Nothing rhymes with Lydia...well, except that.

I'm Outta Here

2006-12-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

I've moved. Not physically, because that might not maintain the current girth I've got going on. Virtually. And I've moved here. Don't forget to bookmark me!

A Delightful Dinner

2006-12-20T08:25:00.000-05:00

The Sister and I made our triumphant return to our favorite restaurant last night for a dinner of norimake, nigiri, miso salad and other assorted Japanese delicacies. It had been so long since either of us had any really excellent sushi that we both sat in ecstasy for the first five minutes of the meal. Then, our big gossip mouths got the best of us, and we got down to the business of being sisters.

What's important about this dinner is that neither of us have ever been very sisterly toward one another. We fought a lot in our younger years, hell, we can still bicker with the best of them. Resentments built up by the sister who is very sensitive and the other insensitive one was just plain insensitive most of the time. We get along best over a table covered in raw fish and miso at the Nagasaki Inn.

Last night's conversation ranged from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome to drunken Derby plans. It was great.

It's too bad that she can't be here for me to get along with today at lunch. I brought leftovers!

I'm one lazy ass...

2006-12-19T14:03:00.000-05:00

...girl. All that I am motivated to do is go home after work and take a nap. For hours and hours and hours. Then, I wake up and read mindless drivel for a couple of hours and go back to sleep for the night.

What's my deal, you ask?

I'm an avoider. Several unpleasant things await me every day after work:

The idea that Christmas is coming, and I (shh, don't tell) don't really like Christmas.
Going to the gym.
Studying for the test that is less than 20 days away.
Laundry.
Dishes.
Bills that won't get paid.

So, instead of behaving like a normal person and making a plan to tackle these things sensibly, I avoid the unpleasantness all together. Instead, I do what is probably the most detrimental thing and either sleep (as was mentioned above), play around on the internets, or watch the TV.

What I really should do is get rid of my cable modem (read: save $37 per month) and get rid of my cable TV (read: save $29 per month). However, I'm not sure I could stand it if I couldn't hop on imdb.com and figure out who that one guy was in that movie that I think was in that other movie. Also, since I promised B that I'd tape the basketball games, then spent $150 on a DVR, I feel like I can't give up the cable.

What do I do instead? Follow this completely monotonous routine of waking up too early in the morning to decide which clothes on the bedroom floor are the least dirty to wear to the job where I get all my work done in the first five days of the month and spend the rest of the days waiting to go home so that I can crawl into my warm bed and take a nap.

I seriously need a change.

I like being lame.

2006-12-18T09:03:00.000-05:00

What can I say? I like being lame. I had a good weekend and I pretty much did absolutely nothing.

Friday, after work, I made another trip to Kroger for ingredients. Then, I went to my mom and dad's house and baked cute little cookies that looked like candy canes and starlite mints, thanks to the nice people at Woman's Day magazine. (See, there's something my coworkers are great at doing. They bring in all their magazines, most of which I've never heard of, and I look through them.) Then, I made five batches of different kinds of Chex mix. I fucking love that stuff. Then, we all watched Talladega Nights. No one thought it was as funny as I did, and, I have to admit that it was funnier the first time I saw it.

Saturday, I finished up the cooking and cleaning stuff at their house and settled in to watch the UK/U of L game, which was excellent. About halftime, Kate and David and the baby got home from Oklahoma. I hadn't seen them in so long, it seemed. The baby is as cute as ever. Thinking they had planned on hanging out all day, I didn't make any plans for Saturday evening, except to watch It's a Wonderful Life with my mom. Well, by the time that was set in stone, we found out that Kate did not plan to stay home, but run all over town seeing people. So, it ended up being mom and dad and I again for some good ol' holiday tradition.

Here's a little sidenote about how much I love It's a Wonderful Life. I love when George Baily wishes for a million dollars and says, "Hot dog!" I love when the little girl Mary whispers in George's bad ear that she'll love him until the day she dies. I love when they are doing the Charleston at the dance and fall into the pool. I love when he tells Mr. Potter that he's a mean old man. I HATE it when Uncle Billy loses the money, but I love when George gives Zuzu's flower a drink. I especially love it when George runs through Bedford Falls at the end wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

On Sunday, they conned me into going to church as a whole big family, but I got a free breakfast out of it later, and I heard the priest say "screw up" in church. All day Sunday, though, was pretty much lost to me taking a nap. Do 5-hour naps really count as naps or is there another word (like hibernation, maybe) that carries the connotation of how freaking ridiculous they are? I totally wasted a gorgeous 70-degree day on a nap. However, I have the best dreams during naps, so it was all good. Last night, I read and read and read trashy romance novels and Leesa brought me a Christmas present, which was very sweet of her.

That's all. See. I am lame. Big deal.

How cool would this be...

2006-12-15T13:37:00.000-05:00

...to have in your house?

Most of our reclaimed wood flooring is milled from structural beams and timbers that were used in warehouses and factories in the early 1900s. Some of the flooring has also been salvaged from tongue/groove planks that lived their previous life also as flooring.

I want.

I have absolutely nothing to write about.

2006-12-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

So, I got my weekly Friday E-mail from one of The Boys today. It read nearly the same as every other Friday E-mail I've gotten from him since June.

whats going on tongiht, you talked to so-and-so or so-and-so2...what is up for the the rest of the weekend.

Not only is he a bad speller and punctuator, he's getting on my nerves with these Friday E-mails. It's always the same. When I told him that I have decided to make cookies and watch a movie with my Mom tonight, he replied,

no offense lyds but your getting kinda lame.

You know what? Not as lame as you, my friend.

I'm tired of planning everything fun that goes on around here. I'm the one that has chili dinners. I'm the one that plans a game night. You are the one that comes over with a twelve pack to put in the fridge, drinks it, bitches about the games, and then leaves or wants to crash on my couch. You are the one at whom I shake my fist in rage the next day when there are 12 Busch Light cans sitting on the kitchen table and an empty Busch Light box chilling in the refrigerator.

Furthermore, just because I don't "want to get totally wasted" anymore doesn't necessarily mean that I'm lame. It, most likely, means that I've grown up a little bit. Granted, this time last year, I would never have predicted this type of growing up, but it's happened. Additionally, since you have absolutely ZERO bills to pay but have a full time job, why don't you offer to pay for a night on the town? I remember fondly paying for your night's worth of drinks on a few occasions when I was making the big bucks and living rent-free. I also remember nights like that being a whole lot more fun with my girls around and the possibility of late-night drunk sex.

Knowing When To Say You're Sorry

2006-12-13T11:56:00.000-05:00

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about not calling people names that are derogatory toward certain religions, nationalities, genders or sexual identities. However, Joey Porter's apology to the rest of the world is pretty great. Basically, he called Kellen Winslow gay, by the use of some derogatory term. He also said that the Browns were too soft to win a Super Bowl. However, I think it's pretty funny that he "didn't mean to offend anybody but Kellen Winslow." You've got to give him some credit for being honest. He was trash-talking. He set out to offend Kellen Winslow. He's not backing down now that he got caught.

Porter might be an idiot, but he gave me my chuckle for the day.

You're kidding me, right?

2006-12-12T09:09:00.000-05:00

I got an email from the boss lady (who is currently on vacation). We are having our quarterly employee communication meetings this week. At these meetings, we do things like safety training, updates on projects affecting the facility, and reporting of financial numbers. Guess who gets to report the numbers in the boss lady's abscence? That's right. Me.

I'm fine with this. I'm not, generally, a shy person. I like to talk. However, I'm not sure I've ever attempted to talk intelligently at 5:30 a.m. That's right. A.M. The meeting for second shift employees is during their "afternoon" break. What does this mean for me? I'll have to wake up around 4:15 and leave the house no later than 4:45 to make it to the facility on time. I know people reading this that know me in real life are laughing their heads off. That has been the reaction of everyone I've talked to about this.

So, will Lydia make it to the meeting on time? Stay tuned.

2006-12-11T08:16:00.000-05:00

I am a doormat. That's what the girls told me on Friday night, and it is completely true. I have been a doormat in the past. I have a hard time telling if I am now. I know that I'm not, in general. I am only in my romantic relationships with men.

Speaking of relationships, one of the girls asked a very good question this weekend. If I were to meet someone really great right now, would I give that someone a chance, or am I putting my entire life and possible happiness on hold for the next 11 months or so? At the time, I think I gave a quick answer, but I've been thinking about it ever since.
On the one hand, I think that this weird thing I've got right now is worth giving a chance. Hell, it's been in the process for five years. How can I not wait and see what happens? Is it really advisable to put yourself and your heart out there, get a favorable response and then change course and take the next promising thing for a little spin, in the meantime?

On the other hand, I am getting no younger. Spending yet another year on something that may or may not pan out and someone who I'm not sure I'll ever really understand (or who, more importantly, may never really understand or feel comfortable with himself) doesn't sound like the best option when it's all laid out there.

I look back on the Best and (at the same time) Worst Relationship I've ever had and wonder how I let it drag out for so long (right at five years there, too). That relationship took a more traditional course but was maybe more fucked up than this one. I would like to think I learned something from it. I'm not so sure, though. At first, it was great, and then I let him manipulate and walk all over me because I really thought that, deep down, he was a good guy that really loved me. After it was all said and done, I still thought (and still think) that, but I realized that he was completely fucked up and the relationship was beyond salvation.

In this relationship, none of the traditional things have happened. I mean, there are only two of instances that I can think of that anyone might consider to be real dates (drunk sex doesn't constitute a date), and those hardly count since I've done the same exact things with other friends and don't consider them dates. However, it wasn't an exclusive thing except in patches, and that was only because there wasn't anyone else I was having one night stands with.

I'm just not as sure of myself, anymore. That implies that I was ever really sure about it all. All I know is that, what I want the most, is to be happy. Can I be happy with someone who doesn't show any emotion and doesn't talk about serious subjects? That was always something I could say about the Best and Worst Relationship. After all the physical and emotional things were swept away, there was still great conversation and pretty deep understanding of one another. (Even now, these conversations sometimes still happen out of the blue.)

Nearly back to my point... I think I can accept every single other thing about this guy that other women might find to be a difficulty. I can deal with the drinking and partying, I have no problem with the sports obsession, I definitely don't give a shit about the imbalance in traditional education, and I can even deal with the selfishness (I think...I mean, that might be why I'm a doormat). The only thing I'm not sure I can deal with is what I perceive as his fear of sharing who he really is, what he really thinks and what he really feels. I have a hard time with this because I am also the type of person that doesn't let a lot of people get really, really close to me. In my life, there have only been four people that I have absolutely opened up myself to. Only one of those people knows absolutely every single thing about me. One other knew everything at the time, because I decided that, since we loved each other, I could trust him with myself. See above for how that turned out.

Back to this guy. I think that part of my happiness is dependent on being able to share myself with him and know that he won't take advantage of that vulnerability. On that point, I think things are gravy. I do trust him. He's an excellent secret keeper, which is important. More important, though, is the fact that he doesn't make me feel stupid (which is my biggest fear every.single.day in life). Another part of my happiness is that he would do the same thing and show me his vulnerability. I've had one teensy glimpse, and it only affirmed what I really believed about who he really is underneath the "fun guy."

If you've waded through all this, I commend you. You're probably nowhere nearer understanding all of this than I am.

Fiber Optic Trees

2006-12-07T11:43:00.001-05:00

Am I the only person who finds these trees hideous and tacky?

This is a cell phone picture of the fiber optic tree my co-workers have put up in our area. Even with the poor quality of the pictures, one can easily see that a better quality photo would not enhance the tree's quality.

It's Snowing, It's Snowing!

2006-12-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

Leetle bitty snowflakes all around.
It's so pretty; there are even some on the ground.
I'm not very happy, because here comes the sun.
They will all melt away and we'll have no snow fun.

(That's this morning's attempt at creativity. Do you see how far I've fallen?)

Warm Me Up!

2006-12-06T15:31:00.000-05:00

Since everyone wants to get me lots and lots of presents this year, I have compiled this list to make your shopping a leetle bit easier:

	Trail Model Down Vest French Blue, please. Size L.
	180 Ear Warmers Black. One size fits me.
	Swift River Sweater, Turtleneck Any color but Chocolate Brown. Size L.
	Wildcat Boots, Pull-on Light Gray/Blue Ridge, Size 9

Newest craze in home decorating

2006-12-05T10:08:00.000-05:00

Didn't you know? The lying down Christmas tree is all the rage this holiday season. Last year, hanging your Christmas tree upside down was considered trendy, chic, and a space-saving idea sent from the Almighty. Well, throw that thinking away. This year, the lying down tree's objective is to take up the most room possible in one's entryway, scratch ones hardwood floors with the prickly pine needles and to seep sap all over said flooring to create a nice sticky effect to remind you of the holiday season throughout the year, long after the tree has been sent away as a home for wildlife.

2006-12-04T13:41:00.000-05:00

Here are three things that have sucked in my day today:

1) It is colder than a frozen turkey outside.

2) My gynecologist GROSSLY overestimates the amount of sexual intercourse I've had in the three months since my last appointment.

3) I just read a sign that there will be no alcoholic beverages served at my company's holiday party. Now, really, what kind of party is that? There will be no chance of anyone making an absolute fool of themselves in front of their coworkers, nor will the damn event even be any fun.

My Boys

2006-12-01T13:55:00.001-05:00

So, I've been seeing ads recently for a new TBS show, "My Boys." Apparently, there's this girl. She hangs out with a bunch of guys. She likes doing "guy" things, i.e. sports, poker night, etc. This group of guys + girl also has a regular local bar to hang out in and play pool and darts. On top of all this, her best girlfriendly is a cute little black girl that likes to shop and thinks the main girl is a little weird and will never find the right guy since she's so close to her guyfriendlies. Who does that sound exactly like?

Immediately after seeing a commercial the other night for the show, my cell phone blows up. It's Slick Nick. She says (without a "hello" because she's definitely over that), "That new show is about you."

I counter with, "Yeah, it totally is."

(See...we have this futuristic type of communication that outsiders don't understand. We don't actually have to say anything in order to know what we're talking about. You know how couples think it's cute to finish each other's sentences? We don't even have to give each other a look to know what the other person is thinking or how she is reacting.)

Anyway, as soon as I saw the spot for this new series, I thought to myself, "Has M.A. written a new show and gotten it produced and shot and, now, aired without letting us know?!?!" It's definitely something she could have written full of characters she knows first-hand.

All this from one 30 second commercial. And I don't even know when the damned show airs. Off to Google.

I'm still here.

2006-12-01T08:36:00.001-05:00

I'm still around, but nothing remotely interesting is happening to me. I have a chest full of mucus, as per normal at this time of year. I am losing my voice, again, that's normal.

This weekend I plan the following:

Friday -- Get off work at 3. Yay! Head home for a leetle nap. Off to the YMCA for an afternoon of "Action Packed," some sort of form of fat-ass kicking. Cook a big pot of Vegetable Barley Soup. Make a fruit salad. Do the mound of dishes currently threatening to overflow all flat surfaces of the kitchen. Haul out all the kitschy Christmas crap I bought last year and contemplate decorating.

Saturday -- Wake up early and either walk (if it isn't sub-30 degrees) or drive over to the YMCA for a workout and maybe some yoga. Plop myself in front of the gargantuan television at Mom & Dad's to watch the UK/UNC game (must remember to DVR for B). Get a Christmas tree? Decorate? Study?

Sunday -- Wake up late. Lay around until the YMCA opens. Workout. Study. Decorate.

To shit or not to shit

2006-11-29T16:08:00.000-05:00

My current dilemma, and I realize this is entirely too much information, revolves around proper bathroom etiquette at the gym. Keep in mind, this is the gym that I joined on Monday. So, I am not one of those regular members that can get away with anything. Also, keep in mind, that I have issues with doing anything too embarrassing in public. Further, if I go home to do this before I go to the gym, it will defeat the purpose of going to the gym directly after work which is to actually go to the gym.

Alright. That's enough. I'm outta here.

In Other News

2006-11-28T10:14:00.000-05:00

My little comment about the contact buzz made me remember my experience at the gas pump this morning. As I'm shivering from the cold (see earlier comment about needing to wear a coat) and shuddering from the price of gas, this guy walks across the dark gas station parking lot toward the convenient store. Given that I gas up at the last possible place on my way out of town, which happens to be on Holmes Street and maybe not frequented by the most desirable people in the world, I worried for about a half second when I realized, "Yeah, this is Frankfort, even the worst people aren't that bad." Then, it hit me. A wall of scent that nearly knocked me over. It was 6:25 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and this guy's scent suggested that he'd smoked about a pound of weed very recently. It nearly choked me, it was so strong. His single-minded determination to get to the convenient store as soon as possible, left me in no doubt that, if I had time to hang around, he'd soon emerge with bags of Cheetos, Pop-Tarts, Ding Dongs and some beef jerky. All great munchies food.

It just makes me wonder who gets up that early to smoke some weed? None of the stoners I know would ever be up that early, by choice.

It's Back to Work I Go...

2006-11-28T10:00:00.001-05:00

After two holidays and one sick day, I was surprised not to have a ton of work waiting on me here. It's 10:00 a.m. and I've got a little break time while I wait for a G/L sync.

So, what did I do over the holiday? Let me regale you with my tales. (Ha! Don't get very excited, thinking this will be something interesting.)

I actually did get to go to the concert on Wednesday night. I got B's sister, Leesa, to go with me and we had a great time. There were giant puppets, the 21 Santa Brigade, thousands of people and My Morning Jacket. Lees and I braved the close quarters on the floor, loving up the music and hoping for some contact buzz.

On Thursday, I woke up early to bake a Pumpkin Ribbon Cake that turned out wonderfully (surprise, surprise!). I headed out to the cousin's house and had myself an enjoyable Thanksgiving with the extended family. Six of the nine families were represented, with me being the only representative of my immediate family. There were nine kids spanning the ages of 15 months to 11 years. We ate lots of good food, I ruined a non-stick pot (see, I knew there couldn't be two culinary successes in one day, even though it wasn't really my fault that I used beaters on a non-stick pot since I didn't choose the pot and didn't put the potatoes in the pot), played some cards and games, took naps, and watched football. What more could you ask for in a Thanksgiving?

On Friday, it was more of the same, except I had no culinary masterpieces or disasters. Lots of leftovers, another nap, more games, more kids, etc.

Saturday, my parents were home from their trip to Oklahoma to visit The Favorite Daughter. Dad set up his new ginormous television (I am so watching all the football and basketball games there). Mom and I played some more games. That evening, I headed over to T&J's for the annual Thanksgiving/J's Birthday dinner. That was lots of fun since I got to see Alice's new baby, eat good food, watch Notre Dame football (even if they royally sucked), hang out with my friends and play some Scene It! (sans remote control throwing, this year). Also on Saturday night, I developed this heinous sore throat, complete with ear pain. Uggh.

Sunday, I woke feeling like my head was going to explode and that, surely, my eardrums would burst. I felt better as the day went on (I went to see Happy Feet, which was excellent). However, that evening, I was weak and dizzy and generally feeling awful. It didn't get much better overnight.

...and, there's your recap.

It's Back to Work I Go...

2006-11-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Holidays and Sickness

2006-11-27T15:37:00.000-05:00

Being sick and seeing my family seem to always go together. Since there are so many of us, I think the law of probabilities, or whatever, works against us. With that many germs in one place, somebody is sure to get sick. That somebody is me. I have a sore throat and my ears ache. Uggh. So, I stayed home from work today, slept a lot, and now I feel a little better.

Woe is me.

2006-11-22T10:21:00.000-05:00

I think it just was not meant to be. The fates have aligned against me. Woe is me.

The concert that I bought on pre-sale the day they were available, the concert I've been looking forward to since last Thanksgiving Eve (immediately following that concert) has finally arrived and I have no one to accompany me. So far, the first boy I wanted to go couldn't (understandably, I mean, it is the night before Thanksgiving), Penny is sicker than a dog, and Mer is, too. No one else can go because of work or the fact that they've never heard of the band. However, it is so going to rock, and I won't be there to witness it. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Instead of doing this, I'll be hanging out with the extended family, complete with 8 children under the age of 12.

Mirrors and eyesight

2006-11-21T07:55:00.001-05:00

Last night, as I'm getting ready for bed, I took off my glasses. Then, I turned around and saw the big honking mirrored doors to my closet. I thought, "Wow, Lyds...you're looking skinny today." Then, I realized that I didn't have my glasses on and, therefore, couldn't see. So, yeah, don't you all worry that I'm going all Nicole Ritchie on you.

In further attestation to my being a complete dumb ass...as I'm shivering in the 30 degree weather at the gas pump this morning I realized that I probably should have worn a coat. What the hell is wrong with me?

Lydia Can Kiss Better Than She Can Cook

2006-11-20T09:31:00.000-05:00

I would certainly hope so, at least. Anyone want to comment on my kissing abilities so that I can confirm that they are, at the very least, superior to my culinary ones?

I spent twelve hours baking cookies yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly. Twelve fucking hours! The result?

Gingerbread cookies that taste like cardboard with royal icing decoration about as artistic as the town drunk could do.
Sugar cookies that taste like flour and are only decorated with sprinkles. Why do they taste like flour, you ask? Oh, well, the dough was so wet that I couldn't even roll them out to attempt cutting them with my new Christmas cookie cutters. So, upon the advice of my gourmet-status sister, I added more flour. It was still too wet. Once the dough was actually in dough form, the damn things tasted like flour and still couldn't be cut. So, I rolled them into a log and sliced and baked, dammit. A pox on the Food Network "easy" recipes. A pox, I say!
One batch of cookies that turned out to be edible. At my wit's end, I caved and asked the aforementioned sister for her chocolate chip cookie recipe (they are REALLY good). However, there were no chocolate chips, only peanut butter ones. I call that my own little stamp of genius on these cookies since they taste like Reese's cup cookies now.

I'm sending all three cookie types to Kuwait today. Who knows if any of them will be remotely edible by the time they get there. My sister assures me that, at least, the chocolate chip ones will be.

I'm officially the world's worst cook.

2006-11-18T18:32:00.000-05:00

After sleeping to a ridiculously embarassing hour today, I got off my ass and made some accomplishments. Granted, I didn't get out in time to ship the package to Kuwait (because the post office closes at a stupid early hour), but I did get my Christmas shopping nearly finished. All presents that are currently available have been bought. How's that for cryptic? Said presents are now also wrapped, thanks to Big Lots!'s cheap ass prices on wrapping paper and the trimmings. To continue this domestic theme, tomorrow is Christmas cookie baking day. I have absolutely no idea how long it takes for mail to actually reach Kuwait, but I'm hoping that these just make it intact and edible.

Yay for Fridays

2006-11-17T09:55:00.000-05:00

I feel like November 17 is some sort of important day that I am supposed to remember. Maybe it was my birthday in another life.

I have had the hardest time waking up all week. I've been going to bed early, but I think my hibernation instinct is in effect. I've also had some crazy odd dreams lately. One night, my dream was about walking around naked in a backyard that was completely overgrown with grass and wild, weedy plants. Another night, I dreamed that I was in an argument with someone about how I'd never been out of the country before. They kept telling me "Yes, yes you have. Don't you remember when you went to Portugal and Brazil for work?" What's weirder is that, by the end of the argument, I remember that I had, indeed, gone to those countries and was just forgetting it. I don't even have a desire to go to Portugal or Brazil. Last night's dream was scary because I got a phone call from my mom that my sister had ovarian cancer. What prompts dreams like these?

I'm very glad that it's Friday. I need my afternoon nap today in the worst way (see, it's hibernation, I tell you). The gang is coming over tonight for chili, games and UK basketball on delay. It should be fun if I can get my house cleaned and if I can get people (the boys, mostly) to recycle their beer cans. If not, I'll have a kitchen table full of empty beer cans. I'm not sure why that annoys me, but it does.

The rest of my weekend is currently unplanned. My parents are heading to Oklahoma tomorrow, so there will be no hanging out with them. I'm contemplating finishing my Christmas shopping, wrapping and all the rest. I will study this weekend. I hope to watch the Ohio State/Michigan football game tomorrow, if I can stomach having to choose one of those teams to win. It's impossible for me to watch a game without rooting for one of the teams, and I can't stand either one of them.

Crack

2006-11-15T18:46:00.000-05:00

I have discovered Harry and David's Peanut Butter Chocolate Malt Balls. Sweet Jesus. I love them. I'm sure my fat ass will, too.

Reading

2006-11-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon was one of those where all I wanted to do was take a shower after work and crawl into bed. So, being the independent, unable to prioritize chick that I am, that's exactly what happened.

I finished reading Asking for Trouble by Elizabeth Young. It is the book upon which the 2005 movie The Wedding Date with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney was loosely based. The book was so-so, very much in the vein of the Bridget Jones books or Jennifer Weiner's early novel. Late-20s single female complains about weighing 140 pounds and being single. Said female is of the witty, self-deprecating variety and eventually bags the young bloke in the end. That said, it was entertaining, which is what I expected. There were a few British-isms that I didn't quite understand, and the main character often used abbreviations that seemed uncalled for and indecipherable.

Other than that, I wrote in my little diary, which has sorely been neglected since I started this thing. However, there are just a few little things I'm not willing to expound upon at great length in this public forum. Relationships are one of those things. So, too bad so sad for you -- no juicy gossip here. Well, I'm not willing to gossip about myself here. I have heard about two new pregnancies in the past few weeks. Both were planned and/or welcomed, so not as much fun to gossip about!

I just can't do it anymore.

2006-11-14T08:33:00.000-05:00

It was torture for me to wake up this morning. The culprit was my late night at trivia last night. What is the world coming to when I can't even stay out until midnight and function like a normal person the next morning? Am I becoming a boring adult?

I don't like it. Whatever happened to the good old days where I could get rip-roaring-tequila-shot-dancing-on-the-bar-$3-bar-tab drunk at the Brick, stumble home, wake up and (maybe) shower and get to work on time (well, within 15 minutes of "on time"). What happened to that girl? Has she become a responsible adult who would rather feel good in the morning than anticipate feeling better all day long?

So, today, I am sleepy, unwashed and ungroomed. On top of that, I only had two beers last night, so I don't even have a hangover. I JUST FEEL THIS WAY!

Uggh. Getting old is the pits.

My weekend.

2006-11-13T09:05:00.000-05:00

My mom and my cousin Kim and her daughter Madeleine went to Tennessee (Pigeon Forge area) this past weekend. We got a cabin and went to get a bunch of Christmas shopping done at the outlet malls. If that sounds like hell to you, then you pretty much have it right. That place was CRAZY. We sat in traffic for an hour and 15 minutes yesterday just to get onto the interstate to come home.

The craziest thing that happened was that we got out to our cabin about 10:30 on Friday night, waaaay out in the boonies and up a driveway on the side of a mountain that was like Dr. D's driveway used to be...filled with lose-a-small-child potholes. We get to our cabin and the front door is standing wide open. We all freaked out. I said I wasn't going in because there was probably a bear in there. Madeleine said, "I bet it's a serial killer." (What kind of 8 year old knows about serial killers?) Well, none of us were willing to venture inside the cabin. Our cell phone didn't have any service out there. Sooo, we trekked back into town to call the realty company and they were closed. We called the emergency maintenance number and made the maintenance guy come out with his flashlight and a baseball bat and make sure there weren't bears, skunks, mountain lions or serial killers in the cabin. Once we were safe from all of those, the cabin was actually pretty nice!

We spent 12 hours shopping on Saturday and were plain pooped that night. Madeleine and Kim fell asleep while we were watching The Wizard of Oz. We all slept like logs that night.

Sunday, we shopped for a few hours and were thoroughly tired of shopping by lunchtime. We sat in traffic for hours, endured the idiocy of Outback Steakhouse waiters and were on our way home.

Once at home, unpacked, and hoping for sleep, I decided to check out the outside world for a while. I had a nice little email awaiting me from the other side of the world. In addition to that, I am maintaining my superiority in all things fantasy football. It's a good day, even if it is a Monday.

I'm BAAACK

2006-11-09T13:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, MA, here you go.

I have been a complete slacker, lately. That, and work has finally started to pick up.

I have to say that yesterday felt like Christmas day. It's been decades since I was in as good a mood as I was yesterday. It all started off with good old NPR on the radio. Yesterday morning I heard report after report after report of the Democrats taking back the house, racking up the governorships and poising to overtake the Senate. The first female Speaker of the House, the first black governor of Massachusetts...hot damn, it was a good day. Last night, I literally giggled with glee when I found out that Donald Rumsfeld was resigning. Praise be to Jimmy.

Today, I have come down off my high to realize that Thanksgiving is in two weeks and Christmas is only a whirlwind away. Where has the time gone?

This weekend, my mom, my cousin, and the oldest 8-year old I know are going to Tennessee for some outlet mall Christmas shopping. If I don't die of kitschiness and Dollywood infusion, I'll be back next week.

I can't believe it's November.

2006-11-02T10:59:00.000-05:00

I had to scrape my windshield this morning. I haven't resorted to wearing a coat, yet, though.

This year has completely flown by. Well, sort of. In some respects, it seems like just yesterday that it was New Year's Eve and I was sick and couldn't go skiing. In other ways, it seems like a terribly long time just since my birthday. I hate getting old.

Last night I huffed and puffed a little more on my treadmill, but no studying occurred. What does it take to get me to freaking study? Apparently an act of Congress.

This may win as the most boring post, ever.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T08:24:00.000-05:00

I got glam again this morning as the local witch. We are having a costume contest at work, and I think I have a good shot at winning. I wonder if there are prizes involved. My makeup and my stripey tights make the outfit.

Last night, I started going through all the music I recently digitized. That's a big job for someone as obsessed with organization as me. I foresee lots of mixed CDs in everyone's Christmas future, though. Now, to get my CD burner back up and running.

Speaking of running, that was something else I did last night. What is there better to do during Monday Night Football if one is home alone and doesn't like either of the teams playing? So, I hoofed it on the treadmill while watching Tom Brady show Brad Johnson how it's done. God, he's hot. Too bad he plays for the damn Patriots.

On the agenda for tonight, assuming that I get out of this place at a decent hour on the last day of the month, is a rewatching of my favorite scary movie, Halloween. I have no candy to hand out to Trick-or-Treaters so tomorrow will probably be spent cleaning eggs and toilet paper off my house and front lawn.

Halloween

2006-10-29T18:07:00.000-05:00

Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays. I love dressing up. I love costume parties. Last night saw me at two different parties, one at my former co-worker's and the other at Big Jake's apt. They were lots of fun. The first party had hooch, which is always excellent, in my book. There were also some funny ass people there. It was sort of fun to hang out with people I didn't know. My cleavage and I were quite the hit of the party, I believe. The second party had lots of dancing to my favorite music, a killer bean dip and people that are my favorite.

Here are some pictures.

That Lydia's a real witch.

J & T are real knockouts.

Slash and his groupie.

Hey, it's that Caddyshack guy.

Yeah, she's from the 70s.

Tequila

2006-10-27T12:50:00.000-04:00

I saw this and felt the need to post it. It's a better alternative than those fucking Viagra and Levitra and bladder control and genital warts commercials.

Do you have feelings of inadequacy? Do you suffer from shyness? Do
you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Tequila®.

Tequila® is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Tequila® can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Tequila® almost immediately, and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past, and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Tequila®.

Tequila® may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Tequila®. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it. Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.

Tequila®. Leave Shyness Behind.

2006-10-26T12:15:00.000-04:00

I have been working on this with EdLove. Will it ever work enough to launch it with everyone? Then, will anyone else ever use it?

Last night

2006-10-25T11:30:00.000-04:00

I cooked, studied, read and slept last night. I told you guys my life was a fucking exciting rollercoaster.

I made dinner and ate it while reading my latest chick-lit novel, Undead and Unemployed, which is really the chick-littiest series I've ever read. I feel like I'm going back to the good old days of reading a Nancy Drew novel in three hours except that these books are much more sexually graphic and have language I would have shit myself over in my Nancy Drew days. However, it's fun, which is completely necessary when you follow it up by studying for the Regulation section of the CPA exam. Uggh.

2006-10-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

So, I got behind on posting what I did this weekend (which is the only time I do anything interesting).

Last Friday, TP & Jay headed up a tailgating expedition at our alma mater's football game. Nothing like a bucket of chicken, some hot chocolate and high school football. It was excellent, despite the cold weather. Good ol' alma mater trounced the undefeated, number one team in their class. It was excellent, cheering on the Panthers for once instead of lamenting at their lack of skills. At the risk of sounding ancient, back in my day, we barely could field a football team. I remember, distinctly, one week in which only 12 players were eligible. Well, that is the case no longer! Someone commented that it almost made them want to be in high school again, what with the great parties that were sure to follow. Almost.

Saturday, the drunk family (which side is that, you say?) went to Keeneland. Dad, G-Lou, L-Dog and assorted other friends and family lost their shirts at the track. I managed to get drunk by not buying a single beer for myself. I did not, however, manage to snag one of my favorite hot dogs. Foiled once again. Saturday night, everyone headed over to my cousin's house for the best steaks I've ever had and baked potatoes. People were drunk on wine and dancing, Dad was telling the Piss Pot Pete story and other sundry tales. Ah, good times.

Also on Saturday, we got a call that my brother-in-law arrived safely in Oklahoma from Iraq, so that's always good news.

Sunday was the laziest day I've had in a while. Two movies were watched: The Lake House and Life As A House. Both were good. EdLove commented that he thought I was stupid for watching two movies with similar names. What the fuck does that matter? Football was watched. CDs were ripped to the computer in my current quest to digitize all my music. (I'm REALLY hoping for an iPod this Christmas).

And...back to the grind.

I thought it was supposed to be fat and happy.

2006-10-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

It's times like these that I wish I could yark up all the shitty food I've eaten. This morning's debacle was in celebration of Boss's Day. Breakfast casserole (made by yours truly) and monkey bread washed down with a little skim milk. Yark.

I truly hope that this weekend is completely uneventful. So far, I only have plans for tonight. TP, Jay and I are going to the alma mater's football game to see them get trounced by the number 1 team in the state. Hot chocolate and fried chicken tailgating. Double yark.

I've been invited to go to Keeneland again tomorrow with my dad and other family members. I'd like to go, but I'm not sure I'm in the mood to get dolled up, fight the crowd, carouse with the drunken family and just be generally miserable. I think I'd rather be miserable on my couch in sweatpants and a sweatshirt that's ten sizes too big, watching sappy movies and eating ranch-dusted soy chips. Recent money issues may make this decision a lot easier.

Sunday, I am going to study. I swear.

Favorite Pictures of the Weekend

2006-10-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

B pimps it out with the girlies at Keeneland.

The whole crew poses for a lopsided picture.

Just because this kid is freaking cute.

We've got shockers and package reaching going on here. What could be more fun?

The boys are well on their way.

These faces are worth a million words.

Purchases and Ridiculous Descriptions

2006-10-17T11:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's Best Buy buying spree was a bit ridiculous. I bought the following:

Ryan Adams 29

Beck The Information

Madeleine Peyroux Half the Perfect World

10 Things I Hate About You

It's a great movie, but whoever the hell writes the movie descriptions for Touchstone must have farmed this out to the boss's kid on Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Here's how it reads (note the way that every single sentence ends with an exclamation point):

A cool cast of young stars is just one of the things you'll love about this hilarious comedy hit! (Does anyone else think this sounds like a real estate ad?) On the first day at his new school, Cameron instantly falls for Bianca, the gorgeous girl of his dreams! (!!!!) The only problem is that Bianca is forbidden to date...until her ill-tempered, completely un-dateable older sister Kat goes out, too! (Is un-dateable really a word that we have to have in the American social vocabulary?) In an attempt to solve his problem, Cameron singles out the only guy who could possible be a match for Kat: a mysterious bad-boy with a nasty reputation of his own! (What the fuck is the deal with all the exclamation points?) Also featuring a hip (ok, this is really trying hard) soundtrack -- this witty comedy is a wildly entertaining look at exactly how far some guys will go to get a date!

I love this movie. However, if I'd never seen it and read that drivel on the back of the box, there's no way I'd watch the movie.

I also bought a kick-ass Kentucky Wildcats Nalgene bottle to add to my growing collection. Eventually, I will leave one Nalgene at all my favorite places to that I always have a quality beverage experience wherever I am.

Emotional Upheaval

2006-10-16T11:33:00.000-04:00

The past four days or so have set a record for the most emotional rollercoaster days in my recent memory (only in times of family member death can rival it, I think).

B got home and lots of fun and good times have ensued, but everything is tainted by the knowledge that he's about to have an experience that could seriously fuck with him. The proverbial elephant is definitely in the room.

My sister and the baby are leaving today for the Sooner state to find a place to live when David comes home from said fucked up experience in paragraph 2. Everyone knows that my sister and I don't always get along very well, but I think we've really managed to come to an understanding and a respect for one another during the past year. And I'm gonna miss that little boy something fierce. He's the sweetest, cutest, funniest little thing ever. I'm going to miss seeing all the things that change about him every single day.

If I develop an ulcer the size of a small state in the next two days, it will not be totally unexpected.

Fuck.

Non-hypnogogic me.

2006-10-11T08:16:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning 30 minutes early. All on my own. I need some praise for this. Who would ever have thought, after the hypnogogic state I was in for all of Monday, that I'd rebound two days later to wake up on my own at 5:15 am. It must have been my cute new haircut, complete with bangs, that got me going so early. Will post a picture, later.

Today is one of my very favorite people in the whole wide world's birthday. Here is a poem about her:

T is for her big titties that she can make dance
A is for her ass of steel
R is for the riotous laughter she owns
A is for the all-around way she is a great person

Yay! TP is 27!

Funk

2006-10-10T11:16:00.000-04:00

I am in a complete and utter funk, lately. It's so bad that I now find cleaning to be an interesting use of my time. The first floor of my house is completely cleaned and organized. All surfaces in my bedroom are clean, visible, and usable (this included the chair that I've sat on exactly three times in my two year possession of it). How sad is that? My life reads like that commercial with the little bouncing egg guy. I don't enjoy my normal activities (read: getting drunk with my friends). I have withdrawn from family and friends (my mom is constantly complaining about not getting to see me very much). What's the deal?

I think this funk stems from two things.

First, it's getting to be fall. Even though I absolutely love the fall, I always seem to get like this during this time of year. A few days of Counting Crows, Coldplay and Kurt Cobain are normally a pretty good prescription.

Second, I'm lonely. The only people worth hanging out with have moved away, are busy with their own lives (and rightfully so), or are getting ready to move away. Road trips are normally in order, here. These days, though, road trips involve much more money than they used to. In addition, I just plain don't feel like doing anything. Even fun things that I've planned, I dread doing them until I actually get there and enjoy myself. Case in point was the baby shower this weekend. I fucking volunteered to host the thing, and then I dreaded it right up until 4 o'clock last Saturday. Once everyone was here and the party went relatively smoothly, I was fine. I even enjoyed myself.

So, maybe I just need to quit being a pathetic baby and channel all this crap into something productive. Oh, yeah, like studying for that test that I'm dreading taking at the end of next month. Or, looking for a new hairstyle online. I'm getting my hair done today in hopes that it might cheer me up. Some good beauty salon gossip will help, at least.

T-shirt Porn

2006-10-05T16:10:00.000-04:00

I so want this t-shirt. It will ensure that everyone know's that I'm at least 50% redneck.

2006-10-04T10:43:00.000-04:00

I spent last night eating dinner with TP at Chili's. That was fun, because I hadn't seen her in what seemed like forever. We went over some more preparations for this weekend's baby shower. The food is sure to be superb and the company even better.

Tonight will be spent doing MORE laundry (how many clothes can one girl own?), cleaning the front room and the bathroom, and treadmilling it during some TV shows. I am the most exciting person I know. Don't you agree?

My O'boro family is coming in town this weekend for the opening of Keeneland. I can't believe I don't have plans to go at all this weekend. I think it's the first time since I was in college I've missed an opening weekend of the fall or spring meets. Weird.

Birthdays are abounding once again. Tomorrow is D's birthday, my aunt's is next week, TP's is a week from today (and I already know what I'm getting her), an dmy sister's is next Saturday. I have NO idea what I am going to get her. I don't want to get her something that she'll just have to move back to Oklahoma with her but would like to get her more than just a gift card.

This is the most boring shit ever.

2006-10-03T07:32:00.000-04:00

It is completely horrible when you haven't gotten out of bed yet, and you are already thinking about when you have the opportunity to take a nap, again. That was my first thought this morning.

Latest Novel Escapades

2006-09-28T11:16:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading a wonderful novel by Lexington native Mary Ann Taylor-Hall. It was beautifully written and the subject matter was, at once, heartbreaking and uplifting. The characters seemed very full and down-to-earth. I loved the references to the Bluegrass area and specific Lexington locales. The author uses Oxford County as a location, and I have been trying to figure out this fictitious place. Many other references are geographically correct, but I haven't figured this one out, yet. All of the action, set within the context of bluegrass music, is very comforting.

A definite recommendation.

Weekends suck

2006-09-26T13:28:00.000-04:00

Six a.m. is ENTIRELY too early for me to be awake on a Saturday. I was awakened in a lovely manner around 6:15. I heard a noise that sounded like machinery. It was the sump pump. The picture there shows the site I beheld, while the next one shows how high the water actually got. It looked like I had about 4 feet of water in my basement from all the rain. What a mess! As of today, it is all drained, but that morning, it was crazy. It looked like my dryer tried to float off, but was tethered by the power cord.

The previous owner had built pallets about two feet off the floor, which probably helped, but my power drill and other tools were floating, along with paint cans, old doors, tables, etc.. My poor dad got a phone call at 6:30 am and was over to help out for the rest of the day.

Life, LIBERTY, and the Pursuit of Happiness

2006-09-20T10:35:00.000-04:00

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
- Benjamin Franklin

Perhaps the current administration might want to check out a little Benjamin.

Sleepy head...(stop being dirty)

2006-09-18T08:55:00.000-04:00

I tossed and turned ALL night long. I was so sleepy, but I never did really get to sleep. I hate that, because now I'm completely useless for the day. I think it was the chocolate pie that Ms. Nagle made me eat.

My weekend was good. I went to a football game on Friday with a coworker. She wanted me to meet a guy she thought "would be absolutely perfect" for me. He was very nice and I had an enjoyable time.

Saturday, my mom and I went to the Midway Fall Festival, which was nice. I would like to go back and browse through some of their regular shops. It's a cute little place. The rest of Saturday was spent watching the end of last season's Grey's Anatomy, watching Notre Dame get their asses handed to them, going to a White Trash party, and playing some Trivial Pursuit with the girls. That was fun. We haven't had a just girls night (even if this was sans Nickie) in a while.

Sunday, Mer and I went to visit Ms. Nagle, and that was really enjoyable. Then, there was the birthday celebration at the Puttoff's. That was fun, even though I know I hogged the karaoke mic all night.

What's on tap for this week? Watching some new TV shows, studying, and who knows what other fun and exciting stuff! *insert sarcasm there*

All I know...

2006-09-13T09:37:00.000-04:00

...is that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of the funnier movies I've seen in a while. I'm not a fan of murder mysteries, but this movie is more of a comedy. A damn funny one, too. Val Kilmer as a gay private detective steals the movie. He is so funny. Robert Downey, Jr. is endearing, as usual, as a loser that you want to become a winner. Many of the jokes were so fast that I caught myself laughing over another joke. It's definitely a re-watch.

Lunching with the coworkers

2006-09-12T18:03:00.000-04:00

Today's discussion circled around the fact that Wal-Mart (my own personal hell) has partnered with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. There was talk of boycotting, etc. This is what Wal-Mart has to say about it. After this discussion, I perked up at what seemed to be a conversation revolving around the books we were reading. I was all ready to pipe in with my quest to conquer the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century in honor of Banned Books Week at the end of September. I quickly noted, however, that the titles of my fellow luncheoners sounded vaguely like Christian fiction titles.

How was I ever hired into this? Was my liberal stamp invisible on the day of my interview?

Memories

2006-09-11T18:13:00.000-04:00

Today is a day full of memories. I suppose a lot of people, mostly Americans, feel that way about today. All day long, I have been looking at the clock and remembering what I was doing exactly five years ago at that time. For instance, at 6:12 pm on September 11, 2001, I was driving from the house on University in Lexington to my parents' house in Frankfort. My route was via Versailles Road so that I could take Pisgah Pike and Old Frankfort Pike, my very favorite (and, therefore, comforting) 15 or so miles in the entire world. The day was warm and bright and sunny and twilight was in its earliest forms. The radio was on, the windows were down, and I was bawling my eyes out. It was the first time and only time that day that I cried. All morning long, I was either in the house with my roommates or at work. All afternoon, I had the class from hell that wasn't cancelled. This was the first time I was alone. Alone with my thoughts and fears and my radio. By the time I hit my favorite part of Old Frankfort Pike, I'd told myself that the tears needed to stop because I'd be home soon. It was the first time in a LONG time that we'd had a family dinner. I wasn't so good at the family thing right then, ironically. I was also in the middle of one of the busiest weeks of my life. None of it mattered, though. We were to eat a dinner together as a family, and I was struck by the parallels between my family and every other family in America. It was inconceivable that there would be anyone that wasn't yearning for the comfort of family, even when family doesn't necessarily mean comfort, on that day.

I do have to confess to extreme selfishness that day. Really, all the extremes I can imagine in myself raced through me during that day. Immediately upon the determination that those planes weren't merely accidents, I thought about how some of the people I loved the most (even then) would have to fight in a war that none of us were prepared for. I felt the urgent and contradictory need to help every single person affected. While I knew that was impossible, I frantically thought of, disregarded and acted upon many different scenarios involving me helping others. I felt hatred -- for people that could hate others so much and for myself for being so thankful that no one I loved was directly involved. I felt love -- it was hard even for my hard heart not to on such a day. Probably most surprising, though, was that I felt a glimmer of patriotism. I'd never experienced that before, always being a cynic when it came to that sort of thing. Another surprising thing about that day is that I cannot, for the life of me, remember thinking about my boyfriend. I don't think I even spoke to him that day. My entire life, at the time, revolved around him. Thoughts of him governed everything I did. I was consumed. But not one single memory of that day involves him.

And so, another year passes and I feel each of those emotions again. It is as if this day is an annual cleaning ritual. Life comes into focus on this day, each year.

And tonight, I will not let the terrorists win. They want me to watch the President address the nation. They want me to drink the KoolAid. I won't. I will be watching American football. No Patriots, just Redskins and Vikings in our nation's capital.

Woo hoo Fridays

2006-09-08T10:25:00.000-04:00

I just realized (coming back from the restroom) that I am in a good mood. As anyone who knows me will tell you, this is a rare occurrence. I think that this happiness is a mixture of the following things:

NFL Opening Night was last night. While my only FF player in the game didn't do so hot, I still love football and the fact that I get to watch it every weekend for the next five months.
I ate a shit-ton of pizza last night. Pizza is one of my favorite foods. I once suffered from pizza addiction much like my current sushi addiction. It was a very unhealthy one, and I'm glad it's over. However, that was some good damn pizza.
I lost 0.2 pounds yesterday. I know this is the equivalent of finding a penny on the sidewalk. However...it's better than stepping in a pile of dog poop, right?
It is Friday, and I get to leave work at 3 and go shopping.
It's my Dad's birthday. I love my dad. We've had some rough times, but he helped make me the person I am. That, among MANY other reasons, makes me love him. He's 52 today.
I'm going to a high school football game tonight. My alma mater is playing the hated cross-town rival. Go Panthers! I love high school football, too, which pretty much rounds out the whole I-love-football-at-all-levels thing.
I've got good movies at home to watch over the weekend. These include: An Officer and a Gentleman (which I have never seen), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (which I hear is good), and Harlan County USA (which I didn't realize, until I just did the link, was realeased in 1976).
I'm going to a birthday party tomorrow which should be a lot of fun.
Sunday is for football.
I just took the next step in furthering my life plan. I paid for the next section of the exam, so really, #9 should read, "Sunday is for football on mute and studying."

Wow. A top ten list that I didn't even mean to happen.

Confession

2006-09-06T16:07:00.000-04:00

I started studying again, yesterday. My confession is that I haven't studied more than 15 pages since April 13, 2006. What the hell is wrong with me? I bit the bullet yesterday and started studying for the Regulation section of the CPA exam. Before the softball game last night, I even went to buy new highliters and pens.

What caused this sudden flurry of activity?

M.A., in her fortune-telling sort of way, told me what I should do with my life. I told her that my current life vision included living outside this country but that seemed hard because of work visas, selling a house, etc. She told me to suck it up and not be afraid and that it would be a lot easier if I went back to school (this is paraphrasing). Actually, there's a lot of truth to that. I could study somewhere abroad and the perfect master's program would be in International Accounting. My current employer would probably like that since they are an international company.

So. Here's the plan. I'm going to get this blasted certification because I need finish what I've started. Then, depending on my life situation at that time (which would be right around May 2007), I will start seriously preparing to study internationally.

As of right now (after half a day of semi-serious research), the ideal program seems to be at the University of Glasgow. No, not Glasgow, Kentucky, sillies. Glasgow, Scotland, UK. They have a Master of Accountancy in International Accounting and Financial Management.

How sweet would that be?

Labor Day

2006-09-04T19:21:00.001-04:00

I'm weekend greedy. Not even a three-day weekend can satisfy my greed. I'm not ready to go back to work tomorrow.

I did have a good weekend, though.

Friday night was my girldate with M.A. We went for some sushi and to watch Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I do have to say, despite the persistent product placement (which usually annoys me), I really liked the movie. It was pretty hilarious. Will Ferrell was excellent and the jokes were very good. Part of the hilarity stemmed from knowing that some of my fellow audience members really thought this movie was a NASCAR movie instead of a making-fun-of-NASCAR movie.

Saturday, I headed to the 'Ville for a party at the Jackson's. I had a really great time, there, hearing the best news of the entire year: TP's pregnant! Yay! That started out the night with a huge shock, but it was a great night overall. Penny and I kicked ass at cornhole, which never happens. We played Flip Cup and rocked out. Notre Dame won their season opener. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning having random philosophical discussions with Will and one of Kristin's friends, Charlie.

Sunday morning was full of hangovers and bitching. Sunday evening was full of losers and beer drinking. The Kentucky/Louisville football game was on, and it was an embarassment if you weren't a bird fan.

Monday has been nothing but relaxation (with a short bit of lawn-mowing). I did have a weird dream while I was napping. I dreamed that I had one of those home parties (i.e. Pampered Chef, Home Interiors) but it was a Drug Party. One of my friends (well, really, an acquaintance) was the drug dealer and he had a ton of drugs laid out for purchase. It was a really odd dream because there were adults that I don't normally associate with drugs there. For example, nuns and priests and my aunts and uncles. All around a weird dream.

Labor Day

2006-09-04T19:21:00.000-04:00

My Name is Lydia and

2006-09-01T16:22:00.000-04:00

I'm an addict.

Today's installment is a new take on the workout.

Icky Urban Days

2006-08-31T12:56:00.000-04:00

So, I went to the doctor yesterday to get a new and much improved birth control device. Not that I really need it right now, but I'm hoping that in the next five years it will come in handy.

I did something while at the doctor's office yesterday that I haven't done in a VERY long time. I nearly fainted. He's sitting there telling me about warning signs to look for and other crap that I didn't hear because I started getting that holy-shit-I'm-either-going-to-vomit-or-pass-out feeling. Just like I used to get in high school during class when I knew that I was starting my period. I did nearly faint in the second floor hallway one day after shakily hurrying out of Calculus class to vomit in the bathroom at the OPPOSITE end of the school. That was no fun.

I still feel a bit of that feeling today. And like I have horrible cramps. I realize that this is no fun to read about, but, such is life.

One bright spot in todays end-of-the-month craziness is that I have a girldate tomorrow night with the aforementioned brilliant MA. Sushi and Talladega Nights. Something seems a bit wrong about mixing sushi and a NASCAR movie, but, hey, it's Kentucky. We're a border state. We can do whatever we want.

How happy was I...

2006-08-30T21:21:00.000-04:00

...to find this? Happy isn't the word. Anyone who knows two things about me knows that 1) I'm tall and 2) I love Matthew Perry. I know. I'm a huge dork. But...my love is true. I loved him WAAAAY back in the day when he was Carol's boyfriend on Growing Pains. I remember crying my eyes out when he was in the car accident and DIED. I mean, HELLO!?!?, this was a sitcom. Boyfriends don't die on sitcoms.

The first time I watched Friends, I said to my parents..."Hey, that guy was Carol Seaver's boyfriend." They already knew that I'm weird, so it wasn't a huge shock.

Anyway.....I was ecstatic to find this (not ecstatic about the Pop-Up Video wannabe crap, but):

You Tube

2006-08-30T14:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I'm latching onto what might be the tail end of this site's 15 minutes...but, I now officially love You Tube. Now, I only wish I had a faster connection!

Here are a couple of my new favorites. Everyone loves a montage, right? Of course, the first is of my favorite sport and the second is one of my favorite sporting events. I'm sure some more timely ones will show up here soon. (Oh, and check this one out for a laugh.)

UK Game Intro -- I just realized that when the coaches are shown, only three of the five are featured. I guess we know why Eddie Sutton isn't and since Rick Pitino is now a rival, I suppose that's only fair (he does show up later, though).

One Shining Moment

Fantasy Football Extravaganza

2006-08-28T10:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday marked the beginning of Fantasy Football. The league held its very first live draft (we always used pre-ranked players in an automated draft). It was interesting and long. I think it was a better way to choose teams, though. Thanks to the wonderful M.A.'s help, we got it all done. Here's my team:

QB - Jake Delhomme (CAR)
WR - Chris Chambers (MIA)
WR - Joe Horn (NO)
WR - Muhsin Muhammad (CHI)
RB - Larry Johnson (KC)
RB - Kevin Jones (DET)
TE - Todd Heap (BAL)
K - Matt Stover (BAL)
DEF - Baltimore

Bench players:
RB - Mike Bell (DEN)
RB - Fred Taylor (JAC)
QB - Steve McNair (BAL)
TE - Ben Watson (NE)
WR - Chad Jackson (NE)
DEF - Kansas City

Looking over it again, I guess I'm hoping that Baltimore has a great season. Eek! I hope that's not too much concentration.

Ugly week

2006-08-22T17:52:00.000-04:00

Just so you know, this week has been deemed ugly week. Anyone expecting any type of prettiness out of me is shit outta luck.

Absolute Perfection

2006-08-20T21:58:00.000-04:00

How many people get the chance to see an original growth forest in today's world of wastefulness and willful destruction? We got the chance this weekend. It was absolutely amazing and breathtaking.

We arrived early Saturday afternoon to the beautifully peaceful mountaintop home of our friend Merril...forester and hostess extraordinaire. Nestled between the endangered hemlocks, tulip poplars and 4-acre lake is Merril's cabin. It is absolutely beautiful, and my dumb ass didn't take a camera. Nickie, Merril, Merril's landlord Bob, and I spent a restful Saturday afternoon on the screened porch shaded by trees and overlooking the lake. We caught up on news, admired and admonished the adorable new puppy and anxiously awaited the arrival of the other guests. I took a nap and the others got drenched in a sudden rain.

That evening, after all had safely arrived (and I sustained a broken tailbone in a horrible humiliating slippery step incident) we cooked dinner and continued to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Words just can't describe how wonderful it all was. That evening, braving the (imagined) threat of bears and the (real) threat of darkness, we trooped down to the lake house and the ingenious floating, detachable, motorized dock. We explored the lake in the darkness, gazed at the few stars we could see through the cloud cover and a couple of the boys went swimming in their skivvies.

All tuckered out, we soon retired to beds, couches, and sleeping bags for a restful night of sleep. In the early hours of daylight, a loud and bright thunderstorm boomed and shook the house with its fury. We fully awakened a few hours later to a dripping forest and cool temperatures. After a delicious gourmet breakfast of French toast, sausage and bacon (prepared by yours truly), we set out on our hike to find the waterfall. Amid a few complaints of I'm-too-young-to-feel-this-old, a couple of huffs and puffs and wrong turns, Merril identified trees, salamanders, fungi growths and explained things about the forest to us. She's an excellent trail guide. We ended up at a rockslide waterfall. The family who has owned the property for decades had built wooden bridges amongst the rhododendrons and witch hazel. It was an amazing site, even though the early-morning thunderstorm hadn't sent the waterfall gushing. A series of little caves (ack, more potential bear!) encircled the waterfall and the wonders of nature was truly apparent, all cliches aside.

After the hike, Aubrey and James had to head home, but the rest of us were ready for a dip in the lake. Merril inflated a new float, Jacob comandeered the kayak and we set out for more tours around the lake. Hilarity ensued, as is so often the case when any number of us get together, and much fun was had by all. Such a serene and peaceful place was most likely glad to see us city hooligans go, but we weren't ready to leave the comforts of friendship and nature and were already beginning to plan our next excursion to Pine Mountain.

I'm back....and....I'm off

2006-08-19T09:50:00.000-04:00

After 50 hours of training this week mixed with 7 nights of trivia, I'm off to the big city of Harlan.

While I'm gone, entertain yourself with this shit:

www.singshot.com

What a Waste

2006-08-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

I didn't think it was possible for me to really waste a weekend anymore. Surely not in my old age!

Saturday was spent with a trip to Lowe's and then to work with my Dad on a couple of woodworking projects. I think the coffee table is just about ready to be painted. It will be wonderful to have a coffee table. It would be more wonderful if I could put the treadmill in another room instead of uglifying my living room with it. However, I need a TV to workout in front of. Anyway...said woodworking projects could not be completed without at least one injury to the biggest klutz of all time. So, I have some nice new scrapes and bruises from the wood that I dropped on my leg.

Saturday night, I was all geared up for the start of the trivia tournament. It was a letdown that JuanJohn wouldn't go with us. It was also a letdown that we sucked.

Sunday was the biggest waste of all. Completely. Walked to the grocery store for some milk, did The Firm video (yup, I'm sore today), mowed the lawn and flipped through about three hours of pointless television. I nearly got sucked in to about ten different reality shows (something with Gene Simmons, The Simple Life, Laguna Beach) and home improvement shows.

Then, I was ready for round two of the trivia tournament. JuanJohn ONCE AGAIN wimped out on us. What's his deal? Last night's game was a little better. We missed two first round questions and thought we were in good position. Little did we know that there were two perfect scoring teams. We ended up with a decent score, but I'm not sure that we can hang with these perfect trivia nerds.

The first two questions we missed were these:

Category: Babies -- Who did Jacqueline Kennedy give birth to 10 days after her husband won the presidential election? (We were screwed up in our logic on this one.)
Category: Friends -- What was the name of the chocolate substitute product that Monica was hired to create recipes for? (Reasonably, we saved our 5 point question for this category. Amazingly, I didn't know the answer to this one.)

Outmanned and outclassed

2006-08-13T13:11:00.000-04:00

Wow. We got rocked in the first round of the trivia tournament last night. One team member bailed on us, so it was just Will and I trying our hardest to a) look single instead of looking like a couple and b) answer some questions correctly. We went with the theory that the more we drink the better we perform at trivia. That theory is now out the window. The final crazy score of the winning team was near perfection. We can't compete with that shit!

So...we are in this for the week for fun and maybe some prizes. We shall see.

An odd Friday...

2006-08-12T16:29:00.000-04:00

Last night found me taking a nap after work (not odd), stressing about what to wear (not odd), getting drinks at Serafini (odd) and seeing a movie at The Grand Theater (not really odd, but sort of). All of this was done without any of my friends (definitely odd). The nap was excellent, the ultimate outfit was decent, it was a good hair night, the drinks were good, along with the conversation, but the movie was lacking a little bit.

I understand that The Grand Theater needs money. After last night, I understand what the money needs to be used for. Seats. Three hours of watching a great movie (Capote) was tainted by the ache of my ass on a hard-as-rock chair. It was agonizing by the end of the movie. I know that my co-watchers were annoyed by my antsy-ness.

I chickened out early, though, and pawned off an excuse of a birthday party so that I could go up to the boys' apartment. I was in need of a drink, and John so generously let me have a beer. I realized that there had been no dinner in my night, so we waltzed over to Buddy's for some pizza. Good times...

Note to extremely drunk guy trying desperately to find his way on Broadway...1) buy a belt, that way you don't have to stop every fifth stagger to pull up your pants...2) stick with your friends, they couldn't be as lost as you...3) don't lay down between two cars, some bitch like me will set off the panic alarm just for laughs.

Whose brilliant idea was that?

2006-08-10T07:29:00.000-04:00

In an amazing turn of events, last night marked the first random, mid-week drunkenness of the summer. It is amazing simply because it took two months to happen. The boys called me up at 8 PM last night, while I was contemplating going to bed, and asked what I was doing. They were as schocked as I when I replied, "Nothing, but I want to do something fun." Apparently, my idea of fun is buying a six-pack, playing three people Kings and talking about the pros and cons (mostly cons) of a 12-foot penis.

I have a feeling I drunk e-mailed, too. Oh, well, true sentiments come out whilst drunk, right?

Uggh, luckily for my fatass there isn't a McDonald's on the way to work. Unlucky, as it may be, for my aching head.

Nothing.

2006-08-09T16:12:00.000-04:00

I've got nothing today. Nothing, I tell you. I've worked. I have to go to Wal-Mart to buy a baby shower gift. I have to work out. I have to eat dinner.

That is all. Carry on.

Mel

2006-08-08T12:55:00.000-04:00

Well, home from work today with some sickness. I decided to watch my favorite all-time movie, Braveheart. First, it's my favorite. Second, I wanted to see what my reaction to crazy-ass Mel Gibson would be now, in the light of recent events. He used to be one of my very favorite movie stars until he went all crazy and fanatical with The Passion of the Christ. His latest little drunken spewing of hate might be the end. I've found I can watch his old movies, because I don't think he was as crazy, then. New movies, if there are ever any, may be difficult.

However, I forgot how nauseating the very end of Braveheart is. I can deal with the drawing and quartering. Hell, they could show the actual act and I'd probably be fine with it. It's Mel's gurgly breathing and choking that nearly had me vomiting.

I still really do love that movie.

Finally, football is back.

2006-08-07T07:44:00.000-04:00

I love football. Anyone that knows 2 things about me knows, at least, that. So, everyone is always surprised to hear that I don't really like the Super Bowl. It's a mixed bag of emotions on Super Bowl Sunday, for me. One the one hand, it's one of the best sporting events of the year, complete with all the fanfare and hoopla that I love. It's a great excuse for a party on a day of the week normally reserved for recovery. It's the ultimate stage for football greatness. And, way down the list of great things, there are the commercials. On the other hand, it's the last game of the football season. Fantasy Football winners have already been decided, but you're still rooting for your last player to score two touchdowns and win the game. It signals the end of Sunday routines that are classic wintertime establishments.

It always makes me sad. Of course, when I realize that SEC basketball play is under way, and there is a UK game on at least twice a week, my spirits lift a little. So, there are two months of worthwhile sports to follow. But Sundays still seem bare. I do have to admit that March Madness is a particular favorite of mine, and it tends to erase my sadness over the lack of first downs and touchdowns and interceptions. The reality comes crashing down, again, after the first week of April.

There will be no more worthwhile sporting events (besides the Derby, but, really...that's two minutes!) for four whole months.

Suddenly, after not turning on the television for three months, it's August and preseason NFL football has started. Yipee! So, the stars play for half of a quarter, which is really just an eighth of the game (I can do math, thank you). It's just enough to ease a football fan slowly back into gear. It's easy on the fan muscles. A warmup. But, it's just sweet enough to remind me that cooler temperatures are ahead, fewer lawn mowing sessions are in my future, and it's time to start thinking about sweaters and jackets. My favorite time of year is nigh. The weekends ahead suddenly become clear...Friday nights, I'll reminisce about the deplorable football team of my high school days while watching a much improved version, Saturdays, I'll keep up with the UK beating and the Notre Dame score, and Sunday...blessed Sunday, I'll make my gameday fantasy moves, order a pizza, realize that I forgot to get beer on Saturday, and park my fat ass on the couch (or someone else's couch) for a day of great plays, naps at halftime, and lamentation of my lack of fantasy football skills.

So, yes, Hank...I'm ready for some football.

You'd think he was the pope...

2006-08-02T10:17:00.000-04:00

The governor visited our facility today for a groundbreaking. Everyone was in a tizzy preparing for his arrival. I suppose that's understandable. However, I just can't get excited about a governor's visit. Democrat or Republican, really. I mean, I live three blocks from his house. Governor's coming to speak at our high school was a biannual event. So...no big deal.

It's a 98 degree heat index here. It's blazing hot and the tent is stuffy. Here I am, in my high heels, listening to the posturing and proselytizing of state representatives and senators. I left, shaking my head, while the governor was introduced with showy, flowery praises for the "great things he has done for this Commonwealth." Give me a break.

Redneck Glamour Shots

2006-07-30T18:30:00.000-04:00

Name this crack-whore.

2006-07-30T18:04:00.000-04:00

MDDO VI

2006-07-30T17:52:00.000-04:00

Last night was the Sixth Annual Mother/Daughter Drink-Off. This year, each mother/daughter unit was given the task of coming to the party in costume. We had a Wizard of Oz pair, hula girls, sorority girls, a BLT, the Bonos and the rednecks. Let me tell ya, the rednecks weren't much of a stretch. However, what you can't see in this hazy-ass picture is the horrendous, but inevitable burn of the big bangs. Check out the last picture for an up-close version.

The daughters won, again. I think I was the high scorer. I know that I was obnoxiously drunk and said many a thing that was inappropriate and just straight-out bitchy. I'm sorry about that. I can't help being so bitchy, but I'm trying. I was also an attentionhoor. Something else on which I'm working.

Here are some pictures, half of which are unpostable because the photographer was too damn drunk to pay attention to what she was doing.

The Wicked Witch and Dorothy

The Bonos

Hula Girls

Sorority Girls Gone Wrong

Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato

Aforementioned Big Bang Injury, sans Big Bangs (plus extreme closeup)

Another weekend event...

2006-07-25T12:14:00.000-04:00

Overheard in the Office

Things I Learned While Celebrating My 26th Birthday

2006-07-25T07:55:00.000-04:00

My friends are the personification of the second definition of the word sadistic. They derive much pleasure from cruelty. It is just purely cruel to encourage a friend to shoot a drink-size Jaeger Bomb. It is also extremely cruel to buy, or encourage to buy, a shot of warm Booker's bourbon for someone who becomes deathly ill at the whiff of bourbon.
Interestingly enough, parents will encourage you to drink just as much as the friends mentioned in #1, above. Where is their sense of right and wrong?
Furthermore, it is interesting that public detoxification (read: puking in the street) is apparently not illegal, as witnessed by the police cruiser that passed an unnamed puker shortly after the detox (as was so rumored by onlookers, said puker does not remember).
Walking home at 7 am on a Saturday morning, less than a mile away, can take 30 minutes if you are dressed like a streetwalker and feel like death.
It is possible to feel like death for an entire day and night.
Techno music at 3 a.m. is just pure evil hell.
The Easton Town Center is entirely too much of an addicted shopper's temptation.
Some divine power inspired the founders of The Container Store. They sell the plastic equivalent of crack.
Feet tend to get very sore while wearing flip flops and shopping for hours, followed by wearing come-fuck-me-shoes to bars all night long.
My friend Nickie can create one kick ass bird's nest in my hair.
The Dixie Chicks have a huge lesbian following (see #12)...
...because they rock (see #13)...
...they rock so hard they made me cry like a Beatles Fan at JFK airport (well, maybe not so hysterically).
Six dollar beers get you just as drunk as two dollar ones, but they must have a crying agent in them (see #13.)
Sitting at the bar, in a bar, is one of my favorite things, especially when friends and random people and bartenders buy you crazy shots for your birthday.
Sex In The City is a portrayal of the irresponsible use of money by the wealthy. (I didn't really learn that, I'm just still trying to prove this point.)
Scottish men, in general, can get laid (or nearly laid) within six hours of arriving in America.
Based on the smallest of tests, men from other countries kiss the same way that American men do.
Birthdays are the best.
His name's not Dick. (But it does appear as if he's wearing lipstick, and he's not the one #18 refers to. Also, this appears to be the ONLY picture taken by my camera the entire weekend.)

Oh, yeah, it's Friday.

2006-07-21T14:43:00.000-04:00

There are exactly 19 minutes until I get to walk out the door and head home for the weekend. Nineteen happens to be my lucky number.

Thanks to Mrs. TP, I am nearly snot free. She swiped some Mucinex from the hubby and told me that I'd better get better soon, so as not to ruin my or her weekend.

I am utterly bored at work, so I'll tell you about my new Gap Jeans purchase. That's what I'm wearing on the left, minues the green shoes and plus about 50 pounds. Aw, shnikes, they lowered the price by $5 in the past 48 hours. Bastards.

Anyway, thank you for the early birthday wishes and all the presents that I'm sure will rain down upon me in the next three days. If anyone needs ideas, check the archives for posts about what I want!

I'm outtie.

I'm sick.

2006-07-20T13:30:00.000-04:00

I think I have a stupid sinus infection. I blame it all on the stupid allergies that were stirred up by the stupid grass I mowed on Tuesday.

If this causes me undue pain during this weekend, I'm going to be so pissed.

Birthday upcoming.

2006-07-19T18:51:00.000-04:00

It's only Wednesday and I am already looking forward to the weekend. Hell, who am I kidding? I normally start looking forward to the weekend on Sunday nights. This weekend, though, I have been looking forward to for quite some time. I am so excited because my birthday is this weekend. Really, the excitement stems from having so many plans and having them all involve things that will be lots of fun.

On Friday, right after work, I'm dragging my parents to Lexington for an early birthday dinner. We're having sushi and hibachi dinners. Later that night, my very favorite local band, The G-Funk All Stars are playing at my very favorite local bar. Since my friends are all drunkards and one in particular relishes in the torturing of birthday boys and girls, I am sure to be quite intoxicated. I swear, I shall only take 5 shots. I swear.

Saturday morning should be ugly, but I'll probably recover soon enough for a trip to Columbus with two of the girlfriendlies and an old roommate (who is the bomb). Normally, there's not a lot in Columbus I enjoy and quite a lot I loathe (OSU, not THE OSU because I refuse to call it that). However, this particular trip will be jam-packed with fun. Saturday night is the roommates best friend's birthday celebration. I'm assuming it will include a trip to a bar, which should be fun, because those girls have lots of fun.

Sunday, the best day of the entire YEAR, we are going to see the Dixie Chicks in concert. I used to hate the Dixie Chicks, but I also used to hate country music. I'm a full-fledged, cowboy hat wearing, foot stomping, not-coordinated-enough-to-line-dance country music fan now. I have returned to my redneck roots.

Anyway...I'll post pictures. If ANYONE mentions how OLD I look, it will be the end of them.

p.s. No ill effects of mango, for those of you who wondered.

Today's Idiot Move

2006-07-18T13:40:00.000-04:00

Alright, so I was a good little girl and made today's lunch last night. I had Black Bean and Mango salad. I've never really eaten mango before. So, as I'm preparing the salad last night, I thought..."Hmm, wonder if you're supposed to take the skin off this mango." Then, I thought, well, it's the same texture on the outside as an apple, and people always say all the vitamins are in the apple skins. So, I left the skin on.

About halfway through my lunch today I think, "You know, I've never seen skin on the mangoes in other peoples black bean and corn salads. Let's try google."

Sure enough, mangoes are part of the sumac family. That's right, so is POISON IVY! Yay! I love the enormous allergic reactions I have to poison ivy. And this stuff is in my body!?!?! Yay YAY!

Uggh. So, I trotted down to the local pharmacy (I think there's only one in the town I where I work) to buy some Benadryl.

If I end up like the kid from My Girl, you'll know why.

Two of the funnier things...

2006-07-17T16:16:00.000-04:00

Said to me today...

1) It's hotter than Brad Pitt covered in Crisco. -- umm, could we maybe get him covered in something more readily lickable?

2) Is it hot back there? Your face looks sweaty. --umm, no, that's just the greaseball that is my face. See 1 above.

Weekend in Review

2006-07-17T09:56:00.000-04:00

This weekend was a flurry of activity - not productive activity, but activity.

Friday afternoon (after getting off work at 3 p.m.) I went to the parents' house to be crafty with my mom in her fully equipped and organized Craft Room. I did an excellent job on three pages of an eternal birthday calendar. I'm a slow crafter. We met the Watsons at Garcia's for dinner and then weathered a torrential rain storm to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Yes, this was my second screening. I have to say that the local cinema has got to be the shittiest it's ever been. I've never noticed before, but they apparently don't have surround sound. How old is that technology, and why haven't they upgraded to that?

For some reason, there was a late night Friday (I can't even remember what made me stay up late). I woke up about 11 on Saturday and ventured to Lexington with my sister to a) eat sushi, of course, b) see The Devil Wears Prada and c) go shopping. WARNING: Do not go shopping after viewing this movie. The clothes, bags, shoes, belts, hats, etc. are to die for in this film and made my purchases appear paltry in comparison. To compensate, I just bought more of said paltry clothing. This clothing is celebratory birthday clothing for Friday night and Saturday.

Saturday evening was a goodbye party for Alison. I am sad she's leaving, because I enjoy her company. I'm glad she's moving to Asheville, though, because I think she'll really like it (and it's a new place to visit!). We ate pizza at Buddy's and headed to the Dragon for some libation. Good music ensued. There was an interesting trip to White Castle that evening and some drunk e-mailing. This is the new equivalent to drunk dialing and can be as equally harming to one's sense of embarassment upon waking the next day.

Sunday was a swimming-all-day-because-it's-hotter-than-Brad-Pitt-covered-in-Crisco day. Excellent.

For tomorrow...my excitement about birthday plans.

Warning: this post will be about nothing

2006-07-12T20:57:00.000-04:00

It's 8:55 and I am tired and ready to hit the shower and then the bed. However, here's my boring-ass day recap.

Work. The freeze ended around 2:00 when the maintenance guys turned off the vent in my office. Hopefully, I will no longer have to endure sub-zero temperatures and blue fingers whilst typing.

Apparently, I wasn't so hungry today since I had a ton of points left for dinner tonight. I made some chicken with Pampered Chef Barbecue seasoning, steamed some sugar snap peas and had a baked potato. I know everyone loves baked potatoes, but I'm just not that into them. What gives? (side note...I know Hatchett thinks these meal recaps are stupid, but I don't care)

I watched Must Love Dogs tonight. As everyone who knows anything about me knows, I hate dogs. However, I really liked this movie. Of course, it was cheesy and predictable and even I, the defender of all movies from chick-flickdom, would classify this as a chick flick. I love Diane Lane, and John Cusack, and Dermot Mulroney, and Christopher Plummer. There was an "Aha!" moment about halfway through. Sarah, the main character, is speaking to her dad about the number of women he is dating. Her father says he's sorry and

She says: "No, you're not. Because being a man today means never having to say you're sorry. I really resent how easy this all is for you...all that matters to you guys are that the tushies are tight and the bellies are flat...meanwhile, there are caring, interesting, compassionate women of a certain age sitting at home alone, reading Jane Austen and eating tubs of ice cream, getting fat which makes it even less likely--"

Ha!

Other than this boring crap, I didn't do anything today. I finally took some clothes out of the dryer, but they are still sitting in the living room to be folded.

I'm hoping that tomorrow will be more productive. I want to run tomorrow. I think my pulled quad is up for that. I want to fold my clothes and do some more laundry. If it will ever stop raining, I might consider mowing the foot-tall grass that is my lawn.

Superman

2006-07-11T18:33:00.000-04:00

Instead of going to study with TP, like I should, I'm going to watch Superman tonight. It's cheap movie night here in town, and I'm dragging John to go see it (he's so nice, he's willing to go see it again). Movie popcorn is on the dinnerplate tonight.

My day...don't you want to know.

2006-07-09T20:29:00.000-04:00

I woke up late, of course. My bedroom is like a cave. There's no natural waking up to the gradual filter of sunlight through the window in the morning. I need new curtains. Actually, I need A curtain. Currently, a sheet is doing the duty. I haven't found what I want yet.

Anyway, I woke up, checked PostSecret, of course. Then, I started out on the latest Netflix delivery, the BBC Vanity Fair miniseries. Is it just me or are BBC productions a little low-quality? It always seems grainy to me.

Next, I went out to MA's for a lovely brunch attended by some of my favorite people. Excellent food and conversation. Here, and from other sources this weekend, I learned that someone actually reads this crap. So, a big shout out to y'all. You know who you are. If I ever slip up (or have already) and write something horrible about you or someone you love, I apologize. Well, I apologize for it hurting your feelings. I guess an apology that stated I was sorry for writing it would be a lie. So...fair warning. (and, hey, leave comments, bitches)

TP & I picked up Jay and headed to Lexington to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Best movie I've seen this year. That's saying a lot because I really liked X-Men 3. However, Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are not to be missed. My love for Johnny Depp has not waned in the years since 21 Jumpstreet. Every trip to my Grandmother's house in O'boro, I keep a close watch out the front window. The house across the street is inhabited by the lovely and talented Mr. Depp's grandmother (or maybe it's his aunt). Anyway, I Love Love Love him.

Of course, no trip to Lexington in the past 6 months has been complete without some form of sushi purchase and consumption. So, we headed to the Nagasaki Inn for sushi (me) and hibachi dinners (for them). Excellent, as usual. I even got Jay to try the sushi. He was either being nice or he really liked it.

Now, it's late on Sunday and I haven't accomplished a single task that I wanted to this weekend. There are no clean clothes to wear to work (which means I'll be wearing skirts, blech), there are no clean rooms, no clean dishes, no mown grass and no clean car. To paraphrase the wise Ms. O'Hara, "I'll worry about that tomorrow."

Bubbles

2006-07-07T12:48:00.000-04:00

I just realized that my hairstyle could definitely be described as a "bubble" today. You know, those popular-with-the-kids styles from the early nineties where some extremely annoying skinny girl wearing lots of makeup and chewing gum wore the very front of her hair pulled back into a barrett to form a bubble of hair on the top of her head. Somehow, mine has gone from a half-up kinda thing to a freakin' bubble. What's this crap? I just went to the restroom to try to flatten it out in the mirror. I think it's impossible to not have a bubble with this short hair. Blech.

At least it's Friday and I just had some feta cheese.

A New Addiction

2006-07-05T21:12:00.000-04:00

Jane Austen.

Ok, so she's not so new and cutting edge. I'm sorry. I currently want this book, her complete novels. So far, I've read three of the novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma) and I've been watching every film version of her works that I can get my hands on. Of course, my favorite is the A&E version (thank you, Emma). I really enjoy the comedy and satire in her works. Of course, I'm completely and ridiculously a romantic, so I love that aspect, too. Who better to dream about than Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy?

Double Monday & Beef

2006-07-05T11:32:00.000-04:00

Today feels like a Monday. It's understandable, as it's the first workday of the week for many. However, why is it something that needs complaints attached? Umm...it feels like Monday, but there are only three work days this week. I would gladly take a Monday for a three day work week. That's sweet.

For a quick beef, however, I offer up the Fourth of July fireworks. This year, our good ol' governor wanted to get in on a piece of the firework action. So, he strongarmed the American Legion to have the fireworks at the Capitol. I was actually on Dr. F's side about this one. Amazing. Anyway, I thought a) what better background than the statehouse for some fireworks, b) there's a huge lawn for people to sit on and enjoy them, and c) I can enjoy them from my concrete backyard with a beer. However, this plan was not quite enacted the way that I, and others I heard grumbling, envisioned. It seems that the fireworks were set off from the river near the Capitol. Which is to say, that they were only in the general direction of the Capitol. There was no picturesque statehouse backdrop. I doubt that any lawn-viewers had anything better than an obscured view, at best. Finally, there was no enjoying from the relative comfort of my concrete backyard. Instead, there was running a couple of blocks to Capitol Avenue where there was watching trees be backlit by fireworks.

Stupid governor. Just go to jail, already.

Monday Night Without Trivia

2006-07-04T11:05:00.000-04:00

It was a veritable high school reunion last night at the Dragon. Here are a few pictures.

On the patio.

Girlies.

Girlies, with foot.

J&P

Enough, all ready

2006-07-03T19:09:00.000-04:00

Just jumping in for a quick post/rant. Apparently, the Brick is closed for an undisclosed reason, so I'm supposing that there's no trivia action this week. Off to the patio of the Dragon, instead.

Now for the rant. Is it just me or is everyone noticing the multitude of comments directed my way that are in the general gist of, "Lydia, you should have a baby." Someone always pipes up, whenever I'm holding my nephew, "Oh, you need one of those [i.e. baby], don't you?" Ummm...no. What would give you that idea? When did society go from not-so-politely suggesting that all single females of a marriageable age need to find a husband. Have I surpassed the age of hope for such a husband and gone directly to needing to have a baby, sans husband? What's the deal? I've not witnessed this phenomenon happening to other women of my age or station in life.

Someone explain this to me, please.

Love it.

2006-06-30T17:02:00.000-04:00

So far, and I'm only on Track #9, but I'm lovin' this Gnarls Barkley CD, St. Elsewhere. How much fun is too much to have while listening to music?

Reasons I like it:

One of my Favorite All-Time Songs is covered. Track 4 is a cover of that GREAT Violent Femmes song "Gone Daddy Gone."
The CD jacket has the words printed inside. As a person that enjoys knowing every single word of songs and correcting those that don't, I love this. When I was a kid, all my tapes and then my CDs had this. Why isn't this as prevalent anymore?
Of course, I'm a Cee-Lo/Goodie Mob fan. The Ex always questionned this liking of mine. He would always say, "Don't you know they hate white people?" I jot that down as another of his lies and go on liking the music.
It makes me want to dance.

End of review.

Friday, at last

2006-06-30T08:25:00.000-04:00

If only I could hang out with Craig and Smokey today. Instead, this is the last day of the month and the Friday before a long weekend. That translates into working late for me which is a total buzz kill.

Added to this is the fact that I'm not motivated to do anything that resembles socializing for the next four days. However, I don't think that would go over well with certain people who want me to entertain them in the absence of their roommate. My ideal weekend would consist of (can you tell I like lists?):

watching movies,
getting all my laundry finished,
cleaning the first floor of my house,
getting my lawn mower fixed,
getting an oil change
laying out beside a pool,
going for a bike ride and
studying a little bit.

Wow. When did I get so boring? Oh, yeah, when I got OLD.

P.S. I'm making this Crunchy Bacon Coleslaw for the barbecue tomorrow. However, I'm making it vegetarian-friendly by substituting some Boca or Morningstar bacon.

Whatever happened to Must-See TV... (and other entertainments)

2006-06-29T10:03:00.000-04:00

...now I have nothing to look forward to on Thursday nights except a WeightWatchers meeting. In fact, what happened to good TV all together? I cannot remember the last time I watched a non-sports television broadcast. It was probably the second-to-last Grey's Anatomy episode. That was a Sunday way back. I'm not a reality-show lover unless there is some sort of marathon. I have a hard time remembering to watch TV shows these days because there aren't many that really grab my attention or engage me in the characters' lives. I wish Friends was still in production.

Yesterday involved a trip to the grocery store. I got lots of fresh produce and a couple of new items (Salt and Vinegar Soy Chips from GenSoy are the only ones I've tried, excellent!). I made the Easy Broccoli Cottage Bake from Kraft Foods for dinner. I subsituted mushrooms for the red peppers, and it was delicious. Only 4 points, as well, so that's another plus.

I was all set to watch Failure to Launch because I was ready for a little Matthew McConaughey action. However, Netflix, in all its glorious genius sent me Shadows in the Sun, a horrid little movie with Joshua Jackson (blech), Harvey Keitel and Claire Forlani (with a HORRIBLE Italian accent). What the hell? That sorry excuse for entertainment wasn't anywhere near my queue. Again, what the hell? Now, Netflix says that I'll get the next available copy of Failure to Launch, which is currently on a "Long Wait." Bummer. However, they received Syriana today, so my newest shipment should be arriving in time for some weekend movie viewing.

I finished Harriette Simpson Arnow's The Kentucky Trace: A Novel of the American Revolution last night. It's the story of a surveyor, William David Leslie Collins, that searches for his family in the wilderness of Revolutionary War-era Kentucky and finds an entirely different family. It was well-written and interesting. I wish the book had a map with it, as some do, but I could figure out pretty easily from Arnow's descriptions where the action was taking place. At one point, Collins crosses the Cumberland River very near the Falls. There are numerous mentions of Fort Boonesborough, as well. I enjoyed the book, but was left flabbergasted by the curt ending. I kept turning pages to see if there was more to the story. It's a book that has some of the blank ending pages. I can never tell with those books how close I am to the end.

Words and expressions I hate...

2006-06-28T10:48:00.000-04:00

proly -- some lazy way of typing and/or saying "probably," because that's too hard
the overuse of abbreviations like LOL, LMAO, ROFLMAO -- does anyone really think these things are actually occuring?
aks -- are you verbally dyslexic or something? just say "ask"
libary -- again...look at the word before you say it..it's Lie-brar-ee
Cutesy little business names that misspell words, such as Krazy Kutz. Basically, any title that uses the incorrect letter for the same phonetic sound really annoys me.

Yay!

2006-06-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

My pleading for reprieve from throwing a party was answered! I've been invited to a cookout! Yipee!

In other news, I finally had to do my pre-employment (yeah, that's right, it's my fourth week here) drug screen. Why do I get nervous for these things? I don't do drugs! So, what does it matter? I guess I've seen too many conspiracy-theory TV shows and think someone's out to get me. Yeah. Right.

A big thanks to FClay for letting me know about the increase in music offerings. I'm listening to WUKY's adult rock. Apparently, they've changed their format to be NPR Morning Edition, adult rock all day long, and NPR's afternoon lineup. I'm excited about that and the fact that I get reception here at work. I need something to entertain me. After perusing their current playlist, I trotted over to Amazon.com to pour out more money. I bought the newest Gnarls Barkley and Red Hot Chili Peppers CDs. Reviews to follow next week.

To party, or not to party

2006-06-28T10:07:00.000-04:00

I can't decide if I want to host an Independence Day cookout or not. It makes sense for me to do it because all will be able to witness the celebratory fireworks at the Capitol from my house. However, that's the only thing on the pro side of this debate with myself. The cons are 1) I'll have to clean the house (I hate that), 2) I'll have to clean the house after the party, too, 3) I'll have to buy some food to serve, 4) I never have fun at my own parties, 5) I have to work on Wednesday and my friends probably won't go home early, and 6) there's nothing fun to do at my house.

Will someone else please have a party so I don't have to?

Nothing rhymes with Lydia...well, except that.

I'm Outta Here

A Delightful Dinner

I'm one lazy ass...

I like being lame.

How cool would this be...

I have absolutely nothing to write about.

Knowing When To Say You're Sorry

You're kidding me, right?

Fiber Optic Trees

It's Snowing, It's Snowing!

Warm Me Up!

Newest craze in home decorating

My Boys

I'm still here.

To shit or not to shit

In Other News

It's Back to Work I Go...

It's Back to Work I Go...

Holidays and Sickness

Woe is me.

Mirrors and eyesight

Lydia Can Kiss Better Than She Can Cook

Yay for Fridays

Crack

Reading

I just can't do it anymore.

My weekend.

I'm BAAACK

I can't believe it's November.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween

Tequila

Last night

I thought it was supposed to be fat and happy.

Favorite Pictures of the Weekend

Purchases and Ridiculous Descriptions

Emotional Upheaval

Non-hypnogogic me.

Funk

T-shirt Porn

Latest Novel Escapades

Weekends suck

Life, LIBERTY, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Sleepy head...(stop being dirty)

All I know...

Lunching with the coworkers

Memories

Woo hoo Fridays

Confession

Labor Day

Labor Day

My Name is Lydia and

Icky Urban Days

How happy was I...

You Tube

Fantasy Football Extravaganza

Ugly week

Absolute Perfection

I'm back....and....I'm off

What a Waste

Outmanned and outclassed

An odd Friday...

Whose brilliant idea was that?

Nothing.

Mel

Finally, football is back.

You'd think he was the pope...

Redneck Glamour Shots

Name this crack-whore.

MDDO VI

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Oh, yeah, it's Friday.

I'm sick.

Birthday upcoming.

Today's Idiot Move

Two of the funnier things...

Weekend in Review