I crack myself up ...

I was driving to the Zone last night and I drove past a place called "Lampshades". Huh, I thought. Must be a new stripclub. But it wasn't! They actually sold lampshades! So then I was thinking, how do you make a living selling only lampshades? ... ... ... next thought: Must be a cover ...

...

yep, you got it.

...

haha :) I giggled for a little while.

Heeeeyyy you guuuyysss ... (implement Sloth voice)

Really someone needs to remind me that when I take a nap in my car during lunch and I set the alarm on my phone, I should likely confirm that my phone is not on vibrate while in the floorboard on the car. It really doesn't do much good there, right?

I decided to take a nap today because I've just been dragging most of the morning. I'm so busy these days at work I don't know what to do. I wish I could take a vacation, but of course I can't because I need to be saving those hours for the honeymoon. Okay, well there are only 4 days and 2 1/2 hours of work until the weekend. Maybe that will help even though this weekend didn't help.

Really I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed these days. I'd like to just never get out of bed, really. Is that possible? I don't think it's possible for me to complain about anything without people thinking it's their fault that I'm overwhelmed, so I'm just not going to get into it. All issues fall into these catagories: wedding, money, overworked (at work), family issues. I don't mind so much when one issue hits at a time, but everything is getting to be a bit much.

You had me at "What the fuck?"

So I keep meaning to start blog posts, but somehow I can't figure out what to say. Everything tends to sound the same to me -- everything I write, anyhow. So I'll just out with it -- screw it. Who's reading anyhow, besides maybe my mom?
My sister's birthday went well; I went over with her gifts and she loved them. She and the brother came over for a little while when Mom went to work. It was fun, nothing too big. Wednesday Shell and I wandered the mall for a bit with her friend Theresa from work, then went for sushi at Soho Sushi (still good, but not as good as last time we went) and for a stroll through DSW where I picked up an adorable pair of black Steve Madden tennis shoes for free with my store credit (still $3.39 left!) and got home early to lay half asleep on the couch watching tv until 11. Thursday we stopped by JoAnn's to get some things for the Halloween party and lagged about at home. Christen made a delectable chicken with a combination of different marinades, and I made potatoes and croissants ... it was nice. Tonight we are going out with Shea and Kyle for dinner and then to The Zone for drinks with them and Charlie and Katie. I got an email from Charlie this afternoon -- they're finally moved back here! I'm super excited -- I'm pretty sure we'll have as much fun not smashed as we did last time when we did the whole drunk "I lovvvveee you guuuuuuyyyyssssss" ...
So now that I've done my dry "This was my week" speech, I think I'll leave you now to watch some ghost stories on the travel channel. Toodles!

JuJu Beans and Eggnog (don't ask)

So I'm a total lame-o.

I opted out of the wedding reception for my dear friend because I was frigging tired. I don't know what happened, really. Christen picked me up from work and we went to the mall for a little bit to walk around and I started getting sleepy. Then I slept on the way home and went to take a nap. Yeah, there was no getting up after that. I called to wish her a wonderful time (and from the pictures, I so wish I could have been there; it looked like a blast) and went back to bed. What a Friday night.

Saturday we didn't really do a whole lot. I found some things for my wedding party presents, which I like to pick up when I find at good prices so I can put them aside for next year. Then I won't have to worry about spending the money then if I spend a little at a time instead. My sister's birthday present from me came:



It's a green Coach iPod case.

And my mom's gift for her came today:



So I think she'll have a good birthday (today). She doesn't understand how spoiled she really is. But we all love her. But her turning 14 of course makes me feel old, but you know what else is worse? My brother turns 17 in 4 months. Argh! I remember holding him in the hospital!

Sunday I went to the mall with Shell and some friends of hers from work. It was fun, and it was good to meet some of her other friends. We had the usual suspects over for poker and dinner Sunday night and had a lot of fun ... Shea and Kyle won (we gave up when they were the last two playing) ... next time I think we might limit the amount of booze imbibed (I think my house echoes) and start a bit earlier ... perhaps more of a tapas snacky sort of meal instead of what we had -- shrimp kabobs, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies and chocolate chip cookies (all from scratch). Yummy yummy but took too long to eat before poker!

Monday I woke up with a terrible sinus headache and didn't end up going to work. I hung out in bed until late morning and then Christen and I went out and about to get a Halloween costume for Lola (I got her a pumpkin costume -- way cute; I hope she leaves it on long enough for pictures!) and to decide what I'm going to wear -- I've decided to either be a Renaissance wench (my usual costume) or a pirate or Velma, whom I've been before. fun fun!

Totally not starving myself, let's be clear ...

I've been having trouble eating dinner for the past week. Now, that doesn't seem like me, right? I don't know what's wrong, but I just haven't been getting hungrry, and since I have a bit of a compulsion for food, I get up a couple times during the evening to stare blankly into the refrigerator and close it without deciding on anything. Last night I had a taste for ramon noodles, but thankfully we didn't have any in the house. I don't need to be eating that garbage.

Anyhow, my not eating always worries Christen because he equates it with me being in a "blah mood" (this is what we call my downwards moodswings) but really I'm fine; just not interested in food. Who knows, I think it might be a good thing -- maybe I can lose some weight? In the meantime I've started making sure I eat breakfast so at least I've got a good start, and today I skipped my sweet tea for water ... hurrah! It was a big step. And I eat a medium-sized lunch -- usually a sandwich, 100-calorie pack of popcorn and a piece of fruit. Today I'm going to Evo's with Stacy -- so tasty! I'm super excited.

Today is Stacy's birthday -- she's 30! Somehow her birthday makes me feel old even though she seems okay with it. How did we get here? College was a blink ago, and high school a blink before that. Now I'm getting ready to be married, and have kids and all that crazy grown-up stuff. Since when did I become a grown-up?

Also making me feel old is that today Theresa is getting married. I know, all of this and Friday the 13th too! I'm going to the reception tonight, which I'm so looking forward to -- my little Theresa is going to be married! She was such a commitment-phobe in college. I guess it just took the right man, right? And Andrew's great, so I'm very excited for them. We're all going to be a bunch of old married ladies soon. Ahh!

Somehow I managed to write this whole post and not say anything -- how did that happen? hehe ... Toodles!

ps - a note on fruit

Pluots are amazing! I had one in my lunch and it was truly delectable. :) The flesh of a plum but not too sweet, the thicker skin and pit of an apricot .... awesome :)

#400 -- the milestone

I'd like to bring it to everyone's attention that this is my 400th post. Does that make me longwinded? Likely.

The froggie iPod player is a smashing success at work -- It's so cute! I've had to charge my iPod twice since I got the thing because I keep draining the battery ... hehe ...

We finally have water ... and hot water too! I took a lovely shower this morning -- it was blissful. I also washed clothes and did the dishes last night, and that even sparked a cleaning streak in me and I straightened up the library and the bedroom and my bookcase that has all my wedding stuff (all stuffed with clutter). We stopped off at the library last night and I finally asked about volunteering and she took my information. So yay! I'm glad I finally got around to that. The volunteer coordinator is supposed to call me. I also borrowed Ellison's Invisible Man and Bob Dylan's Chronicles and a book on CD of The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman. NPR is doing their donation drive, and since I'm already a member I choose not to listen during that week so I need something to occupy my airwaves in the car. The audiobook is interesting; it's not a book that I would naturally pick up (the gothic airs make it more something Autumn would be reading) but the narrator's voice feels like a mother reading a book to her child. She does "voices" for each of the characters, and elogates the sound of each description. I'm interested, but I'll let you know how I feel on Disk 5, since I'm only 20 minutes into Disk 1 right now.

I picked up Chronicles because Nick Hornby recommended it in Housekeeping vs. Dirt. I adore Hornby. And more often than not, he's reading something that I've read (The Poet and The Madman), or bought but haven't read yet (A complicated Kindness), or Autumn recommended and I hadn't gotten to it yet (Another Bullshit Night in Suck City). I get so excited when I see that he's reading the same thing as me. And I love that he's about reading things that you enjoy and not always about reading things that "are good for you". This is why even though I hate things like James Patterson books, and The DaVinci Code, etc, the fact that these thing encourage people to read is still commendable. Plus, it excuses me for my mild addiction to trashy Mary Higgins Clark and Barbara Michaels books. :)

Anyhow, so hungry ... off to lunch! Toodles!