Journey into the Deep South

Assault on the nose

2010-08-25T10:11:00.002-04:00

Ahhh, the first day of classes and the halls are filled with the familiar stench of the unwashed masses. I didn't miss that but life is more interesting with the boys and girls here.

Hey mom! Look, no posts!

2010-08-23T09:44:00.000-04:00

I actually kind of just forgot to blog lately. Let's see, what's new since the last post? I did go see Predators (surprisingly not horrible) but sadly missed Despicable Me. I saw Inception and really, really liked it. People keep talking about how confusing it is but I think they're putting too much thought into it. It was really well done, the acting was stellar, the look of it was great and I tried to not get bogged down with the intricacies of the story.

Then I went to San Diego for my annual trek to Geek Mecca (aka Comic Con). Surprisingly I spent more time in the TV panels and only went to one movie panel (Scott Pilgrim). I made a fatal flaw one day and ended up back in my hotel room, watching TV and trying to sleep. I will not make that mistake again.

Upon return I didn't go see too many movies. I didn't see The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Salt, or The Other Guys. The latter is the only one of those that I heard was worth seeing. I did see The Expendables, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Eat Pray Love in the past week. The Expendables was, uh, it was, um, well it was pretty much what I expected. Lots of bad dialogue, a meek plot, and lots of kicking ass and killing random extras. Scott Pilgrim was fun but really is meant for people who are into comic books, video games, and are under 30. Eat Pray Love was good. It was very pretty and I dig Javier Bardem. I'd still like to see the Anniston/Bateman movie, The Switch. I hear it's not a typical romcom so that's good. Oh and I'll probably see Going the Distance w/ Drew Barrymore because that looks good.

In non-movie news I spent the weekend in Columbia. I haven't really spent too much time there since being back in S.C. It's gotten nicer and I've gotten older so I don't hate it as much as I did when I graduated. Actually I didn't hate it then I was just ANTSY to get out.

Classes are starting Wednesday. My department head and I are ready to just leave. There are lots of messes and fires that will eventually work themselves out but until then we're suffering big time.

Time flies

2010-07-06T11:22:00.000-04:00

I should have posted days ago but since no one reads my blog anyway I guess it doesn't matter! I saw Eclipse (aka Twilight 3)and enjoyed it. It's most definitely the best of the three though I still had a bunch of complaints regarding choices the director made.

I'm hopefully going to see Despicable Me and Predators this weekend. I'm looking forward to both. I'm sad about how The Last Airbender turned out. I didn't bother seeing it and will wait until it's on cable.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible weather we had last weekend since this is supposed to be a blog about my life in the deep south. It was unseasonably cool for early July and I spent as much time outside as I could. I have the mosquito bites to prove it. It'll remain hot for a while so I'm looking forward to some time in the theater.

No movie weekend

2010-06-27T18:09:00.001-04:00

I was dogsitting and unable to go see anything this weekend :(

I plan to remedy that this week. I may see Karate Kid Tuesday. Thursday will be Eclipse with my newest friend Tracy. Luckily we're going to one of my fave restaurants after. Then Saturday will be The Last Airbender. I have high hopes for that one because my hopes are that M. Night starts making really good movies again.

Thank you, Pixar!

2010-06-21T11:05:00.000-04:00

They knocked it out of the park once again with Toy Story 3. A great movie from beginning to end. I really wanted Jonah Hex to be good but I've heard nothing but bad reviews. This weekend I'm not sure what I'm going to see. I'll have to think about that.

No no no!!!

2010-06-15T10:50:00.001-04:00

Hollywood types: KNOCK IT OFF. You don't need to remake 80s or early 90s movies. Even ones that weren't, you know, truly great the first time around. They're re-doing Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. Ugh. Leave Swell and her siblings alone!!! Where else can you see David Duchovny looking like a slimy 90s douche?

I'm melting!

2010-06-14T07:48:00.000-04:00

It is too dang hot out already. This is unnatural. The good news is there are places to hide out if you don't have a/c at home (scary thought if you're a resident of any of the southern states). You could go to the mall, a library, or a MOVIE THEATER! Yes for 3 measly dollars any resident in and around S'ville can catch some entertainment whilst cooling off.

This brings me to my recent reviews. I saw Splice last week and man was that an interesting movie. It's been categorized as a horror movie but that's misleading. There is some bloody action but that wasn't the scary part. The scary part was the uh, action before the action. I don't want to discuss it really but the relationship aspects of the movie have stayed with me since last Wednesday and not many movies do that. I will say that Freud would have had a field day with this movie.

Something that didn't make me think at all was the movie I saw Saturday...The A-Team. It was a lot of fun. Lots of laughs, action, big explosions and shots of B. Coop looking hot. It was a very satisfying summer movie.

I wanted to see Karate Kid but didn't end up making it. I probably will this weekend if I'm not burned out after Toy Story 3 and Jonah Hex. YAY!!! Ok, so except for the unbearable heat and humidity...I love summer!

Summer movies can be good for the soul

2010-06-01T08:38:00.002-04:00

I'm a bit behind in my reviews. Shrek 4 was ok. Not terribly funny but not terribly terrible either. It lacked some of the, I dunno, charm or wit or something from the first one. Glad I went to the cheap theater for this one.

This past weekend I got to see Prince of Persia. It's getting mixed reviews but I really enjoyed it. Ok, so Jake's hair is a bit distracting but it didn't take away from my overall feelings for the movie. It was a fun, actiony summer movie. I would go see it again and am thrilled that I saw it in nicer, more expensive theater. There were some big sweeping shots of Morocco, etc. that looked great on the big screen. The English accents were kind of annoying considering everyone was supposed to be in PERSIA but it was better than Jake doing American and everyone else doing their native British. I have no interest in Sex and the City 2: Why are we still wearing these high heels when we're old enough for orthopedic type shoes now?

Next up is...Dang, this is one of those weekends. Uh, my choices are Killers with stupid Katherine Heigl, Get Him to the Greek (probably too dirty for my delicate sensibilities), Marmaduke (love Lee Pace but don't love talking dog movies!), and Splice (which could be cool but probably won't be playing anywhere near me). What do I do?

A Meh Movie Weekend

2010-05-24T08:11:00.000-04:00

I tried to see Shrek yesterday but it was sold out. I was there a half hour early but it's a small theater so I wasn't too surprised. I'm going to try again today after work. I'm hearing it's not great but I bet I'll still get some good laughs.The same can't be said for the "romantic comedy" I watched Friday night. Wow, did I dislike Valentine's Day. That was not a good movie. I usually enjoy Garry Marshall movies (don't tell any cinephiles I said that) but this was definitely not his best. Yes, it was an all-star cast but there were just too many people and too many stories. I think there were 3 or 4 times I laughed and only once was it audible. I also watched Invictus which was very good but not incredible. I think my suggestion for Mr. Eastwood is to stay away from sports movies. He tried to make the sports part of it too dramatic. Luckily there was no dialog so I was able to fast-forward through the long shots of scrums, passing and running.

Also, is it mean that I'm thrilled MacGruber didn't even break the top 5 this past weekend?

Memory is the first to go right?

2010-05-19T12:26:00.000-04:00

Or is it hearing? I can't remember.

I think today is the birthday of a friend of mine but I can't remember for sure. I thought I had this stuff written down in my calendar but alas it is not there. I missed Annemiah's anniversary the other day. Getting old sucks.

Why can't I get a job where I just watch movies all the time?

2010-05-18T08:14:00.001-04:00

Robin Hood was fun. I enjoyed it and am not sure why so many critics are being cranky about it. The acting was solid, the costumes and locations were great and overall it seemed to be pretty accurate of the time period. My only issue was Crowe's accent and I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't heard about some dumb interviewer who asked him why he was doing an Irish accent. Once in a while he'd slip in a bit of an Irish lilt but it wasn't as if he was doing full on pikey. I was glad I saw it at the pricier theater with the big screen and the good sound.

Letters to Juliet was so great. Ok, it was incredibly predictable but it was really well done. The writing was sweet and funny. The characters were great and I really cared about them. And...IT WAS FILMED IN ITALY!!! Watching shots of Verona, Siena and the Tuscan countryside does not suck. Plus the man that Vanessa Redgrave is searching for happens to be her real-life love. They've been together since the late 60s. So sweet! I went to the cheap theater for this one and would have paid much more for it.

Rentals this weekend were quite disappointing. I watched Leap Year Sunday night and I might have liked it more if I hadn't just seen Letters to Juliet earlier that day. Leap Year was sweet and fine but there was just something better about Juliet. Oh and I saw Nine. I really didn't care for it. Some of the song and dance numbers were good but I fast-forwarded through most of the actual story. I really liked Chicago so I had hope that Rob Marshall would hit it again with Nine. He didn't. If I were his manager I'd suggest he do an episode of Glee to get back some of what he had after Chicago. I could totally see him doing a big ol' Broadway episode.

I'm going to try and see Queen Latifah's movie, Just Wright, on Thursday. That's been getting good reviews so I might check it out at the cheap theater. I will be seeing Shrek 4 and not MacGruber. Even though my old school-mate is in it I just can't pay to sit through that much scatological/vulgar humor. That said, I've heard it's hilarious so I will watch it when it shows up on cable.

Why I love movies...

2010-05-14T10:12:00.001-04:00

"It's twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death."

I saw How To Train Your Dragon last night. I freaking loved it. Such great writing and we even saw it in 3D which was totally worth it. The flying around and stuff was perfect in 3D. I had read that the 3D thing worked better with HTTYD than Avatar. Whoever said that was right. It was so well done. The voice acting was spot-on and the story was a nice one. They didn't try to hit you over the head with some agenda. I just sat back and enjoyed every minute of it.

This weekend is Robin Hood and Letters to Juliet. My expectations for the former are quite low because I've not been reading the best things about it. Letters to Juliet is supposed to be uber-romantic which makes me want to hurl but then it's in Italy and who wouldn't want to spend some time watching Italy on the big screen? Robin Hood will likely be viewed at the more expensive theater where I'll have to pay $7.50 for a matinee (as long as it's before 3pm-after 3 it goes up quite a bit). Letters to Juliet will be at the cheap theater. I'm wondering if I should switch that because Entertainment Weekly gave Robin a C- and Juliet a B+. Hmmm...

Summer movie season - Yay!

2010-05-06T09:24:00.002-04:00

One of the best things to do in the heat of summer (especially in the south) is to head right into an air conditioned movie theater. In fact I think summer movies are really the only thing I like about summer.

When a movie comes out I do a little research on it, check its rating on Rotten Tomatoes, read a few reviews and let myself succumb to the hype. I then place the movie into one of four categories. The categories determine the air conditioned venue in which I'll be seeing said movie:

1) Worth seeing on a big screen with big sound and thusly big ticket price. My local Regal theater and the IMAX theaters fit into this category. The more excited I am about a movie, the more money I'm willing to shell out for it. In fact I've seen almost all the Harry Potter movies on an IMAX screen. Not cheap but totally worth it.
2) Worth seeing on a smaller screen with average sound and a cheap ticket price. My $3 theater (aka my home away from home) fits this category. It smells a little funny, the floors are super sticky and the seats, though new, are not stadium so you have to make sure no one tall is in front of you. Recently I saw The Losers this way. It was the right choice. Fun movie but not worth more than $3.
3) Worth waiting for the DVD. Let's face it, the span between the theater and Netflix/Blockbuster/redbox is getting smaller and smaller. TVs are nicer, your bathroom is close and typically MUCH cleaner and it's way more economical. This category also works for the art-housey/indie movies that don't make it to small town USA.
4) Worth waiting for cable. I keep thinking that I could get rid of the movie channels we subscribe to but then movies keep popping up that I never got around to renting. I'm still unsure of the monetary value of it though.

There have been times where a movie is airing on TNT, USA, TBS, or the like and I've realized I never caught it on a movie channel. But then I don't want to sit through commercials to watch an 'edited for television' movie so these just slip right through the cracks. Then there are the movies that I own on DVD (like the extended versions of Lord of the Rings) and will still watch when it airs over a long weekend on the aforementioned cable channels like TNT, USA, TBS or the like. This bridges nicely to...

'Glue movies!' This was an unfamiliar term to me but I related to the description immediately. Glue movies are those movies that no matter what you're doing, what time of day or what channel it's on...you watch it. I have a huge list of those that start with the cheesy 70s and 80s sci fi / fantasy movies like Clash of the Titans, Flash Gordon, The Last Starfighter (which was just on the other day) and so many more. Then there are the more recent ones that fit into the guilty pleasure dance category like Center Stage, Save the Last Dance, Step Up, and a few others. I don't know if anyone besides Ashley reads this blog anymore but if you do, what are your glue movies?

Oh and I will be doing the movie a weekend thing again but posting short reviews on here. I deleted the other blog.

My summer depression starts now

2010-05-03T07:09:00.000-04:00

We've had a spring and I've enjoyed almost every minute of it. I'm pretty sure if I check my blog from a year ago I said the same thing because I seem to remember having a bit of a spring last year too. However, yesterday marked the beginning of a long and muggy summer. It was 90 and humid. This morning at 6am it was already 75 degrees. I realized that with the heat and humidity mixed with the constant bug bites that keep me from doing anything outside...I HATE SUMMER IN THE SOUTH. If I had it my way I'd spend May through August (September?) in Canada on a lake. In fact I know just the lake and I happen to know a house with a huge finished basement that would suit me just fine. I wonder if my friend Betty Ann's parents would let me move in with them every summer.

Thankfully I had these pics to put me in a better mood this morning.

Two in one day!

2010-04-22T12:29:00.000-04:00

So I've resisted Twitter or tweeting or whatever. I do have an account but only so I can follow certain celebs (NPH, Kevin Smith, Eddie Izzard, etc.). I've decided I'm going to give in and Tweet once in a while but it's not going to be the traditional tweeting you might expect. In case you're interested my twitter is @Uhlisa

I'm going to start tomorrow with my (monthly) trip to Raleigh. We'll see how this goes. I may grow weary of it and quit.

Vegan Chic

2010-04-22T08:32:00.000-04:00

I've met more vegetarians in my time in S.C. then (than? I'm so bad at that one) I did in 7+ years in Los Angeles. Last night my newest veggie friend and I went to see a movie (Kick-Ass which kicked ass) and then got dinner after. She got the black bean burger. I got the mahi fish tacos, natch. I love burgers so much that black beans seem like a sacrilege to me. Now I enjoy a good turkey burger which some burger purists would scoff at. I have respect for vegetarians in that they are truly able to stick to convictions. I've never been able to stick to anything. I just can't comprehend a life without a nice, juicy cheeseburger (made of dead, bloody cow) every once in a while.

I'm alright

2010-04-19T12:50:00.000-04:00

Things are fine. I got through that overwhelming bit and am doing better. Work is still, well, a pain but nothing I can't handle. We'll see how I feel when it's closer to the day we have to (temporarily) move out of our building for the summer. Man that is going to be such a headache.

The weather here has been pretty great. It's been in the low 80s and actually cool at night which is fantastic. Usually by this time of the year it's already in the 90s with icky humidity. So I'm truly enjoying the weather right now. I think last year we had an actual spring too so maybe this place isn't as bad as I've made it out to be.

I'm headed up to NC this weekend for more jewelry-making fun. I'm really looking forward to that. I don't love the drive but I always have such a great time when I'm there.

Overwhelmed

2010-04-12T13:43:00.000-04:00

Work is annoying. Work is annoying because of the many changes that we're going through, etc. Changes that aren't for the better and are, for some reason, making everyone cranky. Me included.

Plus I've been away from my home, my room, MY BED, for 14 days and counting. I'm thrilled to be able to dog-sit for my cousin while she's on a much-deserved vacation. But 15 days away from my bed is too long. I love my bed. I have a very comfortable bed. When I'm in it, I feel like it's hugging me. Plus I love my cousins dogs but they're VERY needy. My dogs can get a little needy but they are nothing compared to my cousin's dogs. If you even glance at them they pop up and run over to you expecting an hour of petting unless you tell them to go away. Poor dogs. I bet they miss my cousin's kids. Oh and my cousin has like 10 channels in her bedroom and they don't make much sense to me. There are the standards like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and CW. Then you also get Hallmark, Fox sports I think and two or three others that I can't remember. What's weird is that half the channels are cable channels but they don't include standard stuff like USA or Weather or any of the news channels. Sometime I'll have to ask her about that.

The semester is about over and I can't get myself to do work. Plus we're supposedly going to move out of our building for the summer which is going to be the biggest pain in the ass ever so I'm not looking forward to that either.

I kind of wish someone would walk up to me and slap me across the face while shouting, "SNAP OUT OF IT!" like in Moonstruck. Where's Cher when you need her?

Genius!

2010-04-01T09:25:00.005-04:00

OK Go really does have the best videos. Plus I really like their music too. I needed this today.

I'm (officially) a Geek!

2010-03-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

I got this from Great White Snark who got it from somewhere else

Sometimes I'm really grateful I'm not a dweeb. I think that I'm solidly in the geek area of this Venn diagram but I'm probably closer to the Obsession circle than the Intelligence one.

My Russian Crush

2010-03-23T13:47:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I've had a crush on a guy. Just in the past week I've notice this guy who I knew existed a year ago but didn't really consider. Now I've been 'net stalking him. I think I'm bored. No, I know I'm bored and when I'm bored I get crushes on guys I don't know. At least he's not an undergrad student here. There are some cute ones but they all look like children to me. Now the Marines who take classes here are of appropriate age and are SUPER HOT but they're all married. Plus I don't think I like SUPER HOT any more. I can appreciate it but it's just not for me. I much prefer cute and smart. My crush is cute and (I think) smart but I really just want to talk to him to see if there's anything there besides me thinking he's cute, guessing he's smart and liking his car.

I am very close to deleting this post before I publish it. Ehhnn...can I click that publish button before chickening out?

Wow. Just... wow.

2010-02-22T09:09:00.003-05:00

There's not a lot people can do or say that will shock or surprise me. Honestly I don't know if I'm more surprised or disappointed either. I will also add that I notice things. I notice a lot of things. I'm very aware of what's going on around me at all times. I don't expect that other people notice what I notice but I do expect them to use their common sense. It's kind of a well-known joke that professors can be too smart for their own good. It's that book smart over street smart thing. The absent-minded professor, etc. They're more concerned with publishing and don't tend to pick up on every day things. It comes off as absolutely clueless which frustrates me but I have to remind myself that it's just the way they are. Well when safety of students is involved, I cannot excuse it anymore. I don't care that the building in which we reside is the joke of the campus. This building is a mess and everyone knows it. However, when a floor is buckled (that was recently fixed) and students trip over it daily, it is not acceptable to just assume that's the way it should be or that there's no hope of it being fixed. I can just picture one of our overly drowsy students tripping over the hump in the floor and hitting his/her head on the nearby desk. All this school needs is a lawsuit.

I had to ask my boss to send out an email to the department to let us know if they ever notice things like a buckled floor. He had to do it because I'm in such a state right now that there's no way my email to them wouldn't come off like I was chastising a bunch of 8 year-olds. Of course it doesn't help that I currently have yet another head cold and am at the end of my, uh, female monthly thing. He's just much more diplomatic than I am anyway. But really, should we have to tell them to speak up if/when the ceiling caves in? Let me add one last thing, if there's even the slightest thing wrong with their offices they speak up immediately.

Long time no, uh, write

2010-02-19T08:27:00.003-05:00

I haven't had too much to say lately so I have been avoiding my blog. This was supposed to be about my journey to and in South Carolina. I guess that's what I was doing. I just haven't noticed much around me that seemed worthy of sharing. We had actual snow last weekend and that was fun even though I didn't get a snow day from it. We had an accumulation of around 6 inches in Summerville which is pretty rare. So that was cool.

Last night I went to see one of my favorite bands at one of my favorite venues here in Charleston. We had a great time and the band was as excellent as ever. Towards the end of the night I looked around and noticed that I was in a sea of white people. There was an Asian guy near me but he seemed to be the only person of color not working the door. Granted the music we heard last night probably mostly appeals to persons of Anglo-Saxon heritage. I guess if they do have fans of color they're probably located in the bigger cities. Though thinking back to the other two shows I saw (LA and San Diego) the people there were mostly white too. Huh.

I like my dentist

2009-12-14T09:27:00.003-05:00

He's a nice guy and while inspecting my molars told me I had pretty teeth. Thanks! Growing up I had flouride in my drinking water. From what I hear that's a hot topic these days. Well it worked for me. I was thinking about my good teeth this morning and if you couple those with my wide birthing hips, I would have been a good catch 100 years ago. Of course a hundred years ago I don't think there would have been fluoride in the water but my hips would still have been wide and we all know that hips don't lie. Right, Shakira?

Just call me suppressive

2009-12-08T15:06:00.003-05:00

A box of books from a certain "religion" arrived in our office today. I'm bringing them to my dad to enjoy. I joked to my mom that they might want to be careful because they could decide on a switch after perusing the copious amounts of materials in the box. She wisely replied that the "religion" wouldn't want them because they're broke. Jesus loved the poor; L. Ron...not so much.

Life would be horrible without the 'net

2009-11-30T07:41:00.002-05:00

Seriously! I think I'd be a less happy person without things like the Muppets Studio Channel on YouTube. The Bohemian Rhapsody video is quite possibly one of the best things I've seen in a long time. Thank goodness for the world wide interweb!

I love a good mini-break

2009-11-19T07:29:00.002-05:00

Today is my Friday. Then next Tuesday is my Monday and possibly my Friday as well. I'm headed to Raleigh tomorro for a weekend of girlie type fun with my pseudo-sister, Dana. We're taking a jewelry making class Friday, possibly going to see roller derby on Saturday, and Twilight 2 on Sunday. Speaking of bad, teen melodrama...Dana and I were each given a Burger King crown in honor of Twilight at Comic Con. Mine says TEAM EDWARD (natch) and Dana's is a TEAM JACOB. We were joking about wearing them to the movie. We're all talk though. Back to my weekend, there will also be shopping, drinking, more fun jewelry-making, and a trip to Trader Joe's. Good times!

I see Blue! He looks glorious.

2009-11-12T12:25:00.003-05:00

I just saw a woman wearing a big coat and earmuffs (EARMUFFS!). It's like 55 degrees out with high humidity so it actually feels a bit warmer than that. I'd hate to see what she puts on when it's actually cold outside.

Things could be worse

2009-11-11T10:41:00.004-05:00

There is one part of my job that I detest and what makes it worse is that I know it's a good program for the students. Anyway it's been especially difficult this year even though by the end of last year I was in the process of trying to make this year easier. No matter how hard I try to make things go smoothly there is one person who keeps throwing up roadblocks. It doesn't help that he's an alum of this school (they're an interesting sort), a lawyer (strike 2) and, um, may suffer from short man syndrome (strike 3). Anyway I think I've solved the big problem for this trip and it looks like we're cancelling trip 3. So I have some time to work out kinks for trip 4 which is later next semester.

In the meantime, in order to battle the slight depression about work, home, etc. that I've been having, I've decided to go back to the gym for real. Oh and I've giving up red meat again. And I'm going to dive into reading, hobbies, etc. I'm trying to find a way to love work again but I've been here over 4 years here and I get antsy. I feel like I'm not my best at work and I don't like that feeling. Any suggestions?

Again with the heat...

2009-11-05T15:06:00.003-05:00

The chiller seems to be broken or the lunatics managing the HVAC on campus don't care that it's still in the 70s with 90-something percent humidity. I bet it's cooler outside than it is in here. I used to love fall but fall here is like early summer in a lot of other places. Our winter is everyone else's fall. Can you tell I'm getting tired of the southeast?

What's up?

2009-10-28T08:09:00.001-04:00

Well, currently what is up in Chucktown is the temperature, the humidity and my irritation at the weather. It's late October and it was 73 degrees at 6am with 93% humidity. I hate that.

It's not a bucket list!

2009-10-20T13:52:00.001-04:00

If you were to make a list of things to do that you wouldn't normally do, what would be on it? Keep in mind these aren't things to do before you die. Rather things that typically wouldn't interest you but might be a cool experience.

My list includes things like:
attend a Sci Fi convention (done; and I ended up liking it so much I went back...a few times)
Ren Faire (hopefully going next month)
a NASCAR race (not sure when this will happen)
and a Roller Derby match (also might be happening next month)

I'm trying to think of more things but I am stumped. Unfortunately living in a quaint city in the southeast limits my options. Thankfully my dear friend, Dana, has moved back to the Raleigh area and they seem to have a lot of stuff going on.

On a slightly related note, prior to seeing Whip It, I had come up with a great Roller Derby name and now it has escaped my mind completely. It was so good that apparently it was not mine to keep.

Charleston weather

2009-10-12T10:06:00.003-04:00

Having lived in South Carolina for a number of years, I expect it to be pretty warm for at least 6-7 months of the year. Those months extend from April through October. What I don't expect is 100% humidity in October. Yes, Saturday clocked in with 100% humidity though the temp didn't get to far above the mid 80s. I would probably actually enjoy 80 degree weather in October if it weren't for the humidity. And people (read: my parents) wonder why I want to move north.

Missing sword

2009-10-09T09:13:00.001-04:00

Not too many colleges have on-campus ads like this:

Subject:
Lost: Sword belonging to 1950 Citadel alumnus

A cadet had been using his grandfather's sword until he misplaced it last week.
The sword has the name Blah Blah Blah Jr, Class of 1950 etched in it.
If you have seen this sword or know where it is, please contact Blah Blah.

Monday strikes again

2009-08-31T06:54:00.003-04:00

It's raining pretty heavily right now. This makes the fact that I'm having tire problems even more fun. I got out to my car and the indicator for the tire was on. I stopped at the first gas station I saw and filled up one tire that seemed really low. Then I had time to check one other tire that didn't seem low but was according to the gauge. The indicator light was still on so I decided to not get to work on time but get my tires looked at. I have a feeling this is going to be at least a $200 visit to the tire place. Great.

Oh and we had an earthquake this weekend. It was only a 3.2 but it was located right in Summerville and was strong enough to sit me straight up in bed. There wasn't any damage but it's interesting to know that we live in a place that has hurricanes, earthquakes and the occasional (but small) tornado. Great.

UNO!

2009-08-12T09:04:00.002-04:00

I've recently become addicted to UNO on facebook. I've noticed a few things whilst playing. One is that it's a very global game. I've played with people from Mexico, various countries in South America, Denmark, India, Germany, Austria, and a few Middle Eastern countries. Not only do ALL these people know fluent English but they're fluent in text speak too. It makes me feel very lazy. I have to laugh at myself because I get annoyed when the people you're playing with try to chat. I just want to play UNO and I don't care if Anna from Dusseldorf has a boyfriend, err, bf. Or is bf best friend? I'm so old.

finally

2009-08-04T13:36:00.002-04:00

I'm taking my last in-class exam tonight. Then I have a 7-page paper (no big deal) and a case study to work on and that's it. I'm going to be done in a week.

Oh and earlier today, on MSN, they had a picture of Nicole Kidman and some article (that I didn't read) about how she has great skin. Plus they suggested that Madonna might have some tips too. Uh, those are not the women I'd use in a great skin at any age type article. Kidman avoids the sun at all costs and has botoxed herself to within an inch of her life (allegedly). Madonna, while her face kinda looks good for someone her age, has also (allegedly) had some face work done here and there. Sadly the article is gone or I'd link to it. I bet the comments on it were pretty funny. Damn me and my selective interweb reading.

Company-wide emails

2009-08-03T09:22:00.002-04:00

These always make me giggle. I thought everyone knew to read messages out loud before circulating them to the entire staff:

Starting Monday August 3, 2009 the physical plant will be remodeling room 206. We will be using the elevator to remove debris and bring up materials. We will be as disruptive as possible but there will be some noise.

Cry therapy

2009-07-28T13:39:00.002-04:00

When I'm stressed and frustrated I want to cry. I don't know how to deal with anger so instead it makes me emotional in a totally different way. I can't stand that people think they can bully their way into a situation. People, I may look like a pushover but I'm not. I can turn on the bitch when I need to but secretly it makes me want to cry. I also can't stand having to force my boss into taking care of a situation I can't rectify but sometimes it's beyond what I can do. Why do people have to make things so difficult?

Trying to keep it under control

2009-07-21T07:03:00.002-04:00

So I'm flying to San Diego tomorrow morning. Actually I think my plane departs before sunrise so is that really morning? Out of curiosity I checked the flight status to see what gates the arrival and departures will be at Dulles, my layover location. Typically I land at the furthest gate in one terminal and have to do a combination of running and catching the monorail/people mover, etc. to get to the furthest gate at the furthest terminal. Don't even get me started about running through Heathrow on a trip home from Kenya. That was unpleasant. Anywhoodle, as of right now I arrived at gate C17 and depart again from gate C20. THIS NEVER HAPPENS TO ME! Now, I understand air travel and know full well that that gate could change even as we're taxiing towards it tomorrow morning. But for now I'm thrilled at the prospect of not getting sweaty between flights.

Beyond that I'm really excited about Geek Mecca this year. Even though the Twihards have to ruin everything for everyone else (read: get in line 24 hours before their presentation) I think it'll be a good year. Dana and I have this all figured out and even if it doesn't work out right, I have my new Blackberry to keep me company. Speaking of which, email me often over the next few days. I have an unlimited plan and want to get the most out of it. Oh and email either my work address or uhlisa88@aol.com. I'll be posting on the movie blog nightly (if I can get Dana to give up her laptop for 5 minutes) so check that as well.

Oh and Ashley, provided my layover on the way there works out, I'm fully expecting my layover on the way home to get totally messed up. I'm hoping you guys will be around on Sunday the 26th because you might be getting a phone call from me!

Movie Monsters are scary!

2009-07-20T07:21:00.002-04:00

I never thought of King Kong as being short.

Good times, good times

2009-07-15T08:22:00.002-04:00

I seem to love being excited about things more than the things themselves. Does that make sense? I'm excited about seeing HP6 on Friday. I'm super, insanely excited about Geekfest next week. And I'm excited about my classes ending. HP6 will be great, I'm sure of it. But the excitement will fade the minute the lights go down. Geekfest will be good but there will be plenty of bad with it as well. So as soon as I'm in my first 2-hour line to get into a large room to see clips from upcoming movies, that excitement will slip away quickly. The school thing will last a bit longer. I have to get through a presentation tomorrow night and I HATE getting up in front of people to talk. Once that's over the rest of the semester should go pretty smoothly. But the excitement of having a master's degree cannot compare to the excitement of never having to take another class ever again.

Expert in international affairs

2009-07-06T08:48:00.002-04:00

I got an A in my Global Perspectives class and an A in my International Terrorism class. I'm taking two classes right now: U.S., India, Pakistan, Afghanistan as well as a psychology class, Counseling and Personality Theories. I'm thinking I might get a B in the latter but that's ok. Geeze, I can't wait to be done! Plus I'll be finishing with at least a 3.5 which is way better than I did in undergrad. Overall I'm proud of me. I just can't wait for it to be over!

Swoon!

2009-06-24T11:16:00.001-04:00

I want one!

I hate Mondays

2009-06-15T13:18:00.003-04:00

My new(ish) digital camera is missing. I think it was stolen because I've turned my world (home, office & car) upside down. Apparently there have been issues on campus if people don't lock up their stuff in their desks and I'm pretty sure that's where it was. I'm really bummed about it. For one thing, it's not like I have the money to buy a new one. I'm pretty sure I had downloaded all the pics on my computer so I don't think I'm missing any memories. One of the biggest problems is that I'm really, really beating myself up for not being responsible about it. I can clearly hear my dad's voice in the back of my head.

In other news, we had to unplug machinery in our offices on Thursday because they were changing out a transformer. I had to go around to everyone's offices and unplug their computers. That was a task I would rather not repeat. I have a small fridge under my desk for "six packs of bee...soda" and I remembered to get rid of the stuff that would spoil over the weekend. I forgot to put a towel in there to catch the water from the little freezer that was going to be thawing out. So now it smells under my desk because the water leaked out, onto the carpet and settled under my chair mat. Yum...musty, moldy carpet is quite a lovely smell.

Be Good!

2009-06-10T09:53:00.003-04:00

Not much to say lately I guess. The summer is going along as expected. I have an exam tomorrow and really have no idea how generous the professor is going to be with the grading. The good news is that he likes me so maybe that will help.

Oh! I put my hand in my pant pocket this morning and pulled out a folded receipt and a $20 bill inside the receipt. I believe I did a happy dance for a few seconds. I looked at the receipt trying to remember the occasion of getting the $20 but couldn't remember it. Then I noticed the name of the cashier and chuckled a bit. Of course now I can't remember it. The second half of the name had 'tasia' in it. I think it was something like Shantasia but I think it was even better than that. Anyway it made me think of the ET ride at Universal where they ask your name and ET says "Goodbye" to you at the end of the ride (best ride ever, btw). I've been on that ride a number of times and each time would give them an interesting sounding name and each time ET got it right. He's smart because he's not from Earth.

I'm back, baby!

2009-05-27T08:09:00.003-04:00

I'm finally back at work today. I had taken last Thursday and Friday as my mandatory furlough days and am glad that I did. Thursday afternoon, 1:34pm to be exact, I started to have pain in my, uh, nethers. Actually it started down there and radiated up through my abdomen. I was soon in bad shape...cold sweats, temperature of 95.9 (weird, right?), shivers, aches, weakness, etc. I would have immediately thought swine flu but the pain in the nethers led me to either a UTI or a kidney stone. I called my (incredibly hot) doctor and got in there to meet with him an hour later. I barely managed a shower and had that 'I could possibly faint right now' feeling which was fun. I got to my doctor and was unable to provide a sample so he and I went back and forth on the kidney stone vs. UTI thing. Since I didn't have the blinding pain in my kidney area like the last time I had a stone I didn't think it could possibly be a stone. Hot Doctor suggested scoping me but the thought of him anywhere near that area made me want to hide in a corner. He prescribed me some drugs including an antibiotic because most people end up with a UTI post kidney stone anyway. Well the antibiotic helped because my temp went back to normal on Friday and I wasn't having the cold sweats and aches anymore. After doing some research on the interweb I decided it probably is a kidney stone and deferred to hot doctor's opinion.

But can we talk abdomen pain here for a moment? You guys are all moms, what does your tummy feel like post delivery? I can't believe a tiny little stone could cause that much pain. I couldn't watch anything remotely funny because even a small laugh made me double over in pain. Yeesh.

The price is wrong, bitch.

2009-05-21T11:11:00.002-04:00

There's just something about watching The Price is Right on a day off.

I'm not sure what to do with myself today so I think I'll do nothing. I have plans for tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday and Monday but today is a nothing day. I have a feeling it'll go by really fast which is a shame. It'd be nice if it'd go by slow so I could savor it.

Monday we're attempting a Lowcountry boil which I'm really looking forward to. Tomorrow and Saturday I'll be catching movies. Tomorrow is Night at the Museum 2 with mom and Saturday I'll be seeing Terminator, uh, Terminator 4(?) by myself. You know, I don't even think I saw Terminator 3. Wasn't Claire Danes in that? That's probably why I didn't see it. Freaking Claire Danes. I dislike her almost as much as I dislike Gwyneth or Winona. Sorry, got off track. Saturday morning I'm taking Dad down to the marina so he can take some pictures. Photography is a good hobby to have. Speaking of which, I need to find my camera.

Anywhoodle, I hope you all have a lovely Memorial Day weekend! Stay tuned for movie reviews.

Damn my metabolism and bad genes

2009-05-18T09:49:00.003-04:00

Starting a dietary cleanse in the midst of one's, um, monthly cycle is not a good idea. Not only am I desperate for chocolate but I'm craving salty, crunchy food too. Thankfully I found rice crackers at the overpriced organic grocery store this weekend and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they don't taste like card stock. Yum.

Thankfully I'm only doing this cleanse one week and will reintroduce the salted nuts I'm allowed on the (amended) low carb diet. I say amended because I refuse to limit my fruit. And I think I'll let myself have bread a couple of times a week. But get this, I'm giving up red meat for a few months. We'll see how that goes. I'm like the queen of the cheeseburgers so this will certainly be a test of my character. I'll allow myself a turkey burger once in a while because a life without burgers is no life at all.

Meanwhile I have a dish of tropical Starbursts sitting a foot away from me and I'm being very strong right now. They're not heckling me yet but I fully expect taunting from those little, chewy pieces of joy by the end of the week.

I'm so suggestable

2009-05-14T12:59:00.003-04:00

Er, suggestible. Whichever it is, I now want to watch She's All That. Thanks, Fug Girls.

This is a task I can accomplish

2009-05-12T09:59:00.003-04:00

I've decided I'm going to see one new movie every weekend this summer. The only reason I feel comfortable with this is thanks to the cheap theater by my house. It's $2.75 for a matinee (which could go up to 3 whole dollars!) and that's right in my price range. I will report on each movie every Monday. Once in a while I'll go to my new favorite theater with Kate and Jenna but mostly I'll be going to the cheap theater alone. Well I'm thinking Mom will join me for Inglorious Basterds. She's a sucker for war movies and Tarantino movies so I'm guessing that one will be right up her alley.

I was going to start with yesterday's mention of Star Trek as the first movie but I'm going to try and see it again this weekend so I don't think that counts as one new movie a weekend. Well then I'll start Memorial Day weekend with Terminator and go from there. That's when summer technically starts right? (even though it's felt like summer in Charleston for a couple of weeks now.)

I love a good weekend

2009-05-11T09:56:00.004-04:00

Mostly my weekends consist of (typically) hanging out with Kate and Jenna on Friday nights and then laundry and DVR'd shows the rest of the weekend. Oh and a trip to Walmart for groceries is usually done as well. This past weekend was filled with lots of great stuff in addition to my usual stuff.

Friday was the Long Grey Line parade and it was enjoyable but hot. Then after parade Kate, Jenna and I went to my new favorite theater to see Star Trek. What a great movie! They used a lot of the famous lines and really did a great job of honoring the original without being too cheesy. The theater was great and I plan on going back there often. Plus their menu reads like one of my Oscar parties. If you're wondering, and I'm sure you are, I had the Fight Club without Swiss.

Saturday I hung out on the beach for an hour and then met up with Ashley, Mark, & Eva Cate; Rebecca, Steve, & Ralla; Ashley's parents; Reba's parents, and Reba's siblings, Edwin, Franklin, & Rhiannon. It was Rhiannon's graduation so it was nice to see everyone. We had a fun day of just hanging out.

Sunday I got to sleep in until 6:30am! I did some stuff around the house and then got our little Mother's Day event going. Oh, wait, let me back up. We had decided to do a full English tea for mother's day. We're used to having some sort of savory like quiche with a full tea. We used to be able to buy a box of frozen mini quiches but apparently those don't exist in the greater Summerville area. I went to Walmart, Food Lion, BiLo, and Piggly Wiggly and all I could find at each store was a box of spinach puffs. I like those things but, according to my mother, my grandmother can't eat a lot of green, leafy veggies which is why I was on a hunt for the mini quiches. So I end up with the spinach puffs and my grandmother says she can't wait to eat them and that she'd be totally fine. Thanks, Mom. Anyway the tea was a hit and we had a lovely time. I think both my mom and grandmother had a nice mother's day and that's what that's about, isn't it?

This coming weekend I'm going to do a partial repeat. Saturday I'm taking mom to the beach and to see Star Trek at the new favorite theater. Yay!

Well my favorites aren't here...

2009-05-07T07:23:00.002-04:00

...but this is a pretty damn good list.

My favorite line is from the John Cusack classic, Better off Dead:
"It's a damn shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy."

My other favorite is kinda gross so I'm gonna leave it off of here. Curious now, aren't ya?

I hate airline pricing

2009-04-23T08:27:00.002-04:00

But I got a flight to San Diego (small airport) from Charleston (tiny airport) for $335. I think it's somewhat reasonable considering all the factors (2 small airports, summer trip, etc.). Plus with all the talk of airlines cutting back their routes, etc. I panicked and decided to just get my flight now. The only good thing is that I did it through Orbitz and if for some reason someone gets the same itinerary for less money, then I get a check for the difference. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some geek in the Charleston area gets his flight for less money.

Geek Mecca here I come!

Wuthering Heights but with ZOMBIES!!!

2009-04-16T06:57:00.003-04:00

So Ann and I were discussing the new book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies yesterday. This led us to an ever so brief discussion of the possibilites of updating classics with zombies. I think Great Expectations would be much improved with the addition of brain hungry zombies. I'd like to see Gwynnie and Ethan Hawke make that movie! An even better Dickens choice would have to be A Tale of Two Cities of Zombies. Oooh! Henry James novels are just SCREAMING for zombies: The Portrait of a Zombie! Even better is The Wings of the Dove. Milly is already stricken with a disease, so instead of dying permanently she becomes a zombie and goes after Kate and Densher. If the author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies doesn't write The Wings of the Zombie Dove then I will!

I've got spring fever

2009-04-15T13:15:00.004-04:00

I have no interest in doing my homework for class and this is the last assignment. I'm such a lazy bum. How on earth am I going to make it through 3 classes this summer?

Oh and our building is notoriously bad when it comes to comfortable air temps. It's typically too hot or too cold. Well we were having the too hot issues and now it's just way too cold. It's in the high 70s outside and in the 60s in my office. So I've got my space heater going in order to balance out the cold air in here. I can guarantee you that I will post an entry in July about the A/C going out and how it's 90 something degrees in my office. But the only good part of this ordeal is the old school thermometer my predecessor left behind. It looks like it was made in the 1950s and it's just so darn retro! Gotta love it.

STOP MAKING MOVIES!

2009-04-07T12:44:00.003-04:00

Noooooooo!!!! That is just so wrong on soooo many levels. Hollywood needs to stop remaking classic movies or giving them a contemporary update (unless they're teen Shakespeare movies; those I like). Tom Cruise and John Travolta need to go away. Tom especially needs a long break from Hollywood so his fans have a chance to miss him and then he could possibly be relevant again.

I'm such a guy sometimes

2009-04-06T09:13:00.003-04:00

Aside from my fear of commitment and my love of sports, I do have some other male tendencies. For instance, this past weekend I decided to see two movies. I ended up seeing Fast & Furious and I Love You, Man. Both are definitely dude movies. And unsurprisingly I really liked both of them. It didn't escape my notice that the acting of the male leads in the former has not changed since the original (The Fast & The Furious) but who cares? It was fun, lots of stuff exploded, and it was less than 2 hours long (yay!). I Love You, Man was funny and sweet and I have a big space in my heart for both Jason Segel and Paul Rudd.

Still not a cat person

2009-03-27T09:11:00.002-04:00

I'm cat-sitting again this week. The week was going pretty well for the most part. The younger cat, while still obnoxious, was letting me get 5-6 hours of sleep a night. The older cat was being slightly friendly so that was nice. Then last night happened and I had visions of punting the younger cat out the window and over towards the goalposts at the nearby stadium. I don't have any delusions that I would have made a field goal but I would have enjoyed the chance. Anyway, she let me get 4 whole hours of sleep last night. Then, since I had an excess of time on my hands this morning, she wanted to get on my lap and cuddle. It's as if she has no understanding of her actions and my subsequent feelings towards her.

I'm not a cat person anymore

2009-03-16T07:19:00.002-04:00

I used to like cats a lot. Kittens are freaking adorable and can be amusing...sometimes. I'm spoiled because Gus is the best parts of a cat and dog. Sure, he has his issues but for the most part he's a pretty cool dog who loves to curl up on your lap or in a spot of sunlight on the floor.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of being woken up at 4:30 and not allowed to fall asleep until close to midnight. I'm tired of being covered in cat hair. I'm tired of the stench of cat litter (though it's come a long way since I was a kid). I'm tired of nothing being sacred (my poor, poor toothbrush). I'm tired of living in their world. And yet I agreed to cat-sit one more time. It will be a total of like 13 days this month and that's plenty. I'm tired, so very tired.

Getting excited for Geek Mecca

2009-03-11T13:51:00.002-04:00

So I will be attending Comic Con 2009. I do remember standing in a 2 hour line during the summer of 2007 and thinking to myself..."NEVER AGAIN." Well I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. This time, being seasoned attendees, Dana and I will have a plan of attack and we know what we're getting into. But I'm sure there will be a post at the end of July where I complain about standing in line for too long.

Oh and I went to favorite burger joint #2 for lunch today and saw this lady. I almost went to talk to her (since we did work on the same tv show) but I was busy eating my burger.

Gotta love Cute Overload

2009-03-10T15:18:00.002-04:00

Thanks to them I found this and truly almost overloaded on its cuteness.

I'm published!

2009-03-04T07:03:00.002-05:00

Well, sort of...

Will there ever be a new episode of The Office? And what's coming up for the folks at Dunder Mifflin? — Alisa
MICKEY: New episode Thursday! Have you ever wanted to know more about Kevin's love life? Sure, we all have! Well, now's your chance! In an upcoming episode, Kevin's colleagues will band together to play Cupid for the portly pepperpot. What Scrantonicity!

I've emailed questions to the folks at TVGuide.com before but this was the first time it was used. I typically scan through the Wednesday morning spoilers for shows I like and as I was scanning I noticed the name Alisa and thought, "It's so cool whenever someone else has my name." Um, duh...that is me!

Dog day afternoon

2009-03-03T07:36:00.009-05:00

This was how I spent last Friday afternoon :

Mom in front of my (2nd) favorite burger place

Gus trying to get at the fries

KC checking things out

Gus checking things out

I love my puppies!

Gus giving mom a kiss

Heading home

Maybe I'm missing my calling

2009-03-02T09:48:00.003-05:00

So I have a recurring mall in my dreams. The happenings in the dream are usually different but the mall is always the same. It's not a mall I've ever been in before because I'd remember it. It could be an amalgamation of other malls in my past I suppose. The weird part of this is that I haven't stepped foot in a proper shopping mall in a long time. Actually the last mall I was in was last Christmas (not this past Christmas but the year before) with Dana in Dallas. This mall had an indoor ice skating rink which was kind of neat. There's no rink in my recurring dream mall. So anyway, I keep thinking that if I were in a book or on a TV show that maybe I have this weird calling to design a mall. Maybe if I did the people stuck on the island could find their way home or maybe once it was built it would open a portal to another dimension or something.

Post-Oscar blogging

2009-02-23T09:06:00.002-05:00

I had a fun time with mom and my friends Kate and Jenna last night. We did the appropriate amount of "What is she/he wearing?" and "Wow she/he looks so great!" The awards were obnoxious as usual but the salute to comedy was a highlight. I kicked my friends out and retired to my bed around10:45pm. At that point I think they still had a few people to honor and the 'In Memoriam' thing to do in addition to the big awards of the night. This is one of the few nights of the year that I miss living on the west coast. I LOVED being able to watch it at 5pm and have the awards over around 8:30 or 9pm. Plus I liked having sports events on earlier too. Man, I'm old.

Not what I meant by 'blondie'

2009-02-17T09:05:00.003-05:00

So I was searching for a recipe for blondies this morning and I found one that sounded kind of good. I clicked on the link and there was the recipe. In a matter of seconds the recipe was then replaced with blondes of a different sort. A page of women in various stages of undress popped up on my screen and I couldn't get it off of there quick enough. In a flash I was seeing stuff most women's gynocologists don't see. All I wanted was a damn recipe!

Nice...

2009-02-11T09:35:00.002-05:00

In honor of V-Day

Hello and Good Morning

2009-02-11T09:11:00.003-05:00

I have to turn in my first homework assignment for one of my classes. I'm kind of nervous about it. I want to do well in this class and really understand the material because it could have an impact on my actual career (I don't consider being a secretary a career).

The weather in Charleston has warmed up quite a bit. I do believe I'm the only one who isn't happy about it. I dread the coming spring (actually more like summer) and summer (actually more like hell). I have a theory that if it's cooler longer in the winter then maybe we'd have a shot at an actual spring. Then summer might not start until late April. A couple of years ago it was 90 the first weekend of April. I don't enjoy that. Last year we had what one might refer to as spring. It was lovely while it lasted.

Movie update:
I saw Slumdog Millionaire last weekend and really enjoyed it. I was going to try and see Benjamin Button this weekend but I'm not for two reasons 1) it's only playing in evening times and I'm too cheap to pay $9.50 for a movie that will be on DVD this spring and 2) it's 2 hours and 47 minutes long. Instead I think I might go see Taken because that's only an hour and a half and I can see it at the cheap theater for $3. Nice.

On the rental side of things I've seen a few good ones and some really bad ones too. I watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist last night. I enjoyed the crap out of that movie and I NEED the soundtrack. I'm going to see Vicky Christina Barcelona (aka Bicky Christina Barthelona) tomorrow night. I have low expectations with Woody Allen movies now. Mostly I'd like to see Spain which is the main reason I'm going to sit through it.

I'm allergic to crying

2009-02-05T07:34:00.003-05:00

No, really! I currently have puffy, swollen eyelids this morning after a long sob last night. Why was I crying? I'm glad you asked. I watched a movie which reduced me to a blubbering mess. It was sweet and well-acted but dang it made me cry!

So I'm having problems at work. I can't seem to do anything right which is keeping me unmotivated which is keeping me from doing anything at all. I'm determined to get organized which should help. Any tips on how to focus?

I love my bed

2009-02-02T14:54:00.003-05:00

I slept in my own bed last night. It was delightful. That could be interpreted that I've been sleeping with someone in their bed but that is not the case (insert wailing noise here). I was housesitting/dogsitting and sleeping in someone else's bed...alone. Actually part of one night was spent on the couch but I'll get to that.

I was staying at my cousin's house for 8 days which was a nice break from my current situation but 8 days is a long time. The commute was shorter (yay!) but the new puppy refused to sleep in his crate (boo!). The first few nights I didn't crate him and on Thursday morning I found that he turned my cousin's leather ottoman into a chew toy. So I decided to crate him Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Well he didn't like that one bit. Each night was different from the one before. One night he cried/barked immediately, calmed down for a couple of hours and then started again. One night he cried after half an hour of being quiet and then finally calmed down until around 5am. The third night he was quiet for 2 hours, loud for an hour and then quiet for 2 hours. I think he was quiet for those two hours because I made one of the other dogs get in the crate with him and I spent the rest of the night on the couch. Each night I averaged 4-5 hours but it was interrupted sleep. I have a deep appreciation and respect for new parents.

Anyway I'm home again. I'm back to my longer commute but had almost 6 straight hours of sleep. Oh and my cousin decided that the puppy must have just been upset that they were gone and acting out. She didn't crate him last night. This morning she found more gouges out of her leather ottoman. Heh. Validation is so sweet.

On another subject, as much as I feel badly for my friends suffering through bad ice and snow...I'm kind of glad the groundhog saw his shadow. I really enjoy putting off summer as much as possible. Does anyone really keep track of him seeing his shadow in relation to when the warmer temps start?

The radio gods are not kind to me

2009-01-26T07:29:00.004-05:00

Charleston is too small a market to have a station I actually like. Wait, that's not true. When I moved here 96.1 The Wave was here and they were perfect. They mixed current alternative (and some indie) with stuff that was popular when I was in college which was great. Then they went away. I was left with 100.5 The Drive which played a bit more generic alternative but was still acceptable. This past weekend they switched to an HD Radio station so I don't get them anymore. So now my options are Country, Christian or those 'we play what we want' type stations. We have like 3 of those. Stupid radio.

This movie tastes great!

2009-01-22T10:31:00.003-05:00

In honor of the Oscar nominations:

Dishes at my event could include Slawdog Millionaire, Sean Penne pasta salad, Frank Langellatin salad, The Curious Taste of Benjamin Button Mushrooms, and Dark Chocolate Knights with a tall glass of Milk. Most of the aforementioned treats would be eaten with Mickey Sporks of course.

Great way to start the day

2009-01-21T08:13:00.002-05:00

A person I work with came in my office, said "Good morning" and then proceeded to tell me I look like crap. Ok, she didn't use those words exactly but that was the essence. She said something along the lines of me looking like I had a cold or was congested. I did notice that the area under my eyes were unusually dark this morning (I don't usually have dark circles or puffiness under there) and tried to mask it as best I could. Apparently that didn't work. She then went on about how she has a certain "look" when she's sick and can therefore spot it in others. I had been sick for a couple of weeks after Christmas but thought I was getting better. Maybe my iron is low again.

Anyway, on to other things. I watched a British mini-series on Monday that I absolutely loved. It's called "Lost in Austen" and it's coming out on DVD in April. I highly recommend it.

I don't care if you are the President...

2009-01-15T08:54:00.002-05:00

I have no interest in what you have to say about the past 8 years and what you think we're going to be facing in the next 4. If his address messes with any of my shows tonight I'm gonna be pissed.

Well work has been sucky this week but I checked with the other department secretaries and they're really struggling too. Good to know it's not just me.

My classes will be interesting but I'm still kind of scared of the statistics class. He promised us that it's more about being able to interpret how the data was processed and what it means instead of actually having to do math but I'm still scared. He gave us a practice test last night to see where we're all at and one guy finished in 10 minutes. I don't get the feeling he gave much thought to each question.

My Nana

2009-01-13T12:28:00.003-05:00

Today would have been my grandmother's birthday. And because I'm a nice daughter I called my dad to remind him and consequently depress him at the same time. She was a difficult woman to love but she was a hoot too. She died of Cardio Obstructive Pulminary Disease and while she was battling that had a second bout of breast cancer (her first was back in the 60s so she was a real survivor). So they elected to do a second mastectomy but due to the COPD, the doctors couldn't give her a general anethesia. So my grandmother was awake while the doctors removed her breast. She was not the kind of person you want awake during surgery. She kept asking the doctor what he was doing and I think she even gave him a hard time about the evenness of his stitches. Man I loved that woman. There's one Christmas that my parents tell me about all the time (I hadn't been born yet). She and her sister, Agnes, got drunk on Manhattans, put on Hawaiian music and danced around the house. I'm sorry I missed that.

Didn't we get rid of them years ago?

2009-01-08T13:28:00.004-05:00

I think there are maybe 5 shows (in the sitcom/drama categories) on TV that don't have a Brit in the cast. Actually there may be a few others that don't have Brits but they have Aussies and that's almost as bad. I'm sure some of the shows on CW don't have Brits or Aussies but they don't really count. In fact I think a lot of these Brits and Aussies have pushed out the Canadians who used to populate our TV. I guess the 80s and 90s were good for the Canucks but the decades in this new millenia belong to the Queen's people.

Is it me

2009-01-06T14:30:00.001-05:00

Or does she have a very long chest? I can't tell if her boobs just hang really low or what. It kind of looks like the length of the area from her neck to where her boobs start is just really long.

back to work

2009-01-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

There are maybe 5 people in the building today. Normally I'd love the solitude but I've got an annoying cold so I'd much rather be snuggled up in bed.

I had a good trip to Dallas. I got to meet my friend's new boyfriend which was interesting. I don't think she's ever read my blog so I hope I'm safe in picking on him. Honestly whatever I say here I think I said to her last week. According to my friend, her boyfriend ("R") has never told her how old he actually is. She said 55 the first time I asked (when they started dating) and then she said 57 last week. I think he's at least 60. Now my dad is 61 but he doesn't look or act it. This guy, while he's in really good shape, acts like he's old. Plus he works outdoors so he's kind of, um, weathered. My friend is no spring chicken at 41 but she's pretty hip (in a geeky sort of way) and honestly looks like she's 35 or 36. They really don't seem to have a lot in common but she seems to be happy and that should be enough for me, right?

I need a valium

2008-12-19T08:33:00.002-05:00

There's only one other person here right now. I'm easily irritated by people and normally this guy doesn't bother me but he's currently sick and making lots of throaty noises. Oh and his office is right next to mine. Of course. I hope he leaves soon. Or I hope I can leave soon.

My other irritation right now is saved for one of my cousins. She was at my house for Thanksgiving and I wasn't nasty to her, her husband or her kids. In fact I was quite pleasant. Now we're not friends by any means of the word but we've never had any problems with each other...that I know of. Well after Thanksgiving she deleted me as one of her Facebook friends. I just kind of shrugged it off because I know she's kind of odd like that. Out of curiosity I checked to see if she was still friends with my mother. She's not. She deleted my mom who is one of the sweetest, kindest, and most harmless people I know. Sure, I'm biased but I can list a whole bunch of people who would say the same thing. I don't know what my mother and/or I may have done to warrant a Facebook deletion but I'd bet my uncle had something to do with it. No, not Dreaded Uncle either. He wouldn't hurt a fly. This uncle is the cousin in question's father and he can be kind of toxic. In fact this uncle has not had one nice thing to say after we opened our home to him and his family at Thanksgiving. My grandmother paid for a hotel room for them for four nights and he never once thanked her. In fact I heard from the grapevine that he hasn't even called her since he's been back because he doesn't have anything positive to say about the trip. Is he effing kidding me? Well hopefully that means he'll never come back. What a bastard.

Another post where I bitch about the weather

2008-12-17T07:34:00.004-05:00

It's very wet outside which does NOTHING for my hair. It's foggy and warm and slightly rainy and that is a bad combo.

In other news there are only a few more days of work before I can take a 16 day break (that does include weekend days).

In other, other news I am getting a visit from Gus the dog today. I convinced my parents to bring him here while they go have a lovely brunch at Hominy Grill. YAY!!!

Finally, I got two A's this semester. I am so excited! Next semester is going to possibly be an A (global perspectives class) and a B (stats class...ugh) but then I'm hoping I can pull off A's this summer and finish my grad career with a 3.75. It's not a 4.0 but I'm ok with that.

I don't get paid like a professor

2008-12-15T08:05:00.002-05:00

So don't make me do professor type things. There's this very high-maintenance professor in our department. There's always something wrong with her physically (and mentally too if you ask me). When she gives me a task she always leaves out some vital piece of information so then I have to go to her to find out. Plus she's OCD in an annoying way. Ok, maybe it's not the OCD that's annoying, it's just her. Well she's ill and can't administer her finals so guess who gets to do it? If my GA were here I'd have her do it because it's actually in her job description. It's not in mine. But sadly my GA isn't here yet this morning so I got to do it. There's another one tomorrow afternoon that "Annoying Professor" can't make it to so my GA will get to administer that one.

Oh and I woke up with a headache.

And it's going to be in the mid to high 70s (possibly 80) and I hate that. One of the reasons I want to move is because I'd like to live in a place where the weather makes sense. You can't ever put away summer clothes here because it's likely you'll need them in the middle of December, just a few short days after you were wearing a scarf and coat. Ok, I just checked the weather in Dallas and it's worse there. It's going to be a high of 37 today and 75 on Thursday. I blame global warming.

Damn you, Drew Barrymore!

2008-12-11T07:27:00.000-05:00

She stole my boyfriend.

I have a case of the Mondays

2008-12-08T09:54:00.002-05:00

I'm concerned about my final on Wednesday. I think the professor went about this all wrong but there's nothing to be done about it. We had our third exam last Wednesday and are now facing a cumulative final this week. Oh and the test is so long that we'll be writing for almost 3 hours straight. Fun.

Nooooo!!!

2008-12-02T14:54:00.003-05:00

So I won't be finishing my masters this summer. There's nothing I can take during the first summer term and I can only take 2 classes in the second summer term. So I'll be taking one more class this fall. I knew this was a strong possibility but I still held onto hope. Well hope screwed me over. Stupid hope.

No more turkey

2008-12-01T10:46:00.002-05:00

Well my family was very well-behaved on Thanksgiving. Or at least they behaved while Beth was there. THANK THE GOOD LORD ABOVE FOR THAT!

The stuff Beth missed? Mainly it was all my Uncle K. Dreaded Uncle, when in the same area as Uncle K, was surprisingly not obnoxious this time. Some of Uncle K's highlights:

talking about the glory of Viagara and his 25 years of ED;
how he finally has given up drugs after 40 years of recreational use (so he says);
the same uncle giving my mother a hard time about not having access to a certain football game for him to watch (even though they had multiple conversations about it and he was the one who dropped the ball, so to speak)
stating that he is the sharpest (or smartest-can't remember exact adjective used) person in the room
Lastly, he never once thanked my grandmother for paying for their hotel room (4 nights!).

Oh, and he does this thing where he says outrageous or hurtful things and then later asks to see if it was brought up in a discussion afterwards. What a bastard.

Oops

2008-11-20T10:42:00.002-05:00

I forgot that taking the train from NYC to NJ and vice versa was going to be expensive. I'd still rather do that than sleep in my friend's dorm room with 3 other people but I hate asking her to do it. She plans on getting an apartment this summer I think which will be great because I do well on couches. But this trip is going to be a bit of a pain in the ass as far as transportation goes. Oh well.

I should have gone bathing suit shopping too

2008-11-18T07:29:00.004-05:00

I had the triple crown of things one would least like to do in a day. It started with a visit to my dentist followed by a trip to the DMV. I finished up with a trip to the gyno. Thankfully all three were pretty good.

No tooth problems for me, in fact my dentist said, "Well you're no fun" after inspecting my teeth. Heh, sorry I won't be helping you buy a mid-life crisis convertible, dude. I actually really like my dentist and he's been really great to my whole family so I can't complain.

The DMV wasn't too bad even though it seemed like there were lots of women who not only appeared to be same sex oriented but who also appeared to be truck drivers. Sadly they didn't retake my picture (I curled my hair in expectation of it) and instead just reprinted my license for me. I'm sure I'll now find my lost license but I'm glad I won't have to use my passport to travel this weekend.

The gyno trip, while filled with good news (I have a normal, non-hyperplasic uterus), was the worst because I had to wait the longest there. They were squeezing me in just so I could get test results but I don't understand why they still insist on weighing me, taking my blood pressure and asking me the exact same questions they asked me a week ago.

I'd be safer if I hadn't gotten out of bed

2008-11-13T09:01:00.002-05:00

On top of my other medical issues, I've been having neck and back problems the last couple of days. I tried lots of stuff last night (medication, heating pads, etc.) but woke up feeling the same. Just now a cadet asked if I'd let him into his classroom early (so he could sleep) which I don't normally do but made an exception. So as we're walking down the hall I slip and fall. Nice. He took the blame which was amusing and generous of him. Personally I blame my shoes and my inability to stay upright for any amount of time.

Anyway, there's now no possibility that my back is going to get any better any time soon. Do you ever have those days (weeks) where things just seem off?

numbers

2008-11-10T07:21:00.004-05:00

I've been counting things recently. Friday night at the Coastal Carolina fair we counted 13 mullets and that was only in the span of less than 30 minutes. We left the fair early and I'm assuming there were even more mullets after we left. This morning I counted 22 school busses on my way to work. I saw two busses before I left my neighborhood and then 3 more by the time I got to my carpool buddy's house. It seemed like a lot so I decided to count all the way to work.

Oh and...don't be like me. Don't let something go until you may potentially need a blood transfusion. Yes dear friends I was 1 point away from being admitted to a hospital for a blood transfusion. I think the only reason my hemoglobin was a 7 instead of a 6 is because I'm very good about taking vitamins. Being a big old carnivore probably helps too.

Voting Schmoting

2008-11-05T07:19:00.004-05:00

I voted yesterday. Honestly if there had been a slight chance of me standing in line for anywhere near an hour I probably would have skipped it. But I went at 2pm and walked right up to the N-Z table, got checked in and waited 2 minutes for a machine to open up. In almost exactly 10 minutes I had left my house, voted and made it to the gym parking lot. I felt badly for those who were in line for 3 hours. Heck, my mom and grandmother went at 10am and had to wait an hour. This was my second time voting ever. I voted in the primaries and then again yesterday. I still have this overwhelming feeling of 'what was the point?' I lived in California which was a mainly Democratic state so it never mattered who I voted for there. I now live in South Carolina which is a mainly Republican state so it doesn't seem to matter here either. It'd be cool to live in one of the too-close-to-call swing states.

Anyway, in the spirit of the elections I need y'alls help with something. I've tasked myself with baking a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. I don't actually like sweet potatoes so I have no preference for how it gets made. But I found some cool recipes yesterday so I was hoping you guys could check them out and let me know which one sounds good to you.

Sweet Potato-Bourbon Tart
Reggie's Sweet Potato Pie (I'm not sure who Reggie is but he calls for sweetened condensed milk AND heavy cream; this makes me want to know Reggie on a personal level)
Sweet Potato Praline Cloud Pie (just the title of this makes me want to slap my granny and call it a day)

OH!!! I have a warning. I watched The Happening last night. It was not good. The dialogue was corny, the acting was thin and the ending wasn't as cool as it could have been. I have more to say about it but I don't want to ruin it for anyone who really wants to see it.

I'm not even going to acknowledge what today is

2008-11-04T09:08:00.003-05:00

It's a Tuesday. That's it. It's just any other Tuesday. Right? Anyone? Just another Tues... Oh well. I think I'm going to watch movies and do homework and not watch TV. I should have gone to work instead of staying home. Ugh. I can't escape it, can I?

Anywhoodle, mom and I were discussing something other than politics last night (THANK GOODNESS!) and we were trying to figure out seating for Thanksgiving. Beth, you'll be at the small table with me and mom. In response to my saying that obviously Beth would be sitting next to me, Mom's exact words were, "Well yeah, we've got to protect Beth." Heee!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:18:00.004-04:00

Today is the day the song, "I Want Candy!" gets stuck in my head.

Guess what?!?!?! Beth is coming to my house for Thanksgiving! Aren't ya, Beth? She gets to meet my obnoxious family too. As a matter of fact, one of my uncles actually told my grandmother that he'd be on good behavior and would try to be nice to everyone. Isn't that mature of him? To try and be nice at one of the very few times we get together?!?! My aunt is doing well on her meds so she should be nice and normal that weekend. Dreaded Uncle will be busy with his grandkids so he'll be preoccupied. Mom is inviting her friend (Hot Holiday Jon's mom) to come too. It's going to be a great time and I'm hoping they don't scare Beth too much.

Oh and my mom offered to take me to lunch on Tuesday if I vote for McCain.

I'm suddenly a baseball fan again!

2008-10-30T08:18:00.002-04:00

I've always liked going to baseball games but could never watch a game on TV. Well thanks to my Phils I've been glued to the games. Thanks for winning last night! That was phreaking awesome!

Know what else is awesome?!?!? 30 Rock is back tonight! I'm giddy with anticipation. I'm tempted to watch the episode online but I think I'd rather wait until tonight. I've missed those crazy kids.

Nifty...

2008-10-29T09:28:00.003-04:00

So my mom told me that Orbitz introduced this thing where they do a low price assurance thing. If you buy your plane ticket at a certain price and then later someone else buys the same thing for less they give you a refund for the difference. On a whim I checked the price of my flight to NYC and it's $10 less than I paid which is a bit of a bummer. But now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone else from Charleston is looking to go to NYC the weekend before Thanksgiving. That'll happen, right?

My driving makes people want to vomit

2008-10-27T08:39:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking I should tell my carpool person that I don't want to carpool anymore. It's just not worth it to me. I drive out of my way which definitely does not save me on gas and I just don't like being in a car with her. My intention had been to move by now but with the various trips I'm planning that's been pushed back 'til the new year.

I weighed myself this weekend and I'm down another pound without really trying. It's unfortunate because I really wanted to lose another 20 pounds by Christmas but my head just hasn't been into it. I need to get motivated. How does one motivate oneself when one has no money for rewards?

It's not Halloween yet!

2008-10-23T09:06:00.003-04:00

I'm wearing an orange sweater today with brown pants and a beautiful scarf that ties the two colors together perfectly. I like this outfit so much that I'm tempted to take a picture of myself. As I was putting on the sweater this morning I had a feeling someone (or even many someones) would make mention of me looking ready for Halloween. Well my prediction just came true. Poor orange. Yay! My boss just came in and said I look 'autumnal'. He's a good man.

I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge

2008-10-20T09:28:00.004-04:00

I actually had a dream about my menses last night. I'm not sure why I'm sharing that but I don't ever remember dreaming about something so, well, boring.

Anyway I'm extremely sleepy this morning. I'm not sure why because I got a lot of sleep. I guess it's just one of those things.

I had a funny realization this weekend. I'm kind of an odd person. I know! I know! I'm surprised at that too. Anyway I was watching a gory horror movie while knitting and paused briefly to wonder how many people in the world knit scarves while watching zombies feed on human flesh.

A gold record would have been mine

2008-10-14T07:32:00.003-04:00

I had an interesting dream last night but I've managed to forget the most interesting part. In my dream there was a girl who was tasked with writing a rap. It was a great song and I remember thinking it'd be a hit. Her flow was smooth and there was a musical part to it that was really good. If I were musically inclined I would have tried to wake myself up and write it all down. But since I'm me, I woke up and couldn't get the song back into my head. Oh well.

My patience is wearing thin

2008-10-13T14:59:00.002-04:00

I think I was a lot more pleasant last year. This year people seem to be a bit more afraid of me. I must be coming off like a major bitch but I can tell you it's for a reason. These people are pushing my buttons and I feel like it's all I can do to not blow up on someone.

Breathe...breathe...cleansing breaths.