Au Revoir 2005

So, 2005 is almost at an end. I like this time of year, because I am a cheeseball and enjoy making bad end-of-the-year jokes such as "See you next year" or, the one I just made: "I'm giving up egg and cheese sandwiches for the rest of the year!". Oh, I just crack myself up.

Because everyone else is doing it and I ALWAYS give in to peer pressure, here is my best-of list for this year:

• Best Movie: Brokeback Mountain
• Best Discovery (TV): Veronica Mars
• Best Discovery (music): The Ditty Bops
  
• Best Purchase: massage table (followed closely by my iPod!)
• Best Concert: Nickel Creek at the Newport 10/20
• Best Trip: Maine!!
  

Yeah, that's all I have. I could sit here all day and think of the best of everything but 1) no one cares and 2) it's Friday and I don't feel like it!!

I am instead amusing myself today keeping track of the ass-kissing going on around me.

Another year is ending and one is beginning. Hopefully, this year I will:

• graduate from massage school
• pass the Ohio boards and become a licensed massage therapist
• quit my office job and do massage therapy full-time
• move back to the country
• welcome a new niece or nephew in May
• not go to my 15th high school reunion because that number just freaks me out

among other things...

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy New Year's and an even better and brighter 2006.

Erin, circa 1988

Here's a treat for you all - a picture my dad found of me, my freshman year in high school, for some dance (Sadie Hawkins maybe?). I believe my hair, while not as awful as some 80s hair, is crimped. Check out the scary wallpaper that lined the hallway in my parents' house. Doesn't it look just like flowers growing on a trellis? Yeah, no. Sadly, I thought I was so fat then and now I'm thinking "gee I was so skinny!"

So....the holidays.....went fairly well, considering. Didn't get too much family overload, not too much stuff. It was nice to see everyone, and of course there was good food to be had. Got a duplicate gift of something I bought for myself with a birthday gift card (my bad - it was still on my wishlist), but that only means I get to return it and have a bunch of money to spend at Best Buy. There are worse things, man...the dogs got some Greenies, the cats got some Pounce, A got some clothes, which is good, because he'll never buy them for himself and me buying him undershirts is a little too 50s housewife for me.

Back at work now, which is fairly quiet and no one is here. Looking forward to more short weeks this week and next. Of course, next week I'm back to school which means BYE BYE SOCIAL LIFE! If by "social life" you mean "free time", which I do.

Got the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack as a late birthday gift, which kicks ass.

Hope your holidays were good!!

Brokeback Mountain

I have to say, since I haven't already, I highly recommend Brokeback Mountain. I had the good fortune to see it in NYC when I was there (since it likely won't come to Athens for a while, if EVER). I had huge expectations going in and I was not disappointed. This movie is so touching and heartfelt, so quiet and beautiful. Run, don't walk, people, when it comes to your local theater.

I'm off for the holiday now! Have about 4 hours of work left (unless we get our early - please please!) and then I have a blissfull 4 days off! Of course, alot of it will be filled with family and overeating, but there will be presents too. Despite what people seem to think of me, I'm not totally anti-Christmas -- I object on principal to the fact that it's the only religious holiday that is also a federal holiday (shut up Bill O'Reilly), but I don't object to the general feeling of hope and goodwill people seem to have this time of year (those come in between the bouts of screaming at people in the stores and in the mall parking lot and the tearing out of hair thinking "What do I get Great Uncle Harry the Pervert?"). I do not object to gift-giving, but I do object to the required "I must get _________ something" that causes people to give me crap I don't want, can't use, and that they probably bought at my mortal enemy Wal-Mart . I would much rather people put their money to good use, donating to some worth causes in my name. Or do nothing, I don't care!

A and I are going to Rock N' Roll Karaoke at Casa tonight. Watch out world, here I come!! I've never done it before, and I'm not sure I'm going to get up and sing/embarrass myself. I will definitely tie a few on (don't have to work tomorrow, yay!) and see how it goes from there. A has to work in the morning, so I will have the pleasure of burrowing under the covers and laughing as he heads out into the cold, cruel world. Yes, I'm a mean wife, but he's gotten to stay in bed after me plenty of times in our 13+ years together, I can gloat just this one time! (I reserve the right to gloat Monday too).

Happy Holidays y'all!

It's the most wonderful time....of the year!

That is, the time of year with lots of free days off.

This week has been surprisingly busy at work, although since I'm off school, I have so much free time in the evenings it's lovely. Since I last wrote, we spent about $2,500 to replace our furnace, which isn't as big of a deal as it sounds. We had been meaning to do it since we moved in, but had just been too lazy. So our new furnace is 90%+ efficient, which should help on the heating bills.

Also since I last wrote, I won a pair of kick-ass new Dansko clogs on Ebay, scheduled a 90-minute massage tomorrow that will pay for them, and ate LOTS of chocolate. I must stop eating sugar. I'll stop next year, ha ha ha ha.

Recommended reading for today: Rolling Stone's The Magical Victory Tour Great commentary on Dubya's proclivities when it comes to explaining away what we're doing in Iraq. I love it because it calls Scott McClellan a "spokescreature". FUNNY.

Appropos of nothing, here's a cute picture of my cat, Finn. Love and kisses to you all!

Chipper Chipper Chipper

So I'm in somewhat of a festive mood today. Who knows why, maybe it's the prospect of 4-day weeks facing me for the next 3 weeks (yay!) but I'm chipper as....well, something chipper. Like a woodchipper maybe? Despite the fact that it's cold as hell and our furnace has stopped working!

My new favorite toy are my I [heart] the office stickers -- fun things like I [heart] new toner, painting my nails with whiteout, using my good looks to get to the top (currently gracing my monitor), answering the phone in a foreign accent and the flask in my bottom drawer. I went around and let everyone choose one. And I didn't stick the I [heart] kissing ass and I [heart] backstabbing on certain people's computers like I really wanted to!! Go me.

I'm currently listening to good music, updating my iPod and thinking about all of the CDs I burned on Friday instead of working. Keeping my eye on some Dansko clogs on Ebay and waiting for the furnace guy to call. Oh, and working too!

Jus enjoying being off of school for a while and actually having some free time. Had a great weekend, got to hang with my sweetie alot, read SO MUCH (finished 2 books in the last week and got 3 more at the libary on Saturday) and saw King Kong. Not as great as all the reviews I read, which convinced me to see it, but it was definitely good in some parts. EW has a great little piece on the best times to hit the bathroom, which I would have appreciated before I went to see it. The island part was super creepy, and I like Adrien Brody, despite his somewhat odd-looking face, but overall it was just way too long. I know, Peter Jackson, you think you couldn't have possibly cut anything else out, but next time you have that dilemma, call me. I can help you out.

Hope everyone is having a good Monday (is that an oxymoron?).

Could the weather BE any crappier?

The weather sucks today. It's cold and rainy, and there's still leftover snow and ice everywhere making it even more treacherous. I guess it could be worse -- could be much colder and freezing everywhere. Once again had a lovely egg & cheese for breakfast, but much later than yesterday, since I had to work on a proposal first thing. I had my coat on until 9am, does that tell you anything?

The week is almost over, for which I am grateful. Not that I ever really am, but I'm REALLY NOT in the holiday spirit this year. Being in school is becoming a trial, and I'm just so tired. The conspicuous consumerism of our country is never clearer to me 1) at the holidays and 2) when I go to New York City. I feel the greed trying to suck me under and sometimes I cannot resist. Just say no people! Stop buying shit!

Oh yeah, and Happy Holidays.

Individuality through conformity!

All I was trying to do was post a comment on someone else's blog and here I am with my very own. I have a very boring life and probably won't update this, but it's kind of fun having somewhere to post my thoughts. Of course, right now my mind is blank. Typical. Right now, my favorite things, in no particular order, are:

* Veronica Mars
* vacation days
* being out of school for the holiday break
* my new Happy Bunny mini sign book (Thanks Leslie!) Current sign: Not listening
* breakfast egg and cheese sandwiches
* The Colbert Report

My current pet peeves are:

* office coffee
* the fact that I'm not home sleeping
* super-cold weather (I'm tired of winter already - bad sign, considering it's December)
* Bill O'Reilly and his stupid-ass "War on Christmas"

Hope your holiday season is going well.