Moving Home
So it is time. I’m moving home to Massachusetts. There are multiple reasons why and I’ll get into a few of them here. But the main reason is that I miss my family. I’ve been thinking of this for a long time.
I’ll get to see the trees I planted with my father bloom this spring. I haven’t seen that for many years. My mother and I will plant a garden, I’ll help my dad build his shed, and I will be closer to my sister to help her with wedding preparations. All the things I would miss if I stayed in Washington, DC.
My career wasn’t really going anywhere. I couldn’t really see myself getting promoted further at Magnolia. I liked my job for the most part despite its challenges with my boss. I can say for sure I’ll never have the same type of work evironment again. And I will definitely miss wearing jeans to work. But it was time to move on. No one was really surprised when I said I was leaving. The reaction was more like, “why did it take you this long?” But I am glad I stayed as long as I did. It makes my resume look stable.
So now I’m in the process of selling furniture and packing. I hate moving. That was probably a real deterrent for me staying as long as I have. Lucky for me my mother is coming this weekend to help. I’m so grateful. She’ll help me save the ugly clothes and throw away the most comfortable items. And we’ll argue about it. I can’t wait!
So I’ve posted tons of stuff on craigslist. I’ve managed to maybe sell the dresser. One of the three that I have. We’ll see if it actually leaves my house on Wednesday at 4pm. I certainly hope so. Anyone need some furniture?
I went to Shamrockfest on Saturday. It was going away present to myself. I saw Scythian play and was the happiest girl there despite the rain. God, I love that band. Something about them just makes me a ridiculously happy puddle of mush. That about sums it up. Of course I saw Carbon Leaf and Flogging Molly which are staples of Shamrockfest. I am going to miss it! I’ve attended three years in a row! If Scythian ever comes to MA I’m so there! The closest they are getting this year appears to be upstate NY in May – the weekend of my nephew’s birthday. So we’ll see. Think I can drive six hours, party at bar with a bunch of strangers, sleep in the car, and drive six hours back for my nephew’s birthday? Yeah, I might be able to do just that.
My sister is the best sister in the world. That would be because she is taking me to see my favorite band in the world for my birthday. That would make three years I’ve seen Nickelback in July! It is the most wonderful time of the year to see them. I may never have had a birthday party thrown for me, but seeing my band is so much better than that. So excited.
So the Washington, DC chapter of my life is closing. Just in time before the miserable heat that claims this city. I’ll miss many things. I’ll have to drive again. But I’m looking forward to a new job and starting over again. I know I’m lucky because not many people get a chance to start over again.
Superbowl and the Academy Awards
I had a Superbowl Party on Sunday. It was great as there was too much food as per usual. As it should be. Apparently, the chili I made had a certain side effect which was just not cool. Wings from Hooters was a first for me. I seriously have never had their wings. Now I have life goal #335325 accomplished. My desserts were just not on par Sunday. I’ve made better cookies. But I made these little bacon wrapped lil’ smokey heart attack things with brown sugar and they were so good. I only ate one. I cannot say that of the chips and cucumber dill dip. Thanks mom for the recipe!
Peter King let me down a little by calling the football one of the “best Superbowls ever”. Whatever, I totally disagree and I’m not just saying that because the Patriots weren’t in it. The first half was boring and the Arizona penalties were just ridiculous. It only started getting interesting after half time. But overall it was a good time and I’m glad I got a chance to host a party before Stephanie has her baby in the next couple weeks.
N and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire on Friday night. It was just as good as I had hoped. I have to say though, I really hate “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”. That was the first television show that made me realize I hated reality television and game shows that aren’t Jeopardy. So I despised the scenes with him in the game show on principle alone. But the acting was amazing. How Danny Boyle got such performances from those kids is a mystery. He really deserves every award this movie has gotten and hopefully will get. I love the original plot line and the sets in India are disturbingly real. A trip to India is not really high on my list.
So the movies left on the list I want to see before the AAs is The Reader. I’m not sure I really want to see Doubt. But I have to see Kate Winslet.
I booked my flight home for my sister’s wedding shower. It is the next big event I have planned in my life. Um, it’s in May. There simply has to be another trip or event in their to get excited about a little sooner than May. Of course there is Shamrockfest where I get my yearly dose of Scythian. They are actually the real reason I go every year. They are so amazing. I really hope they aren’t the opening act this year. It really is hard to drink beer from noon until 9pm. Those lines to the porta-potties get so long…
I get to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year with someone other than Ben & Jerry. Congrats Shauna, New Year’s goal accomplished. Not that I actually had a great deal to do with it, I think its fate or cosmic dust or something. N is so great and funny and wonderful. Good lord I’m happy. I think I’ll wear red this year, not much of a statement on a Saturday but whatever. The Saudis can suck it.
Books, Movies and the West Wing
So I finished the Twilight series. And there was sex. Thank God. I have no idea how Meyers could have written four novels about the same couple with no sex. But it took until the fourth book. And there wasn’t much to it. She could have done a great deal with that topic and glossed over it instead. Her target audience be damned, I wanted hot, steamy vampire sex. Oh well. There will be another movie. I could care less if there is sex in that. I have already expressed my opinions about Robert Pattinson’s hotness so I’ll move on.
I also finished Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell. Funny story about this book. It came out right before Christmas and normally I run right out and by the next installment in the series because….honestly I have no idea. I can barely follow the plot lines anymore because she has written about the same people for almost eighteen (I think?) books. And if you don’t remember the last book, you are lost.
Before Christmas I noticed Scarpetta was on my sister’s Amazon wish list. I meant to ask her if she had read all of the previous books but I forgot to mention it in one of the million conversations we had before Christmas. Her friend, Alyssa, ended up buying the book for her. Opps. My sister has not read the previous books and might be a little lost. Last week I went out and bought my copy. I finished it and couldn’t believe that I had paid for this book in hardcover. It was awful and not simply because I couldn’t remember the plot line from the last book. The characters were acting so far out of character! You cannot read eighteen books about the same woman and not know her rather well. A little voyeur into her head. It was almost as if someone was ghost writing for Cornwell without having read the previous books.
I know I own almost every book written by Cornwell. I’ll go through and dig up the first six or seven that I have in paperback and loan them to my sister. And then maybe after the tenth book I’ll recommend she stop reading the series to save her the disappointment.
Congrats to all the Oscar nominees. I believe all of them are well deserved. I think Clint might have been neglected in the Best Director category this year. I saw Gran Torino with N and thought it was good despite the predictable ending. The acting could have been a little better and that is probably why Clint was left out. However, I think he did amazingly well given the number of first time actors. But Clint, baby, you can’t sing so please stop trying.
Kate Winslet better win this year. It simply cannot be that she is neglected yet again. Although, I have yet to see Revolutionary Road or the Reader. But the woman is so breathtakingly talented I would hate to see her overlooked. Oprah complemented the woman on her breasts. Seriously! Oprah liked them so much she said so on live television. She might be one only woman on earth with that honor which is so much more flattering than if Hugh Heffner said it.
I also saw Defiance which is the only non-Ocsar movie I’ve seen recently. I have shamefully neglected Slumdog Millionaire. I really should have seen it instead but I wanted to see something get blown up. I wasn’t disappointed. There is only so much drama I can watch before I need to see stunts and something explode. Liev Schreiber stole the movie, not Daniel Craig. I have to admire their guts to actually speak a language other than English in various parts of the movie. That alone enhanced their value as actors. Both men have their signature thirty second stares, very Eastwoodesqe. However, Schreiber makes it just a little more believable. Both men can take a punch, I cannot believe their fight scene was all stunts, some of those had to be pretty close to being real. It was quite believable they were brothers…at least half an hour into the movie anyway. It is kind of hard to get past their physical differences at first. Something about a blue eyed, blond Jew…
A result of the recent change of political power in Washington for me would be a renewed interest in watching The West Wing. I have set my DVR to record episodes and I’m not disappointed to say it comes on twice a day on Bravo. Sweet! I loved that show when it was on the air and I literally made my schedule around watching new episodes. It was a show both my parents loved watching as well. I remember the sound of the opening credits coming on in my parent’s house and running into the living room to watch it. No one would leave during the commercials because the dialog is so fast you might miss something during the three minutes it takes to pop a bag of popcorn. Immediately after I would want to watch it again because I know I missed something!
So the Superbowl is Sunday and I am hosting a party. I miss Justin. I have never hosted a Superbowl party without him. As usual, I will be making tons of food. Chex mix and chilli at the very least. Some kind of baked good of course. I could care less about the game really. Both quarterbacks have been to the the Superbowl in the past. I’m looking forward to Springsteen and the commercials. And of course, my friends!
Football and Movies
This weekend I devoted myself to two of my favorite leisure activities, watching football and seeing movies at the theater. Whenever I am alone on a Friday night I have a routine. I’ll go get sushi, see a movie, and go to Barnes and Noble to browse and perhaps buy a book or three. Although not necessarily in that order. So this past Friday I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I was blown away. It is one of those movies that you cannot stop thinking about once the credits roll. I had heard that some critics thought it was too long. I disagree entirely. Some stories just don’t fit in neat two hour packages. There was more than enough plot and great acting to keep my attention for three hours. It was, by far, one of the best movies I’ve seen recently.
I also gave in and bought New Moon, the sequel to Twilight. I started reading it at at time I shouldn’t have been and “got stuck”. One chapter turned into 100 pages and I have to say I kept reading only to find out if Bella was going to get out of her funk after Edward left her. I read a few more pages last night and more on the metro this morning and she is still mourning him leaving her. How long can this continue?
Saturday morning I got up relatively early and should have cleaned my room and bathroom. Instead I went to Clyde’s in Chinatown and had an excellent breakfast. Turns out that if you ask for the orange juice without ice it is perfect! I cannot believe some restaurants put ice in their orange juice, blasphemy!
Then, I went to see The Wrestler. Definitely a sad movie. I know there are people in the world who have absolutely nothing but it was shocking to see a character study of such a person. And it was gory! That was completely unexpected! Some grown men in the theater sitting next to me averted their eyes. This wasn’t like Rambo IV violence because you are prepared for it and its typical movie violence. This was shockingly real. I don’t watch wrestling but I don’t think a staple gun is routinely used. But I was glad to hear that Mickey Rourke won a Golden Globe Sunday night for his performance. He very obviously gave a great deal in his performance.
Then, I ran some errands and went home to change. I met up with my friend Jen at the Vienna metro station. We went to Tyson’s Corner and watched the football games at Gordon Beirch. I was happy to see the Ravens win but I didn’t particularly care very much about any of the teams. I was just hoping for entertaining games. The first game was the Carolina game and it was boring. But overall, I had a good time. The downside was the it took me over an hour and a half to get home from the West Falls Church metro. Yuck!
Sunday dawned and I woke up early only to get distracted by Civilization and the first 100 pages of New Moon. So I had a take a shower at light speed and get ready for the day because N came and picked me up for a day of steady drinking and bar hopping. N is the reason I’ve been slightly cryptic about my New Year plan and resulting happiness! It’s true, I’m ridiculously happy!
We went to Clyde’s where the bartender, John, recognized me which was almost embarrassing. I don’t eat there that often, but I did have brunch there the day before. He made me a double Stoli vanilla and cranberry when he forgot my drink order. I was a happy girl watching football! After Clyde’s we went to Rosa Mexicano because N says they have the best pomegranate margaritas, which is probably true if I liked margaritas. But I was a good sport and got one anyway. I even drank 3/4 of it. N was a good sport and finished it for me.
Then, we went to one of the few remaining cigar bars in the city and just relaxed and had a good time. He had a cigar and we both had a few drinks. We didn’t finish the Pittsburgh game in its entirety before the smoke gave me a headache and I was dying for some fresh air. But overall, it was a great weekend and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it any other way. So now this coming Sunday will be spent watching football, one of the last full Sundays of football until next fall. This time of year is always a little sad for me because of that!
Sadness
I just found out another of my high school classmates passed away. I don’t know when or any other details yet. I found out on facebook from the 10 year high school reunion group that was created recently. That makes four of my classmates in ten years. For such as small class that is really awful.
I had been close friends with Sara Mansir in third grade and while we didn’t stay close throughout middle school and high school I had classes with her and remember her as someone I could make idle conversation with. She will be missed.
Too Much Hype
So I gave in and bought Twilight. I stayed up until 3am last night and finished it. Before I finished it however, I celebrated Christmas with Drew and my friends. Which was great because I got six new books among other things, including a beautiful bracelet and much needed wine glasses. My book backlog has tripled. Ok, hardly the only reason I needed to read Twilight. My 12 year old cousin said it was amazing, I’ve seen women my age reading it on the metro, my friend Becca has read the whole series. And who am I not to read a popular book that recently became a movie?
I finished it and thought “there are really three more books like this with no sex?” I understand it is young adult literature. I’ve read young adult literature from the time I was 10 until now. And that last thing that kids in school want to read about is going to school. For about 150 pages or more, Bella, the protagonist, is in school.
Maybe it was just me but because I had seen the movie posters and saw previews I couldn’t get the Bella in my brain to look different than Kristen Stewart, the actress who plays her in the movie. That pissed me off. The Edward in my brain looked nothing like Robert Pattinson. That was easy as I don’t find Robert particularly attractive.
So Stephanie Meyer downplayed the sex. I’ve read Anne Rice and watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hardly enough vampire background I know. But sex is an underlying theme. There should be more of it. But the worst part is that Meyer never does a good job of explaining why Edward chooses Bella. She seems like a perfectly average girl who is just clumsy, altruistic, and slightly more observant than usual. He can’t read her mind (a talent of his) which makes him naturally curious as to why. That isn’t enough of an explanation for me.
The book is written in the first person from Bella’s point of view. Which is great at first but then you realize you don’t understand the motiviations of the other characters. You don’t get the sense of voyerism from observing from a distance. Some authors can write in first person and you can still have that feeling because their command of language is that good. Nelson DeMile and Anne Rice come to mind. I feel like Meyer downplayed the language for her audience.
So I guess I was disappointed. Of course I’ll buy and read the other books and of course watch the movie (on the future dvd). But I hope it gets a little more exciting and the characters develop a little more. It felt so great last night to stay up so late and read a book to the end. I surprised myself as I’d had a bit of wine at the party. But I stayed the course and finished it. I haven’t deprived myself of sleep for the sake of a book in a long time. I really love that drowsy feeling when I’m all curled up getting through the last 100 pages.
So moving on to football Atlanta and Indy are out as of yesterday. Those were the only two teams I was really excited about. I haven’t felt this indifferent during playoff season since the 90s. How sad for me. Try as I might I cannot find myself liking Baltimore. There are lots of reasons I should, so we’ll see. Perhaps today’s game will change my mind.
Happy New Year
I rang in the new year with some girlfriends at Commonwealth in Columbia Heights. We had dinner reservations and I have to say that dinner was amazing. It was definitely one of my top 10 meals of 2008. Then, more girls met up with us and we moved to the bar where we watched the ball drop. The champangne flowed, people around us were fun, and it was exactly what I wanted the night to be. I was in bed at 1:30!
So I’m at work today and there isn’t really a great deal going on. Lucky me! Does not feel like a Friday at all!
I stayed in bed almost all day yesterday which is exactly what I wanted to do. And I watched movies. One of them was the Golden Compass. I had been debating about whether to watch this movie or not because of poor reviews and the news that they two other books were not being made into movies. Subsequently, the movie doesn’t really end as the studio anticipated making movies from the other two books in the His Dark Materials trilogy.
However, I was surprised. The little girl who played Lara was exactly how I envisioned her to be. And the movie followed the plot line of the book with minimal deviation. I can completely understand that those people who had never read the book or even heard of the book were wondering what the hell was going on the whole time. The book and the movie take place in an entirely different world, as most sci-fi movies do. But was billed as a children’s movie. I’m thinking the adults weren’t prepared.
It was so much better than Eragon which suffered the same fate critically. That was a horrible movie in all respects. I went to see it in the theater with my nephew and sister. I had read the book in advance and was really looking forward to the movie. When it was over I couldn’t help but lament the waste of talent of both John Malcovitch and Jeremy Irons. My nephew, on the other hand, exclaimed, “I can’t wait for Eragon 2!” Sorry to disappoint you Jordan.
So no Golden Compass 2. No problem – read the books! I remember Justin seeing the movie and he was upset the movie didn’t end. I said, “if you really want to know how the series ends, read the books”. I think we changed the subject after that.
On a completely unrelated note I just overheard a coworker’s conversation about how her boyfriend, with whom she just had a baby in November, handed her a clear plastic bag with a ring in it for Christmas and said, “here is your Christmas present, there isn’t anything else”. Sure, the ring had his, hers, and the baby’s birthstone in it, but that has the be the least romantic thing I’ve ever heard. Wow, I’m a little depressed right now just hearing that story. He didn’t even wrap it or give it to her on Christmas morning.
My future brother-in-law surprised my sister with the coolest Christmas gift. She needed a new jewelry box and wanted a bigger one, the kind that is a virtual piece of furniture. He actually found one that is mounted on the wall but is a piece of wall art for their bedroom! On the outside my sister inserts photos and the door swings open to reveal her jewelry. She was ecstatic! They had been discussing the lack of art in their bedroom and he solved two problems with one gift. That is the kind of thoughtful gift (which was wrapped) that is exactly what Christmas is about. Even something smaller can still be meaningful when wrapped and given at the appropriate time.
So excited about the weekend! There is much to look forward to. My New Year is totally starting off in the right direction! Happy New Year!!!!
S.E.X.
Is my new favorite song my Nickelback. I bought their new cd the week it came out and have already memorized the entire cd. So they are now going on tour of course! And while there are no DC dates yet (those are usually in the summer) they are playing in East Rutherford, NJ. And now that Justin is in NYC. Well, let’s just say I’m well on my way to achieving my New Year’s goal of seeing Nickelback twice. So March 6th baby!
So why is this my favorite song, besides the obvious? I have no idea. The guitar riffs and the lyrics are high on the list of reasons but the song makes me feel really happy! Which is what the entire purpose of music is! So they have succeeding in making me a happy girl!
And there is another reason I am ridiculously happy this morning but I’ll wait just a little longer to share. But it just might have something do with the title of this post and a New Year’s goal. Oh, work is not going by fast enough today!
The Year in Review
2008 is almost at and end and I wanted to take a minute to discuss thoughts on the past and hopes for the future.
Some of the brightest moments of this past year was my vacation, which was by far one of the best events of the year for me. Whenever, I’m in a bad mood I just have to remember sitting on the beach watching Justin ineffectively fight back the tide with walls of sand. That always makes me smile. Also, hosting Stephanie’s baby shower was definitely a highlight. Another was getting my WSI license so I could teach lessons. I was able to break up the monotony of life-guarding by teaching. And while I am not a natural teacher and it did not come easily, I did find myself enjoying parts of teaching, which surprised me. Drew’s birthday is of course up there on the list of great moments in 2008 which will always be remembered until we are all 50+. Justin and I slamming down $14 vanilla vodka and cranberry juice cocktails right before Spamalot – as if the show needed to be any more funny than it was. My sister getting engaged and buying a house is a pretty significant life event for her. I couldn’t be happier for her.
Some of the not so great moments of the year include the Patriots not making the playoffs, Justin moving to NYC, and a particularly poor relationship decision on my part. I am proud of the Patriots for being able to end the season 11-5 with Tom Brady only playing for 20 minutes of the entire season. Just another reason to be happy to hail from New England! Justin is way up there and is probably happier for it, but I miss him horribly. But I saw him three times in the past six weeks and he is only a 4 hour bus ride away. I’m already planning my next trip!
And then we come to all that Shauna learned from R. I couldn’t review the year without a quick mention that I am disappointed in myself and can only hope that I can refrain from making similar mistakes in the future. And I only blame myself for not seeing my relationship for the way it was – decidedly unhealthy. I wanted to make it work so badly that I was willing to change a great deal about myself and compromise somethings I believe in. I wanted to make the sacrifice but there is a thing as giving too much. And I did, over and over again. I hurt myself in the end.
Relationships you have to keep a secret are bad. Especially a secret kept for almost two years. I’ve had plenty of experience in this regard. I’m tired of secrets. I want a relationship where I don’t have to lie or omit events or stories. Perhaps I can even look forward to a date where I’m not stood up (I think statistically we were 3 out of 5 times I was stood up). I might even be able to ask a question like, “where are you going?” or just a simple “why?”. And I want a boyfriend I can bring to dinner with my friends. That is probably the most important part.
So my hopes for the future aren’t crazy unachievable goals. I won’t set the bar too high. I’d like to look good for my sister’s wedding. I did not start down that path today despite every intention of doing so when I woke up. But I digress. I’d like to perhaps have a healthy relationship with a boy, around my age. (Gosh, that sounds so easy written down like that!) Keeping better focus at work is up there on the list. It appears this is going to be a career as I am entering year 5. It is time to think about long term goals there. The pool will be closed this summer, so I’d like to find another pool to lifeguard and teach lessons, but we’ll have to see about that. I’ve been spoiled and I get paid too much to be considered for many positions. Perhaps getting my Pool Operator license is something to be considered.
I’d like to be able to organize my house a little better. I was able to get some of the stuff from my grandparent’s house put away but hiding stuff in boxes and stuffing them in a closet doesn’t really count as organization. But more importantly I need my kitchen to be more user friendly. Half the time I cannot find anything I need quickly. That simply has to change. For Christmas this year I got a citrus grater, pastry mat, and a pineapple corer and I might have squeaked a little opening each of these! My father almost demanded a DNA test on the spot. I’d like each of these new toys to have a home in the kitchen.
And of course, one of the biggest goals of 2009 is to throw an bigger, even greater Halloween party than ever before. Ten months away and counting. I got better this past year. I had my costume a whole 24 hours in advance. Up from 6 hours in advance the year before! We didn’t do infused vodka this time around and that will be fixed. Also, decorations simply must be better. More bats, definitely more bats!
Also, I’m seeing Nickelback at least twice this year. I don’t care if I have a take a greyhound bus – alone! You know how pilgrims go to Mecca? A Nickelback concert is my religious experience. Don’t judge!
So I think this is a year to look forward to. Happy New Year!
Busy Weekend
So this weekend is action packed. But the main event is JAMES BOND. I’ve seen shirtless pics and trailers of Daniel Craig EVERYWHERE. It is the norm for me to get excited about movies. Take my usual enthusiasm and ramp it up – there you go! That is how excited I am. Kristy, Aaron and I are getting together tomorrow night to watch Casino Royale for a refresher on the plot. Like I need another excuse to watch the movie. Seriously, I think I’ve seen it at least 5 times. They showed it all the time on Showtime for awhile. There are so many good movies out that I want to see. For once, I haven’t had time. I’m not worried, there is a lot of winter coming up.
So this past weekend I went home to MA. It was quite the experience. Dad, Mom, Uncle John, Aunt Lucy, Aunt Polly, her children Veronica, Samantha, and Kasie had the wonderful honor of sharing the LONE bathroom with me in my parent’s house for the weekend. 9 people and one bathroom. I’m sure there are plenty of such stories in my past that I could tell. But I have forced them from my memory. For the past five years I’ve had my own bathroom used by just me. Yup, I’m spoiled but this is a luxury I’m not giving up. Not even after marriage. I don’t know, it could be a deal breaker.
Anyway, in all seriousness it was a good time. Since most of the family was there we had an early Thanksgiving dinner. I converted one more relative to the delightful brussel sprout which has a bad rap as being a nasty vegetable. As my father said, “I hate brussel sprouts, except when Shauna makes them.” So my Uncle John agreed. Yeah, one more for Team Brussel Sprout. I also made my best attempt at an apple pie to date. Although I ran out of time and cheated. I used a store bought pie crust. So while it was good, really good, I am missing some of the sense of accomplishment. I also made my green bean casserole which came out just as good as last year. Other things I made included 2 batches of chex mix, peanut butter cup cookies, spinach artichoke dip, and pigs in blankets. My father made the turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cabbage. My mom made sweet potato casserole. So there was lots of food, lots of noise, and thankfully, lots of beer (late am/early afternoon) and wine (late afternoon/evening).
The weekend coup de gras- I had managed to get Patriots tickets. Oh, don’t be jealous bitches. These were Section 159, row 3, seats 8 & 9, Pats side. Yeah, be jealous. We were on the 45 yard line. I didn’t know whether to watch the bench or watch the game. It was my first Gillette Stadium experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better one. I took my dad and we had a good time. No, a really good time. I took enough pictures to help with the memories. After we kicked some serious Buffalo Bill ass, my dad drove me to the airport. I was still wearing all my Pats gear. So while that did not look out of place at Logan, it did when I arrived at Reagan.
So other than planning my sister’s bridal shower, it was a good weekend. I won’t even get into the problems with planning this party. I need a rest from thinking about it. It appears consensus will never be reached with my parents and I won’t go into detail here. But I am throwing my sister a fucking amazing party despite all the challenges coming my way. I’ll find a way.
So it’s Thursday night and the Pats are playing the Jets in an epic battle for the number 1 seed in the AFC North. They are both 6-3. And it is on the NFL network. Seriously, whose brilliant idea is this? I know I’ll look back five years from now when the NFL network has either disappeared completely or is on mainstream cable and I’ll laugh. But right now its a huge pain in my ass. So I was going to go to a bar, but I have to get up at 5:30am now for work while my coworker is on maternity leave. So there is no way I can survive my weekend plans with only 5 hours of sleep tonight. So I’ll watch it online once I get home from work tonight. At least the network is streaming it live from NFL.com. Money-grubbing assholes.
This having to be at work at 6:30am sucks. At least I’m not working until 10 at the gym/pool anymore. I get to leave at 9. I originally took this manager position because I though I would have more time to work out. In reality, I’m just too tired after a 9.5 hour day at work and then coming here for 4 hours.
This new schedule is not helping me get through my book pile. At the moment I’m reading Sailing Around the World Aloneby Joshua Slocum. While nautical terms abound, this book is fascinating. It is an autobiography and Slocum was the first man to solo navigate the world in a sailboat. In fact, he rebuilt a sailboat virtually from scratch. He did this amazing feat in 3 years from 1895-1898. His journey was 46,000 miles. The book is his tale of the events. I was browsing in a book store and randomly came across this. There is a reason browsing is one of my favorite things to do. You never know what treasure you might find!
Oh, and one last thing. I totally bought myself an early Christmas present! There are so many things I needed more, like a new comforter and a bus ticket for NYC in two weeks. But I bought myself a Sarah Brightman concert ticket for next Wednesday. I knew the chances of her returning to DC anytime soon were slim so I couldn’t resist. I managed to get one ticket in a box seat almost directly above the stage. I cannot think of a better place to hear her voice! The only problem is I might cry in a room full of strangers. Hopefully, it will be dark. For over a decade I’ve been a fan. Well, if I stood 10 feet away from Teddy Bruski (god, football pants are the BEST invention) and didn’t pass out, I might be able to keep a lid on the waterworks. I’m thinking I’ll bring a tissue or two just in case.
Venus Obsequens 