August 2005 Archives
Did this a while back. Lauren reminded me of it and now I want to do it again. I'll be at the State Fair all day, so you've got some time to come up with something good. The rules:
- Ask me 3 questions. Any 3, no matter how personal, private or random.
- I have to answer them honestly. I have to answer them all.
- In turn, you post this message in your own blog or journal and you have to answer the questions that are asked of you.
Or you can just ask me the questions. And I reserve the right to ignore you if you partake in any assholitry. I'll really do my best to answer everything, though, so please, ask me some good ones. Make me think.
I'm sure y'all are gettin' your fill of Hurricane Katrina info. That's some scary shit, and it's not even as bad as it could have been.
Personally, I'm watching my fellow Metrobloggers, looking at pictures in the New York Times, oohing and aahing at NOAA.
Also, Kelley asks a good question.
Every year, Chaz takes a vacation and embarks on a road trip. It's called the World Tour. I met him when World Tour 2003 passed through Dean Esmay's front yard. I didn't take the time to follow World Tour 2005 as it happened, but I went back through and read the archive. And found this:
Seen on 6 near Mahopac: Mr. A's Ice Cream and Chicken. I assume they have both white and dark chocolate.
Heh. Heh heh. That guy. *chuckle*
Whoever the fuck came up with scented tampons is a total douchebag. My crotch has not smelled like baby powder since I was three years old. Why would I want it to now?
I mean, it's not like the powder scent actually masks or changes the way anything smells down there. Is somebody really gonna get all up in my business (while I'm riding the crimson tide, no less) and think, "powdery fresh, how pleasant"? I'm thinking no.
Why do they continue to manufacture these? And why do I keep managing to pick them off the shelf in such a hurry that I don't realize I accidentally grabbed the scented ones again until after I get home and open the box to a whiff of artificial baby powder smell?!
And I hate that powder smell anyway. I never buy powder-scented deodorant or... okay, I can't think of anything else off the top of my head that frequently comes in Powder Fresh. But if there is something, I won't buy that, either. I'm not repulsed by other people wearing it, but I'd buy a Speed Stick or some Old Spice before I pick anybody's powder-scented girl deodorant.
I suppose it could be worse. I could be expecting a period and not get it.
Minor details of the female variety below. Gentlemen, feel free to skip ahead.
So far, I've remembered to take my multi-vitamin every day since Wednesday, when my doctor guilted me into it.
Or, "I need a hemorrhoid donut to sit on."
I bought a bike on Friday. Off of Craigslist. I thought from the language in the ad and the subsequent unintelligible voicemail that I was dealing with a non-native English speaker, but it was actually a 15-year-old kid who's probably helping to support his family with his Craigslist bike sales. I don't even want to know where this bike came from.
I took it over to the local bike co-op to have them check it out and make sure it was mostly okay. They did a little shumpin' shumpin' with the rear wheel alignment and the gear shift, I bought a lock, and I was good to go. I got a U-lock, but I think I'm actually going to return it and get a cable lock instead.
Fly Girl took me out on my inaugural ride. She bikes for exercise. That's her thing. I run, she bikes. So she has the gear and knows where to go and all that stuff. So we were out for about 3 hours, with a stop in the middle in Uptown for snacks and a quick stop at the Gap. (I don't know, it was right there.) She figures we did a good 20 miles. My legs were fine, my wind was fine, but my crotch is killing me. It's the bottom of my hip bones. Not up by my tail bone, but farther forward. Right where I was sitting on the seat.
So now I've got a list of things I want for the bike, and things I "need" for the bike. The thing I know I need for sure is either a slip-on seat cover or a new seat all together. Things I really ought to get include a tire pump, a water bottle and a holder for it, and maybe some sort of bag or rack to carry stuff in/on. And then I want a pair of those fingerless gloves with the padded palms. FG has some and they're pretty nifty. REI is having a clearance sale this week, and I saw a bunch of this stuff listed as being on sale online, so I'm-a go check them out.
I've also got all these grand ideas about biking places and thus not driving and thus saving some gas. We'll see how that goes.
My shoulder hurts from where I got my tetanus shot yesterday. Anybody wanna kiss it and make it better?
I downloaded the lastest Security Update for my iBook on Monday night and subsequently was not able to get on the internet. I got it all figured out, though. After some quality non-internet time. I made more phone calls and took care of more business in the last two days than I have in weeks.
Went to the doctor today. Thanks again for all the suggestions. I made this appointment before I got most of that info, but I'm keeping them tucked away for next year, and I do still need to pick a dentist. Surprisingly, no co-pay at the doctor. I was expecting it to be $10. And only $5 for my inhaler prescription. BP = 120/56. Got a tetanus booster. It'll be a couple weeks before I get my bloodwork and PAP results back and find out if I'm STD free (which I ought to be) and what my cholesterol is like. Overall, painless. And the doc was very nice (okay, and cute).
I feel like I ought to have more to say, but that's about it. I hope nobody was waiting for big news or anything.
Dawn reminded me how much flavor you can add to coffee by putting cinnamon in with the grounds. Way more bang for your buck than with flavored creamer. And it smells delicious. I've been doing that all week. Yum.
I know I'm exhausted when I dream about work and/or spend half the night half out of bed, attempting to attend to whatever it is that I think is making me extremely tired. All the while being completely aware that I'm extremely tired and actively reminding myself that I do not, in fact, need to get out of bed. It's really strange.
I took my car in yesterday for an oil change and to get a brake light fixed, and it took 3.5 hours. I know Autopia does some extra inspection stuff and stuff, but really, how furking long does it need to take? I made the appointment for 7:00 because I knew it would be a while and I didn't want to be rushing to work, but after 2.5 hours of sitting and waiting... damn. For only $20, I suppose I'm getting a lot for my money. And I do have a coupon to apply to the $30 worth of labor it takes to change the $3 light bulb. But still!
I'm bitter for having to drop $3.53 (small soy chai) for the privilege of sitting in the Caribou across the street. I should have just camped out in the lobby with the coffee and cinnamon raisin toast I brought with me. At least there I wouldn't feel guilty about napping.
Not to mention I didn't sleep a whole lot Tuesday night, then my dumb ass consumed all sorts of caffeine Wednesday afternoon/evening and stayed up until 1 a.m. Wednesday night. I ended up skipping yesterday's run in favor of a nap. (Made it up today, though.)
I'm doing a little better today, but only because it's Friday.
I got a new wallet Wednesday. It was about damn time. I've been toting the college-logo velcro wallet with key ring for far too long. I got a little Fossil black leather zip pouch with two little side pockets and a key ring. Simple, small, easy to carry, fits in my pocket if need be. I can still hook a carabiner on it if I want to.
It was sort of funny, Fly Girl passed on a really cute shirt that was "too girly." We both eyeballed a shirt which she pronounced to be "pretty gay." And we both walked around with keys and/or wallets carabinered to our respective belt loops. I tried really hard not to scandalize the little old ladies at Herberger's by patting her on the butt. Much.
Wednesday's shopping trip also resulted in a couple pairs of pants and a shirt. Didn't really need 'em, but they are useful additions to my wardrobe. I haven't bought any casual wear in a while. It's mostly been "work" wear, if I had the kind of job where I needed to dress like a cube monkey.
Except I think the one pair of khaki-esque pants I bought were meant to be capris. On me, they're just floods. Okay, not quite floods, but a teeny bit short. Not quite sitting on the tops of my feet, but not quite showing full ankle. Not super noticeable until I sit down and they hike up to mid-calf. Fly Girl says I need to just cuff 'em and wear them like capris. Personally, I'm not a fan of capris, but I'll try it. Once. At home.
For the uninitiated:
Dooced: to lose one’s job because of one’s website
Fortunately, she was within weeks of quitting and moving from NYC to San Francisco anyway. And not that this is about me, but I feel special personally knowing someone who has achieved such a blogging badge of honor.
With mad Photoshop skillz.
Bring it on!
The week in running was somewhat unremarkable. Week 1 of the 8-week program for the 10-miler. Which is not all that different from what I've been doing the last month or so. Ran in the rain on Wednesday and it was fantastic. 9:30 min/mile pace. Anything less than 10:20 or so is a big deal to me. Other than that, meh.
... I swear I smell fried chicken right now.
*hungry*
Sherri and I have been accused of being catty and petty and riding the Blogger Twins coattails and crap like that. Por ejemplo:
It looks to me like the twins are the ones generating the buzz. Sherri and Erica are just along for the ride.
--Peter Case, some non-blogger
Bring it on, sister. I’m just saying you’re acting pretty defensively for someone who’s just along for the ride. Your blogs have certainly gained traffic this week from all of the press the twins have stirred up. You know you’ve been beat by two geeky bloggers and you’re afraid to admit it.
--Dave Scranton, some non-blogger
To which I blow a giant raspberry and make a W with my fingers.
Pfffft.
There are some other internet peoples trying to get into TAR 9 as well. We have the Brothers Cramer and the Carolina Blondes.
I would like to take this opportunity to point out that for Team Shirk (or Team Sherica, we haven't decided yet), blogging is merely a feature we possess. We aren't using the web to pimp ourselves any more than we would normally blog about anything else in our lives. This blog is not going to become about The Amazing Race. There will be no teamshirk.com or anything like that. (Until after we win.)
As Sherri has pointed out, we did not seek out any of the hype that has sprung up around us. We haven't gone around soliciting links or support. And, come on. Seriously. This is the internet. In the grand scheme of things, not that many people are actually paying us any attention. Except, hopefully, the folks at CBS.
So, you know, all the haters can suck it.
I found the Gay Blogger Meme (via SistersTalk) and was all excited to participate. I haven't been tagged (that I know of), but it shouldn't stop me from doing it, right? Besides, I quit tagging people on memes. If folks want to do 'em, take 'em. You don't need me to assign it to you.
Here's the gist of it:
Jason Kuznicki's blog post gave me inspiration to do a non-scientific meme of gay bloggers. We are decidedly a small sliver, not representative of all GLBT people. But still, wouldn't it be interesting to know this about us...
1. If we are single or in a monogamous relationship?
2. How long we have been with our partner/significant other/boy/girlfriend?
3. How we met?
4. What we like to do together?
5. If we are single, what life with our ideal spouse/partner would look like?
So, I'm starting the meme, and asking gay bloggers answer these 5 questions and then post a comment back here stating that you've done so. The idea is quite boring, really--to give a slice of life view of what it's like to be in a monogamous relationship as a GLBT person. If you're in an open or non-monogamous relationship, that's your choice, but it's not the focus of this particular meme.
And then I realized that I don't really know how to answer the questions. I'm in an awkward sort of in-between spot. And whatever relationship I may be having (or not?) is nowhere near long-term. So my enthusiasm for the meme has deflated a bit.
But y'all gay folk reading this should feel free to meme and run. Spread the word. Share the love. Be gay! Be bloggers! Be gay bloggers!
Or something. I don't know. It's late. I'm sleepy.
Would you want this guy to be your gynecologist?
I'm thinking no.
I'm trying to make a doctor's appointment. The impetus mainly being that my inhaler is almost empty and I can't be skipping a week of workouts. Except that the earliest appointment I could get is two weeks from now, so I'll have to see if I can get someone to give me the prescription before I get in for my appointment. Anybody got any ideas about that? I mean, it's not like it's Vicodin. And this stuff is supposed to be huffed.
I found a highly recommended gynecologist (nurse, actually), but no one seems to like their regular doc, so I picked a clinic and asked for the first appointment with a woman I could get. Checked a couple other clinics and no one could get me in any sooner.
I need to go to the dentist, too. That's even less fun than picking a doc, in my opinion. Going to the doctor is less icky to me than going to the dentist. But then, I'm fairly healthy, so I've never needed a doctor to do a whole lot. The dentist, on the other hand, has never not been uncomfortable, even when it's just a regular cleaning.
Scratchafrickin' preventive care.
Got my confirmation postcard in the mail today. I'm in the Twin Cities Marathon 10 Mile Run! w00t!
I got called into my director's office today. Which is weird. I never have to go in there unless something's wrong. I think I've been in there three times ever, and one of those was to pick up the Girl Scout cookies I bought from his daughter. But I get in there and Bosslady (who's no longer my boss), Hey Mon, and Lurch (who is standing in for Bosslady until the new chick gets trained in) were there.
From my Amazing Race partner.
1. If forced to choose, would you rather wade 50 yards through waist-high dog diarrhea, or 50 yards through waist-high human asparagus pee? Asparagus pee.
2. What size bed do you sleep on? Queen.
3. When you discover a large, yet lightning-fast insect in your house, do you try to chase it down, or just let it be? I wouldn't say I hunt after it, exactly, but I cannot rest knowing it's there. So I alternately poke at it, and run from it.
4. If you were offered $1 million to tattoo a 1" x 1" logo of some randomly selected company on the back of your neck, would you do it? Uh, no.
5. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you on a date? Considering I don't really date much.... I have kissed someone outside in the cold and had a bit of a snot drip problem.
6. Do you remember the first time you got REALLY drunk? What happened? It was my sophomore year of college. I was drinking Hot Damn. We ordered Domino's deep dish and I threw it all up and I very distinctly remember being deeply saddened at the loss of that pizza, because it was fucking delicious.
7. If you saw a complete stranger standing near you in a line with a booger dangling from his/her nostril, would you say anything? Probably not. But I'd go home and blog about it.
8. If you're in your house/apt. alone, do you close the door when you use the toilet? I usually leave it ajar. Don't close it all the way, but don't leave it wide open.
9. When was the last time you held a baby? I have no idea.
10. Ask me something. What do you like about blogging and how does that compare to why you started blogging in the first place?
Sherri and I have been alerted to the existence of the Blogger Twins.
All I have to say to them is "Pffffft." We are so gonna get picked over you.
*makes W with fingers*
We met on the internet. We've only seen each other three times in the five years we've known each other (the third being the casting call). Even though we're internet geeks, we're not actually geeks in real life. We're better looking. We're well-traveled and adventurous. We can check off all those diversity checkboxes. Seriously. We're gonna rock it. I can feel it.
UPDATE: Just wanted to add that if you're going to throw your support behind bloggers for TAR, you have more options.
UPDATE #2: Seems we're all on Reality Blurred. I think they called me a media whore. (Thanks for the heads up, Wendy.)
So, I was trying to link to the Venomous Kate Day by Day strip the other day. (I corrected that link.)
And then today I find myself ... in a Day by Day strip.
They cashed my check for the TCM Ten Miler, so I'm pretty sure I'm in. My third week at the higher mileage has gone well and now it's time to start the eight-week program for the Ten Miler. I'm essentially doing the Hal Higdon intermediate 10 mile/15K program, but I'm swapping out the four speed work interval sessions with short cross-training days. Rollerblading has proven to be more of a workout than I had thought it would be, so I feel good about keeping that on the schedule. Plus it's a little more conducive to socialization than running is.
Details of the week below.
MUSIC
DMB's Dreamgirl* is their next single, due out next week.
VIDEO
My beer is fermenting. The water in the fermentation lock allows the gas to escape the carboy without letting anything else back in.
PHOTOS
:( I hate when I read sentimental stuff like this, and I get it. (via Laura, via PostSecret)
The kids from Me and You and Everyone We Know couldn't be cuter if I had borne them myself. (Also, Miranda July's blog, with posts from Brandon Ratcliff who plays Robby. 143!)
5'6" Becky Hammon boxing out 7'2" Margo Dydek. (via)
Apple's new alternative Mighty Mouse. (via, via, via)
I think this picture is gonna go on the Ericana page. I like that color purple on me.
*expired
Dinner with my mom's friend went about how I expected. We spent plenty of time just catching up. I haven't seen her since my sister's college graduation two years ago. And we talked about what's going on (or not) with the fam. She was receptive and listened to as much as I was willing to tell her.
She was supportive of my need to do things my way, at my own pace, but also gently reminded me that there is no replacement for my family and time will get away from me before I know it. All my friends have been on my side where the family situation is concerned, which is nice. My sister has tried very hard to remain neutral, as she should. But I wanted someone to hear both sides of the story and still acknowledge that I have some valid points. Which she did. Diplomatically so.
And I did get a fabulous dinner (and all the leftovers) out of it.
Perhaps more exciting, I just sent an email off to a guy I used to work with who I'm hoping can offer me some mentoring. He recruited me to work at the job I moved to Minnesota for. He was my manager for a short while before we both left the company. Me for good, him on sabbatical. Very astute observer of human nature and just wicked smart. He's also a bit disorganized and disheveled as many great minds are, so I hope it doesn't take him too long to get back to me.
As much as I love my friends' unconditional support (y'all included), they can be less than objective and I need something different. I need someone with a little distance (but not a complete stranger) and a lot of perspective. He, I think, can do that for me.
I hope.
Amor facit ecstasans.
"Loves produces ecstasy."
--St. Thomas Aquinas
Worf: You appear tough and cold, but deep inside you are a hopeless romantic and highly motivated by your emotions and sense of honor and ethics.
1. If you drink coffee with flavors, do you prefer to make flavored coffee, or to make non-flavored coffee and add flavored creamers? If you don't drink coffee, why? I prefer non-flavored coffee with flavored creamers. Flavored coffee just isn't flavored enough, especially since I add so much cream and sugar that it doesn't taste like coffee any more.
2. Is one of your feet bigger than the other? Which one? I think one of my feet is slightly bigger than the other, but I can never remember which one it is.
3. If you were to win the lottery, how much would the winnings have to be in order for you (and your significant other) to never have to work again? Let's see here, let me whip out my financial calculator.... Rough calculation/conservative spending estimate says a 4.5 million jackpot would do it.
4. Do you think high school kids today are more or less mature than you were at that age? I think I was somewhat above average as maturity goes (don't we all?), but I'd say on the whole it's about the same.
5. What's one thing that has made you smile today? Seeing my mom's friend. She's like a second mom to me. We had a nice dinner and conversation.
6. Do you have any nervous habits? I bounce my knees. It drives people nuts.
7. Describe the contents of your purse/wallet. Pffft. My wallet has my driver's license, debit card, a credit card or two, vehicle registration and proof of insurance, health insurance info, some coupons that I always forget to look at, frequent user cards from various establishments, and used cards from various other cities' public transportation. My bag-not-purse generally contains my wallet, car and house keys, phone, gum, chapstick, book, paper and/or index cards, pen, and iPod mini.
8. Have you ever laughed so hard that you peed your pants? Nope. I have almost peed my pants on other occasions, though.
9. Would you rather spend a month on a deserted island with absolutely nothing but food and a pen and paper, or a month in a crowded place with absolutely no privacy? Gimme the island.
10. Ask me something. You desperately need cash and are going to start putting your belongings up on eBay. What's the first thing to go?
Dawn Staley, who has spent her entire WNBA career with the Charlotte Sting, is going to Houston.
As if Katie Smith's leaving Minnesota wasn't a big enough deal.
What in the world is going on?
Kevin Pelton of the Seattle Storm has the best analysis I've seen so far.
*sniffle*
But I can't be too upset, because...
Guess who!
Time for another round.
- Not everything is about you. I cannot say one thing to you without you making it about you. Fuckin' cut it out.
- I don't know what's going on, I'm afraid to ask, and I'll be damned if I can say no to you.
- You were one of my favorite things about living here, and it just ain't the same without you. People still talk about the parties we used to throw.
- Hands off, buster! I'll do my job, you do yours. If you don't step the fuck off, we're gonna have to fight.
- You're making a huge mistake. Did you learn nothing from the last time? ABORT! ABORT!
- You're such a little weasel and I hate that so much of my plan for the immediate future lies in your hands.
