Snow day.

Hey, y’all. Guess who doesn’t have to dig his car out until tonight? This guy, that’s who.

Very excited, because they almost never close the courthouse. Which means that I have no plans for today, because I just assumed I would be driving to work in a blizzard. Go know. I will probably spend the better part of this morning working on my multicolor granny-square afghan (did I mention I’m working on a multicolor granny-square afghan? Well, I am), and doing some ironing, because I need work shirts desperately, if the outfit I had planned for today is any indication (mmm, gray on black).

Listening to 2Pac’s Me Against the World as I type this, because it was next on the 1001 list. I upgraded myself to a Spotify Premium account for my birthday and it’s pretty much paying for itself already as I’ve listened to about 10 full albums since I got it on Saturday. I don’t know how long I’ll keep it once I’ve listened through the list, but it’s pretty great so far. The list is still working out pretty well, too; I haven’t had to listen through too many clinkers (although Chic’s C’est Chic comes close – ‘Le Freak’ is reliably awesome, but the rest of the album isn’t necessarily worth the listen). Next up after 2Pac is 50 Cent – it’s going to get pretty ‘street’ up in here, yo.

I am so white.

I really have to say this album…it’s fine, but it isn’t really…speaking to me. I know you couldn’t have guessed this. Whatever. We all have different tastes, and that’s part of what makes us each a special snowflake. At least I can say I’ve heard a Tupac Shakur album when pressed. As I so often am.

Maybe I’ll do my exercising this morning rather than this afternoon. I’ve been spending about a half hour a day with the Wii, and it hasn’t been showing me necessarily great results, but it seems better than nothing? I have to lose about five pounds to get to my next Wii Fit goal, which is 168 pounds. I was only four pounds away three days ago. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m pretty sure I’m paying too much attention to the whole thing. I’m thinking I should probably go for a weekly measurement instead, just so I don’t make myself crazier about it.

2Pac is done, and yeah…50 Cent is not going to happen right now, thanks. Time to go get this snow day party started.

It’s Your Mid-30s, Charlie Brown.

Hey, what do you know, it’s my birthday!

As of 5:10 AM, I am 35 years old! I know this because I have my birth certificate out because I have to go renew my driver’s license this morning. Because what better way to celebrate the anniversary of my glorious arrival on the planet than to go hit the Topsham DMV, right? Which reminds me that I’ll need to wear something decent in case they need to retake my photo. Don’t want to look any more hellacious than I have to.

It’s a four-day weekend for me, and it’s going to be pretty shopping-intensive, I suspect. There’s going to be a Wal-Mart run in there somewhere. And groceries. And video game shopping today, because I have $50 given to me for just that purpose. What? That’s right. And Christmas money still unspent.

And as an added bonus, Hulu Plus: finally on the Wii. Finally I can finish watching my stories! Happy birthday, indeed!

 

Taking Stock.

Re-ordered my 1001 Lists spreadsheets (Yes.)(Shut up.) this morning, to see where I stood, and I must say: daunting.

Albums: Now that I’ve mostly listened through the albums we have on hand, I’m on Spotify for the rest. If you count Merle Haggard’s I’m a Lonesome Fugitive, to which I’m listening right now, I have listened through 77 of the albums on the list. 34 of those I’ve listened to since I started in on this project. So, I guess I’m making pretty good progress? We own four more of the albums on the list, and once I’ve finished those, I’m thinking I’ll be slowing this down to about one album a day (if that). By the by, I’m a Lonesome Fugitive is good.

Books: I’ve only read 83 of the books on this list? This doesn’t seem accurate, but all right. I will have to come back to Vanity Fair, because as delightful as it is, it’s also bogging me right the hell down; I’ve been reading at it for two and a half weeks. And only gotten to page 200 of 700-something. I used a random number generator to pick the next book on the list, and that book turns out to be H. Rider Haggard’s She. As luck would have it, She is a free iBook, so I’ll be working on that this week on the iPod.

Movies: This is where I shine – I’ve seen 356 of the films on the list already. Finding more of them is a challenge, of course, and then finding the time to watch them is another. The random number route isn’t necessarily very helpful, since the first three choices it gave me aren’t available to stream. Choice #4, though, is An Autumn Afternoon, which is on Hulu Plus, so I will more than likely watch that one this weekend because why not?

Games: Someone posted the top 100 Adventure Games of all time, which I’ve added to my workbook. Damn you, and your list-making, you…Internet, you! Fortunately, I have played through 23 of them already, and own 5 more I haven’t played through yet, so I can work on video game days. You hear that, Gabriel Knight series? You’re next.

Me, Personally: I’ve dropped about 5 pounds since the start of the New Year (if the Little Girl Who Lives in the Wii is to be believed). I’ve been watching what I eat and drink, and exercising where applicable, and that’s about it. I need a haircut in the worst way, but other than that, can’t complain.

 

Uh Oh.

Our cable service provider finally discontinued the actual ‘cable’ cable yesterday – they went to an all-digital signal, which means we had to hook up a converter box to our patently non-digital television yesterday afternoon. It worked, but apparently, we can only record on one channel per television (unless someone physically stands next to it and changes the channel as needed)  because the cable is no longer controllable through the VCR. We’ll be missing some shows for a while.

Annoying.

So, we are weighing our options, very few of which involve the cable company, it turns out.

Monday Morning Time-Waster.

Going to a training this morning rather than to work, so I’ve got time to kill (I have to be in Augusta at 9:00). So, how are you?

I’m fine. Achy, but fine. I’ve given up trying to walk in the mornings, because my exercise routine shouldn’t be weather-contingent and also it’s treacherous out there more often than it isn’t. Instead, I’m doing yoga/etc. with the Wii Fit, and watching what I eat and drink. Which has lost me about three pounds in the past two weeks. I’m happy with that. Last night, for the first time in maybe three months(?), the little girl who lives in the Wii Fit board said (of my current weight) ‘That’s normal” instead of ‘That’s overweight’ and I ran, elated, to tell J.

Have been working diligently at the 1001 lists. Vanity Fair is taking me forever to read, because my bookmark keeps falling out of it and I keep falling asleep during it. I’m still not giving up – I’ ve made it to page 186, and I’ll make it to the end (at 10 pages a whack) if it kills one of us. After that, I’ve got about 12 iBooks queued up on the old iPod touch – just in case I can’t find them at my local library. I’m going to go ahead and guess Jonathan Swift’s Tale of a Tub is not on the LPL shelves…

I’ve listened through an inordinate amount of the albums – maybe 15 of them – the latest being 10cc’s Sheet Music this morning on Spotify. And I’ll grab one or two more for the car ride today. I’m thinking Spotify is probably going to be my savior on that list – many of these albums are good, not great, and certainly not things I’d necessarily pay for before I’ve listened to them once. This morning’s album being a case in point.

I’ve largely ignored the movies list, because I’ve been using my weekends and evenings to play games and do my exercises rather than watch TV. I may need to limit myself to two lists this year.

Anyway, that’s the update. It’s 7:00 now, so it’s time to go start making myself presentable.

 

Sidelined.

Stayed inside this morning because I’ve instituted a new exercise caveat that it must be a ‘double digit’ temperature outside before I will go for my morning constitutional. And this morning, the thermometer reads ’3′. Also, I reached that point in the Couch-to-5K (Week 3) where I start hurting myself unintentionally again, so I’m taking today off, and figuring out where to go from there. Probably some strength-building about the stomach and legs so muscles stop getting wrenched around, and returning to just simple walking for a while. Which, given the icy terrain outside, is a workout in and of itself. The local streets are a rink these days.

Making strides in the 1001 things lists. I watched another movie-film: Buster Keaton in Sherlock, Jr., and now I am ready to watch all the Buster Keaton films, because that guy is awesome (90-year-old news flash). No progress on the remaining two-and-a-half hours of Birth of a Nation; probably going to try to finish that off this weekend. Again.

I am now 100 pages in to Vanity Fair, and still liking it.

And I’ve listened to about 10 of the albums on my list, and rather than go through them one by one, I’ll just tell you some of the things I’ve learned:

(1) Depeche Mode: who knew? I didn’t know. I listened through Music for the Masses and liked it a lot. Also an unexpected delight: Jane’s Addiction’s Ritual de lo Habitual.

(2) I really don’t care for Madonna’s albums all that much. I know, right?!?! I have listened through Like a Prayer and Music, and most of Ray of Light, and I find that the singles are good…mainly because I can sing along, but the rest is pretty much boring, rambly filler. Although, to be perfectly fair I should give Ray of Light another chance because I was listening to it in the car while I commuted through a blizzard last Thursday. These are not optimal conditions.

(3) Clearly, from the above, the 1001 albums I have to listen to will not all be winners. Scritti Politti.

And projects: I’ve started a new one that should be easy to finish – I’m crocheting all my old yarn into one big, multi-colored afghan. It’s very pretty right now, and about lap-sized. I am working off a big ball of a sage green right now, and plan to finish with cheap yarns from various Goodwills and/or Salvation Armies. Pictures will be forthcoming.

Out in the Cold.

Sorry I didn’t post anything yesterday. I ended up locking myself out of the house at around 5:00 AM, and couldn’t get back in until 8:30, when J was up, and we left for a trip to Portland. I took two hour-long walks, and spent about an hour and a half trying to teach myself to pick a lock using a screwdriver and two safety pins. It didn’t work so well, but at least it was warm in the barn. Then, of course, I spent the rest of the day rattling doorknobs to make sure they weren’t locked behind me. Locking yourself out: it sucks.

So, I’ll try to make this one extra long to make up for yesterday’s absence.

Didn’t get a lot of reading done this week, because I started and stopped a couple of different books. I’ve settled on Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, for now, which is so far very readable. I did listen to three more albums, so that’s three fewer I have to listen to before I can die. Wait, what? I heard two Pet Shop Boys, one which I liked (Very) and one I didn’t care for (Behavior). I also listened to the Nirvana MTV Unplugged, which was pretty great. I feel like I’ve listened to that one before, but I listened again to be sure, and also, because it’s good. This week I’ll be able to listen to a bunch more; I’ve culled about twenty from our collection that made the list (look out, Scritti Politti, here I come!). I haven’t picked Birth of a Nation back up yet, because, as I say, I’ve been busy and/or locked out. Also: three hours long. As is Intolerance, another movie on the beginning of the list. And I don’t know where I might find the time or inclination to get through all seven hours of Les Vampires. No reason I have to work my way through the list chronologically, I suppose. Maybe I’ll watch me some Dr. Caligari – that’s short. Or some of the Buster Keaton. He seems nice.

Jogging this week has gone well – I finished my second couch-to-5K run this morning (I brought ALL the house keys with me this time). I thought I would feel bad running this winter, but the fresh air and exertion actually feel good, like I’m actually accomplishing something when I exercise. So far I am unharmed, unfrostbitten, and have found myself a well-lit route that won’t get me hit by a car or bitten by an angry little dog. Now I’m looking for a couple of pairs of sweatpants to wear and maybe a lighter-colored jacket, because right now I’m dressed for shoveling snow, not jogging two miles, and it’s hard to move in four layers of clothing.

We went to the bank while we were in Portland, and I now have four bottles of Two-Buck (and fifty cent) Chuck wine and $250 of Christmas cash burning a hole in the bank envelope. Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet, but I know I have to spend it on something awesome before it goes to something terrible like bills or food.

I guess that gets you up to date. Sooner next time, I promise.

Mid-Week Update – I Can’t Keep Up This Frenetic Pace.

I’m not taking an hour-long walk  in 5 degree darkness, thank you very much. If you think I am, you cray-cray.

Otherwise, so far so good this new year, you guys. Except yesterday at work was colossally awful. And I felt sick all night. But I had a good night’s sleep, and I haven’t eaten too poorly. Sunday I raided my closet for shirts to get rid of: seven are flat out going, and about ten more are on borrowed time (they’ve been sectioned off in ‘let’s see if I wear it’ land). Also, I cleaned the trash out of my car.

I have begun working off the 1001 lists again, just for fun, and I’ve made exciting progress. I’ve now seen two films (A Trip to the Moon and The Great Train Robbery), read a book (Margaret Drabble’s The Red Queen), and listened to two albums (Fiona Apple’s Tidal and Daft Punk’s Homework)  I must hear before I die – they were pretty good! Tidal, especially, I thought was a fine album that you should listen to again if you haven’t recently. I had it on while I was making stuffed peppers one night.

I’m currently making my way through Birth of a Nation - I’m about half an hour in, and (for right now) it’s more watchable than I thought it would be. As silent films go. They really did have faces then!

I’m reading Aesop’s Fables, which is number one on the books list. There really are a lot of them, and I don’t know if it’s my translation, but some of the morals seem…unsupported by the source material. Although not untrue! The good part of this book is that I can flip it over and read The 1001 Nights on the other side.

And I’ve gone through what CDs we have to glean more of the 1001 albums: looks like I’ll be listening to some Pet Shop Boys (Behavior and/or Very) today.

And. I’ve only left myself a half hour, so this is what you get. I haven’t even edited. Lucky you.

2012: I Can’t Get My Fingers to Type You Yet.

After much hemming, hawing, and deep thought, I’ve boiled down this year’s resolutions to the following:

1. Take better care of myself.

It includes eating breakfast, taking a morning walk (if not a morning jog), flossing regularly, and generally avoiding foods that make me feel gross and/or ill.

2. Make more stuff.

Write more, draw more, take more pictures – I used to like ALL this stuff. I’m planning on setting time aside to work at these things.

3. Have less stuff.

In addition to buying less, I will be assessing what I currently own, and figuring out if I still need it/use it. If not, it’s donate/sell/trade or trash time this year. A lot of my books and CDs will be leaving my shelves this year, as well as clothes that are worn out or no longer fit, games I will never play again, etc.

4. Finish things.

To include household projects that are still in the planning stages, a quilt that is just patches right now, a shirt that is still just a pattern and some fabric, and lists of things I meant to watch/read/listen to that I haven’t quite gotten around to yet.

 

That’s it; pretty easy. As for deadlines and finish lines, I’m not setting any. It’d be nice to weigh a certain weight, or have a certain amount of cash in the bank, or have done x number of y things by z date, but for right now, I’m focusing on getting the habits in place slowly, because why punish yourself, right? If I were to make a fifth resolution it would be 5. Chill the F*** Out.

Also, 6. Watch that Potty-Mouth.

Now that THAT’S over.

Good morning! And a merry Boxing Day to you and yours!

God. It’s been since October? I wish I could tell you that you missed out on a whole bunch of exciting stuff while I was gone, but…you didn’t. Christmas yesterday was the high point, surprise surprise. We both got a lot of cool stuff for each other (excluding my gift of socks for J, which turned out to be the UN-cool, wrong kind; hey, I tried my best). Good books, DVDs, CDs, booze and candy…fantastic. And J’s mom gave us each $250, which was super-duper generous of her. It was a very nice haul.

And now I have the day off, and no plans to do anything with it. It’s possible we’ll after-Christmas shop, but I don’t know where, or what we might possibly need/want. Or how many bitches I might have to cut to get through it with my sanity on the other side. My guesstimate is seven bitches.

Spending this morning re-downloading games I bought this summer. With my new computer! That’s right – we finally replaced COMPUTRA. She just lost our stuff one time too many (civil union photos, anyone?). She’s sitting behind me, all sullen-like, with her keyboard perched atop her, like the dusty end table she now currently is. I bought a Dell from Best Buy in late November? early December? I don’t remember…anyway, I bought it because it was cheap and good, and 1-2 months later, it’s still good. Wonderful, in fact. J has inherited the laptop, which seems to suit his needs just fine.

So. Now that the Christmas rush is over, it’s Boxing Day week, which means I’m going to be spending probably an inordinate amount of time assessing and re-assessing and worrying over my goals for 2012. One of which is certain to be that I need to write more (thus, this blarp you’re currently reading). Another most definitely is to lose the twenty or so pounds I gained this year (What up, belly? Wine and chocolate cake much?). Along with all the usual crap I think about then don’t do anything about and then feel bad about. So, yeah – tune in for that.

I’ll try to draft something that coheres better than this next time I write. Which hopefully will be within days, rather than months.