humor the cavewoman!

who has two thumbs and is cool as all get out?

this kid.

thanks for laughing at my really dumb jokes, for introducing me to tequila at the ripe age of (illegal to put here) and for always giving me artsy input. (or, um, at least pretending to laugh. can't always tell on gmail chat.) you make me giggle. (either that or it's the dementia I seem to be exhibiting presently...never can tell!)

tired of tires.

so, again, I was all working on this post about "need." I'm quoting Helen Keller AND Steven Tyler in it, just you wait. and then, mid-musing, I call to check on my Mattie. She's at Atlantic tire, y'see, and she's getting her inspection and oil changed. and two new effing tires.

so instead, let me quote Andie MacDowell...and you name that movie, k? see: label.

now, I just gave myself a little crash course on tires. what the state of nc requires (tread depth of 2/32 of an inch or more--and no, they don't reduce that fraction, the dummies), how to properly care for your tires (I mean, I knew about checking the pressure and rotating) and also watched a silly animated video about what to do in the event of a blowout. I learned how to measure your tread depth at home (with a lincoln penny), too. And the nice man on the telephone making me spend a gazillion dollars on some cord and rubber that's inflatable told me about tread life ratings and traction ratings.

and while I'm glad, nay, THRILLED, to know about these particulars in the rubber that goes round-and-round, round-and-round, round-and-round department, what I really want to know is why my car, which I haven't even been driving for TWO YEARS yet, already needs new tires. This baby's got 27,358 miles on her, give or take a fortnight. And she needs new tires.

sigh.

really, if I was either
1) terribly responsible,
2) terribly motivated or
3) terribly rich
I'd spring for the quad. A quad of tires to go with my love quadrilateral? nah. But apparently Mattie's rear is a little less ample than her front, or maybe those tires just lucked out, but I've still got 2 or 3 additional thirty-seconds before I need new ones for those. Maybe I'll think of it like she's getting a manicure now and she'll get a pedicure this summer, just in time for flip flops and swimming suits. :)

bad news: tires cost mucho mulah, 'specially when you sprung for the leather seats which came with fancy rims for which they only make performance tires, all 'cause you didn't want hot pink polka dots on your upholstery
good news: at least these new tires have ratings that are almost twice as good, so they *should* last a lot longer...maybe even until I pay off the car!

I was so excited about my tax return yesterday. SO excited. And now, I think I'll be using it to buy me some tires. yip-to-the-ee. At least I love love love my car. And that's all the silver lining I got.

me: I know, maybe I’ll get him lumps of coal... mary alise: ...and switches! …but not the erotic kind!

Saturday night was so much fun! Girls nights out should be required by law!

After a long nap and a church meeting and dinner, I headed to meet the ladies out and about. I had to change clothes in the car—going out clothes are NOT appropriate for church meetings—but I did so without showing everyone my wobbly bits, and even found a good parking spot!

By some miracle we got a table at Kanki and gorged ourselves on sushi, which is always an excellent thing to do. And I ordered a drink called a saketini—nice to try, and pretty to look at, but kind of weird. It was vodka, sake and ginger… We took some silly pictures of the “big drinks,” but alas those are all on Mary Alise’s camera. Maybe I’ll add it in later. It was fun that my friends (only two of whom knew each other) all got along very very well!

We got to carpool, and full car=fun! That's L-to-R, Susan, Marla, Kim, Mary Alise and me!!! We made the parking attendant guy take our picture before heading to The Dirty. Which was FULL of guys. There was a bachelor party going on, and that made it well exceed the girl-to-guy ratio you normally see in Raleigh. Typically, it’s a “sausage fest” (think about it…ew, I know), but this was crazy. It was really like 3 or 4 guys per girl. Most of whom were HAMMERED.

And in The Dirty there’s a VIP section upstairs, which was also all guys leaning on the balcony, smoking and watching the handful of girls in the place. What’s that about? Anyhoo.

Also, for the record, Mary Alise is NOT a *BAD* influence. She’s a *FUN* influence. The kind of fun that goes like this—suck down that strawberry stoli and sprite real quick so you can go order another one and talk to that guy. Ha! And oopsie…

When we went to The Red Room we got stamps on the inside of our wrists, which just screamed “take a picture of me!” Or was it that I was um…one, two, three…yeah, four drinks in?

We managed to score the leather loveseat and chair at one point, and told this one guy how we liked his shirt—it said “Hi. You’ll Do.” Fun. Nee. When I stopped him and told him his shirt was funny, that’s exactly what he said—gave me the gun finger point and said, “You’ll Do.” To which I responded “You’ll do, too.” We laughed, he left, the end…

Until we went to Bogarts and were reminded of what a small town Raleigh can be. Thank goodness it wasn’t one of mine—I’d had enough boy-related drama this weekend, ifit’sallthesametoyou. It was still pretty uncomfy though.

And my friends were excellent wingmen—for a guy I wasn’t even really interested in other than as entertainment for the next thirty minutes. (though, oddly enough, guess what his name started with? that's right, another K name. ) Marla was heroic, even though his friends got bored with her—HOW is that POSSIBLE?!? She’s funny stuff. And good to go out with—we kept making “loops” around the bar. The crowded crowded bar. And then we took amusing pictures, ‘cause that’s what cameras are for when you’re drinking…

When I finally rolled home I fell into bed and woke up at SEVEN FORTY FIVE to go to church and sing in the choir. Ugh. But I made it in time to hear the anthem, give my offering and sing with the choir AND I was super good and went to Sunday school, where we talked about social justice. We learned about this group, and it has inspired another post that’s rolling around in my head, and which would be entirely inappropriate to add to a post that’s about drunkenness…so it will be here soonish. I took a looooong nap (I was running on less than five hours of post-drinking sleep, and I didn't sleep very well on Friday night due to 1) a headache and 2) being upset, (though 2 might have caused 1) so I was drained!) And after napping enjoyed errands, returning things, dinner and grocery shopping at Kroger. boy-oh-boy, do I love grocery shopping, especially at Kroger. how weird am I, huh? :)

also, I'm sending a special thanks to jessica, sterling and mark for talking to me this weekend, and one to the gals for going out on Saturday. fun fun fun fun fun.

love quadrilateral

so, I feel like I don't usually have *normal* issues--well, not issues, exactly, 'cause those have negative connotations, but you get the idea. anyhoo.

I think I'm in a love quadrilateral (and thank you, jessica, for coining that term!)

of course I looked up quadrilateral on wikipedia, and I'm pretty sure mine's "complex," which is sooooo appropriate. (see diagram below!) it's not all connected, y'see...there's some parts that don't go together (and mine, for the record, doesn't all connect--it has that center to it.) and, ironically enough, seeing as how I saw some abriged bard last night, the term "love quadrilateral" is oft used to describe the characters in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."


speaking of which, the play was HYSTERICAL. It started off slow, but by the time they did hamlet for the second time I was laughing so hard I was crying. and the part with Ophelia's scream was AWESOME-did y'all have that happen too? all in all? all good.

anyhoo, love triangle and quadrilaterals and rhombi and dodecahedrons and whatever make me think of another thing I've been meaning to blog about. what the hell is up with this "modernization" of Archie comics? There's kind of a love triangle/quadrilateral going on with them too...depending on Reggie's involvement.

but what? Betty as Britney? say it ain't so, say it ain't so!!!

they look so much better like this. even if it's not "good," at least it's classic...
That just makes me sad. Because I read a GAZILLION Archie comics when I was little (and I still have a huge box of them at my mom's house in Tulsa) and I used to always always want to be Betty. She was my hero, of sorts--she was your girl-next-door, cute but a brain, a blonde, crafty and friendly and could play musix--AND she was mechanically inclined. I wanted to BE Betty Cooper. Y'know, maybe I will be for Halloween...anybody wanna be my Veronica? Or my Archie?

but anyway, what's with this new image for the comics thing, eh? no good, methinks. no good at all.

ooh, and, for all you word-o-philes out there...did you know that the love triangle, when depicted in a movie or whatever, is actually called Betty and Veronica Syndrome? Bet they never knew the impact they'd have when they started that comic, huh? and although in the archie comics veronica was always picked, maybe this time it will be the Betty? If she even decides that's what she wants...guess only time will tell. And good news is I've got time in spades...

eh, enough waxing un-profound for Carrie today. It's time to take a little tiny nap, exercise and get ready for dinner at church, followed by sushi and drinking with the girls. :D

your mother is always right.

um. yeah, that's a lie. not only because I don't necessarily know your mother (okay, well actually I have met quite a few of your mothers, but that's beside the point) but also because some day, if/when I'm a mother, I sure as heck hope that I'm not expected to be right all the time.

but my mom is right. and if my granny is PLEASED that I'm going to drop my class, and I know it's the right thing to do, then I should just do it. and I have. and I'll give back the scholarship money easy-as-pie (which, apparently, is a British phrase) , as long as I don't have to take this stinking class.

because I don't want to, it makes me stressed and unhappy, I'm not learning the material and I have a gut feeling about it. please see resolution number 6. technically I just withdrew from the university, which is extra super odd for me, but it's soooo the right thing. soooo.

instead? focus on photography and the GRE. which I STILL need to take. but I will be much much happier plastering my walls with notecards of vocab words than I will be if I keep taking this class.

weight.
off.
of.
shoulders.
and.
I.
like.
it.

tonight I'm seeing The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged). I think it's supposed to be good and funny--and I hope they're right!

ooh, and, the title makes me think of something REAL dumb I did when I was, oh, let's say eight? I saw a button, a little button like the ones indie rock bands like to give out, about the size of a quarter and it said, "I'm the mommy, that's why." Despite the fact that "mommy" wasn't spelled right (my mom is a Mommie. I, too, will be a Mommie someday, should I have kids. It's a thing--"ie" is more fun than "y," wethinks.) I bought my mom the button. Let me tell you, the next few weeks would have made for a few good punchlines in Gilmore Girls--because ALL THE TIME I heard, "I'm the mommy, that's why." Good. Freaking. Ness.

anyhoo. funny memory. AND? I found a picture that makes me think of the pin I gave her. yikes.



happy weekending, dears.

i get by with a little help from my friends...

so, I wanna enter this juried show for PCA-NC, and I'm trying to pick out which photos to submit. I'm a leeeetle nervous about it. I am submitting 6-10 photos they "welcome any subject matter and would like to provide an exciting mix of works for guests to admire and purchase." I left out some of the Tulsa photos because I don't think that they will be nearly as appreciated (like ones of the driller or whatever) but if you think I've left on out from my photos, please let me know. I also put in some Raleigh ones for the same reason. Of course, I can display photos that I didn't submit for the judging, but yeah.

oh and I want to mail it out next wednesday.

any suggestions about which ones I should submit? I'm going to number them for your suggesting pleasure. :)

thanks, friends.

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


11.


12.


13.


14.


15.


16.


17.


18.


19.


20.


21.


22.


23.


24.


25.

four down, thirteen to go.

mmmmm...so. I'm getting a little overwhelmed right now. I thought all was hunky-dory in CarrieVille, but apparently I'm being a leeeeetle optimistic. I kind of felt like my head was going to explode and lots of little post-it notes of ideas/thoughts/to-dos were going to come out of it like confetti, so I decided to make a list.

and the list keeps getting longer.

y'see, I'm a cute list person. they need to be functional, but they gotta look nice 'cause I'm gonna be looking at them. they need to be neat, legible and preferably either color-coded or monochromatic. I'm a little obsessive, so sue me.

gah.

I love lists. I really do. I sometimes wish I had a pensieve like Dumbledore, except that it could function to let me make lists. I could just remove the concept from my head and not worry about it 'cause I knew it would be right there where I left it, and I could go back to it later. I TRY to do that when I write lists now, making an effort to remove it from my worry as I transfer the letters to the paper, but it doesn't always work out that way.

do other people write lists like this? are you a list-writer? karl had mentioned this, but I never checked it out. and google has a post-it thing on your homepage. but there's something about writing it out, the catharsis or whatever.

oh, crap. i just thought of something else. and now it's four down fourteen to go. maybe I need to start a new list!

if it's tickin' then it don't tell time like this

~pharrell, for gwenny gwen gwen

yesterday evening my watch stopped working. it is currently set to 10:15, which means it's been right twice today. and as good ol' alice in wonderland told us, tomorrow it will be "exactly two days slow."

eh. I'm still wearing it. I can't stand not wearing a watch. It makes me a little crazy. I really need to just pony up and buy a new one, but I don't wanna. maybe I'll just a get a battery. sigh sigh sigh.

also, random story from last night (pictures to follow when it's not so late at night). we went out in Chapel Thrill (or the Ill, as some call it) for Paul and Pramit's birthday. I had a very good time. EXCEPT for when, at one point, I was sitting by a friend of paul's girlfriend. He was funny, and was just plumb amazed that I smiled so much and laughed so much and was so NICE! He was from upstate New York, and apparently they don't grow girls like me there. But whatev.

So, we're all talking, yammering, carrying-on, etc. I have three quarters of my yummy pale ale left. Other than the Irish Car Bomb I'd purchased all of my own drinks and some for the birthday boys too. (which is fine, but also relevant) So, there's talking, talking, laughing and THEN, this damn Yankee, the New Yorker, who was fine company before grabs my drink and pours half of it into his? What?!? I mean, if one of my girlfriends did it, or if we were at a party with a keg, or if he'd bought me another beer afterwards this would certainly be forgivable. But as it stands.

as sydney c would say, "hell-to-the-no."

gah.

on a happier note, january is almost over. and if I can't look forward to some snow, then dangit I'm going to look forward to the spring!!! I already bought lotsa seeds and some containers to start the seedlings and some soil, and I'm super excited. yay.

oh, and. I'm thinking about dropping my class. As my mother so eloquently said, "Carrie, I just don't think you're cut out for online classes." And sometimes mother knows best. Maybe I can just give Kappa Delta the money back. Ooh, and I applied to be a National Volunteer today--either an Alumnae Division Director or and Alumnae Development Director or a State Coordinator. I think I'd REALLY like the Development position. They're all voluntary and whatnot, but I'm digging this idea. It sounds like a heck of a lot of fun and a REALLY good thing for me to do. I'll let you know if they ask me to be anything. :)

night night.

go green, go white, go team, fight fight!

so, I learned some new things today.

1. Turkey Mountain in Tulsa falls 100 feet short of being a mountain. (its elevation is 900ft) I knew it wasn't *really* a mountain, I just never knew the specifics.
2. "Buckle of the Bible Belt" isn't just a cute expression--we're actually regarded as the center! Like, officially.
3. The second most popular denomination /religion in Oklahoma is Methodism. (I find it particularly interesting that my religiously diverse family doesn't have the top option--Southern Baptist.)
4. Oklahoma has the nation's most diverse terrain.
5. AND? Our colors are green and white. I had NO IDEA.

That means my middle school, high school, sorority and state all have green and white as their colors (okay, kaydee is olive green and pearl white but you get the idea)!

I read it all here. I heart wikipedia, really I do.

I think that later I'm going to start a countdown to Oklahoma's 100th birthday. :)

since when is myspace for dating?

okay, I'm a little creeped out right now. in the past fifteen hours I've had four--yes, FOUR--guys send me messages telling me hey/I'm cute/do I like long walks on the beach. Perhaps I should change my status to "in a relationship"--which, is technically kinda true, even though it's not a defined one. I mean, once you go on regular dates with someone you're in some type of a relationship, right? But really, WHAT? I'm sorry, is there some beacon or something I'm sending out? huh?!?

I know that people do online dating. I know that it's successful for plenty of people. And I'm all about flirtatious emails. Blushing at work is fun. :) And random compliments are certainly nice to hear, HOWEVER...1) my profile says I'm looking for friends. 2) on dating websites you've made your intentions clear--apparently I've just been wearing a "flirt with me" sign that only I can't see (like the emperor's new clothes in reverse!) and 3)yeesh.

I'm just going to shake my head at this one. Shake. My. Head.

update: holy hell make that FIVE in fifteen hours AND an offer to have "naked fun" with someone with "$1500 extra." um. oh. my. gosh. blocking people NOW.

and did you SEE THE NEW HEROES??? so good. sooooo good. mmm mmm mmm. I'm so much more excited about this show than LOST. Go ahead, chastise me for saying it, whatever.

also, good news: I was wrong, it wasn't a replacement crown, it was a new crown. Which is good. It hurts just as much, but it's good. My other (counting...carry the one...)--holy shit--I think it's NINE crowns--for a total of ten!--don't need to start deteriorating yet, thanks. I've decided I'd rather be hairy than have bad teeth. That was one of our discussions (mostly with them talking) at the dentist yesterday--hair removal is annoying but soooooo much cheaper. But I guess I'll take what I've got--not a lot of hair and plenty of teeth problems (no matter how well I take care of my teeth, for the record). This convo was made even more amusing when later, which chowing down on some sushi with Kara and Patty, we talked about waxing. I didn't bring it up either time, so I found it pretty random that I talked about it twice in, oh, four hours.

is it time to go home yet?

half-nob or lip-whore or the first (and second )rule of fight club

right, so. those words/phrases comprise my weekend. well, sorta.

this weekend I had a whole lotta enchiladas. In fact, I had mexican food for three meals in two days--because I had it for lunch AND dinner on Friday, and then on Saturday I wanted to make *my* enchiladas, making three. And now I have a huge amount of leftovers. We almost ate them for dinner last night, but that's an awful lot of enchiladas. Heed my warning now, however: I will be having a Whole Lotta Enchilada party at some point. I've staked my claim on the name, thanks. :)

also on friday katie taught us how to play cribbage. It's actually a really really fun game. An old people game, too, but I'm glad to learn it now so I can get ahead of my fellow fogies when we're all in our rockers. "Team C" thought that Katie *might* have been making up rules as she went...BUT...perhaps not. And of course we're only allowing the possibility that the rules weren't bogus because we soundly whooped them for one of the games--ha! unfortunately no one got skunked...

and, for the record: it is only stereotypically an old person game. and what I mean by that is that I'm under the (potentially mistaken?) impression that the majority of people who play cribbage are markedly older than I. I might be wrong, for one, and two I never meant to imply that people who play cribbage, or who teach cribbage and lame/old/anything other than terribly cool. because, well, that's that. feel better now? ;)

and talking to sterling g. on saturday night was a riot, per usual. he'd just gone to skywalker ranch, and was telling me about his fun--except coded, a la fight club, as he was still with the gang who got to go to the ranch. he also eats sushi far far far faster than should be possible. and he called me a lip-whore. (he cannot, however, take credit for that phrase. it is eliza's, he believes.)

so, yeah. I'm a lip-whore. swell.

oh, and...anybody seen Talladega Nights? Last night we were underimpressed. I mean, there were most certainly some funny lines (such as "we invented the missionary position"), but we ended up turning it off halfway through and watching Big Fish instead. (by the by, if you've never seen this Tim Burton movie I highly recommend that you do. suuuu-perb. and a little bittersweet. and such good imagery/scenery. AND, there're some puns in it--some that I didn't catch the first few times I watched it. so so so good).

dentist time. how many 26 year olds do you know that have to have their crowns replaced? maybe this time it'll be a tiara! :)

...in my hot little hands...

today, in a mere few hours, after the delivery folks arrive with my mattress, I will have a guitar--this guitar--in my hot little hands.

I just got off the phone with the raleigh guitar center guy, who told me they'd sold the guitar already, but they could get me one in a week. since I've been waiting for, oh, most of my life, to get a guitar, a week longer seemed too much to bear.

insert: woe is me! ha!

the durham guitar center, however, has TWO! and one is on hold for yours truly, just waiting for me to come and give them some plastic. so I'm not waiting a week, even though that Barry guy was helpful.

I've made up my mind, and once my mind is made up, I do it. coz that's how I roll. and if you know me, you know this.

so, anyhoo. it's the second time in two days I've used the phrase "in my hot little hands." Once was about my camera--which, by the way, has arrived!!! expect pictures soon. :) and then I told the raleigh guy I was kinda hoping to have the guitar in my hot little hands today. about a minute later into the convo he said, "wait, did you just say in your hot little hands?" And when I confirmed it, he chuckled. Apparently that phrase is funny. Despite having originated (or at least likely first been written) in 1857. And the only things I can think of that were funny in the 19th century were, y'know, lead makeup, queen victoria's outfits and "the great social evil."

it seems that this phrase is on that list too--little did I know.

ps-yaaaay! it's mine, all mine! :D

mix cd's

So, I have a co-worker, Dmitry. He’s almost forty, a Russian and he’s a riot! And I will always be thankful to him for taking pictures of my birthday (when my hair may have been the cutest I've ever done!). Dmitry talks to me about safe sex and how to get guys (and tried to fix me up with some of his friends...bad news) and tells what to say to guys I like--and I ignore like 98% of it, but find it highly amusing. He also refers to Kevin as License Plate or License Plate Boy because he has a personalized license tag. Really, I think it’s all pretty funny. But anyway…

Today on our way to lunch he said something even MORE amusing. We’re in my car, Paige, Dmitry and me (which by the way, Mr. I-Have-a-2007-Toyota-Corolla should have driven, not me, but whatever), and Dmitry is in the back. I’m trying to decide which cd from my changer we should hear—Indigo Girls, Cake, Dressy Bessy, The Shins, Paste #23 or M Ward—and Dmitry, not even knowing what I’m doing, blurts out, “Has License Plate made you a mix cd yet?”

What?!?

Okay, so (most) every month Christina and I totally switch cds, and I have one from my friend Kelly, but the last time I got a mix cd from a guy with whom I was romantically involved was the waaaaaay-too-heavy one from Creepy Aaron. Otherwise, it’s friends. I mean, not that I’d be opposed to a mix cd, mind you, because they're actually pretty fun, but Dmitry asked it like you would the following:

“is he cute?”
“did y’all kiss?”
“how was your date?”
"where'd you go for dinner?"

All matter-of-fact-ly, like it was the most normal question in the world. Ever.

Perhaps I missed the memo. Are mix cds trendy? Hipster? An LA thing? Like drinking champagne out of a straw? or, is Dmitry just re-living his mix-tapes-o'-the-80s days?

we shared some information we might not recover from and I watch your convictions melt like ice cubes in an ocean…"I never knew he thought that!"

~ the shins

weird weird weird.

I think I’ve been talking a lot about religion recently. Like, a lot-a lot. And it’s so dadgum strange, and I’m certainly not accustomed to it. I mean, I used to be accustomed to it when I would argue with Eddie Fairchild and Jonathan Tanner ad nauseum, but now? yeah. not.

But I’ve been trying to be real introspective. Figure out what the hell it is that I want, and want to be, and what’s important, and what I can let go.

It’s a strange process, to say the least. A good one, and a necessary one, but strange nonetheless. I had no clue I’d come so far. It’s kind of a nice confirmation.

And, last night I had the longest phone conversation I’ve had since high school. Three and a half hours! I mean, I remember spending hooooouuuuurrrrs on the phone, talking and maybe *watching a tv show together,* like the x-files or something. But this is new.

Today is the last day of one of my favorite people at work. When he started I REALLY didn’t like him. I felt threatened and I feared for my job. Turns out working with him was a great experience, albeit an awkward one at times, and I’m sad to see him go. He was also my pen-buddy. We both have a ridiculous obsession with all things office supply. I will miss the random post-its/clips/pens that arrived on my desk. And I’m sure he’ll miss the ones I gave in return.

Oh, also, Philip Pullman. Author of the His Dark Materials trilogy. Finished his third book this morning when I couldn’t get back to sleep at 6am but also couldn’t drag my sorry ass out of bed. The end is heart-wrenching. I cried. It was good though. If you like Harry Potter, you just might find that you like these three. I got a little frustrated by the end, but I still liked ‘em. AND Nicole Kidman is going to make an awesome Mrs. Coulter. I’m def looking forward to the movie.

Now I just have “A Short History of Nearly Everything” and “Another Roadside Attraction” to finish, and then I can start reading more of the books in my pile of “to-be-reads.” Any suggestions, while I'm at it?

I am sooooooo looking forward to chilling out this weekend, watching the Grey’s I dv-r’d, buying a guitar, watching lectures, cleaning, sleeping in, going to church and then going swing dancing Sunday night. AND picking up my camera in like an hour! Geee-lorious!!!

Will you remember my reply when your high horse dies?

who knew they were so worried about being cuckolded?

huh. weird. do you blue-eyed folks out there agree?

I mean, I'm pretty sure Van Morrison's eyes are blue, and he totally wrote that song about a brown-eyed girl.

-greeny-hazel eyed girl who totally has a thing for blue ones.

flakes, flurries, swirls, crystals, whatever form it comes in. i'll take it. we go back, snow and me. we have a beautiful history…

sleigh rides, ice skating, snowball fights. i'll even take curling. god, I love curling! hot cocoa, hot toddies. best time of the year! ~lorelai gilmore

so, it snowed in raleigh. and I am jubilant. :D

Normally, I HATE being woken up by text messages. It irritates the hell out of me. Some default setting on my dumb razr automatically switches the phone to "LOUD" whenever I plug it in to charge. Which, like most people, I do at night. But today I was thankful for that loud default, 'cause Kevin sent me a message to tell me it was snowing!!!!

it was really nice to get up early, not turn on the lights and sit in bed, huddled in blankets and petting gobi and hazel. then to have a leisurely morning and to wear a turtleneck to work. and gloves. and my puffy coat. I EVEN enjoyed scraping the snow and ice off Mattie--it's her first snow!

I've gotten my snow fix, ladies and gents. and it's wonderful.

and, for you amusement (and mine) check out this shirt from david & goliath. they crack me up. seriously.

maybe tonight, after the KD happy hour, I will go home, enjoy hot chocolate, cuddle up with my kitties and begin to crochet with the yarn I bought in Tulsa. very old-lady like, I know, but I sooooo don't care!

it's cold, and i'm so lonely.

~harry nilsson

again. and, um, that second part isn't true. but it IS really chilly here now. it feels like 24! and allegedly we'll be getting some flurries early in the AM, but not of the sonic variety.

so, I tried for the green again. I'm not sure, I think I'm in an indecisive mood. Which prolly means I shouldn't be tinkering with the layout. Because, as you might know, I'm indecisive about unimportant things, exempli gratia, blog layouts.

also, I think canon is holding my camera ransom as it STILL hasn't been shipped out? what?!? they finished it on monday, yo. bee-double-oh.

enough rambling. this prolly isn't interesting. bleh.

oooooooh, but! one exciting thing. on saturday I'm going to go buy my geeee-tar. finally! and it's going to be on sale. I'm quite excited. it's been really annoying trying to get rob in LA to pony up and do his thang, so now I've abandoned him. and I'm gonna get it in raleigh. it's more environmentally appropriate, isnt it? to buy local--even if it's made local, no sense in having it shipped, right? (just go with it people. let me justify my means/method/madness!)

yay for guitars! and yay for only two more work days this week. and yay!

poli high, poli technic, poli technical high, poli high, poli poli high.

~harry nilsson

mmm, so. I wasn't digging the grey today. blue, perhaps? I tried green, but I just wasn't digging any of them. I'm still not sure though. hmm hmm hmm. I mean, not like blog colors matter, but I don't wanna keep tinkering.

I have had songs and phrases from The Point in my head ever since yesterday. For no reason at all. I haven't watched that in months and months. But it's there nonetheless. 'course, that's not at all surprising, really, since I've seen that movie eleventy billion times. (and, ps, if you haven't, perhaps you should. it's short and weird and very 70s, but they say thinks like "a point in every direction is the same as no point at all," and "-dig." plus ringo starr narrates and harry nilsson did all the music. good stuff, good stuff.)

It is blissfully chilly in Raleighwood today. (blissfully?!?) I've wanted it to be cold. I mean, I was love. ing. the warm weather we got this weekend, but (not-so) secretly I want it to snow. I am not used to missing, of all things Tulsa, the snow. I'm used to missing my friends and Mazzio's and Hob Lob, but not the snow. Bluebell icecream and fireworks and the river, but not the snow. I guess I've gotta get over it eventually, though, 'cause I likely won't live there again, prolly ever, or at least not until I'm old and grey. Hmm.

please pardon the lack of interestingness in today's blog. perhaps I'll have a story or seven to share later today, eh?

wanna spend the night don't bring pajamas.

~gwenny gwen gwen.

so, my good mood is tapering off. partially because of the weather change, but mostly because I have a headache. it's one of my now-it's-raining headaches. hopefully the ibuprofen and my banana latte will make it all better! and at least it isn't a migraine...

but since it is rainy, this means that today I will listen to the Jayhawks (specifically their "Rainy Day Music and More Rain" album), and I will enjoy my daffodil that I brought to work (which came from the plant I got this weekend, except Gobi and Hazel--prolly just Hazel--decided to attack it, and this little daffodil guy was all bent over, so I cut him off and brought him to work with me), and I will drink warm things and eat fruit!

if I had my camera (soon, soon!) you'd get pictures o' the daffodil, but for now someone else's will have to do. daffodils are such happy flowers!!! ooh, and tu sorority girls--remember daffodil days? yikes. anyhoo, keep an eye out, 'cause there are some tulips, primroses and daffodils I'm itchin' to capture. all in good time, my pretty, all in good time.

Also, I have decided that I do not mind driving home in the morning as long as I have good music to listen to. (should that be to which to listen? or something? apparently carrie-the-grammarian isn't in full swing today.) And it is even more pleasant if you're in some terribly cute pajamas, such as Mary Alise's flannel ones with little cute penguins. Also, note to readers: "penguins" and "pink ones" sound rather a lot alike. I'm just sayin'...

Last night Mary Alise and I enjoyed baked brie, alouette with bagel chips, bread, salad and some of the leftover lasagna that Michael made (good job, btw!). And, um, two bottles of wine. All on a school night! Y'see, Mary Alise and I have a drinking problem--namely, that when we're together we drink an awful lot. Far more than usual, seriously. But we were talking about boys and relationships and travel and being each other's back-up wedding dates and how I'm going to come help her paint her house when she moves to Charlottesville, and we seemed to chug right through them.

And at first I felt a little guilty about it. I mean, it was a MONDAY night for crying out loud! And that's kind of a lot of wine! But then I got to thinking about it--and how much longer am I just going to be able to do what I want whenever I want. I mean, how often are you able to go over to a best friend's house, talk about important stuff, enjoy each other's company and crash there--without having to worry about the other eleventy billion things that are also important in your life? The answer to that is not very often, not very often at all.

Furthermore, it's not likely that we will live in the same town for much longer--and maybe never again--so I'm taking these opportunities whenever I can get 'em.

So I might have to add another resolution or four to my list for the year. Or maybe make myself a reminder list of the things I want to do/be. And one of them is going to be about living in the moment, and another about throwing caution to the wind (at least a little, and even in matters of the heart), and also to make a point of enjoying banana lattes often. And to tell people to keep the change more. And to drive in pajamas whenever possible. :)

happy halfway through january, folks.

all she wants to do is, all she wants to do is dance.

~don henley

and, um, that's what I want to do now. the kind of dancing you do to Cake's "I Will Survive" while wearing a witch costume, or that you do around your house when no one is looking (c'mon, you know you do it!), or with your sisters at frat parties when "Like A Prayer" comes on or that you do while singing drunken karaoke!

despite working on a holiday of sorts, I AM PUMPED! why???

'cause my business cards (designed by the wonderfully talented brooke knight) have been ordered, and I sold another photo this weekend, and I'm going to Dallas really soon, and I like a bo-oo-ooy, and my camera will be here in four business days or less all fixed!!!, and sterling got home safe to LA and j-to-the-ackie and I are having fun with our new blog project, and my apartment-mate was approved, and I'm wearing a cute pink shirt and I feel like jumping up and down and boogie-ing! I'm in such a good mood right now! I even changed my profile pic for the occasion!

do a little boogie in your seat. real quick. just for me. it'll make you feel good, and no one will even notice, I swear.

look down at the picture, and you just have to laugh.

it isn't me, it's just a photograph. ~Jesse Harris

so, begin somewhat-jackie-inspired rumination:

the more I've gotten into photography the more I've noticed people's responses to it. what they say when they see the photos, or how they comment on my page (which, by the way, I luuuurrrrve!), or what they tell me later to my face. of course I'm sensitive to it, because I'm a girl, but I'm also intrigued. and part of that has to do with my fascination with words. but anyway.

It's funny to me how complete strangers (on myspace, for instance) will contact me and assume that they know me just because of the "art" that I've created. They think that these rectangles depicting colors and things and life just tell you everything you could possibly know about me. And on one hand, I find that flattering because I really like my photos, but on the other I'm frustrated too, because there's so much more to me than just what I can do with a camera.

I think--nay, I know--that I really don't like being miserunderstood.

But the most intriguing comments of all have to do with saying, "I really like the way you see things," or "you have good/interesting perspective." And it's funny, 'cause it's a hugely nice compliment, but at the same time I've never seen these things any other way. It's like when people ask me what it's like being a twin--how could I possibly know what it would be like any other way? I've always been one, (well, at least since that zygote split) and that's that. And for me it's the same way with photos--ever since I started to really take it in that's how I've seen things, so it's nothing new to me. It's just that now I can capture it.

end rumination. but maybe begin a different kind...

the undo key: I am really beginning to realize how many times I've pressed it in my life. It's just never come up so much before--and here it lies before me, practically in a fell swoop. In getting to know someone new, and in talking to someone with whom I had a complete tabula rasa, every week I realize one or two or ten things that I used to believe in so strongly, or that used to be a part of my everysecond existence, but that I've now chosen to leave behind. Like, for instance, those Left Behind books. Or books about having angels and demon everywhere all around us, protecting us, tempting us, helping us, hindering us (which I actually still kind of believe). And bands like Audio Adrenaline and The Newsboys. I think about how ten years ago I would have seriously considered taking a key and scratching every single *secular* cd I own--not selling them, but ruining them, so they couldn't *damage* anyone else. Wearing Christian tshirts, Purity/Promise rings and signing purity contracts, blindly placing my faith in God's path for my life without realizing that it's the little things that show you your path anyway--God put them there, I believe, but it's not like you're going to get a flashing neon sign a'la LA Story.

and now I feel like I've taken a sieve and put all of my thoughts and beliefs in it and shaken out all those little superfluous religious space fillers. the close-mindedness, the conservatism, the judging. Those pebbles are gone, and there's a few big rocks left (religious pun intended!)--God, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And Love. And Faith. And Hope.

and I am so much better off with these few than I ever ever was with the many.

atypical troika.

so, personally, I think this is a little strange. maybe you don't, but Katie did too.

Katie and I went into Barnes and Noble last night after seeing The Holiday (which was cute, but Kate Winslet should have had gumption, Jude Law needed to lose those glasses, Jack Black was hilarious and Cameron Diaz should have told him how she felt, but anyway, still cute) and eating dinner at CPK.

I had intended not to buy anything, but I found three things I wanted so I got 'em.

and personally? I think that buying Paste Magazine, Scientific American and a Far Side daily calendar all at the same time is a little odd. They're three very different things from three very different genres and they are kind of on the more extreme end of each genre. I know very few other people who read science-ee things for fun, and it's people who know a lot more about music (or have an even greater appreciation for it) that read Paste and although I don't understand how you could not love Far Side, Gary Larson's humor is sometimes a bit out there. I tried to find my favorite one, the one where God is adding jerks into the universe to make things interesting, but alas, it is not to be found.

anyhoo. happy saturday. and while you okies are kept under that miserable airport-closing layer of ice, it's in the upper sixties and lower seventies in the Triangle area. What??? weather is so weird recently. I was completely jealous of your snow late last year, and I really want some here, but an ice storm? count me out. sorry t-town-ers.

how giddy am I?

okay, this is a lot of blogging, I know, I know.

BUT!!!!!

I just found out that Canon is going to repair my camera fo'-free! No fee! No mon-eee! yayayayayayayayyaayyay! I should have it back within seven business days!

seriously I'm doing the happy dance at my desk. I am exhilarated. And thrilled. And relieved.

yip-to-the-ee!

sorry in advance to the republicans...

but this made me laugh out loud. thanks, renee!

The Dirty Turkey.

That’s Michael, by the way. I forgot how annoying/wonderful he is when he’s drinking. We need to get on that nerdlympics thing. We’ve been talking about it for quite a while now…

Well first off, for you non-bowling-aficionados, a turkey is a bowling term, amongst other things. See?

Last night was a night of high brow-low brow double date with Kevin (aka BTS), Mary Alise (aka M A C) and Michael (aka Dirty), eating LOADS of yummy sushi and then going bowling. And we had a very very good time. Except for the part where I actually removed part of my sushi from my mouth—that was gross and unpleasant. I TOLD y’all I didn’t want to eat it! But then I felt a little challenged, and I’m real real bad at turning down challenges.

Case in point: this night.

Oh, and? Betcha never saw my name coming--not in a million billion gazillion fafillion years. Yeah, it was Nerd. Shocked? Yeah, didn't think so...

Anyhoo, bowling. Of course LOTS of “ball” jokes were made. Mostly by Michael. It was pretty funny too when Mary Alise and I walked away from the guys because were going to “look for some balls.” [imagine me shaking my head and rolling my eyes right now]. There was also some entertaining talk about relative ass size, and who had one, and all that jazz. It, by the way, is just a skosh disconcerting to hear your friend's boyfriend say to the guy you’re dating, “see, she does have an ass,” while you’re trying to bowl. Just a skosh.

Yeah,I wish I had my camera. It’s making me sad not to have it to record the many ridiculous moments that comprise my daily life. enough wishing…I’ve gotta be patient ‘cause it’s my own damn fault…

I did okay, and I very much liked getting strikes and spares—because celebrating them meant one heel-click for a spare, two heel-clicks for a strike. That’s what I do when I bowl. (When I was younger I used to get money every time I got a strike or a spare—at one point it was twenty bucks a strike!, but the amount came down as I got older and strikes became more frequent. The last time I bowled with my family I was probably, oh fifteen? So now I guess my heel clicks replace that?) Come to think of it, maybe it wasn’t so bad that nobody had a camera…

My best play of the games: when somehow, after seemingly bowling a gutter ball, I turned around in disgust/disappointment, and michael came over to pretend-console me. He started to hug, and stopped, and said "damn!" Because somehow, despite having totally bowled a gutter ball halfway down the way, I managed to knock down six pins! And then spare! And then heel-click!

We played two games, couple v. couple. The first game Kevin and I beat them rather soundly, though Michael had the top score. And the second game we were neck-in-neck for most of the game. It was the tenth frame, and Michael got a Turkey. Last frame, last game, neck-in-neck, a Turkey. That’s like a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth in a down-by-one game. Damn.

And of course, once he got the turkey, the screen said, with its big X, “Dirty Turkey.” Good stuff. Gee-double-o-dee. Which was only outdone by him doing that thing that wrestling crotch chop thing—he’d been doing that throughout the game, but three-in-row? PRICELESS.

Thank goodness Michael doesn’t wear outfits like this. But it would be damn funny if he did. (and sorry for you all needing to scrub your brains now. ew ew ew!)

And with that horrifying mental image (which hopefully that good scouring will erase), let’s celebrate it being Friday! I am VERY tired, and I want a nap, and I wish I hadn’t left my glasses at home. But on the brighter side, I got to listen to good music this morning, and on the way to work I treated myself to a yummy latte at the new coffee shop by my apartment, I got to wear a TU shirt today (it always makes me happy to wear TU stuff. without fail. and, for jackie--let's go tulsa clap-clap-clapclapclap!--or chips and salsa!) and I’m looking forward to a very fun weekend!

later, gators.