My Twenty-Something Quasi-Soap

Hmmm, it's nearly 2 in the morning on a Monday. Of course I'm writing a blog. :) I just wrapped up another weekend with BBE...burgers, True Blood Season 1, and lots of naps. In other words, it was awesome. So since I was temporarily in good spirits, I figured I'd give my year-end wrap-up post another shot. And what better way to wrap things up than by looking at this year's posts and all they had to reveal. What will we remember most from 2009? What did I manage to preserve here for the Internet Archives? A lot of what we'll all remember about 2009: not a lot of fun. :( Irony is a cruel, cruel, thing. How? Take my quote from the beginning of 2009: I'm sure that 2009 will shape up to be a huge year, just like 2008 was. But for all our sakes, I hope it's a huge year in that "OMG so many awesome things have happened and things are getting better for once" way and not in the "OMG everything is going to hell in a handbasket and it's only going...

...until 2009 is over. And honestly, it won't be a day too soon. ::sigh:: I had fully intended on launching into one of my year-end-wrap-up posts, in which I was going to list all of the shitty stuff that's happened to/for me this year and match it up to a list of awesome stuff that's happened to/for me this year in an attempt to convince myself that 2009 truly was not the worst year ever (even though I'm wholly convinced that it has been, and there's still 2 weeks to go). But then I got a phone call from BBE, and instantly felt better again about everything because we're going to hang out this weekend. So, while I still have time to compile my List Of Reasons Why 2009 Was The Worst Year Ever (Reason #1: I lost my job. Twice . (yes, twice...I'll explain eventually...)), I can start on my other list right now: People/Places/Things that were Awesome in 2009: #1: Best Boyfriend Ever. And that's all that needs to be on the list for now. :)

So when did it get to be the end of October already? Had a great day with BBE today. We went to the Guggenheim to see a Kandinsky exhibit. I learned that I'm not a big fan of Kandinsky. But I got to see a few Picassos and Monets up close, so that was awesome. Next museum on the list is MoMA, which I'm totally stoked about. One of the best parts of the day ('cause any day with BBE is a good day) was walking back through Central Park along the reservoir running track. The view of the west side was spectacular, and it helped me realize that fall isn't all that bad. Yes, I miss my flip flops and wife beaters, but sweaters and cute boots aren't the worst thing ever. And football helps a lot. Another short one today...just felt like jotting something down. Laters!

Y'all thought I forgot about you, huh? I haven't. I have been meaning to hop on here and update you all on where I've been and what I'm doing. But alas, I have been way too tired! So while this post should be much longer than usual in order to accommodate for my absence, I'll have to whip through this with all the bullet points instead. Ready...go! -Summer is pretty much over, but that's ok. I have discovered that a fake pair of Uggs will get me through the winter in lieu of my flip-flops. I still don't like this whole sub-70 weather business (especially since we got cheated out of summer weather this year), but I will persevere and carry on. Besides, watching football all day long on Sundays is a lot more fun when you're curled up on the couch with tea and Best Boyfriend Ever as opposed to sweating through preseason without air conditioning. -Speaking of BBE, all is quite well in that department. More hanging out in the apartment instead of running arou...

Well, this summer has just been flying by, hasn't it? It's already the middle of August, we're well into the dog days of summer, football season is right around the corner, and I have been very busy. Seriously - between a summer class (for my event planning certificate, hopefully by May of next year), a new job (human resources for a pharmaceutical company), getting a jello shot business off the ground (something my sister and I started a year ago), and spending as many weekends as possible with Best Boyfriend Ever (who will be referred to as BBE going forward), Summer '09 has been jam-packed with Adventures in Life. Talk about a complete (or almost complete) 180 from where I was 6 months ago, also known as my Dark and Twisty Period (with homage and apologies to Shonda Rhimes). But in the same way that winter can easily leave us feeling cold and bleak and desperate (I mean, seriously, I was talking about the wind whipping outside my window like I was at Wuthering Height...

Ok, so we're probably all tired of talking about it. This post comes rather late, considering it's been over two weeks since his death, and almost a week after the memorial. But in keeping with my obsession of all things pop culture, it wouldn't be right to not address this here. So you're allowed to roll your eyes and sigh and say, "enough already," but I'm going to say what I need to say so I can move on. Where was I when I heard the news? I was sitting on the couch in the family room with my dad, clutching my cell phone, anxiously waiting for more news. 45 minutes before that moment, I had returned a phone call from my sister. She asked me to check the news to find out if Michael Jackson was really dead. My reaction was, of course, that it was a rumor run rampant and out of control. He wasn't dead. Heart attack maybe, but dead, no. My Google search confirmed my instincts. TMZ was wrong and I was right. He had suffered cardiac arrest, but he was in t...

We have a cat. I've mentioned the cat here and there over the years. He's still here, 12 years old, and fatter than ever. Ah yes, the old Fuzz Bucket. He only gets called by his real name when he's in serious trouble, just like a little kid. Otherwise, he's Fuzz Bucket, Kitty, Stupid Cat, or Dude (as in, "Dude, seriously! You've already had your dinner. Stop bugging me!"). And just like a little kid, he has peed or thrown up on a seemingly infinite number of surfaces and objects, yet, he's still alive and he's still here. He's like the bratty little brother I never wanted. Fuzz Bucket primarily lives in my room, which is actually my sister's old room. None of that matters to the cat: it's his room. Hence, he must have 24 hour access in and out of my room. Failure to provide unlimited access to the room will result in being awoken at 3am by endless pawing and meowing at the door until His Royal Highness has been allowed to enter. Fuzz B...

And yet, I say this while it's currently 57 degrees and raining outside. I'm in my bed, in pants and my beloved Rutgers hoodie, under a comforter, while the cat has just settled in on his side of the bed next to a pile of clean laundry. But being as that we have already celebrated Memorial Day Weekend, and I am no longer a victim of the New Jersey public school system, it is now summer for all intents and purposes. Hooray!! So the seasons are a changin'. My allergies have eased up a bit. The days are longer and the nights are warmer. I already have a tan and I haven't set foot on the Shore (cringe). Bridges are slowly mending, status quos (stati quo? statuses quoi? whatever) have upgraded quite nicely, and the cd's keep spinning in my Ramenmobile. The Ramenmobile that failed inspection a few weeks ago, resulting in me dropping over $400 for new tires, balancing, and alignment (thank god for Visa). But the cd player keeps chugging along! One of the things I have real...

I'm supposed to be doing laundry and/or finishing my book, but I had to jot this down. Up here in Jersey we have had some downright miserable weather. At least, it's miserable to me, as I'm still adjusting to Northeast weather. (I miss the Ft. Lauderdale sun and heat as much as I hated it when I actually lived there. Go figure.) Towards the end of April, we had this gloriously beautiful weekend. Sunshine and temps in the 90's, and just awesome (except for all of the pollen...my allergies are back with a vengeance). And while I thought it was awesome, a lot of people were a bit overwhelmed by the sudden jump in temperature and constant sunshine from sunup to sundown. After 3 glorious days, the temps fell back down, the clouds rolled back in, and the rain poured. And poured. And fell and showered and sprinkled and spat and drizzled and misted. If the clouds managed to clear up, the wind kept the weather chilly. The sun may have shone, but not for long. This is miserable, ...

Just over a month into the project, and I'm on shelf 3 of approximately 15 shelves of CDs. Each "shelf" holds approximately 15 CDs, so that makes roughly...225 discs to get through total. Yesterday I finished up with the B's (Carla Bruni, current First Lady of France - I scored the disc for free from the Neighborhood Bookstore) and started with the C's (a 3 disc Cake marathon, Tevin Campbell in the player now, and Mariah Carey on deck). So far, the project's been pretty fun. If you check out the sidebar on this page, you'll see my list of my favorites, which I'll add to as I progress through the collection. My criteria for making the list is pretty much any CD that I get really excited about hearing, I know almost all the words to, and is a complete listening experience from beginning to end. I already know some of the albums that are going to end up on the list, but I won't add them till they've actually been heard again. The tough part about ...

Here in Jersey we're in the midst of a freak April heat wave that has sent temps into the 90's today. T.S. Eliot actually said it best when remarking that "April is the cruelest month." To that I'd add "especially in New Jersey." April is a big ol' box of meteorologic chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get. In Aprils past we've seen snow and rain and heat and bitter cold. This year we got the heat wave. I welcomed it, especially since we got a tease of beautiful weather last weekend and then utter disgustingness during the week. Yesterday I went shopping with my mom at the outlets down the shore, worked at the Panty Palace for a closing shift, then headed up to Hoboken to hang out with some people. I forgot that I hate Hoboken. Not gonna lie, I wouldn't shed a tear if that town fell into a sinkhole. Ok, ok, I'd be sad for some of the people (since I might actually know people living there), but not the town. The party scen...

Since I now live on the edge of nowhere, attempting to listen to the radio in my car is almost pointless. There is an exact spot on the interstate, just before my exit, where all of the NYC radio stations except Hot 97 turn to static. And don't get me wrong, Hot 97 is the place for hip-hop in New York. I like it. I missed it while I was away. But I can't listen to it 24-7. My aging iPod is not a solution to my music variety problem because I have no hookup for it in the RamenMobile. And it's almost full to capacity. So how am I going to keep myself entertained in my car when all I have is a CD player and a limited budget? I'm going to listen to every single CD that I currently own. Every single CD, with the exception of one (for good reason, and it's built into the rules I made up). Seriously though, how many times have you looked at your CD collection, searching for something to listen to, and you get irritated because you can't make up your mind? I have creat...

...but for good reason. A long, long time ago, back in November of '97, I received The Beatles' Abbey Road as a birthday present. ( Yes, my birthday's in January, not November. It's a long story that I won't go into today because I'm trying to get better about my off topic diversions. And parenthetical asides. Crap. ) The gift wasn't a surprise because my friend was a huge Beatles fan and would spend what felt like hours talking about just how awesome the Beatles were. Additionally, I was in my "hippie" phase, or what my mother liked to call my "grunge" phase, so I was interested in anything having to do with tie dye, peace signs, smiley faces, and Birkenstocks. Hence, it was a perfect time to really get turned on to the Beatles (at least their later albums). Immediately after listening to the CD, I went back to track one and listened again. "Wow," I thought, "The Beatles are, like, totally cool." (I was also heavily i...

Dear Pandora , You are one of the best websites ever. Who would have ever thought that a little website like you could turn me on so so much awesome music? All I had to do was tell you an artist that I liked, and you listened. Then you started sending me all this amazing stuff. No judgements for liking cheesy stuff, or raised eyebrows over something cerebral. Just more and more mind-blowing music, all day long. Sometimes I think you're psychic. In the midst of a good mix, you'll throw on a song, and I'll be all, "OMG, that's one of my favorite songs! How did you know !" And I know that there's a whole scientific process that goes behind it. But you're more intuitive than Netflix. And on the rare chance that you play something that I'm not feeling, I can just skip it. If I hate the song, I can ban it. I remember the time I freaked out because you found a song that I loved from a beer commercial but could never find. But you found it ! And I bookmar...

I got a letter in the mail from one of my credit card companies today. They wanted to jack up my APR to 20.74% variable. Fuuuuuuuck that noise. I rejected the change, called and gave them a piece of my mind, and demanded that they remove me from all of their stupid mailing and phone lists. I've had that card for almost 7 years, and now it's sitting on my bed, cut in half. Granted, I stopped using the card a while ago in an effort to really start paying down the balance on it (which will take a long time considering how much was on it and my current income). But still. This is pure and total bullshit. You know what else is bullshit? Standing around folding underwear for four hours. In an act of desperation, I hit up the mall and put in an application at the local Panty Palace. So now I have to stand around and obsessively fix tables of underwear for hours at a time. It sucks. Especially when I also managed to land a couple of temp gigs that have now rendered the Palace job unnec...

I'll make this quick cause I'm about to watch the series finale of ER. Did my civic duty by going on to NJ's ARRA (stimulus funds) page just to see what they're going to do with the money. The state is getting over $17B in money, but the majority of it will be spent on tax breaks? WTF?!? More to come later....

I could go on and on about how fucking miserable I've been ever since I moved back to Jersey, but it's a waste of energy. My latest tweet says it all: Running out of options, money and time. Should probably start saying goodbye to my car. Poor Ramen-mobile, I hardly knew ye.

It's bad enough that I'm sitting here at almost 5 in the morning still on the computer (because I had too much coffee today so I'm just now getting tired). It sucks that I got my last severance check today and now have to rely on laughable unemployment checks to pay my bills (seriously, when was the last time that $5oo a month was enough for anyone to live on? Unemployment is a joke .). It's unfathomable that I have been out of work for a month and a half now, trying to be patient and secure another job at the neighborhood book store. If all this waiting amounts to nothing, I'll be even more pissed at having sat around for a month and a half instead of finding another job. It's frustrating having to put up with unexplained bullshit (once again with the bullshit) from my (presumably?) best friend who still hasn't learned how to use his words and just fucking tell me just what his problem is. It's laughable that all I do is sit around in my parents' h...

At all. Welcome back to New Jersey, where the temperature is currently 23 degrees and there's approximately 6 inches of fluffy white stuff on the ground that blows around when the wind gusts to 24 miles an hour. I am not amused. Seriously, I haven't been a fan of snow in a long time. And having to look outside at that wretched wasteland of ice and snow and cold is just insult to injury. (I know, I'm acting like I live in Siberia as opposed to the Mid-Atlantic Coast. I spent 18 months in Florida...work with me here.) It's bad enough that I've spent so much time putzing about the house not doing anything for the past month. Now I really can't go anywhere even if I wanted to go outside. Ok, the roads are clear enough that I could go somewhere if I wanted to, but seriously? Unless I was headed to the airport so I could go fly somewhere warm, I would not venture outside today. I am bored bored bored. With cabin fever. Yay.

So I was enjoying my morning coffee (at 1 in the afternoon) and flipping through the local newspaper when I was once again reminded that I am back in New Jersey. Between the local arts scene here and all that New York has to offer, I could potentially be a very busy person. I no longer have to read articles in the Times and sigh because I won't get to see that show or that movie because South Florida can be a cultural wasteland at times. I can actually get in my car or hop on a train and go do stuff and see things! Hooray! With that in mind, and to lift my spirits a bit, I've decided to put together a list of all the shows that I want to go see in NYC over the course of this year. It'll be tough to work it around my work schedule (positive thinking, remember?), but it's doable. So here's the list of Broadway and some Off-B'way productions I plan to see in 2009: 1. West Side Story. In previews now, opens March 19th. Quite possibly the one single musical that I ha...

According to the Weather Channel, it's currently 63 degrees outside. You wouldn't know that by looking outside, however. It's overcast and windy, with gusts up to 30mph at times. I've adjusted to the cold. I'm slowly getting adjusted to not seeing the sun every day. But all of this wind nonsense has got to stop. I fell like I'm at effin' Wuthering Heights or something. It's insane. Oh, and it's supposed to snow on Sunday. Joy and rapture. And once again, the difficulty of transmitting sarcasm in print gets the best of me. In other news...I've finally recieved my first severance check. Didn't get around to applying for unemployment will a few days ago, so it will be a while before I see any of that money. My sincere hope is to not have to get any of it at all since I'll have a job by then. Hopefully. I'm supposed to be hearing back from the store sometime today regarding my interview on Tuesday. I guess if I don't hear anything tod...

I was going to post about how bored I am. Then I got too bored to even do this. Hopefully I'll have better news on Friday.

Provided that I have not destroyed the coffee maker and have actually made a drinkable pot on my own (after spending 5 minutes looking for the coffee filters), today will be off to a better start than yesterday. Feeling a teensy bit more stable. Which is a good thing because the big interview is today at 1pm. So I'm going to go and have my coffee and read the paper, then pick out my outfit and get ready, and try not to freak out or fuck anything up. Just wanted to check in.

Me (on Saturday, to one of my BFFs): Just think, this isn't a dream. When you wake up, I'll still be here in New Jersey. I'm back! BFF: You keep saying that like you're trying to remind yourself that you're really back. My BFF is right. This is all very surreal to me. My whole game plan for coming back to Jersey was totally different from what's been happening. I was supposed to have a job secured and waiting for me to start as soon as I moved back. I was supposed to have time to say goodbye the way I wanted to say goodbye. I was supposed to go ahead and do all the things I wanted to do, like seeing Key West and Universal Studios. I was supposed to move in the summer, while unbearable in Florida, would be quite tolerable here in Jersey. Instead, I became unemployed at the drop of a hat, I have the most crucial job interview ever tomorrow afternoon, I had 3 weeks to pack up everything and leave, and I got here in the winter, and it's freaking cold outside. T...

...where the temperature is currently 26 degrees with a wind chill of 13. Today's high will get up to 34 with wind gusts between 10 and 20 mph. Yay. I haven't even been home for 24 hours yet, and the weather is showing no mercy. So now I have a dilemma. Do I go ahead and get out of bed, get presentable enough to drive to Starbucks for some much needed coffee, and potentially freeze to death in the process (I know I'm exaggerating)? Or do I stay here in bed all day where at least it's warm and I can catch up on all the tv shows that I missed over the past few days? Or, I could go and get my coffee and get back in the bed. That is another option indeed. Hmmmm...

I guess the official farewell tour started on January 31st. A house party up in Boca, where I got to drink wine and dance to old school merengue songs. Then there was the Superbowl party in Ft. Lauderdale. A week of packing and tracking down my final paycheck. The final Bru's Room Monthly Rap Session, refreshing as always, yet bittersweet and surprisingly deep. That's when it all started to get real, and I knew I was truly leaving. I also vowed to take some of South Florida with me back to Jersey. How exactly that will work is the mystery, but I think it's more of a state of mind (and a willingness to party) than anything else. My Relo-Cube arrived on Thursday. My sister helped me move my bed and wardrobe on Saturday. Saturday night was the surprise going-away party thrown by the work crew. Yesterday I loaded the rest of my stuff. And loaded. And loaded. After a a few trips to Walmart and a near disaster with a rachet tie-down, it was done. Today I said goodbye to my store....

Get your mind out of the gutter right now! I am not on the toilet. The laptop is on the toilet and I'm on the floor. I brought the laptop in here to provide some music while I pack up stuff. Then I got some e-mails. Then I started checking my websites. Then I got the idea to blog. This is a first. A blog from the bathroom. Who would have thought? OK, enough stalling. Gotta go check the mail and get back to packing. Just had to document the absurdity of surfing the web from my bathroom. T-minus 5 days till moving day.

...but I have effectively spent the majority of my day putzing about the interwebs. Then I got motivated and did some more packing, but I ran out of tape. And I need a container to store all of the Guitar Hero crap (drum set and 4 guitars...2 for PS2, 2 for Wii) in. And a box for the microwave. And lunch wouldn't be a bad idea. But doing all of that stuff requires motivation to brush my teeth and shower and get dressed. Then I have to make sure that everything's on my list. And of course, it's now after 3pm, so traffic is starting to get icky. And it's not sunny out today, which makes it even harder to get motivated. I'm leaving Florida in exactly one week, I still don't know how I'm going to get my bed loaded into the moving container that arrives tomorrow, and I'm pretty much over it all right now. The good news is that I have a job interview lined up for the 24th. wOOt! I shall feed off of that enthusiasm and get some more packing done. Out.

Just so you know, if you're able to get past the fact that OxiClean is pimped by that god-awful Billy Mays (I always get mad when his commercials come on, and I yell back at him "why are you yelling at me?!?"), you should buy some of the stuff and keep it on hand. That stuff works. I soaked my moldy purses in hot water and OxiClean last night and then ran them through the rinse and spin in the washer. Poof! Mold is gone. Hooray! They're now air drying and will be completely dry before I store them again. In their airtight container. With the lid closed (like it was supposed to be). And cedar sachets on the inside to trap any moisture and prevent mold. Mold: 1; Amber: 2. Yeah, I'm just really freaking bored.

I just got the grossout of my life. Ok, it's not as bad as finding a gimormous roach in your hallway or spiders in the showers or ants commandeering your bookshelf. But finding out that at least two of your handbags are partially coated in mold -- mold!!!!! -- is pretty freaking gross. This is my sister's fault. If she wasn't such an energy freak we could run the air conditioner enough to keep the dampness out of the apartment. But such is not the case. And now I have to figure out the best method of removing mold from two of my bags. She's lucky that my good pieces appear to be unharmed. So that's another thing I will not miss about South Florida. Let's add it to the list, shall we? 1. Ants 2. Dampness leading to mold. Note to self: Find a way to thoroughly wash and dry Crate & Barrel rug before bringing it home. God only knows what's growing in there.

is the effing ants. While I haven't been nearly as irritated as my OCD control freak sister by the constant stream of ants coursing through our apartment since we've been here, I'm especially irritated today. The ants have commandeered my bookshelf for no particular reason. This is frustrating because I'm packing up my books, and the ants are everywhere. All I could do is smash them ans yell at them, "Stay away from my books!" Fortunately, I'm not keeping the bookshelf. It's going in the dumpster. Don't yell at me for not giving it away or selling it on Craig's List - it's undonateable and unsaleable. It barely survived the move down here, and it will be a miracle if I can get it down to the dumpster without it completely falling apart. And it's infested with ants. Sigh. Back to packing, then to the U-Haul store for more boxes...I still have a shelf's worth of books to pack, then it's on to the CD's...that should be fun, sin...

...and I'm ready to go get it done. Packing sucks. Not like I've really started or anything. I just realized that it's not going to take me a long time to get everything packed, so I can go and get it over and done with fairly quickly. On one hand, that's a good thing. I'm currently so angry with my sister that I could not get out of this apartment fast enough. On the other hand, I have to finish saying my goodbyes. I don't like saying goodbye. But the sooner I get home, the sooner I can start working, right? At least, that's provided that they find me a position to transfer to. But if I'm home, I can start looking for work if I don't get a transfer. By just sitting here...well, I'm just sitting here being bored. Being bored gives me reasons to go and spend money on things like movies and random road trips because I have nothing else better to do. This limbo phase is not a lot of fun at all. Ok. Off to go get myself in a public-presentable state....

...that's what I'm saying to Wall Street. Can we give some props to President Obama for calling out those a-holes on Wall Street who paid themselves, what was it, $20 billion in bonuses in 2008? They drove the economy straight into the shitter, and they got $20 billion for it? $20 billion for putting people out of work and out of their homes and effing up finances worldwide. Dude, I'd love to get some of that money. I'd love for someone to pay me a shit ton of money to create a global economic crisis of epic proportions. But back to the President. He called those banks out on their shady ways. Called them "shameful," and told all of us just what they did. President Obama (will I ever get tired of hearing that...nope) said that "there will be a time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses -- now is not that time." You hear that, Wall Street? Now is not the time to rake in tons of cash for yourselves and buy brandy-new...

...people who just lost their jobs this week. I've been laid off from the neighborhood bookstore. Nothing to do with me as a person, or my work ethic. No conflicts with management. Nothing shady. It was a numbers decision that came from the home office. And I am no longer gainfully employed. Holy shit. I kept it together when my DM told me. I had the presence of mind to make it clear that I want to stay with the company and I'd like to transfer to New Jersey. If I had a dollar for every time I said, "I'm OK," or "It's OK," I'd be able to fill my gas tank. I lost it when I was told I couldn't go back the next day to do story time or work a planned event. I've been very good so far at looking finding silver linings and keeping a stiff upper lip. I even pulled the ultimate Bree Van De Camp and took my sister out for her birthday dinner (to Legal Sea Foods) without showing a hint of something being wrong. But today... I want to be angry. I wa...

I know I shouldn't get back into my usual ranting and raving so soon after such an amazing historical event. I know this. But there's something I need to rant about. I do not want to have to be subjected to the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice crossover episode happening in two weeks. It's bad enough that we're only 2 weeks in from the holiday break. You mean that not only do I have to wait 2 weeks for my next episode of Grey's, but I have to deal with Private Practice on top of it?!? Dude. Seriously. I have been hooked on Grey's Anatomy since the very first episode. I stuck with it through thick and thin. Even when the show was at its worst, I kept watching. I admit it. I like the show. Even though the whole Gizzie disaster was something we never need to talk about again, they did a horrible (almost cartoonish) characterization of someone with Asperger's, Meredith tried to kill herself, the Chief had a brain tumor, Erica Hahn disappeared into the night...

Work today started like any other day. Morning meeting, got my latte, picked out books for story time. Of course, I was none too pleased about having to read to the little ones today. I never am, although I've accepted the fact that they're just too young for Dr. Seuss. But today, I got through it as quickly as I could. I had a date with history. By 12pm on the dot I was running back to my office, where I had (and still have) a live streaming feed from CNN on the computer, and got back in time for the main event. I make the mistake of answering the phone and dealing with some business, so I missed most of the oath. But I fell into my chair on the words "so help me God." Barack Obama is officially our president. I watched his address to us. To the country and the world. And I felt something that I haven't felt in a long time, if ever - - true love for my country. Don't get me wrong. I've said before and I'll make it clear again that I have always felt l...

You know, everyone usually looks at January as kind of a bummer month. The holidays are over, the weather sucks, and spring is still far far away. For me, however, January is an exciting month. All of my tv shows come back from the holiday break, mid-season shows start up (yay Idol!), my birthday falls in the middle of the month, new semesters start (when I was in college, at least ::sniff::)... so despite the crappy weather (yes, even here in South Florida on some days) and the melancholy that sets in over my advancing age, January's a big deal. Especially this one. Because of tomorrow. Remember when January 20, 2009 seemed like an eternity away? The day after the '04 elections, we were already counting down to the end. At least, we were counting down when we weren't busy investigating the Canadian immigration process. But we would look at that date, and sigh, and think about how that was so far away . That was before Hurricane Katrina. That was before the surge. That was ...

...if this is the week of my birthday, that means that American Idol is back! ::squeeeeeeeee:: I think I might be the only person left that I know who actually gives a crap. My sister insisted all year that she will not be my Idol buddy this year, and that saddened me. Last season was a blast when we were both watching. We made up nicknames for people we didn't like (Mayonaise Sandwich, Jager Bombs, BJ Mic, Crazy Eyes, The Other David), we mercilessly ragged on Paula and her comments (me to my sister 15 minutes into an episode: "Looks like Paula's meds are kicking in early tonight!"), we mapped out our phone vote distribution on the whiteboard ("OK, if we give Jason 2 votes, we have to give 4 to David A...). We even had our own chant: Me: [name of our town] Chapter of the David Archuleta Fan Club, represent! My sister: Whoo! (complete with synchronised fist pumps in air) And before you get all retarded on me, our allegiances eventually shifted for David Cook (...

This just in: it was a freaking goose attack. Say what? I'll rewind to approximately half an hour ago, via text message I get from a friend back home in Jersey. BFF: Just called the boyfriend, he's ok, so I'm going over to his house for a bit. Me (after a minute or two, trying to decipher the message): Ok...but what happened? (I think you meant to send this to someone else!) BFF: No, a plane crashed in the Hudson just thought you would be interested is all Me (after opening the NY Times website that I had literally just checked 10 minutes ago): OMG I didn't know! Just now seeing the story on NY Times...they just put it up. Glad to know that the boyfriend's ok. Keep me posted on anyone else we should worry about. Preliminary reports are saying that the US Airways plane taking off from Laguardia suffered a bird strike thanks to a goose. Damn geese! They're one of the very few things that I don't miss about Jersey. Anyway, thanks to some excellent piloting by t...

Now that the holidays are pretty much over (everyone's back at work and school, bowl season's almost over, we're in NFL playoff season ::sniff:: cough-Dolphins FAIL-cough), we're all starting to settle into our old routines and shedding the common human courtesy and kindness that overtakes us all at the end of the year. With that in mind, here are some friendly public service announcements for people to keep in mind as we head into a new year: -If you are suddenly stricken with a case of explosive diarrhea in the restroom of your neighborhood bookstore, please be so kind as to attempt to clean up some of the aftermath before making a hasty exit from the premises. Your efforts will appreciated since the staff employs an outside cleaning service to take care of the bathrooms, and hosing down poo in the handicapped stall is so not part of our job description. Additionally, since the cleaning lady is apparently not paid enough to give a damn, the restroom will smell like d...

Can you believe it's here? It's January 3, 2009. 2009! 17 days till Inauguration Day, 14 days till my birthday (after which, I have decided to no longer admit my age unless it's absolutely necessary. Lame and vain, I know. But last year's milestone had me pretty messed up in the head for a minute, so my future refusal to disclose my age is merely a way of preserving my sanity). And I'm sure that 2009 will shape up to be a huge year, just like 2008 was. But for all our sakes, I hope it's a huge year in that "OMG so many awesome things have happened and things are getting better for once" way and not in the "OMG everything is going to hell in a handbasket and it's only going to get more disastrous" way that we all felt in 2008 (Election Day excluded). All we have left going into this year is optimism. If we all decide that things have no direction to go but up, things will get better, right? Sadly, that's not the case. But we can all do...