can't sleep...too much to do...

I've got so much going on in my head I'm a little worried this post will come out psychophrenic.

In fact, I'm so scattered I'm not sure I can even commit to writing a real post.

Suffice it to say:

*The packing madness has begun.

*I've become a box whore. Tomorrow at 8:00 am I'm going to Target to get boxes and then at noon to the liquor store to get boxes.

*I've been consumed with making lists. Really, it's the only way to be truly organized. But I've been having trouble sleeping because I keep thinking of everything I need to do. Of course the absolutely craptastic excuse for pillows at the hotel were probably also to blame.

*I got home and had 18 messages on my answering machine from moving companies.

*Tomorrow I'm going to Ikea to get those fabulous, cheap magazine storage holders. Gotta' preserve my Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living.

*Husband brought the cat home from the sitter. He's looking a little pissed at having gone from a 3 bedroom house back to a 1 bedroom apartment. Of course in just 2 weeks, we'll be upgrading to a 2 bedroom apartment, and his royal fuzzy highness will get lots of space.

*I think I'm stressed about getting everything done...my nails are starting to look like they're in a war.

*I was reading some tips on moving with pets, and came across several suggestiong to get a cat a harness & leash, so the cat doesn't run away. At Target tonight I got the cat a harness and leash. I put it on, just to get him adjusted to it, and WOWEE, I've never seen a cat jump and thrash around like that! I think it's safe to say that he HATES the harness and this may be turn out to be completely and entirely unsuccessful.

*Tonight at Target I bought a bottle of wine. As I was checking out, the cashier looked at my license and said "Happy Birthday on Saturday!". And my initial reaction was to SHUDDER. Holy crap, my birthday is a week from today. It doesn't even feel like my birthday is in a week. And since we'll be packing and about to move, there won't be much celebration. I think I'm pretty okay with that, though, because I'm not sure I want to turn 27. I was suppose to have my life all figured out at age 27.

I think I need a glass of wine.

SEATTLE, HERE WE COME!

We have absolutely fallen in LOVE with Seattle!

There are so many trees, it's like we're experiencing tree-gasms! And it's so green! And the scenery is just beautiful. We just can't get over it. And we can't stop gaping at all the beautiful trees. Have I mentioned the TREES?!? And the rain does not bother me. In fact, I LIKE IT. I haven't gotten ENOUGH rain in LA the past 2 years. And the sun just came out and it's even more gorgeous!

The second apartment we looked at yesterday we fell in love with. We slept on it, and SIGNED THE LEASE THIS MORNING! It's a gorgeous apartment, and soooo much cheaper than what we're paying now!

And here's an even MORE exciting bit: WE'RE MOVING IN 2 WEEKS!!! (Told you we'd want to move right away!)

I've got to go start the moving process! YAY!

I see a sleep-filled flight in my future...

It's almost midnight, and I just finished packing. We have to get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to get to the airport on time. Yipee. Despite all the tiredness in my near future I am SUPER excited about our trip. Actually, almost too excited to sleep.

I still have to wash the remaining few items in the sink, finish my glass of wine, and go to bed. I packed more than I wanted to, but still in carry-on size. I refuse to check luggage for a 3 day trip. I'm bringing an extra pair of pants & shoes in case of, uh, excessive wetness.

We took our kitty to his sitter tonight. The person who's watching him has a nice, big house, and as soon as we let him out of his kitty carrier, he ran to explore the house and never looked back. It was a little sad for me because when we left, he didn't even want to say goodbye. At least he'll be happy terrorizing the sitter while we're gone.

Ok, I have to finish watching Boston Legal (and my wine) and then go to bed! Husband is taking his computer, so if the internet isn't too expensive at our hotel, I'll post from Seattle!

See ya' on the other side, kids! And wish me luck that it all works out for the best!

Seattle: ? or !

This week Husband & I are going to Seattle. We're leaving on Wednesday and coming back Saturday. I'm really excited!

If this: "?" becomes this: "!", then we want to move RIGHT AWAY. As in we'll start packing when we get back. Yes, I am incredibly excited to be moving away from LA.

So, any ideas/thoughts/tips/wisdom/anecdotes any of you feel compelled to share about Seattle/moving/etc., consider this your invitation to share away!

Quick, somebody up my meds!

Today as I was coming out of Trader Joe's with groceries, I went to my car. The first thing I notice is that my minnie mouse antenna topper is gone (this helps me identify my car in a parking lot). I frown a little at this discovery, but think that it may have just gone to antenna topper heaven, and it was old so that wasn't an entirely unplausible thought.

I put my key in the trunk and I'm trying to open it. The key isn't really wanting to turn, and I'm still thinking it's my car because my key is getting a bit wonky. THEN I notice that there's a sticker in the back window that ISN'T MINE. OHMYGOD, this is NOT MY CAR! To my defense, this other car was only 1 row away from mine, the same make, model, color, and year as my car.

And of course, this whole time there's a woman waiting for this spot. So my medication-free moment had a witness. At least she was nice enough to roll down her window and throw a "it looks just like your car" sympathy comment my way.

Sheesh.

Indignation

You have GOT to be kidding me.

Some complete ass STOLE our water. No, I'm not kidding.

Because we're water snobs, we get these water bottles delivered - the kind where you have to turn them over and put them into a water dispenser. We got our latest bottle delivered yesterday. YESTERDAY. Tonight when Husband was getting ready for work, I thanked him for bringing in the water bottle (I'd have to roll it in while simultaneously preventing the cat from escaping). He says he didn't bring it in, didn't I? Well, NO, I DIDN'T.

Neither one of us brought the bottle in...which would lead to the inevitable conclusion that SOME JACKASS STOLE IT.

Who the hell steals a bottle of water? And one that most likely requires being rolled down the hall because it's too heavy to carry very far?

Seriously, WHO STEALS WATER?!?

Thoughts

1. I'm a little surprised that you can actually say "bitch" on TV before 10 p.m. This is not because I'm conservative. What got me noticing it was all the recent family time I've had - one part of my family wouldn't be caught dead listening to anything with such foul language. And for them, it's kind of like watching sex scenes with your parents - just wierd.

2. When Miss Smarty Pants was here visiting last week, she took me for a mani/pedi for my birthday (which is in a few weeks - fear not, you'll all be duly notified). I've noticed that whenever I do get a manicure (like, once a year) my cuticles come out mangled. Which leads to a painful growing-back process. Which now makes me sound like my fingers look like Revenge of the Cuticle. Despite this slight inconvenience, my fingers & toes look mahhhvelous.

3. It's a good thing my kitty is so darn cute. Especially when he's doing his best to push my patience to the absolute limit. I keep telling myself that the teething will stop. I mean, he has to get fat & lazy eventually, right?

4. I think the Burger King King guy is hysterical. I realize he's also creepy, but I just find him funny. Like, I'm tempted to have TiVo start a collection of those commercials. Does this make me beyond wierd? According to this site I guess I'm a cynical man "of the 18-35 crowd". Hmmm.

5. I know one of my yearly goals was to accept my body for the way it is, but that does NOT mean I can continue to gorge myself silly. In trying to accept my body, I'd like to do things that make me feel good. I think this means I need to get back on the exercise hamster wheel. And I dislike exercising so much I'd rather eat less than be forced to work out. And yes, I know the whole serotonin hoo-hah. Still. I think I'm one of those people that needs a commando-style trainer. Any takers?

6. Confession: I don't like water. That doesn't mean I don't drink it. I do, I just don't enjoy it. Unless I'm I've been in the Sahara thirsty. And I feel badly about this, and I don't know why. Water guilt?

7. I did NINE loads of laundry today. Yes, that's all I did today. No, I haven't been avoiding laundry for the last month. I had to do lots of things you don't wash all the time - like blankets and beach towels & the extra sheets. It wasn't really a fun day. I'm SO having a washer/dryer IN my next apartment.

8. Speaking of my next apartment, Husband & I are going to SEATTLE next week.!. I'm really excited to find out if it's a good fit for us. I will definitely be posting more details about this, not to mention SOLICITING ideas/tips/info from those of you with Seattle knowledge.

9. Because I need to end on an odd number (despite my OCD need for symmetry & balance), I'll share the few things on my birthday wish list. I'd REALLY like the complete Sex And The City. I've seen them all, and yet I still watch the edited, sliced-and-diced version they show on TV. Although it's still fun to watch, the non-sliced-and-diced version is so much better.

(9.b.) I also would like a 9x9x2 baking pan. Turns out having one is NOT enough if you want to do a cake, especially a Martha Stewart coconut cake for Husband's birthday. And they don't sell 9x9x2 pans at the grocery store. Oh, they sell 8x8x1 15/32 (not kidding), but NO 9x9x2. I think Williams Sonoma decided to put a copyright out on that pan size (maybe together with Sur La Table) so no grocery stores or normal, not expensive stores will carry them. Which will undoubtedly lead to MUCH frustration.

(9.c.) In any event, the coconut cake turned out BEAUTIFULLY, and it was my FIRST cake from scratch. I even made the frosting from scratch. I did take pictures, so when I get them developed, I'll post it. (Given the recent debacle with the last camera's memory card, Husband is a little reticent to let me use his brand new camera.)

Ok, I think that's all for now. I'm contemplating going to bed before 2:oo a.m. We'll see.

and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes to...

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Enjoy being older than me for the next 20 days. Hee!

WHO'S THE TROOPER NOW?!?

I AM!

Wanna know why? It is 5:15 A.M. and I AM STILL UP. Oh yeah. It all started with strip card games (which I handily won in a straight set against Husband, HA!), Wedding Crashers around midnight and then The Exorcism of Emily Rose (currently on pause). I think I'm actually becoming (gasp) NOCTURNAL. (Paging Eve!)

This last week has been sparse as far as postings go because I've had COMPANY. And it's been jolly good fun. A friend from college (who is currently in law school and is a Resident Smarty Pants) came down to spend a few days with me. We had tons of fun, although I think I'm due for a chocolate detox (we relived good ol' college days, complete with the chocolate-chip cookie dough). We saw: The Island (better than you think), 40 Year Old Virgin, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Smarty Pants hadn't seen it), and Must Love Dogs.

The 40 Year Old Virgin was laugh-your-pants-off funny. Must Love Dogs was cute (love me some John Cusak).

Last night we went to see The Producers, from which we all pretty much lost our voices because we were laughing so much.

Ok, back to The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Good times, good times.

Fee-fi-fo-fum-resolutions

So... the resolutions. Hmmm. I don't really think I can improve on Saucy's list.

I've never really been into the whole resolution game, anyways. Here's why: I'm a perfectionist, and I can't handle the not following through. Which is also the same reason why I never did the whole Nano Wrimo thing in November. That doesn't mean I'll never write a novel, and this doesn't mean I don't make resolution-type goals to improve my life.

So, instead of the pressure of resolutions hanging over my head, how about we just call them GOALS for 2006?


1. I'd really like to become a licensed attorney this year.

2. I'd like to go easier on myself this year. You know, be okay with me being me. Not expect myself to loose an unrealistic amount of weight but instead accept my body the way it is, flaws and all.

3. I'd like to be nicer to people. There's too much hate and anger in the world already, I don't need to be adding to it!

4. I'd like to watch less television, and read more books. And not fluffy books - cerebral books.

5. I'd like to play more music this year - both piano and violin.

6. I'd like to find some career satisfaction. It doesn't have to come by way of the legal profession. I'm just tired of feeling so unbalanced in that part of my life.

7. Along that line, I'd like to find balance in my life - in family, career, social life, everything. I'm tired of feeling like everything is out of whack!

Do you hear that?

That is the sound of my liver, begging for mercy.

Good Riddance, 2005!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, KIDS!

For those of you planning to paint the town red tonight, HAVE FUN!!!

My plans are rather boring. I'm staying in, watching movies (isn't When Harry Met Sally a requirement?), drinking, and doing it all in comfy clothes. Husband & I were going to go to a local bar & then wind up at this fun Mexican restaurant for midnight (we did the same last year), but he found out 2 days ago that he has to work tonight (oh, the indignity). And I was just too lazy to try to come up with any alternate plans. And staying in and getting drunk sounded good.

So far I've started with a lovely cabernet sauvignon and will later move to my very own bottle of champagne. Yay! I haven't yet decided if I'll start the champagne with mimosas or not. Oh, and I made a ridiculous chocolate bundt cake (breaking in the new bundt pan). And OMG, it's BTS. And it even looks pretty 'cuz I sprinkled powdered sugar over the top. Look at me go, Mz. Harriet Homemaker (which Husband is just adoring).

If I decide to do resolutions, that'll be tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Christmas was a big HIT

This gnome is back in town, and only just a little bit chunkier. But what are the holidays for if not for copious amount of cookies, fudge, and carb-y goodness?

Before I do a little recap, I first have to give a major Ellen-style HOLLA to Mz. L, who watched my kitty while Husband & I were gone. Thanks, you rock! And I think I owe you some serious bubbly on New Years.

Ok, on to the recap, which I have to do in my lovely numbered style, because it's nice and organized. Yes, I realize how Type A I am.

1. I had a rockin' good time out with my cousins in Chicago. We all got massively drunk and were singing karaoke at the top of our lungs. It was so much fun!

2. Fun tip: if you don't have Febreeze, Lysol works just as well. The Irish pub we were at was full of smoking, and the next morning my coat smelled so disgusting. My cousin said there was febreeze under his bathroom counter, and to just spray my coat. I go grab what I think is the febreeze and spray my coat. A bit later, my other cousin decides he needs to spray his jeans, so he uses the same thing I did and sprayed his jeans. After we got back from brunch, it was discovered that I grabbed Lysol instead of febreeze. HA HA HA. As it turns out, the lysol didn't bleach my coat (phew!), and worked just as well since it didn't smell after I sprayed it!

3. I ate incredibly yummy food...this great Italian restaurant and some serious BTS food in Chinatown.

4. Not-so-fun discovery: I'm allergic to Lubriderm lotion. My skin completely dried out after 2 days back. My aunt said she had lotion, so I slathered myself in Lubriderm to avoid scratching myself to the bleeding point. Right before bed, I slathered my arms one more time, for good measure. The next morning, I woke up with a VICIOUS rash on my left arm. The next morning, I had the same rash on my right arm. I can now say with conviction that I'd rather have dry, itchy skin than rashy, allergic skin.

5. Another not-so-fun discovery: I've forgotten that Midwest winters are so dry. So dry, in fact, that I woke up with my throat so dry it felt like I had a sore throat and was getting sick. Which led to a day of drinking Theraflu & gargling salt water...thinking I was fending off whatever bug my body was catching. On the up side, the Theraflu has antihistamine in it, so while it completely knocked me out, it also helped the Lubriderm-induced rash.

6. I was able to spend a day with my grandpa, who is 91 years old with rapidly declining health. We're all a little worried this will be his last winter, so it was especially poignant to see him and spend time with him.

7. I definitely got my cold weather & snow fix. And it was fabulous! It really felt like Christmas ... with all the shivering and snuggling and hot apple cider. It was so nice and cozy.

8. This Christmas was the year of baking supplies. I never knew I could get so excited about getting a cookbook (the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook, which is FABULOUS), a bundt pan, and a cookie press (can't wait to make Spritz cookies).

Ok, I think that's about it for now. I've got some peppermint bark to make a dent in. Hey - the healthy eating can commence tomorrow. I want to hear from all of you about your holidays.

oh lazy bones

1. I didn't go to the holiday party. The thought of having to be in a social enviroment was just too much, especially considering I'm going to be around lots of people for the next week and a half. I didn't call, but I did send a very nice email and he responded, so it's all good.

2. I have to go to the airport in about 14 hours and I haven't really packed yet. I started putting stuff like my magazines and ipod in a pile, just so I don't forget anything, but I haven't even begun to figure out outfits. And what makes this even more interesting is that I will be going through a 40-50 degree temperature difference tomorrow. HA! I'm excited about being in winter (which will make it seem much more like Christmas to me) but have just decided I'll probably just freeze for the next week and a half.

3. More about packing: I still have to put together outfits, with options (I'm big on having options, just ask Husband), and make sure I have enough warm clothes. Which really sucks, because somehow after living in LA for just over a year and a half, I seem to have lost most of my layering white t-shirts. Which presents a slight problem for laying yet looking nice and dandy.

4. I have watched 4 movies this week:
*The Notebook: incredibly beautiful love story that made me sob like a baby.
*Say Anything: yes, this was my first time seeing it (my upbringing was very Footloose), and I heart Lloyd Dobler.
*Closer: incredible acting, incredibly painful to watch.
*The Wedding Date: I thought I'd need a little fluff after Closer, and fluff it was. Fun, definitely formulaic, but still fun.

5. I'm very excited about tomorrow night: one of my cousins is picking me up at the airport and taking me downtown Chicago to meet the other cousins & friends at a bar. The only thing that is slightly dampening my super excitement is the fact that California has spoiled for the lack of indoor smoking - I shall never be the same again.

6. Since we'll be with Husband's mother, stepfather, and grandparents over Christmas weekend, we'll be attending church. I am really not looking forward to it, as I don't really "feel" the church thing. This might have something to do with my extraordinarily religious, conservative upbringing and the fact that I've (gasp) strayed from the fold. *sigh*. That's a whole 'nother story.

7. Husband has sacrificed watching Seinfeld so I can watch Numb3rs tonight. I like it, but don't usually watch it since I monopolize most everything else on TiVo and figure Husband ought to be able to watch a few things. I picked this over Law & Order: CI because Bill Nye is guest starring on it tonight. Who is this Bill Nye, you ask? Well, this PBS-fed kid used to watch Bill Nye the Science Guy on PBS...that is, when I was allowed to actually watch actual TV and not just videotapes of my music lessons for learning purposes. (Again, this goes back to my Footloose childhood, without the cool ending.)

8. I really ought to start packing.

9. Oh yeah, postings between now and around December 27th will probably be nonexistant, as I'm not counting on having internet access. But we'll see...I might be able to.

10. I still haven't found my camera's memory card. I even pulled out the flashlight and looked under and behind furniture. I'm afraid it got, ah, processed and ended up in the litter box. I also can't find my ipod earphones, which I think have been hidden away by a certain furry, 4-legged, whiskered creature.

Ok, I think that about sums it up for now. I hope everyone has a FABULOUS holiday - Christmas or otherwise. :)

Internet, I need your advice!

Ok, kids, I need some help.

Last year I worked for a sole practitioner. While it certainly wasn't the crappy experience of my most recent job, it had it's own special charms. After I deferred passing the bar the first time, I quit so I could study full time. And then I didn't go back to working for him, which I wasn't too broken up about.

I haven't spoken to him in over a year.

So, here's the situation: I just received an email from him inviting me to his Christmas Party this coming Friday night.

DO I GO?

One of my friends seems to think this is coming from a genuine, nice place and that I should go. However, thinking about going and what to wear, etc., makes me feel like I'm going to break out in hives. Part of that is probably just stress from thinking about being in a social situation where I'll have to talk about what I'm NOT doing with myself right now, career-wise. And part of it is just stress from having to leave the apartment.

Since I'm flying out on Saturday afternoon, I could just tell him I'd love to but unfortunately will be out of town. Or I could just suck it up and go.

Help.

Bumper Basher, part II

Husband came home from work this morning and says: So, did you happen to notice anything different about my car?!?

Cue me burrowing as far under the covers as I can get.

Husband: So, were you going to tell me?!?

Me: *wail* No. I mean yes, eventually.

Husband: What happened?

Me: I fill him in on the details of how I'm an idiot and backed into that stupid yellow pole.

Husband: Well, I actually feel better knowing some idiot didn't hit me and not even leave a note or anything.

Me: Really? Well, I won't drive your car again.

Husband: Yeah, and when I do something like this to YOUR car, you just remember this little incident.

Me: Okay. (Breathing a huge sigh of relief that my toenails have stayed intact.)

*sniff*...*sniff*... *wail*

So, when I was at the library today (prior to bashing Husband's new, white car's rear bumper into one of those short yellow poles in a parking lot, for which I will undoubtedly be hung up by my toenails, more on this later) I picked up the movie The Notebook.

Why?

Apparently, because I wanted to have a sobfest tonight. And holy cow did I cry. It was just such an incredibly moving, emotional, tragic story. *sigh*

And then I had to follow that up, once I stopped sobbing, with an episode of Sex and the City wherein Aidan moves out of Carrie's apartment and she has to figure out how to come up with a down payment to buy her apartment. But that was just sad, too.

Ok, so, for the bumper bashing story: I took Husband's car to do some errands today, including going to the library and returning some videos. After I had returned the videos and was attempting to back out of the parking space, oh so carefully, I hit one of those stupid, stupid, stupid, pointless yellow poles. Oh, I saw the FOUR surrounding the street lamp, but happened to miss the FIFTH one. Really, five?

As soon as it happened, all my internal organs immediately dropped about 5 feet. When I got home I discovered that while it's really not that bad (no dents), it's still fairly terrible. I placed a terrified emergency call to a friend, and she suggested trying some cleaner on it and then using white-out (his car is white). I used the cleaner, and while it helped a little bit, it's still pretty bad. And of course I couldn't find any white out...I tore the place apart and no dice. So, to preserve my life (my aunt suggested I just pack up my bags and come to visit her NOW), I'm waiting to discuss it with him until he notices it and brings it up first.

Think I can get away with saying his car got hit...with an inanimate object?

stella artois + merlot + ketle one = holy hangover, batman

Wooooooo. I had a serious bender on Friday night. Husband mentioned that I might want to not drink so much in the future. Yeah, ya think?! Ok, so here's how Friday went DOWN.

1. 1:00 p.m.: meet with college friend in Santa Monica to see the movie Rent. Buy popcorn, douse in luscious butter and salt, be transported to popcorn heaven. Oh, and the movie was fabulous...exactly what I needed, emotionally, right now. Perfect. (I have yet to be lucky enough to see it on Broadway...which will totally happen one day.)

2. 4:00 p.m.: head to British Pub to lay in wait for James Blunt, after purchasing CD for his signature. Commence copious intake of Stella Artois.

3. 4:30 p.m.: College Friend & I start talking with this cute old man in the bar, who is playing darts, who later goes from being a cute old man to a complete psycho.

4. 5:15 p.m.: discover WE HAVE BEEN DUPED by his record label, and that instead of the great James Blunt actually appearing, some chick from his record label is there to hand out swag. Am seriously pissed, although the record label chick is pretty cool.

5. 5:30 p.m.: meet the record label chick's husband, share our table with him & this family who brought their 16-year-old daughter to see James Blunt. Discover that the family is super cool. Drink more Stella and play darts with the super cool parents of the 16-year-old cool girl.

6. Sometime between 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.: Have had three large beers. Woo. The cool family invites College Friend & I to come to dinner with them. So, we go...why not?! Have wine with dinner. Have a great time - great food, great wine, great people.

7. ?:?? p.m.: College Friend follows me back to my apartment. We are both shocked we make it there without incident. Commence craziness. This entails doing shots of ketle one vodka with wine chasers. Yeah. We are smart. We decide to take tons of drunk crazy pictures, and are trying to chat online with our mutual friend in South Korea. As it turns out, we're so drunk we can hardly type. After 4 or so shots of vodka (no lemon or sugar, because we're ROCK STARS) we decide we want pizza. Apparently I was trying to convince College Friend that I was totally cool to drive. Good thing we decided to order pizza.

8. 6:00 a.m., Saturday morning: Husband comes home tipsy from a tequila-infused night with the guys. I wake up to discover that both College Friend & I had passed out on the couches, the living room looks like an atomic bomb exploded. There are bits of spilled wine (red) EVERYWHERE. HA! College Friend, who has more memory of the night than I, tells me that we passed out in the middle of trying to decide who to order pizza from. It also turns out that in the 5 feet from the coffee table (scene of the drunken pictures) to the computer, the memory card was RAPTURED. Yeah, I can't find it.

I spent all day Saturday being incredibly hungover. Fun times for all. Ok, I gotta get ready to head out...

I have discovered another love!

I feel the need to talk. So, let's talk. First, I'll tell you what's going on with me.

1. Ok, I finally get what all this James Blunt fuss is about. I TiVo'd SNL from this last Saturday, and I keep watching his performances over and over. And, like, he's totally singing to me. Talk about making you feel like the most beautiful girl in the world (as do you, Prince).

2. I finished putting all my CD's into iTunes and now I have 2108 songs. That's 6.2 days of listening pleasure, people.

3. I made a Christmas music (or should I say Holiday music?) playlist, and I'm really excited about using that for my upcoming plane trip. There are 110 songs in this playlist. Is that alot? Am I a Christmas music whore? Help! I need affirmation!

4. My upcoming plane trip: I'm going to my aunt's in Chicago on the 17th! I'm closer to this aunt & uncle than I am to my parents, so I'm very excited to see them - it's been about a year since I saw them last. And have I mentioned how excited I am to SEE SNOW and wear my fabulously stylish wool coat that I got in NYC?

5. I actually left the apartment yesterday. Shocking, I know, as this entailed things like showering and applying makeup. I met a girl I went to college with and we went to this great little British Pub in Santa Monica for happy hour. Happy, indeed. $2.50 draft stella artois, yummy! At this delightful, non-LA pub, I saw a poster for (sit down) JAMES BLUNT COMING THERE THIS COMING FRIDAY to do autographs and just be his generally wonderful self. I'M SO EXCITED. This friend that I met yesterday & I are totally going to see him. Yes, this is the fun stuff you get to do when you're sitting in the luxurious lap of unemployment. Delightful.

6. Today was the deadline to apply to retake the Calbar. I thought about it, mostly because a particular friend (ahem, you know who you are) thought I should just go for it because I was so close, that with the easier scaling of the February exam, I'd probably pass. And yes, I was close. 12.5 points close, actually. And I'm super-duper ok with being that close, because it tells me that my hard work wasn't for naught. I did know my shit. It was just perhaps a grumpy grader. Because if I'd gotten 5 measly more points on 2 essays, I totally would have passed. Oh well. Anyways, my point: I thought about retaking it, and consciously and unemotionally decided NOT to. Yes, I will be a tad bit jealous of all of you getting sworn in tomorrow (and those who already did), but it's not hateful jealousy, just more like wistful jealousy.

7. I feel really, truly free after deciding not to retake the Calbar. I know this is not the place we're supposed to be, and although I've come to that realization kicking and screaming, and would have enjoyed living in northern California, I'm okay with that. The future is great that way - it provides a lovely little thing that this Calbar experience has done it's best to try and destroy - HOPE!

8. I've watched the movie Love, Actually way too many times in the past week.

9. I've been staying up super late every night. As in, I go to bed anytime between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. And I know for some of you (EVE), that doesn't really sound late, but I'm normally a morning person. As in, whenever I have, oh say, a JOB, I get up at like 5:30/6:00 a.m. And I'm one of those annoying people who normally gets up early on the weekends, too - I just like getting up and feeling like you get so much accomplished and it's not even noon. And sleeping in makes me feel inherently lazy and worthless. But I'm not motivated enough to break the cycle. Augh.

10. How do they do those groovy HP commercials where the picture becomes real and vice versa?

11. One of my friends told me I need to get a hobby. So, I'm currently accepting submissions for a hobby idea. Cheap hobbies, preferrably.

12. Has anyone else noticed that the Blogger settings have changed so that you can't change the time of a post? This is aggravating to me, because I frequently get sidetracked when I'm writing a post, and so I like to change the time to reflect when I actually click on the "Publish Post" button. Since I seem to be prevented from doing so, I'd put the time for this post being published as: 12:15 a.m.

13. Ok, I'm boring myself, I think I've run out of things to talk about. Now, your turn.

Pilfering, at it's finest...

So, I totally pilfered this from a random blog I came across, and like any good plagiarist, I didn't note what site it was. Anyways, I think music says a lot about people, and felt like doing a fun, lazy post. So here's the deal: go to iTunes or whatever music program you use, and sort and search the following. And yes, I want ALL OF YOU to do this with me.

How many songs: 1690 (I haven't put all my CD's in yet...I'm lazy.)

'Sort by song title-
First Song: “40” by U2
Last Song: “Zwischenstuck” by ATB

Sort by time -
Shortest Song: “17” by Smashing Pumpkins
Longest Song: “A Long Day” by The Polyphonic Spree

Sort by album -
First Album: 0304 by Jewel (oh STOP JUDGING, it's a sucky album, I KNOW.)
Last Album: Zooropa by U2

Top Five Recently Played Songs: (this was originally Most Played Songs, but I like my version better. So there.)
1. "Sleigh Ride" by Harry Connick, Jr.
2. "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" by Band Aid
3. "Crooked Teeth" by Death Cab for Cutie
4. "An Honest Mistake" by The Bravery
5. "Waltz (Better Than Fine)" by Fiona Apple

First song that comes up on Shuffle: Fire by U2 (off of the October album)

Search:"sex", how many songs come up? 1 – “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate
"death", how many songs come up? 16
"love", how many songs come up? 85
"you", how many songs come up? 167

listening to right now? “Have Yourself a Merry Little Xmas (Life)” by Coldplay