earthquake!

yesterday's early morning earthquake whose epicenter was in evansville, indiana shook the u.s. as far away as florida- and i felt it! i woke up at 4.44 (which is interesting both because of the numbers and because cnn has reported the quake started at 4.36, 38 miles below the surface of the earth) to a tapping sound and Josh saying, "babe! babe!" the tapping sound was the pictures rattling on the wall, and i soon realized that not only was the bed shaking, the entire house was. Josh said, "I'm going outside to see what it is!" and i told him not to move since the cat was still resting peacefully at the foot of the bed. about five seconds later, it stopped. at first, i wasn't convinced it was an earthquake, i thought perhaps the house was sinking, but those were the only two things of which i could think that would shake the entire house and not make any noise. i said as much to Josh, who replied with, "maybe it's aliens landing...." which freaked me out. but it was kind of cool! to think that big of a part of the earth can move all at once- amazing! James even felt it in oberlin, but we are on the same tectonic plate, so that makes sense.



Luna was totally nonplussed. figures.

so, on the list of natural phenomenon i've survived, please add earthquake tremors. if anyone other than yours truly is keeping such a list.

xoxox

i'm back, baby!

ok, i got the comcast back, but still don't have new neighbors. anyone looking for a place to live? i also managed to sign up as a new customer and got all the promotion deals, so that's pretty cool.

this is going to be a self absorbed post, fyi. but then again, isn't a blog self absorbed by its nature?

so, a lot of people tell me that being unemployed sounds like you'd have a lot of time off and that's great, etc., but let me clue you in- you're WRONG. when people imagine being off work, they don't imagine not having money and looking for a job, and constantly having those two things on your mind. result? boredom. complete, total boredom. because yeah, you've got time to do stuff, but you don't have money. and everything costs money- everything. if you drive anywhere, that's money. you're in your house with the tv on, money. you have to have a computer and cell phone to find a job these days, money. if you write letters and mail them, money. i'm glad there is a library within walking distance of me, because that's about the only free thing i know (but then again, lights to read by cost money!) and gas is SO expensive, you must Seriously consider every trip you take. no joke. and you're pretty much terrified and stressed all the time, because you have no way of knowing when this will all end, or how. in the meantime, yes, i read, work on my book, look for a job (of course), and exercise. but i tell you this- that doesn't take up 16 hours of waking life for seven months. i've watched more tv in the last half year than i care to admit. i think i can recite entire episodes of 'full house.' thank god we have on demand now.

and for the record or those of you who've never had to do it or have forgotten- looking for a job SUCKs. it's not like looking for a grad school or a summer thing between semesters or worrying about who will publish your work. it just isn't. in the words of Jerry Maguire, it is a 'pride swallowing siege that i will never fully tell you about.' it's basically prostitution without having sex, and i'm Not comfortable talking about myself in that way (playing up yourself and accomplishments to get a job from someone who is JUDGING YOU.). and feeling like you are busting your ass with no results blows goats. i've been to seven staffing agencies. my resume is in the hands of damn near everyone i know. i look online and have posted on every single website i know. i go on interviews whenever i'm offered them. i work a part time job i hate and substitute teach everything i can. i've exhausted six bloody months worth of state unemployment. and the lovely monkey in charge cut the federal.

and at the end, i have no choice but to keep on keepin' on.

also, they had to shut down my gym because they found 'undisturbed' asbestos. Great. so i've had to go to other gyms and go without my classes. however, Andrew was kind enough to make up one at his house for us, and there are classes on the comcast thing i'm going to try.


really, i have nothing to complain about. i've managed to get through all of this and not lose my home or ask anyone for money. i've mostly kept my head down and done what could. when it rains, it pours. but i can say this- maybe it's better this is happening to me, because i'm getting through it, and maybe someone else out there would not have made it. i'm not hungry, cold, or unloved.

maybe god didn't forget about me.


xoxox

ta ta for now

my duplex neighbors moved out and took comcast with them. i'm bogarting mom's internet for this post. stay tuned, more later.


xoxox

d'oh!

i thought those flowers i planted and managed to grow are tulips, but they are not. Mom saw them and corrected me- crocus. apparently the ones i planted up by the front steps are tulips, but they've not flowered yet. they are growing, however, amazingly enough. i usually suck at this, to the point of it being a disclaimer for any and all who take on my housesitting or personal assistant services- i don't do plants. if they're dead when you get back, you knew this was likely to happen going in. it's not from lack of want or solid attempts. i housesat for Mom's friend Snooter for two weeks once and she made a schedule of when to water what and how much- i still killed half of 'em. for the record, and those of you who don't know, here's a list of flowers and plants i've attempted to grow or keep and have killed, in no particular order-

black eyed susan
violets
african violets
impatiens
various vines
irises (which is so sad because i adore them)
orchids
purple cone flowers
chives
parsley
rosemary
basil
mint (which i actually ran over with the lawnmower first... sorry, Mom.)
mums
bluebells
forsythia
various bushes
lamb's ears
azaleas
gladiolas
begonias
daffodils
ferns (yes, ferns.)
palms
elephant ears
poppies
wildflowers
petunias
a cactus and an aloe plant because i mixed them up (sorry, anne.)

that's just off the top of my head and there are likely more. but by god, i can grow crocuses, tulips, and morning glories. my lack of a green thumb has always made me a bit sad because i really enjoy gardening. i like warmer weather, like to be outside (in the shade, of course), and growing something is a great way to work for something and feel proud of oneself. i'm good with children and animals, so to me, plants should be Easier- but they aren't. not only that, my mom, grandma Bette, and Grammie were/are all plant masters- why did my generation get skipped? but perhaps with this spring's growth, i'll turn over a new leaf.

i'm so sorry, that was an Awful joke.


xoxox

beautiful day!

it is so SO nice out today! if you live where i live, go outside and play!! i ditched some thing i was supposed to do today to go out. and that fat cat Luna went out and flopped my back step, and was very pleased.

in other news, i grew flowers! will post photos soon....



xoxox

is this thing on?

so, it's been a while since my last post for one very. good. reason.

petunia, my computer, bit the dust. hard. as in drive. that's right, the hard drive totally crashed, beyond repair, and i (and Josh for that matter) lost everything. i had the essentials backed up and have called in reconnaissance, but i'm still getting it all back together. petunia wasn't all that old, so i stil had all of the cds from the transfer from iris to petunia, but all new stuff (except for my book and the pin up show), including itunes stuff, is gone baby gone. so this is my first entry on tulip, named for the one out front that i managed to grow- who knew?! i usually kill everything i plant or attempt to grow if it's not morning glories. so i've spent much of the week getting everything back on here and organizing and tracking down what i can. and i've still got the catball pictures from the entries on here.

other than that, had dinner with Rito and Kari this weekend, played nintendo, worked out, and managed to Not get the cold Josh had.

good news though- i had a third interview for that job i wanted today. i think it went really well, and i finally got to meet the dude himself, who was quite impressive. we'll see what happens, but i am hopeful.


xoxox

belly laugh

this lol cats thing is getting out of control. some of them are so freakin' funny! James has always sent me good ones, but now i'm addicted. it's made me feel happier, if nothing else. when i get stressed, i look at 'em. and for the record, i'm in for the third interview, it's just a matter of scheduling. here we go! until then, it's funny cats. i love the ones that are invisible something (if you don't know what i'm talking about, google 'invisible sandwich' and 'invisible bike' and look for kitty pictures in the image returns). though, for the record, i believe cats to be intelligent enough to type and spell correctly. i'll post some at the end of this.

it was a beautiful, beautiful day in Nashville yesterday. and is due to be again today until it storms tonight. go outside! we had a lovely day yesterday, after i got done with my babysitting-a-13-year-old-boy weekend gig (yeah. that's right.), Josh and i spent a lot of the day out. we saw my mama and his mama and got to enjoy the air. and that fat cat was darting outside every chance she got to sniff the sweet smells. there is nothing like a beautiful day to make you feel better about life in general.

i just have to remember, god has always taken care of me, and this trial will be no different. it, too, shall pass.

hope everyone has a lovely week.








xoxox


ps- also not Luna there.

random

Josh had a very lovely birthday. thanks to all of you who messaged, myspaced, called, dropped by, etc. he felt very loved. i hope that everyone else we know who celebrated their birthday yesterday (James, Catie, Betsey, and Jon) had a lovely day, too. things have quieted down here now- we have a very busy season from thanksgiving to yesterday, what with the holidays and all of the family and friend birthdays contained therein. things should be a bit calmer for at least a few weeks. although, i still can't believe it is january and 2008 already.

a word about 'golden girls.' it comes on every day at 8am, 3pm, and 12am. and i manage to watch at least five episodes a week (i have a LOT of time on my hands) and i have to say, that show Rules. i could write a book on how freakin' amazing that show is, and if anyone has anything to say about it, let's get it out now. but if you have never given it a chance, i urge you to do so. it is funny, original (at the time), endearing, and tackles some pretty heavy subject matter. just food for thought.



has anyone been to the gym and totally miffed about the new year's resolutioners? i could not get a machine at around three thirty in the afternoon- that's unheard of! and for some reason, it's worse this year than last. and i respect that at least one of those people will stick through and get healthy, but the sad truth is, the majority of them won't. and in the meantime, they are in my way!

preparations- Lafar's dad, Sonny, got an at home and on the tv Jeopardy! game. i've been challenged to take him on once it's up and running. consequently, i've been watching a lot of jeopardy to beef up, so if anyone is interested in it, come over to my house at five. i used to play with Rito McGee all the time (and also a show called 'IQ' that was canceled) but i need practice. Sonny has ups on me, for sho'. and god knows i don't want to get skunked. let's do this!



xoxox

who needs the gym?

anyone worried about those extra holiday pounds? well, you can just do what i did and get a nasty stomach virus that leads into a fever and kills your appetite!! i got SICK on saturday, and my body evacuated everything i ate saturday (and possibly friday). at first i thought i had the ole' IBS attack from dinner- i had dinner with Rito and Kari, and when i left, Kari wasn't feeling too well. but i woke up to that effect every hour on the hour saturday night. lovely. Kari didn't have that! lucky girl! sunday i had a fever most of the day, and sent Josh to stay with Charlie. he called many times to check up on me and was worried about leaving me alone, but i didn't want him to get sick, like he did the last time i caught something of this nature. which, for the record, was both of our first stomach viruses Ever. and why, why i ask, does this happen whenever we are going to have a party?? last time, we had to cancel our halloween party ('06) and if i'd gotten any worse or Josh had caught it, we'd have canceled the small new year's get together we planned. i'm not planning any more parties! i barely made it past the ball drop. plus i was on dog duty for Kamir and Eric! i ate some crackers sunday. some organic ramen noodles monday, and some fish, beans and rice today. and that's it. oh, and a piece of cheese. this is no good. i am very weak at the moment. note the tired eyes and giantly oversized oberlin comfort hoodie.



but i'm not worried about those holiday pounds anymore! not that i really needed to anyway, but i was upset that the gym is closed today and was yesterday, so i was bummed about not being able to go, but at least it won't set me back. of course, i would have traded a few pounds for keeping my vomit streak intact any day of the week.... and it snowed today! southern snow, obviously, nothing like oberlin, but happy new year. and it's Josh's daddy's birthday. happy 61, Charley! so we went out to fariview and saw his parents and Johnny and his family. yay!


xoxox

modern?

Annie and i went to the frist today to see the modern exhibit. and we got in for FREE, son! students are free until december 31st, if y'all are interested in going. and yes, i still have my oberlin i.d..

i have to say, as a person who is educated about art and is comfortable viewing it critically, emotionally, intellectually, etc., and as an artist myself, i think modern art is a bit drab and takes itself far too seriously. i think Anne was with me on this one- a lot of the pieces looked terribly similar, to the point that individual artists (other than Mondrian since they're all some form of black, white, red, yellow and blue in blocks and lines) failed to stand out or break new ground within the movement. there were the front runners who blew minds, yes, but i've not experienced this stagnation with other "periods" of art. many of the pieces were so abstract that it was as though they were trying to confuse the viewer permanently without a valid point in doing so, or just had no talent and slapped some colors up- and keep in mind that Mark Rothko is one of my all time favourites (color field artist), so me not going with those is saying something. granted, that work is time consuming and meticulous, but art should make you feel Something- when you spend your viewing time looking for the purported 'seated woman' you can't find the feeling. Anne and i set out to find a balance between those we saw in the modern exhibit and those in the upstairs gallery, which were finished works by artists who've recently graduated from the area universities. many of them were So Bloody Obvious- oh, grainy digital photograph of a flower with a face of a child stuck to a television is a comment on media? ya think? soulless tripe.

however. there were saving graces. they did have a few of Marcel Duchamp's pieces, and i love his forced pretension to make points about the importance of commonplace objects being level with that of art- and that pretentious people don't get it [he turned a urinal upside down, signed it with the fake name R. Mutt and called it art. dada!] they also had several Man Ray photographs, and i adore his work with lovely ladies. and some of the upstairs college work was Great. GREAT. there is one piece of a series of white blocks with a woman painted on them, and then they are arranged in her shape. also some anti-war pieces, as well as a sewn one, which i loved. the pieces from Fisk were the best- they had the clearest cultural background and viewpoint, which is understandable, but they've got some talented budding artists over there! Annie and i met Anna and Bryan for lunch, and i took her to el airopeurto. si.

i freakin' baked today! no, really, i did! i made some cookies last week for Sabrina's exchange, but forgot my extras (and my big tupperware, damn!) and forgot that i promised to save some for Tinkerbell, so i made more. that's right.

thanks to this amish home study course, i'm doing quite well.


xoxox