July 2008

So I had one of those days …

but then I talked to Becca for awhile this afternoon and just as a conversation with a best friend often does I left feeling 100 times better. The best advice to be given can sometimes be to just feel what you feel and let it be what it is. I forget that sometime and expect too much of myself or expect to be looking to “fix” however I’m feeling. Sometimes it makes more sense just to feel it and take that time to cry in the shower or bum around your room or listen to sappy music or feel homesick. Apparently it takes a reminder for me to remember that.

And then again some days you just need a big elephant hug. Guess Glory will have to do for today.

First and foremost …not that my sister will read this before the exam but just in case, and so that when she checks it eventually she can retroactively appreciate my support, I wanted to wish her good luck, buena suerte, break a leg, so on and so on. Three more days and you are home free. I will then expect you to resume your comments upon my blog. Even while you are in China if they still let people use the internet there.

Back to life, back to reality, after a fun weekend (minus the gratuitous amounts of driving) in Eureka. Several observations:

• As long as you have plenty of food, wine, and 80s music you can indeed make a party out of an afternoon reception.
• I will only invest about thirty minutes of my wedding day in taking posed photographs. I applaud anyone who has more patience than that.
• Never play “would you rather” with someone that has an execution list that includes Rosie O’Donnell. Seriously. It just gets weird.
• I didn’t have enough cousins. I clearly was deprived.
• The Holiday Inn Express does not appreciate smoking, football, and loud voices at 1 am.
• If somebody tells you that you aren’t going to know the answer to their Twenty Questions game, you probably aren’t.
• Five pizzas are never enough.

Oh and when in doubt, always bring a sweater.

I got my free Obama bumper sticker from MoveOn.org today. I can now start spreading my Obama love … kinda like one might spread herpes. Seriously – that’s the jist of this ad:

I get that they are trying to appeal to 20-somethings but I mean really? We aren’t all STD-ed, sex crazed, Boy Meets World fans. Ok well who didn’t love Mr. Feenie (sit down John, sit down John) but still.

Apparently California is still on fire in various places. We saw a fire just south of Santa Rosa on the drive home and then apparently there’s another one near Yosemite. It makes me think of that Tina Fey joke about the Governator:

Did I mention that other than the astronomical prices and the 50 degree summer days I just love California?

Well Jon’s parents and brother all got in ok and now tomorrow morning we are all off to Eureka for weekend wedding fun.

A few things first though:

• CONGRATS to Lacey for successfully defending her thesis and earning those coveted two letters after your name. You are now a master … of the universe? Either way I can’t wait until we can catch up and I can hear all about it and enjoy you being back to non-stressed Lacey. Next up – Docta Docta!
• Get well soon Mom. Seriously. This has gone on long enough.
• GOOD LUCK studying this weekend Kat. Before you know it you’ll be in China and I’ll be sending you this:
• Good luck to TJ with your kid filled weekend. I hope it doesn’t fill you with the desire to have one any time soon. While there are so many good Someecards to send on that topic, I’d prefer selfishly to not have to share you with yet one other needy, whining thing (other than Nolan I mean – ha just kidding)

Um ok I think that’s my shoutouts for the day. And I’m super tired so sorry for the boring blogging week. Jon will be happy that I’ve been less novelish in my posts lately and easier to keep up with. Next week though it’s on.

Olympics are on soon. An excuse to indulge in my secret gymnastics fetish and watch hot men in Speedos break world records. Oh and eat Chinese food just to feel like I’m there. But not real Chinese food … more like green tea and fortune cookies that give me my lotto numbers and a Chinese word of the day.

I knew there was a reason I kept a blog.

Happy Wednesday!

Thankfully Someecards has some new cards relating to the bar exam so I can fully connect with my sister as she enters the last week of studying before the exam. I mean the X-files cards were connection enough but this just brings it to a whole new, in the here and now kind of level. Don’t worry though Kat I won’t send you the Good luck on passing the bar and my early condolences if you don’t one just in case it would jinx you. Just kidding you are going to do great!

In other news, thank you ValleyWag for letting me know how to avoid the awkardness reality of real phone communication – Slydial. You can call 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425) and then the phone number of the person who want to leave a voicemail for and (after having to listen to an ad) you are directly connected. None of the waiting for the phone to ring faster and hoping the person won’t pick up. This is genius. Would’ve been really helpful in junior high when you would call a guy just to hear his voice when he picked up. Now you could just call and listen to his voice on his voicemail and he would never know. Sweet.

Off to clean a bit and head over to the Becks for dinner in awhile.

It’s late tonight so I’m sticking to a dependable source for blog inspiration, other blogs/websites. This fabulous article about the rampant knife crime in Britain is actually a serious subject, but thankfully Gawker manages to make a sad problem into a mocking and sarcastic read. And by serious subject I mean it. They have exploding organ freezing knives there that are meant for killing sharks and bears. Personally I think by advertising that fact it is only a matter of time before every redneck in the States (led by Dick Cheney) will be asking for their local WalMart to carry them. Either way the comments are once again where the action is at:

Coronel Mustard says (yes I’m serious), “Say what you will, but drive-by knife-throwers are pretty f-ing scary”

Clearly focused on the days of dueling – “If they start banning knives then spoon fighting is going to take forever to determine a victor…..”

Apparently Jack the Ripper was just the beginning.

In other news, I spent the evening eating crappy Chevy’s TexMex (no offense ladies but if there is no queso it gets the thumbs down) and chatting with some friends to celebrate Anneliese’s one year wedding anniversary since her hubby is in Uganda. I don’t particularly like salsa or peppers so I scraped most of them off my nachos and then got home and realized I will likely get salmonella (probably not but I’m feeling dramatic and accident prone so the combination leads to this) so I proceeded to look up all of the signs and symptoms, which include:

• Headache
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Fever (almost always present)

So I am crossing my fingers that all is well but my paranoid side is thinking I should likely start downing Gatorade tomorrow to prep for possible dehydration just in case.

In any case at least then I could get a day off of work and enjoy the crappy weather for what it is really good for – movies and being under blankets.

Happy Monday.

After a week where I felt a little out of whack I finally determined that what I really needed was a night to myself. So after an afternoon of cuddling with Margaret’s sister’s eight week old apricot poodle puppy I made myself some ramen noodles, opened a cream soda, and popped in a predictable cheesy romantic movie (Definitely, Maybe). Between that and finishing off the bag of bittersweet chocolate almond toffee I bought at the Farmer’s Market yesterday I think I am ready to take on another week.

I took a long walk earlier with Glory in the cold San Francisco summer day and thought a lot about life and love and all of the things that cool weather and Sundays at 5 pm bring about. I helped at the high school service this morning at church and the speaker talked about coming upon a time where you determine that who you are is different than who you want to be. She played the song by Switchfoot, This is your Life, which goes:

I kinda like that thought that yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead. Something that has come and passed, that leaves its mark as a reminder of what you’ve gained. I was thinking back to when I was in high school and when I was in college. I think that volunteering with young people for the past year almost has brought to mind where I was and how I got to where I got and how I am where I am now.

It’s so complicated sometimes to think back to life a year ago even. I think a year ago I knew that I was not who I wanted to be. And for the first time I stood up and took a step towards who I knew I could be. I’m not incredibly big on sharing anything emotionally meaningful (who knew) but I will say that one step was the most important of my life. It really is true that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step. And I can’t entirely say that I am there yet, to being that person who I want to be – that person who I truly am, but I am at least that one step closer. And I think I’ve taken a few more along the way.

Long day today. Mainly just because I spent the afternoon with a wicked headache that wouldn’t let go. Thanks to TJ’s ibufrofen (thanks!) and some Tuttimelon it got a little less intense but I still think I spent the entire time hanging out with Anneliese and Diane in a sort of spacey, headache-induced floating state. I’m trying to tell myself it is more the lack of sleep than the lack of coffee. I mean I only drink a half a cup a day, since my other half of my mug is full of vanilla soy milk. Could I really be that addicted? I mean if it was the lack of my half cup of joe then that is just further proof that I need to stick to tea only.

I think I realized today that despite the fact that sometimes I’m happy how quickly the days roll past and some days I can’t believe the days roll by so fast … either day life sure passes by before you know it. I can’t believe we are already more than halfway through July. I find myself often switching back and forth between impatience and the desire to just soak up the seconds as they pass. But as for now … the only time I’m thinking about is bed time Good night.

First off, CONGRATS to Anneliese on the job promotion.

For the rest of us who are still stuck in our administrative positions making next to nothing, you can always supplement that salary through replying to this Craigslist ad (thanks Kat):

Nemesis required. 6-month project with possibilty to extend

Reply to:
Date: 2008-05-07, 2:49PM

I’ve been trying to think of ways to spice up my life. I’m 35 years old, happily married with two kids and I have a good job in insurance. But somethings missing. I feel like I’m old before my time. I need to inject some excitement into my daily routine through my arm before its too late. I need a challenge, something to get the adrenaline pumping again. An addiction would be nice, but, in short, I need a nemesis. I’m willing to pay $350 up front for you services as an arch enemy over the next six months. Nothing crazy. Steal my parking space, knock my coffee over, trip me when I’m running to catch the BART and occasionally whisper in my ear, “Ahha, we meet again”. That kind of thing. Just keep me on my toes. Complacency will be the death of me. You need to have an evil streak and be blessed with innate guile and cunning. You should also be adept at inconpsicuous pursuit. Evil laugh preferred. Send me a photo and a brief explanation why you would be a good nemesis.
British accent preferred.

• it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• Compensation: $350 up front

Original URL: http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/672031640.html

I’ll let you all know if I get the job or not.

(p.s. you know you really are in admin. when after posting that ad I immediately had to correct the typos in it. Can’t help myself. Besides it’s #99: Grammar on Stuff White People Like.)

Turning in for the night. Two days down, three to go before the weekend!

So if it isn’t general knowledge I’ll just say it right now, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the internet, specifically reading blogs and browsing news sites (along with Twittering, playing on Facebook, and sending Someecards – but that’s irrelevant). But I have just recently begun to realize that sometimes people’s comments on the articles can be the most insightful, and let’s face it funniest, of all.

For example this story from Gawker: We Are All Racist for Not Hating the New Yorker Cover. Interesting story regardless of if you think the attempt at humor was approrpriate or not. If you haven’t seen the cover it is to the left and features Barack and Michelle Obama doing a “terrorist fist jab” dressed in Muslim garb, with Osama on the wall and the American flag burning. I expect I will get an email from my grandfather pretty soon indicating that this was actually a real photograph taken only a week ago, but that’s a whole other topic.

Anyway so the commentary obviously ranged but in general I found it hilarious. Some excerpts:

I have a Muslim friend who tells me she’s continually offended that to the majority of Americans, a Muslim running for president would be tantamount to tapping your foot in a men’s restroom or doing it with an intern. Like, would it be so terrible if he were a Muslim? And I nodded gravely, because I know she speaks for all Muslims. – from PrincessKashmir

Or from Multiphasic -