Smoke and Mirrors

Quick update

This one's for Craig, who wrote me saying "WE NEED ENTRIES! WE NEED ENTRIES!" It's nice to feel needed -- and that email cracked me up.

Really, there isn't much to tell -- at least, not much good. I have been packing like mad, preparing to move. Almost everything is done, and there is a huge pile o'stuff in my living room. Over the weekend, I employed the trash bag method of packing -- all clothes and other soft things went into trash bags. Easier to pack and unpack, plus I had run out of boxes and tape. I still have to pack the odds and ends -- things that are too random to fit neatly in a box, but still need packing. And kitchen stuff. And man, do I need to clean. Balls of cat fur bigger than me! It's horrifying. My landlord sent me a very cute note, saying he's sad to see me go, and apologetically asking me to pay for the replacement of some screens -- I don't mind, as my demon-seed cat scratched them. I'm going to write him a nice thank-you note when I send him the check, as he treated me nicely.

I am so looking forward to moving. Well, not the moving part, as it seems it will be just me and Patrick. Everyone else is busy... or just doesn't want to help me lug furniture, heh. I don't have much, so I know we can handle it, but... I have bad knees. I don't think my falling down the stairs and squashing poor Patrick under a mattress is the best way to start this roommate thing, you know?

I am a bit nervous about this, too -- I haven't roomed with a friend, except for a brief summer during college. I always had a rule not to -- just in case of a fight. I'd rather not lose a friend over a roommate dispute... and I still feel shy around Patrick, which I know is dumb. I have a huge amount of admiration for him, and, as I always do with friends I like a whole lot, I fear that one day he'll look at me and think "Ugh. What a loser!" But. Nerves aside, I am glad to be moving. My roommate, who I have been having problems with, is being strangely nice to me lately... too little too late, but I wish her well.

I decided, yesterday, to put Softpaws on my cat. She was napping in the sun, and seemed relaxed, so I nabbed her, and grabbed the caps and glue, expecting an easy time... ha. At the end of 45 minutes, I was dripping both sweat and blood, and swearing a blue streak, but the caps were on! Well, minus the two glued to my hand, and the one flung across the room by the cat. She snarled, she hissed, she howled, she clawed me like mad... but I am bigger, ha! So now she has pretty purple toenails, and cannot claw Patrick's screens. If I could only cure her of the hairballs, we'd be all set...

In other, less happy news -- my brother's innocent little bug bite has turned into a nasty infection. So bad, in fact, there is talk of amputation. I am scared. I talked to him last night, and he's in good spirits -- I'm going to call him again in a minute. But still... the infection is bad. He may still need surgery. So, send good thoughts, please? We aren't as close as I'd like, but I worry about him.

Vacation, Part 2

So. Where was I? Oh -- the Radiohead show was good. We were exhausted when we got home. We managed to stay awake for an hour or so, then staggered off to bed and collapsed. Wednesday, PlaidRabbit had to head for home, so we got up and made our way to the airport. Once there, we discovered that, when Plaid's flight to Boston was cancelled, his return trip had been cancelled too. They were able to book him on a flight in the afternoon, but not late enough for us to go anywhere, so we just hung around the airport, talking and reading magazines for a while. (We would have wandered more, but every time we had to go through security, Plaid set off the metal detectors, and had to empty the 50 pounds of stuff he seems to carry in his pockets and be gang-probed by security. After the third time, we decided to stay in the gate area.)

Once the flight left, Joanne and I headed off to Harvard Square, where we shopped like mad. We stopped in to Charlie's Kitchen, where a friend of mine works -- she has a lovely habit of mixing me yummy drinks and charging very little for them. Joanne and I each had a few such yummy drinks, and were flirted with by construction workers, and talked and laughed like mad, and then went off to do more shopping. Lucky for us, the tattoo parlor in Harvard Square was closed, or we might have ended up with some interesting body art... the drinks had made us a bit silly.

Thursday, we went to the mall to get Joanne's glasses fixed (they had broken the day before). The shopping continued, of course -- I bought new sunglasses, which were on sale and also have frames that match my hair. We also bought a ton of blank CDs, so we could swap music before Jo headed for home. After the mall, we went to the Museum of Science -- we hit the planetarium, and played with all the gadgets in the Electricity exhibit, and mocked the Big Dig exhibit, and were squicked out by the gigantic spiders in the Live Bug exhibit. We were also mesmerized by the kinetic sculpture in the lobby, and the musical staircase.

After the museum, we headed off to meet Columbine for dinner. We ate and drank and talked at the Parrish Cafe in downtown Boston, then wandered off to the Trident Cafe (one of my favorite places, even though I rarely go there) for cake and coffee. Columbine and Joanne talked about Canadian politics (which did not bore me, though Columbine apologized for it later) and I wandered in post-migraine haze. Once thoroughly stuffed with cake (which we had to eat, it was Joanne's birthday week and all!) Columbine headed for home and Joanne and I went off to the T. The trains were all stuffed with people -- there had been a Red Sox game. Argh. We waited for a train that had three square inches we could cram ourselves into, and went home, where we stayed up until the wee hours copying CDs for each other.

Friday, Joanne's last day, we went back downtown to get her photos developed. We went to a CVS drugstore that had a one-hour photo place -- at least, the sign said it was one hour. The clerk told us it would be at least an hour and a half, and, when I protested that it was supposed to be an hour, he said there were people ahead of us, and since Joanne wanted three copies of each picture, it would take longer. We had little choice but to leave the film there, though. We then went to F.A.O. Schwartz and bought candy (most of which is still languishing in my fridge) and then went back to Harvard Square to meet up with Patrick and Lee. We sat by the T station and people-watched (mostly watching drunk people picking fights with each other) until they arrived.

The four of us went to see Ghost World and then to dinner -- the movie was excellent, and dinner was good in spite of the waiter, who managed to mix up just about everything we ordered. A good time was had by all, I think -- much talking and laughing and eating, which is always fun.

Once we got home, Joanne and I stayed up far too late copying CDs for each other. We headed off to bed around 3 a.m. -- I got into bed, settled in, and pondered the strange glowing static on the ceiling. Another migraine! Joy. Luckily, I was able to just fall asleep, and was pretty much okay by morning. I still felt spacey (well, more so than usual) and my head hurt a lot if I laughed too hard or coughed, but I was okay. Joanne and I had breakfast, and headed off to the airport so she could (alas!) go home. We hung around the airport for a couple of hours, got lunch from the Surliest Man Alive, and people-watched -- the terminal she left from is possibly the most boring place on earth, so people-watching was all we had to do. All too soon, her flight boarded, so we said goodbye, she got on the plane, and I wandered off to the train. And with that, vacation was over -- I had Sunday left, sure, but that was spent cleaning and packing and watching TV with Patrick and Lee. (Not that watching TV with them isn't fun, of course, but it was the last night before going back to work, and I was sullen.)

So. I am back at work. I have a doctor's appointment Friday, to see about the migraines -- I have realized that I have woken up on several mornings thinking that I dreamed of having a migraine during the night -- now I'm wondering if I've really been dreaming, or if I'm having them much more frequently than I thought. The headaches aren't so bad -- it's the visual crap that sucks. It starts with blank spots in my vision -- I look at things, and bits are missing. Then, I get a small patch of what looks sort of like TV static. The patch grows until it circles my vision, and then everything goes staticky and blurry, and I can't see much at all. It's scary, and I can't function while it's happening, and it just makes me want to curl up and cry. The medication I currently have is useless -- it makes my vision come back, but my head still hurts, and it has a powerful sedative, so I can't do anything but sleep. If I get one of these headaches at work, I can't exaclty go have a nap. I need better medication, and I would love to know why this is happening.

In other assorted medical news, my mom has a bug bite that looks frighteningly like Lyme disease. It's got the bullseye rash and all... it may just be a spider bite, but it may not. She's on antibiotics. She's not reading this, so I can confess -- I am scared to death. She has lupus. Lyme disease on top of lupus... that could be bad. That could kill her. Send her good wishes, please? And if you pray, spare one for her. I hate it when she's sick, and I can't even think of her having something serious.

My brother has also had bad bug luck -- he got a bite on his leg that got infected, and turned to cellulitis (?). It's all infected, and he's on IV antibiotics. So, you see, evil bugs are after my family -- they're coming for me next, I'm sure.

And a bit of bitching... I keep getting emails from sites like ecrush.com and hugecrush.com, telling me that someone out there has a crush on me. I'm assuming it's a joke, but I am annoyed, because since I have started getting these messages, the amount of spam in my inbox has increased dramatically. It's very nice to think that someone out there might like me, but giving my email address out, to be snapped up by spammers, just isn't nice! And, you know, if by some freak of nature it is a real crush, I'd rather just know, instead of guessing!

On a lighter note, here are some pictures!

I really like this picture Joanne took of me -- one of the few I actually don't cringe at the sight of!

Joanne and Plaidy, in scenic Chelsea (outside my laundromat, in fact)

Little blue penguins!







I like this picture too, but only because it looks like I'm shooting electricity from my hand!

Vacation!

Joanne headed back home to Canada today. My vacation is officially over. I'm tired, but happy -- it was a good week, overall. I'll try to condense it down, though it may take more than one enrty -- plus, I need Joanne to scan photos so I can post them.

Last Friday, I woke at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m. to pick up Joanne from the airport. It was hot and humid, so we went back to my place and sweltered in front of the fan, too wilted to move. Eventually we got the energy together to head into Boston, where we checked into a hotel for the evening (my roommate had issues with my having friends from out of town staying with me -- it's a long and unpleasant story, and one of the many reasons why I am moving* in a couple of weeks.) We dropped off our stuff, and headed off to the ironically-named Shangri-La Chinese restaurant for dinner. There was no one else in the restaurant, and the food was good, but we were far too busy talking to eat. After dinner, we headed back to Logan to meet PlaidRabbit, blissfully unaware of the horrors that awaited us...

Upon arriving at Logan, I noticed that Plaid's flight number was not on the board. This perplexed me. I then noticed the crowds of unhappy travellerts, and the fact that all the flights to and from Charlotte had been cancelled. I called and checked my voise mail, and found a message from Plaidy saying he was stuck in Charlotte, and wasn't sure when he'd arrive. The next five hours were spent pacing up and down, checking the voice mail every few minutes for further updates, and waiting. Waiting, waiting, and for variety, waiting some more. Joanne and I played several rounds of "Mock the Passenger" -- it was really too easy, in most cases. We also had a long, probably frightening discussion about the words one should not say in an airport (sparked by my confession that I had a compulsion to yell all of those words -- "Bomb!" for example -- very loudly) and the probing by security which would likely follow. Plaid finally arrived at midnight -- just missing Joanne and I laughing so hard that we couldn't breathe at the sight of a man very passionately kissing a dog -- it was creepy, really. This guy liked dogs a little too much, it seems -- and we decided we should form the North American Man-Dog Love Association, or NAMDLA for short. If Plaid had arrived at that point, I think he would have taken one look at us and gotten back on the plane home.

Once Plaid finally arrived, we went in search of a way home -- there didn't seem to be any shuttle buses to the subway (though now that I think about it, I bet we were in the wrong area for those. Oh, well) so an off-duty cab driver gave us a ride. We got to the hotel, talked for a while, then collapsed and slept.

Saturday, we woke up late and ventured out to find food and meet my roommate for coffee. (She wanted to meet Plaidy and make sure he wasn't a psycho. We convinced him to leave his chainsaw at home, so it went well.) That done, we wandered around shopping, and did some sightseeing, and saw a movie (Memento, at last -- very, veryy good). We finished the evening with a walk down Boylston street, a trip to the top of the Hancock Tower, and a stroll across the Boston Common. In the dark, I'm sure it looked lovely.

Sunday... here's where the week starts to blur. Sunday, we went to the Aquarium, and cooed at the little blue penguins, and looked at the fish, and saw the sea lion show. After that, we... um. Well, I think we shopped, and I know we ate, and beyond that, I have a blurry memory of walking and T-riding and such.

Monday, we planned to go to Kenmore Square and Harvard Square, but I conveniently got a migraine as soon as we got downtown. Since I couldn't see and could barely walk, it was decided that we would go home, I would go to bed, and Joanne and Plaidy would go out, armed with my keys and a T map, and explore. I took a brief nap, and was awakened by the phone -- Eric calling to say he was in town, with his girlfriend. Joy. They drove in and we all went out to eat -- and I will refrain from making catty remarks, because I'm not dating her, but man, Eric's girl is unpleasant. I told Joanne and Plaid later, that day could only have been improved by my running into Barry, then being hit repeatedly by a bus.

Tuesday -- we did laundry! So exciting! I know how to show my guests a good time, let me tell you! After that, it was off to Suffolk Downs, to the Radiohead concert. The show was excellent -- we had a good view of the stage, they played almost all the songs I wanted to hear... with the exception of a few idiots trying to jump the fence to get to the front section, the people around us were nice (and security dealt swiftly with those who did leap the fence, so it was all good). Standing for five hours wasn't fun, and poor Plaid had to deal with me clinging to his shoulder -- I get claustrophobic in crowds, and I kept getting pushed and was afraid I'd fall over. Getting home afterward was a challenge -- the T was a mob scene, and all the cabs were full. We finally wandered into a liquor store, where one of the owners offered us a ride home, in exchange for whatever we would have paid a cab. Hey, it was an extra $17 for him, plus a ride for us -- it worked out well. Once home, we collapsed -- I am too old for such festivities!

That should do it for now -- I'll wrap up the rest of the vacation later. Maybe even tomorrow! Maybe there will be photos!

* The good news -- I am moving September 1st! And, even better, I am moving into Patrick's apartment! It's a lovely place, and Patrick is a good friend, so I'm very happy. Now, I suppose I should start packing...

Short and scattered

It's hot. Yes, I know, you all know it's hot. But just let me whine for a minute -- it's 10 p.m., and 94 degrees in my apaprtment. I am sitting here in the dark with a fan blowing on me, trying to ignore the sweat trickling down my back. (Pretty mental image, no?) I just dyed my hair again -- the color name on the box was Scarlet Shimmer (which sounds like a stripper's name) but it should have been Radioactive Carrot, because that's what color my hair is. It glows. It's blinding. It can be seen from space, I think. I love it. I felt obligated, after a conversation I had with a particularly cute coworker a week or so ago. I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business, when Cute Coworker walked up to me:

CC: "Can I ask you a question?"
Me: "Sure, what's up?" (assuming it was about work...)
CC: "What's up with your hair?
Me: "Um..."
CC: "I mean, it's a normal color. Why?"
Me: "Oh, yeah, the pink washed out..."
CC: "You have to dye it again."
Me: "I do?"
CC: "Yeah. See, you bring a little bit of funkiness to this place. We need the funkiness. Dye your hair again!"

So, Cute Coworker, don't say I never did anything for you. This time the dye is permanent, but red dye fades fast, so I'm sure it won't last long.

The flaming hair will prove handy tomorrow, too, when I meet Joanne and PlaidRabbit at the airport. You can't miss me now!

I'm suprisingly nervous about this week. I have hung out with Joanne before, of course, but I've never actually met Plaid. I worry a lot, you see -- I worry that, upon meeting me in the flesh, they will think, "Man, what a loser. A loser with weird hair, even!" I know, I'm being irrational, but... I worry. I want them to have a good time. So far, I have nothing planned aside from the 3WA gathering tomorrow night and the Radiohead show Tuesday night. I know we're going to go to the New England Aquarium at some point, to oooh over the tiny blue penguins. We've talked about going to Salem. Plaid hasn't been here before, so I will happily play tour guide. I know, in the rational part of my brain, that we will have fun. But the far larger irrational part says that we won't, that we will sit around bored and staring at each other, and they will loathe me. Even though I have met Joanne before. I know.

Now, i think I will lie in the dark in front of a fan or two -- I have much more to write about (most importantly, I'm moving, and couldn't be happier) but it's just too hot to sit at the computer anymore.

How do I do this, again?

Okay, so the hiatus was much-needed. I'm done with the semester now, and I have no more classes, no more homework, hurrah! But I've discovered the problem with hiatuses... I can't seem to get the momentum to write, now. I am far too lazy, and out of the habit (such as it was before). But I'll do my best...

The semester was a rough one. So much homework... on the days I didn't have class, I came home from work, sat down at the computer, and worked straight through 'til bedtime -- usually from about 7-8 p.m. to midnight or so. There were papers to write, web pages to make, reading to do... my room is a mess because I haven't cleaned much all month, and I am now entirely too familiar with my desk. My cat has given up on me in disgust, and my roommate thinks I'm some sort of hermit. But, I'm done now. I got decent grades, too, which is nice -- a B+ in my HTML class, and I assume about the same in my Literature of the Humanities class. I'm happy with the grades; I worked hard, and got as much done as I could, and I knew I wouldn't achieve perfection. I learned a whole lot of HTML (and the thought of getting my own domain is lurking in the back of my brain) and I thoroughly enjoyed both classes. It was sort of sad when they ended -- but the newfound free time made up for it! My last class was Thursday -- I gave my final presentation, and wrote my course evaluation, saying as many nice things about my professor as I could. My Humanities teacher was great; he's Irish, and a guest lecturer at Simmons. He's one of the first teachers I've had who I felt really took an interest in me -- he gave great feedback on every assignment, and has offered to give me a reference when I start my job hunt.

And now I don't know what to do with myself in the evening! So far tonight I have remade my bed (with the new sheets and comforter cover I got on a very good sale at the mall this evening), actually cooked dinner for the first time all month, took a long shower, knitted a bit, and now I am surfing and updating while half-watching Silence of the Lambs on A&E. My mom called in the middle of a fierce thunderstorm -- I had to get her off the phone quickly when lighting hit the ground far too close to my house. I didn't like the idea of being fried by the phone, and I wanted to unplug my computer, just in case. Both cats huddled under my bed during the storm, nose to nose, shivering -- Smoke came out while I was eating dinner, lured by the smell of the chicken I'd cooked. Tucker is still there.

Work has been a madhouse -- my boss is away until the middle of next week, and our new computer system is not working well. There are still bugs in it, which has meant I have been unable to get the work done that I really need to do before the semester starts. Hopefully, it will be fixed soon -- I am working four days next week, and then my vacation starts. Joanne and PlaidRabbit will be arriving next Friday, and the festivities will begin! I'm looking forward to seeing Joanne again -- she was here last October, and we had an excellent time. She'll be here for longer this time, which is nice -- I'm looking forward to spending time with her. I'm also looking forward to meeting Plaidy -- he's a good online friend, and it'll be nice to put a face with the name. We're going to see Radiohead next Tuesday, and there will be a gathering of Boston Threewayaction people, and I'll be playing tour guide around town -- fun! I love showing people around -- it makes me notice things about Boston that I don't really see anymore. I've lived here long enough that I forget it's a really nice city -- in spite of all the Big Dig construction, it's pretty, and I like seeing it through new eyes.

I did, during the month, find the time to mess with my Sims a bit -- I made a journaller family, made up of Threewayaction people.





Here we see Monique, Josh, (in the cage) and JamesRussell (no link 'til he puts his journal back up!) checking out the dance floor in the living room. Josh loves the cage -- he's in there all the time, even when there's no music.





It didn't take more than a day for Monique to start putting the moves on James...







After dressing in costumes for no apparent reason, Mo and James fall in love! Must have been James' sexy prison garb...







Here, Joanne dances in the backyard, in her sexy bikini...







... while Monique tries out the mechanical bull.




Further bulletins as the house develops... I need to make more neighbors for them, as their parties have been lame so far. The mime has shown up twice! So, sometime soon, I will be making more Threewayaction Sims... (insert evil chuckle here...)