I have been blogging! (II)

2007-10-16 / 8:25 p.m.

Possibly shifting to teh livejournal. (http://elcielo.livejournal.com/)

I don't currently have enough funny/interesting/insightful things to say to justify the style of long entries I've been keeping up for so many years. It's relatively time consuming to post here, too. I think I'd likely write more often if it was easier. Though with newfound ability to bang off an entry in five minutes, the quality might be even lower....

I've been a diaryland loyalist for almost five years.

I'm pretty sure my blog entry ever was about 6 years ago August 8. Thinking of that makes me pretty sure I can't just pack up and abandon the internet blathering. I have to hit at least the decade mark.

So I will probably resign myself to being just another 3 inches on people's LJ friends lists. ...For the time being.

...at least until I can figure out how to be interesting. Or until I do a style overhaul of this page...or at the very least, until Gehennom is back up.

So weigh in now, if you're feeling some oomph either way.

Gah! and the f'ing comments! Why don't they work?!

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aural love

2007-09-26 / 7:36 p.m.

Mike is my new arbiter of taste

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put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us

2007-09-23 / 11:44 a.m.

Lamer than usual lately, I know. I�ve been thinking for awhile that I could start a new blog somewhere else�one that not everyone knows about. This has the appeal of being to write about a wider range of things, but fails in that no one reads it. I�m still toying with this, but I�m not ready to let elcielo.diaryland lapse just yet. I completely forgot to mark its anniversary actually, I feel like I�ve let it down. It was in August of 2001, 2001 that I started this sad mess.

The last two weekends have been a-w-e-s-o-m-e, the former significantly more awesome than the average weekend because we got to go on a trip! Mike took us to stay at his Aunt and Uncle�s beach house on Seabrook Island near Charleston. Mike�s friend Friedman(, David) rode with us, and another couple he�s friends with came later with their doggie. The company was awesome, ideal for such a chill weekend�everyone very mellow. Other highlights include drinking while in the ocean, getting to see so many stars, dolphins, delicious she-crab soup, and the most hilarious misheard lyrics ever. Ah, it was just such a nice break from everything�coming back to work after a long weekend at the beach sort of sucked.

And the following week at work was just absurd too. In addition to all the weird little issues, I had difficulties with the job I�m supposed to be transitioning off of. We�re in the reporting writing stage, and there�s always something else I have to work on with my written section�even though, ironically enough, it doesn�t even resemble my work anymore. Right now, I�m in the process of having it �referenced.� This means that an impartial third party looks at how I�ve supported every sentence in the text, and makes sure it�s up to snuff. Thankfully, I think it�s gone relatively smoothly for my first time, but Monday may bring calamity. But the real rub�and I was warned�is that what�s on the page is so far from anything I remember writing. The language was changed into my supervisor�s interpretation of the agency�s style, and several pages were unceremoniously cut. Such is life, I suppose.

Anyway, this weekend that is tricking away as I write was nutty insofar as I stayed up ludicrously late. I felt like a high-schooler again. The primary activity of this weekend was getting to know Mike�s friend Friedman better. Now he�s my friend too! Taking a drunken trip to the playground is a good way to seal a new friendship, by the way.

While drunkenly cavorting at the playground, I beat the hell out of my big toe though�that�s probably the only downside. Either it didn�t hurt much at first, or I was too drunk to notice when I did it, but it is disgusting and fucked up times 12. Tomorrow, I can�t wear flip flops, and I�m dreading what my gym shoes will feel like pressing up against the horror nail.

Yawn.

hams

2007-09-04 / 7:44 p.m.

Other coworkers my age sort of gently tease me about pantyhose (probably a little less gentle behind the back...). They offer fashion suggestions and volunteer to help. Apparently, it isn't only unnecessary to wear them in today's business-casual work setting, it's also just not stylish--especially for someone my age. And you know, I know that they aren't particularly attractive, but I've got my reasons.

Pantyhose, or, as I call them, "'hose" and I have a love-hate relationship. They're uncomfortable, hard to put on, hot, and if there's something stuck down in the toe? Well, you're just going to have to cope with it for awhile, aren't you? But on the other end, I don't understand how people wear dress shoes without anything separating their clammy, blistered foot from the leather (plether, plastic, whatever) of their dressyshoes. Furthermore, I've got, well, some substantial hams on me ("Your hams are big and unfashionable, but I am down. Denise"). Having the 'hose sheathing them makes them more attractive under a pencil skirt and sort of keeps things a little more under control.

Anyhoo, I don't know what it was about this morning. Maybe I was just too tired to add an extra step into my morning routine. Maybe the fully lined skirt that comes to mid-calf covers enough of my delicious, yet unfashionable hams to free me of some self-consciousness. Maybe I couldn't find a pair without holes in them (ding! ding! ding! winner!), but I decided to go bare today.

Things started off well enough. Not many people were back from holiday yet, and I was confined to my cube most of the day anyway. It was comfy enough--even the shoes! I felt all aired out and liberated. Everything was fine until I started walking around, that is.

Something about the bare foot in the shoe. I don't know. My feet weren't sweaty at all....maybe a little sticky, but something about them bare in the shoe. The contour of my arch against the instep, the angle, the fit...something. But whatever it was, every step produced a little rude noise as I walked down the hall. I tried walking on toes, walking on heels, shifting my weight about, but nothing worked. All day, *phweet* *phweet* *phweet* *phweet* down the hallways. This is my life.

*phweet* *phweet* *phweet* past my boss's office. *phweet* *phweet* *phweet* past the IT guy. *phweet* *phweet* *phweet* all the way out to my car.

It appears that this is another battle in the war going on between my ridiculous body and fashion, but I'm not sure who won. Tomorrow, I will be doning some sort of nylon over my feet and my hams.

best. party souvenir. ever.

2007-08-26 / 4:14 p.m.

Actual rain! It seems like the first time in ages. It's like Atlanta had a fever that just broke.

Too bad my electricity seems to be very touchy about wind/rain/someone looking at the wires funny.

FYI, my cell phone is missing. It's either dead in the car, or somewhere between Hammond Dr. and Beckham's house. Did anyone come across it? No? I figured...Call my home phone or work phone until further notice.

I just cleaned out my lunchbox, which I had accidentally let fester for about 5 days. I suddenly empathize for my mother during grades K through 6.

A woman waved to me from a window in the neighboring building a second ago. Does this mean that it's time to stop walking around naked in the living room with the blinds up? I mean, it's not like I'm dancing around, doing strip tease and stuff...but I've been known to walk around half-dressed while I get my morning ducks in a row. I didn't mind before if someone happened to catch a glimpse of my rump in my mad dash to get ready in the mornings, but now that I've seen an actual person looking from the window and classified them as "person" it feels dirtier.

so too busy for paragraphs right now�

2007-08-22 / 10:02 p.m.

Our team�s DC folk, and our boss have been in town this week. I�ve been in charge of handling the higher-up, which was oddly gratifying. Getting up to speed at doing my work is challenging, as I�m still rather new�organizing schedules and getting lunch catered is something I know is easy, and I can do it right, by myself, the first time.

Working in an office setting is making me put on weight. In other news, chocolate chips on a freshly toasted cinnamon spice alternabagel is delicious in a very special way.

I have a stupidly strong desire for my DC boss to like me. There�s something just likeable about him, and his praise/appreciation/respect is like crack. He looks a little like Paul Giamatti, so I�m going to keep calling him Paul-Giamatti-boss just between you and me. Our team, minus my Atlanta boss/metaboss, plus this girl who I have issues with, went out tonight to a cigar bar / restaurant. Paul-Giamatti-Boss (PG-boss) is a cigar aficionado and showed me how to smoke one. It was fun and exciting to try something new. The four of us talked about things I wouldn�t have imagined talking about with a significantly older supervisor. Fun on a bun.

If I were really good at this no paragraph thing, I could have explained the whole previous text lump in a quarter of the space�.
Cigars with Paul Giamatti. Why do you have to try to one-up me when I really need the attention?
�.How does Kristen make it sound poetic? I don�t have the talent to�perhaps I could get a computery guy to write me some code that would take my writing and turn it into pithy, graceful, witty entries...
Oh hey Molly I wrote you some code last night�.

WTF?! How is it already almost the end of August?! I'm aware of the science that says we perceive time as passing faster when our brain is doing new things--but actually seeing it in action is disconcerting.

Almond milk! Vanilla! Try it!

Cephalopods are smart, but move inefficiently

2007-08-12 / 1:16 p.m.

And just as mysteriously as it began, my avocado phase seems to be over. For weeks, I�ve been eating them kind of a lot; it was a particularly popular dinner choice when I lived with my aunt and uncle. Now though, it seems the magic is gone. This is due in part to the fact that they seem to be getting less delicious�when is avocado season?

I�m curious as to how much alcohol I have to consume by be at the legal BAC limit. I looked on ebay, but there don�t seem to be any legitimate breathalyzers on penny auction. Aw shucks. Actually, the hilarious thing about the ones I�ve seen on ebay is that at least 3/4th of them advertise that the unit comes with a gift box. Seriously? Happy Birthday, Tom! We think you have a problem, keep this in your car, Ok? Ok!Perhaps one day I�ll buy one (or receive one as a gift?)�not only will it enable me to be less paranoid driving, but I bet it could lead to some bitchin� party games.

Work last week was tremendously crummy. This week is shaping up to be just as bad, possibly worse. I seem to be in a strange situation where the team as a whole is in crunchtime-mode, with deadlines and stress and stuff. I, on the other hand, can�t seem to find much useful work to do, because everything I do needs to be checked over by someone who knows what they�re doing, and all of those who could look at it are busy. Honestly, it seems like I�m doing more harm than good at the moment, which sucks. I�m not used to being bad at stuff like research and writing, so the fact that I did a crap job last week is depressing.

My computer appears to be rejecting every piece of hardware this morning. I�m growing to hate this machine, and desperately want to replace it. Unfortunately, I can�t afford any new toys, and probably won�t be able to for about 6 centuries with all my loans and bills and junk. New computer will just be another item on an increasingly long wish list that ranges from the mundane (new clothes) to the extraordinary (Vespa).

I�d like to make some money on the side�not that it would be enough to make a real difference, but still. I�ve got a couple of pet sitter fliers up, but that market seems to be flooded. I�m working on an art project that I�m pretty sure I�d be able to sell�assuming execution doesn�t end up being terribly expensive. It�s an idea I�ve had for awhile, and I saw something similar when I was at the giant yardsale (I swear I thought of it first). I didn�t think this woman did it as well as I can, and she was still charging $50 bucks a pop for them. I need to find out how to get a booth at an art fest or street fest or craft group or something. Ooooh. I also finished up a companion pair of pictures for the wall over my desk. I am happy with them.

I just need to win the lottery. That would take care of everything.

I Have Some Binoculars and I am Big Enough to Go Outside

2007-08-07 / 10:14 p.m.

Yesterday, I discovered that Lucy is really great at spotting household pests; catching and killing them isn't among her knowledge, skills and abilities. Yesterday we had a roach (hopefully his 1000 friends are living next door instead of here). Rather than kill and eat it like a normal cat would, she walked right up to it, looked at it for a few minutes, turned to me, meowed, turned back to the roach, meowed again, and continued to stare at it. She stood by whilst I killed it, apparently unmoved. She was more interested at my post-smashing clean-up. She joined me in the bathroom to watch the burial at sea, and also watched me wipe and disinfect the floor with rapt attention.

Over the past couple of weeks, I discovered that making my own art to hang up in my apartamento is cheaper and more fun than buying some reproduced crap at Old Time Pottery. After several mediocre efforts, I decided stenciling was the way to go. My chosen designs, while incongruous with one another, are much tidier than my freehand painting. My original plan was to make a coordinating pair, but this was abandoned in favor of, "just whatever."

Speaking of art, my mother and I voyaged through a small sliver of the world's(purportedly) longest yardsale. It was awesome, and next year we will return with the lessons we learned this year. Hint: don't bother exiting vehicle until Signal Mountain. Next year we'll also be taking a hybrid vehicle because I said so. Anyway, at one of the booths/markets, I discovered that someone had brought a project that I imagined several years ago to fruition. Fortunately, I think I can do it better, and the wheels are already in motion. If the project goes well, it will be easy to produce in larger quantities, and hopefully will yield a small profit via good old Ebay.

Finally, I've come to the sad realization (almost like a discovery) that, while my job is a good one that pays pretty well, I will always be poorer than my friends because I have loan and credit debt that they don't. Brian plans to have a wedding in Brazil one day, and I'm already sad that I'll probably be the only one in our core clique who won't be able to afford to go. ::sigh:: vive la boheme.

Living well

2007-07-25 / 10:19 p.m.

Good evening, good evening. I�m here again. It�s been a long hiatus, but a good one. The only bad part of the last few weeks has been all the reminders of how old we�re all getting. I keep meeting people my age who are getting married and/or having babies. I filled out a form today that had to do with savings matching for my retirement fund. A radio DJ reminded me the other day that one of my favorite albums from high school was released a decade ago. Perhaps this was part of the reason that I unabashedly dressed up for the book release Friday�why stop myself from doing something that can only make me feel younger.

The book, by the way, was highly enjoyable. It had a lot of range, and it was good in its brutal moments as well as its saccharine ones. I won�t say anything about the plot yet, out of courtesy. Among my few readers, there are a couple who get excited about the series, and maybe one of them hasn�t finished yet. One thing I can say though: I wish I would have made monetary bets on it, as I was right on every plot point I predicted.

but back to my exciting life�.I like my apartment, and I love my new neighborhood. It�s all so charming, I can barely contain myself. It�s beautiful, with the little restored bungalows full of attractive families or hipster roommates. And I can walk everywhere...grocery, fancy grocery, park, CVS, hardware store, at least 10 good bars, library, blockbuster, trader Joes, Indie Movie theater, jogging trail, bank, nice restaurants, cheap restaurants, bakeries, ice cream, coffee�.gah, everything! Sometimes, I ride my little pink hipster 3 speed bicycle I bought from Goodwill instead of walking, which is even more pleasant�albeit a bit dangerous. Now all I need are a few more quality friends. I want to have a party, but I�m not sure I know enough compatible souls to have a successful one.

Work�s going well too. Not particularly in the mood to make my job sound exciting now, but suffice it to say that, when I�m on, I might just be a total rockstar at doing my job. And when I�m not on�well, I�m still not so bad.

Egggh. I�m not a in a journalin� mood now, but I wanted to confirm my continued existence with a happy yawp and tell those of you who don�t get too see my clear skin and beer drinkin� weight gain that things are fine and good, and that I�m happy.

More entries on actual topics to come! I have an archive saved up since I moved, but looking back over them, they�re lackluster.

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recognize the handwriting?

2007-07-20 / 3:02 p.m.

I'm back! Watch out, Internets!