five thousand shades of blue
Friday, January 31, 2003
ahhhh
So glad to have the weekend in sight. Tonight, a TNG fest at a friend's house, and tomorrow? Tenative plans with my roommate J to go and see "The Ring" at the $1.50 theater. Finally, someone I can go to see these kinds of movies with! Also, cleaning up a bit more, reading (and replying to) overdue emails, and spending time going over my scribal workshop handout to incorporate changes suggested by E, who would know about such things far better than I.
Spent a little bit of holiday money yesterday, walked down to the art supply store, and splurged on a new nib holder, and three new nibs (C3-C5), as well as an acid free felt tip calligraphy pen for the fun of it. Grand total, $9something. The nibs I had were looking very crusty, and I clean them fairly religiously. They may be the same ones I've had since art school. I thought I might write in my paper journal with the felt tip pen, but the ink tends to bleed through the paper, so, feh.
Drool.
Wednesday, January 29, 2003
like the corners of my mind
She made me think of childhood memories, how flawed and imperfect mine own are. There are so many memories that I've associated with being 12 -- surely they can't all have happened when I was 12. Like getting mono, getting my hair cut, learning to ride a bike...
Playing in snow that was so deep, during the Blizzard of '77, that it went to the top of the chain link fence (probably 4.5 feet)... I can remember my grand plan for tunnelling holes beneath the snow and getting only so far before it collapsed in. There is always snow, it seems, from walking home in the snow to have one of the bullyboys throw something that hit me in the back (turned out to be a dead rat, ew); fearing the walk to the bus stop during junior high because of Barb G and her incessant taunt of my mittens; getting into deep trouble when my younger brother removed his boots and socks to splash in a snowy puddle while I was supposed to be watching him outside. My red and yellow snowsuit, still so vivid in my mind it was a part of
my holiday card.
I remember my great grandmother, who used to sit at my grandma's kitchen table and mutter and curse in Polish, and it bothers me that I don't remember her death, nor can I remember whose mother she was. Christmases with the whole family, all of the little cousins, and I wondered even then (not bitterly) how come Santa always brought the Long Island cousins more expensive presents. (Funny, the more I try to consciously think about childhood memories the fewer I can conjure up.)
Trying like hell to get a ticket back east for the end of March, and I guess I'm getting a little homesick. I haven't been back since 1998. I'm down two grandparents and it's going to be hard visiting their graves. And everything is just so different there now.
it must be that time again
Twice a month, some sort of hormone surges through my body that loosens up all of the joints and cartilage, which makes my back go out of whack,
my arms fall asleep in the middle of the night, my feet feel even more like stuffed sausages at the end of the day... Keep the ibuprofen coming, and the water. Ow. I'm glad it only lasts a couple of days each time.
I am happy though -- wearing pants that did not fit 2 weeks ago. :D
Monday, January 27, 2003
a memo to the ADA, the AHA, and all the other health associations
So, after discovering sugar in my
mayonnaise and my
ibuprofen sinus tablets, I'm starting to think that maybe Americans aren't heavier as a nation solely because we (collectively) eat worse than the rest of the world or we're that much lazier, but
because there's fucking sugar added to everything. (I mean, really. Who would have thought I'd have to check my sinus tablets for sugar???)
I'm down ten pounds from where I started. I haven't seen this section of the scale in a mighty long time.
Thursday, January 23, 2003
chuggin' along
Things continue to go well. Have discovered the Atkins food section at Fred Meyer. Cinnamon bun breakfast bars, and they don't suck! Whee.
Going to try to go see a production at the
U of O on Friday night. I heard they're doing Steve Martin's
Picasso at the Lapin Agile... which I've wanted to see since I heard about its debut back when I lived in the Bay Area. It's about a farcical meeting between a young Picasso and a young Einstein, and my roommate says it's hilarious. Come on... it's Steve Martin! How can it NOT be?! Tickets are only $6. I haven't been to the theater in years...
Tuesday, January 21, 2003
sad
A legendary caricaturist dies.
regarding the previous post
I appreciate the concern you all have voiced and believe me, we (An and I) are being careful. We've done lots of reading and research and feel this is the best route for us to take to lose weight. It's not a trendy or faddy diet ("lose weight while you sleep!") but yes, we're treading very carefully.
Right now I'm in the first and most difficult of the stages, Induction, but since I don't have much to lose, I won't be here very long. This stage is to get weaned off of sugar and high levels of carbs. The subsequent stages gradually add some things back in until Maintenance, where you eat to sustain your goal weight. I'm being realistic -- I'm
not aiming for 105 pounds. :)
I'm definitely
not starving myself. I have a lot more energy than I did even with caffeine... and just now a regular customer told me my face looks thinner, like I've already lost some water bloat.
It isn't easy, working in a café every day, serving pastries and making mochas. But it's getting easier. I didn't know I had this kind of willpower.
Monday, January 20, 2003
never say die...t
So I'm going on Day Four of no sugar, no caffeine, and very few carbs (the Atkins Diet). First two days were a bear, but I'm really getting used to the food portions and the sensation of being constantly, terribly hungry has subsided.
And the recipes that we've been making for dinner have been awesome. Tikka chicken! Tomato and feta burgers!
...I will be happy, however, when this stage (induction) is over...
A big shout out to
Jenn, whose own journey with this diet really opened our eyes (An and mine) and got us interesting in trying it. Thanks so much!
Thursday, January 16, 2003
Freaky
Real life ghost ship!
The world must be ending. My antagonistic cats were sleeping
next to one another at my feet this morning.
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
To: inconsiderate smokers who park in the same parking garage I do
CC: people who feel the need to marinate in perfume / after shave, but not so much
If you must insist on polluting the air everywhere you go, please be sure to take the open staircase down the two flights to the street, because elevators have really truly awful ventilation systems and you will make it stinky and unbreathable for HOURS afterward.
Unless you're in a wheelchair, in which case, put your damn cigarette out for thirty seconds or so. Or lighten up on the personal fragrance. As the case may be.
Thank you.
Monday, January 13, 2003
ugh
I wonder if I were to count the titles I've used so far, how many of them would be "ugh"?
It was a good weekend, a long-yet-not-long-enough weekend, the kind of weekend you need a weekend to recover from. Alas, I do not get one of those. The event was lots of fun, filled with wonderful surprises.
Feeling about 80 years old, I am wearing my new support socks in the hopes of my feet and legs not aching horribly by mid-morning. So far? Eh. They're just making my feet swelter.
Friday, January 10, 2003
one year ago
Rachel, an accomplished cross-country runner, left her home in the Northlake development on FM 3405 northwest of Georgetown, Texas (north of Austin) on the morning of Thursday, January 10, 2002, to go on her usual 3-4 mile morning jog around the neighborhood. Sometime around 11 AM, near the end of her run and possibly within 200 yards of home, she disappeared.
She has not yet been found.
I did not know Rachel, but have come to be acquainted with her father. Blessings and prayers to her family.
Thursday, January 09, 2003
{fanning self}
So
Altoids makes ginger flavoured candies now. Oooh, they are good. But. I must remember NOT to eat them when I am behind the counter at the café. I think they are responsible for making me feel like I am radiating the heat of the sun.
Hearing re-do today. Score one for the underdog. Lawyer Lady rocks. :D
Worked last night on my
coral headdress. I probably should have done more before today, seeing as
the big event starts tomorrow. Feh.
Wednesday, January 08, 2003
blah
So sleepy. Tired of long days. Happy with awesome Lawyer Lady. An says we should give her free coffee but you know? I bet she'd refuse cause she has, like,
ethics. It does happen.
Kind of eh about lack of sleep. But Christine Lavin's "Live at the Cactus Cafe" CD always makes me feel better. "You thought I didn't have a temper. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, surprise."
Just installed two new monitors -- not flat panels, unfortunately, those were three times as much -- to replace two 15"ers that were on death's door. Fred Meyer (a chain of stores) had these for $145, with a $50 mail in rebate. The colours are so lovely and bright now! Burgundy looks burgundy, not black! This is a good thing.
To everyone I owe something to or promised to write to or do something for: My humblest apologies. So busy. :(
Monday, January 06, 2003
::tired blink::
Not a bad weekend. Watched many disparate movies on DVD / tape. Which, you ask?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,
South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut (that movie is a flipping RIOT), and
Waking Life. The last on that list I hadn't seen before but wanted to while it was in the theater. Beautifully rendered, weird, but wobbly. Seeing it on a big screen would have made me seasick and I don't usually
get motion sickness. I watched the "How they made it section" in awe. I want to work for this company! I want to do this. I know, it's probably tedious as all hell, but the result... amazing. And I can draw on a Wacom tablet.
Got quite a bit done this weekend, tired as all hell, went to go to bed... and then could not fall asleep. So, yawn today.
Friday, January 03, 2003
no wonder it feels like it's been three weeks since christmas
My work schedule has gone something like this:
Weekend (12/21-22)
Work two days (12/23-24)
Holiday (Christmas)
Work two days (12/26-27)
Weekend (12/28-29)
Work two days (12/30-31)
Holiday (New Year's Day)
Work two days (1/2-3)
Weekend (1/3-4)
And each of those two-day chunks has, I swear, felt like a whole week. So Christmas feels like it was eons ago.
I'm supposed to be teaching a class tonite on doing scribal arts. Is my handout done? Am I mentally prepared? No, and no. Wish me luck.
Thursday, January 02, 2003
blargh
Happy new year.
Tuesday was a very, very long day.
I started work at 7am on Tuesday. Since our city's First Night had a venue in the same building the café is in, and it was the kids' play area, we were very busy. I worked (mostly, took some breaks) for about 18 hours straight. I went home, I ate the rest of the prawns out of my thai rice dinner, I took a shower, and went to bed. I'm damn glad we were closed yesterday, because I felt like I'd been run over by a city bus.
I've really made no resolutions, since they only lead to disappointment in the end. I have a feeling that this year will be better, I really do. :)
An amusing note: apparently on Tuesday, Andy Summers of the Police turned 60. Ben Kingsley turned 59. I would have never in a million years thought that the guy from the police was OLDER than Ben Kingsley!
is
this just not enough…?
