We have had an exceptionally good weekend. Sometimes it is good to be us.
(By ‘we’ I mean Cricket and me. I have not taken to referring to myself in the royal we. Yet…)
I worked a twelve-hour day today. Ugh. Thus, all the things that I had planned to do this afternoon are yet undone. Now I just want to read and go to bed.
Sometimes my Brezsny-scope is so very ridiculously timely:
“The only way to get a difficult feeling to go away is simply to love yourself for it,” says author Christiane Northrup. “If you think you’re stupid, then love yourself for feeling that way. It’s a paradox, but it works. To heal, you must . . . shine the light of compassion on any areas within you that you feel are unacceptable.” While I personally believe this is a crafty strategy, I suggest adding a twist in order to double its effectiveness: As you’re loving yourself for your difficult feeling, literally laugh out loud at how crazily worried and wound up you are about it.
I have a little notebook that I’ve been taking to work to write down things during the day that I tend to promptly forget as soon as I get home. So far it turns out to be a list of possible stuff to blog about that I have, as of yet, been too lazy to develop into full posts. The list is as follows:
- “Real Men of Genius”
- Sting = pretentious bastard
- “My fiction beats the hell out of my truth”
- Stores to go broke in
- Have to stop at stop signs!
- “Play That Funky Music” = David Duchovny
- Thai Iced Tea
- In Defense of Food
- Harry Potter spoilers? Really?
- Kitten-sitting
- Batman!
- Marching Band – portrayals in the media
- Jason Bateman♥♥♥
- The Other Boleyn Girl
So, yeah. Clearly to lazy to do an actual post on one of those today. But if anyone has any requests/preferences on a post topic from the above list, I totally take requests. *g*
I was in something of a foul mood yesterday as I was leaving work, but then I stepped outside and looked up in the bright blue sky and there was a big white fluffy cloud shaped like a penis. I had to laugh, because, man. How can you be upset after that?
Our new kitten is the cutest little kitten in all the world. She’s so tiny and cute that I spent the bulk of last night sitting there going, “Who’s the cutest kitten in all of Kittendom to ever cutely cute?” And then, because we haven’t named her yet, I had to answer with, “You are!” and kiss all over her. She has been domesticated well, because she let me.
Sure, it sounds obnoxious, but I guarantee you’d be doing the same thing.
Today I went and did the last of my necessary car maintenance tasks, which was getting a new tire. As it turns out, I actually didn’t need a new tire, and they plugged the hole for free. Glad I waited until Mercury was out of Retrograde to take care of all my car stuff, actually.
My plan for the evening was to stay at home and read, but as it turns out, Tommy Womack is playing at the Family Wash tonight, and man, I love me some Tommy Womack. So I intend to rally. But I may have to take a nap first, as the wind has been blowing and my head has been groggy and pounding all day.
In conclusion: Kitten!
Sparkles and I are getting a kitten. She’s coming to live with us tomorrow. And by us, I mean in Miss Sparkle’s apartment, because Cricket is allergic to cats (this and the fact that we don’t wear the same shoe size are cruel jokes of the universe in our bffship). We will have to spend time with the new kitten to decide what to name her, so for now I have mentally dubbed her Miss Kitty Fantastico.
YAY NEW KITTEN!!!!!!
And yay for tomorrow being Friday!!
Also, today I got my Tennessee license plate today, so I guess I’m staying for awhile.
I would just like to say for the record, I find diamond commercials fairly vile and offensive. However, I don’t have the energy to work up a proper feminist rant for it. The one I heard this week was a woman whose husband bought her a diamond ring for their two-year anniversary. *inarticulate noises of rage*
This week I started doing yoga in the mornings again (it has been awhile…). It’s ridiculous how much it has improved my mood (I have been somewhat crankypants of late. Unpleasant to be around. It happens). Also I twisted my ankle. Not with the yoga. Oh no. I did it walking, because despite years of practice, I still haven’t quite got it down. Nobody ever accused me of being graceful.
On the plus side, I smell like peaches! Thanks to our shopping trip this past weekend, which included a stop at Bath & Body Works, I have a new summer scent. Generally I don’t like the smell of peach-scented stuff, but for whatever reason, this stuff smells really really good.
My horoscope for today is as follows:
The symbols that have been floating around in your dreams may actually take shape in your life today. Although this may be wonderful, it can also complicate your life when your fantasies become real. No matter what, don’t fall prey to your own fears, for they can sour the sweetest situation. There’s no need to prove anything to anyone. Just show up with a pure heart.
The last three sentences may well become my new mantra. It’s really one of those Easier Said Than Done Lessons You Really Need To Learn.
Now I present you with Things I’m Looking Forward To:
- The 4th of July – I don’t have any specific plans as of yet, but I do have the day off of work. Woot! Three-day weekend!
- Lucero coming back to Nashville (July 11th) – Not for the reason you might be thinking (that Ben is the cutest Cutiepants in all of Cutedonia, though he is). Really, the reason I like Lucero shows is that they’re a good excuse to jump around and dance and yell out the lyrics at the top of your lungs (and, if you’re Cricket, throw a few punches). Plus, everyone else is drunk, so they don’t really care if you’re being a jackass. A Lucero show quarterly is good for your health.
- The Magpies coming back to Nashville (July 12th) – The day after Lucero, even. Sure, the venue isn’t the best (to say the least), but I really dig those guys, and look forward to seeing them live again.
- The Dark Knight (July 18th) – Cricket says she’s going to go see this with me, even though she hasn’t seen Batman Begins because she doesn’t like Christian Bale. I find this creepy and unnatural. Nevertheless, I’m so excited about this, I may have had a Batman dream or two. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’.
I feel like there should be more than this, but this will get me through the next few weeks, so there you go.
Also, because I have not been ridiculous enough today, this Lolcats totally made me cry.
I’m such a girl.
I’ve been reading quite a bit lately. This can become problematic for me, as I tend to start wanting to do nothing more than read. I finished Pride & Prejudice last weekend and am now as in love with Mr. Darcy as every other woman in the world. He is, I believe, the most desired literary male character ever. It makes me want to write an essay on why he’s so great, but I suspect that’s been done. So maybe I just want to read such essays to pinpoint what it is that makes him so sexy in all his reserved social awkwardness.
Because I was not quite ready to be done with Pride & Prejudice yet, I went searching on amazon through the half-million P&P sequels and such, and settled on this one, based on the user reviews. It’s the first in a trilogy retelling P&P from Darcy’s point-of-view. I liked it enough to order the other two, though some of the stuff, especially towards the end when Darcy is in London, is over the top (i.e. besting Brummell with his cravat tying). Mr. Darcy needs no such embellishment.
So that’s what I did during the day yesterday. Then, in the evening I went to see this guy play. If I were to count up the shows I’ve been to since I moved here, they would probably be equal parts Cory Branan, Lucero, and Chris Milam. Apparently I like the Memphis boys. So, yes. I’ve seen Mr. Milam several times now, usually acoustic sets. I’m very much a fan. That being said, I was really really impressed with last night’s show. Coming off a week in the studio recording a new EP that comes out in September, Chris played a set with the full band and they pretty much rocked. I am really absurdly excited to hear the new EP.
Now, Cricket was supposed to join me in my evening out, but despite trying up until crunch time, she could not get her shift covered at the restaurant and ended up having to work. And you know what I love doing? Going to shows alone. Not at all awkward! Luckily for me, there were some very charming gentlemen there of my acquaintance who were kind enough to socially babysit me for the evening. While I always feel vaguely guilty and awkward by such social-crashing, I cannot say that I regret the company.
After the show, I went to pick up Miss Sparkle and Crics at the restaurant, as I generally do on Saturday nights. Then we sat on the porch and talked until the wee hours of the morning, as we do on pretty much a weekly basis.
Today Cricket and I ran errands/went shopping, which included stopping and a used book store and finding many treasures among the free book bins. We are fairly ridiculous sometimes, but at least we amuse ourselves.
Now if only tomorrow weren’t Monday. *sighs*
So I was talking to my mom, who is in the midst of preparing for a garage sale, and she’s like, “So I was going through your stuffed animals…”
EVIL!
“The black and white whale?” She says.
“Shamu?” I gasp. “No!”
“The Hershey’s Kiss,” she continues, ignoring my outrage.
“But you sent away for that!” I protest.
“Big Wrinkles“
“No. No way,” I tell her, all joking aside. “Absolutely not.”
See, she knows better than this. Little Wrinkles (much like the Wrinkles here ((same dress!)) but grey) was my most favorite ever stuffed animal! (Not that I told my other stuffed animals that, but she knew…) and Big Wrinkles was a close second.*
So we argued for awhile, and I told her in no uncertain terms that Big Wrinkles was to stay. In exchange, I told her she could get rid of Shamu, Big Snoopy, Hershey’s Kiss, and a couple of dolls. Just so long as Big Wrinkles was safe.
In retrospect, I wonder if she had ever intended on getting rid of him, or if she was just using him as leverage to get rid of the others, knowing that I would do about anything to save him. The woman is diabolical, I tell you.
* Yes, I actually named them “Big Wrinkles” and “Little Wrinkles” because one was big and one was small. I am, perhaps, the most uncreative person ever when it comes to naming things. I also had a goldfish named Goldy and a black cat named Midnight. The exception to this is a balloon I named Mary Benson. I’m not sure where the Mary came from, but I’m pretty sure the Benson was from the TV show. Why I wasted my most creative name on a balloon, I couldn’t tell you.
The other night I had a dream about Mr. Darcy. I took this to mean I should be reading Pride and Prejudice, so that’s what I’m doing. Oh, Mr. Darcy! *doodles hearts on notebook*
I had A Day on Saturday, and it wasn’t until I was talking to my mom about the latest of my own personal series of unfortunate events, and she was like, “You’ve had kind of rough week, huh?” that I realized, yes. Yes I had. It was kind of a relief to realize that I was feeling all weepy and upset for a reason. There has been nothing huge and traumatic, don’t get me wrong. Just a string of things that, individually would be not a huge deal, but one after another it just… Sucks.
The latest irritant, courtesy the Lords of the Cosmic Jest, is that one of my tires has picked up a nail (on the side, so it can’t simply be plugged) and I have to get a new tire. It’s one of those things that I am perfectly capable of dealing with but, at the risk of letting down Team Feminism, I just wish my dad were here to take care of it. Car stuff is what dads are for! Example:
One night, when (former roommate) Boy and I had first started hanging out, we were downtown at the movies, and I was driving my old car. When we got out of the movies, my car wouldn’t start. So I immediately pulled out my phone and called my dad. With Boy sitting in the car next to me. He just looked at me, flabbergasted and insulted, all, “Did you just call your dad? You have a guy in the car with you! At least let me try and do some dude stuff first.”
I told him I was sorry for insulting his manhood. It’s just the automatic reaction. Car broke = call Dad.
Boy told me that he reserved the right to mock me indefinitely for my ridiculous girly-ness. But he did get the car started with his dude powers, so there you go. I realy hated that car. I’m fairly certain the feeling was mutual.
In other news: Cricket gets back home tomorrow. YAY YAY YAY!!! I should not be left to my devices for too long. I guess I should disassemble the couch pillow fort in the living room, huh?
I had a dream last night. I was talking to Miss Sparkle and she was holding a small tree branch. On it sat a dozen tiny black birds, round and fat like bumble bees. She held one in her hand and said, “They’re like unicorns, but real.” I asked her how she did that, and she said, “Just pet them.” The one I reached out to stroke with my finger ruffled its feathers, but didn’t fly away.
