a-terrible-death-to-be-talked-to-death, a-terrible-death-to-die.

announcement, announcement, a-nou-ou-nce-ment!

i am going to have the sinus surgery. it is expensive and icky and awful, but it makes the most sense. why spend the money and pain doing the little thing with only a 50% chance of making a difference--especially because it's likely I'm just delaying the inevitable.

i'm pretty sure the day o' awfulness will be january 11th. if we weren't going skiing I might consider having it done on the 18th and then taking off until the 2nd, and I could just be a little miserable over christmas break (although I'd hate to be that way at the family thing, but it would make the most sense) but I REALLY want to go skiing, and it'll kind of be my treat before the awfulness.

also, as a scientific community, i think we really need to investigate the stick-to-it-ive-ness of cat hair. the number of gobi and hazel hairs I found wedged in the fibers of my light blue fleece are AMAZING. how do they DO that? I mean, people hair doesn't wrap itself inside of things like this, it doesn't pierce the surface. and I don't see kitties regularly breaking out a needle to thread the hairs through

(and by regularly, I mean ever--should I ever inform you that I did actually see this in real life, please take me to get help or give me a hand in adjusting the lighting so we can get a good pictures and sell it to the enquirer, k?)

alright, it's friday, peeps. time to GO HOME!

perhaps this is a little too cutesy again, but I like it.

you should try making your own! I had to go through a bunch of iterations to get this one, but I REALLY like them all!

i am going to have a very expensive head.

now, some of you might argue that my noggin is already "expensive." I mean, I'm a chemical engineer, right? so it both cost a lot of money to educate this head and it costs a good bit of money to pay me to use it. although, my mom was pretty right when she told me that if I made straight a's all my life I'd get to go to school for free (thank you again, umpteen scholarship sources), so the latter is more accurate than the former.

but anyway.

so, I've a decision to make. one about me and my ever-more-costly head...

I had my CT done today, and it ain't pretty. Apparently there's some scar tissue that formed when he last reduced my middle turbinate on the left side, and it's attached to the outer wall of my nose. My septum has re-deviated, but he said if I weren't having symptoms it wouldn't concern him. My sinus cavities themselves are ginormous, like they should be, but there's still swelling and inflammation and gunk in them. He also never touched my sphenoidal sinus cavity, and saw inflammation in it, and I have a ledge in my forehead sinus that is restricting the flow too.

what does this mean?

it means I have three viable options:

1. allergy treatment (aka weekly shots). he's thinking this would reduce the inflammation.

2. an in-office procedure to detach that scar tissue that's formed. this would require only local anesthesia, and wouldn't require much recovery time. however, he gives it a 50/50 chance of my being able to tell a difference.

3. a full-on surgery. again. he'd fix everything, it would hurt more like a 5 or 6 if you count the last one as a 10, and I'd have to take 5ish days of vacation to recover. and it would cause me to max out my out-of-pocket on my insurance plan, meaning it wouldn't be cheap.

I told the nice lady to please hold the date of January 11th for me and that I'd let her know what I'm going to do for sure on Monday. And as much as I love having options, this time it might be easier if my doc just said "you know, you should really do this." he seems to hate having to tell me that these are my options, and that it didn't all get fixed the first time...

my boyfriend is really smart.

go ahead and gag, I'll wait. I've even provided a spoon for you, just incase you need it.

you finished? you sure?!? okay, moving on.

so, anyway, yeah, matt is smart. last night as we completed yet another round of beers at brixx (I'm at 24, he's at 26) he and I talked about my youth group and this lock in thing we're going to do. I was saying how I want to help with the group, but how sometimes it's so hard to want to do it, to give up my time. And we were talking about things the group could do--like if we had a lock out instead (his suggestion, again!)--and I recalled one of the very most fun events I ever did in youth group.

the polaroid scavenger hunt. we went to the praying hands. and had to pile in one of those british phone booths in utica square. and visit the old-time-ee mcdonalds. man, that was fun...

He perspicaciously reminded me that though I don't want to give of my time as much as they're asking, by doing so I may give another person something to remember like I remember the scavenger hunt. dang it! he's right...

so matt-the-smart kept making other suggestions for my group, and they're AWESOME. pity none of the other leaders could make it until 5am, but whatever. anyway, I talked about how he has such awesome ideas and he really is an idea man, and how I think it's fantastic.

and he said, and I kid you not that "all [he] need[s] is a catalyst." um, can I tell you how nerd-ily fabulous that is?!? right.

okay, so that brought us to talking about the photography stuff again, and how's made these great suggestions (a pose portfolio, suggestions for the poses themselves, packages for pictures, etc) and I told him how I'd had this dream a few days ago...we were a little bit older and I was a photographer. and he was my assistant. well, sorta. (I didn't want to call him "assistant" but he insisted and it became a huge joke but anyway) so we'd go to weddings and take pictures on saturdays, y'see. and matt would help me and point out ideas for good shots so I could actually take them, and in my dream, well...

so the couples always knew that matt and I were a couple. the brides always ate it up, thinking it was so cute that we were working together. and in our contract we'd listed only one requirement--a period of time where there'd be no pictures, not to exceed five minutes. and during this time the two of us would dance. at every single wedding on pretty much every saturday.

need that spoon again?

oh and speaking of weddings, check this out. just be patient, k?






other tidbits--my nose is the same as before. the doctor finally got back to me, but they're not really sure what to do (and they seemed to think I was crazy when I mentioned the estrogen cream that someone kindly suggested, but I'll have to mention it again...), but they did tell me on friday when I get my CT scan I need to make sure the tech takes me to see my doctor, 'cause they want to take a look-see. so maybe I'll know something on friday...

we will lift our voice in chorus, hail to tulsa u!

I forgot to tell y'all--on Saturday I'm going to the Ale House to watch Tulsa play in the Conference USA Championship. I got all excited--some local alums are going to get together to watch it...

and then I bothered to look at who we're playing--and guess who it is? If you don't know already it's UCF. And do you happen to know which one of my friends went to UCF? I'll give you three hints:

1. we spent Cinco de Mayo together.
2. In most of my really cute pictures with Matt I'm wearing her clothes.
3. yesterday she smushed my cake.

It's my dear friend Marla!!! And she and Justin will be joining the TU fans. and I reserve the right to boo at her. :) Also, I am very pleased that I managed to get Matt a Tulsa shirt last time I went back...because now he'll be able to wear it. :D

go TU!

"who wouldn't like you? idiots and thieves. idiots and thieves."

~sjg

I don't even remember why he said that. But he did. And I laughed. And so did he. I seem to become infinitely more amusing while talking to Sterling on the phone. Is that weird? Probably. Do I care? Not even a little.

Last night Matt and I were both terribly disappointed in the ending of Heroes. It was AWFUL. And I am superpisseddisappointed that the writers strike is making them cut the season short. [I am making a pouty face as I type about this.]

We also stopped by Marla and Justin's place to bring them a Publix cake--it's their favorite. We brought it back from Georgia. And (surprisingly considering that she looooooves this cake like I love blue bell icecream) she gave us two pieces in a tupperware container. Two pieces that she smushed down, you see. And when I mentioned said smushing she smushed some more--tap tap tap--on the lid, just for good measure.

It trapped icing in the top of the lid. And it was meant just for me. So of course we had to take a picture. And since Matt complains that I usually put dumb-looking pictures of him up, I thought I'd share one of me. Eat your heart out. ;)

ps, that's a vintage KD sweatshirt I've got on--it says KD-KD-KD Spirit on it. My granny gave it to me.

um and...I totally almost lost my cool yesterday.

so, remember how a few weeks ago I went to the doctor and they told me my septum was re-deviated? well, what I didn't tell you about was seeing two doctors--the PA and my actual doctor. And how they recommended two very different courses of action. And how I did what my doctor said, as I've been seeing him for almost three years now. So I'm taking Singulair every night instead of using veramist in the AM, especially since nasal sprays usually make my nose bleed.

So I called the office yesterday about my nose, which incidentally is still bleeding intermittently today, and they called me back at 615. They'd talked to the PA, and she said I could stop using veramist. That was IT. But you see...

1)I'm not using veramist,
2)if I were using veramist and my nose began bleeding like this I would've stopped using it already because that's what every other nasal spray has done, and
3)where are your records, people? I said in the appointment "I will start with Singulair because it's what you recommend." And I heard the nurse typing after I said that.

GAH.

So I'm annoyed, right? I call the doctor's office and the nice lady from the answering service says I can either speak to a doctor if it's an emergency or I can call back in the AM and leave a message. GGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRr. And since this clearly isn't an emergency, as I am not gushing blood, my option is clear.

There was a funny part though--I had to go to target, so I went to ask the pharmacist what else I could do. When I gave him the litany of my sinus care (the humidifier at night, neilmed sinus rinse in the morning, ocean nasal spray during the day, aquaphor on the outside and edges of my nose--oh and I drink plenty of water) the man just kind of looked at me wide-eyed. And then said "You're very thorough." And said he wished he could offer me another suggestion, but really all he could say were little things, and it sounded like I was doing all the big ones.

Solution: I will request that I no longer see the PA. She was nice enough and informative enough, but I'm used to my doctor and I really really don't want to deal with stuff like this anymore. I don't have the time, and honestly my nose is too messed up right now for me to be patient, if that makes sense. Additionally, I verified that my appointments were, indeed, with my doctor, and I emailed the nurses (instead of calling and leaving a message) detailing my situation and asking what I should do about my still-bleeding nose. yeesh.

and on a funny note--last night sterling and I were trying to come up with a word for the the nose that began with an "f." (don't ask.) we ended up with "fo'-sneezal," but in the meantime, I came across this little question on answers.com, and it made me laugh a little. do enjoy.

i used to have a blog about dating.

a secret blog about dating. one that a few of you maybe knew about, but really only a handful of people even read it. its purpose was cathartic, you see. and it worked. and those of us who contributed to it enjoyed it very much, for the most part, though it came back to bite more than one of us in the ass.

but anyway, I don't have it anymore. if I did though, I might write about this there. but instead, you get to read. :)

so, last november, in richmond, I met a guy. one of the guys in my series of "k," if you were around for that tale. anyway, the following week he drove down and back from richmond to take me on a date--one that fell in the "good" category rather than the "bad." we spoke the next day for like ten minutes and it was a good convo, I had to go back to work, and then he never ever called me again. I deleted his number and have thought of him since exactly once, when Mary Alise and I recalled our fun night out in Richmond.

on thanksgiving I got a call from this same guy--and as his number was not in my phone, I didn't know what I was getting into when I answered. It was an area code I recognized, so I chose to pick it up is all. and yowza.

he had some very kind things to say about me and how I'm such a catch and how he was an idiot and how he thinks about me all the time and how he's sorry because he's a hypocrite--and I said thanks, but I made it very clear that I am very taken and very happy and very not interested, in the most polite way possible. I made a point of using words/terms like "boyfriend," "eight months," and "at his parents' house for thanksgiving."

I got the typical (and usually very annoying--in this case and pretty much all the rest of the time) "well, you never know how things will turn out" and then I at least got a genuine apology from him for his never having called me to at least say "I'm not interested." It was weird though, kinda like it was him trying to restore his karmic balance or something, which made me feel like I needed to at least hear him out. 'cause if I am ever in his shoes (in any kind of I-owe-you-an-apology situation), I hope the apology-ee will hear me out.

anyway.

he said he wanted to call me back when I wasn't in the middle of the festivities, and I told him he could. and when we got off the phone I called Mary Alise and then told Matt all about it as soon as he was out of the shower.

but it was so weird. who even does that? and on thanksgiving itself? strange-ee mc-strangersons, methinks. he hasn't called back, and if he does I don't know if I'll answer. we'll see. but anyway, it was ODD. like, not divisible by two kind of odd, you know. yikes.

and though I'm reallyreally glad about how things are for me right now, and though things are quite excellent, I still kinda want to know why guys act like this...it just blows my mind.

eh, whatever. just had to share.

ps--check out genius-test.com--I'm up to 28/40 right now.

so cheap and juicy, tangerines

~regina spektor

first things first--I want to go to the grocery store and buy a big box/bag/thing of tangerines. I kind of love them. I need to find good tangerine recipes. There's no way I'll be able to eat that many, but it's SUCH a better deal if you buy in bulk!

things presently on my mind:

-I am getting reallyreally annoyed by hearing people complain about thanksgiving--specifically, I get it if you're upset that you got stuck in traffic for four hours, that sucks. But if you have so many people that love you/ want you around that you had to go to two houses, or if you had to help someone else decorate before/after you decorated? shut the hell up. I mean, if you want to lament how there wasn't enough "quality time" or how you're "tired from it" that's reasonable, but really? you're lucky to get to see so many people, and you should be glad you got to make someone else's day easier by helping them. remember the reason for the season, people. yeesh.

-my nose is kinda freaking me out. I was all excited about it being less congested, but now it's bleeding intermittently. not like gushing or anything, but enough that I have bloody tissues when I blow my nose. this is common in the morning when I've not showered, forgotten to turn on the humidifier or not used nasal saline (spray or rinse!), but I've done all three today--and even when this has happened before, it wasn't ever a problem this late in the day...

-I am anxiously awaiting news from my dear friend Patty. Her due date is Sunday, but little Davis could be here any day! It's so exciting!

-I am really thinking about this engagement photo thing. Matt and I brainstormed about it this past weekend. Step one in the process is to get pictures so I have "experience"--so if any friends want me to take pictures of you and your significant other (for free) let me know! I'm hoping to find two other couples (in addition to those who've already told me they'd like to) who will let me photograph them...

-I am amazed that they are auctioning off heroes paraphernalia. And I am pleased that there's a new episode tonight!!!

-I need to update my photo site. El pronto.

-I think google maps are amazing. Matt and I went jogging/walking on Saturday (unlike we'd hoped, my nose didn't like the exercise) and I was able to map out how far we went--approximately 2.3 miles, give or take. Also, I am slightly sore from this, which sucks. I need to find exercise to do now that softball is over!

-I need to decide what things I want to buy now and what things I should wait to get until after christmas. I want a gorillapod and a tunebelt for sure, but I don't know that I want to be patient! ha!

-I want to go home. I mean, I'm really excited about the possible opportunities at work, but today I've spent my time filtering and looking up info about valves and worrying about my nose, so it just isn't so exciting...

there is no fly fishing in the princess bride.

let's see, let's see...

well I last told you about my friday of fun, so I'll update from there.

and then, pictures! (well, pictures from before, anyway)

so saturday after sleeping and sleeping (seriously, I slept until noon!) and enjoying the leftover ham (with (non-green) eggs, mmmm!) matt and I set off on some errands...

one for tonya and george--

and then off to the science center! I think my favorite exhibit was the coupled pendulums--swings that would take turns swinging because they were tied together--but the full-length keyboard, the old phones (where matt hung up on me!), fax machine and trace-ee pen thing (harmono something or other) were pretty awesome too.

after that we had a snack at barberitos (like moe's but better!--their family friends the moaks own it, I met them on thursday an I got nancy's approval. :D ), shopped for tacky holiday sweaters (anyone know where we can find any? goody's, target and kmart didn't have ones bad enough. matt has this brilliant idea about covering our sweaters with glue, thereby making them, quite literally, tacky. and yes, he came up with that himself! but I'm hoping to find something less punny), shoes and fleece at old navy.

then a yummy beef stroganoff dinner, blue bell icecream, talking to george and tonya (okay well really matt and george listened to tonya and me talk!), a little jog and packing--what a faboo twenty four hours!!!

and then today--well, today...sigh.

so, as you might've learned, my wonderful boyfriend is a bit of soccer nut. if not, let me refresh your memory. anyway, he had a soccer game at eleven am. in chapel hill. which is, roughly, five hours from augusta. so we left at five in the morning. Five. In. The. Morning. Which is earrrr-leeeee.

I slept most of the time, thanks to my wonderful sleep mask, and once we got to chapel hill I spent the next three hours sleeping in matt's bed while he played soccer. and he came back to tell me--THEY WON!!! Matt got a cool trophy, I wish I'd taken a picture of it! By the way, it was during this nap that I had a dream in which someone said to me "there is no fly fishing in the princess bride." weirdness.

And then, after a little more napping, some yummy mcalisters, and a trip to play it again sports, I was almost killed three times in the parking lots surrounding kmart and target. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but it really isn't. I actually saw one person speed up when she was hurrying too fast and didn't see me, and another just kept proceeding at the same rate, completely unaware of me OR the other pedestrian. Anyway, I highly recommend you watch closely when you're out and about--people are waaaaaaaaaay too into the hustle and bustle!

alright, that's it. except some pictures from wednesday, thursday and friday...

wednesday--olivia's exit.

thursday-james brown boulevard. matt holding an umbrella.

friday-all from the river walk area. I'm particularly proud of the one of the kids pushing that half ton ball--the diversity in that picture is amazing. and then matt took the picture of mope-ee me next to the mope-ee tree. and the arch picture was his idea, too!

and yeah, that one of me taking a picture? yeah, totally my new fave. :)

and that, my friends, is the update. night night!

black friday wasn't black at all.

or blue.
or red.
or purple.
or orange.
or green.
or white.
or yellow.

it was kind of all of them...

I am feeling much MUCH MUCH better. Not all better, not 100%, but there is marked improvement. dramatic decrease in nose-al issues and whatnot. though I gotta tell you--every day of this sinus ickiness has only served to confirm my belief that if my doc says I need surgery again I'll get it--dealing with this in a very miserable way for a month or so sounds waaaaaaaaay better than dealing with this is in a semi-awful way for the rest of my life. yikes.

quick sum up in no particular order: saw south carolina from georgia (across the savannah river--kinda funny that there's no animosity there like there is between texas and oklahoma over the red river), had a breakfast pizza for the first time ever, went to one of matt's favorite bars in augusta, had a sweet water 420 blue beer, ate yummy bbq chicken sandwiches and a salad like rosemary likes it, enjoyed chocolate-covered marshmellow santas and my pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream, spent time in the hot tub and while on the riverwalk took lots and lots of pictures...both with my camera and with george the second's nikon (film.).

it was just wonderful--with the exception of a briefly moody carrie--but otherwise it was relaxing and pleasant and memorable--and now I can see matt damon on TV in a movie, and that makes me pleased as well.

and I am SO looking forward to showing y'all pictures. Matt and I took some cute ones of us (but MAN I need a gorillapod slr) and he even took some pretty cool one of me using the film camera. and the light and the trees were faboo. and we went to a wine store with the most unhelpful woman EVER.

and now? now it's bedtime. it's kinda scary to think that in, oh, twenty-six-ish hours we'll be heading back to raleigh since matt has to get to his soccer game. what kind of craziness is that, you might ask? well, he has his game at 11am, they're in the finals, it takes 4.5 to 5 hours to get back to his place from here, I am now the owner of a sleep mask and I have been promised sonic for breakfast if I want it (I took note of all the with-sonic exits on the way here--lots of 'em are marked!). so yeah, we're leaving at 5am. and I'm sleeping most of the way. and yeah.

hope your black friday was good and your gray saturday is even better!

thank goodness!

-so, we're in augusta. and we got here safely.
-I made it through fifteen hours of not eating (three of them blowing into a bag every twenty minutes) without turning into a huge b*tch.
-my pie arrived here safely.
-this morning matt made me really really happy by surprising me with three containers of ocean nasal spray (the very best kind!) and a sleep mask, which allowed me to actually sleep in the car!
-once my test was done I was able to have sonic--because there was one at the next exit, and we remembered that from the new years party in september! we're getting up extra early on sunday so matt can make it back to soccer, and I've been promised a sonic breakfast if i want it. yay!
-though my nose is crazy stuffy, having tea and sitting in the hot tub sure have made it better.
-augusta, ga has blue bell icecream. :)

so yeah, I'm pleased. oh AND--long story short, I've got a potentially awesome opportunity within my company. which interviewing my possible mentors I mentioned that I am interested in writing/publication, and would want advice about how to start doing that. As it turns out, completely unbeknownst to me, that's kind of what this group does--they work with the EPA on writing recommendations for regulations, addressing air quality concerns of, say, petroleum refineries. and anyway, after talking to them, their boss and their boss's boss (all potential mentors), I found out that I might be able to share work between their group and mine--I totally fit their profile grade wise and interest wise, since a lot of engineers can't write worth anything, you know? so after I was all excited I mentioned it to my boss, who said she's never seen me so excited, and that it'll take some effort, but it sounds like a wonderful idea and she hopes we can work it out!!!

long paragraph, I know. but anyway, I'm quite pleased about this! it would TOTALLY change the way I feel about my job--'cause if I get the chance, even if I don't like it, it would be a skill gained, something to put on my resume and exposure to EPA stuff, which will help me get my foot in the door if I ever want to work there.

and and and, ALL of the people I talked to would be awesome mentors. that made me pretty happy, too!

oh, and olivia, if you're reading this, I DID wave. just wait until you see proof. ;)

happy thanksgiving, y'all!

pies and lists and thanksgiving, oh my!

this made me giggle. oh, natalie dee. she has a whole thanksgiving theme going right now.

so, last night we made pies. lots and lots of pies. okay, well more or less we made four crusts and four fillings and I made three full pies, but whatever.

and I DID NOT WATCH HEROES SO PLEASE DON'T TELL ME ABOUT IT! Matt and I are watching it tonight. Unfortch we aren't going to make it to the interfaith service that I loved so much last year 'cause it's at 7pm and half an hour from my home, as it turns out, but instead I will be making mexican casseroles, packing for augusta and cleaning up. I don't even anticipate leaving work until 600 or 630, anyway. and I also need to deliver a pie to the sullivans. it's a surprise, hope they like it! so much to do, so little time!

overall, I think that pie making last night was a huge success! marla, kara, lara and chelsea all came over (all the people who mentioned an interest in learning how to make it) and lara, marla, kara and I may start a monthly learn-a-recipe endeavor. we'll see how it all pans out, pun intended. ;)

now I have a learn-a-recipe thing AND clean club (which we really really need to do!) I'm excited!

other fun/ interesting/random things:
1. my friend tonya started a blog. check her out on the sidebar.

2. today is my friday. yeehaw!

3. I started an engagement picture blog. Yesterday I was encouraged to try taking wedding or engagement photos, and I know of a couple who want me to take photos of their infant, too. So, over the next, say, month or so, if you and your significant other want me to take some pictures of you for free, I'm game. I need some "examples" to post on my new site--and here are some of the pictures of marla and justin. I have no intention of doing wedding photos (unless it is for a friend) because it's waaaay too much pressure. But engagement photos? You betcha. And once I have a few more examples I'll put up prices and put my link on theknot.

4. I need to update my photos on my photo blog. How has it been since June?!? And if you need Christmas presents for people, please consider taking a gander at my photos.

5. check out the list on jackie's blog. I do believe I'll be sending some shoes their way. I still haven't taken my stuff to goodwill, but I might mail them in instead of taking them there...

6. I need to pack for this weekend and I'm not totally sure what to bring. This should be an interesting process. Hmm.

7. Tomorrow I take my do-I-have-small-bowel-bacterial-overload test. It means I won't be eating for a total of fifteen hours. I pity the man who has to hang out with me while I go that long without food. As either of my brothers or a good number of my friends have realized, if Carrie is grouchy you should feed her. She will be much more reasonable after she eats. Unfortunately, eating isn't an option tomorrow, or won't be until, oh, 2 or 3? I've already apologized in advance like ten times, because I can't make any promises about my behavior. seriously, I get to not eat for 12 hours, drink this liquid (which should taste better than the barium at least) and then blow into a bag with a tube attached every 20 minutes for three hours. what could be better?!? If traffic is at a standstill, maybe I'll make Matt take a picture. Ha!

oh and: in the spirit of last year's message, I don't want to write a long list of things I'm thankful for, because really I know I should be thankful for every single little thing including the keyboard I'm typing on and the breath I just took. but I will say this--this year amongst all of the things I'm lucky for, and all of the wonderful people, and everything, I'm glad for a) my ability to give back this year and b) that I'm a lot more confident in going with my gut, and in taking action in relationships that require it. In both cases? It feels really good, I've gotta say.

anyhoodle. time for lunch. and then I'm going to go talk to potential mentors. It feels very recruitment-all-over-again, 'cause I have to go meet them and then list my top three choices for mentors. weird, weird, weird.

"if we finish five bottles of wine, I'm not going home, I'm going to the betty ford clinic!"

-mary alise

what a whirlwind of a weekend. and I'm writing this during my whirlwind of a lunch. I'd be having trouble with motivation, except I have to go to a 3pm meeting, and I have to learn how to spray-dry, and if I don't do it beforehand then I have to do it tomorrow, and since I'm taking wednesday off, staying to spray dry would suuuuuck.

so, I'm going at light speed. or, um, warp speed. man, is there anyway to describe going reallyreally fast that isn't nerdy?

friday night after I took matt to the airport, marla and I had some birthday sushi--celebrating my birthday, oklahoma's birthday, us knowing each other for a year, you name it! we talked and ate and watched grey's anatomy from thursday, only talked about weddings for as long as it took for her to describe her dress since it was a no-wedding-talk-night and chilled in our sweatshirts and jeans and tennies. quite relaxing, I really really needed that.

saturday I did not have a breakfast burrito or go shopping for long johns, contrary to what I intended. there was nary an egg in the house (there are now something like 30) and I decided that going to the mall wasn't a fun idea. instead I vegged until 1130, cleaned for a bit and then went and got a massage. which really made my jaw stop hurting, so I am pleased I did it.

and I kept seeing these AMAZING trees--I really really really want to paint. It might not be til next week though, not unless I want to take my paints to augusta--and that sounds involved!

that night, once Mary Alise arrived, Kara, Marla, Beth, Mary Alise and I met up at the 42nd Street Oyster Bar. Man, I can't believe they let you dip those hushpuppies in butter--sooooo good, and sooooo bad for you.

and it's funny how that lemonade turns out when someone give you lemons. someone kinda broke my crayons, but it turned out better than I could've anticipated, take my word for it. anyway, we really had a fun time--at dinner and going to my house to play apples to apples afterwards. (seriously, you need to check this game out--I LOVE it!) and since one of the cards was "black socks" mary alise and I had to sing the song--join in, people! especially you, tonya! and watch my head go craaaazy with the bouncing!



and then it was bedtime. well, time to get in bed, anyway. much like sleepovers of yore, mary alise and I stayed awake talking and talking and talking. I have no idea when we went to bed. I just know I was glad I got to go back to sleep after the first time I woke up--845, when I heard Gobi meowing and meowing because I'd accidentally shut him in the closet!!!

and yesterday...well for starters, it was a baaad stomach day. my first in a long time. :( but the pepto helped so I can't complain too much.

I picked up matt from the airport, we hung out a bit, I tried to take a nap and then I went to take pictures of marla and justin. I need to get the okay from her before I post any, but they're pretty cute. check for updates. :)

and then I went to the grocery store to get stuff for the pie baking fun tonight, made chicken with paprika sauce and watched the end of Mr. Brooks with Matt--it's actually a pretty decent movie. Oh, and eps 2 and 3 of heroes--I didn't realize just how often we saw that symbol at the beginning--I mean, when Parkman goes to find Molly Walker, it's even in the pool at her home! I want to see the unaired pilot, but you can't watch that one online, so I guess I'll be renting it!

um, okay, back to working quick like a bunny, lickety split, etc.

sleeping in? what's that?

today was the first day I was going to get to sleep in since, um...um...well, I sort of slept in on the saturday we went camping, but I don't think 930 counts exactly, since I can sometimes sleep until 11.

so today I don't have anything I have to do until 315. and even that's just get a massage. I mean, I need to clean up more for Mary Alise since she's sleeping here tonight, and I want to go look at long johns (I hear cuddleduds are nice, and they make all cotton ones, which I have to have since I'm allergic to so many fabrics, including polyester--though now I need to find out if I'm allergic to viscose, because I found one that's "warmwear" and maybe only has the cotton part touch you--I hate my fabric allergies!) and I have some other errands I'd like to run, but really? could have bummed around until 11 or 12 easy.

oh well.

so I think I'm going to watch this week's episode of Life (which I really really like!), make myself a breakfast burrito and then going. This extra time makes me want to paint--I have some pictures in my head--but I know that's just a way to make more mess!

maybe I'm just up 'cause I'm excited to see Mary Alise today!!!

plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope.

~from oklahoma, the musical. and from the intro to our state song. lyrics here.

happy birthday, state-o'-my-birth! I am so proud to claim you as my origin. :)

the great state of oklahoma turns 100 today. I mean, clearly, it's been around longer than that, and the kind people of the native american tribes have occupied the area far longer than a hundred years, but still. oklahoma is one hundred today. and I am pleased.

I kind of wimped out on the oklahoma facts--turns out they weren't that interesting. but here's a fun tidbit for you--did you know that tulsa, oklahoma has more restaurants per capita than even new york city? we're a testing ground of sorts. and apparently we like to eat. ha! and check this out--our state beverage is milk?!? and our dance is the square dance. nice.

we even have a state meal! "Fried okra, squash, cornbread, barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, chicken fried steak, pecan pie, and black-eyed peas."

I kind of want lunch now...anyway.

in honor of the day I am wearing my greek week long sleeved white shirt with a Tulsa Alumni shirt over it and my Tulsa sweatshirt over that (it's chilly here!). And I'm drinking from my Tulsa coffee mug. And it makes me happy.

other things.

last night matt and I had dinner at peiwei and then went to brixx for beers. I think we now have 12 or 11 left. we want to make sure we finish it by the end of december--which really isn't that long away! realistically we need to do it by the 21st, or we're going to have to go on the 27th/28th of december since that's the only other time we'll be in town. our server was really cool and giggly and a little like natalie portman seems to be...and anyway, we decided to have our guinnesses to get them out of the way, especially since they were only $2.50 last night.

and she offered, instead, to bring me a black and blue. this kid: it's a guinness and blue moon. and it was surprisingly yummy!

we tried to watch Mr. Brooks, which actually seemed pretty good, but I totally fell asleep in the middle, and Matt was nodding off too. We're going to re-try on Sunday after he gets back from out of town.

other things--let's list them, shall we? first, the negative...

• I am tired of my job. And of doing stuff that a high schooler could do.
  
• I am tired of being afraid to not have insurance because it seems my body is not a happy camper. Apparently my stomach issues have gotten a little worse than they were. Icks.
• I am tired of being nice. Sometimes I reallyreallyreally want to be Carrie-centric. And I honestly think that's okay. It is very important that you treat others like you want to be treated, yes--but it's also important that you treat yourself how you should be treated. I felt a little selfish thinking this at first, but I keep having people prove to me that I'm not too far off the mark.

and now the positive...

• I am getting really really excited about the ski trip. like, more every day.
• I am suuuuuuuuuper extra really looking forward to sushi with marla tonight (my final birthday celebration--well, until sushi in augusta with tonya, anyway!) and dinner with the girls tomorrow. It will be wonderful to see Mary Alise, even if it's just for a day.
• I am pleased that there will be another interfaith thanksgiving service this year. The last one was pretty incredible. And I think Matt is going to go with me, though he's afraid he'll fall asleep.
• today is friday. it starts the weekend.
• I get to get a massage tomorrow afternoon--my first in a long time, actually. I figured it was about time, and it's a huge stress reducer. and it's even better because it's a "medical massage" so they do more targeted stuff. I hope I'm not too sore afterwards--but rest assured, no matter how sore I am, I'll suck it up--mary alise will be in town, and there's some fun to be had!
• And my new shoes are supposed to arrive today.
• this weekend I take engagement pictures for the first time in my photographer-ee career-- of marla and justin--it should be really fun.
• it is now cold enough to wear turtlenecks. I'll be wearing one tomorrow, for sure!