What Type Of Retro Gal Are You?
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twas the day before the night before christmas
and all through the office
the people were fleeing
save this congressional novice

finishing up her last day
taking calls like she should
vickie realized she'd be home
in just a few hours, yes, she would

this morning she packed up her suitcase
squeezed in her presents with care
with the hope that when she arrived in albany
her bags would also be there

the senator offered her wishes
of holiday cheer
and she sent them right back to him
the lovely old dear

who had given her two weeks
to relax and to play
and enjoy some time in new england
without docking her pay

so now she just waits
for the office to close
then to grab all her luggage
and head to the airport to doze

for a couple of hours
til her airplane arrives
and she looks for a window seat
and the plane takes off and it flies

to albany airport
where she'll see her fam
then hop in the car
get home and BAM!

it'll be christmas as normal
with her family about
just know that she wants to
jump around, scream and shout

"merry christmas to you!
for it's time for great joy
holiday wishes to all of you,
blog readers, each girl and each boy.

may your holidays be lovely
may you want for naught.
and may you realize
all the blessings you've got."

so with that thought she prepares
for her journey away
and cannot wait to see you
in the upcoming days!

so chris presented all of us in the office with the opportunity to donate money to a slew of charitable organizations through participation in the 2002 cfc drive, and i decided to participate. so i'm giving back to the kennedy center, if only in my own small way--it's a way of saying thank you for everything i was able to experience through actf and, as a result of actf, the o'neill...it's not a lot, by any means, but at least it's something, right?

and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

i haven't been looking forward to today--december 20--because it marks the two-year anniversary of my good friend lexi's death. i remember being at work on the night of the 19th, making salads out back, and looking up to see someone who looked just like lexi standing at the counter. upon second glance, i knew it wasn't her.

that evening, i took out my tongue ring--which, two years earlier, lexi had gone with me to get. she, lucas and becca were there as my moral support as i went through with the piercing.

and then, the next day, i found out.

so here it is, two years later, and i miss lex a great deal. i woke up this morning and saw that it was raining, and i found that appropriate--fit the mood i thought i'd be in. but i discovered that it was a warm rain (shocking to have warmth around here in december!) and rather light, so it actually made the walking experience very pleasant. i've had a series of incredibly friendly encounters with strangers today (including one guy offering to share his umbrella with me as we walked to work, which i thought was sweet) and am, while admittedly sad and nostalgic, in a great mood because i know lexi's smiling down on me and looking out for me today.

it's just as her friend said at the funeral--when i'm upset that i can't hold her, i can remember that she's holding me. and today just goes to show that she does.

the holiday party last night was a great deal of fun...tons of amazing food, lots of alcohol and, of course, the skit--which was a ton of fun. my hunter green toga made me look like the statue of liberty, which i found incredibly funny. the fact that the togas started falling off halfway through the skit was even funnier (yes, we were fully clothed underneath). i finally experienced "real" egg nog--i'm so glad my first experience was with clara's batch (she made a virgin version and a spiked version--naturally i went for the spiked). there was some delicious wine, otter creek ales and magic hat beer (come on, we're vermont peeps! there needed to be some magic hat action going on), and then tables of food--four or five lasagnas, stuffed shells, clara's famous meatballs, turkey, chicken, ham, salmon, veggies, casseroles, legal seafood clam chowder, salad, rolls and bread, and then desserts of so many different kinds...my brownies were a success, as they were all gone in no time, i am proud to say!

just a good time had by all.

and then today, senator lott steps down as incoming majority leader...i didn't think he's step down so soon, particularly not on a friday, when it'll be all over the news all weekend...whoa!

:: how jedi are you? ::

hells yeah, be-atch.

ok, the craziness of today has kept things at a nice, brisk pace. we have the office holiday party after work this evening, so i've gotten a quick refresher course in quasi-stage management as we prepare the "not quite ready for capitol hill players" for the annual skit--this year's creation being "party animal house--the classic movie as told through the eyes of democrats (delta epsilon mu)." fun times--a chance to be wacky and play--not to mention wear a toga!

at the moment, i have a stack of flags next to me, the stack of books i've borrowed from the library of congress stacked on top of them. the various little gifts i've received over the past couple of months (some good ol' green mountain coffee, some french soaps and the cutest little suncatcher--marit is such a sweetheart) rest by the phone, a stack of scripts and clips are to my right, and i'm just focusing on the computer and phone in front of me, occasionally reaching for my bottle of water. ignoring the basket of candy at the front of my desk, since i know of the goodness that awaits me down in the judiciary hearing room...

while it's been hectic, while i've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off, while i'm ready to jump off a bridge, i just tell myself that i have about an hour and a half until good food, alcohol and a performance. which all makes it A-OK.

books i've acquired for my vacation time (again, courtesy of the lovely people at the library of congress):
- letters home by sylvia plath (still reading it--took a brief "chamber of secrets" pause)
- the diary of virginia woolf, volumes one and two (sylvia mentioned it so much that i thought i had to give it a shot)
- harry potter and the goblet of fire (i know this is skipping a book, but i can't get the third book yet and getting this one is a rarity within the library--so i don't know if i'm going to read out of order or not--but i think i will).

and i have a couple of other requests in place, which i'm hoping come through for me--ah...books. how i love them and am enjoying my reunion with them.

in fine tradition, since the golden globes noms came out this morning, i will now make my predictions...

MOTION PICTURE AWARDS

Best Picture Drama
''About Schmidt''
''Gangs of New York''
''The Hours''
''Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers''
''The Pianist''

while i'd love to see "the two towers" take it home (and hope it does), i expect "gangs of new york" to take it home. everyone's all about giving scorcese the honors this year--and with the struggle that he went through to bring the film to audiences, i bet "gony" will get it.

Best Picture Musical or Comedy
''About a Boy''
''Adaptation''
''Chicago''
''My Big Fat Greek Wedding''
''Nicholas Nickleby''

"chicago." with the far shot being "my big fat greek wedding."

Best Actor in a Drama
Adrien Brody, ''The Pianist''
Michael Caine, ''The Quiet American''
Daniel Day-Lewis, ''Gangs of New York''
Leonardo DiCaprio, ''Catch Me If You Can''
Jack Nicholson, ''About Schmidt''

everyone's saying nicholson gives his best performance since "one flew...". i bet he'll nab it.

Best Actress in a Drama
Salma Hayek, ''Frida''
Nicole Kidman, ''The Hours''
Diane Lane, ''Unfaithful''
Julianne Moore, ''Far From Heaven''
Meryl Streep, ''The Hours''

i've heard amazing things about julianne moore in "far from heaven" and really want to see it. i put my money on her.

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy
Nicolas Cage, ''Adaptation''
Kieran Culkin, ''Igby Goes Down''
Jack Nicholson, ''Chicago''
Adam Sandler, ''Punch-Drunk Love''

probably sandler, although i want kieran culkin to get it.

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy
Maggie Gyllenhall, ''Secretary''
Goldie Hawn,''The Banger Sisters''
Nia Vardalos, ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding''
Renée Zellweger, ''Chicago''
Catherine Zeta-Jones, ''Chicago''

with the transformation she supposedly goes through in this role, i predict zellweger.

Best Supporting Actor
Chris Cooper, ''Adaptation''
Ed Harris, ''The Hours''
Paul Newman, ''Road to Perdition''
Dennis Quaid, ''Far From Heaven''
John C. Reilly, ''Chicago''

dennis quaid.

Best Supporting Actress
Kathy Bates, ''About Schmidt''
Cameron Diaz, ''Gangs of New York''
Queen Latifah, ''Chicago''
Susan Sarandon, ''Igby Goes Down''
Meryl Streep, ''Adaptation''

hmmm...i'm going to go with cameron diaz here.

Best Director
Stephen Daldry, ''The Hours''
Peter Jackson, ''Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers''
Spike Jonze, ''Adaptation''
Rob Marshall, ''Chicago''
Alexander Payne, ''About Schmidt''
Martin Scorsese, ''Gangs of New York''

again, i WANT peter jackson to get it, but i think it'll go to scorsese

TELEVISION AWARDS

Best Drama Series
''The Shield''
''Six Feet Under''
''The Sopranos''
''24''
''The West Wing''

west wing.

Best Musical or Comedy Series
''Curb Your Enthusiasm''
''Friends''
''Sex and the City''
''The Simpsons''
''Will & Grace''

friends

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Michael Chiklis, ''The Shield''
James Gandolfini, ''The Sopranos''
Peter Krause, ''Six Feet Under''
Martin Sheen, ''The West Wing''
Kiefer Sutherland, ''24''

kiefer sutherland

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Edie Falco, ''The Sopranos''
Jennifer Garner, ''Alias''
Rachel Griffiths, ''Six Feet Under''
Marg Helgenberger, ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''
Allison Janney, ''The West Wing''

edie falco

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy
Larry David, ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''
Matt Leblanc, ''Friends''
Bernie Mac, ''The Bernie Mac Show''
Eric McCormack, ''Will & Grace''
Tony Shalhoub, ''Monk''

matt leblanc

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series
Jennifer Aniston, ''Friends''
Bonnie Hunt, ''Life With Bonnie''
Jane Kaczmarek, ''Malcolm in the Middle''
Debra Messing, ''Will & Grace''
Sarah Jessica Parker, ''Sex and the City''

jennifer aniston

Which Jason Mraz song are you?
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change of plans. i think you'll be pleasantly surprised. i am!

due to the generosity of my employer, the office is closed after 12/23. this means that i do not have to work on 12/27, which means i am flying home late-night 12/23. christmas will be spent in massachusetts like traditionally (yahooo!!!!), and, because that doesn't affect any of my holiday days that i'd already scheduled, i'm still coming back on 1/5.

you may comment and express your pleasure. :)

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you know what time it is...

personality tests! because, of course, i'm doing something fun (relatively speaking) before i begin a shitload of work.

my prison bitch name is mouth-mangler. hmm...





Which Peanuts Character Are You Quiz

If they told you I'm mad, then they lied. I'm odd, but it isn't compulsive. I'm the triolet, bursting with pride; If they told you I'm mad, then they lied. No, it isn't obsessive. Now hide All the spoons or I might get convulsive. If they told you I'm mad then they lied. I'm odd, but it isn't compulsive. What Poetry Form Are You?

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I am the Natural Childhood is the golden paradise we are always consciously or unconsciously trying to re-create. The Natural embodies the longed-for qualities of childhood - spontaneity, sincerity, unpretentiousness. In the presence of Naturals, we feel at ease, caught up in their playful spirit, transported back to that golden age. Adopt the pose of the Natural to neutralize people's defensiveness and infect them with helpless delight. Symbol: The Lamb. So soft and endearing. At two days old the lamb can gambol gracefully; within a week it is playing "Follow the Leader." Its weakness is part of its charm. The Lamb is pure innocence, so innocent we want to possess it, even devour it.

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HAHAHAHAHA.

i want the jason mraz button. i love that they're actually mass-producing these. (for those without extensive mraz-knowledge, he's sported one of these numerous times, except without the whole "jason mraz" bit on it, obviously).

this absolutely tickles me.

so once again the loc comes through with flying colors--now that i'm finishing up the sylvia plath book, i have "harry potter and the chamber of secrets" to enjoy. hurrah!

lord of the rings opens on wednesday. i wonder when i'll actually get a chance to see it. i am giddy with anticipation...

ok, i got an email from someone i apparently knew from high school (it was forwarded to me from my proctor alumni email address) named melissa, but there's no last name, so i don't know which melissa this would be. and apparently i'm on an alumni page with her sister--???? if i knew who the hell it was, i'd love to drop a line and say hello--but it's a mystery to me...

there is now a basket of previously mentioned hershey's candy on my desk. mmm...

so this week will be ridiculously hectic, but fun--i hope! tonight i have to complete a couple of projects, as well as pick up some scoped-out presents (the lines yesterday were ridiculous!), as well as pick up christmas food & candy (the ingredients for the cake i'm making for the party as well as goodies for the fam's christmas stockings). tomorrow, depending on how ambitious i am, i'll possibly bake a "trial run" of my cake (i'm actually pretty confident, however, so i think i'll just make the one wednesday night), as well as work on some projects--by saturday (at the latest--hoping for earlier), i hope to have everything finished--which means i'll even have a couple of days to relax in stress-free pre-christmas revelry.

we just had a ten-pound tin of various hershey products delivered to the office--a gift for the staff. kisses, lil' bars, mini peanut butter cups, etc. i've never seen such a large container of chocolate products in my life. when we opened it, the smell of chocolate and peanut butter filled the room--and this coming from the girl who has a stuffed-up nose.

how nice! nothing like the thought of goodies to bring smiles to the faces of the staff.

the cold that has been taunting me for about two weeks has finally arrived in full force.

ugh. sneezing and my head feels woozy.

tea is my friend.

ali and i said we were going out tonight--i've been looking forward to it all week, and now i'm wishing i could just stay in bed with a bowl of soup, a movie and tea.

but i need to get out and rejoin the human race, so i will go out this evening.

ugh. colds suck.

i haven't been writing nearly as much as i think my soul needs me to. it's hard, though--i feel like, in many respects, i'm just going through the process of doing what i need to do to get by and there isn't anything exciting or pressing to write about.

but perhaps that in itself is worthy of writing about. not here where others can see it, obviously, just on paper, in my mind and heart--a chance for me to pour out what i'm feeling--or, in this case--figure out precisely what i'm feeling. in many respects, i'm being very quiet--not saying a lot, not expressing a lot--and i'm becoming quiet towards myself as well.

ever feel as if a situation is at such a place where the cards are being dealt, you look down at your hand, and you know that something's going to happen, one way or the other--if's just a matter of figuring out when precisely the right moment to play the hand is?

i'm like that right now. something's going to change.

still no dr. pepper lip smacker. i'll just have to wait until i go shopping on saturday. c'est la vie.

i started reading "catch me if you can" on my way home from work last night and have been tearing through it--i'm about 2/3 of the way through the book. talk about a fascinating life...i highly recommend reading it. amusing, shocking and an all-around fun read. i'm looking forward to seeing the film.

it's an all-around miserable day today, at least as far as the weather's concerned. ice, rain, sleet--general nastiness. schools are closed (why, you ask? i have no idea), channel 4 is broadcasting all morning about the "storm" and it's just so overblown and ridiculous...i'm not a fan of how the people down here completely overreact when it comes to this stuff.

my search continues. i stopped by the cvs by my apartment on the way home from work yesterday to see if i could find a dr. pepper lip smacker, but alas, there was no dr. pepper goodness available. however, hope is not lost yet. on my way home from work tonight, i'll be stopping by the cvs farther up the street to see if they happen to have it (it's a larger store, so i'm optimistic). and, worst case scenario, i'll probably find it at target when i head back out to wheaton this weekend for holiday shopping. i just don't want to wait until saturday, that's all...

but whatever. the loc has been good to me today, dropping off two books for me (sylvia plath's letters home and "catch me if you can") and i have the early shift today, so i get to hit up the metro, see if i can find said lip smacker (i swear, by the time i do find it, it'll be built up in my mind to ridiculous proportions), head home and get my running in for the evening. and then relax.

ah...i'm almost there.

ok, not only is mraz playing at iota once, but he is playing there twice. within a week. i am going to have two opportunities to enjoy yummy mraz goodness. HOW EXCITED AM I?!??!!?!

today is one of those days where running will be a stress-release more than anything else. aurgh.

now, thanks to mraz, i have an urge to buy some dr. pepper lip smacker. i think i'm making a stop at cvs on my way home...(check out his road journal if you're confused).

ok, my random dream from last night.

i'm at my high school, still a student at my high school. we're all sitting at long tables in the gymnasium during what we discover is an assembly about new policy changes at the school. while i'm aware of the fact that i'm a student there, i'm at my present age, as are the other students. some people i haven't thought about in years are there, as well as some people i didn't know during high school.

the administration informs us that there is going to be a sweeping effort to improve the calibur of student at the school so, as a result, they are taking away our freedom to show creativity and individuality. no freedom of expression. no art, no music, no creative writing--strictly the rote math, english, history and science necessary to fulfil the new requirements the state has established. go to school, memorize the information in the textbooks, excel on tests. that's it.

the scary thing being that many of the students were prepared to blindly accept this. "it's what they need to do, so it's what we need to do," i hear. i, however, am outraged and stand up and protest the changes. "what do you people want of us?" i ask. "to blindly follow the paths you've selected for us without letting our interests, our passions, our dreams play any part in it? you're taking away our personalities, for christ's sake! this is absolutely absurd and we can't accept it!"

i hear a few people murmering their agreement, and the principal gives me a condescending smile and thanks me for my input before asking if anyone else has an opinon they'd like the share. she then calls on lars (who i knew was lars, but looked just like jason mraz--i know, random), who stands and says he agrees with me--that personalities are crucial to development and that taking away the arts takes away our lives--etc. etc.

finally, christina (a girl i actually went to high school with) comes over to me and whispers about how we should do something, so we plan a walkout for later in the afternoon, where we'll meet up at the skating rink just off school grounds and protest.

then i woke up.

???????

in other news, i keep seeing "sweet november" when i flip through the channels--and i love charlize theron's hair in it. which isn't good when one is fighting the urge to cut one's hair. i know i'm at least holding off until i go home after christmas--not only will it save me money (haircuts are so bloody expensive down here), but perhaps between now and then, i'll realize why i love having my hair so long (or something). so i'm going to spend some time looking at some hairstyles and figure out what, if anything, i want to do...

ok, today is a day to file in the "completely random" section...

i'm out of here for the day in ten minutes, so i will be brief, but will go into more detail tomorrow.

today i sat in on the senator's interview with cnn (go proactive vickie!), found out that i'll finally get to see jason mraz (in less than a month, no less! revelrevelrevelrevelrevel!) then was asked to be interviewed for wcax, then had a gorgeous group photo taken with the senator with a view of the snowy capitol in the background (also my first photo with the senator), then was interviewed for wcax. and today was supposed to be a ridiculously slow day...instead i'm sitting here going, "what?!?!?"

but we're being let out today at 3, which means i can go home, go running, take a nice hot shower, throw on some jeans and a sweater, then head over to erica and carrie's for some relaxation and, if i'm feeling up for it, a little alcohol consumption. but regardless, some time to chill, relax and be around people. i'm a fan of this.

i'm just going to be shaking my head at this day for the rest of the evening...

ok, for those of you who can get WCAX, apparently you should keep your eyes peeled this evening for some dc love on the news...there's going to be a story about how dc can't hang (when it comes to snow, that is) and they want to talk to vermonters about what it's like to see everyone freaking out over what we'd all consider a light dusting. so i was asked if i wanted to be interviewed. i find this hysterical. if i make the cut, don't laugh at me too much and keep in mind that i don't look like my sparkling self because i'm getting a little sick!

I AM GOING TO SEE MRAZ ON JANUARY 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he's playing at iota in arlington. and i cannot wait.

it's absolutely gorgeous outside!!! nice fluffy snow is falling hard and steady, and i can't even see the monument from our window. it's a total winter wonderland and i loved trapsing my way through the white stuff on my way to work this morning, bundled up and feeling nice and cozy. i told ted that i thought of it as "frolicking snow"--personally, i find that to be a very suitable description.

meanwhile, everyone in the city is freaking out. all of the area schools are closed (including the dc schools, who had said they would keep the schools open, only to change their mind around 7:30--not exactly the smartest of moves, as most of the kids were either there or on their way there--these washingtonians can't deal with snow, obviously), and most offices are either closed or open with administrative leave (if you can't get in or don't want to risk it, stay home). the government is open, and our office is open with a similar outlook--if you can't get here, don't try. but we're hearty vermonters, and of course we're going to be here!

luke just came in, shook our hands and welcomed us home. it's true--i feel like i could just as easily be somewhere at home or oncampus or something...nothing like the feeling of wrapping a scarf around your neck, pulling on a knit hat and lacing up the boots--this makes me happy!!!

the only negative thing is that i'm catching a cold--i was all sneezy last night, which was, obviously, not fun. but i curled up in my fleece blanket, cupped a mug of hot sugar plum spice tea and watched orlando--i mean, the lord of the rings special, of course...good times.

and now i sit here, at work safe and sound, again nursing a mug of tea and armed with a nice soft courderoy blazer in case i get chilly--life is good this morning.

8 p.m. tonight on the WB: return to middle earth.

what? orlando bloom on my television? however will i be able to stand it? hehehehehehe...

in other news, i think i pulled a muscle in my right leg. or at least it's a little strained at the moment. we'll see how bad it is when i try running tonight. eek...

i find this incredibly humorous. the washington area is anticipating four to eight inches of snow tonight and tomorrow morning. not a big deal, right? HA! washingtonians are freaking out. people are stocking up at grocery stores, getting enough stuff to be prepared for nuclear winter, let alone just a good snowfall. it means there's a possibility that the government could shut down tomorrow, which could be fun--i haven't had a snow day in eons and would love the chance to curl up with a movie and fill out some holiday cards or something. or maybe explore and take some winter photos of the city--that would be nice! i can't help but laugh at the fact that the rest of the city is panicking while my fellow vermonters here are psyched about the possibility of being able to go sledding.

i had my first experience eating chanukkah food last night--alison served me some of her potato latkes. mmm...they were tasty.

still rather tired, but certainly doing better than yesterday. looking forward to running tonight and going shopping for some christmas decorations. not to mention that i need to look up some recipies for holiday food, as i want to prepare a christmas dinner for the fam when they're here...

guster sold out. *whimper*

words cannot describe how tired i am this morning. i'm like a zombie, just kind of blankly staring at my computer screen. it's the classic "you're not tired the day after a long stressful day, you're tired the day after that." i fell asleep between 9:45-10 last night and slept like a rock, only to wake up when my alarm went off, with a charlie horse like you wouldn't believe. and it was lurking all morning, taunting me. "hehehe, i'll get you, my pretty! nothing like some pain to wake a girl up, eh? bwahahahaha!"

so i'm sitting here, trying to wake up and be functional (or at least look it). i'm also trying to figure out what the deal is with guster tickets--whether or not there are any available, to be precise. if not, i'm not overly upset, as my bed is looking awfully tempting right now as it is. but i'm hoping to be able to go--it's about time i went to a show, dammit! if i don't, i think i'll spend thursday either stopping by front page or making my way to the grog & tankard in georgetown to catch tar beach band's show--anyone heard them before? any good? i stumbled across their site and was rather intrigued by what i read...

oy. it's going to be a loooooong day. not to mention that they're predicting five or six inches of snow this week--and washington, i hear, does NOT respond well to snow. everything shuts down at what we new englanders would view as a light dusting...this could be interesting. ;)

i am in a fantastic mood today and have no idea why (the story that follows will explain). it feels great to be back in the office, working my first day of the holiday season and trying to figure out how to get my check card to work so i can buy myself a ticket to guster for tomorrow night (i decided to treat myself--besides, the venue doesn't seem too out of the way, so i can be confident going without getting, like, killed or anything).

i greatly enjoyed my time in vermont, so let me begin with positive, sunny stories. well, maybe not sunny, as it was snowy or rainy for most of my time up north. and COLD! mom was joking that i've become southernized--i say not so much, i'm always cold, but mabye she had a point. not that i'd admit that to her, though...hehehe. so i spent a majority of the time shivering and wearing gloves, huddling under blankets, etc. etc.

i also spent a great deal of the time working, which was pleasant, contrary to what you might think. my fam was working, so i figured that would be a great way to spend time with them, socialize with a bunch of the work people and make money at the same time. why not, right? i can definitely deal with a few shifts there--i walk back in and take hold of the reigns again, as if i'd never left (well, actually, the reigns are handed right over to me, it's amusing), then i go back to my other life. can't complain...

thanksgiving was nice and enjoyable--good to see the fam, good to enjoy a tasty homecooked meal, etc. etc. my aunt always makes my brother this chocolate dream pie that he loves and my grandmother made my father the squash pie he loves, so i jokingly grumbled about how no one ever thinks to make my favorite pie--at which point my grandmother, aunt and mother all looked at me and asked, "hey, what type of pie do you like, anyway???" thanks, loving family!!! my mother finally remembered my love of all things lemon mereingue and avoided a huge guilt trip provided by yours truly. but then i had to assure my grandmother that i don't want a lemon mereingue pie made for me for holiday dinners, as i was only teasing. i've never been a big fan of eating pie for the sake of eating pie--i generally will have a piece of blueberry or apple or something, but i'm never crazy about it. for me, Pie is either cherry (yum), lemon mereingue or warm, homemade apple pie. when it comes to apple pie, i'm a snob. none of the store-bought, thank you very much--except for if it's dutch apple and someone's heated it up. then it can be really tasty. and i keep meaning to try pumpkin pie, but it never happens, for various and sundry reasons...but anyway. too early (and too much time until lunch) to further examine the world of pies...

anyway, the rest of the weekend was enjoyable--was able to catch up with becca and whatnot, which made me happy--and then sunday came and i had to prepare to go home. i worked until noon, then hopped into the car and drove to the mall to continue my search for a pair of jeans. i had been looking for what i thought was an easy pair of jeans to find: dark hipsters with a minimal flare. none of this fancy stuff. no pink piping, no embroidery, no distressing--just jeans. but they were nowhere to be found! so i found myself with two hours to find said jeans, get home, finish packing and be ready to head to the airport when my parents got home.

so i'm at the mall and, lo and behold, i find the jeans. they're great, i look good in them, they have the one acceptable form of distressing (the little crinkly lines on the front where it appears that the jeans wrinkled when you sit down), and best, they're on sale for $19.99. $40 jeans for half the price? it's a sign from the gods that i was right in not buying any other pair. so i go up to the register, deal with the woman who cut in front of me and finally place my jeans on the counter so the cashier can say, "that's $29.99, please."

??? nope, it was on the rack that said $19.99, which i explain to her. she asks me to show her the rack, so i do. and i show her the other jeans of the same style and price that are also on the rack. i'm expecting to get my $20 deal here! but she tells me that they are the jeans on the wall, which are on sale for $29.99. so i inform her that she, or someone else, should really take this huge mass of jeans off the rack that's advertising falsely because they should be $19.99. and i'm fully expecting the typical protocol--that i'll get my deal because i've shown her how it's expected.

but nooooo, she doesn't. and i don't have time to haggle over it or speak to a supervisor because i'm late. so i'm a bitch to her (only slightly, and, as beth put it, "the vickie version of being a bitch") and leave. but i intend to complain!

so then i have a voicemail from beth, saying that she's grocery shopping in rutland, so i head to the store to see if i can find her. i see her as soon as i walk in and we stand, like the cool gals we are, in the produce section and talk for awhile. yay--got to see bethy while i was home!!! so that brought me joy.

then i run home, pack and wait for the folks, who were running late. aurgh. but we pack up the car and head to the airport and chill until it's time for me to head to my gate. i hop on plane, read the first act of "the intention of love" (another stoppard gem), and arrive at bwi. after waiting forever for my luggage, i haul everything through the crowded airport to the bus stop, where a bus should arrive at 9:40.

the 9:40 doesn't show. after my hour of waiting in 26 degree weather (did i mention how i'm always cold anyway?), the 10:20 shows up and opens its doors to a huge mass of really pissed off people. luckily, i got a spot on the bus (granted, standing, but at that point i wasn't complaining) and rode it to the metro. where i hopped onto the train and waited twenty minutes for the metro to start moving. rode it to the stop at which i change lines and waited in the cold for ten minutes for the next train to arrive. i got to my stop on the last train of the night, was told to go to a different exit because the gate was being locked (ok, we pause for a slight tirade. i am lugging two wheeling suitcases, have a backpack on my back, am cold and frustrated. the gate wasn't closed yet. do you think the guy could have let me through? but noooo!), so i have to walk all over the place to get back to my apartment around 12:10. i was ready to cry.

but i got back in one piece and woke up today in a great mood (although exhausted). made myself a cup of my sugar plum spice tea (which i found in vt and LOVE), got ready for work and headed in for the day with a smile on my face and the new live dmb cd (disc 2) playing on my discman. happiness for me.