Apparently I got fun

This seems to be a sort of consensus among my friends. Once upon a time I was way less fun, but I seem to have remedied that. Anna Schlegs has called it coming into my own. Yolanda says that I always seemed to be a little prissy and conservative when I was at the U of I. Sabrina thought I had been body snatched by boring aliens.

I am still not entirely sure what Anna means, but it turns out that living far from my family and my little small town formative years allowed me to relax a little. Also that small-town upbringing meant I couldn't have escaped without a little bit of priss and a thin residue of conservative values (they end up rubbing off on you just where you least expect it, and they stick like a stubborn grease stain, with even their shadow lingering long after the dirt is gone). But I don't feel all that different now. I don't think I act any differently or live my life in such a drastically different manner.

Maybe Yolanda and Anna are just seeing new sides of myself, or maybe I am more changed than I realize? Maybe I have entered a new phase in my life and this new phase has brought with it a little bit of a new woman? Maybe the new girl will win the lotto?

Back at work, sigh

So, here I am back in Chicago. Anna and I went out for dinner last night, and I filled her in on all that happened away. Drama at the wedding, gossip gleaned from the wedding, drama that happened here while I was gone to the wedding. Basically people I know are pretty ridiculous, and it turns out I may have to include myself in that number.

Johnny B and I rehashed the HP7 on the phone, and I heard from he and SJ how the honeymoon was. I remembered that Courtney reads this blog (or has in the past), and it turns out she is a little intrigued by the me and David-ness that has been written about here.

Speaking of the me and David-ness, we have gotten into two long and borderline heated discussions about both politics and religion (one each) in the less than a week since I last saw him in person. Heated because we don't really agree on anything in those veins. He's a Republican, and I am a dyed-in-the-wool idealist of a Democrat. I admire people of faith but really feel it hasn't worked for me in a long, long time, and I am easily turned off by the partisanship of most religions (and the I'm right, you're wrong mentality it engenders). He has been attending Christ Church in Moscow. I only discovered that last night. Yeah, Christ Church (Sally you read that right, it is who you think)--their pastor has come under fire from many, many people and groups including the Southern Poverty Law Center. I am not a fan of their views. Yeah, so that was quite a shock. Churches are one thing, but I didn't imagine that people I knew would attend that church of all churches (and my own prejudice rears its head).

Now I am beginning to question what it is I find attractive in the kind of guys who initially seem like me, but are strongly persuaded by right-wing Christian Fundamentalist Evenagelicals? Really, what the heck? This is not the first time for me--many of you know the story of the ex-boyfriend who came to be known as Jesus Boy. It is kind of freaking me out. I am probably beginning to blow it all out of proportion. But it was shocking to me.

Quick catch up

So, I am at my parents house where it turns out I spent very little of my vacation.

When flying out of O'Hare, I got just delayed enough to miss my connecting flight. That meant, I wasn't going to get to Portland until almost 9pm, my hometown until after midnight, and the earliest I would get to Moscow (and David) would be two or three in the morning (to get up and leave by 7). So, I convinced David to come down to my parents house and we would leave from there.

Yup, David came to my parents house. Yup, that was a little odd. He was asleep in the guest room when I got there. My mother told him, "Thanks for taking my daughter," when we left. Awesome. Seeing him was actually really great. The trip to Twin Falls took 1million years, but it was great being in the car with him.

The wedding was outstanding. I saw a million people I had missed, and got at least that many hugs from people I loved. The bride did a kegstand in her gown, and the bride and groom went bar hopping with us all afterwards.

I drove back to almost home with Yolanda, and we had a great time catching up. It sucked having to say goodbye to David--knowing how very close he really was. So, after spending Monday at home (finishing Harry Potter 6, not yet starting on 7), I rented a car on Tuesday to go visit Moscow, auspiciously to see friends although only my parents were kidded by that pretty far-fetched lie. I spent one day with David, that turned into two, and I got to see a few other people too (like Sally, and Maggie in Sally's husband's play).

I just got home from that. Tonight I have a fancy little party to attend, and my grandparents are coming up to be sure to see me, and to take me back to Portland on their way home.

More later, probably once I am back in Chicago.

Thanks

Blog Slacker

Right here. That's me. I know, I know, but I have been busy with two works and people in town and getting ready for new roommate and long trip and a jillion other lame excuses. Plus, it won't probably get better while on my trip because my parents have dial-up, and who knows when I will have time on the weekends of the trip.

Also, all my carefully laid plans for the trip went terribly astray--which seems to be what my plans have been doing lately, maybe I should come up with plans I don't really want to happen and see what I get instead, at this point, they can't be worse. Yo was going to drive me from Portland to wedding, and I was just going to get to her house Friday night. Then she couldn't leave until way later then I wanted to (we'd get there just before the wedding, and I was hoping for a little more time to get dolled up at least--I mean, you saw the dress). So I was going to fall back onto plan B.

Plan B meant my dad coming to get me in Portland (totally fine) and driving my sister's car. Not fine. My sister's car got a flat tire in it that needs replaced (as really do all of her tires--something she planned to do in the fall), but it got the flat while my mom drove the car back from the airport in Seattle where she had put my sis on a plane to a Carolina (I don't remember which one). So, my sister isn't around to get it fixed. This made my mother vaguely hysterical--which is often her reaction to planning things. Obviously my sister can't make the tires get fixed from Whatever-lina (yeah, like she wasn't going to get my dad to go with her to do it because she was the real necessary one there?). So the car is out.

David Hathaway generously offered to drive me to the wedding if I could get to Moscow before Saturday morning early when he was leaving, but if my family was balking at picking me up from Portland, how much more would they balk at getting me to Moscow? I put the plan into the mix anyway.

Then my mom wanted me to change my flight. Too expensive. Thought about renting a freaking car for myself--that I would return to Pasco--but it was kind of out of budget. Then my mom was going to buy me a round trip flight from Portland to Pasco Friday night (a really worthy plan, it would've worked had any left after I landed in Portland). Then things spun out of control!

Since the Portland-Pasco round trip didn't work, my mom thought she would buy me a flight to Boise. Her plan was fly into Boise late Friday night, and I would stay with cousins I barely know. Somehow someone (maybe Hath) would pick me up in Boise and get me to Twin Falls. Then I would fly back to Portland on Sunday and from Portland to Pasco Monday morning, flying back to Portland on Thursday. Does your brain hurt? Do you realize how much of my vacation I would spend in and out of airports?

At this point, I kind of put my foot down, and tried to bring some reason back to my mother. With two flights, it was no longer more cost effective then driving. This is the first time I have seen most of my family in a year, and I would rather spend it with them--even in a car driving in circles--then with strangers at airports and on planes. Dad can drive to Portland and back. Dad or Dan can get me to Moscow. Yes, the Pasco-Portland round trip would've been a great idea were it possible. But it isn't.

My mother still wanted to sort things out. Then I called her back several hours later. She had calmed down, thought rationally about some things, and decided on this plan. My dad will get me in Portland at 6:30pm on Friday. Once home, my brother and some friends will be roped into driving me to Moscow that night (because he would be way more likely to like a late night drive then a get up at the ass crack of dawn drive). I will be delivered to David Hathaway's house around midnight-ish. The next morning Hathaway and I will drive to the wedding together.

Phew! Yes it was as mellow dramatic and complicated as all that. My mom talks just as fast as I do.

So, Sally it looks like I will get to Moscow, but for a few brief hours that will hopefully include some sleep since it will feel like two in the morning to me.

And the Shoes

Memorial Day and Tom visit 1 030, originally uploaded by fire4hairlady.

Yeah, the shoes. They are really Anna's, but she might have to fight me to get them back. No one tell her.

But seriously, how killer will I look in this--especially while carrying a little leather clutch?

This is the Dress

Memorial Day and Tom visit 1 031, originally uploaded by fire4hairlady.

Here it is. You can kind of see the beads hanging on the hangar with it. Plus I look adorable in it.

Dress shopping: it works better with girlfriends

If for no other reason then as my dear Anna Schlegel says, "You can do a montage!" At the adorable Andersonville boutique I was at, they had the perfect place for it. There was a couch right in front of the dressing rooms and the three way mirror.

I finally (!) got a fantastic dress for the wedding. I will be killer. It is cute, and a little bit 40's/50's style--in the way cute cotton sundresses are lately. It has a floral print that is not too flowery with browns, blues, hints of red, peach and green on a white background with red bands on the bottom of the just below the knee skirt, the cute (and amazingly placed so that they are flattering) pockets and the neckline (it has spaghetti straps), plus a bow that ties in the back made of the same fabric as the dress to be subtle, and there are soft pleats that make the skirt really full. I also bought a long string of shiny red beads to wear with it, borrowed turquoise pumps (with a flower on them) from Anna to wear (they are naturalizers, fit well, and will be totally danceable), I can wear my little boxy brown jacket if it is cold (or a cream shawl), and I will carry a little red clutch. Stacy and Clinton would be so proud. Do not worry, pictures of me in the dress will come later (and maybe even sooner then that pictures of the dress). Plus it just fits perfect. The fug girls would ask me where Lily Allen took me shopping for my fabulous frock. I would get a well-played in this. I haven't been this excited about a dress since my first communion dress. It is that amazing (my first communion dress eschewed all of the crazy frills and poofiness of all my friends and was basically a sailor dress in all white, it was awesome, I would wear something just like it if I had it now).

Last night, I went to a dinner party and got very, very drunk (for which I blame Jeff Davis--it was his party--and my last drink of the night, a tumbler of vodka, chambourd, and champagne with a twist of lime. Although I do recall some conversations with Anna Schlegel where she may have started a fan club of me or something. But I would easily start a fan club for her. She amazes me. I don't know how you can be a smart, funny, talented, good-natured, ass-kicking, and brilliant as she is all the time and still have time for sleep. I don't get it. She rules. Plus she is somehow making my roommate come out of her shell. That rules too. My roommate does not realize how awesome she is, but she should.

Potential

We have met one possible future roommate, and she seems okay. We have lined up several others to meet. Hopefully, this will all work out. It seems promising. However we keep getting emails from British models who want to pay us to keep their room for us, but we don't know when they will get here. However, the fact that we keep getting slmost the same email from them over and over makes us think, "This is totally a scam."

I am home from work today having woken up with a ridiculous sinus headache, probably from allergies which is why I am about to head down the street to Walgreens to buy the big guns of allergy medicine, the kind you have to have id to buy. Plus lotion, plus a few other things. Then off to Pier 1.

Also, I distracted Tbert (no internal punctuation) from working by chatting with him on IM for much of the day.

Sweet Mother of God

My life has sort of been all jostled around and turned upside-down in the last weekend. Chris will not be being my roomie (no hard feelings there, I cannot blame him for the choice he made), so now we are one roommate down as of Friday. July is okay, but I do not know what the fuck we are going to do after that.

We are looking for a temporary roommate, we are looking for people to take over the lease and start afresh in August. We are looking for anything at all that means someone else will be paying a portion of our rent come August. I am telling everyone I know who might have any sort of lead on any sort of solution to this.

Saturday night was hysterical crying panic night. I have moved beyond that to problem solving, moving past the shitty stuff mode. I just want it solved and done (and I would prefer not to be moving until October because I am leaving for a week and a half to go back to Washington between now and August 1st). So everyone think good thoughts for me.

Here is my horoscope for this morning (well the beginning of it): "You may feel as if your life has been dragged over the coals these last three weeks as Mercury retraced its steps in your sign." Yeah, no shit!

Oh, and our air conditioning is broken.

The Tale of the Terribly Frightening Girl

Subtitle of my life story, or so it seems lately. I feel like people from all over my life are waiting until way to freaking late to tell me stuff I probably needed to know sooner then I did. None of it is awful. Some of it is quite abrupt. Some of it requires nearly immediate action, but often immediate action after decision making--decision making that might take some serious thought. Much of it I feel I heard later then I needed to.

I could be wrong. These people could be telling me this random amounts of news as soon as they know it, but I am pretty sure there is some lag time. It is all fairly straightforward, so why can't people just tell me? None of it is really significant secret talk stuff. I don't think any of it that would make me explode. I can be a rational person, and I tend to not take things out on others indiscriminately. Am I really as scary as all that to tell things to? Really? Plus it all plays into fears that I already have about being a scary ogre of a person. This is crap.

Marathon of Fun: it's finally over

And I topped it off with a nap. I could've gone downtown and watched John Mayer in concert for free today, but it would be crowded and sweaty, and I am freaking done. Stick a fork in me people. Whew! Now I have a little less then three weeks to recuperate before I go vacation my little heart out.

Yesterday there was work and then drink or dare jenga. That game was totally awesome! We had a blast. I wore my pants backwards, Sara Jo and Shannon (a male) switched pants, Luke ate a spoonful of flour, Anna sang "Oh Canada" in the middle of the backyard at the top of her lungs pretty late, and we drank A LOT. I lost the first game and drank some pretty nasty shit out of a cup (everyone's drinks mixed together). Anna sang because she lost round 2. It was way fun.

Pictionary was the next game, and Luke and I are an awesome team. We got the most ridiculous things right in a unbelievably short amount of time. And then we won. It was pretty funny, especially because drunk Anna and Jamie were in awe of our mad partner skills.

This morning we all got up and breakfasted together, and we sent the kids back off to the airport.

Then I went home and napped and read some Harry Potter. Now I am watching Mythbusters. Later there will be movies. Awesome.

Marathon of fun: the leg where I am a bad friend

I killed my phone, but then I got a new one. However, this all happened while my friend Anna was having a show which I really wanted to go see, but I couldn't remember where or when, and I couldn't call her because I had no phone and no number for her. So I didn't see it. Instead I met other friends for dinner. This means I totally blew it on the being a good friend business. I did.

It was fun seeing the other friends. And my new phone rules. It is a Katana which is apparently Japanese (or Sanyo) for not quite a razr. It is blue, and I like it very much.

Tonight, "Drink or Dare Jenga" which is (as it sounds) a drinking game meets Jenga meets truth or dare. Imminent doom music plays now. Will I keep up my resolve not to be so drunk I puke? Stay tuned.

Marathon of Fun: Cast changes

So my brother is back in Cali, but Luke and Jamie are here. Last night we went over to Sara, Jon, and Angie's and bar-b-qued. There was kebabs and hot dogs (Chicago style and just with ketchup). We sat around in the backyard and hung out with Angela and Shannon and even Paul for awhile. There was much talk and laughter (and also Paul in full out motorcycle gear which I am not sure if that was funny or hot or something in between).

I am not sure what the rest of the plans for their visit are. Probably some fireworks on the 3rd (when Chi town does it up) followed by drunken jenga.

Also, I broke my phone completely. It is in two pieces and no longer works. Tonight I am getting a new one. Just FYI, so no one try to call me.

Marathon of fun: where I sunburn one half of each of my knees

Yeah, I very badly sunburned one half of each of my knees yesterday in Grant Park. I also got my arms a little red, but that seems to be browning up. The knees hurt like a bitch! I had aloe and vinegar on them all night.

However, they got sunburned watching some Kenny freaking Rogers live in concert in the park during Taste of Chicago. Kenny Rogers is down home good country people--complete with quaint stories to prove it. It was good to hear/see him, even if we were way far away. It was fun. Tasting all the things at the taste was good too. My favorite was the "grilled wings with pesto aioli." They were super yummy.

Then we threw Janna a going away party in our lovely backyard that was comfortably cool and not humid. It was great, lots of people came. There was drinking. A teacher friend of Janna decided that phone boyfriend is my "future ex-husband" which got big laughs last night, and some big laughs right now still. That is some funny.

My brother went home. He should be almost back in California now. It was wonderful having him around. However the marathon is not quite over because in a few more hours, I am going with Jon and Sara to pick up Luke and Jamie. Woo hoo.

Marathon of Fun: Clowns and Nazi boats

I saw the MacBeth, and it was in credible. The audience was small, but we were so with them! It was fantastic. It was intense. It was hilarious. I think everyone must go. I can't really begin to say more.

Then there was the part afterwards when I got a birthday hug from Angie and an aborted birthday hug from Paul. Anna, Branson, and I were talking to him and he found out it was my birthday, and he made the beginning of a move that would've been a "Hey, I am hugging the birthday person!" but he pulled the arms down in the middle of it and just didn't hug me. My roommates and brother thought that was hilarious. I swear to God. That whole thing has just entered a whole new phase of weird. Does he think I am going to hump his leg if he does anything at all that could be interpreted as encouragement? For the record, I am not going to hump his leg. At least not unless he asks me.

As for Nazi boats, my brother and I went way down to the Museum of Science and Industry where we played around with farm stuff in farm tech, and then we boarded a Nazi U boat that we had captured in WWII. It was pretty freaking amazing, and they let me sit on one of the stools in the little control room. It ruled.

Marathon of Fun: Yippi-ki-yay-motherfucker!

So "Live Free or Die Hard" kind of totally rules. My brother and I went to it last night and had pizza. Then I went home and did some laundry and chopped a bunch of my hair off.

It is quite full and bouncy now.

And it is my birthday. So, I look all cute (even wearing a skirt), and we are going to see the clowns tonight--yes, it is possible clown obsession/crush may have something to do with looking extra cute. There will probably also be drinking and other fesitivities.

Marathon of Fun: Where baby bears win baseball games

Dude, Wrigley Field is awesome!! It just is. You are as close to the players there as you are to them in little bitty hometown minor league stadiums. You can practically shake their hands, and in some places you can (Jeff Davis works for a big company that has seats behind the cubs dugout, and once the players shared sunflower seeds with him).

The bleachers (where we sat--Jeff, my brother, and myself) are some rowdy cubs loving fans. They get crazy about everything. Although since we were winning and the game was kind of close, we never got around to telling right field how much they suck (we were seated in the heart of left field). The stadium was almost entirely free of crappy top 40 music (thanks to the organist) and completely jumbotron free. This blew my little west coast mind because most of our shit is new and comes with big blinky Microsoft sponsored everything signs.

I am not the hugest sports fan, but watching a game in Wrigley is a pleasure. If you can ever get bleacher seats, go--even if you don't like baseball or sports. Bleacher seat people watching is a phenomenal sport in itself. A group of three late 20's, early 30's bachelors in front of us were our favorite people to watch--we knew they were bachelors by their behavior, ain't no way they were going home to a girlfriend or wife. They came up with a cheer to taunt the Rockies left fielder early on in the game, and boy did they stay with it! They were quite proud of their succint cleverness. The players last name was Holliday, and they just shouted "Holli-GAY" over and over again. Jeff and I just giggled because it was in fact so SOOOO so dumb.

Plus, Cubs win! It was awesome.

Tonight: deep dish Chicago style pizza from Pizzeria Uno and John McClane returns

Marathon of Fun: Fun in Circles

Monday my brother went to the zoo by himself, and then we met up with his friend Matt (who was stationed with him in Arizona but is from greater Chicagoland) and Matt's sister Heather (get it!!! they both have sisters named Heather who live in and around Chicago!--so not as amazing to she and I). Then we picked up one of Heather's friends and drove down to Navy Pier.

There we ate a Bubba Gump's Shrimp Factory--where I excelled at the Forrest Gump Trivia (imagine that I actually knew the name of the theatre Gary Sinise cofounded in Chicago, and I also knew Forrest went to the University of Alabama). Then we rode the Ferris Wheel, the Wave Swinger, and the Carousel. The Carousel at Navy Pier is for babies, and so not worth it. The Ferris Wheel is kind of awesome. The view is fantastic and we were up there as the sun was setting into the buildings of the skyline. The Wave Swinger was just so very county fair.

After that, my brother went out to punk rock Monday with my roommates and Branson. They closed the bar down. They also made all the guy friends of Janna and Renee (the people they see out at that bar) really antsy--because what were these guys they were at their bar with. I slept. I suck at fun marathons.

Today, there will be bleacher seats in the outfield at the Cubs Game. Tom will hold them for Jeff and I after he explore Wrigleyville on game day.

More later.

Some shopping math

I know, I know, three posts in one day. But I had to share this! At work we get to buy things for ourselves from our vendors as long as we have terms with them. Well a very trendy t-shirt place that sells dresses and yoga pants and just generally casual hipster clothers in plain yet vibrant colors with little to no decoration, is a favorite of mine. I however, I have never really been able to bring myself to shop there because $30 for a plain t-shirt is just way too freaking much!

Then I got their wholesale price list. I bought 24 pieces from wifebeaters and tank tops to a chemise to dresses and a bunch of cute t's with a tube top or two for good measure. They cost me $126.25 plus shipping regular fed ex from California. That is about $5.25 each not bad for t's and tanks--sort of like a good old navy sale. However, these are a little higher quality than old navy, and their retail value (if I had bought them online or in the store near the Pier 1 where I work part time) would've been $556 plus tax ($606.04 here). I saved $429.75 while buying really trendy, comfy clothes much of which I can wear to either job!!!!!! WOW! I am totally psyched about this. It rules!

Just FYI

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