just amusing anecdotes. Sure. I wish everything was perfect and amazing. But, you know what? It was. Even with all of that stuff, it was just perfect. Sure, I wish Mr had the same flower on his jacket throughout the day. But we got married, we danced a lot, the cake was delicious, and our pictures are fantastic, even if there are some shots we didn't get.

The point is, on a lot of the wedding reality shows, these people act as if the world is ending because their flowers are not what they pictured, or they only have cream and not off-white chair covers. I'm saying that if you are focusing on the details of your wedding instead of the actual wedding, then you should take a step back and think about why you're getting married in the first place.

I had meant to write about Christmas, but I got a little sidetracked. I'll come back to Christmas tomorrow.

It's Almost Christmas!

2007-12-24T11:28:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, Mr and I celebrated with our own little Christmas tradition. The Saturday before Christmas, we go to the matinee performance of The Joffrey's The Nutcracker and then have dinner at Morton's on Wacker. Mr claims he likes the music, but really he goes because I love ballet and Morton's is a pretty good reward for his patience.

I love the Nutcracker. I love the families with the little girls in pretty dresses, and the little boys in tiny ties and sport coats. Of course, I love the ballet itself, though the arabian coffee piece always puts me to sleep and their Mother Ginger puppet sort of freaks me out. I can't find a picture of it, but traditionally, Mother Ginger is played by a man on stilts. The little ponchinelles run out of her skirt, and it has sort of a clown-car effect. You can't tell how many kids are in there. It's fun. The Joffrey has a massive puppet with a person inside operating it. Her head turns and her hands move, but it is very weird. Plus, her skirt is super light and doesn't quite touch the stage, so you can see that there are more kids waiting to run out. It's really bizarre and a little disturbing.

All in all, I love it. This year was a tad disappointing, because at our performance Willy Shives was Herr Drosselmyer and Calvin Kitten was the Nephew/Nutcracker prince. Kitten was good, but he's a little on the short side and just not as handsome as Shives. Shives is the Assistant Ballet Master at the Joffrey, so he's basically their star. He's the one you see in their posters for The Nutcracker, and he's just amazing. When he's the Nutcracker Prince, it is a lot easier to get swept up in the magic of the play. Kitten, aside from having a goofy name that is either unfortunate or a poor choice of stage names, just doesn't have the presence that Shives does. Also, I think maybe he's not really used to partnering. It looked to me like the Sugar Plum Fairy was having to work a lot harder than she should have. Although, it is nice for her that he got the shot - most ballerinas are tall because they have to be proportionate to their partners. Men are few and far between in the dance world, so ballerinas get chosen from those who are the right height for the guy. Most short girls get stuck in the Corps.

Morton's, obviously, was fantastic. I don't know what they do to make that steak taste so freaking good, but ... there literally aren't words. Mr is also a fan of Gibsons, who are not shabby, but I just don't think anything can compare to Morton's. It is literally the most satisfying meal I have all year. I eat as slowly as possible when we're there, just to savor the steak as long as I can.

So, now that we've done our Christmas tradition, it is starting to feel real to me. The construction is wrapping up on our house - the floor got the final seal yesterday and the siding guys are out there now capping off our windows and doors. We didn't get to put up the tree, so I have a tiny silver tree from Urban Outfitters on the end table and our presents underneath. Our stockings are up, which I love. I even have a tiny one for Hank.

Up next: we have to find a dining room table. We're having a hard time, as it seems difficult to find anything less than $3,000, which we don't really have. Wickes, Harlem, Ashley, and every other place we looked were a bust. We're currently looking at a table from Crate & Barrel. The table itself isn't too expensive, but the chairs are, and you can't really get a wood-finish table and then find cheaper chairs at another store -there's no way the finishes will match. We have pretty traditional tastes, nothing modern, nothing ornate. Just a basic table. Any suggestions are much appreciated. This is the table we like from C&B.

I Love Winter

2007-12-19T08:33:00.000-06:00

You know what's worse than not having enough warm layers on a long walk from the train to work? Having too many.

I had to walk a little farther today since I needed to pick up some pastries for my floor holiday party, and I tend to walk with purpose. There is no moseying along for me. Overheating in the winter sucks because you can't just take off your coat and cool down. So, you sweat, while your face is freezing.

You know what else is awesome? Doing all of that the day after you decide to switch to plain deodorant with no antiperspirant.

I smell like a zoo.

I got to my desk, took off my many layers and went to the ladies' room. I also took off my sweater, so that I could cool off sooner. Not only am I a little damp, but my back is basically wet. Like, I can see a big circle on the back of my blouse, which now looks like I picked it up off the floor instead of having recently washed and ironed it. I honestly considered losing the blouse and just wearing the sweater except my sweater is white and kind of thin, so that isn't really an option. I just hope it is enough to cover my now-wrinkled shirt so that no one wonders when I showered last (this morning, if you're wondering).

Who Knew?

2007-12-09T10:48:00.000-06:00

I had no idea that Christina Aguilera is so freaking funny. Seriously, check this out.

It's all Coming Together

2007-12-03T09:26:00.000-06:00

We've got a solid roof! The holes in our main roof have been patched on a more permanent basis, and we got new shingles. The gigantic hole in our small roof is now gone, on the outside, and replaced by a whole new roof. We had just shy of 3/4 of the siding replaced on the house. All that's left on the outside is new gutters and putting the lights back up on our back porch (and while we were at Lowes this weekend, we picked out new, prettier lights. Woo!).

Today, they should be putting up those gutters, and they are starting work on the inside of our house - tearing out the floor the drywall and the ceiling of the addition where the tree fell through. They will replace all of that, paint the addition, patch and paint the kitchen, patch and paint my office, replace three windows, replace the sliding glass door (which wasn't damaged in the storm, but has no lock and is rotting), and replace our other back door (which also wasn't damaged but doesn't have a deadbolt. It has like a weird bar-type thingy that works like a chain lock. We're replacing the door with one with a deadbolt [and no window, which is why the current door can't get a deadbolt] so that we can both lock our home securely AND get in from the back). While they're at it, they are also painting our living, foyer (about five square feet), the staircase and the upstairs hallway. So, shortly before Christmas our house should be back in one piece and better than ever. Sadly, this means our Christmas decorations are minimal.

It's going to get worse before it gets better, but I am very excited that it is all underway. We took everything off of our kitchen counters in anticipation of the dust, but I'm sure we didn't think of something. I hate living with construction, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I can't wait.

NaBloPoMo - we broke up

2007-11-21T19:04:00.000-06:00

Clearly, NaBloPoMo is not for me. Such is life.

the holidays are upon us. How did that happen so fast? Mr & I are going to his grandparents' for Thanksgiving and having Christmas at home. Our home. We don't have to go anywhere or see anyone, and it really makes me happy. I love having my own tree, and waking up in my house and opening presents with Mr.

This year was supposed to be Christmas at my parents' house. I haven't been for two years because we were trying to get on the same schedule as my brother and sister-in-law, who is on a schedule with her married siblings. Finally, we were on-track. But, they're not going for a myriad of reasons, and when I politely asked if it was ok to bring Hank with us, my mom said that she and dad had discussed it and decided that dogs are for "short, quiet visits."

Hank is banned.

So, because we sent him to Mr's parents during the honeymoon and recently boarded him for a weekend we said we can't do that to him again. So, we're staying home. I was upset, because I don't understand her issue with dogs in the house, but I respect her decision. If I don't want someone/something in my house, I expect others to abide by my rules, so I have to do the same for her. We handled it well, I think. No major drama, but both of us stood firm and didn't want to hurt the other's feelings. Once it was clear that we were both ok with it, there was a noticeable drop in tension.

I blame it on my brother and my sister, really. He would show up at their house with his two large dogs (I would guess about 80lbs), one of whom often peed on the houseplants. My sister has a reasonably well-behaved (at least in comparison) jack-rat who weighs about 5lbs. So, you can understand why my mom associates big dogs with bad dogs. It's no use trying to change her mind. But, seriously, how could you not love this guy?

NaBloPoMo - we meet again

2007-11-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try again. I don't make any promises, but I will try.

We got back from Hawai'i yesterday at 4:55am. It was a horrific flight back, but a wonderful, wonderful vacation. I will post pictures and more details soon.

The wedding went off with only a small hitch - the limo driver got lost on the way to the ceremony, so I was about 20 minutes late to my own wedding. Really, it is a small miracle that I managed to get my hair done, get lost on the way back to the hotel, and still manage to be dressed and ready to go ON TIME. I was actually, I think, about five minutes early. The limo showed up late, and then fifteen minutes after we had left (the church is about seven minutes away, tops) we passed the hotel AGAIN. I finally had to holler directions to him from the back of the limo. My dress was way too big for me to crawl up there and give him directions politely. But, it all worked out, I got married and had a blast. I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Our band was awesome: The Bill Pollack Orchestra. They are not cheap, but if you are throwing a party in the Chicagoland area and you want everyone to dance their butts off, it is totally worth it.

My photographer was fantastic. You can see pictures of our wedding on his blog: www.kmophoto.com, click on "blog." His server has been wonky today, so there's no knowing if you'll get in or not, but eventually, you will, and it is good. For those of you who were there and/or in it, I'll be sending out a link soon to all the pictures, so you can order if you want. Right now, I can't get to the link, but I'll send it soon.

Neither of those people paid me to promote them, but I loved them so much, I thought I'd spread the word.

I'll post soon with pictures and more details. In the meantime, this is the best jack-o-lantern I have ever seen. Seriously, that is fantastic.

Another Word on Weddings

2007-10-18T13:12:00.001-05:00

I had no idea what was involved in planning a wedding before I planned one. Whenever I was invited to a wedding I tried to be polite and generally not bother the couple as much as possible. I think most people do this. I have tried not to be bridezilla, and I think I've done a fairly good job, but I just have to rant a little bit.

When you get a pre-addressed, pre-stamped rsvp card, please use it. I know that your life is complicated, and it takes time to figure things out, so I understand that you can't respond by the next day. However, there is a reason that there is a date you are supposed to respond by. It's because I have to tell the caterer how much food I need, and I have to pay for that food. If you haven't responded by the week before the wedding, respond that you are not coming. They are assuming you are not coming. Either don't do anything or respond with a no. This applies even as you are approaching 90. Yes, we can make room for one more, but please don't be offended that your name is not listed on the seating chart. It's because I did the seating chart more than three days before the wedding.

If you are invited to a rehearsal dinner. Respond. Most rehearsals are small and one person can make a big difference.

If you are strapped for cash, and need a place to stay, figure it out before the week of the wedding. If you don't, don't ask bridesmaids who are coming from out of town if you can stay with them. It puts them and inevitably, the bride, in an awkward situation. Also, if you read this and feel bad, don't call me and apologize. It's ok. I know, you didn't mean to offend, or anything, but you were busy and didn't get to it. I know. But I just had to get that off my chest.

A Word on Weddings

2007-10-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

I was going to comment on the most recent post over at Quodlibets, but I decided to post here instead. I've written about gay marriage, and my befuddlement over objects to it before, but I feel like talking about it again. Maybe it's because I'm getting married in four days.

She links to this article in the Daily Californian. The author basically says he just doesn't understand the argument against gay marriage. I'm so happy to see this getting some print. I feel like every article about gay marriage assumes that the arguments against it are understood, or at least are not worth discussing. I've yet to read anything anywhere that explains what it is that makes people believe that gay marriage is wrong. The only thing I have ever heard is that it is a religious issue. Which, while I don't agree, I understand that some religions believe that homosexuality is wrong. What I don't understand is why religious beliefs are guiding our laws.

If anyone has any argument against gay marriage that has nothing to do with religion, I would really like to hear it, because I just don't get it. Like the author of the article I linked to, I am usually pretty good at understanding my opposition's arguments - it's the best way to win an argument - but this? This I just don't get. Email me if you do: recordstorerita (at) hotmail (dot) com.

The End is Near

2007-10-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

Which means that Hawai'i is near. Which is a very, very good thing.

My wedding is fifteen days and a wake-up (as my dad would say) away. I have no idea how it went from months and months away to OhMyGodItIsF'ingTOMORROW, but it did, and I was a little taken aback. I made a big list, Mr finally saw the urgency of the matter and pitched in, and we're well on our way. I've picked the readings for the ceremony, my mom found musicians for the ceremony, we met with our band leader, I booked pre- and wedding-night hotel rooms, confirmed the flowers, and made an appointment with the priest. I'm getting a test-drive of my hair-do on Saturday just before Mr & I go pick out his ring. Shit is MOVING.

On one hand, I'm kind of stressed because, um, it is so very soon. On the other hand, I do not have to power to create time, so I also have a moderately-zen "there's only so much time in the day and so much I can do in a day" sort of approach. I would like to have my immediate family over for dinner Thursday night, since most of them have not seen my house, and I would like to host a brunch Sunday for the rest of my family, but all of that requires planning, which requires time, which I do not have.

I've also developed a zen attitude towards my weight. I've gained some of the weight that I had lost back. Not a ton, the dress still fits, but I don't know if I'll wear the bikini I bought for the honeymoon. I mean, I am NOT a bikini girl, but I wanted to be for the honeymoon. But, and here's where the zen comes in, I can't lose five (or ten, or fifteen, if we're counting was I was hoping to lose) pounds in fifteen days. Not going to happen. It will be fine. My dress ROCKS and is loverly. As for Hawai'i? Mr seems to dig me, and I probably won't see any of those people again, so either I'll be brave and wear the bikini, or I won't and I'll wear the one-piece. Or I'll compromise and wear the bikini but won't ever take my cover-up off. Regardless, there will be alcohol in pineapples and I will be happy.

Oh yeah, and I just found out I passed the Masters' Exam. I am officially a smarty-pants!

Like a Fool

2007-10-03T11:02:00.000-05:00

I was going through my copy of “Preparing the Roman Catholic Liturgy: A Workbook for Engaged Couples,” looking for the appropriate readings for our wedding ceremony, and I found this:

Matthew 7:21, 24-29

Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

I couldn’t help but feel a connection to the words “The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” Our house is built neither on rock nor sand, but perhaps there’s a lesson here. I'm not sure what that lesson is. Sure, there’s a message about following the teachings of Jesus, but I think the choice of metaphor is interesting. For us, the metaphor is the reality. “The rain fell … the winds blew and buffeted .. the it collapsed and was [partially] ruined.” Fortunately, we have insurance, and someday they might even pay us something that will hopefully help fund the rebuilding efforts. We will rebuild, not on rock but also not on sand, and hopefully, that will be ok.

Concerts Meme

2007-09-27T18:02:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I posted, so I have a lot I want to say, and several half-started posts hanging around, but I get sort of overwhelmed and so I don't post, still. Hopefully, this will get the momentum going. This is a meme from Mano...

Copy this list; leave in the bands you've seen perform live; delete the ones you haven't, and add new ones that you have seen until you reach 25. An asterisk means the previous person had it on their list. Two asterisks means the last two people who did this before you had that band on their list.

This was tough, and I had to go way back to my first show at 14 (at which my aunt convinced the bouncer I was 18 - he must have been in a good mood - and I smelled pot for the first time). Any guesses which one that is? I'm definitely leaving out a lot of shows, some of these are from high school, and some of them were big old tours where I got to see many awesome bands at one time. Here goes:

ani difranco***
Indigo Girls**
Dave Matthews Band*
Counting Crows*
Pete Yorn*
Dixie Chicks*
Ben Harper
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Huey Lewis and the News
Cake
The Flaming Lips
The White Stripes
Ben Folds / Five
Pat McCurdy
Little Feat
Camper Van Beethoven
Bob Dylan
Brian Wilson
Wilco
They Might Be Giants
Loudon Wainwright III
Modest Mouse
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Old 97's
Umphrey's Magee

Tree Trauma

2007-09-01T20:40:00.000-05:00

I'm still in the heat of studying. We got the BIG QUESTION, for which we have THREE HOURS to write an answer, yesterday. The test is a week from today. I think I'm developing TMJ. In the meantime, here's some pictures of destruction. At some point, I'll figure out how to post the video of the guys taking the tree off the house.

First picture: from the back door, looking towards the garage. What? You can't see anything? Just leaves? Yes, that's because everything in sight was overwhelmed by leaves and various other tree-parts that used to reside about fifty feet higher.

See? I wasn't exaggerating. Here's where the tree broke through the roof of the addition and one of the many, lovely, new water-spots we have popping up in all sorts of unexpected places.
Our porch in the lovely light of morning, filled with tree.
This is the view from behind the house. Note the now-squished looking corner of the top of the house. That's above my office. The tree must have hit there first, poking a few holes in the roof above the attic, which resulted in some water in my office. The little couch was slightly damp, but not too bad, so I'm keeping it. Thankfully, I had only recently moved my wedding dress to the other closet, which stayed totally dry. Also dry: the vintage guitar I inherited from my dad.
This is the view from my office window. Luckily, it is double-paned (pained?) glass, and only the outside pane was broken. So, it looks neat, but it is still water-proof. Unlike the roof.
This is the tree service cherry-picker attempting to get up the front lawn. Because the ground was so wet and slick, and the front lawn has a slight up-slope, he couldn't get close enough to the house. He did manage to rip up the lawn, though. I like that the back of the truck says "Dangerous work done safe" but the "safe" is obscured by the ladder, so it's just "done."
They attached this claw to the bobcat to stabilize the tree while they sawed off pieces of it. Later, they used it to take off the big chunk. Hank is supervising because that's what he does when work is being done in the yard. He makes sure it is done right.
I kind of love this picture. It's the hole in the addition, after they removed the tree. It reminds me of that scene in Disney's "Sword in the Stone" when Arthur first touches the sword and the heavens open up and the chorus sings? Except... this is bad. It's sort of like, instead of a destiny being fulfilled, I can see God revealing a life of struggle ahead. Something will always go wrong. And yet, I'm not all that concerned. I mean, either I laugh at it, or I go nuts, literally, and get committed. Or move back in with my parents. Finding the beauty and humor in this sort of thing is the only way I'll get through it. Maybe that's overly dramatic?
The roofer took some pictures with my camera when he went up to patch the roof. I like this shot, because you can see my couch through the roof. You aren't supposed to see in through a roof.

Haitus, Interupted

2007-08-27T10:59:00.000-05:00

There were some seriously bad storms in my area on Thursday. I tree went through the roof of my house. Thankfully, it happened in the best possible spot - you know, relatively speaking. If I had to have a tree through my roof, this is where I would do it. We lost a couch, and our kitchen table to water damage, and the floors are seriously warping. We're still without power. But, all of my books, which were in the addition, where the tree came through were spared, as was my wedding invitations, and my wedding dress. All good things.

We had some tree guys out at 6:30 am on Friday to remove the tree, and just as they were finishing, the roofer called and came over and patched up the holes. He actually finished before the tree guys were done chipping everything they removed.

I took a million pictures for the insurance adjuster and, at some point, I will post them. At the moment, though, we are still without power, so I can't get the shots here. I can only devote so much time at work to blogging.

I hope my Illinois readers (both of you) were spared any major trauma.

For those of you who are expecting wedding invitations - they were going to go out today. I'm staying late at work today to try and get the envelopes addressed. Hopefully, they'll go out this week.

96% Feminist

2007-08-09T08:29:00.000-05:00

You Are 96% Feminist

You are a total feminist. This doesn't mean you're a man hater (in fact, you may be a man).
You just think that men and women should be treated equally. It's a simple idea but somehow complicated for the world to put into action.

Are You a Feminist?

Hiatus

2007-08-01T08:35:00.001-05:00

I'm not going to blog for a while. I'm studying for the comprehensive exam for my master's degree, and taking my last course and I just don't have a lot of free time at the moment. Also, there has been some tragedy in my family, and while I don't feel that it is right for me to blog about it because none of the involved members know about my blog, I also can think of little else.

[Deleted because I think my vague explanation was still more information than I have a right to share]

I expect to return after the exam, which is 9/8/07. So, maybe the Monday after I will have something to say.

Sigh: Update

2007-07-19T13:00:00.000-05:00

I am not fretting over the bridal shower any more. I got our invitation in the mail the day before yesterday - so it probably had gone out when I wrote that post. Regardless, I've decided not to worry about it. I've decided to remember that the point of the party is to celebrate that Mr & I are getting married. I cannot force people to celebrate us and, if they would rather hang out in Cousin's backyard (which is, admittedly, a cool place to be) then that's where they should be. I'm not going to worry about being the center of attention because I don't really want to be the center of attention. I mean, I am very excited about being married - I love Mr, and I am thrilled that we will soon be Mr & Mrs, but that is the only thing that is important here: the fact that I am excited about it. The shower is for other people to join us in the excitement and if that is inconvenient for others, then I would really rather they be where they want to be. Does that make sense?

The day my deal starts is always an emotional roller coaster, and the evite reminder came at a bad time. The shower will be fun even if only my parents and their friends show up - my parents have fun friends and our friends are fun. My cousins are fun, too, but there will be other opportunities to socialize with them if they choose to go somewhere else that night.

The Shortest Torso in the World

2007-07-18T09:59:00.000-05:00

Apparently, my torso is freakishly short. I've always known that it was on the short side, but I just thought my legs were long for my body. I mean, that sounds better, right? I have really long legs v I have a really short torso... it just sounds better.

One time, a year or so ago, a friend of mine learned that the length of your arms from the tip of one middle finger, across your back, to the other middle finger, is supposed to be equal to your height. She was very excited about this information and insisted on measuring everyone. My wingspan is like 4'11" or something like that. I am 5'3" (and a half! I'm tall! ok, no). This, I thought, supported my theory that my legs are long for my body.

But, no. It seems my body is short for my legs.

I went to Ann Taylor Loft yesterday, on the advice of a friend who said that they have a great petites section with lots of stuff cut for our height (she is probably an inch shorter than me). While I did get a super cute, black, linen, trumpet skirt, I could not find any kind of top that fit me.

I recently applied for a job, and while I still don't have an interview, I am naturally shopping for my interview outfit (though I will not be wearing the skirt I bought. Linen on an interview is a bad idea. You want to look crisp and put-together, not all wrinkly).

ATL had these short-sleeve button-down shirts that seemed perfect. First, they were a shade of blue that really looked good with my eyes - kind of soft, gray-blue - and they had darts so it was fitted and was made of a material with a little give, but no so much Lycra that it never looks pressed. Plus, the first button was placed perfectly... You know what? I'm just going to find a link to it. Hold on... Here. The v-neck is perfect in that it opens up my face, and isn't too low where I'd be worried about being indecent.

So, I grabbed two - the size I was before I lost weight, and the size I usually am now. I've found that petites tend to be slightly smaller than regulars and I still have a bit of a tummy, so sometimes fitted shirts have to be a size up. I optimistically tried on the smaller size first. Too big. Not a lot, and I worried that the next size down would really show the tummy, but it was all weird in the boob area, so I tried the next size down. Now, it was definitely as small as I could go, but the boob part was all goofy. Then I realized, it wasn't that my boobs were to small. I picked it up at the shoulder seams and folded it about an inch. The darts raised up to the proper position, so that my chest was where it should be, the waist just skimmed along my tummy and the bottom on the shirt was perfectly placed so that you could wear it untucked and still look good because it was clearly meant to be untucked.

So, even in the petite sizes, my torso is too small. They seem to decrease/increase the shirt in every way every two sizes or so. Because women who wear a petite twelve are taller than a woman who wears a petite four. Because no one is just bigger. Right? It is so frustrating. When I was heavier, it was downright hilarious trying to find tailored women's shirts. By the time I got a size big enough to fit my width, I would generally have about six extra inches of height on a shirt that had no where to go. It is frustrating to find that, even now, at a pretty healthy weight, I'm still not the right proportion. Because I'm not 100 pounds, and I'm under 5'6", most clothes just don't fit. Of course, I could starve myself for the next six months, lose ten or twenty pounds until I fit into a small enough shirt that the proportions have shrunk, but I just don't think it is worth it.

Good thing I like my tailor. I wonder how hard it is to adjust a blouse?

1987 Was a Good Year

2007-07-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

The Princess Bride has always been one of my favorite movies. It was what I watched whenever I was home sick from school. For years, I only knew the version I had taped on tv, and then I saw it in the original form, without commercials, and was shocked at the "extra" scenes. I loved the movie and I was in love with (at different times) both Westley and Inigo.

This, however, makes me very very sad.

Carey Elwes has not aged well. I know it's tough to keep in shape, but he was in good shape not that long ago. I don't know what his last gig was, but it hasn't been THAT long. This shot of him is just so... pasty. But everyone else from the film looks pretty good.

Sigh

2007-07-15T11:26:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, family is tough. I have a cousin who is a very fun guy. He is always coming up with great ideas for excursions and vacations and throws a really good party. However, he is also frequently completely clueless to the world around him.

He sent out a mass email to a bunch of us (cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, etc) about a party that was about two and a half months away. Just a heads up that we'd be getting an evite from a friend of his who we probably don't know. The party was scheduled for the same day as the shower being thrown for Mr & me.

He would have no way of knowing this, since the invites hadn't gone out yet. So, I replied to everyone to say that my shower was that same date. (In my family, we throw couples showers, so it is really more of a party that involves everyone and is generally later at night - dinner and whatnot). One person (another cousin, not the one throwing this party) responded, saying he hadn't heard about that yet and he and his wife might have another commitment.

My cousin just sent out another notice with the evite for the party, which the date hasn't changed, saying they want to get a head count. It is still over a month away and, as far as I know, the invites for my shower have yet to go out. Cousin's party starts at 7. My party is supposed to be a barbecue - so it will probably start around 5:30 or 6. Mr says I shouldn't worry - Cousin and his younger brother (who is scheduled to sing and play guitar at Cousin's party) will be the only ones who leave. However, at least one of my uncles has already responded to the evite saying they will be there.

I'm not inviting many friends to the shower - only the people in my wedding party - so, this is really a family affair. I'm worried that all of the younger cousins will ditch the shower early to go to Cousin's party, leaving me and Mr with my older relatives and my parents' friends, resulting in exactly the type of situation Mr was dreading in the first place, which is why he didn't want a shower.

Of course, his groomsmen and wives will most likely be there so, it won't be a total loss. I like all of those guys and their wives & girlfriends. We'll have fun. But I can't help but feel like I keep getting screwed out of what all of my other cousins have gotten when they were at this point in their lives. It seems like everything I do for our wedding is somehow scheduled inconveniently, and I'm tired of getting teased/asked about it (our actual wedding date is the same as the Notre Dame/USC game and the vast majority of my family is BIG ND fans/alumni). I know that I'm overreacting a little bit. I mean, if they don't want to be there, why would I want them there? And maybe, when they get the invitation, they'll change their plans and be there for me. And I am at a particularly hormonal time of the month, so maybe next week this will seem like no big deal. However, at the moment, I just wish that I wasn't always second to something else and a bit of an inconvenience for everyone. I wish that everyone was as excited for my wedding as they have been for everyone else's.

Geez. I'm really good at the whole self-pitying thing.

Flight of the Conchords Ep 4 If You're Into It

2007-07-13T20:49:00.001-05:00

This is my new favorite song. You need to watch this show. The more you listen, the funnier it gets. I love how their instruments keep showing up and then disappearing again. Enjoy!

Things I Wanted to Tell You

2007-07-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

1. Julia Quinn's novels are like crack for me. I bought two more of the Bridgerton series, planning to read them later. Like, when I'm done with the 10,000 pages I have to read for the MAE exam and my upcoming summer class. I've already finished one and grabbed the second on my way out the door this morning. I wish I lived way far away so that my train ride was hours and hours long, because I CAN'T STOP READING. I love them. I know that I need to do other stuff, but I can't not read these when they are in my reach. It is all I can do not to read it at my desk, at work.

2. I've applied for a new job that I really, really, really, really want, bad. So bad that I called my old boss, made nice, and asked if she had any connections. She did, but who knows how solid they are. Cross your fingers for me.

3. I need to remind myself that, in publishing, summer Fridays are 1/2 days, so the contact that I emailed about the potential new job will NOT respond, no matter how many times I check my email.

4. We're putting carpet tile in the basement this weekend, which will allow us to finally unpack completely and set up a nice house. After that, we have to paint the kitchen, stairs, hall, and living room and we will be presentable for the world. Not that I ever invite anyone over anyway, because I am a person who likes to be home alone, but you know. I could.

5. I really want this job. I feel a little nauseous and I have a headache because I am worrying about it so much.

6. Prepare yourself for the return of the Girl's Guide to Sports. If no one sends me questions - recordstorerita@hotmail.com - I will choose the topics myself. You won't know the difference, though, because I will fake questions. Maybe. I haven't really decided. I have several column ideas, and I want to get some in the bag and decide on a regular schedule.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2007-07-11T09:48:00.000-05:00

So, Mavis wants something to do at work. You know, besides her job. Whenever I am too busy to blog, I have a million ideas of things I want to remember to say here. When I have time - which, actually, right now I do not - I can think of nothing to say. But, I didn't want Mavis to be bored and forced to actually work - what would she do if she started turning in things before deadline? She might be forced to work MORE. And I just can't be responsible for that.

Thankfully, Bitch PhD has provided me with some material. She recently wrote about her son's fashion advice here. Definitely worth a quick read.

Her son's advice reminded me of a similarly offensive, yet funny, comment one of my cousins made to me.

This particular cousin is about ten years younger than me. We were at my parents' house during a family reunion. It was summer in Georgia, so I was wearing a little summer dress that was kind of fitted. It was the summer after my freshman year of college, where I had gained the requisite 15 (ok, probably more) pounds. I was never, ever thin, but I had been in better shape. My cousin, who was about 8 at the time, looks up at me and says "You're chubby. But you're cute!"

Um... thanks? I think she truly meant it as a compliment. She was, and still sort of is, stick-thin, as is her mother. Most of my family is pretty athletic, and I think she was genuinely surprised to see someone "chubby" who she really thought was cute. Though I knew she really thought she was giving me a compliment, it was really hard not to punch her cute little face.

There are more (lots more) funny things kids have said here. Enjoy. But, be forewarned, there's a lot here and it is very entertaining, so if you have something that needs to be done, you should do it first.

Happy Birthday To Me!

2007-07-07T22:03:00.001-05:00

My birthday present from Hank:

Mr took me to Gibson's to celebrate. We finished off an awesome steak dinner with the Big Banana Dream Cake. I don't know if you can really get the sense of proportion in this picture - it was taken with my cell phone - but that piece of cake weighed about four pounds and could feed a small village for at least a couple of days. I'm hoping to finish it off this weekend. Note: the piece of cake is almost as tall as my wine glass, and probably a good solid eight inches across.

Cell Phones Upset Me

2007-07-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

When it comes to high-tech gadgets, I have something of a split personality. While I love the newest, latest, most high-tech things, I don't have the uncontrollable urge to get them for myself. I usually know what's out there, but it takes me a while to get them myself. I just got the Shuffle, which I'm loving, but I didn't buy an iPod until they'd been out for a couple of years, and when I did buy it, I waited until the color-screen version was just released, and then I bought the old two-tone screen one on sale.

When it comes to cell phones, I want something new and fancy, and I'm jealous of friends who get new fancy stuff. However, I myself just want something that I think looks cool and has good sound quality. I like having a camera, because then I can have a picture of Hank on my phone, but all the other bells and whistles tend to not tempt me.

I have been using the Samsung t509 from T-Mobile, and I hate it. At first, I really liked it. It is very slim and everything about it was good. Except that, when the keys were locked it would sometimes dial SOS, and I would take it out of my purse to discover that it was dialing an emergency call. T-Mobile couldn't fix it, so they sent me a replacement. The replacement is... not good. I almost always have trouble hearing the people I'm talking to, and I've heard that my voice breaks up, too. This isn't really something they can fix since, technically, it works. It just isn't as good as the first one I got. Plus, though it is skinny, it is really tall and frequently, it pokes out of my pocket. Part of this is the fact that clothing manufacturers seem to think that pockets are for decoration on women's clothes, but that is a topic for a different rant.

The point is: I don't like the phone. But, I paid for it - actually called them up and paid them money for a phone, when I had one that worked perfectly (which I also bought instead of waiting until my contract could be renewed and getting a low-tech phone for free).

Which made my friend giving me the free Razr he got from At&t perfect - cool, new phone, completely free.

Except that it is locked to at&t's network. T-Mobile said they could unlock it, but they can't. At&t probably won't help me - I'm not their customer, and carriers are notoriously stingy about unlocking phones because then you could use them for anything you want! You could keep your phone and switch networks! The horror! They also will be unlikely to help my friend who is new to them, and therefore has no pull. He thinks because he just spend $600 on the iPhone, they should, but he gave that money to Apple, not them, and I think they won't care.

I have another friend who has been with Cingular for over ten years, and I'm hoping that she'll call for me, but who knows.

Right now, I think I'm going to go back to my old phone, which works fine and is very cute. I just wish I never bought the stupid Samsung to begin with.

*Edited to add: If anyone is interested in my Samsung - when I got it, people seemed to think it was cool - drop me an email, and we can work something out. I would be happy to find it a new home. The guilt of paying for something and not using it would be alleviated if someone else was going to use it. If you're already on T-Mobile, this could be very easy indeed. Drop me a line at: recordstorerita at hotmail dot com

I Think I Might Throw Up

2007-07-01T19:30:00.000-05:00

I just ordered my wedding invitations, and I feel a little nauseous. Not because it's finally real or anything silly like that. No, I feel like vomiting because I essentially made it online and just typed everything in and Mr & I checked it, but if I made a typo or something, there's nothing I can do about it. I saw a preview of the invitation, but not the respond card or the reception card, and I have nothing now to look at to make myself feel better. And I have no salesperson to call and ask random questions.

The internet can make things very convenient, but I wish I had been able to find reasonably priced invites in a store. It was convenient for me to order them, but it might also be convenient for them to screw them up and leave me stranded.

iCraziness

2007-06-29T15:39:00.000-05:00

I went at lunch with a friend from work to the Apple store on Michigan Avenue. He was going to wait in line for the iPhone, and I wanted to get a shuffle. I've wanted a shuffle for a while and figured I should get it before the whole world went nuts for the iPhone.

I have an iPod, but it is a really old one - huge by today's standards, two-color screen - and I want one I can run with easily without dropping it. Hence, the shuffle.

All Apple stores are closed today from 2-6 in preparation for the release of the iPhone at 6. We tried to leave earlier but got stuck with work, and I didn't get to the store until 1:45. The line was already out of site and an Apple employee and a security guard were manning the door. So, we walk up, and she tells us they're already closing. I told her I knew what I wanted, and was hoping to beat the crowd, and she just said they were already shut down. Instantly, I'm f'ing pissed. Now, I know that's a little ridiculous. My timing sucks. But I didn't want to go to any Apple store this weekend, and I really wanted the damned thing. My friend repeats that I know what I want - just a shuffle (which I had left out) - and a manager overhears. They call me back. I get the shuffle. The Apple employee apologizes.

*phew* for a minute there? I was afraid that my love of Apple might be tainted. I mean, I have never really had a negative customer experience there, and I have always loved any product they've produced. It would stink if their Next Big Thing ruined my love of them. It would have made pining over my friend's new iPhone really tough.

The upside of him getting an iPhone is that I will be getting a new Razor. True, everyone on the planet has had one for like two years, but I haven't, I hate my phone and I really didn't want to give T-Mobile any more money. He got a free Razor for switching to AT&T, and won't need it after he gets his new toy, so I get it (I'm paying him a little something, though he is so nice he wouldn't take much). So, I'm happy. Woo-hoo! New toys for me!

He's currently waiting in a line that, when I left him at the back of it, stretched from the front door, around the corner, down the block, around that corner, and about 1/2 way down the next block. Granted, they have parts blocked off, so no one is blocking streets or alleys, but man. I couldn't do that. Of course, I'm happy with a new phone that is two years old.

I've Had a Revelation

2007-06-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

You probably don't watch professional wrestling, but you might have heard of the recent tragedy involving Chris Benoit. Google News reports over 2,200 stories on it as of tonight. This isn't really surprising, as horrific crimes are often the subject of intense media attention, even when there is no new information to report.

I can't say anything about what happened. I am a fan of pro wrestling, but I can't say that I have any particular insight on why someone who seemed completely normal would snap and kill their family and themselves. However, I am totally fascinated by how the mainstream media is approaching this story. They seem to have no concept at all about what they're reporting on.

Vince McMahon canceled Monday Night Raw this week and instead aired a tribute to Benoit. The WWE only knew that Benoit and his family had been found dead, so there was no reason to think that Benoit himself was responsible. All of the people associated with the tribute talked about this man who was their friend, who they respected, and who they would miss. Throughout his career he had made a lot of friends and won a lot of respect for being a talented wrestler. I'm not trying to defend him, only to explain why the WWE gave him a tribute - no one would have ever thought he was capable of what he did.

Now the WWE is on the defensive, because there is no easy explanation. They issued a statement commenting on the media's speculation on how steroids played a role in the incident. I would link to it for you, but the WWE has taken down all reference to this from their site. You can, however, check out the Today's show site and see the video of McMahon's interview with Meredith Viera.

I was all about Meredith when she replaced Katie Couric. However, now I have to say, I think she's just as dumb as Katie. She quoted their press release, which said that steroids were not and could not have been involved in this crime. Now, that's a little strong, but if you had read it, you would understand that the point was that this was not a crime caused by "'roid rage." Whatever caused it, it wasn't sudden, uncontrollable rage. Meredith wasn't quite getting that. McMahon said "There was no way of telling this man was a monster. No way of knowing that whatsoever. He was a mild-mannered individual." She responds with "In anyway does pro wrestling contribute to the creation of monsters?"

Really, Meredith? This is what you're asking? Not, were there any indications that he was unwell or if he did anything out of the usual or any other question of any relevance. No, you have to ask if McMahon is creating monsters.

Here's my revelation: Professional Wrestling is to men what Romance Novels are to women. Millions of people enjoy both and yet the mainstream media and just about anyone you run into will deride them as stupid and providing unrealistic expectations in people. Romance novels are accused of creating unrealistic expectations in their readers (which implies that romance readers are so stupid that they base their expectations of reality on the novels they read)*. When someone hears you watch wrestling, they usually says something along the lines of "you watch that? It's so fake." Yes, I know it is fake. When you watch Law & Order, do you think that the murder victims are really dead? Do you think Uma Thurman is really a karate expert and can hold her own against 88 ninja-like assassins?

Mainstream media has the hardest time understanding this. It's entertainment, it's right there in the name. It is essentially a soap opera played out in and around a wrestling ring. The athleticism is real (for most wrestlers, anyway, I have no explanation for Mick Foley's continued presence. He looks like a flight of stairs would kick his ass), but everything else is fake. When they punch each other, they pull the punches. When they're in a "submission hold," they're really just resting. Sometimes, they really get hurt, because it is a dangerous job. I mean, you can't fake jumping off of a thirty-foot ladder. You can learn the best way to land, but gravity doesn't pull punches.

In the article on the Today Show site, they mention Mr. McMahon's recent "death." They talk about how the WWE publicists "claimed" the FBI was investigating it. Um... hello, Today Show? It's FAKE. It's a story! The WWE website is an extension of the show. It's like Margene's blog on HBO's Big Love site. Margene doesn't really exist. "Mr. McMahon" is a character played by Vince McMahon, and his death was part of the story. McMahon doesn't frequently do interviews and whatnot, so you never see him out of character. It's still a character.

To suggest that pro wrestling creates monsters is not only stupid, it's insulting. We know what we're watching is fake, it's only the idiots who think they're too smart for it who think any of it might be real. They're entertainers. They are playing characters. The entertainers who work for the WWE aren't that different from boxers, high school/college/Olympic wrestlers (actually, Kurt Angle, who now wrestles for TNA is an Olympic wrestler), fencers or any other athletes who participate in sports where the goal is to physically dominate your opponent. No one suggested that boxing creates monsters when people found out that Mike Tyson was beating his wife. It is generally acknowledged that Tyson is a little crazy and he wasn't seen as a reflection of the sport as a whole. So why the insanity over professional wrestling?

Mr thinks that this may be the beginning of the end of professional wrestling. That every bad thing anyone ever associated with wrestling has ever done will start to come out and USA will be forced to cancel it. I hope he's wrong. I hope they find out what happened to Chris Benoit so that the many people who looked up to him and called him a friend can find some closure. But I really hope that this one person - who, it seems to me, clearly suffered a severe psychotic break - doesn't define and bring down all of professional wrestling.

*There are many other stupid things that people accuse romance novels of, but I think this is most insulting to the millions of people who read romances.

Catching Up

2007-06-27T09:01:00.000-05:00

I got back from Atlanta late on Monday night. I've been relatively lucky with flights for a long time, so I guess I was due for a little airport snafu. My flight was supposed to leave Atlanta at 6pm, and we didn't start boarding the plane until just after 9.

It was a little exciting - apparently, if we were five minutes later than we were, the flight would have "gone illegal" and they would have to cancel the flight. Exciting!

So, I was somewhat worthless yesterday, but now I'm back and trying to get organized. I went with Mavis yesterday to get her measured for her bridesmaid dress and get the shop all set up for my other maids to call in. I didn't realize how late I am in getting all this set. It takes twelve weeks for the dresses to get in. So, in order to be on time for the wedding and get alterations (because, even though they take exact measurements and make the dresses from scratch [I picked the color combo, so it has to be from scratch] they still make them to whatever their sizes are and bridesmaid dresses ALWAYS need altering) they'll have to all call in, like next week. Thankfully, I think most of them are all over it. I think the dresses will look nice, and be flattering to all of them. Compared to the creature of a dress Mavis is sporting this weekend (she's very popular with brides), my dress is awesome.

I also finally got to try on the shoes I've ordered from Zappos. I haven't told you, I think, how much I love Zappos, but someday I will. I love them. Seriously. Shoes make me really really happy, and they let me both shop in my pjs and get shoes almost instantly. Anyway, I've been ordering and trying on potential wedding shoes. Here's the thing: I don't want to pay a ton for wedding shoes because 1. They will most likely be white and how often do I wear white shoes? Almost never. 2. My dress goes all the way to the floor and even has a little train, so unless I pick up my dress and say "check out my shoes!" (which is highly likely), the shoes aren't that noticeable. But, I want them to be comfortable, and I want to dance in them all night long.

I don't approve of wearing one shoe for the ceremony (you should definitely wear both. ha! seriously, folks. I'm here all week) and then changing to slippers to dance at the reception. My dress will be altered for the shoes with heels, so why would I want to switch and get it all gross? Plus, I really think flats are way less comfortable than a modest heel.

So, I ordered a ballroom dance shoe, which is actually more expensive than I was planning on, and some more traditional wedding shoes. The wedding shoes are super cute, and I could totally dye them later to wear again. The problem, is that I'm not so sure they will be comfortable. They might kill my feet. The ballroom shoes are insanely narrow. Like, I couldn't even stand in them because my foot wouldn't go all the way in. Like Cinderella's step sisters trying to force the glass slipper on. Ridiculous.

I'm going to try the wedding shoes on again tonight and try them with hose and such to see if I can make it work. The ballroom shoes are definitely going back, but I'm going to try again with a wider shoe. I'll keep you posted.

On the garden front, the nocturnal creature was actually a squirrel - Mr caught him in the act. He's now become more bold and is destroying the pots on the deck. He only attacks certain stuff though, and it isn't flower-specific. Like he keeps attacking one of the pots in which I've planted marigolds, but none of the others. I am sort of at a loss as to how to stop him. Any suggestions?

What I Learned Last Night

2007-06-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

margaritas+no food= bad

Finally, the Bathroom

2007-06-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, people, you're going to have to bear with me here, as I am not great with Blogger and pictures. Specifically, there are a couple that should be portrait and for some reason I can't get them un-landscape. I trust you can use your imaginations. Or tilt your head to the side.

Behold: the bathroom as the previous owners left it to us.

Note the circus-like stripes, the shitty furniture and the lack of matching woods. The cabinet over the toilet and the vanity were very close - but still not quite matching. What you can't see in this picture is that the finish was coming off of everything that was "metal." The handles on the vanity doors, the faucets, and the drain of the sink. Also unpictured - the giant crack in the toilet tank. Upon further inspection, we realized that it wasn't a crack - at some point, the tank was dropped or hit with something and a big ol' chunk was knocked out. Don't worry though, it was super-glued real good.

The tile. It's a lovely gray shade that looked perpetually dirty. The damn tub was installed incorrectly, causing the waterfall in my living room (I have pictures of that, somewhere, too. I'll see if I can add them) which instigated this whole thing.

The day after demolition. This is the shop vac they used to soak up all the water that was under the tub after the idiot sent to work on my house (one guy was great, his assistant the first day was very nice, but a bit of a knucklehead) removed something in the tub without turning off the water main or even finding out where the water main was, so my ceiling got wet. Again. After we'd had it fixed.

Anyway, this is the original tile. I would have preferred it to the "updated" stuff that was in there.
Oooo! Our fancy new bathroom. This towel hook costs about $25 . But, it's part of the Kohler bathroom set, and it makes me really happy to have it. I love the paint color and our tile and the shower curtain. Sorry, I couldn't get this picture to rotate. Also, they installed a curved curtain rod, which makes the shower seem HUGE when you're in it. You know how sometimes the steam from the shower and the regular air in the rest of the bathroom make the curtain billow in and get in your way? That doesn't happen with the curved rod and I love it. This is my attempt to show you the bathroom as a whole. There's the lovely trim in the shower, and the granite, which you can only see in the reflection, and the picture we found at Bed Bath & Beyond and it just happened to match all the colors we chose. The towel does not match. I've registered for bathroom stuff that matches. I'm hoping to get it at my shower this weekend (because towels I can take back from Atlanta, dishes I'll have to return and re-buy).

Here's a close-up of the glass mosaic. It was taken right after they installed, so it still has some grout haze on it.

Isn't it pretty?
So, I'm leaving Friday morning for Atlanta. I won't be back until Monday night, so I don't know when I'll post again. Probably tomorrow. And Friday morning before I leave. But after THAT, it won't be for a while.

True Love

2007-06-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

One of the vendors who works with Mr's company has been screwing a lot of stuff up lately. In an attempt to keep their business, they offered Mr box seats to the Sox game this coming Saturday. This seems to happen a lot. I have to go out of town, someone offers him something awesome for when I'm gone.

Last year, I went home for a party my parents were throwing. They both turned 60, and celebrated their 20th anniversary that year. The weekend of the party? Mr & I had tickets to Elvis night at Sox Park, and the guys from Broken Lizard were in town promoting Beerfest (which I highly recommend. It isn't an intelligent film but it is very, very funny)- you could play drinking games with them and win something...

Anyway, so now I'm going to Atlanta for a bridal shower, and he gets offered box seats for the Sox.

He gave them to someone he works with, because I won't be there. He knew that I would really want to go and be sad and a little jealous that he got to go without me, so he gave them away.

That's love.

Sorry, Rabbit

2007-06-18T08:15:00.000-05:00

My apologies to the bunnies. They were not responsible for the flower carnage. It was some sort of nocturnal, evil creature. Probably a raccoon. The good news is, the mulch we put down seems to have convinced them to torture some other garden. Or, there are no more flowers left on the dahlias and they went to find greener pastures. Either way, the garden is making a recovery, woo!

Some Letters

2007-06-14T08:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Bunnies,

Aren't the new flowers pretty? Mr did such a good job laying out the flower bed with the white and purple petunias (I think...) and the dahlias. I love dahlias. They're so pretty, with the big round flowers with a million perfect petals. And these dahlias are such a rich, beautiful red.

I did not buy them and plant them as food for you. Please stop eating my flowers. While I'm sure they are delicious, they haven't even been in the ground for a week yet. They're annuals, so they won't be back next year, and you're really ruining my enjoyment of them. Aren't you supposed to love Hostas?

Please notice the massive hostas lining the garage and the front walk and in various other places around the yard. Feel free to eat the hostas as much as you like. They're awesome! Plus, they came with the house and I'm not crazy about them. Please, eat the hostas. Give my Dahlias a fighting chance.

Thanks,
Rita

Dear Dude who works out a lot,

Wow. You must be at the gym all the time. It's clearly paying off, what with your massive pecs and rippling biceps. I wish I could spend some serious time in a gym, but I'm having a hard time finding one convenient to me. But I digress.

I think you're dedication to your health is impressive. I like that you're putting your best foot forward, however, I think maybe in your gym obsession, you have lost sight of the ultimate goal: to look good in clothes.

I know. You spend a lot of time working on those pecs and delts and whatever, and you want people to know that you are in top physical condition. However, wearing a polo three sizes too small makes the wrong impression. See, when I saw you, the first thought I had was "wow. He works out a LOT." Had you been wearing clothes that fit you, I would have thought "Wow. That guy is hot." See the distinction? You want people to think that you are just really put-together and attractive, not that you spend all your free time working out (even if that is the case). Trust me, clothes that fit will not hide your physique. You'll still look strong, but you'll also look sharp - a total package.

Best,
Rita

Dear Ladies who commute,

Doesn't the walk from the train suck? My office is a little over a mile from the train, so I know it can be a hike. This, however, is no excuse for those shoes. I know you don't want to trek all over downtown in high heels. Even if your office is only two blocks from the train, I understand. Hey, maybe you never wear heels. That's cool too. But please, please, stop wearing those ugly "comfortable" shoes. Just because they are black leather does NOT mean that they are office-appropriate. Really, there is no situation where those are appropriate.

See, you don't have to wear the shoes you walk to the office in while you're in the office. You see all those ladies in nice suits or slacks with sneakers on? They don't wear them in the office. They have another pair of shoes, something really cute that goes with their outfit, but isn't so great for long walks, tucked into their bags. They get to the office and they change their shoes. They change back before they walk to the train to go home. It's a great system. Try it.

Ta,
Rita

Hiatus

2007-06-05T23:34:00.000-05:00

Hank wants you to know that if this were his blog it would be way more interesting. He'd bring you fun stuff everyday, like this picture of him and the only toy he hasn't completely destroyed. See how sweet he is? It's no wonder I'd rather sit on the couch with him than work.

It's finals time. I have to expand a unit plan and write a research paper on The Divine Comedy.

In the meantime, I won't be posting, though I keep having ideas of stuff to write, because I don't want to write the stuff I have to write.

The unit plan is coming along. I'm supposed to expand a plan I already did, which shouldn't take long because I did more than I was supposed to the first time around. However, I've discovered that I can't just half-ass it, probably because I recognize that I very well might teach this unit plan sometime in the near future.

The research paper has me worried.

Expect something slightly more interesting after the 13th (when the last of it is due).

In the meantime, check out my new glasses! (comic-book style).

You can't really tell, but the frames are sort of amber. I think they're groovy.

Some Late Commentary

2007-05-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

So, not long after my last post, Rosie quit The View. I'm so disappointed in her. Her feelings are hurt, and she's letting it get in the way of her job. I mean, it was obvious to everyone that everyone involved was glad she was leaving at the end of the season. But, they all seemed to be dealing with it fairly well. She should have completed her obligation. I think it is kind of sad that she couldn't have held a debate with Elizabeth (who could seriously use a nickname! "Elizabeth" is just too long) about their opposing beliefs without it turning into an argument about who is being a bad friend and whose feelings are hurt. I'm sure the media scrutiny isn't easy, but it seems like Rosie was the only one I ever heard using terms like "fat, mean, lesbian" to describe herself.

I had other stuff I was going to say, about a lot of other topics, but I still have to write something about the Paradiso. Heaven is so boring, I swear. Thirty-three cantos and not a thing I want to talk about. Hell was so much more interesting.

Coming soon: Pictures! I am going to take pictures of the finished bathroom tomorrow - I've decided to wait until someone buys the nice towels for me off the registry, so I'm putting up pictures with our old non-matching towels. Also, we got bookshelves for what will now be referred to as "The Library" because, that's where I'm keeping my books. This is the first time in my life that I have had more shelves than books and it's AWESOME. Of course, this too will change once I go back to my parents' house in June and send the rest of my books back to myself. I'm so excited to have them all together again!

The View

2007-05-25T12:23:00.000-05:00

So, I have been watching The View every once in a while when I’m home and supposed to be working on papers for school. I am completely and totally fascinated by the interactions between the hosts.

I love that Elizabeth stands up to Rosie and argues with her. I think it is really interesting to hear someone who strongly agrees with Republicans argue their points. I don’t happen to agree with her, but I think Rosie is also a little too far to the left. But what I love is the way they argue.

All of the women on the view know that Rosie is a lighting rod for criticism, and Rosie, I think, enjoys that. You can see the other women just waiting for this season to be over, so that they can get back to what the show used to be. But you can also see that they are annoyed with her, and I think she knows it. Because these debates between Rosie and Elizabeth always include something about how Rosie is portrayed in the media. The most recent debate – from the May 23rd show – has them arguing about President Bush.

Joy Behar starts the conversation with a list of things that Bush has done in his presidency. Al Gore and Jimmy Carter have recently come out saying that Bush is doing a terrible job, and Joy wants to know why he’s still in office. [I have to say that while the way Bush got into the White House is something of a sham, he did win the election in ’04. The democrats screwed up and couldn’t find a candidate who could defeat Bush. We can’t get him out because, though he has screwed up mightily, he hasn’t done anything worthy of impeachment. We shouldn’t have gotten into this war, but we’re in it, and we can’t pull out now. It would be immoral to go into a country, throw it into chaos, and not help get that country back on its feet. ANYWAY] Elizabeth has something to say, of course, and Rosie interrupts.

For Rosie, this whole thing is not about her lefty beliefs versus Elizabeth’s righty beliefs. It’s that she thinks Elizabeth doesn’t like her. Someone on Fox news said that Rosie think that our troops are terrorists. When that was brought up on the show, Elizabeth said “why don’t you take this opportunity to explain what you meant.” Rosie took that as an insult. She thinks Elizabeth should have defended her. Now, what she said was something along the lines of – innocent people are dying in Iraq every day, so who are the terrorists? I think she meant to imply that our government, who sent the troops over there, is treading dangerously close to being just like the terrorists. But, she never clarifies that on the show. I think she could have made a valid point, but instead of explaining herself and discussing what she intended to get across, she focuses on how Elizabeth should have defended her. Elizabeth is trying to say that what Rosie said was a little ambiguous and, while she realizes that Rosie isn’t accusing our troops of terrorism, she can see how people might have misinterpreted it. Rosie can’t believe Elizabeth is siding with the crazy republicans. They’re supposed to be friends, and Elizabeth should have supported her. Personally, I love watching Elizabeth try to talk over Rosie (which I think is impossible) and I love watching Joy attempt to mediate and bring it back to the issue at hand. You can see her thinking “I’m supposed to be the loud-mouthed broad on this show.”

Now I’m off to watch today’s show, which will hopefully have more arguing fun.

You can watch the May 23rd argument on You Tube here.

Edited to add: Just to be clear, I consider "loud-mouthed broad" to be a pretty high compliment. Joy Behar is a great comedian and has performed in the Vagina Monologues (as have I) which makes me like her a lot. She's very smart, and I think adds a lot to The View. I recently discovered that she started out as a High School English teacher, which makes me like her even more.

Also, today's show had no arguments. They cut the intro / chat portion significantly, I guess so they'd have time to do all of the many summer cooking demonstrations. It kind of sucked.

Told You So!

2007-05-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

I never get around to watching Dancing with the Stars when it is actually on. I was under the impression that this week would be the finals, not last Tuesday. When I realized my mistake, I took great pains to not hear who won, so that I could watch it myself. I watched it this morning. While I did manage to skip through a lot of it.... damn. They stretch that shit out. The final show was two hours long! Two hours!

Anyway, Apolo won. Yeah! I think that Joey Fatone was excellent, and was looking as good as Apolo near the end, but I think Apolo came farther. Joey is sort of a trained dancer and an experienced performer. While Apolo was probably used to the kind of pressure they were under, he had to learn a whole new skill and he did it beautifully.

I just love that show.

Honeymoon Dreams

2007-05-22T10:09:00.000-05:00

So, we're not sure where we'll go for our honeymoon. We were thinking Hawaii, because it seems like the thing to do for a honeymoon. Then, we were thinking we should go somewhere in the Caribbean - it's cheaper than Hawaii and basically the same thing, but with gambling! Except that we're getting married in October, which is still Hurricane season. Mr is not lucky, and if we go there, we will get to experience a hurricane.

So we're back to Hawaii.

One of the ideas we had thrown out there was Disney World. I think it would be fun. We can go at an off-peak time and save money and experience less crazy kids hopped up on sugar. So I did a little research. Turns out, Florida is in Hurricane season, too. I know, I should have realized that, but I didn't.

Not that it matters to Disney. Nope. Their season is entirely determined by the school schedule, and not Hurricanes. But whatever.

I was looking at Disney again this morning, because though we do think we'll go to Hawaii, we both agreed that it might be fun to go to Disney World someday. I thought I found a really good deal. Disney has these "wonderful weeks of Disney" where you can go for cheaper. I found a villa at their beachfront resort with a dining plan for less than a regular room at the same resort. Awesome, right? So, it's a studio, no big deal, that's like a regular hotel room with a kitchen. Here's the details:

Studios offer views of a parking area. The Studios have one queen-size bed and a double sleeper sofa, dining table with two chairs, and private balcony. Studio amenities include microwave, refrigerator, coffeemaker and wet bar.

1 Bedroom Villa
+$816.72

Ha! "Studios offer views of a parking area." I love that. Like it's a bonus or something. I can just imagine us sipping coffee, reading the paper, watching the morning valet guys come in for their shift. Ah... the magic of Disney.

Of course, you can get a view of the water or the park or whatever, it will just be an extra $816.72.

Tagged!

2007-05-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

I have never been tagged before. I feel honored. I generally skip memes that require a lot of independent thought. Not that I don't like thinking, but I always like what other people say better, and am more clever with guidelines to follow. Anywho...

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their blogs 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

I am taking a class on teaching literature, and we did a poetry unit first. Though I hate poetry - in the sense that I just don't really get it - I am fascinated by the teaching of it. I find myself wanting to try out assignments and try writing various very difficult forms, just to see if I can. (My favorite form of the moment, The Villanelle: wikipedia explanation, awesome cartoon example)
I miss Gilmore Girls. Thank goodness Dancing with the Stars is still on.
I have to skip the ceremony of a good friend's wedding because of the comprehensive exam for my master's degree.
Last week, I hit a new all-time low weight since I started dieting last March (that's a year ago, not two months ago). Total weight lost: 16.5 pounds. Time to lost it: 14 months. I am not a good, consistent dieter, but I seem to have turned a corner in my relationship with food. Now when I go "off" the diet, I seem to still eat (relatively) well and maintain my weight, plus or minus about three pounds. Before, I would exercise like mad, eat very little and then give it all up altogether and eventually get back to my original weight. I think this is a very positive thing. So what if I only lose on average 1.2 pounds per month?
I am waiting, expecting something to happen, to give me an excuse to sabotage myself and my weight before the wedding. Everyone tells me that "all" brides lose weight before the wedding because of stress, and I know I'll be stressed, but I am not all women. My reaction to most emotions is eating. So, though I feel more confident, I'm also waiting for something to happen so that I will be just over the point where I like the way I look in pictures. Then, for the rest of my life, I can hate my wedding pictures because I was "fat." That is, of course, until I have children, gain even more weight and then feel bad that I hated myself then when I wish I could weigh that now (as I currently feel with most pictures of myself from high school).
I recently discovered that Dante's Divine Comedy is pretty good if you get the right translation. Stick with Ciardi. Avoid like the plague the Oxford World Classics translation which seems to think that blank verse is the best way to get across Dante's brilliance. Morons.
Hank is stinky. We have to give him a bath tonight, so that I can give him his flea and tick protection (you don't have to bathe a dog before you give them the stuff, but you essentially just pour it on their back, between the shoulder blades, and you can't wash them for several days after and that dog needs a bath NOW).

And now for some tagging. I'm not sure I can get to seven, because I don't really know a ton of bloggers. Plus, the ones I do know have been tagged already. But, here goes: Mavis, and um... yeah. The other two people I might have tagged have already been tagged. There are a lot of awesome blogs I read, but I don't really "know" them in the sense that I've ever communicated with them, so I'm not tagging.

The Coffee Stash

2007-05-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

I used to work for Starbucks.

I really enjoyed my time at the buck. I started the summer after my sophomore year in college, and continued in the summers until graduation, when I moved to Chicago and worked at a different Starbucks. It was a good gig. The people are generally cool on both sides of the counter, the hours aren't too bad (sure you're either opening the store at 5am or closing around 9, but you either start work at like 2, or get done at 3 so it really isn't that bad), and if you work there (at least when I was there) at least 20 hours a week, you get benefits. PLUS a free pound of coffee a week.

One pound of coffee each week.

Do you have any idea of how much coffee that is?

It's a lot of coffee. When I was living at home I would stock up on coffee I liked when it was available - like New Guinea Peaberry, which is only available every couple of years or so - the rest of the time I would give my pound a week to my mom or I'd get tea or something. I brought some coffee to school with me and I always had plenty for the entire school year. When I moved to Chicago, I lived with my aunt and uncle for a month and then I moved to a different aunt and uncle's house. That first month I didn't have a job, I just did odd jobs around their house. I didn't pay rent. I moved to the next aunt and uncle house and started my job search, going to Starbucks first so that I could get health insurance, should the whole job search thing not be as quick as I would like. When I started at Starbucks, I started giving my first hosts Italian or French Roast every once in a while because they made espresso in the mornings and those make good espressos. I gave my other aunt some decaf, some mild roast that they'd like and started building a good stock of coffee in their freezer. I would also save some coffee for me.

Then, at Christmas, my aunt got an espresso machine. See, there's one week where Starbucks gives their employees a bigger discount than usual and the Barista Espresso machines were on sale. Not to sound like a corporate drone or anything, but those machines are awesome. They are really high quality and they make an excellent shot of espresso. It doesn't take much to learn how to use it, either. Anyway, so with the big discount, I bought a machine for myself and my aunt bought one, which I taught her how to use. So, now I was giving her espresso too.

My younger brother also worked for Starbucks for a while, though we were never at the same store at the same time.

The point of all of this is: It has been six years since I worked for Starbucks. This past week, I had to buy coffee. Seriously. I mean, a pound a week is 52 pounds of coffee a year. I am the only coffee drinker in my house and I don't make it everyday. My brother did give me some coffee when he still worked there and I didn't, but still. I quit Starbucks six years ago, and I just now ran out of coffee.

Prediction: Revision / PS: Girls Guide to Boxing

2007-05-15T10:45:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't written much lately, and I apologize. Soon I will be caught up, and shortly thereafter, done with school (for six weeks). I promise to be more attentive then.

In the meantime: Dancing with the Stars

I watched part of last night's episode and I have to say that these are the best celebrity dancers they've had in a really long time. I loved Emmit Smith, but he couldn't hold a candle to these guys. I think Apollo could actually have a side gig as a ballroom dancer. You know, if the whole gold-medalist thing doesn't work out.

But, I no longer think Ian Ziering is going to make it past this week. I know, it isn't much of a prediction, since he'll get voted off tonight, but get off my back, already.

I think Joey Fatone is freakin' fantastic, and he's really improved over the course of the show. He has something of a dance background, but dancing at Disney World and with 'N Sync isn't anywhere near the same as ballroom. He's dropped at least 20 pounds, and he's looking good.

Laila Ali is also good. Not as good as Joey and Apollo, but good. Plus, I think people only know Ian Ziering as Steve Sanders, and Steve was sort of a jerk. Joey has (or at least had, at one point) millions of teenybopper fans, who probably still love him and will vote for him. He's like the class clown and he's got a lovable bear of a guy thing happening. Laila is good and her dad was just on the show so people are feeling sentimental for her. Apollo is just amazing and if he were voted off, I would think the show would be rigged.

I'm not sure, but I think the finale is actually going to be a three-way, because I think next week is the end. So, my guess is it will be Apollo, Joey & Laila. Apollo should win, but Joey might because he's a little more cuddly than Apollo.

PS: if you're wondering, as many sportswriters are, why boxing is becoming less popular, if you're bemoaning the loss of heavyweight super stars of the past like Foreman and Ali, it's because Muhammad Ali is still making public appearances. He has Pugilistic Parkinson's Syndrome, which is what happens when you make it your life's work to get punched in the head repeatedly.

Don't get me wrong, I think Ali was the greatest. He was charismatic and massive. He was this huge guy who spouted out rhymes and he was really good looking, even after he finished his career. (I read somewhere that he wanted Will Smith to play him in that biopic, but he told Smith "You're not pretty enough to play me." I love that.) Now? Now he is the shell of the man he once was. He seems unable to respond to the world around him and he looks shrunken and fragile. This is why people don't box.

Think about it: You're young, strong, athletic. You can box, play basketball or play football. Maybe you're not tall enough for basketball, but you're a big guy. You wear your body out playing football, but with the exception of some freak, fairly rare accidents, you're going to retire rich and relatively healthy. Boxing? You might retire rich, but you're guaranteed some serious repercussions. You're guaranteed concussions and detached retinas and all sorts of painful injuries. Because the point of boxing? Is to beat up a person until they can't stand up anymore - or else get beat up until you can't stand anymore.

Dancing with Cliff

2007-05-03T14:28:00.000-05:00

Ya'll know about my Dancing with the Stars obsession, but I seriously love John Ratzenberger. He's so cute, and he is actually a really good dancer. He won't make it much farther (I'm watching the show right now, so I haven't seen the results show), but he's great. He actually reminds me a lot of my dad.

My dad (step dad, technically, but he's also my godfather, so I've known him my whole life) thinks he's an awesome dancer. And he's actually pretty good. He isn't great, but he's got a passion for it that makes up for any technical deficiencies.

I really wish that he lived closer to me, because I know I could talk him into taking lessons with me and working up a routine for the father/daughter dance at the wedding. Maybe I can get some intensive lessons with him when I go home in June for my shower, and then when they come here in August. Hmmmm...

Ew. Just, Ew.

2007-05-02T10:32:00.000-05:00

A while back we found a tiny collection of mouse poops under the couch in the addition. No one goes in there, the couch is currently the only thing in the room. So, it isn't like we had been hanging out with the mouse. One day, Hank went nuts digging around the couch and we didn't know why. When we moved the couch to clean and prepare to paint the walls (pictures soon!), we found the poop.

So, Mr went out and got some traps and set them up with yummy tempting peanut butter in places where mice would like to go, but Hank was unlikely to get them. Hank did find one and got snapped in the face, but it didn't catch him and he wasn't hurt.

We were on the lookout for more poop. Our house had been empty for months before we bought it, and they left food in the pantry. It was mousy heaven, but we never saw anything. Then, Mr's mom brought over some of our stuff that had been in their basement. Where they have mice. Then we found it. So, I'm blaming her.

Anyway, we never saw more traces of the mouse and figured that he had seen Hank and chosen a safer haven.

Then, last night, Hank was nosing around the refrigerator.

"Hey, did you put a trap behind the fridge?"
" No, it's next to it"
" Are you sure? Hank's into the back of the fridge and he won't leave it alone."

So, I get the flashlight, just to make sure the trap is still there. It was. Only. It wasn't empty.

Ew.

So, I got an eyeful of the dead mouse. Interestingly enough, I couldn't look at it directly, but I had no trouble taking pictures of it. I was going to post a couple, but figured that a dead mouse in a trap would be a little gruesome and disturbing. I mean, I think it was as humane as killing can be. His little neck was snapped, so it should have been pretty quick and painless. But it is still a mouse that we killed. I hope he was the only one and it wasn't a momma with babies somewhere.

Confession & Prediction

2007-04-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Confession: I love Dancing With the Stars. I used to dance - in a "pre-professional" company, if that impresses you - and I love dancing shows. I tivo'd So You Think You Can Dance, but missed the final episode because Mr hated it with a passion, we only have one tv, and there was nothing tivo'd that he could watch while it taped. Whatever, I'm over it.

I haven't been watching Dancing with the Stars because it's on Monday nights and we bowl on Mondays. I don't care for the elimination show because I can just find out online the next day without having to sit through their crap.

Anyway, I was curious about Ian Ziering* and, after hearing about Heather Mills' (honestly? Why was she on this show? She's not a star. She married and divorced Paul McCartney. She isn't a "star." I'm so glad shes' gone.) fall, I wanted to see some of it. So I watched the episode on ABC's website. Now, I'm hooked.

I'm in the middle of this week's episode and I have to say, Apolo Anton Ohno (if you go to the bio, tell me - is it just me, or does he look like he could be one of the Lawrence brothers? Maybe a half-brother?) is totally going to win this thing. That guy is smooth. He's not the best dancer ever, but he really is head and shoulders above the rest of the competition (though only in the metaphorical sense. Dude is short).

Ian is teamed with two-time winner Cheryl, so he's going to get far. Plus, he works really hard. Ultimately, though, he's very stiff. He's trying so hard that he never relaxes and just dances. He's doing everything, but there's not enough breath, if that makes sense.

The other potential is Laila Ali. She's got a lot going against her because women traditionally don't do well in this competition. They're the focus of any partner dancing - it's the nature of ballroom - and so, though the professional partner definitely raises their game, but the pro can't carry a woman the way a female pro can carry a man. However, Laila is awesome. She has the moves and she's graceful, which is tough when you're dealing with complicated footwork. She learns the moves and, unlike Ian, internalizes them and then dances, emotes. But it is going to be tough. I'm really surprised with how good she is. She's a boxer, so I wouldn't expect her to be so smooth. Boxing is so powerful - short bursts of strength. I know there's footwork involved, but I just didn't expect her to do so well.

So, that's my prediction: Apolo v. either Ian or Laila. And Apolo is totally going to win.

*note: I have no idea how to spell these people's names, and I'm not looking it up.
Edited: Ok. I went back and fixed their names. Plus, I added links to their bios.

Pictures and Priests

2007-04-23T14:10:00.001-05:00

Ha. That sounds like it could be bad. And it could be... if you're squeamish. Coming up: Pictures! My toe, now nearly healed, right after I broke it and the snow in April. It would have been better if I posted that right after it snowed, but whatever, I have things to do.

If you are squeamish, you might not want to see my toe. It was purple and hurty and I don't know why I want to share it, I just do. However, I'll give you a little warning before I throw it out there. Plus, it will be last. If you get to the picture of the snow and you don't want the toe, then quit reading.

So, the priests part. Mr and I met with my priest on Saturday. It was something of a comedy of errors at first. We showed up at church and mass was starting. Mr, of course being always suspicious of priests, assumes we've been hoodwinked into going to mass. Which, naturally, upsets him. Whatever. So, we go in thinking my priest is saying mass and then it starts and it's not him. I want to leave. Mr thinks we now have to stay. "What if he's waiting outside for us?" "..."

So, we leave. There are other buildings on the church campus but... I don't know what they are. I was last a member of this particular church when I was 8 years old. It's changed. Plus, when I was 8 I was really only familiar with the part where they said mass, the daycare center (for when you weren't "being have" as my brother used to say), and where they kept the donuts.

I call the priest and I'm like "We're here... um... could you call me if you get this?" and, lo and behold! he did! So, we go back and meet with him. It went really well. Mr didn't even get a chance to talk about how he thinks all Catholic priests are pedophiles, which is good because I would have had to kill him. Which would upset the whole wedding thing.

So, we have options. As Catholics, we should go to Precana. We can meet at the church for an hour or so five weeks in a row, or we can do a Discovery Weekend in Lovely Niles, Illinois. Let me tell you, Mr was really excited about going away for the weekend to talk about feelings and staying in a strange room approximately fifteen minutes from our home. Fr Priest (not his name but... it seems like anonymity is good for people who don't know I'm talking about them) also said that we don't have to do anything. He recommends the weekend, but we can just do nothing if we want. The most wonderful part is that, even though we don't have to do anything, Mr is willing to do whatever I want to do. Isn't that nice?

***********************

Pictures!

So, on April 11 it snowed. I couldn't believe it. I knew that we would have another cold snap before winter wore its way out for good, but snow? Seriously? Naturally, the first thing I did was think of you, my loyal readers. Sadly, I lack good follow up, hence the two weeks late. But isn't it the thought that counts?

That's my street. I had actually left the driveway and headed out to go to work, stopped, got out my camera and took some pictures. Seriously, it looks just like it did in December.

Toes

Please ignore my nails. I got a pedicure about eight months ago ... ok, maybe four. Still, the pedicure is pretty much grown out and nothing has been done since then. It is way to much effort to take the polish off. I just let it grow out.

So, first, my good toe. For comparison purposes:

Then, the bad toe. It isn't actually that bad. I really thought I had just sort of hurt it. You know, like stubbing your toe. Seeing it change colors though was strangely gratifying. Like, I'm not a huge wimp who cries over a stubbed toe. I really banged it up. It changed colors. At that point, I'm like a five year old kid. I'm totally fascinated by gross stuff, particularly if it's mind. So, without further ado, my bad toe in all it's glory:

These days it looks pretty much like the good toe.

Why Didn't Someone Tell Me?

2007-04-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

I was wondering why so many people were eating ice cream cones in the train station last night - it wasn't exactly warm in Chicago at 7:00. And, it was weird that the Ben & Jerry's line was so long that they actually set up guide-type ropes to loop it out of the way of the escalators. Turns out, yesterday was Cone Day at B&J's. And I missed it.

Not that I was deprived of ice cream. After a relatively healthy lunch at Subway - made even more diet-friendly because the bread was stale, so I didn't eat it all - my coworkers and I decided to head over to McDonald's for a hot-fudge sundae.

And then I got home and had a lovely grilled chicken breast for dinner.

Followed by a slice of french silk pie from Baker's Square.

So, as you can see, I really needed a free ice cream cone yesterday. I was totally dessert-deprived.

And I wonder why I keep gaining instead of losing weight...

Metra-Inspired Poetry

2007-04-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

I'm currently taking a class called "Teaching Literature" and we're doing a unit on teaching poetry. This both fills me with dread and makes me very happy because I do not "get" poetry, and so I don't want to read it or study it, but I also know that I will someday have to teach poetry, and so I should learn to love it. Or at least gain a basic understanding so that I can teach it without making a fool of myself or teaching children incorrectly. Nothing worse than a bunch of teenagers who don't know how to write a proper haiku.

So, for this class, we're reading a book that is the faux journal of a faux poetry teacher. One of my assignments is to try out his assignments. So I did.

The assignment: Write a poem based on "Exercise in the Cemetery" by Jane Gentry

At dusk I walk up and down

among the rows of the dead.

What do the thoughts I think

have to do with another living being?

In the eastern sky, blue-green as a bird's egg,

a cloud with a neck like a goose

swims achingly toward the zenith.

First sentence should place you somewhere, the second sentence should ask a question and the third sentence should describe in images whatever you notice.

The only other time I've ever written poetry was during a particularly angst-y moment in my history. I think I was about thirteen and the resulting "poetry" is so humiliating, just thinking about it makes me want to run away and hide. However, I'm older and more mature now. I shouldn't ask students to do something that I wouldn't do. And, honestly, what is a blog for if not to completely humiliate yourself? And so... my poem. Written this morning and not yet revised.

Be kind.

Just as the sun gets going,

I read and ride the train towards Chicago

and my office.

Why is everyone else going?

The rhythm of the tracks

shift and shake the words.

They rattle on the page

like an old tea set on a platter

carried gingerly, careful not to spill.

Oh god. I think I'm dying. The shame. Seriously.

My Feminist Education

2007-04-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

I always knew I was a feminist. Even when I was just a little kid, it always bugged me when my brothers got to do something and I didn't, just because I was a girl. My parents encouraged this behavior. I had my very own Popeye shaving kit - plastic razor, shaving cream cup, and brush - and I used to "shave" with my dad in the mornings. My brothers didn't have facial hair to shave, either.

When I got to college, St. Mary's in Notre Dame, Indiana, these views were obviously encouraged. I was sort of shocked, though, at the number of women who did not feel that they were feminists. I mean, how can you not be a feminist?

But I know why they felt that feminism excluded them. Sure, they thought that women were just as good as men. They wouldn't say that they didn't support equality between the sexes. What they objected to was the association between feminism and lesbianism. Somewhere along the line, those two terms became intertwined in a way that today's young women - and some not-so-young ... I would say most women under 35 - can't seem to get past. The forerunners of the "women's movement" were so successful that a lot of women today don't see the need to fight. And so the fight for equality has been taken up by other oppressed groups. Lesbians, by nature, call into question what society expects out of women. Because they are not yet totally accepted, they have to fight. Part of what they fight for is equality between the sexes. I'm not saying that this is an absolute explanation of how "lesbian" and "feminist" began to be seen as synonyms, but I think it is part of it.

There was a time in the when it seemed that following any of what was seen as a woman's role was playing into the hands of the patriarchy. To be a "true" feminist, you had to reject everything that men have set out as being for women, or what women should do. I remember reading Adrienne Rich in college and being so furious to see "It is the lesbian in us who is creative, for the dutiful daughter of the fathers in us is only a hack. " (Adrienne Rich (b. 1929), U.S. poet, essayist, and lesbian feminist. "It Is the Lesbian In Us Who Is Creative," (1976).) I am not a hack. I am not a "dutiful daughter." But I am also not a lesbian.

Now, I know what Rich was saying. I understand that she wasn't really talking about sexuality. But still, it was upsetting to me because I felt like there was no place for me in feminism. I was (and am) an intelligent, outspoken woman. No man tells me what to do. But I am also a straight woman. I love men. It was so upsetting to me that I felt like I had to defend that position. Feminism isn't about the superiority of women - it's about equality.

I was a member of the Feminist Collective on campus, but eventually stopped going because it eventually replaced the Gay, Lesbian, and Questioning (I can't remember the full name, I apologize) Outreach group that didn't get acknowledged as a campus organization. I felt like the Take Back the Night walk was the only thing the group did that was "feminist" as opposed to "lesbian." I think I was one of two straight women who attended meetings, so I stopped going. It wasn't that I didn't support my lesbian friends, I just didn't want to support the meshing of lesbianism and feminism. It isn't lesbians or lesbianism that I have an issue with. It's the underlying notion that I can't be a "real" feminist if I like men. I feel that the blending of lesbian and feminist implies that I'm a bad feminist if I like men, and I don't think that's true.

This is all to introduce an old post I discovered at one of my favorite blogs. She wrote it three or four years ago, but it is new to me, and I love it. It's called Yes, You Are.

It very much supports my view that everyone is, or should be, a feminist. Because the definition of a feminist is simple: Any person who believes in the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. My cousin's husband has a wonderful t-shirt that says "This is what a Feminist looks like." I love it, and I want Mr to wear one because, whether he would admit it or not, he's a feminist, too.

My Love for Alanis Morissette Knows no Bounds

2007-04-05T11:04:00.001-05:00

This video has been all over the place lately, but I couldn't watch it at work because I have no sound on my computer. I thought I'd share it with you, my lovely readers.

I loved this. She gets all the stutters and whatnots, but slowed down and super-dramatic, all of the truly deep meaning of Fergie's song really comes to light. What? You thought "My Humps" was just silly fluff?

Feeling a Little Old

2007-04-02T16:52:00.000-05:00

One of the women I work with is about 23ish. I remember 23 and it doesn't seem all that long ago. Today at lunch, however, I realized that 23 was a lifetime ago.

She recounted her weekend, which involved going out, drinking, hooking up with a guy she's liked for a while. Then she asked how my weekend was.

In my defense, I wasn't really up for much but... my answer was lame.

Friday, I was still a little sick, so we didn't do anything. Saturday we ran errands - Dr's office, purchased tile for the bathroom, went to Macy's to see if there was more stuff to register for, went to Sears to look at lawn mowers, and then to IKEA to look at shelves. It was straight out of Old School, when Will Ferrel's talking to the college kid about how they're going to go to Home Depot, and that's the highlight of his weekend. Of course, we also went to our friend's party on Saturday and stayed out until 2:30 am. But, that's like, notable for us because we never stay out that late anymore. She does it every weekend.

Oh, and Sunday? Sunday I slept until noon because I can't go out that late (we were in Homewood, a whole other story, so even though we left the bar at 2:30, we didn't get home until closer to 3:30). The exciting thing about Sunday was that we ordered Wrestlemania 23. Because we're cool.

So cool.

New Look, Again

2007-03-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

Ok. I think I'll stick with this layout for a while. I'm digging the green and purple combo. It reminds me, strangely, of seventh grade, when this was my favorite color combo on the planet. Except it was more crayola-shades.

I just couldn't stand the other layout. It was too all-over-the-place. I need my posts centered and contained. I don't know why.

And, for your viewing pleasure, more pictures of Hank. Because I'm sick and he amuses me.
*****
This is Hank in our old condo. I was sitting on the couch next to him, undoubtedly delaying writing a paper for school. I think this is how he spends most of the day when we're not home.
The only think I really miss about that condo is the kitchen. Everything was brand-new, so the stove and oven were awesome, the microwave above the stove has a fan for sucking up smoke and whatnot and the fridge never froze the food on the refrigerator side and kept all the food frozen on the freezer side. Our new refrigerator is not so reliable, and the oven likes to burn stuff and makes the house smell like gas. I had my current appliances but, as they work (sort of), they are on the bottom of the "things to buy for the house" list.

This is Hank in my new office. I promise I will post before and after shots soon. I'm still waiting on Mr to hang the curtain rod on that back window.

Mr hates that old green velvet (!) couch in the background. I got it from my grandparents when they moved. I love the size and shape of it. It's very small - more of a loveseat, really - it's low to the ground and it is sort of oval shaped. It also has some weird bleach-like stains on the front. I'm sure one of my grandmother's eight children spilled something on it and someone tried to clean it. I promised Mr that I would recover it or at least slipcover it. That I didn't love the color, just the shape. But. It matches my office so well. It picks up lots of lovely shades in my fancy Home Depot area rug. Besides, it's my office.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2007-03-30T15:24:00.000-05:00

I'm now in the worst stage of being sick: almost better. Almost better blows. You're no longer completely sick, so the awfulness of daytime tv is readily apparent and sitting on the couch is just boring. But, if you get up and try to be productive, you get dizzy and a little nauseous and have to go back to the couch.

I've found a couple of daytime tv shows that are ok. I'm really getting into "How Clean is Your House" on BBC America. These two British ladies go around to astoundingly dirty houses, tell people they're living in filth and then force them to clean. After everything is spotless, the people are happy, and the ladies leave. They come back two weeks later to check up on people, but come on. Are you going to let your house get messy in the two weeks? I don't think so. Go back in three months and then see where they're at!

This has, of course, made me wonder about the cleanliness of our home. We're pretty clean, compared to the people on the show. Mr is very clean, which means I have to be clean, which is good. However, we've never cleaned our couch. They cleaned a couch on the show today and it was sort of gross. But their couch was some sort of pleather so it was easy to clean. Ours is ... um ... fabric. I don't know how to clean it. I want to take the cases off the pillows and toss them in the washing machine, but what if they fade and then don't match the rest of the couch? How do I clean the rest of it? I vacuum it sometimes, because it is Hank's favorite hangout. See?He's got white hair which, though it is short, still gets EVERYWHERE. So, I vacuum the couch every once in a while - though not as often as I should - in the hopes that the couch will remain blue and not turn white. The vacuum does not work very well. We have a hose, but none of the attachments have a spinning brush thingy, so it only sucks up so much. Lots of hair stays on the couch. Sometimes I use a lint brush, but the couch is big and even that doesn't help all that much. Anyway. Hank is clean, we bath him fairly regularly. However, he is a dog and doesn't shower everyday like Mr & I do. I don't think our house stinks but I remember going to friends' houses when I was younger who had dogs and their whole house smelled like dog. I don't want that to happen. I worry that maybe I just don't notice because I live there and am used to it. I don't think that's the case... but it could be.

So. Any tips on couch-cleaning?

And, by the way, please don't be afraid to come and visit. I promise, we'll vacuum the couch before you get here. Maybe I should get a special lint brush, just for the guest room....

Not Much Happening

2007-03-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

Still home sick, but feeling better. I think I'll be much better by tomorrow, which is good because some of Mr's friends are having a little party tomorrow and people will be in from out of town, so it will be nice to be able to attend, even if I probably won't be able to drink.

Today I felt mostly good, except when I ate. Eating makes me nauseous. Hopefully that will be gone soon.

At the moment, we're watching Benny Hill, which I find endlessly entertaining. Apparently, Mr used to pat his grandpa on the head when he was little. He saw it on Benny Hill and thought it was hilarious. If you knew Mr or his grandpa, this would make you laugh.

Any thoughts on the new blog layout? I think I might hate it, but I wanted something springy. I wish I knew HTML and could customize it better than just using Blogger's premade junk.

(isn't it odd that Blogger's spellcheck doesn't recognize the word "blogger?")

Home Sick

2007-03-28T15:11:00.000-05:00

Mr was sick all weekend and I think he gave it to me. I'm usually pretty hearty. If I get sick, he gets sick, but I rarely catch anything from him. This morning I had a hard time getting up (not to surprising considering that I was out really late on Monday and didn't get much sleep the night before). I showered, and got dressed and felt sort of ok. Not great, but whatever. By the time I got my shit together to leave, I was feeling a little queasy. By the time I was almost to the highway, I was near tears thinking about how I didn't want to go to work. This was my clue. When I'm sick, tears are always near the surface.

So, I called home and told Mr I was on my way back and called work and said I was sick. I've been in my pj's and on the couch since. It's a very weird thing going around. My stomach feels like iron and my guts keep clenching up. I had a small bowl of cereal, but it didn't sit well and I can't quite bring myself to eat anything else. Is it wrong that I'm hoping this will result in weight loss?

I get a little dizzy if I stand up or walk around, so I've been sitting on the couch. It took me about half an hour to work up the nerve to go upstairs and get my computer. I was thinking it would be fun to lay on the couch and play The Sims all day. I love The Sims. When I got my mac I was so sad that I would have to give up Sims - I'd bought all the expansion packs. What? You knew I was a nerd.

But Mac had a complete set - all the expansion pack and everything - for really cheap, so I bought it. It's sweet. Sadly, many of my things are still in boxes and, being that I don't have time to sit around staring at my computer all that often, I haven't played it since we moved. I dug through some boxes and almost passed out trying to find it. Somehow all of my PC Sims games are in the box with everything else that was in my desk, but no Mac Sims. I found the instructional booklet, but no disc. How can that be? I swear I've seen the case, but I can't find it now. Sad.

Today's supposed to be the first day of classes, too. There's no way I can drive, so I have to skip the first class and, if I have what Mr had, I'll be worse tomorrow. So, I need to look up my professor's email addresses and see if I can get electronic versions of the syllabi so I don't get behind. It makes me sad that I have to start worrying about homework again. But, I'm so close to finishing my master's I can practically taste it. I love school but I'm ready to be done. This week off has been awesome. Coming home from work and having time to talk to Mr and watch tv or whatever is so nice.

My spring break consisted of Romance novels. I was so happy with The Duke and I that I bought two more of the Bridgerton series: An Offer from a Gentleman, featuring Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie (the bastard daughter of an earl), and Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, about Colin and Penelope Featherington. Offer was excellent. Unlike Duke, where I was smiling and feeling giddy the whole time I read, I cried through a good part of it. It was excellent. Sadly, Romancing was not as enjoyable. Through all the books, the Featherington girls are plain and poorly dressed and totally uninteresting. I just couldn't really care about Penelope. She supposedly bloomed or whatever, and Colin's all pissed that he didn't notice her sooner, but I just didn't buy it. Overall though it was a great spring break treat. I love Julia Quinn, and I think I'll buy a couple more of her books the next time I go on vacation.

I know I'm sick when blogging wears me out. I think I'll watch a little Charmed on TNT (four hours of it! Another guilty pleasure of mine, though I can't f'ing stand Billie and lately they've been running the last season [was she on the last two seasons?]) and take a nap.

100 Posts, and I Still Have No Direction

2007-03-26T13:23:00.000-05:00

Ok. So. 100 posts. Wow

This particular post has no aim. Or, rather, I could separate this out into four or so posts, but we both know I won't get around to it. So, feel free to wander and ignore what you choose.

Last Weekend's Unfortunate Events
Nothing horribly bad happened last weekend, but I referred to it as bad in the last post, so I was going for consistency. I was playing with Hank, kicking a soccer ball around the house. Hank loves this. It is a rather old ball and he can sort of pick it up, but mostly Hank is the most awesome goalie ever and has mad stopping skills with his paws. It cracks me up. So, I was kicking a ball around the house, and ... well. We all know I'm not coordinated. I sort of kicked the corner of the wall. I caught the wall with my little toe. It hurt.

For a while I thought the toe was broken. Then, it turned purple and I thought for sure it was broken. Two days later, it was feeling so much better, I though it was a-ok. Friday I took Hank for a walk, was startled by a big big dog, jumped, and it hurt again. Sunday I was feeling pretty dandy, accidentally kicked Mr's boots (which were NOT where they belong) and now it hurts worse than ever.

The upside is that I bowled really well last week with an injured toe. I hoping to repeat the process this week.

March Madness is Dead
Though I may have made some good points in my bracket article, my bracket fell apart this week. Who would have thought that there could possibly be a repeat of last year's championship? I had Ohio State going all the way. But, since Ohio is the only one of my final four teams to actually make it, I'm mathematically eliminated from the pool. I guess Mavis' plan wasn't such a bad one after all.

Jayson Stark Rocks
If you enjoy sports writing at all, I highly recommend checking out Jayson Stark at espn.com. He's their senior baseball writer, and I love him. The only thing I don't love is that a lot of his columns are "insider" so, you have to pay to read them. However, I recently tried to find his articles (I wrote about it here). I wanted his articles for an assignment I was working on. I didn't take Mano's advice and look at my library, I just used a different article from Women's Health Magazine.

But I emailed Stark. I loved those articles on the White Sox. He sometimes writes about baseball in a way that brings forth all the feeling of all the reasons why I love it, if that makes any sense. Anyway. This weekend, he wrote me back! And sent me the articles! Who cares if he called me "Lisa."

The Blog
I'm trying to update the color scheme to something more springy and less cookie-cutter. I have no knowledge of anything in this area, so it might look really bad. Bear with me.

Does anyone know how to list previous posts by title in the sidebar? I can't figure it out.

I Hate Kobe Bryant
This was totally unplanned but, while looking up the Stark links, I came across this. You can read it, if you like, but basically it says that Kobe Bryant is a better basketball player than Micheal Jordan. Um. No. Whatever. He's an asshole, and he should be shunned from the media. I don't know why the media - sportsmedia specifically, but all media really - has to pick some guys who's - pardon the phrase - dick they suck, regardless of what he's done. There are great players in sports who get no attention at all. Does Kobe have some great talent on the court? Yes. That's undeniable. The article I linked to there highlights some of the things he's done that couldn't be done by anyone else. However. The author plays off Kobe's unpopularity by saying that Kobe gets unfair treatment. He compares him to A-Rod. To Jordan (who wasn't the world's best teammate). He says:
"Of course, the idea that Kobe is better than Jordan -- or even the best player in this league -- is as repugnant to some folks as a rectal exam. Even though Kobe has proven himself under pressure countless times, he gets the A-Rod treatment."

Ok. Yes. That is repugnant to me.
He continues:

"Kobe can't please anyone. And it doesn't help that most people suffer from revisionist history when it comes to Jordan, forgetting that he was just as poor a teammate and a ball hog and that he ran off coach Doug Collins like Kobe ran off Phil Jackson the first time.

In fact, you could argue that Jordan was even worse. Far as we know, Kobe hasn't jacked up any of his teammates the way Jordan punched out Steve Kerr and Will Perdue at practice.

Kobe will never be forgiven for Shaq's departure, but you're delusional if you think Jordan wouldn't have had any ego issues playing alongside a player with Shaq's star power.

The best-player argument shouldn't be determined by personal dislike. But if you want to take it there, fine. Jordan was hardly the ideal husband, but only the tabloids were brave enough to venture into his personal life. And what about those gambling issues? If Jordan's life had been covered like Kobe's, we would have an entirely different opinion of His Airness."

Ok. There are some lapses in logic here.
Jordan did benefit from some fantastic PR. And yes, Jordan got lucky "retiring" when he did so that his gambling issues were barely made public. And I'm sure that Jordan was "hardly the ideal husband." So, poor Kobe's picked on. Kobe hasn't done anything anybody else didn't do. Jordan was never (as far as I know - I could be wrong) accused of rape.

Kobe Bryant slept with a woman who was not his wife who, at best, was too scared of him to say no in a way that he would understand. He raped her. And then his lawyers let her identity leak out into the media and she was unable to get a fair trial. He raped a girl. He is a rapist. This is no hero. You want to talk about his skills? I guess that's your prerogative. I would much rather hear about all those other guys you say are almost as good as Kobe, but whatever, that's your choice to write about it.

But don't pretend like he didn't earn his bad reputation, or that Micheal Jordan is only liked because he's good at putting forth a false face. The only reason Kobe Bryant was not convicted of rape was because of the way that case was mishandled. Even when it was going on, the announcers couldn't stop talking about "how brave" Kobe was for playing his best "considering all he's been through." He raped a woman. You think he's disliked because he's a bad teammate? Because Shaq left? Players leave teams all the time. He's disliked because he's an asshole. Move on to some other guy already.

Quickie

2007-03-21T14:18:00.000-05:00

After a series of unfortunate events this weekend, which I will detail later, with pictures (for my 100th post!) I was unable to take the train to work Monday and Tuesday.

But, I was able to take it today and start my Spring Break only a couple days late. Since I have to work anyway and spring break for DePaul is only six days long, my "vacation" was supposed to be taking the train all week and reading fun stuff instead of school stuff.

I bought The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. *sigh* I love the Bridgerton series. It makes me giddy, it's so fun.

Girls' Guide to: March Madness

2007-03-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

I find people's approaches to the NCAA men's basketball tournament fascinating. I don't like basketball, but I almost always fill out a bracket. Even then, I just keep track of what has already happened, I couldn't care less about the games while they're happening. I think I have a pretty solid bracket this year. Mostly because Mr says it looks pretty good. I know he disagrees with a lot of my choices, but it could turn out that way.

Unlike my one friend, who actually reads Sports Illustrated, I have very little knowledge of the teams themselves, though I have kind of a sense about whether or not they're decent. My choices are a combination of the teams' ranking, some superstition, and a vague sense that I heard somewhere that one team was good. I hope she's wrong about Ohio State, because I have them going all the way.

If you want a fun way to fill out a bracket without having a good chance of winning... um... "bragging rights" check out Mavis' plan. It's one way to go. (Don't be mad, Mav, I'm just saying... going by location of the school isn't the best possible way. You have two #2 schools in the championship, so it could happen. It's just not very likely. And? Notre Dame good for two wins? I think you spent too much time at Club 23 [not that there's anything wrong with that]).

Now that I've made my friend mad, here's my guide to filling out your NCAA bracket (albeit really too late because the first round has already finished. My bracket's looking pretty good, thanks for asking.)

1. If you have no knowledge of the teams whatsoever, go by rankings.
If you end up with all four #1 teams in the final four, you've got a good chance of getting third-place bragging rights in your office pool. They're ranked that way for a reason.

2. Plan for a couple of upsets.
There's always one #11- ranked school that beats a 6. I'm said Winthrop would beat Notre Dame (though I am an ND football fan, I'm not a fan of basketball at all, so I owe them no loyalty). However, this might have been a bad choice as #11 VCU already beat Duke.

3. Check out the teams who are playing angry.
Teams who got a lower seed than they deserve, teams who got beat recently in overtime, teams with something to prove. They play hard. Mr designated UNLV, Nevada and Tennessee as teams playing angry. They've all won so far.

4. For the 8/9, 7/10 match-ups, go with your gut.
This is where Mavis' theories come into play. Arizona/Purdue? I have no idea if Arizona is good or not. But I went to college in Indiana, so I went with the Boilermakers. Of course, this could work both ways. Since I went to a school affiliated with Notre Dame, I should hate Purdue, so I could have chosen Arizona. At this point, they have virtually the same record, so its a crapshoot. These are the games where hometown / college / I-know-someone-who-went-there pride comes into play. BYU/Xavier, I went with #9 Xavier because my brother went there and it is the only college basketball team I have ever seen play live. That worked out for me.

5. Once you get to the Sweet Sixteen and onward, the choices should be kind of obvious.
At least at first. Even if you don't pay attention to sports, you should get some matchups that just sound obvious. If you've followed hometown pride and you have Texas A&M Corpus Christi facing off against Florida. You should know that Florida will win. Sweet Sixteen is when any #6 or under should get knocked out.

Whatever you do, DON'T start doing research right before your bracket is due. If you've been watching all season, or even just watching SportsCenter all season, then it is fine to go by what the analysts say. At this point in the game, though, what they're saying might not line up with what has been said all season. Witness: Digger Phelps was talking up Winthrop, saying they were a force to be reckoned with and they would win the first round. Once they were matched up against Notre Dame (where Digger was a legendary basketball coach), he changed his tune and went with the Irish.

The final winner is really where your gut comes in. What team sounds right? There are some big names in basketball, and even if you know nothing, you should know that Belmont probably doesn't have a good shot at winning, even if you did used to live right off Belmont and Clark. Multiple brackets would up your chances of doing well in an office pool, but they also up the money coming out of your pocket. If you play it a little safe in the beginning, you'll last longer and have more fun trash talking around the water cooler.

Book Meme

2007-03-16T15:59:00.000-05:00

Because I should be working some more....
Instructions: In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole (I can't cross out - sometimes blogger and mac hate each other - so I've put them in tiny letters), put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. +Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. +To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. +Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. *Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17.* Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. +The Stand (Stephen King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. +Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. +The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. +The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. +The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. +East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. *Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) I've read other Nicholas Sparks and I kind of think he's a sentimental hack.
33. +Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. +1984 (Orwell)
35. +The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. *I Know This Much is True(Wally Lamb)
39. *The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. *The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. *The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) I didn’t want to read it. I got it for free and was on a plane with nothing else.
45. +Bible
46. +Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. +The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. +The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. +Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. *One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. +Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) -
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. +The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. +The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. +Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. +Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. *The Good Earth(Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. *A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) No thank you

Wha-Wha-What!?!?

2007-03-16T10:58:00.000-05:00

No time to talk, really, shit-ton of stuff to do.

I just watched last night's Grey's over my morning oatmeal and all I can think is: WHAT THE FUCK?

Sometimes I read the Grey's Writers Blog, and usually I find it a little bit enlightening about where they're going and whatnot. But I can't stand by them here. I like George and Callie. I want their marriage to work. I really like Callie. Izzie has some issues. But, can't her issues be more about losing Denny and losing the chance to get married and that's why she doesn't approve of George and Callie? Can't she just be missing her support system and that's why she thinks they won't last? Why did they have to go and do THAT?

Not all best friends want to sleep with each other. It doesn't have to be that way. Yes, many wonderful relationships start out as friendships and maybe you don't realize at first that the potential for relationships is there but... When you have a best friend and then you GET into a relationship... shouldn't you know that the friend isn't a romantic possibility? If this is the root of their friendship, this dormant attraction for each other, wouldn't it have reared its head when George and Meredith did it? I love this friendship between George and Izzie. Why did they have to do this?

I'm a Moody Bitch

2007-03-15T11:40:00.000-05:00

At my last appointment with my shrink, she asked if I had experienced any mood swings since starting on the drugs. I said no, other than the week before my period, which is sort of to be expected. Then... um... I had a bad week.

Monday night we went to bowling and actually got out pretty quick - two of our people were out and two were out on the other team so we got through all three games really fast, which was awesome. I got kind of sick Monday night. Not to get into too much gross detail, but I'm lactose intolerant and had pizza at bowling (which I always do and it has never caused me trouble before, but ...). I got up at about one, was hanging out in the bathroom for about an hour and then headed back to bed. By two, my stomach was cramping up again, though there was nothing in there. I think I finally fell asleep around 2:45. Apparently, not long after that, I started having restless dreams.

I'm an active sleeper. I talk, I move a lot and sometimes I walk in my sleep. Monday night, according to Mr, I jumped out of bed to catch someone. I said I was trying to save their life. I don't know.

By 5:20 when the alarm went off, I was TIRED. I walked the dog, got dressed, and headed to work. I was supposed to be there by 7:30, which shouldn't have been a problem, since I was on the road by 6:25. But then I made the mistake of listening to the morning traffic report. They said the Edens was 20 minutes to the junction. Great! I thought. I'll get in even earlier and have less time to make up next week!

That was not the case. It took me over two hours to get to work because of all the crap going on at the Dan Ryan. It seems they shut down all the local lanes and it was negatively affecting traffic everywhere. The feeder ramps were backing up so badly that ALL the roads were f'ed up.

So, I got to work late. Then, because of a computer glitch with the time change, I accidentally left an hour early. Seriously. So, I drove to Grayslake to observe a first year writing course for my teaching class. Then I drove back to the city to go to said teaching class. Traffic. Not good. Another two hours. Actually, a little more than two hours.

So, I FINALLY get home around 10. The weather is lovely and, though I'm tired, I'm pretty happy. I get out of the car. I'm carrying a lot of crap. I can't see the lock to get my key in and am about to drop stuff. I get annoyed because Mr is home and I know Hank alerted him to my presences, so why can't he open the fucking door already!?!

I finally get the door open, and nearly lose all the crap I'm holding. I'm now in a bad mood. Why couldn't he help me? "I was about to and then you got the key in" Arg.

So, I'm trying to stay nice. Throughout the day, I've also been having issues with my flippin' cell phone. The speaker phone is unreliable. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. T-Mobile has to go through all these trouble-shooting processes to test it. Of course, it works when they test it so they can't help me. Someone, around 5:30pm Tuesday, sent me some sort of multi-media message. Though my phone is MMS capable, I don't subscribe to T-Zones, so I can't get it. But, before I discover this, I call T-Mobile.
"Hi. there's an icon I've never seen flashing on my phone and I don't know why and I can't get it to go away."
"What does it look like?"
"Um... It looks like the text-message icon. It's a little book or something, but it has a red flashing rectangle on it."
"Can you hold while I try to look that up?"
"Sure."
10 minutes later
"I can't find a book anywhere"
"Maybe it's an envelope?"
"oh. That means you have a message. Just go to your inbox"
"But I went to my inbox and there's nothing there."
"Um. You'll have to go to T-Zones and look around"
"I don't have t-zones"
"oh. Well, it's in your inbox on t-zones."
"ok. great. thanks"

I hung up. So, when I got home, I wanted to go on T-Mobiles site and try to figure out how to get this flashing thing off my phone. So I ask Mr. "Is your computer here?" (he keeps his computer in the living room most of the time because we have wireless internet and he like to surf and watch tv). He says that it is, but it isn't on, is under the couch (he makes no move to get it) and I'll have to go get the charger because the battery is dead. He just sits there.

So I leave wordlessly to go up to my computer. I'm getting angry. Because if I'm using my computer and then turn it off and he wants to use it, he sees nothing wrong with just turning it right back on. This bugs me because I don't think it is good to turn a computer on and off over and over again. I know that this is a little irrational but... whatever, it's my computer. Of course, if his computer is off, and I want to use it well.. it's off. But, whatever, I start trying to look around and see if I can figure out my phone. I can't. I also can't see when my contract expires and when I can get a new phone. I'm pissed that I paid for this phone, I should have just kept using the old one, and will probably go back to it, but I'm frustrated. I go to bed.

Now the fun starts. Mr is bugging me. I'm super tired and cranky and looking at the clock trying to figure out when I need to get up in the morning. In the morning I need to shower (not really negotiable) walk the dog and get to work. I am sort of pissed because he can sleep until 6:45 and still be on time so why am I getting up before dawn? So, I set the clock, pissed because I'm already tired and not going to get enough sleep. He makes comments about me being angry, which, dear lord, there is NOTHING that guarantees my anger like telling me how I feel. I push him over on his side of the bed. He makes more comments. I stay silent and try to sleep. At this point, I am no longer a reliable narrator, because I said some stuff, I thought I was awake, but apparently, I wasn't. I thought I said "I can't sleep I'm going downstairs."

He says it went more like this:
"Do you even like me anymore?"
"What?"
"I can't sleep. I'm going downstairs"

He comes downstairs a few minutes later and tells me I should go to bed. I went. He stayed. Because he's an insomniac and he really couldn't sleep.

The alarm goes off and I'm pissed. I'm exhausted. I decide to be late. I reset it and go back to bed. Continue to hit snooze until I've missed not only my really on-time train but the cutting-it-close train too. I ask him to walk the dog because it is already 7. Sure, no problem. He starts talking about me being angry again. Gah! Now I'm angry again. I was just grumpy from being tired as fuck, but now I'm mad again.

I leave for work. Think about why I'm mad. Decide to not be mad because really I'm just tired. We have some pleasant e-mails. I come home (after a couple beers after work), and am pleasant. He says:

"Is one of the side-effects of your medicine drastic mood-swings?"

Doh.

Another blog has a wonderful description of how I felt. Only the mood-swinger in this post is, I think, four. So she kind of has an excuse.

Harry Potter Meme

2007-03-11T18:03:00.000-05:00

This is one of the reasons I read Quodlibets every single day. She is always giving me reasons to steal from her:

Harry Potter Meme

Please, Harry Potter nerds, do this meme with me.

1. Favorite Harry Potter movie- I'm not a huge fan, though I did really enjoy Dobby. So, Chamber of Secrets

2. Favorite Harry Potter book- I loved Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, but the most recent - The Half-Blood Prince - was excellent.

3. Least favorite Harry Potter movie- I don't really love any of them, but I made the mistake of taking Mr to Prisoner of Azkaban. He hadn't seen the first movies and doesn't read books really at all, so he had no previous knowledge of the series. He hated the movie, claimed it made no sense and now goes on a mini tirade about how stupid the movies are whenever we see anything about any of them. That kind of made me hate that particular movie more than the others.

4. Least favorite Harry Potter book- Goblet of Fire or Order of the Phoenix. The books had gotten so popular at that point, that Rowling's editors, I think, just let her run wild. The first book is awesome because it is tight and doesn't pander to children. The later books in the series get insanely long and she tends to over-explain and hint at stuff so that, by the time a plot twist is revealed, the reader is completely frustrated that the characters have been so blind and stupid as to not see it before then. Editors are there for a reason, and sometimes it really is better to let someone work it over than to let the author have complete control.

5. Favorite Harry Potter Character- That's a tough one. Sometimes I like Hermione because she's kind of feisty and smart. But she's also a know-it-all, so sometimes I hate her. I generally love Ron, especially in the movies. Harry's kind of a twit sometimes, so though he's obviously likable I wouldn't say he's my favorite. I love love love Dumbledore but ... he's... well, you know.

6. Least favourite Harry Potter Character- The kid who is all in awe of Harry Potter and goes around taking his picture and stuff. That's just annoying.

7. Spell, Charm or Hex you most wish you had the ability to perform- Hermione's ability to go back in time to take multiple classes could come in handy.

8. Reason for desiring to perform said Spell, Charm or Hex- I have bad time-management skills. If you check out my last post, there are a couple of Fridays I would like to take a "do-over" on.

9. If I were in Hogwarts, my house would be- I have no idea. Hufflepuff seems to be the one that tries hard but is always second or third, and I think I'd fit in there. I'm definitely not a Griffendor (I rarely wind up the winner, though I like to think I always try to do the right thing) and I'm not evil, so I wouldn't be in Slytherin. Ravenclaws seem to have it altogether and I don't. I would want to be a Ravenclaw, but it wouldn't happen.

10. If I played Quiddich, my position would be- I would not play Quiddich.

11. My favorite Hogwarts subject would be- If it wasn't taught by Snape, I think I would really dig Potions. I was pretty good at Chemistry in High School. I think Divination would be cool, but I HATED Trealawny (sp?). With the teachers that they have, Charms might be the most fun.

12. After graduating Hogwarts, my magic profession would be- Maybe a reporter or editor for The Daily Prophet, like that other Rita.

13. Harry Potter character you would most like to snog- I don't know... Oliver Wood maybe?

14. Magical creature you would keep as a pet- Can Hank be magical?

15. Favorite method of magical transportation- Fireplace travel. That seems exciting.

16. Make up a spell, complete with name and function- Argentum Multiplico - I'm greedy. You could say it over your wallet and the money inside would never run out. Whatever, dude. Don't judge me. I would totally buy you dinner.

17. Person I would most like to use the Confundus Charm on- I like A's answer :"Erm, which one is that?" There isn't really anyone whose confusion would benefit me. Unless I could convince the people renovating my bathroom that I already paid them...

18. Person I would most like to use Avada Kedavra on- Hhhmmm.... it's painless and instant so... I dunno... People who want to die? Like Dr. Kevorkian's patients? That seems little serious for this meme. I'd use it on household pests - if we had mice or spiders or something?

19. Person I would most like to use the Cruciatus Curse on- This one is also pretty nasty. I don't think I'd use it. I'm often very annoyed and upset with people, but pain just for torture seems bad.

20. Person I would most like to use the Imperious Curse on- Hhmmm Again, it's kind of diabolical. Sometimes I wish Hank would bend to my will.

21. Person I would most like to use the Entrancing Enchantment on- I wouldn't really be interested in someone who likes me because I put a spell on them.

22. If God could do magic, would he be better than Dumbledore?- I'm going to say God would be better than Dumbledore, though I am not ruling out the possibility that God and Dumbledore might be closely related.

True or False questions- (answer honestly)

23. I have read all (so far) 6 Harry Potter books- True

24. I have pre-ordered book 7- True. Sort of. I ordered it for my mom already, I haven't yet ordered it for me.

25. I have re-read all (so far) 6 Harry Potter books- False. I only re-read the first one.

26. I own all the Harry Potter DVDs- False.

27. I own a wand- False.

28. I know magic- False.

(Questions 29 and 30 were lame, so they're heretofor redacted.)

31. I have at one point had an inappropriate crush on Hermione Granger (girls are encouraged to answer too)- False. I'm too old for that shit. (again, A's answer but -word.)

32. I am Lord Voldemort- False.

33. I have lost sleep due to reading Harry Potter books- True. When you get close to the end, sometimes you just have to finish.

34. Harry Potter's witchcraft has possessed my soul and now Jesus hates me because I read Harry Potter more than the bible- Once again, A said it best: "Listen. IF Jesus is this magical wonderful God-being, which lots of people think he is, then I don't think he's up in heaven hating on people because they enjoy being literary. No, I think Jesus loves HP as much as we do."

Blah Blah Blah

2007-03-10T12:36:00.000-06:00

I figure it's time to write something, before Mavis gets all antsy and tells me to post something. She's very demanding.

It has been a strange week for me. I started it feeling like I would rather have a root canal than go to my job, then I had a chat with my boss which left me feeling somewhat better and motivated to really make a difference in that company, then my school week started and I was all proud of myself for getting all my readings done and getting some of my end-of-the-quarter stuff done AHEAD OF TIME, then I went to the shrink and told her how awesome my new drugs are and how on top of things I am, and then it all fell apart.

Let me break it down for you:

The Job
I try not to talk about my job too much because I've heard of people getting fired for blogging about their job. However, I have no plans for permanent employment at my company (and they know this), and I don't think that this is a fire-able offense.

So, my company has grown a lot over the last decade and a half or so. They went from being really small to being really big really fast. So, the corporate infrastructure has not grown as the company did. This happens a lot. For all the talk about corporate structure, I've found that very few companies have much infrastructure. Mostly, it is all sort of half-assed and un-spelled out, with the exception of a few totally massive global corporations.

My company has been working on creating some structure and training and whatnot. HR scheduled a meeting to review some training courses for several positions in my department, mine included. This sparked a whole discussion on career paths, titles, etc and how they basically don't exist in the company. The HR rep was totally taken by surprise, as this wasn't what the meeting was supposed to be about, but managed to handle it pretty well. HR rep was trying to listen, but convey what the likely reaction from higher-ups would be to what we were asking for. Basically, we should try to create some structures, but it wasn't likely to be as successful as we might hope. What I, and the others who are in my same entry- or close to entry-level positions, heard was: "we don't want to create career paths for your positions because we don't want you to advance because we don't want to ever pay more than we already are for what you do, and we don't want you to take on more responsibility or develop any other skills than what you already have." It was pretty depressing. We left feeling like we were wasting our time there and should really start looking for new jobs. Even me, and I'm in school to get a totally different kind of job and have no plans on developing a career in my current field.

So, when my boss found out my negative reaction, she was a little hurt. The point of the meetings were to develop something for me and those in my position. That I didn't want to be involved anymore sort of upset her, and I can see why. Why should she bother going to bat for me if I don't want to put forth any effort? There are other things going on that I feel like I can't get into here, but ultimately I agreed with her. I left her office wondering how I can get the others in my position to come around and get things back on-track.

Then, I went to class. My week is pretty evenly divided into work and school, so I completely left work behind. Things were going so well for me in school. I had gotten really far behind - I wasn't finishing readings and was always finishing papers and the very last possible moment (in some cases turning it in rather late).

The Drugs

I have ADD. I can usually get by, but last quarter and this quarter it was really, really bad, and I finally went to a psychiatrist to get drugs. I was really nervous about going, because I'm always afraid that someone will finally tell me that drugs won't help, that I'm just stupid and lazy and should just get my shit together. Apparently, this is how a lot of ADDers feel, particularly adults with ADD. In any case, the drugs are working. I have gotten my school work back under control and I'm even getting my shit at work done more efficiently.

The point (see the tangents? this is ADD at work - actually the meds combo'd with caffeine. I'm still not used to changing what I consume because of the chemicals I've added to my body). ANYWAY. The point is that I was back in control. I was so efficient with stuff. Yesterday, I finished revising an assignment by, like 11am. It was awesome. And then.

Falling Apart

And then I realized that I should not have been sitting at my desk working on papers. I should have been at DePaul, in Lincoln Park, observing an undergraduate writing class. I'd already missed the first time I was supposed to go, then couldn't get a hold of the professor for the next week, and now I'd blown it. I was so mad at myself. I'd totally spaced on it.

Luckily, it looks like it will work out. I'm going to have to drive to f'ing Grayslake and turn in my paper late, but I will get to turn it in, which will be better than nothing at all.

The upside is that I'm getting a handle on things. The drugs I'm taking are not miracle drugs. They don't actually do my work for me. But, they do allow me to do what I need to. The good news is that my shrink says that my ADD really only rears its ugly head in times of stress. Apparently, maintaining a job, going to school, and planning a wedding all at the same time is stressful. And I just thought I was lazy.

She recommended a book on adult ADD, which I plan to read over my "spring break" - which is in itself sort of a joke, since we have less than a week between finals and the start of spring quarter. I'm also planning on reading another of the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn. I deserve a little fun reading.

But now, I've wasted enough of my morning (it's 1pm, but still morning to me!) and it is time to get to work.

Music Meme!

2007-03-05T16:38:00.000-06:00

I got this meme from my friend's dad.

1. What was the first record or cd that you owned?
The first record that I owned was probably Sesame Street Fever though my parents probably bought it. My first tape was probably Huey Lewis and the News, Picture This. My first CD was a gift with my first CD player, and it was Paula Abdul, Forever Your Girl.

2. What was the worst concert you ever saw?
Ryan Adams. Man, that guy is a waste of space. He was moody, and not on top of his game. He broke a string and, rather than play like a professional, screamed for everyone to stop, got a different guitar and started over. There was maybe one more chorus left in the song. He also spent a good portion of the show making random comments to his bass player, Brad. What a douche. As far as I’m concerned, Ryan Adams owes me $60. (The tickets were $25ish a pop and I bought Mr’s ticket since he wasn’t really a fan, plus Ticketmaster fees).

3. What cd or album in your collection are you embarrassed to say is there?
Wilson Phillips. I don’t know. I just have it.

4. What was the last song that gave you goose bumps?
Maybe not the most recent, but the most recent I’ve been thinking about, because Pete Yorn mentioned during his show at the Riv this past Saturday: Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

5. If you could sit in with one musician or band, who would that be?
Just one? That’s awfully tough. I have rudimentary guitar skills, well, I can play a couple of songs – I don’t know that that qualifies as “skills” but… There are a lot of guitarists I would love to sit and watch. Tom Petty is awesome. Man, can that guy write! Oooo! Mark Knopfler! But he might be so good, that it would be almost not beneficial. Because he’s a genius, and I don’t know that you can learn from genius, just admire it. I would really love to hang with Bonnie Raitt, she doesn’t get the credit she deserves as a guitarist. Wilco would be cool. Springsteen. I love any folkies. Ani DiFranco, obviously, but again, genius.

6. What's the best place you've ever seen a concert?
The auditorium theater in Chicago is also a great venue. I saw Brian Wilson do “Smile” there and it was mesmerizing.

7. The worst?
I’m just going to leave what the originator of this meme wrote, because he’s dead on. “What used to be the Tweeter Center...now the Some bank name music theater. The place must have been planned and designed by Pablo Picasso. Nothing is in the right place, acoustics suck, traffic is hell. I will only go back there if Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon are on the bill.” Though I’d like to add that even if it were Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon, opening for Jesus Christ, I don’t know if I’d go. That place is awful.

8. Did your Dad have a love for music? How about your Mom?
My dad was a folkie, always playing his guitars and singing. I always thought he was really good, but my grandmother (his mom) described his voice as “passionate,” which makes me think that my daughterly awe of him colored my impression. My mom likes music, she listens to pop, but she’s not, like, a music lover. You know? Like, she digs some stuff, but she doesn’t get crazy over it. I know my stepdad used to play the guitar, and he’s really into Roy Orbison and ABBA, but again, not really a lover. He only listens to the first minute of an ABBA song and then switches to the next one. Short attention span. There was one Bette Midler song that came out sometime when I was in high school that he liked so much he bought the CD and then he would play the song on repeat for about an hour and a half. THAT was annoying, and I like Bette. I can only imagine what my brothers thought.

9. DRM stands for __________________ .
Digitally Recorded Music?

10. What singer's pipes blow you away?
Tori Amos’ range is amazing. Jeff Buckley, again, can break your heart in one note. John Lennon was probably the first voice I heard that I couldn’t believe how freaking awesome he sounded. Most of Rubber Soul is that way for me. I know there are others I’m just not thinking of.

***

Like I said, I saw Pete Yorn on Saturday, and I'm in love. I got the set list from the light guy (woo!). I plan to review it here soon.

I also got a new computer at work, and it is awesome. However, it hasn't inspired me to work, just play. Because a new computer is like a new toy, and I love it.

I'm on Fire Today

2007-03-02T17:07:00.000-06:00

Can you believe I'm posting three times in one day? How lucky are you!

ESPN.com pisses me off. What is the f'ing deal with their "insider" crap? You put ads on your site - which is in itself and ad for your television station, which is also not free. So why the hell do I have to subscribe to ESPN Insider to read half the crap on the website?

The reason I'm so upset is this: I'm working on revising a lesson plan I created for my class on teaching writing. Since part of the plan is to go through an article in class and create an outline, I wanted to include an actual article and a sample of what the end-product would be.

When choosing random things for students to read, you have to be careful. You want something that makes a point but isn't too political, because you don't want to offend anyone (or their parents). You want something with broad appeal, because students learn better when they're engaged with the topic at hand. Even though this isn't something they're reading to be tested on - they need the experience of creating an outline, not knowledge of whatever it is they're reading - you have to be careful.

Personally, I like to choose things relating to baseball. I love baseball, it is fairly politically neutral, something nearly every American child is fairly familiar with and, being that it is popular in Latin America and most of Asia (or at least China and Japan) any foreign students you might have will also have some background knowledge of the subject. Plus, if they don't, they still won't have too hard a time with the assignment.

Anyway. I wanted to use a baseball article. Specifically, I wanted to use an article written by Jayson Stark for ESPN back in the 2005 post-season, when the White Sox won the World Series. Stark is an excellent writer. He turns baseball into poetry and he did an excellent job writing about the Sox and what the win meant to Chicago. I can't remember what the specific article I'm thinking of was called, but I remember its brilliance. Plus, at the time, it was one of the few articles that was free. Stark is, I'm assuming, one of ESPN's best writers (I don't care about ... well, any other sport, so I'm really only familiar with baseball writers. They might have some awesome guy (or lady) writing about basketball. I wouldn't know). Anyway, most of Stark's articles are part of the "insider" and you can't read them without a subscription.

But this one wasn't part of the insider, because I read it.

However, when I tried to find it today I discovered that ALL of Stark's archives, and probably all of ESPN's archives, are only available to "insiders." Why? What the fuck is the point? Why can't I go read that article again?

Newspapers are no better - if it has been out for more than two weeks or so, you have to buy the article. HOWEVER, that sort of makes sense since a paper costs $0.50. Plus, you can buy just whatever article you want. ESPN doesn't do that.

So, now I'm a little stuck. I don't yet have all of my books unpacked (I don't have much shelf space in my office, so I don't know where I would put them if I did have them out. I need an essay or article that would interest high-schoolers, not offend them or their parents and not assume any background knowledge that they might not have.

GraveDigger-For Serious

2007-03-02T14:17:00.001-06:00

Ok. I thought my video of Gravedigger was cool. Check this shit out. Seriously. Just watch it. I know, you're too cool and sophisticated for Monster Truck Jams, but this is awesome. It's probably part of a freestyle competition, but this is why Gravedigger is such a crowd pleaser. It's a minute and a half long. Just watch it.

Monster Truck Jam

2007-03-02T14:14:00.001-06:00

Here is the first video I have ever posted to YouTube.

We went to the Monster Truck Jam maybe two weeks ago. It was kind of awesome. This is video of Gravedigger's entrance.

Gravedigger is like the Hulk Hogan of the Monster Truck scene. He's got the coolest entrance and the crowd freaking LOVES him.

I have to apologize for the crappy camera work. I'm not a professional.

Like I said, the crowd goes nuts for this guy. Actually, there are about six or seven different Gravediggers. All the cars look the same, but they're driven by different guys. I'm sure it's the same everywhere, but the crowd the night I was there loved the Gravedigger driver. He was a rock star. Check him out, I think you'll see what I'm talking about:

What's that? You can't really see him? Here's a better shot of him being interviewed on the Jumbo-tron.

I think the Monster Truck Jam is the only place in the world where this guy can be cool. Seriously, you might not be able to tell from my awesome photography. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

The kid in front of us was a big Gravedigger fan. He had his little Gravedigger Matchbox car with him, which he chose to drive over the guy next to him.

He wasn't just a Gravedigger fan, though. When my friend started to jeer Blue Thunder, the massive Ford-sponsored pickup, the kid kept turning around and giving his wife dirty looks. I'm not sure if he didn't like the jeering- my friend kept yelling "boooooo-thunder" - or if he just hated my friends wife. Either way, it was pretty funny. I managed to snap a picture. Personally, I think the kid liked the attention.
He's kind of hamming it up here. He was giving her a pretty nasty look before. He was super-cute kid, though, and generally really into the action. That's his dad (I think) behind him, giving me the eye. I think he realizes what a funny kid he has though. In any case, he didn't seem to really question why someone would take a picture of his kid.

I love his giant ear protectors. I have to say, they are necessary. That was quite possibly the loudest (and stinkiest - those monster trucks put out quite a lot of exhaust) events I've ever been to. Next time, I'm definitely wearing ear plugs.

This is How it Works

2007-03-01T11:17:00.000-06:00

If you ever own a home and you need something fixed, this is how it works.

You call a contractor. The contractor comes out to your house to check out whatever the problem is. He (and it is almost always a man - though our contractor came with a woman. I suspect she runs the business side of things and he handles the actual fixing part) tells you all the things that will need to be done and then gives you an estimate. They leave. You call later and either schedule the job or tell them the price is too high.

Then, he comes out to your house. In my case, he showed up with two other guys. He ran through what needed to be done, in Spanish, with the guys. Then he leaves, telling me these are his "great guys" and they'll take care of everything. They do not speak English. I do not speak Spanish. If something is wrong, they will call the contractor.

So far, it seems like things are going well. There have been no phone calls. Though, right now, there is also no work being done because they seem to be on break. They also seemed uncomfortable with the fact that I switch from cooking to reading at the kitchen table, which is in direct line of where they were sitting in the living room, having their break.

So, now I'm upstairs in my office because I don't like to make people uncomfortable and I feel guilty because I don't speak Spanish and can't make them more comfortable.

****

I'm cooking chili right now. I got a recipe from my mom which she doesn't really follow. I was supposed to use it as a guideline. Basically, I cut up pork tenderloin and threw it in a crock pot and added crushed tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, red wine, minced garlic, and some spices. Now it's going to cook for 8 hours or so. I hope it turns out. It was supposed to have bell peppers and onions but I didn't have a bell pepper and my onion was moldy - I bought it a couple of weeks ago when I meant to make chili but didn't get around to it and used the meat for the original chili for something else. Apparently, onions don't stay good forever. Who knew?

Anyway, I've never made chili before, so I hope this doesn't suck.

One of Those Days

2007-02-27T09:38:00.000-06:00

This morning started out well. I snoozed once more than I should have, but managed to shower and dress fairly quickly. I only put on one outfit, as opposed to putting on pants and a top, deciding the top doesn't work, finding a top I like, but then having to change the pants and then searching for socks and shoes.

I left the house about five minutes later than planned, not bad. I drive to work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays because I have class after work. Class gets out at nine, and I don't really like the idea of waiting for the bus or train to get to the train station to take Metra home that late at night.

Driving to work blows. What should be a 25-30 minute drive takes at least an hour and, if I don't get on the road by 6:45, it takes at least an hour and a half, sometimes more. So, I head out, all happy about being on time and planning to get gas on the way, because my light was on and I was low.

I usually go to the Shell station on Dempster, across the street from Notre Dame High School. They aren't always the cheapest, but usually they are so, even if they're a penny more, I'm okay with that, because they are consistently cheap. This gas station is not close to my house, but it is on the way to 94. As I neared the gas station I realized I didn't have my wallet. I went to bowling Monday night and took my wallet out of my purse. Then this morning, when I was switching purses, the wallet was on the floor, I didn't see it and didn't think about it.

So, I kept driving, muttering to myself, wondering what I should do. If I could get to work, I know one of my work friends would loan my money for gas. But would I get to work? Had it not been morning rush hour, maybe, but it was morning rush hour. Did I really want to risk it?

No.

So, I turned around and drove home. By the time I got home, got my wallet, got gas and got back on the road, it was an hour later than when I started.

If you think traffic stinks at 7am, you should see it at 8am. JEEBUS.

I took surface streets as far as I could without risking getting lost (I get lost easily) and then got on the highway.

I got to work at 9:15.

Ugh.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2007-02-24T22:33:00.000-06:00

I'm a very opinionated person. Thus far, in the decorating of our house, I've had an idea and Mr has accepted it (for the most part - he's made a few suggestions to tweak ideas and he's usually right). I've been pretty good. I was worried about my office, because I picked a pale pale mint color and I was afraid with the new white furniture it would look like a baby's room. But it was good.

The guest room was a flop. I picked what I thought was a lovely shade called "Butter Up!" It was not lovely. It was bad. So, we went back to the paint store and got a lovely blue/grey, which has turned out wonderfully. The nice part about being in school and completely overbooked is that Mr is entirely responsible for fixing up the house. This weekend, while I was reading and researching, he was priming, taping, and painting. Right now he's cleaning up and later we'll load in what furniture we have for the room.

We're also working on the bathroom. I have been completely uninspired. I don't really like anything. We went to a tile store - Mr used to be their accountant - and looked around. We were both getting frustrated. Mr was looking for stone type stuff and it all just looked too boring for me. Then. I saw the glass tiles. I love glass tiles. I just dig the way they look. We found a stone that we both liked and I was asking what decorative trim they have for it. She said there is none, and you can use whatever you want. After a bit of prodding, she made a suggestion and showed us the glass tile.

Mr is unsure. He thinks he'll break it. How you break 1" tiles that are 6 feet up the wall is beyond me, but he thinks they'll break. Really, he's worried that it will look weird. He's never seen glass and stone. I can't find examples, but I just know it will be good.

This is the stuff. We've picked a pretty neutral beige-y stone with traces of red/brown in it. This would run, probably in a row of three tiles, about six feet up, just under the shower head.
I'm thinking we'll paint the walls the light yellow color. I already found a paint at Sherwin Williams called "White Raisin" that looks really good.

Wedding Stuff

2007-02-18T21:46:00.000-06:00

For some reason, I feel compelled to apologize whenever I talk about my wedding here. I don't know why. I mean, this blog has no express purpose than an outlet for me to discuss what comes to mind and, as a person planning a wedding, wedding stuff comes to mind frequently. Still, I feel bad. Oh well.

This weekend was good for wedding stuff. I took my dress to a wonderful seamstress on Friday who, for $275, will be able to shorten the gown without losing any of the beading. It isn't heavily beaded, but there is a lil' something on the bodice (where the only horizontal seam is) and at the hem. I was worried that they wouldn't be able to shorten it without losing some of the sparkle, which would really change the look of the dress.

$275 seems like a lot, but that includes all the fittings and other alterations that come with a wedding dress. I've heard horror stories of being told it will cost X and then finding out, too close to the wedding to do anything about it, that there's an extra charge for x, y, and z. So, I'm cool with the $275 since it is a flat rate.

The people who are doing it are really nice too. I like them. The woman's mother started a shop and she has taken over and turned it into a boutique - they sell bridesmaid, MOB, MOG and prom dresses there and her sister runs a tux shop next door. They have the only brown tuxedos in Chicagoland. This works out well for me since I was planning on doing very dark brown - like espresso - dresses for the bridesmaids with lavender/light purple bouquets.

I saw the color combo in an issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and loved it. I was so happy when I saw their brown tux, and then the tie selection that they have. They had a lavender striped tie that was just different shades of lavender. "Perfect!" I thought.

I brought home a brochure for Mr so he could see what I was planning. He was ok with the brown tux - it's very dark - but not at all ok with my choice of tie (this lilac one). "You can't make the guys wear purple. You might as well put them in dresses." Ugh. So, I'm not sure what to do. I don't want them in the brown tuxes if they're wearing all brown (ie a brown tie, too). I don't really want to change the color scheme and lose the brown altogether, but since the shade I like and wanted is super-dark brown, I think it would look bad with black tuxes.

So, my mom called me to catch up. I told her about the shop and the tuxes and her reaction was... not what I was looking for. She basically laughed at the idea of brown tuxes, saying that she "always" liked black tuxes because they are classic and won't look "silly" years from now. She said that my brother's wedding had brown and black and it looked fine. Which is true, but the bridesmaid dress I wore in that wedding was a much softer, lighter brown, not an almost-black. They got married in June. I'm getting married in October. I feel like it has to be richer, more saturated colors.

For the past three years I've been working in Marketing. I don't have a design degree, but a lot of what I do is design work. I've developed an appreciation for a well-executed color scheme and I'm a little more sensitive to how things are carried through. When I found this color palette in Martha Stewart, I thought it was great. I want it carried out through the whole wedding - dark brown, with punches of pale purple, accented by white. I don't want the brown too light because it is a fall wedding. I want the dominate color to be a rich, fall, hue. I don't like red or shades of red in weddings. I feel like a) red bridesmaid dresses are a little overwhelming on a large scale b)it's over done.

But I digress. My mom just doesn't get that to have the men in black throws off my color scheme. I mean, I was planning on invitations in dark brown ink, just to keep things unified. I know most people won't notice or comment. That isn't the point. I will notice. I didn't get too into it with her, because I know that she doesn't get it. She's not going to get it. But I wish she did.

So, now I'm wondering what other color combos I can use. I want a fall look, but I'm not crazy about jewel tones. I suppose I could do the chocolate/espresso and blue instead of purple. It would be the same effect, or pale green. But that means that Mr will have to like the brown tuxes and be ok with his guys wearing something other than black tux, white shirt, black vest, back tie - which is apparently what he's worn for every wedding he's been in.

If you got this far into the post, what do you think? Am I crazy with the brown tux?

Way Back Wednesday

2007-02-14T11:17:00.000-06:00

Actually, I stole this from a "Tuesday" meme, but I didn't like the Wednesday site I was sent to so... whatever.

I felt like doing a meme this morning, possibly because I particularly spas-tastic this morning and don't want to focus on work. Also note that it is almost noon and I'm talking about "this morning."

Anyway. Here it is:

What songs remind you of your first "real" boyfriend/girlfriend? My first boyfriend loved the song "La Bamba" because he saw that movie about Richie Valens starring Lou Diamond Phillips. I distinctly remember him telling me this when we were on a "date" - we went to Pizza Hut with his family.

Did you ever have a song that was considered "your song" when you were part of a couple or now? I don't think so. Even now, I have a favorite song, which I must dance to whenever I hear it, but it's more my thing and Mr humors me. Sometimes a random song will come on the radio and he'll call it our song - but it is always something that is very much not a "couple-y" song like "The Immigrant Song" by Led Zepplin. Not that I don't love that song - if I were a major league ball player, the intro would totally be my at-bat music.

If you could dedicate one song to someone you love, what song would it be? I don't know. My very favorite Elvis song is what we'll be dancing to at our wedding, and it makes me think of him now. Mostly because once, on valentine's day, he surprised me by having a Vermont Teddy Bear (this one, actually) sent to my office. The card was unsigned, but had some lines from the song in it. So, I guess I'd dedicate that song to him. That was a good Valentine's Day.

In your opinion, who writes the best love songs. This is subjective. Hhhmmmm... I don't know. Maybe Journey?

Mission: Bubble Bath - Not Complete

2007-02-13T18:42:00.000-06:00

So, I was so excited on Friday when my tub was "fixed" that I just posted right away. After the plumber left, I started to follow his instructions - to pour two cups of bleach down the drain to clear out any grease (also, I was supposed to let my husband know he should caulk the seal on the faucet [another thing not done by the moron who put in our tub]. He also left the panel off so that my husband could see what he had replaced. I think there was something else I was supposed to tell my husband, but I don't know, maybe I forgot because I'm just a stupid girl. I HATE it when people assume I can't do stuff because I don't have a penis.). Anyway. Where was I?

Bleach. Right. So, while the bleach was clearing things out I posted my joy and did some internet research on the best way to clean tub jets. Then, after some time had passed, I started cleaning the jets. Turns out, the waste/overflow system wasn't the only thing the douchebag who redid the bathroom didn't do properly. We once again had water in the living room, though not as much as before. We just noticed it because the big hole in the ceiling made the water really obvious.

The jets, or the pipes that connect to the jets are leaking. They are, naturally, the jets closest to the wall. And, since we installed a fancy-schmancy closet system that I don't want to take down and I also don't want to cut a hole in the closet and then repair the wall and repair the closet system, I have decided to get a new tub. Yes, the old tub works, and it is just the jets that don't work. However. Without being able to turn on the jets, I am unable to clean the jets. If I can't clean the jets I can't take a bath. In which case we are stuck with an awkward, ugly stupid shower.

So. We're completely remodeling the bathroom - new tub, tile, fixtures, vanity, toilet, etc. Totally new.

Do you realize how expensive bathrooms are? Sheez. I guess I know what I'm doing with my tax refund.

What Are You So Worried About?

2007-02-13T11:50:00.000-06:00

What is the deal with homophobia? Honestly. I really don't understand what the problem is with allowing gay/lesbian/etc couples to marry.

This has been talked about all over the blogosphere, and I don't know that I have anything really of substance to add to the conversation, but I'm so confused.

Bitch PhD has a lovely entry on it here
And there are some other good points here (that's a really nice blog, by the way, that I should list in my links, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.)

This is an interesting tactic. I guess one of the reasons against a same-sex union is that they can't produce children. So, this is an interesting extrapolation of that conceit.

But what REALLY got me worked up this morning was this.

The Indiana Senate has passed an amendment clarifying that marriage is between one man and one woman. It has to pass the legislature and then the good people of Indiana will vote on it in the 2008 election.

I just don't get it. What are people afraid of? How can loving someone be wrong? Why do they care? What does it matter if I choose to love one man or two? Or a man and a woman? Why can't I declare them to be my family in a legal sense? Why is it that my relationship with Mr is A-OK but two women who love each other and want to dedicate their lives to each other are wrong? I don't see how being able to legally choose who is your family - and thereby who benefits from your health insurance, who can make decision about your health, who can raise your children - is any of the court's business. I've yet to hear an argument that makes sense.

I would really like to hear, honestly, what is so fucking scary about same-sex marriage. Or plural marriage, or whatever. Now, I know that plural marriage carries a whole lot of other taboos and most of these measures are directed at same-sex couples, but they are stipulating ONE man and ONE woman. Bigamy does have the potential for people (usually women) to get taken advantage of. However, so does lots of other socially-acceptable relationships.

I like to think that we live in a society where people are respected as people regardless of their religion, race, or sexual orientation. It frustrates me so much to see that we haven't come that far as a society after all.

If anyone out there has a logical explanation for me, I would really like to hear it. I don't think I have a ton of regular readers, but if you do feel inspired to comment or start a discussion, please keep it nice. I want to know your thoughts about the issue, not how you think I'm going to hell for thinking it is ok for people to love whomever they love.

Dogs Rule

2007-02-12T09:33:00.001-06:00

I love this commercial. Even when I have something tivo'd, and can skip commercials, I watch this one.

Hank is a shelter dog. We got him at the Anti-Cruelty Society. He was in a cage with another puppy who was allegedly his brother. They were calling them Flip and Chip. Chip was kind of an asshole and would bite Hank and didn't like people. When we went to see Hank, we kept him out for a long time playing with him and talking about whether or not we'd give him a good home. This guy was at the shelter and had taken out Chip. You could tell he'd rather have Flip.

This commercial makes me want to adopt another dog, but I think Hank is enough. He's a good dog.

Mission: Bubble Bath

2007-02-09T17:11:00.000-06:00

I have spent the majority of my day today with a plumber. He was very nice and I will love him always because...
(drumroll, please!)

My tub is fixed!

He had to cut a hole in my living room ceiling and there was a little drainage mishap (thankfully, I was pretty quick grabbing a bucket), but now my tub is functioning. I have to clean it and flush out and scrub the jets (I've instructed Mr to bring home a kid's toothbrush so I can really get in there) but, once I do all that work I plan on taking a long bubble bath, shaving and then showering.

Though I love baths, I do feel that you should take a shower after. I know it is a waste of water, but a) it is hard to wash your hair in the tub as you're rinsing into the water that all the dirt you scrubbed out is in and b) you're sitting in all the dirt you've scrubbed out. So, I always bathe until the water is cold, then rinse off and wash my hair in a shower after. Not really a great water-saver, but I don't do it very often and I haven't had a good shower in two weeks.

I've taken pictures of the event and the mess in the living room and once I replace the baterries in my camera, I'll post them here.

Some Tips for Winter Weather

2007-02-08T08:43:00.000-06:00

It is really f'ing cold out. So cold, in fact, that as soon as you walk outside, you can feel the little hairs in your nose freeze. That's cold.

My mornings start with Hank. I drag my butt out of bed and take Hank for a walk. These days, the walks are very short. Hank doesn't own any clothing (I tried to buy him a sweater and it didn't fit. It didn't seem right to have my dog try on clothes in the middle of Petsmart, but apparently, that is what people do). So, with no extra protection, I don't take Hank outside for very long. When I'm all bundled up in seventeen layers, one of which is a long down coat, and I'm freezing, I figure he shouldn't be out there in his doggy nakedness.

This morning was really cold, and my poor little nose felt like it was freezing. Since I took the train today, I decided that this was a situation that needed attending to. So, I took an extra scarf and wrapped it around my head like Randy in A Christmas Story. I thought I was so smart as I walked to the train. I was cold, but my nose was ok. And, since I'd left my mouth uncovered, it looked like I would get away without all that gross condesation that usually happens when you put a scarf over your face.

Not so much. I got to the train and I noticed something in my line of vision - like a stray hair or lint or something. I took off my mitten and tried to remove it. It was not lint. It was water. Not only had my nose been creating some lovely moisture, but my eyes, in an attempt to save themselves from freezing in their sockets, had started to tear. So, My eyes were not just glassy but totally wet. My mascara? Now all over my hand and, I presumed, my eyes. So, I got on the train, took off the second scarf and grabbed a little mirror that I have in my purse. Yep, raccoon eyes.

So, I try to wipe them clear. It's not really happening. Of course, I have no tissue in my bag, so I'm stuck with my hands.

Except.

Well, here's the thing. When Aunt Flo comes to visit, I generally keep pad wrappers for use in disposal of used ones. I recently got a coupon for Kotex, and so I bought some. I think I shall use them exclusively now. Kotex wrappers are different - they're sort of clothy instead of plastic. I happened to have one in my purse. Since it was all clothy and soft, I used it to clean up my eyes. I'm not ashamed to say. Well, ok I'm a little ashamed, but not too much. I even used it to blow my nose once the eyes were taken care of.

So, here are my winter weather tips:

1. Use waterproof mascara in really cold weather to prevent a problem like mine.
2. Carry tissues in your purse.
3. If you don't carry tissues, then switch to Kotex and keep a wrapper in your purse.

It's a two-fer!

2007-02-07T10:34:00.000-06:00

So, I posted my life rating, which is fun, but I don't really have anything to say about that. I did think that I would score lower, because I thought I was answering the questions wrong, but I guess my life is pretty ok.

What I really wanted to talk about is rush-hour traffic reports.

Since my shower is still not fixed, I drive to work pretty much every day. I was driving Tuesdays and Wednesdays, because I have class after work and it is easier to drive than take the train. Now I drive on Mondays too so that I can shower at work. I leave pretty early to ensure that I'll get up to my desk on time and to minimize the chance that someone in my office will know that I'm in the shower. It's just not a conversation I really want to have.

ANYWAY. Yesterday I drove because it was Tuesday, though I skipped the shower (the showers here are not great, and I don't really like to use them, so I shower every other day). It took me over two hours to drive to work yesterday. Yuck.

So, today, I left at 6:30am. I wanted to get out earlier, but I overslept and traffic is usually light that early, so I thought it would be ok. It wasn't. I didn't get to work until ten to eight, which is better than a two hour drive, but only by forty minutes.

I understand why there is traffic, there's an accident, whatever, that's fine. What I can't stand are the traffic reports. Things like "it's getting pretty heavy on the big road that you drive on, so make sure to leave early today and give yourself some extra time." What?

I don't know about you, but my morning routine is pretty tightly scheduled. There is no leisurely unaccounted for time that I could use for driving. I don't sit and read the paper or make pancakes for breakfast. How am I supposed to give myself some extra time? I hate that. Plus, I don't listen to the radio in the morning - because I'm just trying to get out of the house, so when I hear you tell me to leave a little more time, I'M ALREADY IN MY CAR!

jeez.

7.9 isn't too bad

2007-02-07T10:20:00.000-06:00

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.9
Mind:	6.5
Body:	6.4
Spirit:	6.3
Friends/Family:	6.5
Love:	9.2
Finance:	8.4
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Major Life Decision

2007-02-06T11:01:00.000-06:00

I have decided that I would like to be a woman of leisure. I just have too many interests and not enough time to explore them. This whole working thing is just getting in the way. Here are some of the things I would do, if I had enough time:

1. Play guitar. I own a guitar and took lessons at The Old Town School of Folk Music. It was awesome and fun. I never have time to practice anymore. At the moment, all I can really play is "Hungry Heart" by Bruce Springsteen. But I ROCK IT. Think of what I could do if I had time to practice and take more lessons.

2. Knit. I taught myself to knit in college and made a scarf or two. I started a blanket for my cousin when she was pregnant with triplets. They are now almost five. The blanket is still not finished. I want to knit cozy socks and hats and maybe a cool felted purse like I saw on Knitty Gritty on the DIY network. I love shopping for and buying yarn. But knitting takes time and time I do not have.

3. Exercise. I realize this should be a part of my life in order for me to be healthy and it should probably be higher on this list but, quite frankly, it takes way too much effort. I'm a bad runner, I don't stretch and I tend to hurt myself. I do really well with gym equipment and group classes. Those things take time and money.

4. Dance. I used to be a dancer, in high school. I would really love to take tap dancing lessons again, because it is lots of fun.

That's it for now. I have to get back to work.

Heh

2007-02-03T21:28:00.000-06:00

i just bought my wedding dress.

it's awesome.

however, the beady stuff on the bottom hem and the bodice mean that to shorten it to fit me might mean losing some of the beady stuff which I'm not sure I want to part with. So I have to take it in for a consultation and, if it doesn't work, I'll have to return it.

i hope I don't have to return it. I really like it.

It's weird though. There's a wedding dress hanging in my closet.