Sunday, February 27, 2005

Lame!

Didn't do much this weekend... I did a ton of reading, so I guess that's something. Oh - and Awesome Roommate and I went to see this rowhouse in Eastern Market that was probably the smallest abode ever constructed. For waaaaaaay too much money. I'm trying to stay optimistic with this apartment search, but man! That place was painful!

Came to the realization that some people - as good as their intentions may be - always leave you disappointed. It's just in their nature. I don't want to be disappointed, but I don't want to give up those relationships. So what am I to do?

I miss K-10. She's over in London with her stupid five hour time difference, and I can't talk to her whenever I want to. Balls! I get to work at 8:30, which means it's already after lunch there. So by the time that I get going on my "work," it's quitting time for her. Therefore, v. little emailing time between us. Not fair!

Academy Awards. Blah. Chris Rock was funny, though.

So, to recap: lame weekend, K-10 is too far away, some people just suck, and the Oscars were dull. Oh please let this week be more stimulating.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Snow day!... Well, Snow Afternoon!

All day Wednesday, the brave DC meteorologists were on TV and radio warning us of a "really big storm" heading our way. Remember that here in the DC metro area, "really," "big," and "storm" mean completely different things than they do in the Wolverine State. "Get to the store and stock up on bread and milk, because this is going to be a big one!"

School leaders were up all night, waiting to see if the chillins should stay home. I really started to fall for it too. "Ooooh, maybe if schools get cancelled, so will the Federal Government!" So, being a massive idiot, I stayed up until 2 a.m. reading. Because we won't have to go to work! Nope.

I looked outside this morning, and much to my dismay, only 1/4 inch of snow was nestled in the grass. Oh balls. Soooo, I got ready, got to work, practically slept through a two hour conference call, forgot to eat lunch, and ended up getting sent home 2 hours early as part of the Early Dismissal for Federal Employees. Awe-some!

So I'm home, in slippers and my favorite hooded sweatshirt, about to have dinner and pour myself some wine, and start a new book. Oh, but wait. How many inches of snow are expected?

3 to 5.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Klutz

I woke up at a fairly respectable time on Saturday morning, thank goodness, because Awesome Roommate called from what I thought was her work around 11 a.m.

"Hi! Can you come pick me up from GW Hospital?"

"What happened?!?!??!"

"Oh, I was in the otter exhibit, slipped on ice, and sliced my hand open!"

I sat in silence for a moment. She's not the klutzy one -- I am! She isn't the one who runs into things, like the couch (you know, something that never really moves and is always in the same place), and finds bruises on her legs like I do. She's the strong one - she opens jars for me :)

"Oh gosh! Yeah, just gotta throw some jeans on..."

So I get in the 'Scort and head toward GWU. I only got a little bit lost (you'd think that I'd know how to navigate that damn campus, after two years there), and managed to pick her up in one piece. She was all bandaged up and reeked of iodine. Her coat was covered in blood. And she was smiling. Apparently, the nurse was digging gravel out of her hand for 45 minutes and she didn't cry at all. Hell, I almost started bawling just listening to the recap.

We got McDonald's, because it seemed like the best solution, she popped some regular ole Tylenol, and promptly passed out on the couch for four hours. With her arm sticking up in the air. At the party that night, she walked around all night bandaged and with her right arm lifted in a right angle. It was hilarious.

And now, she's stir crazy and itching to get back to work. I hope that I someday find a job that I love that much!

Monday, February 21, 2005

Drah-ma!

Drama, drama, drah-ma! Yet it's not my problem, so it's not going to wind up here!

With all of the ridiculousness swirling around here lately, it's good to know that I can now give in to the escapism of talking to a long lost beau. Not that it's escapism, exactly. It's pure, honest conversation and it feels like escapism because it's satisfying - like comfort food. Like a peanut butter sandwich and hot chocolate on a snowy Michigan afternoon, talking to him is easy. Dealing with my issues is no longer on my mind and I laugh and I smile and I never want the conversation to end. Being a good person is hard - I mean, I can't drive the 'Scort one block without yelling at someone - but I really think that he's managing just fine.

Do you know how refreshing it is to rekindle a friendship that had threatened to burn out indefinitely? Forget for a moment that our relationship started out as unadulterated lust - it definitely turned into something meaningful. Besides, lust is amazing. That summer was easily one of the best of my life and I will always remember nights on the fire escape, picnics in the park, strolling around Ann Arbor (with whom I will always have a smoldering relationship) in the middle of the night, and knowing that I could show up in his doorway, sweaty and tired after a day of chasing children around the museum, and have those strong arms around me in seconds.

Maybe that's why trying this new "friendship" thing is so easy. The trust is there - because it never left. The smiles are still there - because we wouldn't be who we are without them. The only thing missing are the hugs. Those are 525 miles away. But would be well worth the drive.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Procrastination

I miss procrastinating. Now that I'm out of school, there are so few opportunities to slack off. I mean, sometimes I let the garbage fill up a few days longer than I should -- but that's not really procrastinating. That's just being lazy. And disgusting. Ew.

When I was still in grad school, procrastination was an art form. One night in particular stands out. I had a massive paper due the next day, and while it was pretty far along, it was far from complete. But I didn't care. I decided that it was completely necessary that I list every book I owned. At least, the books that I had here with me in D.C. Who actually knows how many are stashed at my parents' house. (I did donate my prized Babysitter's Club collection to my mom's school, along with any other pre-teen masterpieces like Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, but I know that there a ton there from my first two years of undergrad).

I have 276 books here. 276. Who has that many books, seriously?

And Awesome Roommate wonders why I am dreading moving.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Work is Stoopid

Interesting thing: I got promoted, and they gave me more work. What's that about? It kind of blows, I'm not gonna lie. Therefore, I have not had time to write. Well, that and the article that Waayers sent. So now, I'm flippin' pissed that I have to actually "do" work, AND can't work on my delicious blog because I'm scared that someone will find it offensive and I'll be fired.

Isn't that the whole reason that people write these things, though? For the fucking obscenities?

Monday, February 14, 2005

What's Going On???

So there I am at work. Working. La di dah. The power goes out. Everyone's all "wtf?"

We are evacuated. And let me tell you - being on the top floor is great for bragging rights, but when the fire alarms are activated all flashy-style and the fat asses in front of you haven't seen stairs in years, you start to wish you weren't so high and mighty.

That's the thing - I get soooo annoyed when people cram onto the elevator in the morning and proceed to hit every floor Elf-style, because the people that work on the second and third floors are clearly the people that should be taking the stairs whenever possible.

So we get down the first few flights quickly, and then get stuck behind this ginormous woman who is placing both feet on each step. Like she's TWO and just learning to walk. ARGH.

We get outside. It's sleeting. We wait outside for an hour and a half. Then we are herded back into the building and have to conquer THE STAIRS. It literally took 20 minutes to get back to the ninth floor because of all the land monsters.

Got back to the office and the power is still out and the phones have headed to no-man's land as well. They expect us to work? Why are we back in the building at all? Why didn't they send everyone home? People, please. This is the government. Half the building had semi-power. If they sent us home, we'd be wasting money. But giving every federal employee the day off for Inauguration Day? Well, that's just being patriotic!

I got sent home anyway.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Ashes

I know that I won't make it to mass today, as I haven't been to mass since the Friday after September 11, 2001. Perhaps I'm a little jaded with organized religion - maybe I'm just scared that it will be too weird to jump back in. Maybe I just get annoyed with all of the people just going through the motions, because then I start to wonder if I am one of them. I don't know. But I do know that I am going to get on the metro this evening, see all the people with smudged foreheads, and I am going to want to be one of them. But is that fair - show up at church for the first time in years, just to get ashes to be part of a clique? I don't think so.

What I do know is that I am surging ahead full speed with Lent. I figure, if I can't make myself go to mass this year, I am giving up pop. Soda. Soda pop. This is huge.

I gave up pop for lent during my senior year of college. I seriously went through withdrawal - I had headaches and I got the shakes the first week. But that was because I never replaced the caffeine. I made it all the way to Easter, and at my aunt's house, I cracked open a Coke, and couldn't finish it because it tasted so foreign.

Then a week later, I was back on the sauce.

So I am giving it up this year too, but now I can drink green tea (caffeine!) like I have been, and everything will be peachy keen. At least, that's the plan. Just because while I feel more spiritual walking in the woods than I do in mass doesn't mean I can't participate in some way.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Blank Canvas

It's amazing what a new canvas and new acrylics can do for your mood after a horrendously bad day. Painting is so therapeutic. I never really understood what The Lady meant when she brought out the watercolors to "calm down" - but she was right. Plus, I guess it helped that she actually has talent :)

Talking to a long-lost beau (get it? Some might...) helped the situation immensely. Why does he have to live in Ypsi-ghetto?

So if I extract the good things from the events of the day, they definitely outweigh the bad things. And it could always be worse, right? Like, I could have actually lost an arm to the elevator land monster. Oh, the horrors!

Monday, February 07, 2005

Land Monster

Okay, I know, I know, I know that this isn't nice. I know. But here it is anyway:

So I have to take something down to the Office of Contracting. A few
floors down. This woman sees me coming toward the elevators. I
smile. She gets in and doesn't hold it. I stick my arm in, but it
doesn't sense it. I am literally pushing the two doors apart with
both arms. She does nothing. I finally pry the doors open. This is
what she says, "The doors aren't supposed to do that."

Are you sure? How about if you had held the elevator for me like you
were supposed to, I wouldn't have come so close to losing my arms.

So I was like, "Yeah, it never senses me. Maybe I'm just too thin."

And she was a land monster. So it was funny.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Ed-GARRR

So Awesome Roommate's ex-boyfriend showed up at our door tonight. He drove here. From MICHIGAN. She broke up with him 2 months ago.

I don't think that he got the memo.

Hey, at least she keeps me entertained.

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Eastern Market

I spent Saturday morning/afternoon at Eastern Market with Betsy, Merrick, and Sarah. It was a gorgeous day - 54 degrees and sunny. We went to Murky, got coffee and sticky buns ("hey, these sticky buns are... sticky"), and sat in the sun. Amazing. It just makes me want to live in Eastern Market even more!

I wanted to browse the used books for hours. What is my obsession, honestly? I have two large bookcases packed with books. In college, I could never sell my books back - what if I needed them? They're like my babies. I can't get rid of them, and every time I cut through the ghetto mall on the way home from work, I always ALWAYS want to go into B. Frickin' Dalton and buy something. I rarely do, mainly because I don't think I'd like to eat books instead of groceries.

And one funny thing about being out of school is that I actually want to read scholarly books. Go figure. I asked for - and received - a biography of William Shakespeare for Christmas. The author is great. I can't believe I'm saying this. What a nerd.

So yeah. Then I went to see Merrick's new apartment. Sooooo jealous. Old 1900s townhouse - original wallpaper, floors, staircase. I'm not a material culture historian, but sweet Lord, was that place awesome. It was perfect except for one thing: no built in bookcases. That, along with a washer/dryer in the unit (obviously), are our two top priorities while house searching. Well, maybe the washer/dryer more than the bookcases - but wouldn't that be cool?

Friday, February 04, 2005

Happy Friday!

The weekend is here at last!

I spent most of my Friday moving into my new office! Well, it's a cube - but I have a window! Also had my performance review today, and they are putting in a request for an increase in wages because I am so GD awesome! (It's about time someone realized that I have a masters degree and shouldn't be the front desk monkey). Score!

In other news, Happy Birthday to Waayers!

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

This is work? Ugh.

So this is what it's like to have a real job. Interesting... But ohhhhhh, I am so busy! (Yet apparently not too busy to write this). I'm all about the promotion and the added responsibilities, sure. I'm even okay with the lack of any monetary goodies. But sweet Lord, starting a new job while still performing all duties related to the old job while interviewing candidates for the former job is not a good combination. I'm surprised I haven't screwed up too badly yet.

Here was my schedule for this morning:

8:30 - Arrive at work
9:00 - Interview
9:30 - Interview
10:00 - New intern arrives from Gallaudet University
10:30 - Interview

Sooooo, just so we're clear - Gallaudet is a school (an excellent one, at that) for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. So communicating with her went as far as me spelling my name in American Sign Language before I picked up the notepad. Orientation took bloody forever. Though I was impressed with myself that I remembered the alphabet. Throw in all of the interviews (I liked ALL of the candidates, of course) and the fact that I didn't eat anything until about 2 p.m., you've got a very cranky Donut.

About twenty minutes ago, the copier did something very, very bad by eating a bunch of paper and then burning it. I don't know! I don't know how copiers do anything! So now I am getting very, very high on fumes and my stomach is relatively empty. I'm floating. Amazing!

Yet even after this ridiculous day, the few hours of sleep I yoinked last night, and the mound of laundry at home, I told S that I would meet him at Bailey's to cheer on the Fighting Illini. Forget for a moment that he badmouths my beloved Wolverines any chance he gets. I'm going because I am NICE, dammit! Oh I need some Coke.