One Year Later

A year ago, my friend Audrey promised to hook me up with some new music. Yesterday, I got a package from her! I can't even remember what CDs she told me that she was going to send but she packed 8 CDs into that box. I love new music.

This is what she sent:
The Killers
Fall Out Boy
Gorillaz
Rob Thomas
Van Hunt
Thicke
Brand New
John Mayer Trio

She also sent me the first book of the Stephen King series "Dark Tower". I'm going to attempt reading it, even though I'm not a big King fan. Speaking of books, I'm supposed to be compiling a list for a friend of my top ten most influential books. As of now, I have four and I couldn't tell you why they were influential besides that fact that I love them and would read them again. Yes, I know I'm a librarian and that I should have no problem picking out ten books. And I could pick out ten books, but try picking out a book that has changed your life. A book that has made you feel or think differently, and see if you have actually read ten books that made any difference to you. I don't think I have. But I know there are out there.

One thing I miss about college is the opportunities I had to meet authors, to read their work and talk to them about it. Actually, we rarely discussed their novels or poems as we were too busy drinking bottles of red wine and eating amazing food on the couch in front of the candle lit fireplace at Olmstead's. Because of those receptions, I was able to meet some interesting authors *coughdaveeggerscough* and I also had my first "Oh you were a Kappa too?" moment. Ok, besides all that, those receptions made my liberal arts college experience. I would not have been able to discuss MFA programs as candidly nor have such a good time with them at a larger school. *Maybe I'm wrong, as I didn't go to a larger school. I just assume I'm correct in thinking a smaller school allows for such gatherings.*

Also, maybe my ten most influential books are more than just books. Maybe it's poems and scripts and someone's senior art project. But, that's not the task I've been assigned. I think I need to read more!

Metallic Shirts Aren't A Deal-Breaker, But Try Asking What My Tattoo Means

Duncan Donuts and I are doing a list of our Deal-Breakers (Yes, I can hear the collective scream from a few people that I obviously don't have any because, hello? Soul patch? Metallic shirt? But shut your face because the soul patch is gone and at least he wasn't wearing leather!) Anyways, you can see DD's list here whenever she gets around to it.

1) Asking me to describe in detail "what I'm about" or "what's your story". ummm, no.

2) Touching me unnecessarily. We may see each other every week at the bar, but that doesn't mean you need to hug me. Thanks.

3) Not showering. This may seem obvious, but then you haven't been around any seasonal rafters, many of which are attractive but they live in tents for three months.

4)Large diamond earrings. Especially if you are white.

5)Indiscretion. It's not hard to do.

6) Calling a woman a bitch. Not cool, man.

7) Tying your jacket around your waist. The 80's are over and no one does that anymore.

8) Telling me to smile when I walk by you at the bar. Unless you are giving me a $20 tip, shut the fuck up!

9) Not being able to handle yourself in social situations. If a home-schooled girl can be ok in a bar alone, get some skillz!

10) You think fast food is an appropriate thing for meals. And yes, Chili's still counts as fast food.

A Ploy For the Lurkers On The NaBloPoMoRandomizer

Why did the chicken cross the road?

For The Profile Pic

  

Like Lemmings

I've started a trend. It feels so good. We will see how long this Xanga to Blogger switch goes among the old crew. Some of you have a hard time answering email, so my hopes aren't that high but I will give you the benefit of the doubt! I realize not everyone is as blessed as I am with an abundance of internet free time. Yes, I am so lucky. I should post more often, and very long posts with all that lucky free time I am blessed with.

I may be the last person in the world to watch Wedding Crashers. BB and I bought it last night and I think it's one of the best funny movies I've seen in a while. I didn't finish the movie because it was late but I intend to. I think Wedding Crashers is on the same level as Mean Girls, which is good, well written humor as opposed to stupid Will Ferrell humor. *I'm sorry, I know you LOVE him, but GOD, his movies make my brain bleed and I really AM dumber for having watched that movie more than once.*

I am working at the bar tonight, as usual. We are starting our Karaoke contest officially this week. It really started last week, but I've been told it doesn't count. I need to start thinking of good songs to sing since employees are not exempt from the contest! Not that I am trying nor want to win. But it's a fun way to pass the time since Wednesday nights have gotten so slow! Maybe now that people are coming back from school, we will be a little busier during the week. Because I know that the need for alcohol is a lot higher for college students than it is for all the regulars here. All I can say is, I am so looking forward to the thoughtful, polite, too drunk to remember they already asked me if I have a boyfriend, annoyingly rude assholes that are state college boys back home in small town Canon. Having a boyfriend doesn't mean that I don't get asked out or annoyed by horny, drunk boys but I do love how most of the comments stop after BB stops by to see me. But I think it's stupid how the nice boys stop talking to me after they see me with BB. It's not like I can't be friends with you just because I have a boyfriend!

Today is another amazing day. It was 71 degrees when I drove to work at 9 and I'm sure it's even nicer now. I think that such a nice day warrants the closing of business and everyone should be outside. I think it's God's way of saying "Go enjoy this day because it's the last nice day you are going to have in a while. Please, be fooled into thinking winter won't be cold and dark, take this day off and love every minutes of it. Because come Saturday there is going to be snow and grey, JUST LIKE OHIO!"

I Voted!

I did! I left my house at 9:58, made it to the poling place, got my form, waited in line, voted and got out of there by 10:18. And I made it to work by 10:35, only five minutes late! That's the benefit of living in a small town. The line would have been non-existent had I gotten my lazy ass out of bed before 8:30 but I didn't and I don't care. I can't imagine how annoyed I'd be in a bigger city with long voting lines. I guess that's why absentee ballots will be my friend when I do move! I did not get a sticker, nor did I see anyone else with stickers. And that is the downside to voting in a small town. No stickers!

It's seventy degrees outside right now. For those of you who don't know, I live in Colorado on the Front Range. And I would just like to point out again that it is seventy degrees and also the 7th of November. Ever since coming back here, I have dreaded the winter months. I hate the cold, snow, darkness, and ugly look of the landscape that seems to last so long. Summer goes by so quickly and winter lingers. This summer seems especially short due to the rain, which was very appreciated as I do not like my state on fire! We have enough trouble with evil, tree killing beetles. (I swear, Breckenridge is not going to be a very nice resort for much longer if they don't find a way to kill those damn bugs and re-plant about half the trees BY NEXT YEAR!) I've been dreading winter. I don't like getting up when it's dark, having to wear layers on the morning walks, wearing a coat to the bar, closed toed shoes, hose, and warming up my car. I'm very much a spring/summer kind of girl and I have the skirts to prove it. But right now, the air conditioning is on and I'm wearing the same outfit I wore back in July. So maybe this winter will turn out to be quite snowy, I don't mind. It's seventy degrees on the 7th of November.

Did We Really Need A Sequel To That?

While watching the third Mummy movie-

Me: I should get into writing sequels. They suck, but it'd be easy and obviously someone is paying for this.

BB: You could write about me.

Me: Oh, I will!

Dude, I Suck!

Well. That didn't take very long to fall off the posting fence. What makes it even worse is that I was online yesterday and I told myself to post before I showered but what did I do? I shut the laptop lid!

And maybe I could set this post to be from tomorrow, but I would know I was cheating. And the guilt would burn a whole in my head for the entire month and what if I randomly won a prize? I wouldn't deserve it!

I just hope I'm not the first person to lose. Especially since my URL was just now posted over on http://www.fussy.org/nablopomo.html. And I got my first comment ever!

When I was busy not posting yesterday, I was on my way to the mountains for a little get together at my "other mother's" house. I didn't realize it was a football watching get together but it's good I didn't know as I would have opted to stay home and watch something a little less loud and a little more stimulating, or maybe I would have taken a nap. But on the drive through the canyon I saw quite a few big horn sheep. The first one I saw was standing on the railroad tracks. Just standing there, as if waiting to face off with a train. A fight he would most certainly lose! I think something was wrong with him. Then again, he is part sheep. And I've never met a smart sheep.

So.

Sarah,

I'm sorry that we did not see any big horn sheep while you were here. Obviously we were looking in the wrong places, like on the rocky hills rather than on the tracks of death!

Purple Kitty, Naptime, and Why Flamingos Say Fuck

I never meant to teach JBelle to scream "fuck" on demand.

It started out well. I'm not really sure if flamingos ever make sound, but "squawk" seemed an appropriate thing for one to say. And JBelle started out by saying "ssss wok"but it has now morphed into a very loud, high pitched "fuuuuck"! Hey, at least I didn't teach her to say that "mommy did it with a razor blade" when asked where she got those bruises on her legs.

Purple Kitty is the newest obsession. Purple Kitty is really a purple kitty who was once grape scented. I know, I had no idea that we could scent stuffed animals now! However, Purple Kitty does not smell like grape. I'm not sure what Purple Kitty smells like, as the purple is tinged with brown today and I'm afraid to put Purple Kitty close to my nose.

Many naps were taken today. I had one, Gramma had one, and JBelle had one. But only after she laid in my bed for an hour, playing and talking to herself. She didn't leave the bed, but each trip by my room showed her in a different spot. She has started talking outloud to herself. She used to say so few things, and now she is bursting with so many words that she even talks when she is alone. And I'm glad that I've been a part of that process. Because all two year olds should know that "politicians are clowns" and "those girls are floozies". It's good to start that process early.

Cute Feet!

Deb just pointed me in the direction of cosmetic surgery for feet. Apparently, women are getting plastic surgery work on their feet so they look better in high heels and open toe shoes. Some of them are even asking to have their pinky toes CUT OFF! I don't know about you, but I think that's taking it a step too far. I am not going to maim a normal body part just so my feet can look cute in high heels. What about flip flops! You could never go barefoot again! Because then you'd risk someone seeing only eight toes and asking what happened to the little ones? Unfortunately, I do have ugly pinky toes. The rest of my foot is quite nice, but the little ones are a tad bit deformed. But I'll take that over learning how to walk again! Much less learn how to walk in three inch heels again. I still haven't quite mastered that technique. Which is probably why I'll never climb any corporate ladders or wear nice suits to work.

Deb and I are adding a little musical theatre to our Friday today. Right now, we have the soundtrack to South Pacific playing (Yes, I know that's not the right way to type in the title of a play, but remember I have issues with Baby Apple and Blogger). When I was a freshman in high school, the "theatre" department put on this play and the only real memory I have of the show was hearing the girl who had the lead female role repeating the story about how she flashed the audience during her first solo. Later, we watched the video of the show and even through the grainy-ness of a 1990's video camera, her white underwear was clearly visible. I wonder where she is today, and how embarrassed she would be to know that I don't remember her name but that I can clearly see an image, albeit a grainy one, of her flashing over fifty people.

Speaking of high school, I am going to the bar tonight with one of my old BBFs from my years at public school, before the 'rents forced me into private school that lead me to college and into deep debt! Anyways. Amanda and I used to write each other notes about the two boys we had year long crushes on. I think I still have some of those letters and I may go home and look for them today. I wonder if Amanda still has mine. I can't imagine that she could ever read what I wrote because I have the most awful handwriting now, and it's a lot better now than eight years ago. All the letters we wrote during "health class" are all the same, except maybe I saw J*** in front of his locker instead of outside his classroom at 8:04 that morning. It's not really stalking when it's a two building school, right?

So we are going out tonight, to the bar I work at and often hang out at, like last night. But this time I will be with Amanda and not BB so she can coerce me into many drinks and dancing with her instead of BB during "Smack That". Because, I totally will smack that.

6:33

I only have until 7 to Publish this. Because after that I will forget that I am supposed to post everyday.

Last night, we gave Hunter and Emma rawhides to chew. My new favorite thing to do after giving Hunter a bone is to chase him around like I am going to take it from him. He holds it in his mouth and darts around the kitchen and living room, absolutely refusing to leave these areas. I think he knows that we won't really take it away from him, because he doesn't try too hard to keep away from us. But he knows there is a slight possibility that we will confiscate them so he tries to avoid us as much as he can without actually leaving our sight. All while avoiding eye contact of any kind. He'll stare at you all day long if you have a piece of food, but as long as his mouth is full, there is no need for him to look at me. It's similar to when he escapes to the front yard and loses all ability to hear out of his giant bat ears because there could be bread crumbs in the middle of the road!!

As Promised

I took this picture when we first brought them home. They weigh a lot more now than they did then! 

The Challenge

Today is the 1st of November. Which means that NaBloPoMo started! (I'm sorry, I have no idea how to make links with Blogger and since I have a Mac laptop, I have no right mouse button so I cannot add the link like I want to. I will look into this.)

*Edit* Ok, so Blogger must not be compatible with Safari because when I switched over to my work computer with Internet Explorer, I found a "Compose" tab with many more buttons, including a Links button.*

I somewhat regret my decision to get a Blogger blog because after I did, I realized there were more options out there. Not that I am any good with HTML or anywhere near understanding Movable Type. But, obviously, as you can see my page is sort of bland. White, really. It's because I am afraid to mess it up. At some point, I will be purchasing or using a free design from somewhere. For now, forgive me. I'm a baby blogger!

This morning started off with getting up at 6:30 to load Sadie, Abby, and Darla Jane into the trailer. This is a picture of one of them.* Since they have no ear tags like the 4-H pigs did, it's kind of hard to remember which one is which. So it could be Sadie, Abby, and Darla Jane or Darla Jane, Abby, and Sadie. It doesn't matter. We are still going to eat them. My mother and I must be getting better at getting them into the trailer because it took us less than fifteen minutes to get them loaded. It could have taken much, much longer with a lot more mud and bruising involved. It was also twenty degrees out and I had on Crocs! I chose the Crocs on purpose. Because anyone who has ever been around pigs knows that pig poo does not go away. EVER! It's the worst. So I was not going to subject the only pair of tennis shoes I have to the pig pen. Crocs are suppose to be anti-fungal, anti-smell. I didn't check after I took them off to see if they resisted the nastiness, but I'm putting faith in my thirty dollar pair of plastic shoes.

*I'll add a pic when it starts working again.*

Halloween was uncelebrated this year. Just like last year, but I can't actually remember what I did last year. Not celebrate, for sure. I was home, because BB went to Denver, although I'm sure that nothing was really going down in this town unless you were under the age of fourteen. I tried to watch TV, but the combination of Hunter claiming me as a resting place and the fact that I don't get enough sleep led me to pass out during Nip/Tuck. Nip/Tuck! A new one! But let's be real, I usually miss Grey's and last season that was almost sacrilege. But ABC.com made it so easy for me since they show each episode with limited commercials on their website. It's amazing!

And now, having sufficiently completed my NaBloPoMo requirement for the day, I am going to reward myself with songs from iTunes! Damn you, you are so addicting!

The Red Flag Turns White

Mom: I hope this is raising a red flag for you.
Me: It is.

Five minutes later and a hundred dollars saved-
Mom: Ok, I take all that back.

Jumping In

http://www.fussy.org/nablopomo.html

I am going to figure out how to sign up for that and join in. I think the month of November is going to be quite a challenge!

IOU

I owe you an explanation. Last week, a friend of mine told me to write her a story of what my life has been like since September. I believe she had good intentions in asking telling me to write her something. As I said before, I need deadlines. I need someone to be down my neck about what I'm working on. But I can't write the story she wants me to write. I think part of her request was to get me to see what I've done with my life. That by telling me to write about my life since the beginning of September, I will see the mistakes I've made. And that is no way to write a story.

Yes, someday I will tell this story, of my "time astray". And I am excited for that story because it's going to be something that I want to tell. But I don't want to tell it right now. I'm living it right now, and I cannot put it down into story form yet. I tried, and it reads like a journal and that's boring to me. I don't want my stories to turn into journal entries or even blog entries. I want it to mean something to me.

A few months ago, I dated someone and when I ended it he sent me an email telling me that he wondered how he would end up in one of my stories. And the truth is, I will never write about him. I will never tell that "story" because it's not a story. It's not interesting or life changing.

My life now is interesting. Not in the ways that my friends and family want it to be, but I am so fascinated with what is going on around me. It's not what you want for me, I'm sorry. And I can't write the story for you yet. I'm not lost, I'm just doing this my way.

This is me, but not really me.

 

I just wanted to see how I can publish photos with Picassa. I wish Picassa was compatible with Macs. The things I go through because I love my Apple. 

I don't do New Years

But I will make a resolution. I will write. Not everyday, because that is an impossible thing for me to do. However, no more one a week posts. And I've decided not to be annomymous. There aren't a whole lot of people out there who actually read my old blog, but I don't think that hiding my identity is important. I'm not going to lose my job over this, I'm not worried about anyone in particular reading it to find out what I'm up to, and I never really intended this to be a crazy tell-all memoir.

Because I live in a small town and I'm wasting my precious post college years on worthless adventures and pointless relationships. So how is that exciting? And who cares?

So this is for me. I need to get back to writing. Even if it's silly stories about the bar, and the library, and my amazing niece. I'm not going to be able to pull myself out of this slump if I don't have some way to put it out there. Deadlines really are beautiful things. I miss them.

So much money

The Today show is doing a special on a new fad called the Babymoon. It's amazing how many people have the means to spend so much money right before one of the biggest changes in a lifestyle. I'm not going to be able to support a child for 15 years unless I marry someone with a very good job and stable finances. I don't want to bring any children into the world unless I can really take care of them. I would also like for all this talk of children to be gone from me. My fear of the possibility of children is entirely my fault but even though I'm 99% sure it's not possible, all the talk surrounding me is freaking me out. Such a dilemma I'd rather not have right now.

However, the Today show did show that belly casts are a popular thing to do and I think that's cool. I want to be one of those women who have a great pregnant body but I don't think I'll be that lucky. I'll be a "put on weight" type so the plaster mold idea won't be as appealing when I'm hugely pregnant!

Anyways. Enough about that nonsense.

I am so sick of the campaigning that is going on recently. I hate how ugly it has become. Rather than talking about what a candidate will do if elected, they are focusing on what their opponent lacks. What's sad is that those commercials and phone calls always say that they are paid for by a certain group which leads us to believe that maybe the candidate doesn't endorse this slander, but they still took money from this group. It's sad, really. It shouldn't be like this. And what will it take to change that?

Not forgotten

I've thought about posting for a while, but realize that I have no one to show this too. But why do I want to have an anonymous blog and write about my life and relationships to people who don't even know me. Sure, I could tell stories about things no one knows and most likely would never find out about. But why? I don't even write some of the shit I do down so that I don't have proof that I actually did it in case I ever forget. Maybe I need to realize that it doesn't matter what I write and if I'm going to do something in my life, maybe I shouldn't worry about what people will think about what I do or say or think.

This is my space. I should remember that.