I just walked 20 blocks on my lunchbreak to pick up six bottles of wine.  I was given a gift certificate two years ago that I found the other day while packing.  Lucky for me, no expiration date!  I spent $10 of my own money but walked out with a nice selection of fizzy, luscious, juicy wines.  I even bought a bottle of champagne, which I will open at my new apartment as celebration.  

Did I mention being approved for an awesome apartment?  !!!!!!!!

I move in on October 15th.  I'm really hoping the landlady will let me paint the ugly brown cabinets.  I'm thinking either robins egg blue or a crisp bright white.  The apartment itself sits on the second floor of a beautiful colonial mansion.  The staircase leads directly into the apartment, into a sort of landing hallway.  Big beautiful, bright bathroom with a cast iron tub, lots of closet space, a separate office room, huge living room with builtin in china cabinet and hardwood floors throughout.  The kitchen is a wee bit small, but the rest of the apartment makes up for that.  Plus, there's a bus stop right out my front door that goes to the train station.  I'm pretty stoked.  Can't wait to move.

Ok.  Its 80 degees out, I'm sweating, haven't eaten lunch and have a massive proposal to draft.  Back to work heathen!

I just heard Hum in a car commercial.

What is the world coming to?!

Wow, I almost passed out there for a minute.  Seriously.  My  new doctor wasn't kidding when she said "make sure you eat a lot of food during the day".  Sheesh.  

Thank goodness my sidekick (Bill) had a slimfast shake in his desk drawer.  I know this is starting to sound like a commercial, but that disgusting shake saved me. 

I think I'll go to the grocery store tonight and stock up on food that I can keep in my desk drawer.  I thought I was eating enough today but I guess not.  Must...eat...more protein! 

It doesn't help that the facilities people have stopped circulating fresh air through the building.  What the hell are they thinking with that shit?  Its 79 degrees (according to the thermo right next to my desk) in here and stale as the seventh level of hell.  OH FUCK open a window please!


Last night, Jon & I went to dinner at his parent's house to celebrate his mum's birthday.  I really did pick a great family to hitch my wagon to; they love to throw parties and all the kids come over and fight over who gets to blow out the candles.  Jon & I feel like black sheep but we try to be conversational.  I feel bad that I always refuse to take leftovers home, but I honestly have no interest in day-old eggplant parm.  Sorry!  I'll take another slice of that cake though!  


I'm going home now, where I will slaughter and eat a whole cow, and maybe some pigeons.

The new Arcade Fire album is amazing; a strong follow up to Funeral. However, did the entire band spend the past few years listening to nothing but Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band? I swear Win is channeling Bruce on every track.


I meant to go out last night to see The Life & Times play at the Middle East, but I just couldn't convince myself to get in the car and drive 30 miles into the city. I'm too old to go out on a weeknight. This wasn't such a problem when I lived 10 miles out of Boston, but now that I live farther north, its just overwhelmingly tiresome. All that bitching and complaining I did for two years about how L&T never play Boston was a waste. They've been here twice since January and I didn't make it either time. I suck as a fan.

Also, I suck because its snowing, windy and very cold, yet I still decided to wear a skirt. What the hell was I thinking?

You're the number one wet blanket

Current Location: cubical corner
sound: metric

Today I met with a fitness instructor at the gym for my "fitness assessment". Very informative but also a bit...unsettling. I am fatter and more out of shape than I thought. I had to do a 3-minute cardio test which consisted of stepping up and down on a step block. That was hard; I was sweating like a pig, felt totally gross and a bit humiliated. But the instructor said my recovery heart rate was normal, and that it will just take time for me to build up to a comfortable endurance level. Yeah, no shit.

It amazes me though, that after a year of walking a mile a day, and climbing up three flights of very steep stairs four times a day has had little to no effect on me. I still get winded, and my heart always feels like it's going to pound right out of my chest. Hopefully, that shit is normal to some degree.

Tomorrow, I meet with a personal trainer to help me figure out the kind of stretches to do and how to get started on a good cardio program that won't kill me in the first month.

I promise that I won't just make posts about working out. The only thing more boring than excercise is reading about someone doing it.

Without further ado, explanation, apologies, or recounting of the past, I bring you...
my first journal entry in...I don't even know how long. YAY!

Here are some things I'm excited about:

- I'm going to Italy in July! A glorious 10-day trip through Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Capri, Sorrento and more. I'm going with my sister (awesome!) and her daughter; its a high-school field trip, and I guess you could say I'm an adult "chaperone". HA! I'm the one who will need a chaperone! They'll have to drag me away from the cheese & wine bars with force. I cannot wait to go!

- I joined a gym. I see no reason to schlep my 40 extra pounds around the cobblestone streets of Rome. I don't know if its possible to loose that much weight in 3 months, but I'm more concerned with generally being in better shape. I'm very focused now on eating better (I mean LOTS better), working out 3-5 times a week, riding my bike, and taking the stairs whenever possible. I will be strong! My core will be solid!

( Speaking of the gym... )

- I have a new nephew! His name is Adam Joseph, and he was born on February 6 (also my mother's birthday) so he's over a month old now. He's the 11th child! Totally adorable; very content and smart. He had to be in the hospital for a while, which was really hard. At first, the Drs thought he had a bacterial infection and there was talk of meningitis! We were all horrified for two days while the Drs poked the kid for a spinal tap and all kinds of blood tests. Turns out, the initial lab tests were contaminated! The baby didn't have an infection at all, and his week-long hospital stay was pretty much...unnecessary. That's over now though, and he's doing fine. I can't wait to go to the cape to visit him. I love babies. Don't want one of my own though!

Okay, so....throw me some good comments about traveling in Italy, working out, gym experiences, etc. I'm back and ready to interact! YAY!

What is everyone into these days? Have you seen any amazing movies, or read a life-changing book? Find yourself drifting around with music stuck in your head? Tell me about all of those things.

Me, lately: I've got Queen stuck in my head (death on two legs), I'm in love with Ugly Betty, and the last book I read was kind of boring. I started reading Veronica by Mary Gaitskill, but it just didn't hook me, which was disappointing. I so wanted to enjoy her writing. Oh well.

I stopped buying cds a while ago, mostly because they weren't in the budget, so I feel like I'm missing out on tons of amazing bands right now. Not to say I haven't picked up a few new albums lately. I love the new Grinner; its just an utterly fantastic album. It stayed in my cd player exclusively for about a month. I'm sure I walked around humming all the songs too. Catchy!

On the ipod though, Detachment Kit ruled. I checked my play count average for October & November, and the new ep (album really) didn't move from the top slot. Pinback came in second, and then it was a hodge podge of Iron Maiden, Mastodon, Made of Babies and Neko Case. I love listening to Mastodon in the mornings; I can walk to the train station in 6 minutes!

Which reminds me. I need new sneakers.

I haven't been to work in 7 days. This is certain bliss. I have spent my time reading books, baking cakes, throwing parties, talking shit at Dodge Street, smoking grass, watching movies, sleeping late, and kicking the cats. Oh, and I participated in the horrible "cyber monday" shopping spree. This concept of EVERYONE must SHOP on THIS DAY is so ridiculous, but I wanted to get it out of the way.

So. Jon's birthday & christmas presents are all purchased and on their way. I also bought myself a couple of presents, because I've been a VERY good girl this year.

Also, I made cherry cobbler; who wants to help me eat it?


The shock of new neighbors (read: impending doom) has not worn off. I'm very worried about this; more worried than reasonable. Its times like this when being an athiest sucks. If only I could pray to god to intervene, and send me cool neighbors who don't mind loud music and the heavy footsteps of my six foot tall boyfriend. I'll pray to Rob Halford instead. He's got to have some clout somewhere.

Meanwhile...two! two entries! in one week! mwah mwah mwah!

Can someone please explain some things to me about Wolf Parade & Frog Eyes?

Specifically, why does Carey Mercer sound so fucking much like Spencer Krug that I can't get it straight when I listen to Frog Eyes albums. Who the hell am I listening to on the vocals? Is Spencer fucking in Frog Eyes, or no? I think not, but he's in the credits. So fuck if I really know.

I know that Spencer is the main singer in Wolf Parade, but fuck if I can tell him apart from Dan either. When I listen to Atlas Strategic (which is Dan's old band), I think I'm hearing Spencer sing, but he's not in that band!

Why do Spencer & Dan & Carey all sound the same? I think they are all the SAME PERSON. Why am I yelling?

ARGH! I'm so confused about the connections here.

And don't say anything to me about Issac. I know his involvment, from taking Atlas Strategic on tour and then later producing Wolf Parade's full length. Thank god, Issac doesn't sound like any of these other guys, or I'd be more convinced that Issac is pulling the wool over my ears with fifteen hundred bands that sound the same.

Christopher Eccleston was by far the sexiest 'Jude'





( Jude the Obscure )

Cursive. Detachment Kit. TOGETHER. Sept 30, Somerville Theatre.

HOLY SHIT.

I think I'm hyperventilating. WOW.

Two of my fave bands. Playing together.

I bought a ticket. 4th row orchestra. OMG.

Picture me, right now, dancing a jig in my cubical. OMGOMGOMGOMG.

Awww....this comic is so cute.

Finally! Jimmy Dean (the iPod) is now fixed and synced up with my new hard drive.

I found some good recommendations for Podutil, so I downloaded the program, and it worked like a lucky charm.

I sucessfully moved all the music off of Jimmy Dean, and onto the new computer hard drive. Yay! It cost me $10 for the utility, but that's a price I happily paid for peace of mind.

I can now move on to more frustrating computer issues, such as...moving the Sims files from ol' Bessie (the dead hard drive), installing new Sims games, and taking time off from work to drop out of life for a couple days for some hardcore gaming.

I am such a dork.
I don't even try to deny it.

Also, have Iron Maiden riff stuck in my head. Always lovely.

PS. I hope Apple lets me re-download the tracks I bought months ago, because those sadly were not on Jimmy Dean for some awful reason.

PPS. I'm DYING to listen to Domestica. Hurry Apple...send me a code!

I hate my computer right now.

I can't retrieve ANY of my files from the old hard drives without encountering ownership problems, I/O device errors and total bottlenecks that require a reboot.

I'm so frustrated at this point. A week solid of trying every trick I can find that everyone says should work. Logging in as Admin and changing ownership has done nothing but waste my time. With folders that I can see the contents of, I can't move them to my new hard drive without the pesky I/O device error. New MB shouldn't be having any of those.

My two main concerns are:

1) Ipod. At this point, the only backup of the songs I have is on the Ipod itself. I've downloaded two different programs that promise to move files from Ipod to Itunes, but neither have worked. I'm so pissed.

2.) The Sims. To start with, the dvd won't install for some reason. I get 88% of the way through and get an error message about data transfer. Research on the internet says that this is due to a scratched disk, and to just do a manual install. Yeah, tried that. Didn't work. Also, can't move the game files from old HDD to new HDD.

Want to kill new computer. Spent ungodly amount of money to rebuild, and only encounter problems. That should be easily fixable.

I may have to hire a pro. Which is embarrassing. I thought I knew what I was doing.

I wish there were a computer fairly I could call upon RIGHT NOW.

Its only 9:30, and I've already had a bad day.

- Woke up at 7:30 instead of 6. Ooops.
- Extremely rushed shower. Wore self tanner yesterday and only half of it washed off, just now noticed. Legs look gross and splotchy.
- LOST my T-Pass! Actually, threw it away this morning when I recycled my newspaper from yesterday. $128 gone in a second.
- Fell down in the T because I wasn't holding on. Still embarassed.
- Hottest day of the year, and I wore a synthetic shirt. What the fuck is wrong with me. Paramount to worst decision EVAR (aside from throwing away newspaper with T-Pass tucked inside).
- Forgot lunch on kitchen table. Yummy kung-poa chicken melting and stinking up the place.
- Car smells like rotten eggs. Not sure why. Almost puked in car on way to train station.
- The arch of my left foot is wrecked. Hobble when walk; shooting pains when taking steps forward. Blame it on Crocs.


Not happy. Not one bit. Can I start today over? Please?

I cross-posted this in

Jon and I watch a lot of PBS, especially the Create channel. Public Broadcasting seems to be TV that we can both agree upon, aside from that A&E series, Intervention. But this post is not about druggies. Its about the travel shows on PBS.

We like watching Rudy Maxa's European travels, but we think he is kind of pompous, and I never feel like Rudy is telling me anything new; his travel show just seems slightly...typical.

So, we enjoy Rick Steves more. Steves seems to come to the travel table with honesty and uncompromising vim; you can tell when he's kind of tired or has had a hard day of making the show. He haggles with street vendors, prefers to dine in tiny restaurants where only locals frequent, and he's not shy about warning potential travelers against acting like idiots in a foreign country. He's not at all condescending like Maxa is sometimes (especially when going on and on and on about wine and cheese. Okay Rudy, we get it; you like cheese!), and Rick always ensures that the camera crew capture the most amazing shots of churches, architecture, and art. There's just a general grace about Rick's program.
He is respectful of local culture and traditions, visits places that most tourists do not venture, and he's not afraid to get right in and blend with the locals. He is frank and quick to postulate on the impact that foreign travelers can have on a place; being American, he can take a lot of liberties in pointing out the differences between America and the rest of the world. His views are sweeping and historically considerate, especially in the context of modern climates (both ecological and political). He's opinionated without alienating, and speaks about the truths as he sees them, from a foreigner's point of view.

Better yet, Rick Steves makes friends with tour guides, and seems to have long-standing friendships with local women in various places. Jon & I joke that Rick has a Broad in every European city.

What's more, Rick's quaint northwestern accent cracks us up. He's so dorky, but we love him. And we wonder, where is his family? Do they ever travel with him? Does his wife mind when he looks a wee bit cozy with the female tour guide in Turkey/Paris/Greece? Rick Steves, you sly dog!

New episodes of Rick Steve's Europe begin airing in September, documenting his (very recent) travels through Spain, Austria (specifically Vienna), and Switzerland. Until then, I'll continue watching reruns (again and again) and reading Rick's travel blog. Which in itself is so characteristically Rick Steves.

Mitt Romney is such a douchebag. I won't even get into what I think about the Big Dig fiasco, and bleeding-heart Romney's constant comments about how he's the only person in the Massachusettes government who tried to control the problem (nevermind the people Romney directly appointed to further convolute an already corrupt system). But his comments over the weekend in Iowa just take.the.cake.

"AMES, Iowa (AP) - Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney says he took a huge political risk by taking control of the state's troubled "Big Dig" project but that he had to take action.

"The best thing politically would be to stay as far away from that tar baby as I can," he told a crowd of about 100 supporters gathered for indoor picnic.

"I'll get the blame for anything that goes wrong," he said. "But I'm sure tired of people who are nothing but talk. I'm willing to take action."


Tar Baby? The big dig is now a TAR BABY? Sheesh. Maybe Mitt thought that since its okay for the White House Press Secretary, Tony Snow, to use the term in a public speech (twice no less), that HEY, why not use the term to convey how much he doesn't want to be associated with the Big-Dig-Fuck-Up?

Better yet, Mitt insists that he had NO idea that 'tar baby' was a racist and slanderous term. Oh, come on now. No one is stupid enough to believe that shit. Especially after the backlash that hit Tony Snow for using the term to distance himself from confirming govermental wire-tapping.

Oh Mitt. I hope you don't get elected to run this country. Idiot.

Its 3:15 am, and I should be in bed. But I'm so wired, I know I won't be able to sleep.

I've spent the last two weeks considering, preparing for, and executing a full computer-rebuild at home. I ended up spending way more than I budgeted, but considering the first build lasted five years, the dollars and cents of the recent configuration should last another five. At least. And, my build still came in $600 less than if I'd just gone and bought a Dell.

So, finally...internet at home again. Jon will be pleased; its been out of commission since the lightening storm three weeks ago, which zapped & fried my previous motherboard.

Hence, the prompting of a re-build. Can't do much when your MB won't wake up.

I almost went dual-core, but after doing a lot of research, I realized I could do just fine with a reliable AMD single-core with HyperThreading, and a new socket. That way, if I ever do want to upgrade to a dual processor, I at least have the newest AM2 socket. The 3500 Orleans core pushes 3.0 ghz now anyway; I doubt I could have done much better without spending a friggin grand.

This post could not be more boring, I'm sure. But that's what happens when you've got me, updating after spending five hours loading OS & software and configurations and shit.

You get geek vomit!

I'm getting a haircut today.
That is all.

I've got Spoon stuck in my head. Delightful. Wish Ipod was charged so that I could listen to Telefono.

she's gone in a word
and tanked up
and i can't sleep at all
i can't sleep at all
she's gone in a word
the ephedrine
got caught halfway down
the pretty anti-ground
i don't want to miss such an american scene
and i said to myself that i'm not turning off
i said to myself that i'm not turning off
oh honey oh please its just a machine
oh honey oh please...
there's something about you're up late
your can tastes like tin aluminum
there's something about i'm not the only one
that can't sleep at all
that can't sleep at all
and i don't want to miss such an american scene
and i said to myself i'm not turning off
i said to myself i'm not turning off
so connect (connect, connect, connect) to me
oh honey oh please
its just a machine....

Well, I received a nice shock this morning.
Looked at my 401K quarterly summary, and despite only contributing 1% of my salary, I managed a $500 return on my investments. And that's with my distributions being fairly conservative. Judging by the performance of a few funds, I think I need to re-distribute my contributions; there is no need for me to let $2000 sit in a fixed income fund when there are three other choices with returns of nearly double the NAV on fixed income. Sheesh. Time to rebalance!

In other news,

I bought a bike! A gorgeous, sleek and classy lady of a bike. Lookie!



I get to pick her up tonight from the bike shop. Best thing...the shop is charging me about 20% less than list price! Don't know why, but not gonna question it.

I'm gonna add a little basket to the front, some front & back lights and some handlebar mirrors. Maybe a little ding-bell too! This will be my primary means of transportation around town the summer, except for groceries and errand-type things. I've even told Jon he should get his bike out of storage so that we can go into town together. I know traffic will be horrendous in town this summer, and I think its a stupid waste to drive our cars a half mile into town center. Think Green!

Maybe someday I'll even be a good-enough cycler to ride the 15 miles to work. HA! That'll never happen. But fun to imagine.

I am a little worried that I won't be able to ride the bike to the train station; I'm totally afraid to leave it locked up at the Salem depot every day, all day. Jon says I'd better not, since its such a flashy bike.

Maybe I could ride to Swampscott and take the train from there. Much nicer town. Not that Salem is awful or anything....

I can't wait to pick up my new bike! I think I'll call her Tink.

So.

As much as I want to get out of here, I dread having to travel into the depths of Cambridge to settle up on this couch deal. Long story very short, I ordered my couch on February 16th, and after a failed delivery attempt (broken couch), three weeks of phone calls, a color change and $420, I MAY have a couch on Saturday. But...I have to go pay for it tonight. EH. What a fucking pain in my ass. I should have listened to my intuition which was screaming DO NOT BUY FROM JENNIFER CONVERTIBLES!!!

I should have spent four times as much at Jordans.

Oh well.

The weather is turning gray and harsh again; I think I need to buy an umbrella tonight, as I'm sick of carrying my gigantic one around; just too cumbersome. I want a tiny one that I can stow in my vag. Yes. VAG Umbrella! Someone should patent that.

Two entries in one day; what will you people do with me?

No one offered advice on my bike issue. C'mon folks; I can't make decisions without you!

Don't you just hate it when you hit the ground running, get a bunch of shit accomplished and then hit the wall hard, with 4 hours left of the work day? I can't get started again! DAMN LUNCH. Always wrecks me completely.

Time to break out the chocolate. Speaking of which, Target makes some damn fine chocolate bars by name of Choxie. Currently munching on a thin bar of dark espresso choclate wafter thingy. Last night, ate a "raspberry lemon biscotti" chocolate bar, then died and went to heaven. YUMMY.

I was going to buy a bicycle over the weekend, but the one I spotted at Target only had one gear and no hand brakes. Yes, I want a cruiser, but dang it...one with brakes and gears! So now, I'm torn between three bikes. Follow to the cut if you are interested and/or can chime in about this stuff.

( fat bottom girls... )

I've been holding out for a while in the hopes of seeing The Life & Times on tour. Any tour. Any of the past five mini-tours they have done since the album dropped. Every time I get an email from them with tour dates, I cross my fingers and then feel hugely letdown when Boston isn't a date on the list. I've emailed Allen begging him to schedule a stop here and he's told me to hold out for October (05) and spring (06) and summer (06). Now they have dates for May; they hop from Chicago to Buffalo to NYC and then.....DC. NO Boston date.

Damn it guys. Come on. Come to BOSTON. Fucks sake.

Also, to further tease me, they're doing a date in Lawrence KS with PINBACK. FUCK.

I love the east coast, except for right now.

I've been reading a novel called The Discovery of Chocolate. Of course, this has made me really wonder about chocolate and it's origins in MesoAmerica. Today, I bought a bar of mexican xocolatl, made of darkest choclate and chile. The bar is spicy, creamy, and mysteriously intense.

All these reading of chocolate's history has me trying it in so many different forms. Simple hershey kisses to decadent truffles and cherry-mash bombs.

I feel as if I simply must experience chocolate while I read about its many forms.

My parents came to Salem today. This is the first time they've seen my new apartment. Unfortunately, Jon wasn't here, so they missed him.
Mother brought her friend Candy along, which made for a fun day. She cuts the edge between my parents, nicely. Plus, she's just super nice.

Father says that the tile in my kitchen is 9x9 vinyl asbestos flooring. Why am I not surprised? There are a few spots of tile missing, which he says I should seal with a clear varnish to avoid asbestos from getting into the air. Sweet. I'll tell the landlord!

Salem's a pretty cool town; this was my second weekend in a row of exploring the town. I bought my mother chocolate truffles, because the ones I had last week were so delicious, I thought she must have one!

Since this was my second outing into the town center, I was on a mission pre-determined last week. So I returned to the "basics " furniture store to purchase a tall cd cabinet (holds 660) and an album cube. Dad carried it up the stairs for me, which was fantastic. He recommends I bolt the case to the wall, and I nodded nicely, but have no intention of doing that. So not worried about it falling over.

Funny thing, he did ask me how much I paid for the pieces. I told him, and said he should make and sell them in Falmouth. They'd be a piece of cake for him.

Mom doesn't understand why I'd want to live in a third-floor walkup again, but other than that, she loved the place. Wouldn't leave me alone about the cat box though; couldn't I 'just put it into a closet?'. No. The box won't fit. "What about the living room closet?". NO. I keep shoes there. "Well...the bedroom closet?" GOD NO. Does the woman think I don't actually use my bedroom closet? Sheesh.

Oh, I bought biscotti in three different places today. You know you have a problem when you go to multiple sources to try out the goods. At Biscotti Cucina, the proprietress corrected me about the size of her biscotti, telling me that traditional italian biscotti are smaller in size. She had about 25 different biscotti on display, plus a seasonal flavor (orange walnut). 8 pieces cost me $2.63. Best deal in town. Delicious too! Ciao!

Yep. I think I like it here.


PS. The town is building a "bypass" road about 250 feet from my house. The drawings for the project are pretty damn amazing. While this road will eventually run way too close to my house, it will be cool at least!

PPS. This is the Salem Endangered Resources List, including what to do with the historical buildings such as the Salem Jail, the Police Station, and the Gallows Hill area in general.

This woman's photography is simply stunning, poignant and quirky.

Moose Rental

Oh, and look...she has a journal as well (uvaspina.

Happy Birthday Ginger!





(yeah, should have posted that yesterday!)

Well. The thought of wearing green today totally did not occur to me. I'm in a pink & black ensemble, and I've got a brand new oatmeal stain on my skirt. Sweet.

My shins hurt like crazy. Shin splints suck, man. I can't figure out how to avoid them. I have a decent pair of sneakers and I try to stretch out before I go walking, but the splints come every time. Ouch.

Things in my world are pretty okay. We've settled into the apartment (more or less) and into routines. I come home every day from work and fix a nice home cooked meal, followed by thourough cleaning of the kitchen. Its so wonderful to have a dishwasher. I love going to bed knowing that my kitchen is clean and tidy. So peaceful.

I think I've been eating better; I was going to go on the South Beach again, just to lose a few pounds, but then Jon brought home biscotti and now I'm hooked. I've got it bad....oooooohhhhh bad. We're talking 3-4 biscotti a day habit here. The 1.5 miles I walk every day won't help me now! MUST STOP EATING BISCOTTI!

The weekend looks good so far; Carrie's coming up to Salem tomorrow to see my new place and check out the downtown area with me. Everything else is either errands or house projects, of which there are way too many! I need to sew & hang curtains, paint the microwave cart and finish my lighting project. If I can get all of that done this weekend, I can move on to other projects that have been eating at me for weeks!

Also, I MUST find rugs for under $50 to go in the hallway & bedroom. MUST!

I just read over on OhNoTheyDidnt (fuck linking at the moment) that there may be a sequal to Elizabeth, with Cate Blanchett reprising her role as Queen Elizabeth. The film will pick up fifteen years later from where the first film ended; the focus of the film will be Elizabeth's relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh, and also Queen Mary of Scots. Clive Owen & Samantha Morton will assume the roles (respectively) and all I can say is....

this could be AWESOME or terrible.

I loved Elizabeth. Enough so that I could actually overlook the historically inaccurate plot, and the way they seamlessly roll five years of events into a two hour movie without making mention of the time that has passed.

How will the film allow focus on Mary, stuck in France and then in Scotland, while at the same time, putting enough main character development on Elizabeth & Raleigh (an important player in the feud between Mary & Elizabeth)?

I'm already excited...and putting way too much thought into this!

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I cannot wait to see this film!

Marie Antoinette

It looks lovely and wonderful and poetic, yet modern. I don't care for Kirsten Dunst, but she looks like she's pulled it off. Can't wait!

So, our new apartment comes with the option of wireless internet; our landlord's girlfriend (who lives on the first floor) has wireless set up, and said we could jack into it for a small fee. At first thought, this seems like a great idea; I could save quite a bit of money by not paying for cable internet and have wireless for cheap!

But fuck if I know how to get my computer set up for wireless. Yeah, I built the damn thing, but hell if I know how to do this wireless shit.

I thought I already had a wireless adapter installed in one of the PCI slots, but now I'm not sure. The Network Settings don't recognize anything other than the cable modem, and I admit I don't know how to check to see if I DO have a wireless card.

I suppose I could ask the landlord to help me out; he was the one who suggested we hop onto the wireless in the building, and he seems to know what he's talking about. I do hate to bother him though.

Also, I worry about configuration and protecting my information. I guess I don't have the patience to deal with this....

Someone send the wireless fairy over to my place okay?

Hahah.

The hold music playing on my company's automated system this morning was 80's elevator disco.

How cheery for a Monday! I kinda wanted to get up and start doing the Travolta.


Speaking of Travlolta (and since I have nothing else to do while I wait for a new car battery), did you know the drummer of Mastodon has a tattoo of Johnny Travola? Yep. Travolt's classic dance pose on the calf of his right leg, in neon green glory.
I think that is priceless.

I drove Jon to work at 4:30 this morning; it was deadly cold out and the stars were unbelievably bright. As I started my car, the engine turned over and over a couple of times, and Jon said "You need a new battery". I said I'd get one as soon as possible.

Well. "Soon as possible" is apparantly right now. Crap.
Dead battery.

Went out to start the car at 8, all dressed for work, and the engine just won't turn over. I felt like Cowboy Dan. can't do it, not even if sober. can't get that engine turned over.

I called AAA, and now I just wait them out. I called work to say I'd be late, but the kicker to that was I needed to leave kinda early today! Benny has to go to the Vet!

I guess the smart thing to do would be rearrange Benny's visit for earlier in the day, and then go into work after. I could do a half day and cover my duties.

Time to make some phone calls.

Last weekend of living in Woburn. Jon & I spent the weekend doing the last "this and that". Last night we ordered pizza from our favorite local shop; this morning we breakfasted at the Swanton Diner for old times sake. We both munched on french toast and marveled at how there were hardly any customers. Unusual!

Tonight, we're going to Anna's for delicous burritos. Might be our last for a while, since Cambridge is kind of a hike from Salem.

My apartment is mostly packed. Today I focused on the bathroom, cleaning as I packed. Later I'll tackle my closet, and Cameron & Carrie will stop by to pick up the platform bed I'm giving them. My chore for the rest of the week is to pack the kitchen. I'm dreading this.

This time next week, I'll be a new resident of Salem.

What the hell is Billy Corgon doing on ECW Wrestling? This is the lamest shit I've ever seen.

Corgan on ECW

I'm kinda sad that Sasha Cohen didn't take home the Gold Medal. Her performance in the short program was so stunning, strong and graceful; it wasn't too hard to fully believe she could take the gold. When she fell down on her first jump combination, my heart just broke for her.

She recovered herself well however. The remainder of her long program was so artful, bittersweet and memorable. I'm glad she won the Silver; she really deserved it.

Moving is tough when you want to hear a cd that is already packed.

Dang.

I originally posted this in Hip Domestics, but thought maybe someone on my friends list would have experience with rehabbing 1970s tacky dressers.

Here's the original post:

I need some advice on refinishing a couple of old wood dressers. I aplogize in advance if this type of thing is the wrong place for this community, but honestly didn't know of any other communities for this...

( Pictures and questions after the jump... )

I totally want to wear a tiara and a frilly dress tomorrow. Is that silly?

Yeah...probably.

TABULA RASA

This photo just made me sooo happy.

color splash

Here is my first New Years resolution. Wait for it....and...GO!

~ Just as soon as I can afford it, I'm going to buy a new desk chair. One that is lower to the ground, with a higher back and more support at the waist. Yep. A new chair.



It's only $20 at Ikea!

( This one is nice too though )

sound: dandy warhols

Happy Birthday Mas.

I just opened a bottle of champagne over a sinkful of dirty dishes.

What a way to get started!

Of finish?

Either way...

I wanted to wish everyone a...



Happy New Year!

I totally have the theme song to "Three's Company" stuck in my head. Its odd. I haven't watched that show in ten years, probably. I can just hear the female/male vocals in my head.

Come and knock on our door,
(come and knock on our door)
we'll be waiting for you
(we'll be waiting for you)...

President Jimmy Carter was just so cute tonight with Jon Stewart. I loved the little conversation they had about his woodworking hobby; I kind of melted inside when Carter got all scrunched up with glee, talking about his handmade furniture. Cute as that was, however, I found Carter's comments about Bush to be oddly insightful, considering Carter himself was often paralyzed with inaction during his term. But then, GWB has a whole different problem: that's right, LIES!

So, the interview, left me wondering. How much do I really know about Jimmy Carter? Really, not much. Therefore, I've done some quick reading.

Here is a great article on Carter & the Iran Hostage Crisis, from PBS's "American Experience". Definitely worth reading, as it presentes a strikingly realistic contrast to the glowing review I found on Carter's own "official museum" website. Here are some ( excerpts for emphasis... )

Now, what of Khomeini? Back in January, 1980, just a few months into the hostage crisis, Time Magazine named him "Man of the Year?" Was this based on his revolutionary achievements for the Muslim World, or for his success in promoting anti-American sentiment? I must admit, I don't know. Time makes you pay for the article.

So this leaves me with some more, balanced reading to do.
Cut for a bit of ( World View" material )

I want this shirt. So badly it hurts. So cute. Bonaparte eating Napoleon ice cream! Ingenious!