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?

Which guy are you destined to have sex with?
brought to you by Quizilla


Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

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.

What Type of Seducer are You?
created by polite_society

Which Sesame Street Muppet's Dark Secret Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

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.