F-Word Friday: Finale

Okay I'm officially retiring this theme. I'm totally out of F-words that make any sense.

Well, I'm often out of *all* words that make sense but usually only toward the end of the week!

So Wednesday night, I, The Traveling Geek, drove my butt way up to Fabulous Greeley Colorado for a new (to me) location of Geeks Who Drink. There is no photo of us there as the Quizmistress only takes pics of the top 3 teams and we came in 4th - not bad considering the winning team cheated, though I forgive them because of their name... The Evil League of Evil. If you know me at *all* you know why!

Still though... bad form, ELE! We saw what you did! And we'll be watching.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!!

Anyway, the margarita I had was fabulous (it's the best thing going at The Rio), however the soup I had was... well, let's just say I won't be getting it again. It was tortilla soup, but while the ingredients had me expecting something akin to my favorite soup at Ajuua!, what I got was a bowl of taco-seasoned chicken with a chunk or two of avocado thrown in for color and the liquid from the taco-pan tossed in so it looked like soup. It was the saltiest damn thing I have ever eaten, and I like salty foods so that's saying something!

Even still, the quizzing was good but TOUGH! There was a whole round on documentaries that nobody liked, which made me feel better about the fact that we got not *one* question right on that round.

Thursday's quizzing down in Arvada was much more rewarding, with a 3rd place win for the Bastard Children of Your Name Here... we were all a little overwhelmed this week, I think, so lazy won out over clever.

The best part of Thursday's D-note amusement, however, was the new feature... Karaoke after the quiz! I did not sing, as I had to drive home and so couldn't ingest the requisite amount of alcohol needed to get me up on stage, but I did have fun hearing everyone else, and the catalog is great so it could happen. Someday... if there's rum. I was heartened to see that everyone was in it just for fun and the stage is set up so that you really can't see anything or anyone past the monitor, so I think I could actually do it.

If I do, it will either be All I Wanna Do Is Have Some Fun by Cheryl Crow, or Good Morning Heartache by Billie Holiday.

I am a strange girl.

Friday was pretty quiet at work, thankfully, which gave me a little slack time to start getting really excited about the upcoming Disney trip! The resort is GORGEOUS, the food looks amazing, there is *so* much to do there, and of course (glurge alert) a whole week with TR, no work deadlines or time obligations hanging over me, will be lovely and relaxing. (Hey TR... in case I forget to tell you... I had a great time, and thank you!)

This weekend will contain Rhythm on the River once again (our 4th year, their 15th!), including a 12:30 show on Saturday by my favorite local Irish band, The Indulgers! I'm excited.

Have a wonderful weekend, stay cool and do something fun!

F-Word Friday: Fried

That was the longest damn week in history.

I'm just saying.

Since I am now totally without brains, I'm officially designating this Jack Harkness Weekend in the Mimi house, but I don't want to leave you hanging too much, so I'll just leave this here.

As one blogger said... now she's just toying with my heart.

My sentiments exactly!

Happy weekend, and wish me some normalcy next week!

F-Word Friday: Back On Track, or Finally Posting Again

Okay! Back to regular posting, which means posting more than once a week. Lucky you.

Well, it's Friday morning, rather early, and I managed to find an unsecured wireless connection in my mom's neighborhood. I feel a little bad, but I'm not a hacker and have no motives other than getting online for awhile, and I have to lay on the bed in the guest room with my head on the window sill to use it or the signal goes dead, so there ya go. Karma has been served!

So I didn't get into Tucson until about 9:30 Wednesday night, which was rough on me but also my poor mother, who's used to being asleep by 8:30 or so! (Thanks mom.) I've been away too long it seems, because only one of her dogs was happy to see me, and it wasn't my Max. I was strangely upset by this, though it's silly to be. Buster (the boxer) was deeply disturbed by my presence, though he always is so no shock there. Greta was her usual sweet self - toss (well, roll) her ball for her, and she'll be your buddy!

Buster eventually warmed up a bit, though I'm still a bit wary of going into the hallway at night. None of them would ever hurt a fly, of course, but there's nothing quite as startling (and humiliating - nothing like waking the whole house up because you need to pee at 1AM) as a very large dog barking deeply directly at YOU!

Veeeeery early Thursday morning, I was up and eating cereal with my mom. I figured since I was already up I'd walk her to work and see her new digs! It's a pretty fast walk, and truly Tucson's weather is gorgeous at that hour. It's just later that it heats up to...

Well the news folks said it hit 105, but the car thought it was 117 in the sun.

BRUTAL.

The morning, though, was truly lovely. Though it is a desert environment, Tucson is full of color and life - it just hides out in the hotter hours. First thing in the morning, however, I saw deep red flowers, delicately green mesquite and my favorite purple Prickly Pear cactus, not to mention tiny green lizards, birds everywhere and, of course, saguaros in every other yard.

Not sure what they are, besides hardy

Much purpler in real life

I ran for coffee next door to her office while my mom was getting her day started, a cute place called Rock N Java (they feature live music, thus the clever name). The nice lady who runs it in the morning, Heather, made me an iced coffee the way she likes it, and it's my new favorite. I'll be sorry to not be able to get it until next time I'm out here!

I hadn't had much caffeine (besides iced tea at J Alexanders last Sunday) in awhile, so I was extremely perky by the time I walked back to the house to get The Kid up and moving.

We both got dressed, and then it was off to the Pima Air Museum! I first went there a couple of years ago on a whim, since it wasn't far from my mom's work at the time (the acursed JB Steel, who can suck it).

I was amazed by their collection, but I only saw a fraction at the time! We saw a whole lot more this round.

Since it's cooler earlier in the day, one of the volunteers (a group of ex-Air Force fellas with a ridiculous amount of knowledge between them) suggested the tram tour that takes you around most of the 80 acres or so (!) of land to see almost all of what is outside. There's another tour that goes to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance Regeneration Group (the "Boneyard") on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base next door, but we didn't make that one since it didn't leave until 2. It was really hot and we knew we wouldn't make it until then. In the fall or winter I could definitely see spending a day or two really getting into the exhibits and walking around the property, but mid-June?

Not so much.

I've always had a fascination with WWII history. I'm guessing it started with early viewings of South Pacific and period movies and stars my mom loved (Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and the like), but later there was Empire of the Sun, Hope and Glory, and of course a deep fascination with aircraft - and the WWII planes were no doubt the prettiest. There's something so lush about their wide lines, riveted hulls, big props and straightforward machinery. There were computers after a fashion, but nothing so hands-off as we have now. Not that there isn't highly evolved skill required to fly today's planes, of course, but there seemed to be more of a partnership between man and machine then. They named their planes, gave them tattoos even!

The planes then weren't just tools, they were deeply loved, and that love lingers on in how they are still revered, restored and cared for.

Of course I've romanticized it. It's all about that first scene in South Pacific, and one of the best in Empire of the Sun.

Walking around the museums indoor exhibits, I was particularly fascinated by their newly restored P51 Mustang, and the B29 bomber taking up vast amounts of space in Hangar 4 (the Pacific Theatre display - shocking that I would aim there). That one ended up being The Kid's & my favorite, since one of the volunteers saw us drooling all over it (it really is glorious) and came over to give us a visual tour of the guts of the Sentimental Journey, as this one was dubbed.

So gorgeous!

Back home, we rested a little while, then got suited up and headed for the pool. It was the hottest point of the day, but we knew the cold water would feel fantastic! Of course the bonus of such a dry climate is that science works... when water evaporates from your skin that quickly, getting out of the pool means the sun and heat feel *good* rather than like punishment.

For a minute anyway.

I did sunblock the bejesus out of myself, I'll have you know, yet I still managed to get a bit pink around the edges.

And this is only June! I can't imagine August here. My mother is either very adaptable or totally bonkers. Probably both.

(Love you mom!)

The Kid and I headed back after a couple of hours and then it was Hungry Howie's for dinner than off to bed for us! It had been a long day.

Today's Friday, and on tap today is probably a little more time in the pool, and miniatures museum which promises to be amazing, plus sushi for dinner! Yum.

Happy Friday!

F-Word Friday: Is This Thing On? Oh Um... Frenetic!

Hi kids!

Miss me?

It's been a hell of a week, let me tell you. Oh nothing along the lines of oil spills and crippling unemployment, sure, but it has been a long and (clearly) time consuming one!

Let's see if I can remember... I'll set the wayback machine for Tuesday, when I posted last.

Tuesday was fun - a day of alternately whining about my stupid arm and scanning invoices.

Woohoo! Hold on to something, I don't want your excited freakout to cause you injury!

I ended up leaving early, actually, it was just too tough to sit at the desk anymore.

The one good thing that came out of it, however, was the realization that the cause of this injury is my job - at least I have a place to start in my attempt to remedy the situation and keep it from reoccurring if at all possible. The scanner is behind and to my right, and I have to reach behind and to the right a LOT to do the job, and the answer seems to be to move the scanner so that it's in front instead.

It also means I'm *just* ridiculous enough to be able to hurt myself with a scanner.

My life

Wednesday was extra SUPER DUPER fun... I got to take my sore arm to the dentist!

It was a necessary thing, and thanks to the kindness of one of the practice's doctors I didn't have to pay a dime, but it still sucked ass a bit. I have stubborn nerves, and even after 4 face-numbing shots of novocaine I could still feel about 50% of the drilling on the right side.

NOT FUN. But at least he was quick!

Wednesday night, as you can imagine, was full of a lot of me laying on the couch wishing for soup and generally feeling sorry for myself, drowning my sorrows in Captain Jack Harkness.

Obsessed? What do you mean exactly?

I finally gave up on the pity party though, in favor of some egg drop soup from my favorite local Chinese joint. It helped immensely!

Thursday I woke up and decided that it was going to be a better day. Do you ever find yourself needing to do that? Just suck it up and say "I can either be a crabby bitch or slap a smile on and hope for the best"? I was 75% successful.

I kept busy, but there was more scanning so by the end of the day - you guessed it. I had TR & Trivia to look forward to, though, so I slammed so more Ibuprofen and got on with it.

I got to drive through an absolutely glorious storm (I took a picture but I swear I was stuck in traffic at the time), had some delicious breadsticks and a glass of wine, and though we came in 4th or so, it was a fine showing.

High: Reiki from one of our tablemates. I slept better that night than I had in a week.

Low: 4 Non Blondes singing. Loudly. I hate that frickin' song, you know the one. I mean I HATE IT. I hate very few things in life, but for whatever reason that song is right up there.

Chris & I plugged our ears, but while I suffered in silence it drove him right over the edge after about 3 minutes.

Think Ralphie in A Christmas Story when the bully finally pushes him too far. I think it's the only time I've ever laughed while that song was playing, but I'm sorry it was at the expense of his sanity.

And bonus! I got my new phone! I love you, Verizon.

I keep wanting to call it a Truckin' Convoy

It's simple, but sturdy (good thing, due to my helmet-needing ways), has a great camera, CNet likes it, and it has a low radiation level. (I don't want to cook my brain too quickly.)

Friday was a better morning than I'd had all week, thanks to a large supply of Advil liquigels (thanks TR, you take such good care of me) and that reiki - I'm convinced!

Sure enough though, about halfway through the workday, it all started going downhill again. Shooting burning pain, etc. I finally mentioned the scanner thing to my boss and lo a light was shined into my life...

It qualifies for Workers Comp.

So I left early again, and headed to the doctor. An exam was had, x-rays were taken, and although I wasn't able to actually get the prescription he gave me for steroids for various reasons (just as well - I'm not sure I want them), I felt like I had taken steps.

Sometimes, just taking action can be enough to start you on the road to recovery.

Friday night I just kind of hit my limit for the week. It was gloomy, it was rainy, and while normally I like that sort of weather, after a weeks worth of ick I just couldn't deal. I didn't want to be alone, and thankfully Melissa was available so we had some cheap Mexican and watched a few bad movies.

The best one...

Oh. My. God. Sex, blood and drag queens. WIN!!! Melissa & I loved it!

This weekend is a mystery... not sure what I'm going to do! The Kid is still in Tucson, and I'll definitely be down in Arvada tonight for a U2 Is Missing party and hopefully a little live music, but beyond that, who knows?

This weekend I'm living the life of the unfettered, but slightly crippled.

Anything can happen!

Happy Weekend!

F-Word Friday: Fast and Furious

It's Friday already?!

These short weeks mess me up.

Posting has been difficult this week obviously; it's been unbelievably busy at work, which means by the time I get home I'm beyond beat.

So you get TWO update posts this week! See how everyone wins?

First up...

WTF WEDNESDAY

Or, as these folks might prefer it, WTF Wensday.

The Spelling Society, a group out of the U.K., feels that the English language is too complex, too outdated, and that it should be modernized. Or "modernised" if you're from there.

They like to protest at spelling bees with signs that say "Enuf is enuf. Enough is too much."

I'm of two minds on this.

On the one hand, yes English is hard to learn.

There are bits of verse out there that illustrate this fact, like...

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough and through.

Etc. etc. It's a weird, involved language. Point taken.

But you have to admit... it's interesting!

Don't you feel a sense of accomplishment when you can look back over your work and see you've used "your" and "you're" correctly? Or "yore" for that matter? That you've aced the whole "there, they're, their" thing?

I do! But I'm a nerd, so...

Their day may have come, though... one of The Kid's teachers actually told her spelling doesn't matter as long as she gets the answers right. Call me old fashioned, but...

No.

And of course there's the dreaded spellcheck. I use it now and again, certainly, but I don't rely on it even a little bit.

Also falling under WTF Wednesday... Macy's. As with Old Navy, they have now decided that we large people only get to order our clothes online, and aren't allowed to shop in their stores. Are they afraid we'll ruin their reps? Or maybe they're concerned we'll roll around like a bunch of Weebles and ruin all their carefully crafted displays.

Who knows.

Point is, I went in to look for a pair of capris to cover my large, non-corporate-friendly butt, and when I couldn't locate the Women's section was informed by the tiny 18-year-old sales girl that they "only carry normal sizes".

I'm surprised I wasn't more offended... actually I just laughed. What else can you do? I'll stick with being "abnormal", thanks... at least I know my curves are appreciated.

(Yardsticks. They're important.)

THRILLING THURSDAY

I did manage to find time for Trivia Wednesday night, and we took first place!

I didn't get to enjoy our win, though, as I was busy discussing the gift certificate from our *last* win with the manager.

It seems they've changed their policies, and the Trivia winnings aren't for use on Trivia night. Instead you have to bring them back and use them at a different time.

Whaaaa?

According to the managing partner (to whom I was directed to voice my complaint), this is so that their expenses to run GWD - the host's tab (she had two beers), the fee to run it (I can't imagine it's thousands of dollars) and the gift certificates (which they "don't have to do" according to him) - can be offset by further income and butts in seats.

This makes no sense to me, and it feels very unwelcoming. We go in there, we spend money regardless. As I told him, what makes more sense - that I use my $25 winnings for a couple of beers and appetizers, or that I come back on Ladies Night for $2 beers and really maximize the potential of those Trivia Bucks?!

He was unm0ved.

That's fine, though. There's no restriction on the gift certificates regarding hoarding. I'll just keep going back, not ordering anything at *all* when I do, winning as much as possible, and in a few months it's Party of 10. $25 a week adds up fast. (My but we are overconfident.)

Vindictive?

Maybe.

FINALLY FRIDAY

So yeah, it's been a long week. My alternate at work is on vacation, which means I'm doing both our jobs.

Naturally, this means that many many emergencies and weird situations have cropped up to be handled.

This weekends should be lovely though! Tomorrow morning I'm finally going to go do that testing for Front Range Community College (time hasn't been cooperating), and in the evening we're joining TR for a Rocky Mountain Rollergirls bout against Maryland's Charm City Roller Girls.

Sunday of course is Rollerpunks practice. The new skates are helping truckloads.

It's also another 3-day weekend for me... The Kid is leaving for Tucson mid-day Monday, and it's a bit of hike to the airport, so I'm just taking the day off. It'll give us a chance to sleep in and have breakfast before she takes off on her adventures! This also means lots of laundry Sunday night, and hopefully I'll be able to shoehorn in another visit with her Great-Gramma, who's currenty visiting.

And people wonder why I'm exhausted!

Sheesh.

Happy Friday, and have a wonderful weekend!

F-Word Friday: Again With No F-Words At All

I really do need a new theme.

Or maybe I'll just *keep* the theme and hope for the best?

I'm sure I'll say this about 50 more times before I actually do anything about it. Apologies in advance.

SO!

Last night was Trivia Night, natch, which was lovely as usual though the vibe was slightly different. I'm not sure what it was - perhaps it's that it isn't dark until trivia is almost over now, making it seem less like a Fun Nighttime Grownups Activity and more like a Wholesome Family Fun Extravaganza (Where They Say F*** A Lot).

Oh well.

I never did post about last week's trivia amusement, where we had too many people and decided to play boys vs. girls (Bastards vs. Bitches), and we girls totally kicked their asses for them AND got 3rd place and a gift certificate.

Woohoo! The Bitches took a lovely photo, but my arm looks weird - I was holding up our end of the fort - and I have to admit that the person giving the finger to the Bastards in their picture is, in fact, me.

I couldn't help it! All that trash talking from their end of the table had my Irish up. Them and their "helpful hints" about Boy George and Bon Jovi.

Well, that and two glasses of wine.

What did I say about letting me near wine?

The waiter is Travis, who is to be commended
for managing to photobomb BOTH of our teams

So last night, we did it again (with less crude gesturing), and although we came in 4th that's okay because we beat the pants offn'm once again!

I think we definitely need a single team again though. Between the two of our teams, we totally could have won both weeks.

See? Together we stand, divided one of us gets a gift certificate and the other is bitter.

The weekend will be really nice. It's a long one, yay Government Holidays!

The Kid is hanging with her grampa Saturday & Sunday, and they're going to see Iron Man 2, and to the fabulous Boulder Creek Festival, and they'll be making a quest to the Mothership (that moniker just amuses me to no end) so he can get ready for his entire family visiting this coming week.

They were going to go to the Colorado Ren Faire (beware! embedded music site!), but it's actually not open yet so there goes that! She & I (and whoever else wants to join us) will probably go later in the season. We don't get quite as much out of it as we did in Illinois, mainly because we don't really know anyone who works there, but we still get to dress up, and eat stuff off sticks, and window-shop, and it's a gorgeous drive out there, so there ya go.

I'm not sure what TR & I are doing, actually, other than spending a couple of days together, which is good enough for me. It's hard to believe, but it's been an entire year since our first date!

Don't worry, I'm not going to get all retrospective on you, but I will say this...

It's been a wonderful year, and I'm happy.

What more can I ask out of life?!

Last but not least, happy, healing thoughts to Nova, who just finished getting some surgery done. She's doing well, and will be even better soon, and the surgery went - as the doctor put it - "better than great". That is SO what you want to hear!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Grill something!

F-Word Friday: I Fneed A Fnew Ftheme

I'm seriously running out of F-words.

Suggestions?

So last night's concert was lovely (I'll post some videos when I'm at home, since I forgot the camera, a fact I'm sure shocks all of you), and I only cried twice, and just a little bit.

I don't think anyone noticed.

It's just so strange to think that I'll never see The Kid perform on that stage ever again! It's such a milestone!

I was surprised, when we moved here, to find out that there is no 8th grade graduation. It's just what's done where I grew up, private and public schools alike!

While I'm not a huge advocate of other sorts of graduations for the younger kids (I don't think it's necessary to graduate from, say, 5th grade to Junior High), it's a really big deal moving from grade school to high school. It's a huge change, and it's worth noting that passage with some kind of pomp and circumstance.

Here, it's just sort of "well, hope you had fun, good luck in your new school!".

When I finished 8th grade, we had a party and I got the best bike I ever owned which was stolen from me due to an unfortunate set of circumstances a couple of years later but we won't talk about that.

My whole family came, and there were caps and gowns and a diploma and everything.

It was wonderful, and really made me feel like I was transitioning from being a child to being a young woman.

It was important.

Well, she'll at least get taken out for dinner, and there will be cards to mark the occasion. Maybe I can find a "10" tassel to give her - I still have my from 1988, the year I graduated, not *from* 8th grade, but *to* high school.

This weekend will be filled with relaxation if I have to kill somebody to make it happen. Also, the possibility of beer cheese soup, Rollergirls on Sunday, and more work on the birthday gift I'm working up.

I'm hoping for some sleeping in on Sunday, too... it's been a long week!

Last but not least...

A resort on Easter Island! I want to go! Only 3 grand for a 3 day vacation, plus airfare etc.! A pittance, I tell you.

I'll file it under the "someday when I'm rich" header.

But oh...

If only.

F-Word Friday: Foregone Conclusion

A little whining today, my apologies in advance.

So I never went to college.

I wanted to (I wanted to be a teacher - Art or English), and it almost happened, but various circumstances joined forces and it just didn't work out that way (though my mom tried her damndest).

It always felt like such a loss. Today's word (okay, phrase) is "foregone conclusion" and that's just what college was for me! It was never a "maybe I'll go" sort of thing. I would no sooner have considered not going than I would have considered not going to high school after 8th grade.

I even got in to the college of my choice, with early acceptance and everything! Problem was the financial aid wasn't available, and we didn't find out until it was too late.

I was packing and everything, planning how my room would look.

Truthfully I don't think I've ever gotten over it really, and so every year on Graduation Day here at the College, I feel really...

Jealous.

I want to be walking with my friends and family, hair did, nails did, all gussied up in cap and gown down to the stadium, and hear them hoot & holler when it's my turn.

I want to be on the stage, having my name called and being handed a seal-decorated vinyl-covered scrapbook cover with a placeholder page inside.

Most importantly, I want to be doing something I enjoy, not just something for which I qualified. I could be a student forever, take it all the way to PhD even. Damn the student loans, full speed ahead!

They say it's never too late, but sometimes I wonder. How could I pull it off now? I have a mortgage, a car payment, a kid to finish raising.

I've often thought about chucking it all after The Kid heads off to college (or whatever - the Air Force, culinary school, massage therapist college... SOMETHING). Once she's settled in her own life, maybe I could sell the house, get student loans and go back to school full time.

But could I do it?

Could I give up what, at that point, will be 20 years of working and slaving, give up my house and any semblance of an adult life, and go back to being flat broke (well, flat broke-er), all based on the idea that if I get a degree in something I'll be happier?

Has comfort made me complacent?

I do alright now... my options are fewer, sure, but I'm in a good, solid job, I make at least enough to keep food on the table and let my kid do a sport and learn an instrument...

I'm kind of set right?

So why the longing?

Maybe it's just that I still feel the sting of missed opportunity. Who knows.

Eh, sorry for the maudlin post today... like I said, it's Graduation Day 'round these parts. It's hard to keep your head in the sand when it's all around you!

Here, I'll get the tiny violins out. You play em', I'll weep quietly in a corner.

This weekend... swimming, drinks with a friend, a quick birthday sewing project and a roller derby bout with TR & The Kid (which sounds like BJ & The Bear when I say it in my head). Two of the top teams in the country are playing, and it's a "friends and family only" event, to which we were invited since we are so cool (ok fine, AND because it's good for the Punks to see this stuff in action).

Have a lovely weekend!

F-Word Friday: Fresh

Well we nearly managed it again!

Team Bastard came in 2nd last night (pulling up from 5th) so go us (and we still beat Team Super Mecha Whateverthehell)! We only lost by a point, and that was only because some weirdo in Team Can't Type It Here, This Is A Family Blog knew all the kids in the Family Circus comic.

I forgive him though, merely for the fact of his awesome victory pose.

Like this but with more clothes

Since we had the spoils of several prior victories burning holes in our collective pocket, the team splurged on a few beers, some hummus, and a big spinach and garlic pizza, which was SOOOO good. D-Note makes their own crust I believe, but at the very least it's not a pre-formed sort of thing. Their pizzas are very rustic, and this one was piled with - oh Dandy, you'd just love it - whole cloves of roasted garlic!

OMG YES.

This weekend is full of stuff to do, which is alternately nice and exasperating. Nice because I don't feel like I've wasted days of time, but exasperating because OMG WE HAVE SO MUCH.

Tomorrow morning is the first day of the farmers market season in town, so we'll be getting up to get some fresh veg. I don't know what's in season, but whatever it is I'm getting some! I've really developed a taste for fresh and not shipped-from-elsewhere food.

After that it's off to the grocery store for supplies to make chocolate covered strawberries or fruit tarts (or maybe both, we'll see what's on sale) for a gathering we're attending later - maypole dancing might be involved... unless it's raining, because I'm a big baby.

Then later in the evening, we'll be off to Melissa's for her Fabulous Bacon Party!

My friend Melissa is writing a book all about bacon, and part of it is sampling some of the many, many varieties to be had in the world. She got a whole bunch of samples and we'll be fryin' em' up and chowin' down.

That was a lot of unnecessary apostrophes. I apologize.

Anyway, it should be lots of fun - I'm even going to bring wine. What wine goes with bacon? Hm.

I predict in the end, my favorite will still be your regular old, run-of-the-mill bacon. The skinny, crispy stuff. What can I say? I'm boring.

Sunday should be a lot more relaxed. We'll sleep in I think, then Rollerpunks practice and dinner afterward in some capacity or other. The Kid has a science fair project that needs finishing, but all that needs doing is to print some stuff up. Lacking a printer, this means a trip to grampas (he's so nice). Assuming we remember her flash drive, we'll probably do this on the way home Sunday.

And of course, I have to get started on a birthday present for my mom; well, WE have to get started. The Kid & I are doing it together! It's a cool one I think. Maybe lame. It doesn't involve yarn of any kind, at any rate, which means there's a fair chance it will actually be done in time for her birthday!

By the way, you'll be happy to know she's already got herself a sweet new gig at an animal hospital, and is already running the place. She's like that.

Happy Friday!

F-Word Friday: Four Legs Or Less

I have to apologize for my lack of Tuesday or Thursday posts this week.

I know you were all "WHY HAS SHE FORSAKEN US" but I promise it wasn't you, just a whole lot of work and rain and generally trying to get too much stuff done in a week and exhausting myself.

Also there were spiders. I f'ing hate spiders, I don't care how beneficial they are. And you know, it's cool, they can live in my house as long as they stay hidden.

I'm sure it's extra wrong that I killed 3 spiders in my house on Earth Day.

You can judge if you like, but you didn't see them.

Allie from Hyperbole And A Half drew that picture, and it's a fairly accurate depiction of what kind of spiders appear in my home during their Spring migration to terrorize the world outside my basement.

And they do that, you know. They're like evil clowns and zombies that hide in closets... they jump out at you and freak you out and make you have cooties for the rest of the night.

Frickin' spiders.

ANYWAY. That's why there was no post on Tuesday or Thursday.

Moving on.

Last night TR & I had dinner at Udi's, which I thought just made bread but who in fact are trying their hand at restaurant... er, restauranteering? Restauranting? I don't know.

Anyway it totally rocked. TR got this French onion soup that was totally delicious, plus a Cuban sandwich that despite them forgetting and putting the pickle on was possibly the best ever. The bread made it, of course, it *is* their specialty after all!

I had chicken shnitzle, which was exactly as awesome as it's name and came with what I almost substituted out - German potato salad.

I hate German potato salad, although admittedly before yesterday I had only ever had your standard-issue grocery store comes-in-a-giant-milk-carton variety, and it always looks so... mushy. And it makes that disgusting squelchy sound when you try to dish some up. And it's COLD. Who likes cold potatoes?! Gag!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW.

"Get the salad," the server insisted. "Trust me."

She totally wins.

It was this concoction of perfectly crispy-on-the-outside pieces of red potato and sweet potato, combined with some greens, lovely tangy onions and capers, all served hot and drenched in this delightfully vinegary Dijon mustard sauce.

I want more of it as soon as possible.

After dinner, we walked the 30 feet to D Note for Trivia, where we won AGAIN! We came from fifth place to first because we are an awesome team, and Mecha Panda Monkey Octopus Eaters Anonymous can just go take a hike.

That made no sense to you, and it's alright. Suffice it to say they are a rival team and we kicked their asses.

After Trivia we hung out for awhile, basking in the glory of our victory, and then I went home with my cupcakes (thanks TR!) to hang with The Kid and her creepy baby.

Oh did I not mention the creepy baby?

It BREATHES.

Thank goodness she only had it for one night. I can't imagine having this thing in my house for a whole week, just laying there, breathing and staring at me.

GAH.

Happy Friday!

F-Word Friday: F for Effort

This morning, I dutifully got The Kid up (despite our late night) at 6:30.

I got her to get dressed and ready for her field trip to Denver for a MESA competition, figuring that we'd better get there early for the pre-trip meeting of the minds I assumed they'd have. Besides, I needed to sign a permission slip, since I'd never seen one. We were dressed and fed and there by 7:20.

Seeing that the door she usually enters for these before-school things was propped open, we entered the building and headed for the classroom in which the MESA meetings are usually held. There, on the wall, was a packet of permission slips. I slipped a sheet from the packet and read...

"MESA Rollercoaster Competition Permission Slip. When: Friday April 16, 6:15 AM - 3:40 PM".

We missed the bus. By an hour! Do you have any idea how much I *hate* being late, much less missing stuff?!

Let me backtrack a little for you...

When leaving at 4AM last Sunday, one of The Kid's MESA instructors said "So, are we ready for the competition Friday?" I told him I hadn't seen a permission slip yet, and he let me know he'd have the other instructor email me some info. Never happened.

I couldn't think what to do, I didn't want her getting in trouble, so we went to the office to wait for someone with power to come and help us get a hold of the teacher on the trip and let us know whether or not she needed to attend or if she could just go home!

Long story short (or longer, as it were)...

I drove to Speer & Auraria at 8AM so that my kid could get out at a stoplight and join her teacher, who was waiting for her there.

And you know what? By the time I got to work an hour later, they were already done, and had nothing left to do but sit around for the rest of the day.

For this I drove all the way down there? Yeesh.

Oh well, the silver lining is that it was a good lesson for The Kid about not letting her team down.

Or something.

SO!

The abysmally hard quiz of Wednesday was all but forgotten in last night's incredible run! Our team was awesome, and it was definitely one of those group efforts that wouldn't have happened without all of us chiming in equally, which we all did, and beat everyone's asses for them.

And I won the email bonus question prize for knowing Sarah Palin likes bendy straws!

I can't believe I just put her name in my blog.

I feel dirty.

Guaranteed to increase the value of your car by 5000%!

There, that's better!

Dinner beforehand at Furr's with TR was delicious, of course (I forgot to get Salisbury steak though, dammit!), but I was seriously distracted by some awful news.

Good thoughts/prayers/presents/money towards my Mom, if you please, and taunts/daggers/blowdarts/cannonfire at her former employer.

She's trying to be positive, but as one friend so aptly put it, she was cold-cocked. That takes adjustment.

F-Word Friday: Free and Fair

You like the internet, right?

Hey me too! It's like we're twins.

So if you enjoy being able to look at exactly what you want, no matter how silly or politically fringey or full of hot chicks on car hoods (it's okay, I don't judge), you might want to write a letter or something.

And if you have a blog, embed the video! Spread it around, and make sure everyone knows that the world would be a sadder place without the Leslie Halls and Peter Pans and Tron Guys of the world.

Thanks to them, and to the other video stars who joined in, for the AWESOME video reminding us all...

We ARE the internet!!

Well, the trip has finally arrived.

At 3:45AM this Sunday, I'll be squiring The Kid to the waiting buses at her school, which will whisk her and her buddies off to the airport for the long-awaited Washington DC/NYC trip!

They're all super excited of course; I hope they didn't over-schedule them *too* much though. They're really packing a lot into just a few days!

Well, if nothing else, it'll give them a taste for travel.

Have a wonderful weekend; other than packing everything we can think of for a 4 1/2 day trip with no parents, mine should be pretty uneventful!

Nudge nudge.

Wink wink.

(I'll tell you Monday... little pitchers have big ears!)

Happy Friday!

F-Word Friday: Friends List

New blog alert!

Let me introduce my Kid. She's pretty awesome, as you know, and she started her very own blog!

I told her, no swears. Not til she's 18.

(Insert teen angst eyeroll here.)

So are you on Facebook?

I am, but not as much as some folks who shall remain nameless and are devoted to their imaginary farms.

I like it as a social network and a place to reconnect with folks from "ago" (as Uncle Stevie would put it), but TR and I were talking last night about how it's occassionally necessary to put your friends list on a diet.

My list is pretty varied, which is fun, but it seems a bit large!

There's my family of course. If they weren't on there, I wouldn't talk to them as much, only because everyone's lives, including mine, are so busy! I don't think to sit and write letters, but with Facebook I can see updates and interact with them, and we probably know more about what's going on with each other than we would have even if we *were* motivated to write letters. We share old photos as a family, keep updated on each others exploits...

It's great!

So they don't get snipped from the list (family is exempted - it's just bad form), but there are a few who (I'll admit) have gotten the "Hide" button used on them. I just don't need to hear every song lyric that enters their heads, ya know? But I still want to keep in touch.

The rest are, if not actual friends with whom I'm actually actively involved, the "friends" that, when I added them, I hadn't seen or heard from in 20 years, give or take. Several of that group have proven to be folks I missed and was glad to reconnect with, but most were passing fancies and fits of nostalgia. I'm sure they feel the same, and don't even notice when I remove them, just as I wouldn't notice if they removed me!

Why were they on there in the first place, you ask?

Well you know how it was when you first started your Facebook... you trolled your real-life friends' friend lists, and got all excited when you found Classmate A, who was your seatmate in 3rd grade. You looked at Classmate A's list and were shocked to find they knew Girl Scout Camper B, who you were besties with for 2 weeks in 6th grade, who subsequently was friends with Club Kid C who you hung out with on a regular basis for 7 months in 1991.

And when those people accepted your friend requests, you got all nostalgic, and even exchanged a wall post or two, right? Memory lane was traipsed, "remember whens" full executed, maybe you even exchanged an embarrassing Flock Of Seaguls hairdo photo or two.

But that was 2 years ago... have you even talked to them since?

No?

Culled.

And it's okay. (But copy the pictures first.)

Happy Friday!

And Happy Easter if that's your thing. Wish me luck on the lamb cake!

F-Word Friday: Flattered

I really love Colorado.

Yesterday: 68 degrees and sunny.
Today: 27 degrees and snowy.

And NOBODY is surprised.

Well, here it is, my birthday weekend again.

I'm 36 this year, and I don't feel it. I'm not sure what 36 is supposed to feel like exactly, but I do remember that when *my* mom was this age, she seemed...

I don't know, like a grownup I guess!

I don't feel like a grownup... I'll just say I've been 18 twice and go with that.

The weekend should be nice!

I'm determined to finish the Birthday Bag tonight, after finally having found a decent way to do the handle. The one that was on the original pattern SUCKED - seriously it looked terrible. I don't know how they managed to get it to work on the model bag, but I suspect Photoshop. Instead, I'm using a pattern from another bag I've made a few times, which means one longer handle instead of two shorter, thinner ones. I think it works, and hopefully the Birthday Girl will like it! I'm going to include a hand-done coupon for a less ugly bag of her choosing, just in case she hates it. Although I know that's mostly the judgment-fearing part of my brain talking (I've mentioned how hard it is to give handmade gifts), it really is one of those patterns one will either love or hate; I love it but...

Tomorrow I'll be heading up to Loveland in the morning to meet Nova for pedicures (the *good* ones where they really go at my heels which are scary and you didn't need to hear that - sorry!), and then she & I will go back to Longmont to knock around awhile. (The Kid is going to her grampas for the day and overnight.)

Saturday night, Nova & I will head down to Denver to have dinner with her husband and TR, which will be lovely! I have a hard time making plans for others - I'm just not one of those "ok we're going HERE, so show up" kinds of people, especially when it involves long drives and spending money - so I was a bit nervous about making the suggestion, but Nova had a good point...

People that care about me want to celebrate my birthday with me. They don't *have* to, they *want* to.

So I should just get right the hell over it.

Also, I will apparently have balloons. Possibly tied to my beltloop. I suggested including one of those backpacks with the leash on it, you know so I don't run into traffic?

*snerk*

She loves birthdays; I'm slightly indifferent to them (mainly because I hate to have a fuss made over me - I prefer to do the fussing), but I'm starting to enjoy the thought of this one.

Especially since there's a homemade cake in my future (my daughter's favorite thing to do for me, and my very favorite - white cake with chocolate frosting), a yummy drink at Racine's (I'm not much of a drinker, but I think I can have a mojito on my bday weekend), and did I mention the pedicure?

Happy Friday!


PS...



Oh, Craig. *headdesk*

It's okay, you're still my second favorite Scotsman.

F-Word Friday: Fifth of Something

I had an eventful Thursday evening! (Well, eventful for me. I'm old.)

The Kid got a ride home with her buddy, and I took off a bit early from work. After hitting the fabric store (Jo-Ann is having Coupon! Madness! Week! and I saved a bunch on some palm tree fabric and some cool wooden buttons for a purse project) I headed down to Denver for dinner with TR at the fabled Furr's Cafeteria.

Have you been to one of these?? Apparently they've been around awhile. From their website:

"Founded by brothers Roy and Key Furr, the first Furr's restaurant opened in 1946, in Hobbs, NM, and the second in Odessa, TX, in 1947."

It caught on, I guess... they now have 50 locations (most of which are in New Mexico and Texas).

I counted.

It's an honest-to-goodness cafeteria, complete with plastic trays and paper-wrapped silverware and folks standing behind sneeze guards offering you dishes of this and that. It's definitely comfort food (like dinner rolls and super mashy and delish mac-and-cheese and Salisbury Steak), and it smells like all the very best school cafeteria experiences you've ever had all rolled into one.

What was your favorite cafeteria meal? Mine was always the Salisbury Steak and the Chicken-A-La-King. It might not have been gourmet, but it beat warm PB&J with a side of mealy apple. I don't care which one wins the Nutritional Smackdown, I'm going to go with hot food every time.

Except if it's a cold turkey sandwich.

But I digress.

After dinner I headed to Arvada to do trivia again with Chris & Robyn & a couple of their friends, and we...

Well, we came in 5th.

But that's okay because we had FUN! It was just one of those nights when all the categories are pretty well matched, and I think we only trailed by 5 points or so. So it was a respectable 5th!

And I won the email clue prize!!!

It was a pair of Groucho Marx disguise glasses. They smelled funny, but I WON THEM, so they are awesome despite the stench.

PS... Courtesy of my mom and Bob.



Apparently the Hard Rock Cafe menu in Las Vegas is not what you'd call varied.

Happy Friday!

F-Word Friday: I've Got The Fever

So I'm home today.

Home sick, home with my internet... home with my cats, one of whom is currently crammed in the crevasse between my back and the chair. Purring.

It's amusing *now*, but you know eventually she's going to want to move. And then there will be claws.

PRAY FOR ME.

Anyway, so I'm not dying of The Fever or anything, but I was feeling pretty gross yesterday, and still not fabulous today, and I'm pretty caught up at work, and... and...

I've only just gotten back home because although I'm not feeling great (I've got that voice that can pull off Leonard Cohen today, and sniffles that just won't quit), I would feel too sluggy if I didn't do *anything*.

It's this thing I have.

So I went to the grocery store (got the stuff for these chicken enchiladas which sound awesome), went to the butcher (who I love... they even partitioned out my chicken for me so I wouldn't have to drag out my beloved but decidedly unwieldy Foodsaver today), swept my garage and weeded for half an hour.

I got more done this morning than I probably would have all day at work.

I've also discovered that I have a very noisy keyboard. It woke the *other* cat up, who had been peacefully sleeping. It doesn't help, of course, that I type 2000 words per minute (give or take)...

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT.

Okay yeah, I mentioned the fever yes? It's only mild but apparently enough to make me oddly motivated and inclined to type things like "rat-a-tat-tat-tat" about my typing.

I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.

Have a wonderful weekend... I'll be working like a fiend on a birthday bag (how the time does fly!), probably going to see the new Alice In Wonderland with the Kid, and wishing the best to TR as he gets in up to his elbows, armed with specialized equipment and a sense of enduring hope.

Sounds like an episode of Star Wars, no?

(PS - I had a couple of people ask me what the picture was in Monday's post... it was a mold spore! Cool, huh?)

F-Word Friday: Frickin' Awesome

Trivia rocked... 3rd place again! That's *really* fantastic when you consider there were 15 or so teams.

We would have nailed it if only we'd known more random Disney facts and had spent more of our collective childhoods watching nothing but Godzilla movies, but that's the way the game runs...

Sometimes it's your night, and sometimes you're left wondering who the hell could possibly have known all those answers! (Answer: that guy over there.)

Normally I get all excited about the email bonus question, an open-book test kind of thing sent in the weekly email. You put your answer on a piece of paper, drop it in a jar, and the Quizmaster draws the name of someone who will then get a fabulous prize.

Last night's prize was cat-food scented soap. I declined to enter my name.

Oh well! The company was great, and the pizza was good in a "wow that was interesting but I don't need to try it again" sort of way. I'll post the no-doubt frightening picture later on; I try so hard to look normal but it never works, and this will no doubt continue that tradition.

But traditions are important, right?

Right.

And TR brought presents from his trip! I love The Nightmare Before Christmas, and he brought me a stuffed Jack and some more of the awesome pins that are all the rage out there.


My favorites, which are seriously cute and now living on my dresser

He also brought back the absolute coolest thing for The Kid, who also loves Jack Skellington to bits because I trained her well.


Her friends will be SO jealous



It's got Jack all over it! And colored pencils! And markers! It's just what she would have chosen, and she was completely thrilled. (Good call, TR!)

I think it's so funny that TNBC is still SO popular, all these years later... and really, it's even more popular now than it was then! All The Kid's friends love it, and there's new merchandise all the time. You'd think the fervor would have died down by now, but Disney has a knack for keeping things in the spotlight that might otherwise have faded long ago, like Lilo & Stitch which was popular for about a year when The Kid was probably 6, and yet there's a relatively new ride and merchandise line being pushed.

They're good at what they do!

Here's wishing you a lovely, relaxing weekend! I know I'll be working that angle for all it's worth.

(GRAMMAR NOTE: THAT IS THE CORRECT USE OF IT'S. IS TOO!)

Happy Friday!

F-Word Friday: Five-By-Five... Or Not

Snowy here today... snowy and cold.

YAY WINTER!

Of course I don't mind the snow so much, especially when it clings to rustic buildings and makes them look like postcards waiting to happen, but the cold I could do without.

I'm looking forward to the weekend... it's been another long week at Le Travail de Mimi, and though I know you're just *dying* to hear all about it, I assure you it's the same old crap...

Communication is a good thing when everyone's paying attention, but when they're not, it's just an exhausting waste of emails.

BUT!

But I have a new sewing project. It's the Finny February Craft-A-Long, and I'm SO on board. She has a pattern in the book One Yard Wonders (June of Planet June, too!), so of course I bought it, even though the pattern is one I've already made. Twice! I'm all about supporting my peeps.

Crafting makes me forget about my work woes.

We tried the Mediterranean-style place last night, Basil Flats. The space was beautiful, the falafel was tasty, and they use all-natural, mostly local ingredients and don't charge much. I liked it!

We had the Mozzarella en Carozza (a nice creamy mozzarella wrapped up in some flat bread and grilled so it got all melty, and served with a roasted tomato sauce), the afore-mentioned falafel (the best part was the tomato-cucumber salsa, although The Kid loved the tzaziki sauce so much she put it on everything), and one of their flatbread pizzas.

Everything was delicious, although I felt terrible... apparently I knew the owner but didn't remember him! When we got there, he came out and gave me the "how-ya-doin'" shoulder-pat and said hello, and honestly Kid & I just thought he was just being friendly. But on the way out, as we were admiring the tile-covered entry, he came up and I introduced myself... only to have him say "Yes, I know you... I'm Cindy's husband, remember?"

I really, really didn't, although I remembered his wife, she used to be The Kid's Girl Scout leader. I vaguely remember meeting her husband once, but that's about it!

Sorry guy!! Awesome restaurant, we'll be back!

The Kid has a viola solo in the morning, something she didn't *have* to do, but *chose* to do, and that makes me happy. I love seeing her take initiative.

She also has a sleepover tonight, which means a few hours of quiet time for me. I think I probably need that.

Not that she impedes my ability to be tranquil, but when I'm in Mom-Mode, I'm not the same as when I'm in Mimi-Mode, where I'm just myself and not responsible for anyone else's stuff.

Have a wonderful weekend; safe travels if you're traveling, happy vegetating if you're not!

F-Word Friday: Freeflowing

WARNING: EXTREMELY LONG, WORDY AND OVERLY-INTROSPECTIVE POST AHEAD.

(I didn't post Tuesday or Wednesday, apparently I'm making up for lost time.)

I've been blocked lately.

When I first started this blog (Happy 1 Year and 9 Day Anniversary, Blog!) it was to impart my personal thoughts on stuff (and show you stuff I made because I enjoy attention), but I seem to have been relying more and more on "Hey, here's a video to distract you from my lack of ideas" just lately.

I think I'm just tired, and it's 99% because of my job.

Now I am not one to complain (quit laughing, you - yes you, I can see you in the back there!). I realize that my problems are not large, and are not real problems when compared to the rest of the world and all its miseries.

But they are *my* problems, and so I'm a little closer to them. It's the best defense I can give for bitching at all.

I just find myself more and more dissatisfied with my work life. I am profoundly grateful that I even *have* a job in this economy, granted, but still...

It's not what I want to do the rest of my life.

I don't want to do a 50-mile commute forever, to come to an office and do things that don't really matter. I push paper (well, I input info - it's the modern age, after all). I tell people where to sign/how to submit their required info. It's absolutely without any purpose or meaning.

I look at people who are out there doing stuff that matters, and I realize that I'm not among them. I don't bring anything to the table... I'm just sort of here.

Now of course, there are a lot of pros to my job. Security is first and foremost - being a "Certified State Employee" means that I'm pretty safe from being laid off. Plus there are the fringe benefits... discounts on my cell phone, a window and an office, super-fast internet I can use if I'm reasonable about time spent...

It's not a bad gig.

I think I would feel better about it if I could get a break now and again, but what I'm finding more and more is that most of the people in my department have no idea what I do, and couldn't replicate it if I disappeared for awhile. This has come much more into the full light of day with the advent of the Now-Famous Expense System. I am responsible for a huge portion of this system, and there is *nobody* who would be able to do it if I were to leave for a week. This means if I ever get to take a break, it will have to be scheduled to within an inch of its little life, or I'll have to pay for my time off with a staggering amount of work upon my return.

I realize I'm not alone in this situation... I'm fully aware of it, in fact. I'm really just feeling sorry for myself because I wish I was in a Big Green Van right now, and not sitting in my office.

I'm allowed a little pity party once in awhile, right?

ANYWAY, back to my original thought... writing this blog about me again.

On the way home last night it occurred to me that on my long (but often stunningly gorgeous) commute, I have some of the most bizarre trains of thought. I (safely, I assure you) wrote some down yesterday as I drove, which I'm going to share with you because I know how much you love to see my crazy up close and personal.

This is exactly how it looked, written on the back of an envelope with my favorite "This Pen Stolen From Geeks Who Drink" pen:



I'll interpret, since I was writing this VERY quickly at red lights and stop signs and while waiting for The Kid to come out of school.

Blog Post Blockage

*Things in my head... the commute's beauty. (Tired of work, boring. NOT LIFE.)
Work vs. Life.*

This was pretty much all afternoon/evening yesterday, as I have exhaustively narrated above.

I do have to say that since learning a few non-highway backroads into Boulder from my house, the commute has been a lot more enjoyable.

*PMS & Music/Otherwise too scary*

I'm not even sure what the "otherwise too scary" bit is (see, even when I write it down I forget - maybe it was something about music soothing the savage beast!), but I do know that I'm probably more emotionally-charged about all this right now because of my feminine issues.

Woohoo, TMI!

*Missing TR.
- private posts
- live journal
- I know he reads (oh hi there!)*

TR is off on his travels, and I miss him. I talk to him every day and he tells me amusing stories and makes me laugh so I'm good, but I'll be glad when he's back.

I wrote it down because I was thinking about him, but also because he & I had talked earlier and he mentioned he'd noticed my lack of posting.

I really really like that he reads my blog.

I have a hard time really thoroughly describing my thoughts in any way but the written (well, typed) word, and I'm sure sometimes I come off kind of dopey and scattered in conversation - I like that he can see how my brain works in a clearer manner here in print.

I don't censor myself because of it, but I don't get *too* introspective (HAHAHAHA YES I DO) either, for the benefit of all and sundry. I save the diary-type stuff that nobody should have to be subjected to in odd little posts that I don't publish mainly because this isn't Live Journal (not that you'd know it from today's post) and which often are just me having a moment.

I keep them around, because I like to look back and see if I've grown past any of my issues, which I'm happy to report I have! Go me and stuff!

*Writing for me vs. to entertain = entertaining?*

I do try to keep you, my faithful readers, amused. But I think I've been moving away from writing from my own perspective, and have been instead struggling to find amusing things to keep you interested and engaged.

But maybe I'm entertaining enough on my own... Lord knows today's post is just CHOCK FULL OF FUNNY.

This lead to me wondering about what I could write about then, where my ideas would come from if Vimeo were to suddenly shut down and leave me with only my own brain to work with.

*Subjects - things in my head.
- Lyrics
- How songs make me feel/rap-ambient-sad-atmospheric/wishing for a particular song/soundtracks of our lives/headphones vs. boomboxes vs. open car windows
- Guilty pleasures*

I mentioned I was driving my car, and i had my iPod running in one ear since, though it's not exactly recommendable, is safer than me flipping through my CDs while driving. It's a Shuffle, which is good because it keeps me interested, but bad because sometimes I have to cycle through about 50 songs before I find one to suit my mood.

This got me thinking about music and the individual, and its ability to affect us all so differently. It can evoke so many emotions and responses, and shuffling from song to song is a bit schizophrenic.

I go from "urban" stuff (my note said "rap", but I'm thinkin more of urban-inspired beats, stuff that makes you bop your head and talk along with the flow, like Beck and Gorillaz), to ambient/atmospheric stuff (which makes me feel like doing nothing more than admiring the cloud formations, my favorite Imogen Heap confections and most of what's on TR's compilation for Burning Man come to mind).

Then something old and silly will come on (oh hello, Mr. Reed) and I'll feel nostalgic, which will be followed by a vision of myself in a smoky dive, the muse of Leonard Cohen 30 years ago.

Schizophrenic, I tell you. It's like all these different people inhabit our heads, the us of old, the us of now, the us we wish we were...

Music is magic that way.

For me, the lyrics that go along with a particular song can sometimes seem preordained to fit with that situation, but of course they can also direct one's mood...

This is why I turn The Smiths *off* when I'm down in the dumps. Nothing like feeding the fire, ya know?

Then I started thinking about how it's all internal, these feeling that accompany each song, more so in today's world because of all our personal music devices.

It stresses the appeal of live shows, where you can share that mood with others - it makes for such a more solidly real-world experience, rather than having it be in your own head all the time.

I also wonder if this isn't the motivation behind rolling down our windows and cranking it up on a sunny summer day - it's the modern boom box. I know there have been a few times where I've found myself doing so because some really loud Journey song comes on and I want to throw out a line, maybe find a kindred soul out there on the road to share 3 seconds of recognition with me.

Yes, Journey.

Don't even tell me you don't like "Don't Stop Believing", because everybody does, they just don't want to admit it.

And there's another topic for you...

Guilty pleasures, specifically when it comes to music.

I have a friend, who shall remain nameless, who when faced with the prospect of her crush scrolling through her iPod playlist to find her music influences first hurriedly removed several albums, including a few by the illustrious Hanson.

But why the guilt? She loves Hanson. She shouldn't have to fear being mocked for her admiration of them, just as I should be able to blast my favorite Justin Timberlake songs (there I said it).

Finally, on my bizarro envelope list, are a few random bits of stuff...

* Stupid light in my car*

The TPMS light is on in my car for no apparent reason. I'm too lazy to go get it taken care of, so there it sits, annoying me.

* I'm OK With Easy*

I play Guitar Hero on easy, and I'm okay with that... I saw a tshirt somewhere once, and wanted to find it again and share it with you, which led to...

* Snorgle Tees*

Snorg Tees (mistakenly remembered as "Snorgle Tees", which is funnier) offers an amusing bunch of geek-centric/pop culture shirts, and I really want a few... mostly I just wanted to remember to tell you about them!

This one's my fave today:



*Hey Pretty Baby*

I love this song... I wanted to use it to illustrate how music can affect everyone differently. I bet if you listen to it, you won't think of your 3-week old baby, to whom you sang the chorus, and then subsequently of your favorite Scotsman, who reminded you of how much you loved the artist herself so long ago and introduced you to more of her music. It's an entirely individual response.

Alright, that's enough out of me for one day... if you made it through this whole post you...

a) Are exceedingly patient - or at least bored enough to want to read my brain dump.
b) Have to pee now because it took an hour to slog through it all.
c) Know more about me than you did an hour ago.
d) Hopefully don't think I'm too insane.
e) Even if you do think I'm insane, you still like me.

Have a wonderful weekend; I'll be working on finishing a book, finishing a dragon, starting a new crochet project (a cool birthday present for the fabulous Elise that I think she'll dig), talking to TR while he's meandering, going to a birthday party for Ms. Nova and her kiddos and playing a lot of Lego Indiana Jones, my new favorite thing.

F-Word Friday: Festivities

Well Happy Almost Birthday to my kid!

She's going to be 14 shortly.

She used to look like this:


She enjoyed mashed potatoes a lot more sans front teeth

She got a little older, of course, and a little taller...


The Kid and her BFF from Brownies!

... and clearly a lot more sassy.

Yes, sassy. Look at that face and tell me she wasn't just giving me a whole basketful of sass right then.

We moved to Colorado when she was just 8.


This face still occurs regularly

We've celebrated many birthdays since, and they've all rocked.

She's not a little kid anymore...


Heels? Really?

... but she's still my baby.


So not that short anymore

Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter; I'm totally lucky.

Wish me luck tonight; I let her invite 9 friends. That means 10 teens in one house, with all the squeeing you would imagine that entails. I'm planning on earplugs.

In other news, I did GWD Trivia last night with the fabulous Chris & Robyn, and we came in 3rd! By only 3 points! Nice. I made a little bag for Robyn (as it was her birthday last weekend), and lo she was tickled.

I do so love giving presents. It's so selfish, but I really really do. And yet I hate getting them, I get all aw-shucks-lookin-at-my-feet. What a weirdo!


The Bastard Children of Lief Garrett!
Also, what's up with me in pictures?! Honestly, I'm not being hypercritical, but I look like I shaved my eyebrows, took a brillo pad to my head and am attempting to hide a cat in my sleeve. I blame the lighting.

One last little bit of F-word Friday... F is for Florida, where TR is currently enjoying palm trees and all that Disney has to offer.

He sent me a digital postcard, and he looks very content to be looking out at the water and wearing a tshirt in February.

Happy Friday, and here's hoping I can still hear at my current range come Sunday!