This Can't be Happening.

9 days till beach house.

It's been raining since Thursday and everyone has been in a perpetual stage of soggy.

Last night was bad. We didn't get to sleep until 3am. The wind was nuts and we got a leak in our roof.

Also, Danny go stuck at work throwing sandbags; he came home from bar tending wet and cold. He'll have to buy new shoes.

Took me an hour and a half to get to work this morning.

The move went well, we all survived, etc.

The furniture is mostly set up, but I still have no idea where anything is.

Boxes abound.

Went out of town this past weekend to see my grandmother. She's doing well and is on fast-track to recovery. I've never thought of my grandmother as 'old' until this visit; I mean, she's 80, but never acts like it. Her DVD collection includes such classics as Anchorman and The 40-Year Old Virgin.

I was hoping to catch up on some sleep while I was away, but that didn't happen. Granted, I spent full nights asleep and took a couple naps, but they were full of dreams and I was exhausted when I woke up. Had one last night that was like Starship Troopers meets War of the Worlds meets Pride and Prejudice set in a Penn Quarter, DC/Tulane University hybrid. It would seriously have made a great movie, I think.

I've worked enough hours this week (in two days) to take a half day on Thurday and all of Friday off.

Notes:

- Hang out with best friends more often
- Wings and beer with Best friend C.
- Flip-cup with C. and other best friend C-squared
- Whirl wind nachos at local mexican restaurant where, seriously, the staff knows you
- Semi-kidnapping by friends that want to go to another bar
- Bar that you attended during undergrad will not be the same
- Do not wear pigtails at said bar
- Do not lose bet in which you dealt that you'd dance with best friend C. if you lost a game of pool
- Best friend C. received high-fives while leaving the dance floor with you
- I did not receive any high-fives
- Have great times with old friends
- Listen to Bob, singing along, all the way home
- Get to sleep so you can get to the office slightly early on Saturday morning

A quick update:

-I'm mailing my thirty-day notice to my landlord today
-Office is moving to Fair Lakes on April 11
-Moving to my parents by the end of the month
-New car purchase is in the works
-Change is good

I just noticed the piano in the intro to Dove's "Break Me Gently." I've had this album since it came out in 2000 and it's been on heavy rotation since.


Huh.

My training schedule for the next 12/13 weeks.

I'm in a funk and I need to get out of it.

Went grocery shopping today on a budget. Had a "5% off your grocery order" coupon from Giant (milk excluded); saved $3 and change if that gives you an idea. I bought items that need to be prepared, vegetables, cooking items-- none of that expensive pre-made stuff. I'll go back to my crockpot Sundays where I take all day Sunday cooking for the week (or at least prepping). I've never bought beer (for myself) in cans until today. Bought a case of Yuengling. In cans.

In other news, my checkcard got skimmed or scammed or something and was used (the card is currently sitting in front of me) this weekend for "swiped" purchases at gas stations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, and Kentucky. Someone's on a road trip. Called the bank and canceled my card and got my money back (well, they said tonight). Filed a police report and issued a Fraud Alert with the CC bureaus. I love life.

This weekend is the DCist Exposed opening. Can't wait. Should be a fun time with good friends.

I wanted this entire month to end. But we're stuck with an extra day.


Leap.

Excited for the weekend.

Show tonight in DC.

Meeting Melissa and going to Nick B's "Closer" on Friday.

Museums and Butterflies on Saturday.


And Sunday? Car and bike work. I need to change the oil in the Jeep and get the bikes geared up for Spring. I will be wearing jeans and a hoodie that day and I can't wait to get my hands dirty.

I signed up to do a 100-mile ride for the American Diabetes Association this June. Time to get rid of the Winter pudge.

I bought a plane ticket and booked a rental car to see my grandmother in April. She starts Chemo on March 6th.

In other news, taking Nick B's last comment to heart (as well as a Bob song), I feel like I'm drowning. To hopefully help alleviate this, I want to go see Statehood and The Big Sleep play at BlackCat on Thursday night (Feb 28). It's a backstage show and only $8. It'll be fun. I've seen both bands play and they're both pretty damn good.












I felt surprised that you wanted to know
Where the geese go

This morning I realized that I haven't finished a book since I started my new job. I've been reading Stephen King's The Stand since right after Christmas ; it's over a thousand pages long and I'm only on about 400. WTF.

My old job was awesome when it came to books: I had a non-active commute-- I just hopped on the train and it took me to work allowing me two one-hour blocks of read-time (oh, yeah, I also got lunch breaks, too, when I would walk out to the Albert Einstein statue and have story-time with him).

Alas, this time not so much. Is it lame that I like reading so much? That I feel like I'm not fulfilling my reading quota? I stay up until at least midnight now reading just to feel like I've been productive (and because I want to know what happens next in my story).


In other news: I'm tired (literally) of having lucid dreams. This week has been insane and I'd actually like to sleep while I sleep. I don't think I'll allow myself to operate any heavy machinery this week

OK, I'm bored between meetings and have wanted to give my two cents on films I've watched recently. I was sick this past week and watched too many, I think. My reviews are short.

1.) The Bourne Ultimatum: Good.

2.) Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Boring.

3.) Across The Universe: Suuuuuuuuuucked.

4.) Bully: Liked it better than Across The Universe, but not by much. Also stars Brad Renfro as an asshole.

5.) Exiled: Awesome Hong-Kong-esque thriller; highly recommended.

6.) Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle: Fulfilled the teen pot-movie archetype just fine.

7.) 24 Hour Party People: I love Steve Coogan.

8.) Sophie Scholl: The Final Days: Really good (heavy) drama about Sophie Scholl and the White Rose resistance group at University of Munich during WWII.

9.) Doctor Dolittle: I own the old 1967 musical version and LOVE it.

10.) Pride and Prejudice: new version with Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy. Swoon.

11.) Total Recall: My all-around standby for when I'm bored. "QUAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDD!!!"

I love that my office light is on a motion sensor.

If I sit at my desk for more than 20 minutes it goes off leaving me in the dark. I then do this ritualistic scoot to the left and wave my arm or get up and do a back-and-forth dance-looking thing to get the light back on. I bet the people on the other side of the office park think it's hilarious to see me do a jig through the window.

I'm awesome at life.