Tuesday, January 30, 2007

I forgot which way is down

My grumpy supervisor at work called me a privileged suburban white girl at work this morning. Alright, so I'm not training for a triathlon and arranging competitions and raising 4 kids by myself, but I'm still pretty stressed out. So I stopped bitching to people and decided to hold it in until now.

I AM SO BUSY!! I've broken out and I'm constantly hungry and if I could just find a quiet corner with a couch I'd be out. But there's no time for things like showers after (or before) work or cooking or those 9 hours of sleep that I love so much. Here's why: Three exams this week (one down, another tomorrow, another Friday.) These next two are going to kill me, though, since Thor loves to make his tests impossible and I really despise Macroeconomics. I've been working about 20 hours each week (5-9pm Mon/Wed/Fri, 5-9:30am Tues/Thurs, 1-8:30 Sun). I'm leaving in about 15 minutes for an on-campus movie required for Spanish, then meeting a coworker to study for Geology. I had the last hour and a half all to myself (first chunk of unfettered time today!), so I celebrated by finishing a movie I've been working on piece by piece for the last 4 days.

And I don't feel much like expanding on this anymore. Seeing my "reasons why the world should give me a break" just makes me all grossed with myself. Kiss the love gun, I'm going back to campus now (and I'm going to bundle up, it'll be cold when I head home and buses don't run past 10 pm).

Sunday, January 28, 2007

feeling like playing Scrabble

Earlier this morning I discovered some sort of movie-sharing software called Jaman. It's in the beta form right now, so renting (see: downloading) the movies is still free. And they carry Bollywood. Actually, from what I can tell, the entire software is dedicated to sharing foreign films. It's my new favorite toy. I also like the name. Jaman. I like to say it with a jamaican accent and pretend the creators of the software are just a bunch of movie pirates. Arr!

Our house meeting this morning went something along these lines: We've gotten really messy. Wash your dishes. Wipe down the counters. And someone please figure out how to get the bathroom sink to start draining again.

We celebrated the successful meeting by going out to some cafe whose name I can't remember but it starts with an A. It was very crowded on this sunny Sunday morning, mostly with other people I recognized from campus/used to have a class with. It was slightly creepy, but I was distracted from watching once my hugely disgusting biscuits and gravy arrived.

Friday in the coffeehouse, AJ made me stop conversation to listen to the Regina Spektor song playing. And now I realize why I've been hearing her name tossed about in the wind lately. This russian girl? She sings excellently. I've been listening to one song, Musicbox, repeatedly. The lyrics are about making an armada of bottle caps in her sink, then using her hands to capsize them in giant waves.

Someday, I hope to grow a giant bougainvillea bush. I'd probably need a yard, regular sun, and lots of fertilizer. But it'd be worth it to look out my window and imagine being in the tropics.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

I Try

Another 25th of the month, another paycheck. It's almost nine and I really want to go to bed, but I'm going to stay up so I can read a book. There are three of them stacked on top of each other on my desk, staring me down, daring me to neglect something that should be more important.

If only I knew how to save my Ikea plant. It looks so sad and droopy, but no matter how much I water it (or don't), it keeps on drooping. The purple flower days are over.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

No more dinner bells

Today was an experiment in unintelligent yet fun things to do. 1) Got up at 4:45 am to go to work. 2) Decided to ride bike to school. 3) Rode bike to Nick's instead of going home to sleep/study. 4) Played Soul Caliber and smoked in the parking lot with Nick instead of going home to sleep/study. 5) Made up a song and dance routine to the Turtle's Happy Together so that Nick and I could accurately portray just what great friends we are (instead of going home to sleep/study.) 6) Bought a new bike light from REI instead of saving money. 7) Biked to Brent's with Irene instead of going home to sleep/study. 8) Watched the State of the Union address with Brent and co. 9) Based on a recommendation and my growling stomach, rode to El Gitano with Irene for dinner instead of saving money and going home to sleep/study. 10) Wrote this instead of going to sleep/studying.

But on the plus side, I think I managed well over 10 miles on the bike. Most I've done so far. It's time to start thinking of a name for the beauty. She needs something spunky and sassy, like Punky Brewster. Spunky Rooster? No. I'll keep thinking about it.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Sundays are slow in Bellingham

I had this semi-great idea this morning (it was mostly just an excuse to play with my camera.) I decided to take pictures of everything somewhat worthwhile throughout the day. Here 'tis.

Breakfast


Thought about putting away my laundry...


...decided to stare forlornly at my bed instead. If I could sleep 12 hours a day, I would.


Playing with the self-timer.


My jade plant. I like to pretend my room is a jungle.


New graffiti on the way to work. He appeared during the snow flurries.


This place is either the best restaurant ever, or the worst. It depends if you're trying to be healthy or just enjoy your food.


After about 2 straight hours of Impatient People Wanting to Swim, this is how I felt.


Happy kids are adorable.


Every time I go into the staff room, this wall haunts me. I dread lessons.


Time to go home! ¡Hasta luego piscina!


This is not leftovers. This is a piece of edible heaven. Unfortunately, I didn't get to actually eat it. Irene...


... decided we should begin a bike tour of Bellingham, taking on every Mexican restaurant we can find. This girl's got ideas.


We (Irene, Seth, me) all finished our food before Tiana even got there. Look at those perfect enchiladas. Look at all those other empty plates.



Finally got my DFI fix. This Mexican bike tour is going to kill me. DFI para todas las cenas.


Tiana's ready to ride home on her scooter. Bikers like myself don't need so many layers, our sweat keeps us warm.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Are you feeling better now?

Last couple days, I've been slowly reminiscing about high school. I went through that giant box of pictures (where did I ever get the money to develop so many disposable cameras?) and visited a few myspace profiles. Didn't really do anything good or bad for me, just got a few smiles and reminded me of this quote:

"Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless..."

Thursday, January 18, 2007

All Sorts of Warm and Fuzzy in My Tummy

There's nothing quite so satisfying as someone else's misplaced guilt. This morning, my neighbor failed to show up for our attempt at re-initiating Thursday Morning Breakfasts. He felt bad, so he brought back a Kyoto Steakhouse dinner for me when he got off work.

And I meanwhile, I wasn't even hungry enough to eat breakfast this morning, let alone the feast we'd planned.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Best Damn Friend in the World

You could look at it one way. You could say I'm completely lazy and worthless and unmotivated. If you took that position, you could back it up. I've skipped three days of work, haven't done a lick of homework, spent the greater portion of every day flat on my back in bed reading a book, and only really came out of hiding long enough to make some sort of burrito or waffle food.

Then you could say that I am completely bad ass. Only you fellow book-readers out there would take this approach. Since picking up The Golden Compass last Monday, I've been completely and utterly hooked on the stories. Thursday night I came down with that nasty cold that followed swiftly on the heels of Wednesday's snow and ice fest. Despite the utter failure of my body, I dragged myself to Barnes and Noble and got the next two of His Dark Materials. And promptly swallowed them whole. Finished the Amber Spyglass last night, just in time to get hooked on this fantastic movie called Howl's Moving Castle. Ever heard of it? It's fantastic. It's also a book. So today, when I felt mobile and maybe just a little bit hale and hearty, I set out on another adventure. (You know, instead of doing that homework that's due at noon tomorrow.) Four bookstores, only the last and furthest one showing any results. Sly work avoidance, and utter enthusiasm, mixed with a healthy dose of still-sick impulsive determination had me curled under the covers and inhaling Howl's Moving Castle by 4 this afternoon. I finished it about 20 minutes ago.

Brent asked me on Friday night, while we were reading instead of gorging ourselves at a Vancouver sushi night, "Do you read fast?" I told him, not really, unless I'm completely hooked. Damn you young adult fantasy writers. You're too good for my defenses.

So now I go back to Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which will take a properly long time for me to finish.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Dil Se

I've never had heartburn before. I used to mock Tuey in high school when she'd complain about it. All those uncaring quips are being paid for in full during the last two days. It's been raging in my chest like mad, and no matter what I eat (or don't eat), no matter how much water or tea I drink, it just won't go away. And so now I ask this question: What the hell is heartburn? What causes it? How do I get it to go away? Should I expect this torment for the rest of my life now? (Don't worry, I'm going to actually look this up online, not just ponder to myself.)

Oh, and Dil Se... is a weird movie. Different from your usual Bollywood. The more time I have away from it, the more it grows on me. I don't think I'd ever sit down to watch it again, but I'll never regret watching it in the first place. If anyone's interested (yeah, sure!), it's a Shahrukh film about terrorism. It's not funny, the 4 measly music numbers are excellent, and the ending made me burst into peals of laughter.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

My water bottle says "Ride Early, Ride Often".

My mountain bike has a sticker that says "Burn fat, not oil".

Last night I had another killing dream. This time it was my brother dispatching random people in the streets.

Yesterday's (and all of 2007's) exciting news! I finally got myself a road bike! And let me tell you. I have never been so scared in my life. I road it up to campus today, then decided to take a new way home. Found a very large hill, and found just how fast that bike can go shortly after. Adrenaline? yes. Scared silly of doing it again? Definitely. Once I get used to the death defying speeds and the bike's unwillingness to slow down, I'm sure I'll want to sleep with the thing cuddled in my arms. But for now it's a huge menacing beast living in the back porch, defying me to take it on.

You know what's even better about this bike? It's red. With pink and orange handlebar tape. And it came with just about every accoutrement a road bike can have. Clipless pedals, odometer, air pump, lock, bike bag. All I really need (now) is a fender over the wheels, so when I take to riding in the rain, I won't get soaked by all the up-splashing water.

Maybe you noticed that I said "all I need (now)." Yeah, I bought a lot of stuff yesterday. I'm REI's favorite client. I had to buy shoes to use the clipless pedals, a windbreaker, bike pants, and a light. The light's getting returned but everything else... Ouch. My debit card cried when it saw the bill. Basically I just won't be eating this month.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Steve Carrel did it

I just woke up from a dream where I watched a man saw off someone's head with a butcher knife, then proceed to try to cut off his own. It was extremely vivid. There was blood. And screaming from the other people in the room. I even dreamed of the shock, disbelief, and disgust that would follow something like that.

Now it's early and I'm very shaken. What a nightmare.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Cranberries!

In a desperate bid to keep myself awake all day, I've accomplished more in 14 hours than I did all break. Let's see: Work. Proper shower followed by proper application of makeup. (I even switched the part in my hair.) Cleaned room. Made bed. Pulled dead flowers/leaves off plant nearest bed. Watered said plant. Inspected window plant but left it alone. Finished UW application essay. Finished UW application. (Didn't submit it yet, though.) Bought textbooks. Printed out required printouts. Switched to 2007 calendar. Finished Kafka on the Shore. Began Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (which coworker says is excellent.) Socialized with Whitey. Bought new shoes. Found the burrito bandit, chastised him mightily. Read several online articles. Realized (again) that I'm an introvert. Mailed Netflix.

Now I'm bored of recalling what I've done today, but hopefully you'll believe that I was productive. For the next hour, before scooting off to watch The Office, I will either a) read more Confessions b) pluck my eyebrows to look like those pretty Jewish female soldiers or c) read macroeconomics. Option C is the least likely.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

When I Have Time


How to Make Shiny Dorodango

1 Pack some mud into your hand, and squeeze out the water while forming a sphere.
2 Add some dry dirt to the outside and continue to gently shape the mud into a sphere.
3 When the mass dries, pack it solid with your hands, and rub the surface until a smooth film begins to appear.
4 Rub your hands against the ground, patting and rubbing the fine, powdery dirt onto the sphere. Continue this for two hours.
5 Seal the ball in a plastic bag for three or four hours. Upon removing the sphere, repeat step 4, and then once again seal the sphere in a plastic bag.
6 Remove the ball from the bag, and if it is no longer wet, polish it with a cloth until it shines.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Welcome to 2007

Kissed three people at midnight. Flossed my teeth not three feet away from my roommate puking into the toilet. This year's looking good.