200th Edition!

wow, umm, i'd like to thank my friends and family for their love and support all these years and for sticking with me during the not-so-funny times. you guys are da best.

enough of that.

yesterday, i finally figured out saturn's logo. you know, the car company. whose name is saturn? and whose logo is freakin' SATURN. yeah, just got that. i'm the kinda person who gives grad students a bad name.

in addition to figuring out simple 2-D logos, i also figured out why i've been so cranky. it's because there are too many variables in my life. which i knew was the problem, but i like explaining things in math terms. basically, my life is like that scary algebra problem that almost made you fail 8th grade math. there's a w, an x, a y and a z, which is just ridiculous in my opinion. so, i will force the roz to figure out when my last day is (which is an exciting and dynamic and truly interesting story in and of itself) since they apparently are trying to keep me for forever (flattering, but no thanks). then i will give my cousin and the commander noogies until they give me a real answer about whether or not they're going to live with me (i'll worry about what to do if they both say yes later). then i will find an apt and sign a lease. oh, and i'll get a job. and then i'll live in chicago. oh, i almost forgot, somewhere along the way people will respond to my ads on craigslist and buy my stuff so i can buy new shoes at akira.

i love when a good plan comes together.

not for everyone

so, there i am, sitting in the lovely and historic shea's, watching lewis black. and although i've seen him on tv before, i was struck by how familiar he was. and i couldn't put my finger on it until he got good and worked up and i realized that i used to date that fucker! son of a fuck bitch! and then it became just that much funnier. :)

oh man, i am going to swear like a fuck tomorrow.

oh well.

:)

my landlord and i finally talked. we're both really bad at the "tag, you're it" game. and i feel a ton better. i said i was getting laid off (which is close enough to being true for me to not feel too, too guilty) and he offered to let me not pay rent for a month. i mentioned i may have to relocate to find work, which he sorta expected me to say, and he said he would let me out of the lease.

i knew he was a nice guy and wouldn't be a jerk, but suffice it to say, i am most relieved.

yum

so, i was at this party, which was kinda lame, which is why i'm now home writing on my blog instead of still at the party, when someone came up to me while i was eating bruschetta and after a moment or two asked if i was eating garlic. nope, that's just the fumes from yesterday and today still wafting off of me.

yesterday has to have been the loveliest dinner party to have ever been had in the history of dinners and parties. not only was the table beautiful and the food delicious, but it was also a bunch of good friends having a great time together, with parachuting stay-puft marshmallow men. by the by, if anyone would like the recipe to the dressing (which i'm really glad you liked!) i'd be happy to share it with you. i'm just not posting it on the web as any randomites who may read this site do not get family heirloom recipes. but it is really easy to make. fo' reals. not chicken parmesan "easy" which requires ziploc bags and sledgehammers, but actually easy. but man, if that chicken parm wasn't good then i don't want to know what good is.

one of my friends competed today to be on a competitive video game team. i think that's awesome. not awesome like i want to do that (not that i could even if i did want to), but awesome that there's an option out there to join a team with other people and do the thing you really like. and people say that video games make people antisocial. as if. so i wonder, is there a competitive "who's the better superhero" team i can join? do people competitively read comics and then argue small details? ("no, fool, he dated silver st. cloud twice!") i doubt it, but i would like to share my dorkery with others.

i'm fairly certain the blush i wear is technically too pink for me, but i don't care, i like it. plus, it matches my costume's pom-poms, which makes it sorta cuter. and i think my new phone will match too. i can't wait to meet it!

harlee is laying on my arms. it's taken approximately 12.7 minutes to type this sentence and correct all the typos. i think this is a sign that it's time for bed.

i'll never be a vampire now

i have consumed so much garlic in the last two days that i don't think my mouth will ever taste minty-fresh again. bummer, but totally worth it.

oops

so, i sorta caused a ruckus. umm, i really only posted the last blog to let you know that i haven't been a spazz without due cause, but maybe i should've just said that? not that i won't tell you, but i really didn't mean to make anyone worried. but, thanks for your concern and sorry to make you concerned - all at the same time!

i like things

take weekends for example. they generally tend to be fairly, if not completely, awesome. you hang out with your friends, play with their cameras - good stuff. and sometimes, you find out that some of the pics you took were pretty cool. and then sometimes, you find out they're really terrible! and have been posted to the interwebs! and no i will not link to it. you want to see all 57469 of me and the curly one's teeth at once, you gotta put some effort in.

but yeah, things i like. i like going to charity events and not actually contributing to the charity. i am a jerk. but, i also like winning things. so i bid in a silent auction for this totally weird (did i spell it right that time?) mirror shaped like a crown with neon lights. my cousin will love christmas this year. and i won a "how to find a new job" package. valued at $500. i was the only bidder for so much less than that. apparently no one in buffalo needs a job. at least not the ones who go to charity events. but, at any rate, i now get to have people write my resume and find jobs for me, or something to that effect. which is sorta like giving a sloth valium. just make it that much easier for me to sit on my ass and put no effort in.

but, perhaps the thing i like most of all, is red baron deep dish single supreme pizzas. and you thought i was going to get all mushy, didn't ya?

oh, the humanity!

so, the humanist decided that watching a bunch of sweaty guys on skates was more fun than drinking with me. as if. but no worries, my aunt is coming with me to the charity thing. and really, she should have been my first choice, seeing as how she always gets me into fun stuff for free.

speaking of family, as my cousin and i got into his car last night after an enjoyable and much overdue evening at 44, he turns to me and says, "your friends are fucking awesome!" the thought that went through my head was, "what, did you think only losers would hang out with me?!" but, instead, i graciously replied with, "you can come hang out anytime you want." so, with that, i hope his bravado and politics didn't offend anyone. at least not anymore than any of us normally offend each other.

and speaking of things that don't really logically flow, i may have had, a mere 23 minutes ago, the funniest reaction ever to almost dying. there i am, standing in the middle of the road after having tipsily followed my quasi-little-sister (thus dubbed many years ago as we're not actually related but i still feel very big-sisterly towards her) there to find that a hummer is barreling down on us. and then a car decided to go in reverse and aim for our cutely-clad tootsies. being too shocked to shout, run or do anything effective, i decided to take my leather gloves and smack the trunk with them. luckily, us and our shoes survived so we piled into abardine (which sounds a lot like one of my favorite nicknames, thus reinforcing our quasi-sisterhood) and safely went on our way.

sometimes, i really amuse myself.

at least the song finally got out of my head

it takes a dang long time to upload a couple hundred pics to flickr. and i'm well aware that some of them are rather shoddy, but i'm posting them anyway. partly cause i'm too lazy to prescreen, but mostly cause seeing how i tried to take pics of everything and capture every moment reminds me how giddy i was to be there. how elated just to wake up in paris and have a cup of cocoa across the street from notre dame. i was armed with a trusty kodak advantix my first (and for now, still only) time overseas which was sorta nerve-wracking. "what if i don't get a good shot - i won't know 'til it's too late!" so yeah, some of the pics could have been better if i would have immediately seen the results and stepped three feet to the right, but i'm kinda glad that i was forced to take one shot and move on. i don't like to experience in 3 square inches - i prefer it lifesized. especially since then, it doesn't matter if my thumbs are in the way.

i have taken to only watching nbc shows as i can watch them on my 'puter, which works out well as i never set my tv up. my favorite parts of the shows?
heroes - it's so predictable, and still so fulfilling. of course claire falls for the flying man. of course peter makes out with the cute irish lass. i love it.
journeyman - i imagine it's lucius vorenus stuck trying to balance the life of a journalist, family man and "traveler." if only his trust sidekick was with him.
bionic woman - i don't accidentally break the ribs of guys i make out with. i consider that a bonus for everyone.

btw, in the future, when i mention that i'm thinking of changing my hair color, please weigh in with your opinion! remember, it may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a blog community to pick a hair color.

district of curmudgeons

i really don't like dc. like, not really at all. the whole time i was there i kept thinking, "this would be so much more fun in chicago, or london or nyc, or heck - even in buffalo!" the subways are crap. the people have no personality, the city is sterile and i couldn't find anything remarkable. except for commader keem. it's always fun to party with an old college roomie. especially when you're taking a tour of georgetown u and both of you get mistaken for college kids. that's an ego boost like no other. but, none the less, i'm glad to be home. glad i went too. i clearly needed to vist someplace else since when my plane landed i almost called a duly elected representative of the city of chicago instead of, you know, my friend who lives in the city i was actually visiting. so, there will be pics of dc and tomfoolery, but first you'll have to make do with pics of europe. finally got the film (real film) transferred to cd and on the web. maybe i'll describe the pics in another 5 years.

happens to the best of us

i think my cat is going through puberty. i base this ridiculous assumption on the fact that her meow just cracked. it was so adorable that it earned her oodles of smooches and a full litter box cleaning - a day ahead of schedule!

priorities, people

i saw michael moore speak saturday night. he was kicking off the distinguished speakers series at UB. and while i am in no position to discuss politics, i will say this: i found mr. moore to very insightful, humorous, impassioned and intelligent. i did not find him to be a raving lunatic, despite what "the buffalo news" had to say about it. and i do feel as though i should become more politically involved. i'm not sure how, but i think i'll start by voting, for a change.

but before i can do that, i really need to figure out what i'm doing with my hair. i know this is going to come as a shock, but i think i'm done with being a redhead. i think it's time to take a cue from the halliwell sisters, and go for the lovely chocolate brown of paige. yeah, i know i don't like chocolate - but it's not like i'm going to eat my hair!

i have a feeling listening to elliot smith would be a bad idea, too

i rarely get songs stuck in my head, and even more rarely does it bother me. the reason is that i really only get songs that i love in my head and i don't get sick of them. but i have a song i need to remove. i need to get "a little respect" by erasure out of my head, post haste. i've listened to it on repeat, i've watched the "scrubs" episode that centers around it, and still it's in my head. this would be fine, except that i woke up yesterday completely depressed that my boyfriend isn't returning my love - and i don't even have a freaking boyfriend! i am so embarassed that i am this easily influenced by music. i best be careful before i start running around robbing banks all whacked on scooby snacks or shaking my tail feather at inopportune moments.

it's a nice day for a...

fake wedding. the topics always vary wildly at pounding padres. last night was no exception with the topic of "worst first dance songs ever." when i recounted my tale of watching a first dance to "don't wanna miss a thing" the humanist and i decided that the best worst song ever to dance to would be "dream on." so, ladies and gentleman, because of this i now announce our engagement - 10 years from now. we fully plan on holding you hostage for all 5 minutes. and promptly afterwards we'll light a row of shots on fire with the marriage certificate. excited? we are too.

name calling

one of my friends recently labeled me a "world traveler," which sent all of us into a titter because she was referring to my recent trips to c-go. in her defense, i do believe chi-town once hosted a world's fair. but, to make her at least microscopically more accurate, i'm heading off to DC for columbus day weekend. what better place to celebrate the guy who "found" our land than in our capital!

but, in all seriousness, i'm looking forward to it. i'd never want to live in DC, but it's a great town to visit. and i've never taken pictures of it before, so i'm sure there's soon to be some new stuff on flicka to peruse. and, most importantly, i'm going to get to hang out with the commander! so much fun will be had! and i'm sure i'll eat a ton of sushi, as i apparently do that everytime i travel the world.

and in case you're curious, in the hip hop showdown, my vote's for kanye. show the man some love - he's feeling like katrina without fema!

i promise this blog will be funny again soon

it has been an interesting weekend, to be sure. for starters, i bought this book, which can only be considered dangerous when in the hands of me. i'll start taking sidekick applications after i master swinging around a flagpole. and then, as if that wasn't awesome enough, i watched "avatar", played BS and then walked home. and i gots to tell you, BS is a dang fun game, mofos. and the walking home, man, i love a good walk when i've been drinking. it really clears the head (to a degree) and makes hitting the proverbial hay that much sweeter.

saturday i did that haunted pub crawl thing in east aurora. i have to tell you, it was interesting, but i would have liked it a lot better if there hadn't been any drinking. there are a lot of people in this world who get real annoying real fast when you add booze to the mix. so, with that being said, i would love to do the allentown walk as it features some of the scariest stories (so i'm told) and no booze. oh, and apparently, if i had decided to live at 49 instead of 91, which was a very real possibility, i'd be sleeping at your house every night. if you're interested in finding out why let me know and we can pick a date! (my vote's for 10/19).

and, perhaps the best part of this weekend, i talked to a whole bunch of friends (some i haven't talked to in some time) and think i've finally started to make some progress with this whole thing called "life." at the very least, when i left my landlord a message about not living here anymore he called back and left a very nice "we can sit down and discuss options - don't worry" message. that alone would have made this weekend rock!

art imitating life imitating art...

i started reading webcomics a bit ago, and have gradually added more to my daily perusal list (except for those that only update on MWF). and every once in a while i will catch myself going, "holy shit - who snuck into my apt, set up a video camera, learned all about me and then turned my life into a webcomic?!" i give you the ones that hit me hardest.

on being an adult (i wouldn't be surprized if i did this to at least one room...)
on happiness and employment (and look - she has red hair!)
on dating (right on)
on recreation (too bad i suck at photoshop too)

those lazy days of summer

it's been quite the summer for me. i won't bore you with the details, but it's been full of lots o' change for me. and not just in the quantity (and quality, some would say) of my blogging. i've made new friends, made old ones into better ones and fell in love with a new city (it's the closest thing to paris this side of paris!) it hasn't all been easy (well, the stuff i just mentioned was) and sometimes it was downright scary and hard, but it's all for the best. and for those of you who were bored by the details over and over again, i really appreciate it now just as much as i did then.

but! the biggest change is yet to come. i am finally starting work on my resume. no, really, i am. and i'm hating every second of it, every keystroke it's taking and every bullet i'm creating. but, it has to be done. cause i'm in need of some more change. lately, as in the last couple years, i haven't been feeling very content. which is not to say that i haven't been happy and having fun, cause i clearly have been, but i need to try something new. and i don't mean a restaurant. although that could be fun too. i could live the rest of my life in b-lo and be happy. all my family's here and the majority of my friends are too. i could find another job and go visit all those fun places... but i'd really rather go live in one. there's a whole lotta stuff out there and i want to get to know it better. and to do that, i need a resume. i really wanna pay someone to write it for me but that really wouldn't solve the problem of still having to remember all the crap i've done and then i probably wouldn't like what they wrote, and, well, dammit.

so, yeah, that's what i'm spending my spare time doing when i'm not distracting myself with blogger, flickr, email or webcomics. it's almost keeping me busy enough to forget when "heroes" starts again, but really, to forget that would just be lunacy.

btw, the lincoln park zoo, shedd aquarium and "the book of liz" (featuring the best sound design ev-uhr) are 3 awesome things to do in the windy city. get to it!

eh, what's that again?

so, i went to chicago, again. and it was awesome, again. i'll be sure to post some pics, but there won't be as many of them seeing as how i did far less touristy things this time around. instead i did the "what would it be like to live here?" thing. so, i did laundry, ate fast food, went to the theatre and the movies and got really sick for a day and a half and prayed for the sweet release of death and then was really happy when my prayers weren't answered. you know, pretty standard weekend fare. what wasn't standard was going to the zoo and an aquarium - which spawned these 3 statements:

"where the hell did that hippo come from? and since when do they have hair on the ends of their tails?!"
"wow, lions roar a lot louder in real life than they do before a paramount movie" (actually, hearing a lion roar in person was one of the most humbling and awesome moments of my life.)
"so, i hope you don't think i'm a bad person, but i always get really hungry for sushi when i go to an aquarium."

udderly fun

jessanalia was a huge success. i had nothing to do with it and leave all credit up to the organizer; however, i felt the need to state the obvious. good times were had. don't believe me? check out some of the digital evidence that is now forever available on the interwebs. it's not everyday you get to see outgrabes sucking face with a bovine. and if you can't see it today either, it's cause you need to be my friend on flicka. don't be shy. i'm not going to let just any internet weirdo look at these pics. you have to be an internet weirdo that's also my friend.