Minnesoter Part Duex

On Friday, Laura and I decided to hit the shops in search of "Black Friday" Sales -- Black Friday, which is now to be known as "You're Welcomesgiving Day" (Matt, if that's wrong please correct me in the comments).

We hit Kohls (I miss Kohls -- even though I couldn't find that jacket I really wanted in my size), and then tried a bunch more places to get barware for Laura's apartment, because people were coming over and she didn't have glasses for drinking. Not REAL drinking, anyway.

I showed incredible restraint (because I knew the Mall of America was coming up on Sunday), but I've been more disappointed by Black Friday sales before, so it was not a total loss. Laura took her mother and me to Michael's so I was able to finish my wristlets, and her mother bought me a penguin cup for my penguin pen.

That night, I got to meet some of Laura's high school friends. I finally met "her other" Ben, and also Lizzie -- who I loved. We went to a drag club first, and I wish we could have stayed longer because it was a riot and I was practically sober. Had we been there after I'd had a few drinks, I would probably have been giving some drag queens some dollar bills (which is a drastic change from the last time I was around drag queens and gay strippers, when Aurora got me that lap dance and I was SO EMBARRASSED).

We ended up at this other club, after the group met up with Clint, another one of Laura's friends from high school. The place seemed a little swanky for us (Clint was wearing sneakers, and most of us were in jeans -- except Laura, who was smoking hot in a skirt and lacy top plus ho boots), but there were plenty of opportunities to make fun of the thirty-somethings getting their flirt on (which instantly means I'm either a) going to hell, or b) am destined to be one of the desperate thirty-somethings looking for my future mate one night stand at a bar).

Clint was a riot. I thought I had no filter -- but Clint said everything I was thinking. Everything. Even things I wasn't thinking, but wished I were.

The evening ended at iHop at about 4 in the morning, as all good evenings should.

And I built this balustrade to keep you home, to keep you safe

I don't know how to adequately describe my trip to Minnesota, but I have to start somewhere. I had said in my previous entry that when I left, I was...Very unhappy with my life (maybe I didn't say that. I was very unhappy with my life. There, I said it.)

Fortunately, the night before I left, some things came to a head, and I was able to overcome them, although residual feelings of guilt, sadness, anger, and embarrassment were boarding that plane with me in my carry-on emotional baggage.

By the time I landed in Pittsburgh, I wasn't sure it was the right time to be going on vacation. By the time I got to Chicago, I was distressed that I would be seeing one of my best friends, supposed to be having fun, and was instead feeling like a big sopping wet blanket. By the time I landed in Minneapolis, all of it started to dissipate.

Laura was the best hostess, ever.

I met her [crazy] family -- and her mother's [even MORE crazy] friend(s). I'm glad they didn't tone it down for my sake. Here are some of the things I learned:

Men are like shoes -- and before you get married, you should try on lots and lots of shoes (Laura has already mentioned this, but it came up again). Also, you don't want a pair that does just one thing (you know, like look really cute). You want cross-trainers. I want Really Cute cross trainers.

Also, for some reason, men are like meat. I don't remember that one in it's entirety. Something about stinky meat on driveways versus meat in the fridge...? Anyway...

Thanksgiving was...Spectacular. There was SO MUCH FOOD. I was seriously in a food coma by the end of the evening -- and I didn't even use the big plate. Laura's mom is all kinds of fabulous.

So that was Minnesota, Part I. Don't worry, there's at least a Part II -- it involves less food (but only by a little), and more of Laura's friends.

[Currently Spinning: The Decemberists]

I believe that I can, overcome this and beat everything in the end

So, when I left for Minnesota, I was in a terrible state of mind. (Alternate title: The BMX bike of my life is about to explode)

A funny bit of trivia: Last year, at this exact time, I was listening to L.G.Fuad incessantly. It reminded me of the whole...ordeal thing I was going through, or something. Now, it makes me think of Connecticut. It makes me think about teetering on the verge of utmost happiness -- so much happiness that I thought I might just spontaneously explode in a burst of stardust one day out of pure unadulterated joy. Which is weird because, this song? Is not about utter happiness and delight in life.

I need a change. I need a big momentous change. It needs to rock my world. And I think I can manage that.

Grad school was going to be that change, but it looks like I'm going to wait another year. Until then, I have all this prep stuff I can do, but it's still a bummer that I haven't "figured out my life" yet. Whatever the crap that means. And until then I need to become a better person. I need to be the change that rocks my world. I need to be happy. For me.

Oh, and I finished some wrist warmers this weekend.

Trendy or not, I don't understand wrist warmers. "Not quite mittens, not quite sleeves...but man...hehehe. So to answer your question: I don't know."

Oh, right. Writing about Thanksgiving in Minnesota. I think I gave you enough to digest here for now. Maybe updates about the trip that made me seriously consider moving somewhere in the Midwest (cough: Minnesota) some time later.

[Currently Spinning: Motion City Soundtrack - L.G.Fuad]

Monday Madness - Holiday Edition

1. Which of the holidays that you celebrate, do you feel is the most important?

I feel that birthdays are more important than holidays, although Christmas is very important.

2. Which holiday do you most enjoy?

Christmas through New Year's -- I sort of enjoy the whole season.

3. Is there one holiday that your family tries to get together every year? If so, which one?

Christmas

4. Share one special memory from a past holiday.

The only special memory I can come up with is actually one I'd rather not share. I'll come back to this later.

5. Name one holiday coming up, that you're really looking forward to, and why.

I am looking forward to going home for Christmas. I would be looking forward to Thanksgiving so I could see Laura, but since I'm already in Minnesota...

Monday Madness - Fill in the blanks

1. In order to protect my computer from viruses, I use my faith in Jesus. I should probably back it up with Norton Antivirus, though.
2. I also use adaware and spybot for protection from spyware. But I guess it's not really preventative, since I use it to scan for spyware that's already in my computer.
3. I don't spend nearly enough time flossing.
4. The first person I usually talk to in the morning is myself. Oh, I mean Laura, actually.
5. It takes me about an hour to get ready in the morning. Generally, because I feel the need to watch TV or play with my DS Lite in between actual "getting ready" activities like brushing my teeth.
6. I keep all my appointments in Outlook, making it difficut for me to know what's going on when I'm not at work.
7. It takes me about twenty minutes, maybe to fall asleep at night.

My sister got her official appoinment to West Point today!

That's all :)

Stop Drilling into My Head, Please

Well, today was an eventful day.

I woke up this morning with a headache. Nothing completely out of the ordinary, although I've never had a headache specifically like this before. Nothing else hurts, nothing else is...affected. It's just a pain in the side of my head, and I've been describing it as though my head is in a drill press, which seems kind of accurate. Nothing around the affected area hurts, it's a pinpoint pain, and moving my head or body doesn't affect the intensity of the pain at all. Aside from nausea that I felt earlier today, I didn't feel any of the usual symptoms associated with this kind of pain in my head.

I left work at 3:00.

After I threw up.

That's the only reason I called it quits. That and, it's pretty difficult to concentrate when someone's got a drill to your skull -- I'm just saying.

I came home to find a package from Tokyo Police Club, their CD and a t-shirt. I don't look great in grey. Or in American Apparel tshirts. Fine, whatever. That's my fault. What really pisses me off is that the jewel case of the CD was broken. I mean, honestly, I don't feel like mailing this back, regardless of who pays for it. Yeah, I'll just deal with it, and yeah, that probably means I shouldn't be bitching about it here or anything, but how hard is it to get a CD from point A to point B without breaking it, assholes?

I hate our Postal Service guy/gal. Hate. Among the packages that are just MISSING are a book that I ordered from mighty girl over a month ago, and some yarn I purchased on eBay in August. And that's just stuff I'm aware of. The problem is all of this stuff has confirmation of drop offs. So is someone stealing my packages? It's possible. Is the landlady keeping them, thinking in her senility that she's doing some sort of service? Also possible, but then fuck her son for not noticing and bringing them over because he's not 96 and senile. Is the postal worker not leaving them, and taking them back to the Post Office? That's also possible, but goddamnit, now I have to walk out of my way in the morning, wait in line, and then ask them (I've tried calling, but they're Postal Workers. In other words, they're Completely Fucking Useless. Especially over the phone). The flaw in this is that I think one of my packages was sent via UPS. So what the hell, people?

On the other hand, I left work while it was still daylight, and so Scott recommended I get some good old UV rays in, to ward off the depression. I asked if I should hike up my pants to expose the backs of my knees (according to Scott, who is some sort of medical expert (JOKE), shining a flashlight on the back of your knees during the winter helps ward of S.A.D. I didn't bother to check up on this, since I was too busy laughing. And S.A.D. is serious business, folks. You don't laugh about S.A.D.)

I'm going back to bed. Why am I even still awake? Oh right, because I slept for four hours already today.

Maybe Coffee Will Help

I keep hovering over a posting page, with...so much to say, and yet nothing at all to say. This has been going on every day for a long time, now.

I'm knitting a hat. It's like the hat that won't end. Perhaps because I knit a row or two at night most nights, and I'm used to big blocks of knitting, and then obsessive knitting on the T. I'm also not sure how it'll turn out because I'm just going on the fly. There are some cables at the brim, and then I stopped with the cables for a while, and after some increases to make the hat...jauntier, I started with cables again, but smaller ones.

It could be really cool. Or really horrible. I also haven't decided if it will be a gift or not.

Since I started this entry, I have lost all of my steam...so it's time to go to work. And have some coffee.

I kind of want to try men's deodorant because it smells fresh and clean. Not like a baby's butt. Is that weird?

I think I want to switch deodorants.

Yes, hi. I don't update for a long time and then BAM! We're talking personal hygiene. But seriously.

I do not like smelling things. I don't like the way people smell on the T (yes, even you, who practically bathed in perfume this morning because you think it makes you smell "nice." You're the worst of them all. I hate you the most). It's gotten pretty bad these days. I have gotten to the point where I don't like my laundry detergent, which is some innocuous brand of "all" that barely has an odor. And I use very little of it in my wash. And still. For days, nay -- weeks after my laundry is done all of it smells like...Laundry. Bleh.

And I'm not saying I like the smell of stanky clothes, either, I'm just saying I don't want them to have a smell. I don't want them to smell like lavender. Or soap. Or sweat. I don't want to be able to smell my clothes. Period.

I haven't found a happy medium yet. Because this is kind of like the shower issue. I shower every day. But some days? Some days it's like I can feel myself dragging my inner lazy bum, kicking and screaming, into the shower, and God, it's painful, and I hate every moment of it. And afterwards, I have to spend several minutes lotioning my entire body because I've got a severe lotion addiction, and my skin actually needs artificial moisturizer and it's my fault. And then I'm just going to have to shower again tomorrow! It's so ridiculous! Why with all the showering?!?

My current solution to the laundry issue? Buying new clothes. Yeah, they smell like the store. Yes, five dozen other girls probably tried on that very blouse. But you know what? At least the store smells like new clothes. And that's a smell that currently isn't annoying the hell out of me. Briar:one, Universe:fifty-seven.

Movies Blockbuster Says I Saw in October

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask - I have a confession to make. Aside from Match Point and Everyone Says I Love You (which I didn't love, but I enjoyed it enough to watch it twice. Maybe because of Edward Norton), I am just not a Woody Allen Fan. This movie was a bunch of sketches that I felt like I had seen before (and maybe I had -- that's how much it stuck), and I mostly watched it to wait for the Gene Wilder sketch, which was really really cute. Well, as cute as bestiality can be. Overall, it's kind of like Airplane. I didn't really want to see it. After I saw it, I wasn't raving about it. I would, however, recommend it because it's funny. I just wouldn't buy it and lend it to people to get them to watch it. Three stars. ★★★

The Office Season One - I decided to catch up on the American version of the Office so I could watch the new ones on Thursday nights, even though I've sort of accidentally stopped watching TV in the past few weeks. I even missed Grey's Anatomy this week (gasp!). So, you know...Anyway, this is a great show, if you haven't already heard (and yes, I like the British version "more," but mostly I like whichever one I'm watching more than whichever one I'm not watching) so...Five stars! ★★★★★

She's The Man - I'm not saying I'm proud of it, but in the interest of full disclosure, yes, I rented this movie. There was legitimate motivation behind this. Laura tells me it is actually a remake of a not so terrible movie. And I kind of like Amanda Bynes. She's cute, I want to feed her a sandwich. Or twelve. It also took me the full hour and a half or however long this movie was to finally concede, "Okay, maybe the lead boys are a little cute." And honestly -- at least if a movie's going to be terrible, and you know your market is 12-15 year old girls (otherwise known as me and Laura), GET SOME PRETTY ACTORS! One star, and that's just because I'm too nice to give zero stars. ★

The Office Season Two - Again, I just rented this to catch up. It slowed down my movie renting, but it was worth it. I can't say much more, but the second season is way better than the first. Especially for any of those who think that since the first seson's first few episodes go by the UK version verbatim, since the story line really starts to diverge in the US version by season two (I think. Sometimes when people have accents or "don't," I'm really dense about things). Five stars. ★★★★★

The Deer Hunter - I may have had to wait about a week and a half to watch this movie, because I knew it was going to be sad, and I knew that I did not have the mental energy to do it. When I finally watched it, I have to admit that while I found it good, and man Christopher Walken...man...this movie goes on the list of movies I liked, but would never rent for myself. I don't even know who/what list/what website told me that I HAD TO see this movie, but that was my only motivation, and it was obvious when I sat down to watch it. Now that I have seen it, I'm glad, and it was good, and people should see it, but again, I don't know that it's something I'll ever push on someone. Four stars. ★★★★

Say Anything - Now this movie is more my speed. I think Say Anything was the last and only movie from the '80s that I hadn't ever actually seen! Even movies that I think I hadn't seen turned out to be movies that I had watched on TV when I was younger, but I really didn't remember any of Say Anything, so I'm convinced I finally found it. I loved this movie, it was really very cute -- but for different reasons would never FORCE, with threat of bodily harm, anyone to watch this movie. It's up there with Pretty in Pink, although this one probably won't find its way into my DVD collection. Three and a half stars. ★★★

Something New - Maybe it was the unwarranted crying fit I had towards the end (where "normal" Briar would have cried a little bit and thought "aw, how sweet," but unhinged Briar started sobbing uncontrollably, and would have paused the movie if I had wanted to watch it out of anything but a sense of responsibility to finish the last ten minutes). This movie was either seriously bad, or I was in the wrong mood to watch it. I think it was a little bit of both, because the movie probably wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but it was probably only as good as I thought it would be when I saw previews. It's just been in my recommendations for so long, I thought renting it would get it out of there. Two stars. ★★

I also physically rented two movies, but I can't remember what one of them was.

Junebug - This movie was as good as everyone tells me it was, but I wasn't in the mood to deal with the futility. The end was just...Aside from the scene in the hospital, I suppose. Anyway, it was a really good movie, and I'm going to go right ahead and jump on that and say, "Yes, why haven't you seen this movie yet?" (I had a reason. It was stupid, but I had it. But now I've finally seen it so what's your excuse?) Four and a half stars. ★★★★