dark days. December 19, 2007

nearly the darkest day of the year.  i will be so happy when we are on the upswing.

i just realized that i didn’t blog about the wonders of meeting rick sebak.  if you don’t know, i just think that rick sebak’s pittsburgh history specials are the bomb. they are just awesome.  so i randomly heard that he would be “appearing” at the bn in gbg.  i had to be there.  i picked up two new dvds to have him sign.  he was so cool and witty in person and asked about where i work and i told him that we buy all the dvds,  so he signed my dvds and they are super fun.  he’s the goods.  one of my colleagues at work is also crazy for the sebak, so i told him all about it, and of course, he was jealous.  how could you expect anything else????

so, what else?  i have been crafting like mad to get gifts done for my coworkers (see my pencil case for one of my coworkers). i’m pretty much done.  i have this pile of stuff ( i.e. presents) in my bed room and now i just have to remember who i bought what.  sigh.  i hope to give some people presents tomorrow, so i need to get my act in gear.

friday i have my work party, which is us (4) going out to dinner.  totally casual, nice.  so that should be fab.  another few xmas parties this weekend.  saturday is also the day i have been waiting for- the day i get cable!!! woo hoo.  i also have a ton of dvds from work to watch over break (11 days off!!!! it’s like high school all over again).  so i have a lot to get done, or not.

work is SLOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWing done considerable.  it’s break time around here.   what else do i have to say. nothing more….

ever wonder what dubai and abu dhabi looks like, really?
a cool article on crafting and etsy, and 2.0 from the nyt.

why are you so far away from me? December 18, 2007

soviets totally made my day today.  i got the most fantastic text/ photo from him, and i was totally just happy.  soviets is braving the long MN winter with his family, and i made sure to send them the most special and fantastic xmas card available- hello kitty.  b/c they are special.

i know the title of this isn’t so imaginative, but actually, i had to use a line from pinkerton, as me and mr. soviets used to listen to that cd in our hey day.  if only i could digitize the mix tape we made together….  so, yeah, thanks.

weekend is for sleeping and nothing else. December 17, 2007

i can’t believe that the semester is almost (so close) over.  it all went so fast.  what am i going to do on my 11 day break? i have no idea. i better get some crafty stuff ready to be worked on, i guess.

friday night i met the fam for dinner, did some last minute shopping (When Will It End!??!) and met c for obligatory coffee.  i worked on a knitted gift for a co worker and stayed up pretty late thinking and furiously crafting.  i wish i could shut down my brain sometimes.  it’s a constant struggle to not over analyze every move and every word.  sigh.

saturday i got up and got coffee, posted the xmas cards, did my errands and felt surprisingly horrible.  earlier in the morning i woke up feeling like i had the flu, but maybe that was b/c i had a mixture of too much coffee and not too much food in my stomach, i do that way too often.  i slept for 3 hours in the middle of the day, didn’t head to m’s party b/c of weather, probably should have just gone since i am not even sure if it materialized (i’m sure it’s even more delightful to read that, m, i’m sorry about that).  i have the best gift for her, so i will probably just mail it so she get’s it sooner rather than later.  i went for a short walk around 10 and just breathed the cold cold air.  went to bed soon after, saturday was just a total blur, why did i need to sleep 1000 hours that day?

sunday i had to work for a bit and worked on office xmas gifts, shh, don’t tell.  hardly any students, terrible turn out and oh so delightful commute back home, the roads were surprisingly terrible due to squalls and just snowy mess. t and m picked me up to go to a former prof’s party where the wine and cheese (beer for me, not wine) was good.  new thing i love: gingerbread cheesecake, how didn’t they think that up before, awesome….

i have to finish some crafts for people this week, the apartment is like a factory and not in the fun andy warhol way, if only i had minions to make my gifts too.  oh wait, that might take the fun out of it for me.

ok, back to the grind.

there’s something to be said for honesty. December 15, 2007

 it’s supposed to snow like mad here, i had to learn about sunday contingency planning for work, i get to make the decision if i go in. which is actually more pressure than i really want.    i learned that we exchange gifts at work, sweet. here i thought i was done xmas shopping, but i am back out there.  just what i wanted.  oh better yet, maybe i’ll make people stuff to make sure that i am insane until the end.  yes.  that is what i will do.

(note: i have had lots of coffee, have been listening to blackberry belle, and really, i think i might be a bit crazy at the moment.  most likely i’ll delete this at somepoint later when i am not feeling totally mental, but enjoy it while you can).

in more advice for the day: not that i was ever in favor of lying, but just be truthful about what a total asshole you are.

it’s a huge relief to know upfront that you’re juvenile, impractical and you’ll make me cry hysterical, as gd says.

glitter in my hair December 13, 2007

i have managed to get a huge glob of glitter and glue into my hair.  nice touch.

another list:
http://www.stereogum.com/gummys/winners.html

so, i am terribly sick of this grey weather.  i told someone yesterday when asked how i was doing, i’m seasonally affected.

it’s somewhat winding down at work, and i feel great about that. i want to be alone for a bit.  away from people and questions.  so please, don’t ask reference questions while i am on break.  i will most likely start crying.

thoughts of the day.
isn’t it amazing how you see no faults in your crushes.  they could do something terribly and mean and yet, you totally forgive it.  blech. terrible policy.  solitary is where it’s at people.

a few words from our sponsors. December 11, 2007

i know y’all never click the links, but….

an interesting article re: perfectionism and the depression based on trying to be perfect.  super scary.

i wish my library looked like these.

i just had someone say, what’s your name, i think your boss should give you a raise.  nice.
they also said, what the library is only open till then? why can’t it be later (b/c i hate staying that late already…)

what has been going on?
well, it’s busy busy busy like a bee at work since it’s the end of the semester.  kids in panic, profs in panic, it’s all crazy. i see people i have never seen before, it’s amazing.  i think i am done teaching for the semester, which is an awesome feeling (i made it this far…. i can’t believe it…)

i sold some stuff at dv8, which makes me so excited, i can’t even explain.  went to a show last weekend in the most tiny ass bar ever.  it was bizarre.  i felt a bit panicked early on, not quite like khyber (was it the khyber) in philly where you look back into a sea of people and no way out (the things we do for music, eh?), but it was a bit small. was supposed to go to a show on sunday but i got that old familiar feeling of not wanting to go somewhere alone and feeling weird about it. i hate that, i knew like 100000 people who would be there, but the action of getting there alone was too much, it’s the walking in alone thing, that gets me every time. i don’t mind being alone that much once i am there, but the walking in… sigh. i know, i’m crazy.

two hour delay on monday due to power outage, the best ever. have to do my xmas cards this weekend.  decorated the apartment to look like a train wreck of tinsel and garland that is garish to say the least, it’s awesome!!!

finally made the curtains for the kitchen, cute.  painted some stuff, a box and a picture frame. sewed like the wind on sunday night (instead of the show) and got my tasks done like hemming pants and making a weirdo headband.  sunday night i also wrote like crazy, just journaling kinds of things, but it was good. i felt sad then better after i did it.

xmas party on sunday and michele’s grad party on saturday night.  rock, she’s officially a graduate again and gets to sport the puffy shirt.  did you get that already michele? (she doesn’t even read this…)

next weekend a few parties and dinners and then off from work!! and i’m getting cable.  so much to report.

i’m out.  this is boring factual.

btw, do you know what a double rocker mechanism is?  it took me forever to find out this for one of my peeps tonight.  sigh…..

my favorite time of the year December 7, 2007

i love reading and hating on end of the year music lists.  i read them all.  i like when music i dig from the year gets some recognition.  i really like reading what people, friends/ artists, everyone, has liked from the year, even better than reading what a magazine or blog thinks is the best stuff from the year….

without further ado, here a few (from scott ford’s blog), sure they are randomly (not quite) selected from people i have extreme fondness for….

Greg Dulli, Twilight Singers/Gutter Twins

Unsuffer Me- Lucinda Williams
Umbrella- Rihanna
All I Need- Radiohead
Down The Line- Jose Gonzalez
Someone Great- LCD Soundsystem
Sensual Seduction- Snoop Dogg
Drunk And Hot Girls- Kanye West
The Con- Tegan and Sara
Nights Are Long- Intramural
Jesus of Nothing- Soulsavers
Sick, Sick, Sick- QOTSA

Jeff Klein, AKA Sporty Spice

Diamond Dancer – Bill Callahan
When Under Ether – PJ Harvey
Mistaken For Strangers – The National
Falling Slowly – The Frames
Down The Line – Jose Gonzalez
Icky Thump – The White Stripes
Nights Are Long – Intramural
Darkmatter – Andrew Bird
Marry Me – St Vincent
You Got Yr Cherry Bomb – Spoon