daaaa da daaa da daaa daaaa daaa daa...

So Andy's taking a beginning acoustic guitar class at the not so local community college and they have assigned them this song...an "etude" that I know I know! He does not do the "classical"music scene and so seemed almost astounded when I started "da da-ing" to it, and then beyond the one page he was given and into the next stage of the song...but for the life of me I can not remember what it is called.

Da da dit do dum da da dum da
Da da da daaa da dum de doo....

It is going to bug me to no end until I dig out my CD's and try to figure it out. I think it's Bach or Beethoven...I can hear drums and cannons in my head...But it's usually strings that play it. So very frustrating. Especially as they've used it so often in commercials and movie previews...urgh...oh! Movie previews!

I think I know where I'm navigating to next...much easier than trying to figure out which box my CD's have gone to.

Happy weekend before the explosions!

Days Sneak Up on You If You're Not Careful

How did it get to be Thursday already?

I mean, I've still got last week's paycheck in my bag...my laundry has yet to be put away...the one-box-a-day of unpacking has come to a standstill...I have yet to go grocery shopping for the week!

 

Wasn't I just wondering what I could fake for lunch for Monday?  And now we're almost halfway done with Thursday?

 

It boggles the mind.

 

On the positive side of the spectrum, the weekend is only hours away...well, about 30 hours away, but that's nothin' compared to it being a whole week away, right?

Also, HELLO, I have a whole paycheck in my bag!  I must be doing better if I'm not living paycheck-to-paycheck anymore/just yet/for now.  Come ask me how I feel after I fork over the money for the gum surgery 3 weeks or so from now...or for the crown a month after that???  Eeep.  I will never look at even shoddy dental coverage offers with anything but the respect they deserve.

 

A coworker of mine is also having vast amounts of work done on her teeth.  The comment she made that has stayed with me as I think about the upcoming bills is: I don't know how my parents prioritized all this with FIVE KIDS! 

 

Cuz we are both running into the same nice big realization...we are single with no dependants (not counting the friends I've adopted as family) and yet the idea of spending gobs of money on ourselves is just, eep!  What do you cut to keep making things go?  And if you did have to do it for 5 other people on the same salary?!?  INSANE!

 

Now of course for the reality...our dollars are not buying the same amount that our parents' dollars were just 20 years ago.  That is becoming so painfully obvious with every stop at the gas pump and every quarter gallon of milk I buy. (Which is STILL more $$ than my mom spent on gallons for us.)  The canary in the mine shaft for me was always milk and bread prices.  That little bird has been dead for years now.  I used to be a vegetarian in college cuz I just couldn't afford to buy meat.  Tofu they sold by the ton for pennies...if it came down to that again, I'm not all that sure if I could even afford tofu.

 

There was a blip I heard on NPR about some Senator/Governor/person in politics going on the "Food Stamp Diet" to prove a point or 20.  It used to be that food stamps guaranteed you the minimum daily allowances as placed forth by the government.  So you had that pyramid we all grew up with covered.  (Which, I remember being told, is what a pregnant woman should be eating to ensure the health of her fetus and all that jazz.)  Well, such is not the case anymore, apparently.  To cut back, the gov'ment's been subbing carbs for veggies.  This is appalling.  Why on earth would the government want to keep a section of their people hungry and dumb?  Look, if you aren't eating right, you're not thinking right.  Send a hungry kid to school and they are not going to learn jack, trust an ex-teacher on that one.

 

I think I'm thinking too much.  And Andy thinks I should pay attention to politics and what's going on in the world?  I'd go bonkers.  My blood pressure is happy where it is at this point, thankyouverymuch.

 

Now, what next to tackle on that never-ending to-do list?

Quantity vs Quality

Reader, emailingisaformoflurking*, writes:
"Are you cheating on blogger? Why haven't you been posting?"

It's called, "Just shy of being over my head at work."

Right now, this is not quite a bad thing. I'm enjoying the challenge. I am learning to say, "NO." I am learning to successfully NOT say, "Why don't you go and do it your own damned self." But only rarely find the need to even think it. That's when I just smile that half-smile and nod as I jot your task on my "things to do" list. No, it will not be the next thing I do. I may not even get to it until tomorrow. I am very much still a 7th grader at times. I wouldn't mind doing everything for everyone if it wasn't for the one person in the office that does it all for herself. What this tells me is that either she doesn't have enough work, or (more likely) the others? They could also maybe do it all themselves, but choose, instead, to send it my way.

The other day some of my logic slipped out before I curtailed it, so I'll share it with the world now. Andy boiled it down to my not minding/hating/wanting to kill "stupid" people. They're okay in my book. (Really it's more like "people who make stupid mistakes.") It's the competent ones that are assholes that I have a problem with.

I mean:

• If you're speeding in a residential area cuz you didn't realize the arterial speed had changed from 40 to 25 or something, that's one thing. If you are speeding cuz you can? Screw you.
• Oops, you got on the freeway using the carpool lane cuz you've only lived here a few days? That's fine. You use the lane because you're so special, and besides, you think your penis is big enough to be considered a second passenger? Kill you.
• You cut in front of me at the grocery store because you didn't see that the line split to make room for people to pass by? No problem, bonus if you look all "deer in the headlights" and apologize. However, if you feel like it's my tough luck for not pushing grandma out of the way so I could cross the "passage" aisle and now I'm stuck behind you? Don't be surprised when my grocery cart wheels have savaged your ankles.

Better picture of it all, nes pa?

With that in mind, is it any wonder just how I prioritize stuff at work?

Speaking of which...

Happy Tuesday.

I promise, more than once a week postings from now on. I'm not dead in a ditch. Just buried under paper.

*No, not their real name/persona/email.
Even I am not sooooo mean as to call someone out when they are so shy they email instead of commenting directly on my blog.

Choosing Your Music Carefully

Some advice that I really should remember to follow in the future:

The next time you are on the fine line between depression and just plain exhausted uncertainty, feeling like the world is crumbling all around you, or just not quite right in the head due to life, hormones, the alignment of the planets, etc., DO NOT LISTEN TO PETER GABRIEL.

I don't care if the album is called "UP." This is not short for "up-beat." This is not how you will feel as you sit in traffic wanting to pull your hair out as you wait for the traffic, lights or weave out of an almost accident. You will scream at the top of your lungs, and really, even in Seattle where everyone is busy talking on their cell phones as they drive? They'll be able to tell that you, actually, are not on the phone. They will turn and look at you at the stop light; there will be fear in their eyes. You will scare people. You will scare yourself.

Aaauuummm.

What to listen to instead? I'm not all that sure. There is so much to consider.

Music and memories are very much tied together for me.

For Example, I was telling Andy today, as we drove up to the Alderwood Mall, music blaring on the stereo, that I have the most inappropriate songs tied to guys I've dated. I don't think I've ever really been "into" the same kind of music as the fellows in my life. So when one of them, (who loved Erasure and certain other bands that I was kinda "eh" about) and I happened to "discover" we both really liked Closer by Nine Inch Nails? Yep, it kinda became "our song." (I can't believe I'm admitting that one to the world.)

It's not like it gets any better with age. The X? Well, we were driving around Stanford-town/Redwood City. Possibly to go to Beltramos for some lambic. The Butthole Surfers happened to be playing on the stereo. He hears Pepper for the first time. Right. Our song. "They were all in love with dying and they were doing it Texas," baybeee. I know, I know, how romantical and all.

I will always associate Duran Duran with the X. That kinda sucks. I liked them way before him. Alfred can back me up with that one...we had cassette tapes of those boys long before X really got into them. He was all about the Queensriche, Iron Maiden, Styx, and Rush. On the flip side, I will also associate the Go-Go's with him. Yep, he loved the Go-Go's. I wonder if he's admitted that one to the new "I only listen to angry punk rock music" girlfriend? My absolute favorite memory associated with "Our Lips are Sealed" would be him speaking to Richard over the telephone and asking him if his liking of the Go-Go's (which included dancing and singing along to them) meant he was maybe gay? Richard assured him that no, this was not the case. Then immediately sent him an email with just one word:

FAG!!!!

I love you, Richard.

I can't listen to Tori Amos' "Little Earthquakes" without remembering countless miles between the Renaissance Faire, Lake Arrowhead, and LA in my best friend from high school's little Corolla. As PG above sings, "Life carries on, and on and on, and on..." And it scares me to see just how much time and distance and everything has gone on since those days.

I bring this up as I recently "lost touch" with my best friend from HS. Kyra posted a while back about relationships and that Seinfeld episode (which I never saw) where they discuss "dumping" friends? Yep. That's exactly how it feels, like I've been dumped. And then what? All these memories that are a part of you...and that's all they can be now. All part of the past.

So do you sink into that past and surround yourself with the things that remind you of the good times: They Might Be Giants' Ana Ng? The Bobs' My Shoes Are (on top of the world)? A slew of Ren Faire ditties? ("Johnny Be Fine" to be precise)? Or shake it all off and look to a future with one less person in your life? And maybe listen to too much Peter Gabriel in the process?

Quien sabe. But I think I might have to open my ears up to new music, to maybe create new associations so I can take a break from the past.

Blank

My brain is so full of "stuff for work" that I am totally blank in the creativity department.

 

Isn't that just bizarre how work can do that to people?  Suck their brains of all but that which must happen for work for we are Borg and must work for the collective...or whatnot?

 

Is it really only Tuesday?

 

Random.

 

Okay, I need to take a creativity break...or something.  I'm a little weirded out by how I feel right now.  Mind-numbing isn't the word.  It really is more like a "Workmentor" coming by and sucking all non-work thoughts from my head...like I'll never be able to think about anything non-human resources related again...

 

Andy and I went to the IMAX theater last night.  We live dangerously close to it and had no idea.  Spiderman3 is there until mid July or whatever the exact date is when the next Harry Potter flick shows up...in 3-D!!!  I gotta say though, if you're gonna go out to se a movie, IMAX is the way to go.  Andy thought it was way too loud.  Back when I had full use of my hearing I probably would have felt the same.  Instead I thought it was just right.  That makes me so very sad.

 

Anyhow, if you haven't seen Spidey3...well, I'd wait for video...unless you really just want to see CGI after CGI scene.  Which is a valid reason to go in its own right.  It fell prey to the same thing the "I'm Batman" movies did.  Too many villains and too many lessons to be imparted all at once.  Give me one hero, one villain, one damned climax and following denouement in a shorter movie and I am a happy camper.  So many "you know maybe you should reconsider what you're thinking" scenes could have been cut...but the powers that be don't seem to think that the audience can figure things out for themselves anymore...urgh.  The dumbing down of America really pisses me off sometimes.

 

Okay...enough of this foolishness...a little more HR stuff and then I get to go home.  It's just sad when your afternoon break happens at the end of the day...must learn to monitor my breaks a wee bit better.

It's Official!

I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE ANYTHING IS ANYMORE.

Andy and our landlord will do that final "walk through" thing today and the house at the edge of town will go up for sale. Or something. By the way ladies, Andy is doing the last of the cleaning, as I gotta work. He's already there, been there since like 5AM cleaning BATHROOMS and mopping floors. (See Andy, don't say I don't advertise for you, free market economy and all...)

Back at the ranch:
In the same vein as the "you know you're a" redneck/knitter/geek lists, I share with you that which is set up and in use in the apartment:

• The coffee maker.
  
• Andy's computer.

(Obviously the bathrooms as well, but technically, as most of the bathroom stuff is in a box "somewhere," I don't consider that "set up" yet. Don't even ask about the bedrooms, I live in BOX HELL.)

Hmmmm....what does this say about the dwellers of this place? Archaeologists would have a field day if Mt St Helens pulled a Pompeii on us today.

But yes, there is once again connectivity "in da house," or what have you. Now I just have to figure out what box my computer is in...then some day I will set up the kitchen, maybe the living room. It's all about priorities, people. :)

Happy Friday!

(BTW, for those who watch my every move...and noticed my flagrant usage of style in this post...I'm practicing my HTML skillz. I've been in need of such at this latest assignment.)

Chubby "Afrodite"

It's all running together....I can't remember where I took this picture...I want to say Ostia Antica, at their mini museum. But it might have been Naples...Or was it on one of our self-guided museum tours?!? So unless anyone knows different? Let's call it umm, somewhere in Italy.
This was not the only "chubby" Aphrodite (Afrodite in Italiano) that I ran across. But I believe it was the first one I could take a picture of -- many museums have a no-picture no-movie rule.

I think I mentioned this when I posted "on the ground" in Italy, but I shall restate it with some visual today. Skinny was SO NOT IN during the height of the Roman empire. The beauty queens were chubby! I am so down with that.

Pale was also in fashion. Women, well WEALTHY women who could afford such a luxury, would bathe in donkey's milk and the like to try to bleach their skin. I was reminded of one of the "Dracula" stories I found when I was in school. I can't remember which crazy queen it was, but she used to bathe in the blood of virgins or somesuch nastiness to keep her skin young, and pretty, and porcelain-esque.

There's this one beautiful sculpture of Hades and Persephone in the Borghese gallery (no pictures allowed, scroll down a bit here and you can get a fuzzy picture) that depicts the moment where Hades is dragging Persephone with him to the Underworld. Once you are finished being simply in utter awe of the mastery needed to show Hades' strong god-fingers digging into Persephone's supple flesh? And it does look SOFT! You start noticing that Persephone is soft all over! She too has a couple places where maybe she had one pomegranate too many. I LOVE IT!

All of this makes me laugh and laugh as, wasn't it the Italians that recently put out that law that their super models can't be too thin or something? Aside from just being rational, I think it might come from the idea of what beautiful was to their ancestors. And that beauty included a little chub!

Okay, time to pack up the computer. See you all (my three loyal readers :)) sometime next week...or whenever the cable gets installed.

PS: I will be in the middle of moving but wherever I find myself with a spare moment, I will gladly pull out my mom's mom-day-gift and at least knit a few stitches. How did this day sneak up on me?!? Follow the link on my sidebar for more info!

I Was Going to Title This One Yellow

Because that was the color of my car this morning.

I understand that it is still 14 days until it's "officially" summer and all, but people! Or should I say TREES! Stop with the pollen producing already! My head is so ready to explode that I am strongly considering stopping at the "Discount Gun Store" on Lake City Way and seeing if I can help it out from the outside.

The stuff gets EVERYWHERE...and it is STICKY. My lungs hurt so badly right now. And yes, eeeeeuuuuuuwww I can feel it in my lungs! That is just so very wrong in so very many different ways.

I thought nothing could be worse. I really did.
Then I found something that is:

Writing a cover letter.

It is official. I am Cover Letter challenged.

I hateses them with every pollen-clogged-pore in my being. Seeing as I am surrounded, literally, by files that contain ten million applications, with said cover letters, (I did mention I'm temping at an HR department this time around?) you'd think I'd be able to just become instantly inspired to create a valid one of my own, right? RIGHT!? WRONG.

Has everyone but me read The Shipping News? I'm on the first part just as he's getting on the boat to Nova Scotia or wherever. But you know how he was a reporter for that guy Punch, or whoever, and no matter how many times the copy editor dude slashes and burns his stories and tells him to add moxy or whatnot (can you tell the sudafed has started to kick in?) and he nods like he knows what all that advice means and stuff? But really? REALLY? He has no clue?

Right. That would be me and the sea of cover letters.
HATESES them.
But I need one. Not necessarily today, but the job I'm applying for closes on Monday, and I'm taking my computer down today, so scratch that...NECESSARILY today it is. Urgh...HATE.

Okay, break's over, back to the grind...

Moving Sucks

I'm sure I'm doing the very human (as Douglas Adams would have said) thing of stating the obvious.

We get to go clean the bathrooms and kitchen tonight! Woo hoo! I know, exciting.

The hardest bit is the "smoothing out" of unforeseen folds/problems...like the P of the ad. There is parking! Sure! But I don't seem to be able to, without developing an ulcer, actually park my car in the space. It's just too narrow! If I actually achieve this feat, then there is the problem of not being able to OPEN the door so I can get out, seeing as my "neighbor's" car is a mere inches away from mine when properly parked.

Yes, obviously, phone calls are going to be made today.

Not a big surprise here, but I'll be taking a web break possibly as soon as tomorrow. Andy has to start switching utilities and all that FUN stuff. And I really should pack up my computer stuff. I'll see if I don't post my absolute favorite picture of "Afrodite" that I found this morning. Think: chubby. Tee hee.

Downsizing...

So when I first agreed to move up to Seattle, friends in tow, I had absolutely no clue where I wanted to live, save for one itty bitty caveat: NOT DOWNTOWN.

The fact is, up until I officially clear out of here, which is pretty soon now, actually, I was literally one block away from the city line (Seattle/Shoreline). Seriously, in my first year+ here in the Emerald City I have been living as far north as is possible while still being able to keep the "Seattle" in my return address.

Today, this has officially changed.

Andy and I have signed our lives away to an apartment complex down near Gas Works Park! Talk about a 142 block change of venue! The way we were going about looking for a new place to live, though, I honestly thought we'd be on 137th or even 100th! Things were going less than splendid in finding new digs. Finding housing with people can really be trying on a friendship, lemme tell ya.

At one point we thought it was us and that maybe it was time for us to look for 2 different places to live, you know, on our own and stuff.

I found a CUTE basement apartment with a black and white checkered floor that would be both cheap and awesome! Well, as long as you were about my height...which neither Andy nor Tim, nor Lev, James, well, pretty much anyone but the aforementioned girlfriends' really...the ceiling? Kinda low. The highest point was 6'4", according to the ad. According to one of the girls I work with who actually saw the place? Well, that was actually only in one spot in the entire place. I.e. a "not safe for Andy" to visit place as he's kinda on the 6'3.75" side of the vertical spectrum.

Then came June 1st. Did you all know about the mass exodus of people come summer in Seattle? I sure didn't. Well, all of a sudden all of these 2 bedroom/2 bath W/D, NP, NS, P(!) ads were all over! The best part? They were popping up in places where we actually wanted to live...or at least close enough for my NO DOWNTOWN self.

See, I have this awful feeling that if I am not very careful, I will become very much like the old man in "Monster House." I like it quiet. I like my space. I hate kids being loud and obnoxious...be they 3 or 33, I have found myself counting to 10 so as to not say things like, "you kids be quiet!" "Get off my lawn!" "Turn that horrible music off!" Etc. and so forth.

So while the place is just around the way from Fremont and all the fun places Andy likes to go hang out? It is still AT LEAST a 10 minute walk away. The downside? The bus stop? Yep, same 10 minute walk away...if not 15... An upside? I can bike to my latest temp assignment. Down...groceries are kinda far. Up: Gas Works Park! Down: ummm the crowds at Gas Works Park. Up: FIREWORKS at Gas Works Park for 4th of July!!! Down: We're going from a huge 2-story house to an average sized 2-bedroom apartment. Up: umm less to clean?

Obviously there are lots of pluses and minuses. The bottom line? We will have a roof over our heads and be moved out of "Wayne Manor" before the "FOR SALE" sign and all the garbage attached to such things starts up.

Speaking of which, I gotta go start packing now.

Happy Saturday!