5 Things Living In My Aparment Besides Me (Sorry, No Death Defying Mice)

Oh I Love Him!

Ummm Tigger, your Vegas is showing.

2 Strange Encounters Of The Day

This morning, while on my way out to the store, a boy who lives next door was out playing in the snow by my car. I said "Hey Buddy, what are you making?" thinking it would be nice to make some small talk with the kid. Instead of a response, he looked at me with fear in his eyes, gasped and ran into his house. It reminded me of the reaction of Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone" when he first meets the scary old man. I don't think I'm old or scary, and am still puzzled by the reaction.

Strange encounter #2. This evening while on my porch for a smoke, a man pulls up in a really nice BMW convertible, gets out and says "Hey Paul! How you doing?" Response: "Sorry, I'm not Paul". The man apologizes, then gets a small dog out of the car, and sets it on the ground. The man then starts speaking to the dog in "baby-talk" and makes a series of long weird beeping sounds. I politely finished my cigarette early and locked the door.

I just finished searching ads for other places to live.

On an up note, I'm awaiting the arrival of the Jackons for some dinner and hijinx no doubt. I've also been scouring the internet for a last minute deal to just about anywhere. A colleague booked a weekend flight to Europe several weeks ago for next to nothing right at the last minute. I'm so ready to pick up and leave I was looking for flights that leave tomorrow morning. No luck, but I'll still be looking. Perhaps my next post will come to you from the beach.

Finally A Song As Neurotic And Trippy As I

The genius that is Radiohead provides us with this week's 90s rock installment of Grungy Thursdays. I'm still trying to figure out the symbolism of the video though. Ambition does make you look pretty ugly.

Happy Birthday Meg!

Today my niece Meg (who does not read the blog) turns 4.

I'm feeling a bit guilty I did not make it home for her birthday, so somehow a blog shout-out might make up for it.

5 Words I Consistently Misspell

1. Definately
   
2. Business
   
3. Probably
   
4. Continuously
   
5. Practically
   

Manic Monday

Freek A Leek

A brief run-down of the weekend that was.

• I discovered very quickly this weekend, that I can not, in fact, out drink my parents.
• I also learned the phrase "Fuckle-Up and Drive Safely" will undoubtedly make my aunt laugh every time.
  
• I decided this morning to make some vegetable soup. Yeah, I'm not so sure why either. I am cooking with leeks for the first time ever. They looked fun at the grocery store yesterday. Some people impulse buy Kit-Kats. I buy produce.
• I'm trying to justify why I buy a Sunday paper every weekend, because I never read it thoroughly. I don't even clip the coupons. I think I just want the people at the store to think I'm reading it when I buy it.
• Yesterday I bought a cashmere sweater for $8. Quite possibly the bargain of the month.
• This morning, I was awakened by a man in another apartment shrieking. I'm not sure whether to be alarmed, intrigued or concerned. One thing I am sure about though, is that I need to move.
  
• One more thing I learned: a shot of Crown Royal and sweet lime juice is actually not as bad as it sounds.
• I have been burning Nag Champa Gold incense and playing Radiohead CDs practically the entire time I've been in my apartment this weekend. I'm either becoming Indie on the outside, or an emo-stoner. I can't decide which is better.

Check Out The Mop On Corgan!

Here's one of my favorites from the 90's rock file for you to enjoy on Valentine's Day. Yeah, fuck Valentine's Day, but enjoy the song: "Rhinoceros"

The Return Of The Good Samaritan

Since I had no work again today, I decided that take the opportunity to run some random errands I have been putting off lately. I didn't leave my place at all yesterday, therefore, quite a bit of snow had accumulated on my car. After about 15 minutes of brushing and huffing, I decided to brush off my elderly neighbor's car, who obviously hadn't left home in a while either, while mine warmed up. Nice guy move #1. Later on, I went to the ever-dreaded Wal-Mart to get some random things, including a DVD my niece had asked me for for her birthday. When I got in the car, I had realized the cashier didn't charge me for the movie. In light of my recent run-in with the local police, I decided to go back in and bring the mistake to their attention. Something I definitely wouldn't have done had I not been paranoid about being a criminal lately. Nice guy move #2. Upon leaving the store a second time, a former student of mine told me I looked "Fly in a baseball hat". Ok, thanks. His mother also thanked me in a short conversation for being a positive adult influence in his life. Nice guy sort-of-move #3.

Not-so-nice guy move #1 today: I didn't call the person under me on the snow cancellation phone chain this morning because I didn't want to get out of bed.

Not-so-nice guy move #2: I went to Sheetz for gas today, and scornfully scanned all the workers in case they were the one to inaccurately call in my plate numbers.

When I got home today, I decided to finish cleaning the rest of my place, and cleaned the bathrooms and re-organized my closet. I also wanted to re-organize my sweaters. When I hauled them all out I almost threw up at the number of them I own. I think it's high time for a clothing clean out.

5 Things That I Would Be Uncomfortable Without

Simplify

Since I have one of the few jobs that permits me to stay home and cozy when the weather is bad, I decided to make my day off today a productive one and do a little cleaning. Nothing major, just some tidying, which I wanted to do this week anyway because my parents are coming down for a visit on Friday, and I hate to have them come to a dirty place. As I began cleaning I was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of stuff I have in my apartment. I am, and always have been, a pack rat, which is one characteristic about myself of which I'm beginning to get quite annoyed. Perhaps "Pack Rat" isn't the most accurate description, since I like to have things tidy and everything does have it's place, but more "Collector of Shit". (However, according to this survey, I'm a "Pack Rat in Training".) I have always had way more stuff than I need, and my living spaces have usually looked more like a TGI Friday's than a home. In my modest apartment, for example, I have 9 clocks, 3 different sets of drinking classes, 2 sets of coasters, 10 lamps, tons of books and countless knick-knacks all over the place. My problem is that I don't know when to quit buying shit or get rid of old things I don't particularly like anymore. Under the futon in my spare room is packed with framed pictures and art that I just don't have wall space for or don't like anymore. But I refuse to get rid of them. Most of the items collecting dust somewhere around here I won't get rid of either because I do genuinely like them, even if there is no space for them, or they have some sort of sentimental attachment which prevents me from throwing them away. I do have to say that I love my place and the decor of each room, but at times it gets overwhelming to think about the massive amounts of things I have to pack up if and when I ever move. To the naked eye my place looks neat and not so bad, but open any drawer of closet door, and you have to protect your eyes from projectiles flying out because they are so jammed full. A friend once told me her mantra in life was "Simplify", simplify your life from things, people and situations you don't need. I love this idea, and am going to try to practice that with my collection of accouterments, just as soon as I can bear to give one of them up.

Manic Monday

Mundane Musings

The weekend has come to a close, and it's time to face the reality again of another work week. For me, however, there is a bright spot. Since it's so god dammed cold outside, I have already been informed my school is on a two hour delay. There is nothing like sleeping in an extra couple hours in the morning. Even just a half an hour gives me an extra jump on my day. On that note, my progression alarm clock of which I blogged earlier is working pretty well. The problem is that the alarm at the end of the cycle is usually what wakes me up and not the light, sounds and scents. So, I've been jolted up lately just as with my $2.99 Wal-Mart alarm clock. But, at least the alarm itself is more pleasant than the average.
I bought some pop at the grocery store this afternoon. As a habit I don't drink much pop (or "soda" if you're one of those), but I do like to have some on hand in case I get the craving. Every time I buy the handy "fridge pack" 12-pack that doubles as a can holder in the refrigerator, I can NEVER get it to open properly to hold the cans in the way it was designed. It always rips, and usually royally pisses me off. Does this happen to anyone else, or am I just incompetent?

I broke my favorite coffee mug yesterday for the 3rd time. I'm pretty sure it's time to just let it go and throw it out this time and not try to super glue it again, but I hate to see it go. Is it sad I'm attached to an old drinking vessel?

Have a good Monday!

My Week As A Common Criminal

The latter half of this week has been a tumultuous one, dear readers. The beginning of the week seemed like any other. Mundane, trying and and I found myself vying for Friday. Flash-forward to Wednesday 6:40 am. Just like any other Hump Day, I grabbed my coat and coffee and trudged to my car in the cold. I began driving out of my housing plan when, to my surprise two local police cars began flashing their lights to pull me over. Knowing that it couldn't have been for speeding, my initial reaction was "WTF?!". Two police officers proceeded to shine their flashlights all through my vehicle, and tell me that my car matched a description of one that drove away with approximately $40 worth of gas last week at a local gas station. Knowing that it wasn't me, but too shocked/scared to defend myself my only reply was "OK". With that he took my license and registration and went back to the squad car to run my plates. "Your plate numbers seem to match" when he came back, "it's no coincidence". Enter extreme panic and me shitting my pants. The officer instructed me to stop by the station on Friday evening for some questioning, and sent me on my way. OK, thanks. So I spent three entire days stewing and stressing convinced that I was going to jail for something I couldn't possibly have done! I scrambled to find every gas receipt for the past 12 months and tried to retrace my steps in the past month.
I did go last night to meet with the officer, and sure enough he had a picture of my car at the gas station with my license plate number the gas attendant gave him. Luckily, I had a receipt of payment for that date and time, which proved this was some horrid mistake. I was hugely relieved, but it doesn't change the fact that I was shitting my pants for three days solid over this. Moral to the story, save all receipts and always pay for your gas. I think some celebratory partying is in store this weekend since I'm so relieved none of my friends had to bake me a cake with a file in it this week.

My 100th Post!

Thanks for tuning in 100 times to share in my rants and babble!

Manic Monday

Which do I like better, Hollister or Abercrombie & Fitch?

Never Have I Ever...

Stayed at someone's place as a guest for two weeks and invited people over for the Super Bowl that that person doesn't know. Or ask.

The complete story to follow.