The Best Things In Life Are Free (maybe)

I was right about the rain!! It's been pouring since I woke up! I know I'm bragging about my weather-predicting prowess, but I have to. I'm so pleased that I'm getting better at reading the signs. The signs that the weather is changing. The signs that my body needs a little more attention. These are things that have almost always escaped me in the past.

I got another AMAZING gift. My boss knew that I've had the same cigarette case/wallet forever and that it's broken but I wanted another cigarette holder and I like asking for them as a gift because then it's extra special-- I'm just not into wallets. A month later (today), she brings me a new holder!! What an angelic boss I have!

Plus, it confirms my suspicions that if you wait, the things you want come for free! I know this probably isn't monumentally true, but did I not want a bed? A bookshelf? A side table? Did I not specifically want a chair and trashcan and then get them a few days later? Have I not been talking about my ipod desires for ages? And now the wallet?! I'm a very lucky lady.

For posterity, I did get a cold. However, I seem much better now than I did this morning... so hopefully it will be short lived. I just get scared when I start coughing up large pieces of mucus because... it takes forever to go away. And I run through my supply of fast food napkins that I keep in my glove compartment. And I can't sing. And I won't skip work unless I'm immobile (has never happened, obviously). But I'm optimistic at this moment!!

Sudden Temperature Drop / Hunger Games

Yesterday I went to work in a sleeveless dress that didn't even reach my knees. No sweatshirt or even a cardigan.

Last night I sat on my balcony in my thick slippers, my winter Boston hat, and my sweatshirt pulled tight around me. For the first time, I had to close my door before going to bed.

This morning: coat.

Plus, and I HATE to say this, but I know I'm getting a cold. I'm going to try REALLY hard to stifle it, but we'll see. I have the throat tickle, but no pain (yet?).

What just happened? Maybe the change snuck up on me because I was in unfamiliar houses for so long. It's hard to tell it's getting colder when you don't know how warm the place was before. Or else the season actually changed last night. And I know what this means-- rain! Soon! It's made me recognize my error in choosing a suede shoe for my brown outfits. I do have the spray to protect them, but surely in the actual rainy season no amount of spray will protect them.

In other news, while I'm still caught up in The Hunger Games, this second book is forcing me to see many more flaws. Actually, just one big flaw that's driving me nuts. I feel like Suzanne Collins is rushing through the books. It's lacking description. I don't really want to give things away, but why do I not know what the separate districts look like, what they're responsible for, as we're touring them? Why don't I get to hear DETAILED accounts of how Katniss' family and friends felt watching her during moments of the games? I love that the television aspect gives you an extra level: her being aware of being watched, her watching herself. But instead of hearing her own perspective twice, let's hear what others thought! And for god's sake, isn't this geared towards ladies? Why have I read the description "he told me how much he loves me" or "he proposed" so many times? WORDS! I need the WORDS!! What did he say??!! What did his face look like?! What the FUCK!

Also, even though Katniss isn't NEARLY as annoying as Bella in Twilight (sorry, but I'm rating this on a scale of Twilight to Harry Potter...), she sure doesn't pick up on verbal cues very well. If I'm reading from her perspective, why do I seem to know more than she does? At least about the people around her.

But I am enjoying it a lot! I like the levels that television adds. I like that I sincerely can't choose between her two boyfriends. I like that no one ever alluded to the fact that she couldn't win because she's a girl. That no one has been given lower odds because they're a girl. Plus, even though I think each book needs to swell with description to at least double it's current size, I can see the movie VERY clearly. If they do it right, and I think they will because I remember how HUGE it was when they started casting this, I think it could be really great.

In other other news, my mom sent me the BEST package:

1 inhaler

1 ipod

1 tub of eye cream

All of my favorite things! Although she did wrap the ipod around the eye cream box with medical tape to prevent it from breaking (this is a used ipod that she had around the house, btw). The medical tape made me feel nostalgic (at my house, medical tape is the tape you use. It's the tape available), but it also left the sticky residue on the ipod. I don't really care though, because I'm too excited about having an ipod again. I hope I learn to work it quickly. It looks a LOT like an iphone and it has a touch screen. I won't waste typing lamenting over touch screens or the fact that it might technically be able to get internet, which scares me.

Mostly, I'm just glad that it works! Although it has less memory than my old one and I had to go through my itunes unchecking 3GB of individual songs that I don't need. It was pretty boring. Plus, I had to decide whether I was going to take this opportunity to listen to some things I never hear, or if I'm going to stick with tunes I know and love. I chose the latter. I'd love to listen to new things, but I bet I won't. And I can always change things around if I'm feeling inspired.

The last thing I want to say is that while I was reading on Sunday, I kept getting the feeling that perhaps my days of being able to spontaneously abandon a whole day of activity in favor of reading a book may be limited.

Absorbed

I have been absorbed.

Saturday was regular. In fact, I woke up and decided to write down a list of what my perfect Saturday looks like (for that particular Saturday-- not monumentally). I did everything on the list:

- Got my Hunger Games books from the post office.

- Deposited my money and got quarters for laundry

- Went to target and got new sheets and a few other supplies (and I indulged in a new pillow... I love having like... 90 pillows on my bed even though I don't sleep with one under my head).

- Finished Zel (a favorite young adult book).

- Made a call.

Regular shit, is what I'm saying.

Sunday was SUPPOSED to be similar. I had laundry and grocery dreams. Returning library book dreams.

But instead I got ABSORBED by The Hunger Games. I ended up reading it cover to cover from 11am to 8pm. I sat on the balcony the entire time and as a result, I have an ass injury. I actually sat so long that it hurts to bend over. It probably doesn't help that the chair is plastic. This is impressive since I sit all day at work-- my ass should be able to take the long hours. (I did reflect on the uselessness of spending one of my only days that I COULD be moving around, sitting and reading-- exactly what I do at work)

Regardless of how good it is (better than Twilight, less annoying than Twilight, but closer to Twilight than Harry Potter in brilliance.. which is just fine with me), there is nothing better than an addictive book series. All of yesterday I thanked my fate that Katherine bought me these books because waiting to return to the library would have been torture.

Home!

HOME!!!

Did I mention that I was sleeping with dogs that had fleas for the last 3 weeks?! It was terribly disconcerting. And sad for them because they wanted to snuggle but I didn't want to make any fur-to-hair contact. I didn't get fleas, though, to be clear.

And NOW? Home to my roommate who lovingly serves me spanakopita, pizza minis, hot wings, and fontina cheese balls while I'm on the balcony sipping a nice, room temperature Corona. Home to the two shirts and one pair of pants that I didn't pack. Home to my mail and my incense and my assloads of lotions. And probably most importantly, home to the fact that I don't have to be home at least once every five hours-- I do what I want, again!

2 spinoff points:

1. Corina and my favorite scent is Egyptian Musk. I THOUGHT I just like the scent of incense in general, but it's actually just that one smell that I like best. Corina identified an oil with the same smell and our master plan is a procurement of said oil, followed by some decorative smearing of it all over everything in our house. I want people to consider our apartment both sweet smelling, and well-lubricated. Dream combination.

2. After merely looking after 2 dogs at a time for 2 months (6 dogs total (posterity)), I already see how the less responsibility you have at home, the better. With an influx of approximately one JILLION people suddenly becoming engaged (actually over months, but it FEELS sudden since time has sped up 10x in the past two years...), and me reeling over my feelings about it, it's nice to realize that I'm not even ready to lose any freedom to DOGS-- I'm just not there yet.

Vicky

Check out this webseries that I worked on and that my boss executive produced. It stars Olesya Rulin from High School Musical (she is also an angelic person in real life).

http://www.queenvicky.com/

More Pilot Analysis

Medium accomplishments this weekend.

Failed to do anything about Colorado. Well... I did ONE thing. I bought a jacket. I haven't owned a jacket since high school, so it's kind of a big deal. Mostly, I do NOT want to get to CO and bitch about being cold constantly. And I know that it will be an impossible urge to suppress because I thought I was dying when we got down to 46 degrees last year. I like this jacket, though. It's got some peacoat qualities, without screaming "fancy" at you.

Helped Jasmine move. It was actually a pretty short process (for me-- they have a bit to go yet). The most amazing part was transporting a fridge from the truck to her kitchen with 3 girls and NO RAMP ON THE TRUCK. I gave a get-pumped speech ahead of time, explaining that women are strong and that this will be a landmark of braggery if we can do it. And we did!!

On a POSSIBLY related note, I feel like I have bruises all over my body. On my legs they're visible, but it's possible that what I perceive to be bruises on my arms and shoulders are just muscle aches. I don't think this should have happened, not because I can boast about being in any sort of shape, but because I JUST moved WAY more stuff a few months ago and I felt golden at the end. Not even a whiff of back pain (still no back pain, which I find miraculous... almost sinfully amazing).

Watched:

Parenthood ep. 2. LOVED IT. I LOVE Jason Ritter on that show! I loved it so much that I had to go re-watch specific moments with Kevin over the phone. Bah! This will be my favorite series this season.

Free Agents pilot. I liked it. I'm torn because Hank Azaria can do some really wonderful nuanced faces and it makes him a GREAT, subtle leading man, but it also makes me feel like he's being wasted by being the straight character. I'm not sold on the Kathryn Hahn yet, although I remember her being great in How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I'll have to check out ep. 2.

2 Broke Girls pilot. The Kat Dennings character reminds me of Roseanne, which I WOULD love (I fucking LOVE Roseanne-- I don't even care) except that Roseanne had a family and a husband to support and there was a reason why she was so bitter. Kat is just being annoying. Mostly it was hokey and unless they give me SOMETHING I haven't seen or at least better disguise something I have seen, there's no reason to watch it. That said, it will probably fit in with the other CBS sitcoms wonderfully.

Up All Night ep. 2. Great. Still funny. Will Arnett had a little theme about ironic things that I HOPE was just for this episode. Also, the plot line in general is one that I don't usually see. And I saw more Cannon this time, but it was sparse yet again, and not annoying.

The Office season premiere. I'm blind with The Office. I cannot give an unbiased opinion. I thought it was good. Pam is pregs again. James Spader's name is now officially in my personal actor catalogue.

Whitney pilot. Didn't love it. Mostly because I don't need to watch a show about a neurotic, annoying white woman. I see them all the time in really life and that's not the kind of humor I want to encourage women to have. Kristen Wiig please. Kristen Wiig/ Tina Fey humor please. Also, while I don't monumentally despise laugh tracks, at the beginning of this show it was really uncomfortable because the jokes weren't very funny.

Run Down

Last weekend of housesitting. Wednesday is my last day. I'm so relieved, even though it's been great. ESPECIALLY my visitor, who has been magical and inspiring and everything I'd hoped. It's a terrible tragedy that I can't think of anything to write about it that doesn't seem too personal.

Corina and I decided to really dig into nesting in our apartment. Our schedules are crazy though, so we had to book time in advance. October 9- Nesting. We're getting some rugs and HOPEFULLY some sort of table that you can eat at. We're also getting a free TV this weekend. Sweet.

I'm helping Jasmine move this weekend, probably due to my addiction to moving.

Reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. It's a preaching-to-the-choir scenario. I'll probably stop as soon as either The Hunger Games arrives in the mail (courtesy of the ever-wonderful Katherine) or Zel comes in the mail ($4 ($0.01 without shipping) impulse buy). Hopefully The Hunger Games comes first because I'm in the mood for an addictive series (hence the Twilight explosion I recently had).

I went to the Hot in Cleveland taping. It was INCREDIBLE. Mostly because when I got there, I suddenly remembered how fucking HARD I wanted to watch a sitcom being filmed only a few years ago when I thought it would never ever happen. I'd watch the special features on my Friends DVDs and dream of getting to see that experience in person. And not only did I get to see the taping, but I got to be back stage! 15 feet (truthful best approximation) away from Betty White! Talking to her manager. Eating their shrimp cocktail and guacamole! While normally such situations would make me vastly uncomfortable because I don't have anyone to talk to, in that instance, I was overjoyed to just stand and observe silently. Forever. It was a real happy-gasm.

Things that are relevant to me:

-Jon Stewart is on the cover of Rolling Stone. I bought it. I'm not finished with the article yet. I will put it on our coffee table next to the Bob Dylan issue of Rolling Stone, thus making it the most entertaining coffee table ever (for a niche audience of one...).

-The new season of The Office premiered yesterday. I didn't watch it because I didn't want to wait until 9pm, so I Tivoed it and will watch it tonight. Jenna Fischer is CRAZY pregnant and she said something about her story arc and I wasn't sure if she was kidding or not. Very curious.

-On a related note, Whitney also premiered after The Office yesterday. I Tivoed that as well.

-On another related note, it is a small tragedy that Steve Carrell never got an Emmy for The Office. I think it's because he made it look effortless.