My Twenty-Something Quasi-Soap

I...am exhausted. Did the preview of the Shoestring show today, mostly while breathing through one nostril and suppressing my coughs as best I could. I've been struck down with a nasty case of allergic rhinitis, which feels like a sinus infection but it's not. I went home early from work on Thursday and called out on Friday. I have a doctor's note that will allow me to stay home on Monday, if need be. But I'm feeling a lot better than I did two days ago, so I'll probably be back on Monday. Good glory, this is totally boring and mundane. The Passion of the Wii continues here at the Bungalow. I had lots of free time yesterday, and I spent most of it playing Super Paper Mario. It is a wicked awesome game. It's a perfect blend of the side scrolling classic and interesting RPG. I heart this game. I will admit that I cheat sometimes and find a walk-through online to help me when I'm stuck, but I only do that so I don't get so frustrated with the game that I wa...

...seems like the Supreme Court took advantage of the Va. Tech tragedy to make their official decision on "partial-birth abortions." (I use quotation because there is no such medical term as a partial-birth abortion. It was penned by the anti-abortionists.) The procedure has been officially banned, and there is no allowance for an instance where the procedure would be medically necessary. I am pissed. Honestly, people need to realize that the government should not be dictating what I can choose to do to my body. The decisions I make should be my own, and between me and my doctor (and my family, when applicable). Some right-wing, red state, Confederate-flying redneck from West Bumblefuck does not get to tell me whether or not I can have an abortion. They can disagree with it. By all means, call me whatever you want, but you don't get to make the decision, and you shouldn't influence the people who make the the laws that control that decision. For a while I had been jok...

When they say that history repeats itself, they weren't kidding. My mom called me yesterday morning from her walk-in closet. She was going through a bunch of stuff and found an old fanny pack with ticket stubs and a receipt for funnel cakes from Great Adventure back in 1998. That made her realize that we've been living back in NJ for almost ten years now. We're on the phone reminiscing about old times, not so long ago, while Virginia Tech was in a state of chaos not unlike the happenings of eight years ago in Columbine. At that same time, the Raritan River was wreaking havoc on a town no more than ten minutes away from my parents' house and another city no more than ten minutes from my job, in a disaster similar to the flooding of '99, eight years ago, after Hurricane Floyd. While the these disconnected things happened at different times, in different years, it just feels strange to me how two years of my life (1998-1999) were ones of personal upheaval while things ...

...pissed off. Frustrated. Irritated. Hating my job. Congested. Tired. Not wanting to be here. The bright side is that today is Wednesday. And I have already decided what I want for lunch. Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from P.B. Loco, aka the best peanut butter and jelly cafe concept that I have ever seen . I'm getting two sandwiches because I have a buy one get one free coupon. But work, yeah, it sucks today. A lot. Without going into tons of detail - I'm essentially fighting with a person at a different company because they owe us money but they have all these stipulations attached with giving it to us. Which has had me e-mailing and calling our contractor back and forth for over a month now, trying to get all of this straightened out, while the CFO keeps breathing down my back about it and my boss uses a tone with me that I don't like. Like he knows that I'm not incompetent, but he has no other choice but to speak to me like I am because he feels that's ...

... I want to say wanton. In the sense of the word meaning, in my particular emotional context, spoiled, carefree, lack of regard for authority. The now archaic or defunct definition of the word, as opposed to its current definition, lewd, lascivious, unchaste. The idea that the current definition does not apply to me, however, can be challenged. I digress. :) I guess the word comes to mind in its Shakespearean context, in reference to Juliet's behavior throughout the play. That whole "damn the world" attitude. Petulant. That's a better word. Sitting here working and looking like I care on the outside while inside there's a right wretched Veruca Salt-esque person who is throwing the ultimate shit fit because she is not happy. My inner Veruca does not want to be here at all. But I manage to function anyway. The inner Veruca, while bitching and kicking up a storm right now, knows that she will eventually get her way. In four or five days, it will be ok again. Monda...

Who am I kidding? It's Friday! Haaaayyy! So here I sit after an early lunch, with soy sauce splattered on my beloved (yet bootleg from Target) Rutgers hoodie. I might have to ban myself from eating sushi at my desk. I dropped a Philly roll into a practically full mini-cup of soy sauce, and it went "sploosh!" On my hoodie, my jeans, my monitor, my keyboard... ...and my face. Yeah...I'm a genius. In other news... I recently acquired a Nintendo Wii. That's right, bitches. I am automatically cooler than you. (Unless you also have a Wii.) I was prepared to shell out my $250 for the system (my preciously hoarded $100 from X-mas came in handy here). I was prepared to wake up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning and wait in the freezing cold for it. I was prepared for the afternoon spent looking for a Virtual Console controller. I was prepared to buy the extra controller and nunchuk. I was prepared for the sore muscles after a hardcore Wii Sports session. I was not pr...

Mother Nature, you are such an evil tease. Last week, the temperature got up to a blissfully needed 80 degrees. Two days later we had a wretched ice storm that sent me home early from work and kept my sister at Newark Airport for an entire day. She actually managed to get on a plane, but the de-icing process was taking so long that the airport shut down before they could hit the runway. Today the temp is hovering just around 60, and remnant of last week's storm are still around to remind us that it may technically be spring, but we're not out of the woods yet. Not until May. But the next week looks rather springy, temps in the 50's. Even though we had a relatively mild winter, February was a bitch and I'm sooo over winter. I'm ready to go ahead and start battling the pollen of spring. It makes it easier to space out on stuff because I have my allergy meds to blame and I'll just look generally miserable for about two months. But spring in NYC isn't all that b...

Immediately. Right now, I want to be somewhere under an umbrella in a lounge chair with big ass sunglasses on, a good book to read, chill music on my iPod, and someone is regularly bringing me fruity cocktails with the umbrellas in them. And I do mean regularly. No bitching roommates, no bitching co-workers/bosses, no fluorescent lighting (i keep thinking I have grey hair), no dirty dishes, no threat of catching a stomach virus, no ice, snow, or sleet, no sweaters, no well loved Princess Leia boots with a big ass hole on the top of the foot, no headaches, no dry air (and consequently dry skin), no Shoestring, no driving...none of it. And I can watch American Idol whenever I want, because if it hadn't been for me we wouldn't have a DVR in the first place, dammit. I am so over (almost) everything right now, I really am. I spend Monday-Thursday wishing it would hurry up and be Friday already. Then as soon as I get out of work on Friday, I'm running all over the place having a ...

...or it's about to, because I am about to make a statement that is rather uncharacteristic of me. Especially if you've been reading this blog over the years and know my disposition towards celebrities. Here goes... I sympathize with Britney Spears. I truly do. To be in enough distress to take clippers to your head and go the Sinead O'Connor route means you're serious. Yes, I know that even I am guilty of ripping on Britney. But humor me for a moment and try to take a walk in her shoes. For over ten years, she's been packaged and managed within an inch of her life. She's had a whole army of parents and agents and managers and label reps and trainers and stylists and PR people telling her where to go, what to do, and who to be. Practically every waking moment has been tracked by the paparazzi, and everything gets printed in the tabloids the next day. She couldn't hang out at the mall with her friends. She couldn't go to football games on Friday nights. Sh...

...reports that Barbaro, the horse that was seriously injured in the Preakness last year, was put down this morning after complications following another surgery. As eulogies abound across the Internet, I shall go against the grain (at the risk of sounding extremely cruel): It was a flippin' horse. Get over it. It should have been put out of its misery months ago. People had raised 1.2 million dollars for that freaking horse to help pay for all of the operations and equipment that it would need. We have sports writers eulogizing a freaking horse while we're losing American soldiers, human beings, every day in Iraq. But then again, in a country where dogs were saved before humans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I'm sadly not surprised. Trust me. I don't hate animals. I sometimes talk to my cat as if it were human. But I know it's just a cat. But honestly, people. Let's move on quickly from this. Barbaro was a horse . It was in pain. Let it go, and don'...

Yes, boys and girls, today's my birthday and I'm 24 years old. That sounds overwhelmingly old and young at the same time, if that makes any sense. A near quarter-century on Earth is overwhelmingly long and short at the same time. I mean, when I was born, there was no widespread and (relatively) inexpensive use of the following: -Cable TV -Home computers -The Internet -Cell phones -Digital cameras -Portable video game systems -Cordless telephones -iPods A few weeks before I was born, federal regulation of airline fares ended. The American video game crash happened in 1983, and 24 years later, all I want is a Nintendo Wii. People listened to records, MTV was not a household name, and can we talk about the clothes? Let's not. Although we hold so much nostalgia for the 80's, we really can't say much for the fashion. But in the grand scheme of things, 24 years is not a long time. I guess that's a good thing. I shouldn't be so worried about my age, because honestl...

...to research shoes anymore. As part of a project for work, I've been researching the price ranges on different brands and lines of shoes in order to find the best breakdown of Bargain, Moderate, High-End, and Luxury shoes. I was cruising the Nordstrom website (cause they always have fabulous shoes), and I saw them: Michael Kors suede slingbacks. In chocolate and black. *drool* and *sigh* My inner shoe diva has been reawakened, and I have fallen in love with these beautiful, beautiful shoes. They are sooooo worth the - *gulp* - $130 price tag. Honestly, in the grand scope of shoe prices, they aren't bad at all. I. Want. Those. Shoes. It's settled. I must win the lottery or marry a very rich man. (Or I could take my Christmas money with a little extra from my own piggy bank and buy them. Or wait until after the first week of Shoestring rehearsals. But I can't use my credit card.) I don't even care that I have no reason to buy these shoes being as that I rarely have ...

Today does not feel like 2007. Maybe because it was 57 degrees outside when I went on my lunch break. Or maybe it's because I spent the first 33 1/2 hours of the new year on the couch, wallowing in self pity. Either way, it feels more like 13/4/2006 instead of 1/4/2007. I am very tired. Probably more emotional drainage than anything else. Additionally, last night was Wednesday, which meant I was out at the bar with my boys doing the karaoke thing. Now I am 2 weeks away from my birthday, and I have no idea what I want to do for it. I am also getting impatient over not having snow. No, you are not hallucinating. Generally, I am a true hater of all things winter. My philosophy on snow has recently been that if it doesn't snow hard enough for me to get the day off of work, then it's not worth it. But I want to go snowboarding. Again, not a hallucination. I did try skiing about 9 years ago (geez louise, that's a long time ago!), and it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. But I...

General Malaise and Discontent has progressed over the past two weeks and developed into a Black and Foul Humour of the Most Unfortunate Variety. I thought I was going to elaborate here, but it's really not worth it. All I know is that I have been angry and hurt for two weeks now, and I don't know when or if that will be fixed anytime soon. I do know, however, that I am perfectly justified in feeling the way that I do, and anyone who may believe otherwise does not know the whole story. And now I am typing hard enough to potentially damage the keyboard, so I must go. Bah fucking humbug.

...are two good phrases for me right now. I've been thinking about too many things lately. Bitching and venting a lot. And how the hell did it get to be December already?!? Is anyone else irritated by the incessant Christmas music playing everywhere? I keep thinking that it's just too soon for all that mess, but Christmas is really not all that far away. Which is usually a lot more exciting to me by this point in the month. But alas, I am too stressed and pissed and irritated and tired and frustrated to be in the Christmas spirit. General malaise and discontent. At least Shoestring starts soon. Auditions for my new batch of babies are this Sunday and I can't wait. I have a feeling life will be a little easier once I have Shoestring to focus on. (Which actually makes no sense since I'll be busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest.) But looking ahead, I think 2007 is going to be a very big year. That is all for now.

...and reflecting on the fact that I watch too much television. It's true. I live for September premieres. And sweeps (yay November and May!!). But the true marker of me watching too much television is my irritation with a recurring fantasy that usually involves ripped clothing and being hoisted upon washing machines. (Ok, so it's really not an irritation. How can your own personal "Desperate Housewives"-esqe daydream be an irritation?) Unfortunately, my fascination with the art/business of tv keeps me glued to the couch on Sunday nights and the DVR working overtime on Thursdays. And it's 1:30 in the morning. I really need to go to bed now.

...meaning that I'm back to blogging once every 6 weeks or so as opposed to every day. Which kind of sucks because I won't be able to look back at this a year from now and see what my daily thought processes were. But then again, I really don't have the time to be blogging all that often. Especialy since I can't blog at work. I read the NY Times a lot, but I don't blog. Catching you up on everything, then: -Kansas City was boring. I didn't get drunk at all, no major drama ensued, and the pics from the wedding were...interesting. Interesting in that "wow, she looks like a hooker" way. But she really is a awesomely sweet person and I'm totally happy for my uncle. -Went to Chicago last weekend and actually took a real vacation. I didn't think about work, I didn't think about the boys, I just hung out. And I found out what happens to you when you lose your keys on a roller coaster. They weren't my keys, mind you. But I was the first to repo...

In a few minutes I'll be headed out for coffee, to pick up some cash, and then off to the train station so I can get to the airport. It's time for another Adventure in Kansas City. Yay. My uncle's getting married, so the whole clan is getting together to see if he'll actually go through with this. I'm excited to see him and my cousins, but I'm not looking forward to all of the requisite drama that will ensue. It's not a family get-together if there's no drama or other ridiculous stories to bring back. I was going to provide links as exhibits of such shenanigans, but I don't have the time. Wish me luck, and pray that I don't get too drunk. Although, alcohol is going to make this whole ordeal sooo much easier. Is it Sunday night yet? Here we go...

That is a very sad fact. We had a massive heat wave at the end of July, and then summer started ending. It got cooler at nights, too cold in the office for air conditioning (so I froze to death). And as everyone was ready to go out on a high note with the Labor Day weekend... ...Ernesto crashed the party. Rain and wind and more rain and more wind just made yesterday miserable. So we stayed in and watched Rutgers' season opener against UNC, which we won. And it was good. Then we had some friends over, played the Mean Girls drinking game, took a late night munchie run to Wawa, and then I passed out on the couch. It was a great night. Today the skies are clear and the sun is out. It's too chilly to go to the beach, but I'm not much of a shore kind of girl. The water grosses me out...it really is dirty. Dirrty Jerz represent! Yup, summer is over, and there's a lot of things that I did not accomplish. We didn't go back to DC like we wanted to. We didn't go to Rehobot...

I'm tired today. I was good until 4th of July weekend, did a lot of stuff, and now I feel like I haven't caught up on sleep. Nothing very interesting to blog about, but I figured I'd let the blogosphere know I'm still alive and all that...just don't have anything exciting to blog about. The job is going all right...I guess. It's been kinda boring the past few weeks or so. Maybe that's what's making me tired. Blarrrgh. Tired, hot, and quiet. Except for painting the living room on Sunday. That was a "Disaster Twins Go on a Home Improvement Adventure" moment. Which is why I keep saying I need my own reality show. But then again, life right now isn't exciting enough to garner any ratings. Off to catch up on the backlog of "Project Runway" in the bootleg TiVo and convince myself that I really am excited about where I am in life right now.