fun with links

Look what I can do!

http://bemelodious.blogspot.com/

Go here and click on the new post all about what a great roommate I am. Then you can see even more how good I am at this new trick of mine.

Thanks CH for teaching me!

Smoke Detectors: There to Detect Smoke

So this morning when I was getting ready for work, I was using a flat-iron on my new bangs (they like to be curly). While ironing out any of the body still left in my hair, I was glancing through a catalogue. A few minutes into all of this, my cell phone rang. I put down the flat-iron and ran to see who it was. 'Cause, in my experience early morning calls are usually either bad news, OR it's someone (like the Evil Sith Lord) needing a ride to work.

The call wasn't a big deal but the conversation took a few minutes, and while on the phone, I had to go down-stairs to get something. When I was down there I noticed something that smelled like it was burning. I didn't think anything of it though, as I was focused on the conversation. But when I came back upstairs I noticed that the hot-iron-catalogue combo had started a little fire on our bathroom counter! And, since our fire alarm is unattached, no smoke detectors had alerted me of it! I sort of panicked for like a second and then did what I always see in the movies...grabbed towels and tried to snuff it out. I was able to stop it without much damage, but now the bathroom counter and all the towels that were hanging in the bathroom are ruined. Also, there are smoke stains on the sides of the walls/ceiling and possibly some damage to the paint (in some places it looks like it might have started to peel off).

In all the commotion (I guess I was yelling?), J from next door came over to help. He thought it was important to state the obvious: "Well this is gonna cost you. BH [landlady] will love this." Thanks J.

I will probably have to pay for pretty much an entire new bathroom, or at least new counters, new paint/cabinets and new towels. And in the process, I burned the side of my left pinky. It hurts a lot. Needless to say, it was not a good morning.

And this, my dear readers, is the first piece of fiction ever to be posted here on the Frog. Happy April 1st.

(there was no fire, but here is what's true about the above: we do not have our fire alarm working, I did burn the side of my pinky on the flat iron, and I did flat iron my bangs straight).

These are the Days

Today is March 30th.

In two days it will be April 1st. That means, in two days, we'll be done with the first quarter of 2006 (and here at "The Man" headquarters, that means the end of our 06 Fiscal). Only 3/4's left in 2006.

So my question to everyone is, how did we get here?

It's 6 years after all the big Y2K stuff. The 1980's have become vintage--there are costumes and club nights and special radio programs devoted to it. This year would be my ten year high school reunion. Next the 90's will be wrapped up in flannel, alternative nostalgia. It's been so long since I've been in college, that I am actually required to re-take some courses from my lower division days for my upcoming nursing stuff. Just to make sure I remember it all (which is good, 'cause honestly, I don't remember everything I learned from the Microbio 6 course I took in winter quarter '98).

And while time is flying faster on a macro level--the space between my 18 year old self and my current 27 year old self grows almost exponentially--things seem to be speeding up daily too.

HOW is it already April?!?!

All I can do is shake my head. And count down to exciting future events. It is always okay for time to fly when you're looking forward, and so because ya'll love it so, here it is again:

16 days until warm, beach-filled sunshine in the Bahamas.
32 days until I get to give "The Notice"
56 days until warm, laughter-filled sunshine in Cabo with my "Grill" girls
And...63 days until the end of my marketing career.

And a new entry on the countdown list:

Assuming everything goes as planned, there are 1460 days (four years this fall) before I will start my career as a Nurse Practitioner. Incidentally that's smack right in the middle of my prime baby-making years. Joy.

In Salsa We Trust

I'm spreading salsa-holism!

Check out the General's blog at the link on the side (click where it says "The General"....and NO I don't know how to link yet!).

(evil laughter)

Sincerely,
The Evil Salsa Lord (-ess?)

Regards

So just a minute ago I realized something.

When I sign off on a work email in a normal situation I say this.

Thx
ML

(even with the initials. I use them--for reals--even outside the blog).

When I sign off on a work email in a situation in which I am angry/frustrated/annoyed, I do this:

Regards
ML

Somehow the "regards" is supposed to communicate something that "Thx" does not. Something more curt and less warm. Or at least, that's how it works in my head.

Ah....don't you just love passive aggression?

ML: Excel, Dad: Life

My brother called me the other day with a question about Excel. This is not unusual--I am his go-to person for this oh-so-fabulous gift from the Microsoft gods. And, admittedly, I know phenomenal amounts about it because I (a) LOVE it and (b) use it all the time to create reports and run analysis. He asked me a question about how to do something, and I told him the answer. I expected a "thanks" but instead I got an almost angry, accusatory, "HOW did you know that!?!?" Turns out he asked four other people before me how to do this one thing and none of them knew it. I went on to tell him that somewhere along the way I learned the trick and just didn't forget it. The conversation then turned to other areas, eventually settling upon the fact that he was trying to fix a grounding-cable problem he was having (his new plasma TV makes a quiet hum nose).

ML: Well, that's something I definitely can't help you with...I probably wouldn't even notice the hum.
TL: Yeah, you wouldn't. It's something probably only dad and I would notice. I'm going to call him next. He'll know how to fix it.
ML: Dad knows how to fix everything...
TL: (laughs) Yeah, how'd he learn all that?
ML: Probably the same way that I learned the excel stuff.
TL: Well I don't know how to do any of it. But between Dad with life stuff and you for excel--I'm covered.

And this got me thinking...my dad does know how to fix/do almost everything. It's odd. As I've gotten older I've realized it might not actually be that he knows HOW to do everything, but that he knows how to FIGURE OUT how to do it all. And then he has the confidence, with his new knowledge, to actually go do anything.

Nope, there aren't many things that I can do better then my dad (hell, even at 54 he beat me in the marathon!) and we're very similar. So when there IS something I know better, I secretly enjoy the fact that (now say this next phrase in a sing-song taunting voice of a playground five year old) "I know more than he does".

But then, maybe he knows more than me because apparently I'm still not all growed up.

That Latest Me or the Latest You

A long time ago I was traveling through Glastonbury (Western England) alone. I stayed at a hostel there for 5 days, along with some other people who were staying there for as long, or longer. I became sort-of friends with a few of the girls there. One day we had a conversation about music--who we liked and didn't like--and one of girls suggested that I listen to Ani DiFranco. And so almost six years later, I've done that. And I like her! Sometimes she gets a little psycho-angry-Lilith-b*tch, but she's always smart and sometimes, very poignant, clever and sweet. Here are a few of my favorite lyrics/songs. I highlighted the best parts.

From "32 Flavors":

squint your eyes and look closer/ I'm not between you and your ambition/ I am a poster girl with no poster/ I am thirty-two flavors and then some/ and I'm beyond your peripheral vision/ so you might want to turn your head/ cause someday you're going to get hungry/ and eat most of/ the words you just said

This is a clever way of telling someone to be careful about how they interpret, judge or stereotype when they don't know that much about everything one person can be. And the tone of this song is pretty mellow and sweet. Not angry.

From "Both Hands"

I am writing/ graffiti on your body/ I am drawing the story of/ how hard we tried/ I am watching your chest rise and fall/ like the tides of my life,and the rest of it all/ and your bones have been my bed frame/ and your flesh has been my pillow/ I am waiting for sleep/ to offer up the deep/ with both hands

This about a relationship falling apart. But I like the way she reflects on their history and the image of this person being the bed she sleeps on.

From "Untouchable Face"

To tell you the truth I prefer the worst in you/ too bad you had to have a better half/ She's not really my type but I think you two are forever/ and I hate to say it but you're perfect together/ so f*ck you and your untouchable face/ and f*ck you, for existing in the first place/ and who am I? that I should be vying for your touch?/ and who am I?

I like this one because it is sung so sweetly and pleadingly (at times). The whole f*ck you thing is very unexpected based on the music/tone. But at the same time, you (or at least I) have felt how she feels. And I like when music explains pieces of me.

From "Manhole"

When I realize it doesn't bother me/ Like love's mementos usually do/ And I look up to see who's different here/ The latest me or the latest you/.../but you can't fool the queen, 'cause I married the king.

This whole song is great. I had trouble picking my favorite part. I like the perspective she takes on looking back on what she's learned.

And so six years later, I took the advice of a random girl who's name I don't remember, and in the process I have gained some new insights into the familiar.

Laundromats, Caffeine, and Bangs

Quick post 'cause I'm a busy gal right now. Here are some recent observations, musings and thoughts:

1) Laundromats are wonderful
Who knew that Laundromats were so great? I've never really used one before, but one early Saturday morning a couple weeks ago, I didn't feel like dealing with the weekend morning laundry race so I hauled FIVE LOADS down to the neighborhood Laundromat. I discovered that other young and presumably single-ish people are there doing the same thing, and that at a Laundromat, washing clothes can be kind of social. But most importantly, I discovered the beauty of simultaneous washing: it took one hour and a half to wash and dry five loads. And the combination of easy, steady work (sorting, shuffling, folding clothes) amidst a fun people-watching environment, made for a very relaxing morning.

2) Coffee is disappointing to me lately
I've become increasingly picky about what makes a good cup of coffee and because of that, fewer cups of coffee are good to me. But I've been hopeful, and I still go and buy it because I love the experience. It's like a reward. It's like a cup of warm comfort you get to drink in because you had to get up. But alas...lately, only the experience is rewarding. Followed by remorse for having spent $2 on something I probably won't drink.

3) A coworker asked for some of my photos!
The other day a coworker asked me for three of my photos to use at his house (in photo coasters). I was very pleased!

4) I have bangs.
Last night, I went and got bangs. The general said they make me look young, but at work, I've gotten some rave reviews. So the jury is still out.

More, More, More

Someone asked me the other day if I was happy. And even though she admitted she was not, I had to answer honestly--I am. Sure, there are days or moments when I'm not, for the various range of reasons, but overall yes, I am happy.

And in thinking about why it is that I am happy I came up with these reasons: There is nothing that I've really wanted to do and not done. I have explored (am exploring) almost every single passion I've had. And I don't think there is any person in my life who doesn't know how I feel about them. If I were to die today the only thing I would regret is not doing more. More travel, more loving, more living, more adventure. But there are no regrets over not having tried something. That's just not how I roll.

I'm not sure if it was this conversation or a recent fit of insomnia, but for some reason today I am feeling very nostalgic for the past. I miss my brother as a kid. I miss my next door neighbor Lauren, who for many years was like a sister to me. I miss being 20 and wandering Europe--armed with my best friend, hopeful idealism and a passion to do everything. I miss my dog.

But the fact that I miss all these things only means that I have great memories. And I am happy to have those. Now I want more.

Loves

Things I love (or things that I remembered I love) from today

• Cherry Blossoms
• Excessive, perfectly blooming rows of Calla Lilies
• Spring's Promise of Summer Ahead!
• Finishing a morning run
• The Buena Vista Social Club
• Cuba
• What stores in the US call "World" music
• Anything put out under the Putumayo music label
• The way "Friday" feels
• Moroccan Mint Tea Lattes

Things I DO NOT Love

• Electric bills 3X their normal size.

That's MY Red Crayon

The Evil Sith Lord and his colleagues (two other VPs) made me join them for lunch yesterday. We were discussing budgets and forecasts for our next fiscal. Being the lame duck that I am, it was very easy for me to detach from their discussion. Me and my passive malaise just sat back and listened casually, glancing around the restaurant and swinging my feet (we were sitting at the bar in higher chairs). At one moment, when the "conversation" turned a bit more heated, I was forced out of my comfortable thoughtlessness. I turned to the VPs and had this realization: here were three grown men, dressed in suits, cloaked in ego and wrapped up in self-importance clamoring for power and money. But really, how different are they from a bunch of school boys fighting over who gets the red crayon? Or racing to see who can get higher on the swing first? Sure, now the money they play with is real, and the suits they dress in are not Dad's hand-me-downs, but it's still all just about the red crayon.

Friendly Favorites

The other day I was trying to decide about what I would get someone for something (intentionally vague). I realized that there were many things about what my friends like and don't like that I don't know. So I asked a handful of closer girlfriends what their favorite things are. I had so much fun reading their answers! The responses were really varied and it was sometimes surprising to find out what some people love the most. So not only was the exercise entertaining, but it was educational too.

Because I was bored at work that day--and because I am a nerd--I compiled all of our favorites onto a spread sheet and sent them back out to everyone who responded. Everyone seemed to enjoy the little break from work, and now I know that if I were to buy star-gazer lilies, Y, CH, KM, and HBo would all be happy with them.

YAY for fun friends who are supportive of my nerdiness. As a reward for your participation, future gifts may now be more tailored to your favorites!

Melrose Du Jour

Last night at 1:39 AM I woke up to a front door slamming and a car screeching out the driveway and down the street. A few minutes later, as I tried to shake off the noises and re-enter the land of sleep, I heard my bedroom neighbor (apartment 3 girl) talking on the phone with someone. I heard her warning about DUIs, insisting that they (whomever she was talking to) pull over and promising that she would go pick them up. I heard her leave and was not quite fully back into a deep sleep when the sounds of her return woke me up. Turns out DUI boy is apartment 1 guy. They went into his apartment and I thought, "ah...quiet at last." I assumed the raucous sex from a couple weekends ago wouldn't be happening because a) last night was Monday (read: a work night!) and b) he was probably pretty drunk (I optimistcally assumed there would be some mechanical difficulties).

I started falling asleep again, only to be woken up a little later when--for some reason--they came back to her apartment and were going at it. Only this time, I heard him too. It really disturbed me and I almost knocked on the wall.

Why--WHY--would they be doing it at her apartment when she has a roommate (TCN) and when she lives smack in the middle of the complex with VERY thin walls?!?! All while apartment 1 guy has no roommate and lives alone on the end of the building. WHY? WHY?

I drifted off to sleep again but woke only a half hour later to a new noise. Apparently, apartment 1 guy snores. Lovely.

The whole incident was spread out across 2 hours. The last time I looked at the clock it was 3:42. Now more than ever I am second guessing my goal to cut back on caffeine this week.

The Evil Sith Lord and I

The Evil Sith Lord (ESL) took me to lunch the other day. I was upset about it, as I had packed and planned healthy food, as well as packed and planned a lunch by myself reading. The thing that bothered me the most is that he didn't ask if I had lunch plans--as he usually does--he just said: "We're going to do a working lunch today." When I said, "Okay...I guess I'll just change my plans." He replied with a curt nod.

Since I am a lame duck here at the office, I am very unmotivated. And since I had to change my lunch plans for this all important meeting, I was especially annoyed and pouty. The combination of sulkiness and disinterest meant that I did nothing but look at him with a drab expression, nodding periodically as he went on and on about boring things. Well...I also ate too much...but aside from that I particpated very little in the two hour conversation.

At the end of lunch, when we were parting ways, the ESL said, "so any thoughts? comments? suggestions?...Anything other than passive malaise??"

At this point I put on my "I'm-just-quiet-because-I'm focused-and-determined-and-eager-to-get-cracking-on-these-fun-projects" hat and said something like, "Yeah, it sounds great. I'm just really anxious to get the ball rolling and move forward."

Ah....if only the ESL knew the full extent of my passive malaise. I can't wait to tell him what I'm actually doing come June 2nd.

ESL Interaction #2: The other day we were talking with our marketing coordinator who just returned from being on four months maternity leave. We were all joking about how great it is when something goes right here and how whenever it does, our whole department should do a victory lap around the buidling. The jokes about said "victory lap" carried on a bit until it ended with the ESL telling the new mommy marketing coordinator, "Yeah, it would be a great way to lose some of that baby fat."

When she left, I looked at him, shook my head and said: "ESL, you can't say things like that."

ESL: "Why not? She just had a baby!"

ML: I know but, you never should imply to a woman that she should lose weight. And that implied it.

ESL: I don't get women...

Now I have a little more insight as to why his previous career as a therpist did not work out for him.

Calmer Now

So...I was a little freaked out when I wrote that last post. Now that I am more calm, it makes sense that they wouldn't give me money until I have proof of enrollment. And I also found out registration begins in April. So...I just have to make sure and keep the loan open until then (by calling them regularly).

Learning curves are annoying.

It's Been a Year...

Today is the one year anniversary of this blog. It's the Frog's blog-iversary. I had grand plans of doing a special post, reflecting in witty, humorous ways about the past year but now I am not going to do that. Why, you might ask? Because I am sad and stressed. And the reason is because NO ONE WILL GIVE ME MONEY FOR SCHOOL.

Here are the reasons why someone SHOULD help me out:

• I have excellent credit
• I owe NO MONEY right now.
• I am willing to sacrifice a lot to help people in an area where there are major shortages.
• I am kicking a** in school--I will be a great nurse!
• I am willing to take a crappy loan with a HUGE APR that I have to pay off for the rest of my life. They can MAKE MONEY off of me right now!

Here are the reasons why I am finding trouble getting a loan:

• I happen to be working full time now and no one cares that I won't be later.
• I will be working on pre-reqs for other approved programs, but not in an approved program yet.
• I already have a bachelors degree. I guess you only get help for one.
• My school happens to not participate in a lot of private loan programs. I guess all the other students don't need private loans.
• I am not enrolled full time at the moment (because I work full time) but I have to show proof of at least half time enrollment before I can lock down the funding. But of course I cannot find any information about when Summer enrollment begins. And if I am not enrolled with half-time status before mid-April, my current loan application will be cancelled.

I guess I have to just wait until I have proof of enrollment. This is the first area in my life related to finances where being proactive does not help.

I can't believe this is so hard. You know, I chose this route (pre-reqs at a JC then on to an accelerated one year BSN program) to save money and time. But it seems like it would be easier for me to fund all this if I just enrolled in an expensive 4 year college and started all over. Maybe I should consider crossing to the dark side and going to USC. Financial aid would be a breeze then.

The Queen of Metabolism, Her Bed and other Stories

Today, for all 5 of my dear readers--I am going to post a little smorgasbord of events from the past week.

1) Last Friday night, BD and I went out in HB for a little good old fashioned drinking/flirting/dancing fun. At one point, while ordering drinks, I met myself a nice guy. We'll call him ABF (you'll understand the nickname later). ABF and I hit it off. He was nice and cute and appropriately chatty. His friends came up to us at one point to tell ABF that they were leaving and going to another bar across the way. Then my friends came up for similar reasons. Around this time, ABF kissed me. A la my new policy of being very honest in relationships (it IS the EA*), I told him up-front that while I was enjoying myself, I was not going to put out. He seemed okay with this. We decided to leave the bar and go, I assumed, to meet up with my friends or his. Upon exiting the bar we began to discuss where to go next. He charmingly suggested, "Let's go make out in an alley somewhere." This is when I knew: ABF would not become a part of my life. I said no and that I wanted to go to where my friends were. He said he wanted to go to where his friends were. And so we parted ways.

ABF = Alley Boy Friend.

2) On Monday night my baby brother called me to find out my social security number. Turns out he's setting up a Roth IRA! This is something I've wanted him to do for awhile, so I am very proud of him. Fiscal responsibility always indicates an inkling towards maturity, right? Here's the conversation that followed:

ML: Oh, you need this info for the paperwork...where you list who gets what if you die?
Lil' Bro: Yeah.
ML: And you're listing me as the beneficiary?? Over mom and dad?
Lil' Bro: Yeah.

(There's a pause in the conversation as my chest swells with love and pride)

Lil' Bro: But that's just because you'll probably be around longer.

3) I have a problem. And it may be worst then my salsa-holism. I am addicted to linen. New sheets, new down, new fluffiness, you name it. Egyptian cotton, sateen, thread-count....music to my ears.

On Sunday, I went to Ikea with the Private. She needed to get new bed-related materials. I DID NOT need to get new bed-related materials. But then...I was surrounded by all the down and stumbled upon a pretty duvet and thought, "well, I've always wanted to get a lighter down comforter...one that would be less warm and good for the summer months." And then, as I perused the various options of down bedding, I thought, "well...I've always wanted a BIGGER down comforter and since I do NEED one for the summer season, I should get a less warm LARGER down comforter. Like a King sized one." But then, if I got a king comforter I would need to get a new duvet...but the duvet I wanted at Ikea was all out of the king sized stock. So I put it all back, hung my head, and walked away.

During the Monday and Tuesday that followed this Ikea adventure, I thought about this new large down comforter issue some more. In fact, I obsessed about it. Meanwhile, at night I tossed and turned in my bed under a comforter that could keep me alive in the arctic. Sleeping outside. In winter.

So when I woke up yesterday, sweaty and disgruntled from my thick-and-super-fluffy queen sized comforter, I decided that I a) needed to go with this summer/King plan, and b) needed to do it right away. Without waiting to make it to another Ikea. I didn't really like the Ikea duvet anyway...And so I went back to the internet, found one I loved and bought it at lunch! Last night I put it on my bed and I loved it so much that I couldn't sleep well because it was so nice and I wanted to enjoy every moment of being under it.

This morning, with new natural day-time light, I decided I needed to get the matching pillow cases. But they only have them to fit king sized pillows! So today at lunch I'm buying new pillows and cases! This has GOT to stop. Someone STOP me.

But only after I buy the new pillows/cases, okay?

4) I got my second test back last night. I will not boast or brag excessively, but I worked hard and studied lots and I got the only A! So if anyone needs someone to explain the metabolic processes behind lipid digestion in the small intestine, I'm your girl. And, I'm available for parties.

The LBC has a Melrose Place...and I live in it.

Once upon a time, in a quiet little corner of the LBC, there was an apartment complex where seven young and mostly single people lived. And this is the latest drama going on in their lives.

First some background info:

• The walls between all the apartments are very, very thin.
• The guy in apartment 1 is sleeping with the girl in apartment 3.
• The girl in apartment 3 lives with her younger brother (TCN), who is sort of romantically involved with me (in apartment 2).
• When TCN and I got in a little fight about a month ago, the guy in apartment 1 was there to help me through it. We were up talking for hours and he sort of started putting the moves on me, a little bit. And since then we've sort of been friends. I guess.
• The guy in apartment 1 is cute. TCN is cute. But the cutest guy is the one who lives in apartment 4. He's tall, attractive, really nice, and a surfer. He's my age and he's offered to go surfing with me....but he's married! And, the woman he's married to has cancer. She seems to be doing okay though, which is good, because she's also nice.
• She has a 16 year old son from a previous marriage (she's older) who is a little surfer bum. TCN acts like an older brother to him, but he's concerned that this little surfer bum is about to become a "big waste of space." He smokes a lot of pot. His mom gets annoyed because pot isn't good for him, but she smokes a lot of pot because of her cancer. And so there is a constant little struggle there.
• These four apartments sit side-by-side in a townhouse arrangement on the south side of a shared driveway. Across the driveway is another set of four apartments arranged in the same style. These other four apartments are housed by a senior citizen, two young families, and a quiet professional who is never home.
• The arrangement of these two complexes across a shared driveway makes for a lot of echoes. So sounds travel big time.

Some other characters involved that don't live in the complex:

• B: the friend of TCN's from college who has become friends with me since my involvement with TCN. She lives two blocks away.
• P: the friend of TCN's from elementary school who moved here in January and who has become friends with me since my involvement with TCN. He lives about half a mile away. Sometimes he flirts with me. Sometimes I wonder what his intentions are...sometimes he's nice and sometimes he's weird.

In light of all these interesting connections, here are some highlights from Saturday/Sunday that might be of interest:

Noon

The guy in apartment 1 told me out of the blue that he'd been doing some internet dating. I wasn't sure what to make of that, as I thought he and the girl in apartment 3 were still involved. But I couldn't ask because the girl in apartment 3 came out. They were going to brunch together.

6pm

The guy in apartment 1 and I were talking about his online dating situation again. This time, I asked how apartment 3 felt about it. He said the following: he met a girl he likes, he's gotten laid a couple of times by other (presumably easy) girls, and that the girl in apartment 3 knows about all of this and seems okay with it.

8pm-Midnight

B, P, TCN and I were supposed to go out Saturday night. I was supposed to meet up with all of them around 11:30 or so, but things didn't work out for various reasons: P got annoyed at B and TCN. B/TCN told P to leave, so he did. I was communicating with P about meeting up with them, but because he left early and the other two were being drunk and irresponsible, I ended up not joining them and I was upset at them for being flaky. I went to bed.

2:45 am

B/TCN return and yell for me from the drive way. Despite the romantic drunk yelling--a la Romeo and Juliet--I ignored them. Then B called my cell. We cleared up the miscommunications about the night. But I was annoyed because I could hear B and TCN eating food, laughing lots and being very drunk. Eventually I fell asleep.

5:30 am

I woke up to the sounds of someone in the complex having loud, loud s*x. The kind you'd hear on an adult channel. The kind that sounds like someone is dying. At first I wasn't sure where it was coming from but it seemed to be coming from apartment 1. I got up to get some water, realized I had left the heater on in the living room, and went downstairs to turn it off. Downstairs, I could still hear the sounds of the crazy s*x. This was surprising because even though I know apartment 1 has been hooking up with apartment 3 (and other new easy online girls) I have never heard these sounds come from there. Out of shock and disorientation (and some concern for that girl's well being) I actually went outside to see where the sounds were coming from.

The sounds were coming from apartment 1. The lights were on and the windows were open. I looked over to apartment 3 and noticed that the girls lights were on too. This meant one of two things: 1) she was with the guy in apartment 1. Maybe for some "I want you back" s*x; or 2) he was with a new online girl and apartment 3 could hear ('cause everyone could) and was sad.

And so there I was, standing in the middle of the shared driveway at 5:30 am, annoyed with TCN/B/P for being dumb, immature and drunk the night before, sleepy and disturbed (at the sounds of the s*x and the possibility of how it might feel for apartment 3 girl to hear her ex going at it hard core with another hussy).

Sunday Morning/Afternoon:

TCN walked by. I said hi and his response annoyed me, so I shut the door on him. A minute later he yelled up to me in my room that he wasn't done talking. He was nice at that point and things are all normal again.

B and P all apologized to me for the night before and B told me that when she went home around 5am, the girl in apartment 3 was not at home. Which means, the sounds came from apartment 3 WITH apartment 1. I guess it was "I want you back s*x." I never ran into apartment 1 guy yesterday but I was relieved to see that apartment 3 girl was able to walk.

2:45 am Last night:

Apartment 1 sent me a text message asking if I was up. I reponded this morning with this: "No, I wasn't up when you sent that. But, I WAS up the other night when you were getting your groove on with someone who was VERY VERY into it. All the children in the neighborhood lost their innocence."

Everyone who lives on the north-side of the driveway must hate us south-side dwellers.

The Girlman

A friend recently sent this to me. According to this I fall somewhere between a girl and a woman. I'm a girlman. Or a womirl.

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Girls vs. Grown Women

Girls leave their schedule wide-open and wait for a guy to call and make plans.
Grown Women make their own plans and nicely tell the guy to get in
where he fits in.

Girls want to control the men in their life.
Grown Women know that if he's truly hers, he doesn't need controlling.

Girls check you for not calling them.
Grown Women are too busy to realize you hadn't.

Girls try to put a man 'on lock' by using sex.
Grown Women know that it's the sex of the mental kind that makes a man
want to 'lock' you down.

Girls are afraid to be alone.
Grown Women revel in it--using it as a time for personal growth.

Girls ignore the good guys.
Grown Women ignore the bad guys.

Girls worry about not being pretty and/or good enough for their man.
Grown Women know that they are pretty and/or good enough for any man.

Girls try to monopolize all their man's time (i.e. don't want him
hanging with his friends).
Grown Women realize that a lil' bit of space makes the 'together time'
even more special and goes to kick it with her own friends!

Girls think a guy crying is weak.
Grown Women offer their shoulder and a tissue.

Girls want to be spoiled and 'tell' their man so.
Grown Women show him and make him comfortable enough to reciprocate
w/o fear of losing his manhood.

Girls get hurt by one man and make all men pay for it.
Grown Women know that that was just one man.

Girls fall in love, chase aimlessly after the object of their
affection, ignoring all signs.

Grown Women know that sometimes the one you love, don't always love
you back and move on without bitterness.

Girls will read this and get an attitude.
Grown Women will read this and pass it on to other grown women!!

Texting My Way to Bankruptcy

Today I looked at my cell phone bill and noticed that it was about $40 over what it normally is. I have about a gazillion rollover minutes so I was pretty sure this extra $40 did not come from talking too much. When I looked up the bill I discovered--to much shock and horror--that I sent 375 text messages last month. Yes, that's right. THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE.

My god. What have I become??

At $0.10 a pop, that's where the extra $40 (plus some taxes) came from.

Seriously, I have a problem. I had NO idea that I was texting that much. Of course now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure I did...I should look into past months and do a little research. Maybe there was a billing error?!?! Do you know if you get charged for text messages received, or is it just for what you send? Because I just don't think I sent that many text messages...

I will look into it further, but in the meantime I added the "200 text messages for $4.99 a month" option to my plan. So with this new plan, if I happen to send the same exorbitant amount of messages again, it will only cost me $22.50.

Grill

If you go to google and search for "Let me see your grill", this blog is the sixth link listed. The Frog is famous!!!!

And of course now that I'm blogging about this phrase yet again*, maybe my ranking will go up even higher.

I never expected the grill to be my path to fame. It's the Frog's version of cartoon sheep.**

*See my post from early February to read more about the grill and its importance in my life.
**This is reference to the Napper's blog (see link on the side). She mentioned Cartoon sheep a couple of times and got lots of hits from people all over the world searching for info on them. There are some strange people out there.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make me a Match*

Last night I took my test! I'm SO glad it's done. Now there are only 6 more to endure! Semester systems are SO long. YAY to the UC system for going the quarter route.

So after my test I decided to celebrate being finished by eating one of my favorite TJ's Popsicles (tropical fruit) and watching one of my favorite movies of all time, The Matchmaker. I love this movie, but when I started watching it, I didn't remember how much I love it. So it was sort of a fun surprise. Prior to last night I would not have called this one of my favorite movies, but now it is. Here's why:

1) I feel like I can relate to Janine Garafalo's character: the cynical, stressed out, driven American who sometimes misses out on the little joys of daily life.

2) I love Ireland and the Irish. They are a fun bunch of people and I would love to someday spend more time there. I often toy with the idea of picking up and moving to a little seaside Irish town and working in a pub. I could ride my bike to work, stroll along the cliffs at sunset with my dog, befriend the local senior men who would tell me stories about the Ireland of yore....what a rosy little life I'd have. But then, I also dream about picking up and moving to a tropical island somewhere where I would spend my days strolling the beach, collecting seashells, and selling fresh fruit in a ramshackle beach side stand. And then...there's the dream about picking up and moving to Africa where I could befriend local tribes and stroll the savannah taking photos of elephants for National Geographic. I guess the common theme here is the "picking up and moving far, far away" thing. (sigh).

Okay, back to the movie list....

3) I like the little romance that develops. It seems real--not too Hollywood--and sweet. And it develops in a comfortable way. They sort of stumble along until it just happens. There are some obstacles of course, but it is all good by the end.

4) It's funny! I am pro-laughter.

5) The guy does get the girl and there is a happy ending. Trite, but nice.

*The title of this post comes from everyone's favorite Fiddler on the Roof song about a Matchmaker. Since watching The Matchmaker, I have had this song in my head consistently. It's not annoying. Yet.