It's Over and Over and Over Again

Ok. I'm over it. Let's talk about something more fun than my very bad morning, shall we? I think it may be time for a Friday random thoughts post. Begin.

1. It is COLD here today. It was around 15* this morning when Isaac went out to switch monitors with me. Cold. Cold. Cold. Which made Diane's lovely offer of a San Diego get away in January mighty tempting!

2. We don't have our tree up yet and, quite frankly, I'm stumped where to put it. I should really put some effort into coming up with something, but I'm not feeling the Christmas yet.

3. My sister and I were talking this morning about how we wish jean skirts could be abolished from the land. I wonder if you can run for office on some sort of platform to accomplish this?

4. For the first time in years, I believe I need a wallet. I have a difficult time finding wallets I like. I want leather, funky, goes with black or brown and almost as big as a small clutch. All the ones I find are usually...a little frumpy looking. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong spot.

5. I think he may be the most perfect man (well, for me...if you needed a clear definition of "my type", this would be it. Tall, dark and nerdy). Is it too late to change Sammy's name to Chuck?:

6. Nathan Fillion is coming back to tv next spring. This may be the actual reason in my mood turn around today. I'm easy like that.

7. Sammy will now repeat ANYTHING you say. And I mean that very literally. He's such a little mimic. My favorite thing he says right now is, "Are you kidding me?". I guess we know what I say to him most often...

8. I'm mulling the idea of hosting a 1st annual Christmas party this year. I'm stumped on any details after that, though.

9. I found out that some casual friends from Portland moved to town a couple of months ago. I'm hoping with the crazy around the holidays, I can find some time to reconnect.

10. I got the new Malcolm Gladwell book this week. I really need to carve out some time to read it. You know, between putting up the tree, finding a wallet that doesn't repulse me and planning a party. Hmmm. Maybe I'll host a reading party. Kidding...

I'm a Grouch

Man. Talk about very bad moods. I am in one. I was going to post a nice, fun little story about my gay ex-boyfriend today and peer pressure Diane into a few fun stories of her own as payback, but that will have to wait until another day. Instead I'm going to vent. And probably commit technologic homicide since I am on Isaac's laptop and not loving it.

***all of this is said with the "YES. I do know I'm spoiled and have much" disclaimer***

I opened my beautiful birthday present yesterday and started to figure it out. I cannot get wi-fi to work. It will connect, but then nothing happens except errors. Crazy errors. Telling me I'm not connected when I clearly am. All I want is to sit on my couch or bed and have the internet at my fingertips while I watch tv (better to check imdb with, of course!)...is that too much to ask (yup...that's where the spoiled and have much part comes in!)? Isaac said I do this with every piece of technology I get. I gripe and complain about it being stupid and broken until I figure out the relatively small thing that is wrong and then I love it. At least I'm consistent, right?

I went to bed complaining about my new ipod and that, coupled with waking up to a headache, I was pretty grouchy this morning already. I figured I could spend a few minutes on the Apple website figuring out the issue when my computer failed me. The monitor is dead. My beautiful monitor. Dead. Fine. I can use Isaac's laptop for most stuff, but...you guessed it! I need to do bills tonight (every Friday) and go through some CDs to sell (check and make sure I've ripped them first) and finish a writing project and get to my Christmas gift spreadsheet before I start wrapping presents today and, and, and, and...Man! My entire life is on that computer. Granted, some of that is on my external drive that I can hook up to the laptop, but some of it is not. Like all my fun 'because I have no shame' photos. So now. Now I get to spend my morning figuring out not one, but two technology related issues. Which I hate more than...mushrooms. And I hate mushrooms a lot! Here's hoping they are both relatively easy fixes. Like it really is the monitor and not the computer itself. And that I'm just being stupid and overlooking something with my ipod and that it's not really the evil little tyrant I accused it of being last night.

This would appear to be a cherry coke kinda morning...In a very spoiled, non-life altering, clearly people are worse off than me and I shouldn't be complaining at all and I probably wouldn't be if I didn't also have a headache and other unmentionable ailments going on sort of way. Hmm. Maybe I should take a bubble bath and read instead. Oh, yeah. I have a 2 year old. Nevarch, indeed.

Noon Addendum: My adorable, ignores my crazy ranting husband went to work early and brought home his monitor so I had a working computer today. Score one for him. Esp. since it means he has an AWFUL monitor temporarily on his work computer. Ipod still wonky. Headache still around. Cherry coke in hand. Love, Actually on tivo. This day may break even, yet.

The Facts Are These...

I realized yesterday that my 20 year high school reunion is a mere 3.5 years away. Aren't 20 year reunions for old people that haven't done anything with themselves since high school? Oh, wait... (eta: Hmmm. I hope that's not true considering!)

I've been spending some time on Facebook lately reconnecting with people. It's taken a lot of desire out of going to my 20th reunion since you can see classmates and what they've been doing with their lives - or at least what they want you to see! By taking away the curious factor, you take away the main catalyst for attending. So maybe I'll attend my 20th virtually. Get caught up on everyone's lives through Facebook and blogs and eliminate one need to lose those last few baby pounds...

(By the way, if you haven't read this about Facebook, I totally recommend it. I laughed and cried and realized that Facebook really does transport good upstanding people back to high school...especially if you've requested someone to be your friend and they never confirm it. Talk about a blow to the esteem!)

From this, the week of graduation:


To this, Sammy & me in La Jolla last year:


Huh.

Because I Have No Shame, vol. 6

Vol. 4 had me all dressed up the weekend before the big break up. Vol. 6 sees the calendar turned over one month to January 1993. Back at school. Very cold. More cold than I had ever experienced. And the snow. Oh. My. Goodness. Snow. I fell on the snow and ice right before Christmas break (breakup related, I might add) and had to ride the 3 kazillion hours home on a donut. That, it turned out, was a very memorable trip home. I remember sour patch kids, Dr. Pepper and near death - almost plunging off the side of a mountain in Colorado.

Anyway. Back to the photo. You can barely see it, but I am wearing jeans and cowboy boots. It was around this point that I started dancing seriously. My best friend (who was a ballroom dancer) and I would go dancing all the time. At least three times a week. After a while, we started teaching a few people how to country dance (I know. Right?). We were really good. No matter who he was dating at the time, dancing was ours. There were certain songs that no one else got him for. Those dances were only mine and everyone knew it.

It's so funny to look back to that time. I loved dancing so much. I loved teaching country dance. It was a great couple of semesters and I loved every minute of them. But I am so different. Country music isn't really my thing, so to see pictures where I'm playing the part amuses me.

Breathless

Three random Monday facts, plus a song of the week for your enjoyment:

1. I spent the afternoon writing a short story instead of putting away laundry. I don't feel a bit bad about it.

2. My birthday present will be here later this week. Isn't it pretty?

And I know what you are thinking: "What? It's your birthday?" Why, no. It is not. We have 2 months from today to go until my birthday. We aren't real sticklers for that sort of thing around here, though.

3. Our friends, Lora & Dave, brought over a new game about a month ago. I bought it immediately after they left and now I will try to sucker anyone into playing it with me. So, if you see me on the side of the freeway with a sign "Need Guillotine players", don't be alarmed. I'm not starting a new revolution, I just need a couple more warm bodies for a card game. Hmmm...I see the makings of a great Bastille Day party next year!

Song of the week:

Breathless, Better Than Ezra