Do you need some time. On your own.

The days just fly by and I forget to blog!

Not really. I think about it and then I don’t do it, that’s the real problem.

Anyway, Halloween came and went, and I didn’t do any of the dressing up I’d planned, not even a good bible character. I did go to the church party, however, and was very impressed by everyone’s costumes. Also, we had to act out skits as part of the fun, and two different groups chose the story of Elisha and the kids and the bears, which is a gruesome story, but super fun to act out. Hey, at least we can have fun with Old Testament horror.

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My current obsession is Battlestar Galactica. I am, as one of my co-workers said, the “Michael Phelps of DVD watching” and that is true. But mostly because I become obsessed and stay up too late and watch nothing but episode after episode. In a week I’ve finished Season 1 and moved on to Season 2. And I was just reading an article online (completely unrelated to BSG) where someone had posted a list of names in the comment section. I passed over that comment without really paying attention, but then I noticed that someone in the same thread was like “OMG BSG spoiler” and I realized that the list of names WAS related to BSG and also probably was a spoiler. I closed the window quickly, but you can’t un-see that! I actually wish the second commenter hadn’t pointed it out.

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The heat is not on in my house yet! It’s a holiday miracle! After a freezing cold October, November really warmed up and thus I haven’t had to turn the heat on, nor has it turned ITSELF on. If I can make it to Thanksgiving, that will be amazing.

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I have to do a lot of phone call interviews for work these days, and it blows. I hate hate hate the phone and everything about phone calls—unless it’s to people I know very well—and even then I’m just as happy with email and texts and IMs. So I’m stalling on the phone interviews bigtime, but I can’t put it off forever. The dreading is actually worse than the calling, so I should just bite the bullet and deal.

Oh, oh, oh October

I guess I haven’t blogged in awhile. It’s fall now, full on, and this weirdly cold weather is going to test my ability to keep the heat off until November 5 (my date for all things furnace related). I actually saw snow in PA this past weekend – in OCTOBER. Granted it was on a mountain, but still, it’s way too early for these sorts of things.

Facebook is so weird. This week I’ve noticed three odd connections between people that I know, and who also know each other – but I had no idea that they did. Worlds collide! Of course, this is mostly in Lancaster, world’s most incestuous county—or in Mennonite-ville, world’s most incestuous denomination . . . but still! (I mean “incestuous” in the most affectionate of ways).

Crazy parties coming up in the next two weekends. Halloween! I need costumes! For my party on the 31st, I need a bible costume. This is a very “Christian culture” thing to do, but our church is having a barn party and we need to come dressed as a biblical character. I have a couple of ideas I’m tossing around in my head, both of them very untraditional. I’m not going as Esther or Ruth or Mary, that’s for sure. Perhaps I will post a picture when I have one. And if you have creative suggestions, let me know.

Since it is mid-October, I am invested in baseball. I really pay no attention to baseball until the pennant races, which is lame-o, but I don’t CARE until then. So yesterday I watched the Angels win with a walkoff run, and then the Phillies do the same thing. Exciting! But since I don’t have TBS, I had to watch the Phillies on ESPN’s Gamecast, which is this electronic thing where players are represented by dots and you watch the dots pitch to each other. It’s kind of like a really old video game. ANYWAY, it’s not as exciting to see Jimmie Rollins hit the game-winning run when you watch on Gamecast, so I had to make my own cheers and applause at home.

Yoga wedding birthdays

I take yoga a few times a week, and I like it, even though one of my teachers bugs me just a little bit. She reads “inspirational” quotes that are cheesy and a bit clichéd and her voice has weird inflections, like she doesn’t quite understand what she’s saying.

Anyway, if you’ve ever done yoga you know that there is usually eastern-ish new age music playing in the background as you breathe and move through your poses. But last night my teacher threw on the old school stuff – and I really do mean old school. We were doing our poses to Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and Pachebel’s Canon in D, which do nothing but make me feel that I’m at a wedding, watching bridesmaids come slowly down the aisle. (And a very specific wedding – it’s outdoors, and there’s a string quartet or harp playing – a movie kind of wedding.) Even if you don’t recognize the names of these songs, if you listen to them, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll think “wedding!”*

So I wonder what Bach or Pachebel would thing if they saw us doing these ancient Eastern poses to their very Western Civ. type music. I kind of like the juxtaposition, but somehow it doesn’t feel quite right.

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And even though summer is only officially over as of 9/21, things have definitely changed around here. There’s always something that happens at the end of August that makes everything feel different. 8 PM suddenly feels like the middle of the night instead of the end of the evening. You can almost feel things roll over.

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This is probably my last post until my birthday! The last post while I’m 30. It’s been a good year, a relaxing year in a lot of ways. I’ve stopped thinking about how old I am, and about expectations. There are no expectations for 30-somethings, really. Everyone just figures out their own life as they go along.

Last year the economy collapsed right before my birthday—the week OF my birthday, as a matter of fact. This year things are much quieter - and that's good. Worldwide economic destruction is NOT the kind of birthday excitement I'm looking for. This year I'm going to a wedding on my birthday, which is much more palatable: drinks and dancing, whoo-hoo!

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*And even though they’re so overused, I can’t help but love them anyway. I think I’d use them in my own wedding—they're just really beautiful pieces of music. My musicians would probably want to kill themselves though. Canon in D? Seriously. Talk about hacky clichés.

Summer songs

Oh, blah. Back to the real world after living and thinking like a communist (the good kind) for a week. It’s so easy to think about changing your life when you’re not actually LIVING it.

I think we can all agree that the Michael Jackson death coverage has been over the top. I haven’t heard anyone say it hasn’t been, which makes me wonder: is there a whole group of people who think that the hours and hours devoted to this have been worth it? Or is the media simply trapped in a hell of its own making? (And I know, I know, writing about it makes me part of the problem!)

Anyway, I did livestream the funeral while I was working yesterday. (PART OF THE PROBLEM!) It was quite a spectacle, although apparently less than many expected. Most of it was kind of lame, and that congresswoman was the worst. Blech. The only thing that seemed remotely real was MJ’s daughter speaking at the very end. Or as one internet commentator put it: “ . . . hours of pageantry and self-promotion culminating in one genuinely devastating moment.” Seriously, the ceremony was over 3 hours long!

(P.S. Go watch the video on YouTube of "We are the World" for some awesome 80s cheese. Am I old because I recognize almost everyone in that video - and in modern-day videos of group singing I only recognize about half of the celebs?)

But no more about that, and I’m certainly not going to add to the media sensation that is one Alaskan soon-to-be-ex-governor by writing about her, either. Although let me just say that if I were to write something negative, it would NOT be because I can’t stand her because I’m a feminist and she’s a “real woman.” Apparently, according to her fans, that’s the reason many liberal women don’t like this person—because she does “womanly” things so well. (!!!)

There are times when I think the cultural divide in this country is too big to ever be crossed.

So I’m back from my working vacation, and now I’m settling in here for the rest of the summer. Still, not without its excitement, including Les Mis in Lancaster this Friday, baby shower for my soon-to-be-born “nephew,” Harry Potter premiere next week, and hopefully other excitement yet to come. And that doesn’t even take into account the month of September, which has highlights of its own.

I think the fact that this summer is so pleasant, weather-wise, is also keeping me in a good mood. I’ve said before that I don’t like the depth of winter nor the height of summer (why is winter deep and summer high?). The extremes of cold or heat bother me, and seem so unchanging--a permanent rut. But not so far this summer--every day just seems like another day on the verge of a change—that’s how I like my weather.

Now we just need some violent thunderstorms for a little excitement!

Bring in Da Noise

I expressed my displeasure with the heat already, but good gracious it’s hot *fans herself with southern lady fan and sips mint julep* Yesterday the air conditioning in our office malfunctioned, making the temperature (inside) climb into the 80s. We got out early as a result! Today, however, everything seems to be working fine.

My house, on the other hand, is a sauna. I’m fighting a losing battle against the heat with my window A/C. My fridge seemed suspiciously warm this morning, too, which makes me think the motor has given up trying to keep things cool. Last time my fridge motor died I had lots of stuff in the freezer that promptly rotted; right now I just have some old bananas which I was saving to make banana bread (when? probably in the year 2024), so I’m not so worried.

So, life is mostly quiet. I’m hoping for a giant crashing thunderstorm tonight.

2000 Years of Theological Debate Summed Up in One Brief Exchange
Co-Writer: Who's that baby? (pointing at my newest cousin, who's in my rotating picture slide show)
Me: My cousin's baby. He met [Designer]'s niece at the picnic last night.
Designer: He was eyeing her up? He better watch out--her mom won't want her to marry someone who's not a Christian.
Me: Oh, he's a Christian.*
[Laughter]
Designer: Maybe everyone's a Christian when they're 3 months old.
Me: Or maybe NO ONE is.

*This is not exactly what I meant to say, but it produced laughs, so I went with it. I'm mostly funny unintentionally.

Time will Tell

--It cost me $50.00 to fill my tank this morning. First time ever. And I drive a MINI.

And yet somehow I think I’m going to look back on $50 as “the good old days.”

--Today I dug my wool winter coat out of my car and wore it as I walked over to the grocery store for lunch. It’s cold!

But I think I will be wishing for cooler weather soon enough.

--I realized that it’s May 19, and so I turn 30 in exactly 4 months.

Crisis? Opportunity? Crisitunity? Right now I feel blah about the whole thing.

Post It

So nobody guessed anything on my last entry. Dudes! It’s Bunk and McNulty! There’s a guy who illustrates a bunch of The Wire characters in Simpson form. There are only 5, but you can see them all here.

Last week was Employee Appreciation Day here at the old job. We got lots o’ free food throughout the week, including two breakfasts. One day was video game day and I played Wii for the first time (tennis=hard, bowling=not so hard) and got a chair massage. Guitar Hero was also set up in the big room right across from my desk. If I hear Slow Ride one more time . . . .

May is quickly becoming my favorite month, I think. It’s just about perfect. The weather is mostly awesome and everything seems happy and full of potential. I take trips, Memorial Day comes (our first holiday off since New Year’s) and summer hasn’t gotten hot and old yet. Also this May I got an extra $600, which is pretty sweet and makes everything a little better.

I thought I had something of interest to write here. Apparently not.

Wired

Spring isn't quite here yet, but more light after work and days where I throw my coat on without bundling up are making it seem imminent. And then there are plans being made--Florida this weekend, Easter next weekend, even some summer weekends. Very slowly, it seems like everything is gaining momentum--life is gaining momentum.

I'm working my second job now. Typing ads two nights a week. It's interesting, kind of mindless and relaxing, and I'm learning about all kinds of things I never knew before. I type ads for farm equipment, so I'm starting to learn that lingo. I drool over the real estate listings: who wants to buy 5000 acres in Clearfield County with me? Create a compound for the End-of-the-World-As-We-Know-It? Oh, and cars: I thought I understood the basics, but I never knew there was such a thing as a Cummins Diesel or an Allison transmission (those show up in a lot of ads). And what is GVW in reference to trucks? Usually with a number attached?

And of course, a Wire update. I have 3 episodes left in Season 4 and so I'm all caught up in the trials of the Baltimore City School District and the race for Mayor. Season 3 was also phenomenal--watch it if you haven't! Really, each season is like a book with chapters and you have to pay close attention if you want to catch everything. I recommend turning subtitles on for clarity.What's currently driving me nuts is all The Wire discussion on the web--because it's all about Season 5, and if I read it I will hear spoilers that I don't want to hear. But I want to read those discussions SO badly, especially when I see references to characters that I love (Omar! Cutty!). I hope it's all archived. My co-worker assured me that he will be purchasing Season 5, and that I can borrow it once he watches it (after it comes out on DVD, natch).

And that is all for now.

Total Eclipse of the Moon

The roads are slidey tonight. I just got back from the gym, but I found myself holding my breath as I went around most corners on the drives there and back. But the MINI came through. I got my hair cut tonight and drove home through the snow just as the last bit of daylight was vanishing. I took back roads to the highway, looking out over the fields and houses blanketed under, all peaceful and quiet, and I remembered why I do (mostly) like snow. I just don't like the chores related to snow: the driving and parking and scraping and shoveling.

Also weather-related; the moon is eclipsing as we speak; all the snow clouds have moved on, so you can see it getting eaten up by the black shadow (dum-dum-DUM).

Now I'm snug and warm and tired in my bed, but I need to watch at least one episode of The Wire. I borrowed Season I from a guy at work, and it's pretty addicting. I have a little crush on McNulty, and I want D'Angelo to GET OUT now, and I'm afraid for Bubbles and that undercover guy, and I want to know if that one cop really IS dirty. I'm only about to start Episode 4. Of Season I. So I have a long way to go.

Bits and Pieces

Mel Comes Through (again)

Today one of my co-workers came into the area where I sit with two of my homegirls and asked if any of us could think of a really cheesy friendship song. And of course I had one ready immediately. The homegirls laughed at me, because I was all over it. It was like I’d just been waiting for someone to ask that question. I'm always waiting for stuff like that.

The song? Friends are Friends Forever, of course. Cheesiest song EVAH. You can see Michael W. Smith singing it here. And yet, even though I laugh at its cheesiness, it still reminds me of 8^th grade graduations and last nights at camp and people moving away while I was in middle school. Those first few notes take me back there, and there's a poignant element that even the cheese can't completely erase.

"Patronizing Men" Episode #256
I despise being patronized more than anything in life. Tonight at the gym I was on the elliptical, doing my thing, and this big guy (muscled, I mean) carrying around his gallon of water and energy drink, climbed on the one right next to me. There were others, not next to me, that were available, but that didn’t matter to him. I finished my workout—3 miles, 40 minutes, 500 calories (standard fare for me)--and climbed off. He gestured at me to remove my headphones since he was going to say something.

“Were you seeing your heart rate on here?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I answered. I never really care about that.

“Well, that was actually my heart rate you were seeing, so you if you’re counting your calories you probably want to deduct about 20%.”

I just looked at him. Why would HIS heart rate be showing up on MY elliptical? Unless there was some kind of censor?

He noticed my confusion. “Were you watching your calories?”

“Yes.”

“Well, they were based on my heart rate.”

By this point I was just annoyed. “Yes, but they were about right for me.”

“Did you see your heart rate on there?”

“Yes, but I never pay attention to that. My calories were about the same as they always are.”

“Are you sure?” This killed me. Am I sure? Are you kidding me? I’ve been doing this for over a year. It’s always the same—I know what I’m doing. Why does this guy think he has to advise me? Is this some kind of ill-advised pickup line? Cause the one way to completely turn me off forever is to be a patronizing douche.

“Yep.” I gave him a fake smile and went to the locker room.

Weather Elements
It’s snowing and sleeting and generally being difficult weather-wise. The MINI is actually okay in the snow, I’ve decided, because even if the back end slides around, well, there isn’t really a back end. It’s just like a big block, and that makes it harder to lose control. So I should be good. I managed to get around town today just fine.

Everyone knows it's windy

Random Sunday night adventure to York tonight to see The Princess Bride on the big screen. As a Lancastrian, I have an innate prejudice against the White Rose City. Rumor has it that the average IQ drops 50 points once you cross the Susquehanna. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy an evening in an old-timey theater, with an organ (!!) playing things like The Carpenters "On Top of the World" or "Georgie Girl" before the movie starts and then disappearing back into the floor as the film begins.

Princess Bride is such a great movie--"I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!" "You've just made one of the classic blunders: the first--never get involved in a land war in Asia. But the second! Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line!" "Stop rhyming-I mean it. Anybody want a peanut?" "Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something." I think of that one at work all the time. But the battle of wits is my favorite part. I'm always saying "it's down to you and it's down to me." Well, whenever it's relevant, which is rare.

Before the movie we went to Memphis Blues, which is a yummy ribs/BBQ place. Tons of beef! It was delish.

The whole trip was FREEZING, though. The wind is blowing like 50 mph here. This afternoon I was running errands and it was like an obstacle course on the road--Coke bins from a nearby gas station, trash cans, tree branches--everything was out and blowing around. And tonight/tomorrow is going to be the coldest of the year so far. It's bitter. Right now I'm under the covers and I don't want to go anywhere.

Feliz Navidad

This is the week at work where piles of chocolate, truffles, nuts, cookies, and various other stuff from clients appear on the table in the kitchen . . . and of course, we all eat them. Today I had a really interesting cream puff cookie and a yummy bitter chocolate truffle--both highly recommended. Then tonight I went to the gym to try to counteract all of it.

Hard to believe that a week from tonight I'll be in another country. I don't think I've really talked about it here, but in a week I'm flying to Honduras for Christmas. I'm going to spend the week with my cousin Jen, and see another country. I'm excited about both of those things, but I'm weirded out by the idea that Christmas isn't going to happen the same way this year. I could go home and spend the holiday with my parents, alone, and although I love my parents, that's not exactly appealing either. I'd miss the big family Christmas either way, because this is the year that all of my married cousins and brother are with their in-laws.

Tonight Jen called to go over some logistics and she mentioned sunscreen--which is a good thing, because such a thing never would've crossed my mind at this point. Sunscreen seems like it belongs in a faraway place. It's been raining here for days and days, and tomorrow there's supposed to be ice (Ha! Yeah, right).

So, that's the plan. I will go spend Christmas on the beach--well, probably not on the beach, more likely with the monkeys and strychnine trees in the subtropical jungle. No doubt there will be pictures to come.

Snowed In

After all my complaining about weather hype in the last post, it actually snowed several inches today! And the weather people hadn't really gone forecasting crazy, that I noticed. Maybe they were chagrined after their weekend failure (isn't chagrined a good word?). Despite the lack of weather mania, the milk case at Weis was still pretty much cleaned out at noon today.

I blame December 5. I think in the last six years it's snowed on at least three December 5ths. I'm not sure why I know that, but it comes from my high school attendance secretary days. Snow was always such a Big Deal. I'm glad I don't have to deal with multiple teenagers stopping by to ask "are we getting out early?" for the millionth time. "No. You're not. Go back to class." I wasn't very sympathetic.

So I came home, "shoveled" my sidewalk, put on sweatpants, and spent the rest of the evening being lazy. Because it's impossible to drive anywhere in these treacherous conditions, right? So of course the gym is totally out.

December Dabbling

I'm flipping back and forth between a really stupid show on NBC (I think it's Life, and it's really annoying me) and the Patriots-Ravens game, which is also really annoying me. If the Patriots even lose to the Ravens . . .

So today I almost killed my boss by turning left into an intersection when the LIGHT WAS RED. What is my problem? I mean, she was talking and I was listening, so maybe that says something about my listening skills. On the other hand, it says nothing about my multi-tasking skills. Because clearly I can't listen and drive at the same time. Sometimes my brain goes on hiatus when I'm driving, and I completely miss things like red lights. Fortunately that's rare. Today it just happened to take place when my boss was sitting in the passenger seat. Thank God nothing happened. This takes place only a few weeks after I set off the smoke alarm in the company kitchen, promptly summoning the fire department. Flighty is about the last word you'd use to describe me, though, so I think these are just random incidents. Unless I'm developing frontal lobe dementia. In which case I'm actually regressing.

Last week I was worried because I thought I was gaining weight. This week, I'm back to normal. How do you gain three pounds one week and lose them the next? Ridiculous.

I have a small crush on a guy at work, but not for any good reason. It's not even a crush. He's an insensitive frat-boy type, very funny, somewhat shallow, occasionally obnoxious. And yet, I feel like if I could get him to acknowledge me in THAT way, well, I will have won something. Like it would be some kind of triumph. So this "crush" is nothing but combative, and I mostly laugh at myself. Sheesh.

Last weekend there was supposed to be inches of snow and freezing rain--a mild apocalypse, crazy treacherous roads. Guess what happened? Absolutely nothing. Today's forecast: 50 mph winds and resulting horrors. Again, nothing too extreme took place. A few flurries. Local weather forecasters should be banned from TV. They do nothing except create mass hysteria--and giant letdowns when nothing happens.

Scraps

On nearly all the blogs I read that get lots of comments, there's always at least one commenter that claims to have spit milk/diet coke/coffee/wine, etc. all over his or her monitor/screen/keyboard.

Now, really. Does anyone in real life do a spit take while reading blogs? Do that many people spray liquids all over their computers? I love the blogs I read (and I read a lot). Most of them are very funny. However, I never, ever, have involuntarily gushed liquid out of my mouth upon reading something on a computer.

Which leads me to believe this phrase is now just a compliment, just a way of saying you were amused . . . much like "threw up in my mouth a little" is synonomous with being grossed out.

Let me just say I don't like any of it.
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I've been feeling a little misanthropic lately, and people aren't helping. The other night at the gym I overheard a woman complaining (loudly--she was about 7 machines away from me) about city life. "Ugh, the city," she said. "They really do their best to make me want to leave. The drugs, and crime, and all the parking tickets. And the Race Against Racism. It shuts down my street for an entire day."

Okay. I will passionately defend city life. At work I get passionate about 2 things: 1) Lancaster is cool, and fun, and NOT any less awesome than Harrisburg, and 2) no one under 27 can complain about being old in my presence, because I will yell at them.

So I do like city life. But this was insane.

First, I understand that drugs and crime are a concern. They are in any city. But there's plenty of crime and murder in the suburbs around here. As for parking tickets, the city doesn't just start piling tickets on your car. You are responsible for that. Read the street signs!

But the Race against Racism? You're complaining about this? It gets people downtown, it's for a good cause . . . I have never in my life heard anyone complain about it.

And the kicker? This woman was telling all of this to the black guy who was next to her on the ellipticals.
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Today at work we were all sitting around having a convo about buying houses and mortgages and property taxes, and I was thinking about how there's very little chance I'm going to still know all these people in a few years--when they all DO own houses--because we're all going to move on. And then I was sad, because these are the only people who understand this weird work world--what it's like to work with our particular clients. These are the only people who can crack jokes about the strange world we all work in every day. Really, you can't understand it unless you're in it . . . and we're all in it together.

And the fact that someday they'll all just be memories . . . is sad. But like I said, I get nostalgic for things that are happening or haven't happened yet. If that's even possible.

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I wish it would rain. Or get cooler. This weather is ridiculous.

Cold October Rain

It’s been so long since we had a rainy day.

Hot, sunny, dry. October has been a little disgusting, a little nice, a little hot. But last night as I lay in my bed I heard the rain start, and it’s been raining off and on ever since. Cloudy and gray. Peaceful. And cold.

Last year I vowed not to turn my heat on until November 5, 2007. I think I’ll manage just fine, provided that winter doesn’t suddenly descend with a vengeance. Which it very well could do. Mother Nature is bipolar, I think.

Sunday, Rainy Sunday

In the last few days, I've been thinking about 10 years ago. Because I was living in the woods, climbing rocks and mountains, and going days without a shower--all in preparation to begin my freshman year of college.

My college had a outdoor program for freshmen. For about a week, we camped, hiked, did a ropes course, and climbed and rappelled down a rock face. This was meant to do something--I'm not sure what exactly--but I went on it because I wanted to meet people before school started, and being a not-particularly-out going person, I figured I needed all the help I could get. So I subjected myself to things I normally would avoid, all in the name of meeting people. I really got to know the group of eight people I was matched with, and I proved to myself that I could climb up a steep incline and spend the night alone in the woods, and live without knowing the time for seven or eight days. And I started college and found a bunch of other friends, unrelated to my group, and had a good time.

I suppose I've been thinking about it because Joy is moving from Lancaster next weekend and is off to the Philly suburbs for at least two years. She and I were paired together as roommates freshman year, which was a lucky break, and we have essentially lived in the same town for the past ten years. Things have changed a lot since we first met, and even since graduation, and I will miss her, but I told her last night that I don't have the energy to get all sentimental about this, especially since she'll only be about an hour away, and she agreed. So we're not getting sentimental. But if there's anyone who's more a part of my 20s, I don't know who it is. I feel like we've grown up together.

And it's a cool, rainy Sunday, which is very nice, and I've spent the afternoon sleeping, which is nice and not-so-nice, as it means I'll be awake all night. But what else can you do on a rainy Sunday afternoon?

Martyrs' (cracked) Mirror

This week is bible school at church--basically two hours of kid-oriented games, crafts, songs, and general mayhem. Somehow we also managed to get the hottest week of the year--and there's no air conditioning in our church. So it's hot.

Tonight I conducted a game called Anabaptist Adventure, in which kids (the torch-wielding mob of villagers)chase other kids (the passive, innocent Anabaptists). The Anabaptists have to get to their secret worship spot before the villagers catch them. (this is set in Reformation times, obvs). If they're caught they get put into my homemade jail. In reality, we would have torture devices, and stakes for burning. Of course in reality the "villagers" were really the Catholics and the Reformed people, and I don't want to start pitting Mennonite children against other Christians in the Year of Our Lord 2007. We're all past that, right?

And I may have a wasting disease. Scurvy, maybe. Or consumption. The internet is such a bad place to research symptoms. I'm convinced on a daily basis that I could have any number of horrible illnesses. So I'll probably just make a doctors appointment; I need to go anyway.

Last night I went for a walk and was reminded of Florida, and how I used to RUN in weather like this--because in Florida it's like this from May-October. I was insane. But there was always the swimming pool waiting at the end of my run. Now I just come home to my window AC. But I have turned into a heat wimp.

Grumpy.

I don't like things right now.

I don't like August, with all its stupid heat and humidity. The humidity is a big smothering blanket, and the whole month stretches out with no excitement, no breaks, just one long blah.

I don't like work, where people are always asking me to DO shit, and deciding to change things for the sake of changing them, or changing things that have already been changed--all on some whim. And expecting me to do the changing, not having READ THEIR MINDS the first time.

I don't like my food choices. I can leave work and drive to any number of places to buy lunch, all of which I'm completely bored with. Or I could make something and take it from home, but that's just so much work. I just want to eat pizza and chocolate and ice cream and french fries and not worry about health.

I don't like my house, which is messy and crowded. I want to move, to redecorate, to go minimal. I want more room and less clutter. It doesn't help that I cleaned out my trunk this weekend and moved all that crap into my living room. And my dressers are overflowing, and my closet. I need more closets.

Complain, complain, complain. If I were one of the seven dwarfs, I'd be Bitchy.

Took a Long Time to Come

It's so nice out I can't even believe it's July. So cool, so breezy, so pleasant. I went for a walk tonight and WORE PANTS. This is why I live in PA and not Florida.

Today I mailed off my old passport so I can get my new passport. It made me sad, because the old one's got all kinds of awesome stamps (england, australia, etc) and I worry that in the next ten years I'm not going to be able to get equally awesome stamps. Anyone want to take a trip with me?

Annie Lennox's "Walkin' on Broken Glass" really makes heartbreak sound fun.

My parents found some old Savings Bonds today with my name on them--and they total about $1500. Score! Random money NEVER comes my way.

New old song I'm loving? The Zombies "This Will Be Our Year." Watch a cool home movie montage featuring this song here. (I have no idea whose home movies these are, but it all fits).