I have mastered the ability to be ahappy.
Current mood: ahappy

Happiness.  Meh....who needs it?

3:42 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Yes I Can.
Current mood: drained
Category: News and Politics

This morning I got up at 4:00a.m. Then I bundled up like nobody's business for Wisconsin winter weather pre-sunrise and was in line to see Barack Obama speak at UWEC by 5:45.  First person there, which seemed crazy because last night the whole city of Eau Claire (and by "whole city," I mean "Borders, Scheels and Starbucks") was a twitter with rumors of crazy college kids camping all night.  Being first fed my inner competitive spirit, which made the 5.25 hours spent standing in the elements a little more tolerable.  Yes, dammit, I WIN. 

I also survived by promising myself that as soon as the day's political events were through, I would treat myself to pancakes.  I decided that if a movie were made about my day today, it would be called "There Will Be Pancakes."

It was totally worth the wait.  I got to be front row close, and shook Barack's hand. He's even more amazing in person...funny, intelligent, genuine, inspiring.  I could live with 8 years of that. 



And yes, the pancakes were fluffy and delicious and well deserved.

A very satisfying day, all the way around.

7:16 PM - 4 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Stuff I like today.
Current mood: okay

I finally went to see No Country for Old Men today.  It's soooo good.  Not in a "that was a happy fluffy experience, let's do it again!" sort of way....but it truly is a piece of cinematic art.  I felt like I just spent 2 hours in an art museum.  Seriously.  The Coen brothers really outdid themselves this time.  I still really wish Juno would win the Best Picture Oscar...but I'll understand if (probably WHEN) No Country wins instead.  The writing, the performances (Who knew Josh Brolin could ACT?!) and the directing are all top-notch.  Granted, it was pretty bloody and I spent a good chunk of the movie with my eyes clamped shut to keep from passing out....but still.  Wow.

The CD I currently have on repeat is Ellis's new one "Break the Spell."  It's also "soooo good."  She put a studio version of "Twisted Roads" on this one...which happens to be the prettiest break-up song ever.  And the more I think about it, one of my all time favorite songs ever, period.   If you're not familiar with her music, you should be.  She's awesome.  And as awesome as her studio stuff it, it pales in comparison to seeing her live.  She's infectious.  In a good way.  You can't NOT love her. 

Only half a week til pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training.  Thank god.  I know everyone who isn't me (or Amanda) thinks it's ridiculous....but I NEED baseball like everyone else needs sunshine.  I'm getting really crabby and depressed without it.

My real birthday is two weeks away.  But we're not talking about it.

Almost a full week of unemployment is under my belt.  I really need a job.  Grr.

Currently listening : Break the Spell By Ellis Release date: 05 February, 2008

9:44 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Job Searching
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

I'm quitting my job in less than 30 days.  My job search is in full swing, out of necessity...as I only have 7-9 weeks of steady income in my future.  I have panic attacks ALL the time now.  It's awesome.

I'm pretty open to relocation at this point, because jobs here are limited and sucky.

I found a  job for a "Homeless Case Worker" in Duluth, which was intriguing because I am inexplicably drawn to jobs that pay horseshit and are dangerous.  Granted, it does pay $2.50 more an hour that my current job.  Which says something about my current job's level of horseshittiness.  It was OK, until I got to the part that said "Must be able to transport clients in own vehicle."

Um....then I got a mental picture of myself driving up and down the hills of Duluth cramming mentally ill homeless people into my VW like it's the crazy homeless version of a clown car.  Which is kind of funny.  Except that it's not really something I care to do, as a career.  So, no thanks. 

My mother's piece of advice was that I should systematically eliminate any job possibilities that describe themselves using words like "corrections," "mental health," "crisis," or, now, "homeless."  This is solid advice, except for the fact that the lion's share of my professional experience deals with "mental health," and "crisis." 

This could be problematic.

8:58 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

.....Awesome.......
Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping

I ordered what might be the coolest t-shirt ever on the internet last night.

It is a drawing of a headless robot, looking through a pile of robot heads, and he says "Where's my happy face?"

I am anxiously awaiting its arrival in the mail.

The timing of finding that particular shirt was perfect.  I had a horrendous night at work.  And I'm sure my facial expressions conveyed my feelings about the night.  I have no poker face.  Then someone told me to "Smile," and I was thisclose...THISCLOSE....to going all Michael-Douglas-in-Falling-Down on his ass.

11:15 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

What is the deal with the babies.

I love T-Rex so much.  SO much. 

11:00 PM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Signs that you think about baseball too much.
Current mood: Broken
Category: Broken Sports

Apparently the Hot Stove is too hot for me.

Last night I woke up from a nightmare....

That my ERA was too high. It was over 6.00, and it was stressful, shameful and embarrassing.

I am not even joking. I wish I was.

The only time I pitch ANYTHING is when I call "all-time pitcher" during kickball games I organize for kids at work. (and I roll a mean Slow Bouncies Change-Up, let me tell you.)

Ridiculous.

But Bat Girl came back today to make things better. Thank you Bat Girl.


[And I haven't posted it here, but rather just on our baseball-y blog....but I wrote a heartfelt open letter to Jason Bartlett.  He was traded to Tampa this week.  And we miss him already.  Because he is beautiful and good at baseball.  And he loves Chipotle, just like us.]

Currently listening : Party Like a Rockstar By Shop Boyz Release date: 13 August, 2007

8:42 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

How to tell when you’re sick.
Category: Life

I've had this really disturbing cough for over a week.  It just gets worse.  And now my neck and back REALLY hurt.  And in all fairness, I have no idea if this is because
a) I have a cold and sometimes colds do that.
b) I threw something out of alignment whilst hacking up a lung and a good chunk of my esophagus.
c) I spent my Sunday at work getting punched repeatedly by two crazy adolescent girls. 

Either way, I am truly, TRULY miserable.  And working all the time.  ALL the time.

Anyway, last night I hit a breaking point when I realized I was out of NyQuil tablets.  Being sick and lazy, the last thing I wanted to do was get in my car and drive anywhere, so I scoured the medicine cabinet for anything that might be remotely useful to me. 

I found a bottle of prescription cough medicine with codeine.   Hurray!!

Alas, it had expired in 2003.  Boo.

The siren song of the codeine nearly caused me to chug some done right away anyway, but I googled "expired cough syrup" first and found out that it can sometimes get more potent over time.

Honestly though....at that point, I actually had to weigh my options of "common cold" vs. "slip into a coma" for a lot longer than one probably should.

In the end I just sucked it up and drove to Kwik Trip for NyQuil at midnight, even though they only have the gross liquid kind. 

So, to summarize, I feel like poop and want to die,  and liquid cherry NyQuil is my only friend.

8:31 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

If anyone saw a deranged Luigi sprinting down Birch St....
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

This is the story of my awesome Halloween Night. 

I went in to work, because I have been crafting Nintendo character costumes for all the little girls I work with, and I got drafted to be the Luigi in our ensemble cast.  I took a break after the kids ate dinner to go chat with former co-worker Erik, who snuck me an ice-cream sandwich and chips and dip from his party (yay for ice cream sandwiches!).  So, we're sitting outside, and one of my kids comes flying out the door, running away.  I sprint after her, and Erik tries to cut her off, but we're not supposed to tackle kids, so we wind up just chasing her. 

So....picture it.  I'm sprinting down Birch St. in Eau Claire.  In full Luigi costume. 



Then the kid starts running into yards and jumping fences, so it starts to feel like an actual level of a Mario Bros game.  But then I remembered that in the particular neighborhood where my place of employment is located, the pit-bull to person ration is like 3:1, so I decided to stick to the sidewalks and try to keep a visual on the girl (frequently yelling things to Erik like "Do you have a visual?!" and "What's your 20?!" because I am a dork). 

However, in spite of the Luigi costume I was wearing, I kept forgetting that it was Halloween and trick or treaters were still wandering around.  So, like 4 different times, I started sprinting and screaming after kids only to discover that they were not, in fact, ECA runaways, but innocent (and now TERRIFIED) neighborhood children.  Oops.  It was dark.  Sue me.

I think that this is how urban legends are created.  Those kids are probably traumatized for life.  Some day they will tell their children about the time that Crazy Luigi chased them down Birch St and they almost died.  I will no doubt be immortalized in Eau Claire folk-lore. 

Go me.

6:50 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

I think I should go into the greeting card biz.
Category: Life

So, I had this brilliant idea to just mass produce a card that would cover all of my congratulatory bases (engagements, weddings, babies, condos, etc). Like a Christmas card, but better and more bitter, with fewer snowmen and dancing angels.

This is what I came up with:



and on the inside:


And that was so much fun that I came up with some more.  This one is mostly for Amanda and me, but the general idea is sort of universal.  Everybody's priorities should be celebrated sometimes:



Inside:


And this one was my favorite.  For the ladies (special thanks to Amanda for the best quote ever):



Inside:

9:56 PM - 9 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment