one more day

I've almost reached the end of my NaBloPoMo posting for June. I've come close, but haven't quite posted every day. I'm thinking that I won't attempt again until the winter time, when I have less to do and more time on my hands. But for now, I think I've done pretty well.

I'll post more tomorrow about my goals for July and how I've done in terms of accomplishing my June goals. Unless I can add another 50 hours to tomorrow, I won't be able to get everything done. Still, I'm pretty happy with what I've accomplished this month, given all of the stuff going on at work and at home.

I'm going to go to bed now. An 11-hour day at work today and two 12+ hour days tomorrow and Wednesday are already making me tired, irritable, and on edge. Not enough beauty sleep in the world to remedy that combination, I'm afraid.

quick question

Why is it that no one seems to think it odd that Michael Jackson JUST died and images of him dressed up as a zombie dancing around are plastered all over the TV? The man is dead and we delight in watching him pretend to be the living dead. Not sure that sits well with me.

new from better than ezra

I'm excited to finally be able to view YouTube videos from my home internet connection without having to wait 1/2 hour for them to buffer.

I am also excited to pick up Better Than Ezra's new album, now in stores. I have liked this band since high school and they haven't had a hit in a few years, but I still like them nonetheless.

Here's their latest video, for the song "Absolutely Still." I'm not too impressed with the production value, but the song is good. It fits their formula and isn't too much different than their other music. I find their music comforting and it always seems to fit my mood, whether I'm happy or sad. I guess the concept is, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. I'm sure they'd be happy with another hit though.

passings

The world is a buzz of discussion and memories after the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett yesterday. It was no surprise that the former Charlie's Angel and The Burning Bed star was near the end of her life, but that was not the case for Michael Jackson. The King of Pop was slated to have a career renewal (or so was his hope, I suppose) by launching a number of tour dates. He was only 50 years old, too young for a heart attack.

I can't help but feel a twinge of pain for the death of a musical icon and one of the most entertaining performers of my lifetime. I feel pained for the loss of that part of Michael Jackson. I cannot help but think, though, that there are some people who find the death of this man to be a relief. Whether you think he was guilty of child molestation, or at least poor judgement, I believe that more than one individual feels victimized by this man and that they are feeling a sense of relief from his passing.

I'm not sure what events took place, but I do know that over a decade of Michael Jackson's life has been tainted by the stigma that he is an abuser of children. This might be because of actions, and it may be because of rumor. I hope that his children can live a normal life and free themselves of the negative rumblings that surrounded their father. I hope they can find peace and become well-adjusted, despite their seemingly odd upbringing. I hope that all the rumors were wrong and that Michael Jackson was a wonderful father to his children. I don't know if that is the case.

All I do know is that the world lost a talented musician and entertainer, and that is the part of him that I will be grieving today as I listen once again, to "Smooth Criminal."

random question thursday

What is the one thing you would like to change most about yourself?

This doesn't need to be a physical trait, but could be one. It could also be an aspect of your personality or something else that makes you who you are. This isn't what your other, your parents, your workmates, or your friends would change about you: it is the thing about yourself that if you changed, you would be happier as a whole.

I know what mine would be right off the bat. It isn't looks-related, doesn't have to deal with money or relationships, and isn't even about work. It is about my debilitating fear of failure. If I could change one aspect of my Trishness, it would be to stop worrying and being so damned afraid of not living up to my potential all of the time.

My fear of failure sometimes keeps me from trying new things because I'm petrified of not doing well. This fear is what often leads to my procrastination. It is also tied to my fear of commitment. I'm afraid of committing to something and not having it work out.

I've been trying to push out of my comfort zone, and in many ways this new position at work is making me do that even more than I want to with all of the added responsibility. Of course, with that added responsibility leads to more fear and worry, worry about how it will affect my relationship with the man for example. I need to stop this cycle of worry.

Exercising more has helped stave off the worrying a bit. It allows me to turn off my brain for long enough to experience some semblance of much-needed calm.

Now that you know what I'd change, think about yourself...what would you change about yourself?

put the lime in the coconut

It is hot...again...do you know what would be delicious right now? Pina coladas. That's what. If you are wanting one as badly as I am, here is a recipe:

1 1/2 oz light rum

2 oz Coco Lopez® cream of coconut

2 oz pineapple juice

1 cup crushed ice

Pour rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice into a blender with one cup of crushed ice. Blend until smooth, and pour into a collins glass. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a maraschino cherry, and serve. Be sure to add a paper umbrella and possibly wear a lei...or get laid, I suppose.

too hot to think

The heatwave spreading through the Midwest has been having various effects on the population. The concrete is exploding on the highways. People are sweaty and cranky and likely committing crimes. Tempers are flaring and it is difficult to focus. I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to work in an air conditioned building. For that I am grateful.

I'm also grateful that I am able to type this message and not worry about my internet connection disconnecting mid-post. As I write this I am sitting on my couch working quickly on the internet thanks to the aid of my lovely new provider. It is wonderful. Now that I can work on my computer without being tethered to my office I get to take in various views around the house. Right now I have the scenic view of the Cat Named Jack lying on his back, baring his no-longer-existent balls to the air conditioning being circulated by the ceiling fan directly above him.

What a wonderful way to spend a steamy June evening.

happily ever after?

I'm at a point in my life where I have friends who are running the gamut of relationship milestones. I have friends who are dating (online and otherwise), friends who are happily coupled, friends who are getting married, friends who are newly married, friends who are unhappily coupled, and friends who are breaking up. All of these people are in different places in their relationships, but it is safe to say that they will each at some point (if they haven't already) experience disappointment. Some of the disappointments are small, others become deal breakers.

All in all, however, everyone is doomed to get to a point where some of the shine wears off newly-found love and we have to accept that most things don't end in "happily ever after" and that relationships take work. Sometimes the work isn't worth it, sometimes it is. I am one of the happily coupled people amongst my friend base, but I'm also a realist. The man and I have had our share of ups and downs, and we are in a pretty steady upward trend right now. All I know is that both he and I are happy with one another and are willing to do whatever we must to stay together. We have similar goals and we are realistic: we know that our relationship isn't always going to be all sunshine and rainbows.

I came across this article/photo project that features princesses from a number of Disney stories. The photos show what our favorite fairy tales look like when "The '...happily ever after' is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues." I've decided to post my favorite:

Go here to check out the rest.

let's panic!

This is a great new site called Let's Panic About Babies! It is an extremely snarky, not-at-all-informational, witty, and terribly funny website about pregnancy and babies in general. It is for people who have babies, people who don't want babies, people who hate babies, people who can't stand to look at babies, people who love babies, and people who tolerate babies. I think that everyone falls in at least one of those categories.

Go check it out, it is definitely good for a laugh.

awaiting the arrival of cricket - potential internet savior

So, you may have noticed that I didn't post this past weekend. My shoddy internet connection via my phone can be thanked for that. Actually, my phone hasn't even been receiving calls with much success over the weekend so there is going to be some customer service dealings going on today after work. In the meantime, I feel the guilt of not posting for a couple days so I will post three times today to make up for it.

In optimistic news, my Cricket broadband modem etc. is supposed to arrive sometime today. The bad news is that a signature is required and I am doubtful that anyone will be home by the time it shows up. My hope is that the man will get home early to receive the package from FedEx, but if my morning was any indicator of my luck for the day, I would sooner expect the apocalypse than anything going my way.

Count this as post #1 of my guilt-induced triple play.

another anniversary

The man surprised me with an anniversary gift last night. Both the gift and the anniversary were a surprise. We don't have an actual anniversary date, but whenever we feel the need or want to do something out-of-the-ordinary, we use our anniversary as the reason. This way we can have multiple, spontaneous anniversaries throughout the year and there is no real date to remember or forget.

Last night I came home from work (late, for the upteenth time in a row) to find this beauty waiting for me in my garage space:

It is a convertible garden cart that can be pulled with the handle like a wagon, or can be converted to be pulled behind the lawnmower. It is wonderful and glorious and one of the best (if not the best) anniversary gifts I've ever gotten. No, it isn't conventional, but we are not conventional people.

The man's friend went along with him to get a present for me. His friend asked where, and was more than a little surprised to hear "Farm and Fleet" as the response to the question. This friend went so far as to try to convince the man to buy something different, something that I might actually like. The man knows me well enough to know that at this point in our financial lives, a usable gift is much more appreciated than something unimportant (like jewelry, for example). I spend at least ten hours a weekend outside puttering around the yard, so this is a most thoughtful gift. This cart is going to be much more Trish-friendly than my current wheelbarrow.

The timing is sort of funny, because although we had talked about getting Cricket wireless internet a while back, it hasn't entered conversation in quite some time. I was planning on it being an anniversary surprise for the man, but he got me first.

I love my gift and I love my boyfriend. I can't wait for the next anniversary.

random question thursdays!

The man is always exasperated with me because I ask a lot of random, out-of-the-blue, how-the-hell-did-I-even-think-of-that questions. A lot. Enough that he just looks at me a certain way while shaking his head and I know that there are probably only a handful of humans on earth who would know the answer to that question.

Anyway, in honor of this particular personality trait I am instituting "random question thursdays." When I post on a Thursday, the post title will be a question, to which...

1. I will research and attempt to provide an answer with the post,


2. I will ask hoping that someone will comment with an answer or link to an answer


3. my readers (hello to my few readers! holla!) will find the question interesting to ponder


4. the question will spark an interest in my readers to ask others.

Today's question fits into the second, third, or fourth category listed above. Feel free to comment - I won't bite!

If you could only take with you the amount of items that would fit in the trunk of a car, what would they be? (The rest would be gone forever.)

Here's my list (thank god my little Fifi is a hatchback):

• the pets (Jack [cat], Jammer [dog], Rue [cat])


• my grandmother's class ring


• the little, thimble-sized doll my neighbor gave to me and asked me to keep forever


• my laptop (a lot of stuff stored on there!)


• my fire-proof box (includes backup drive with all of my photos, passport, other vital information)


• a change or two of clothes


• my favorite sandals in the world - which I believe have been discontinued

That's all I've got for now, pretty much everything else could be replaced and most of my stuff doesn't have any sentimental value.

do crickets chirp?

I have written before about the awful state of Internet access at my house. We cannot get DSL because we are the only house on our road and it isn't worth it for AT&T to extend coverage for one household. Note: AT&T are bastards and have continuously screwed me over the years with their buyout of Cingular and so on and so forth. But enough about that.

I've been using my cell phone as a modem for the past few months and it is very slightly better than dial-up, but drops the connection a lot and doesn't allow me to use my phone while online. Also, it drains my phone battery quite quickly so the most I can hope for is 45 minutes of online use before my full battery is drained. 45 minutes isn't very long when you consider the amount of time it takes for a page to load. Working from home is next to impossible.

After reviewing my finances for the billionth time, I've decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to Cricket broadband, which boasts a stellar signal in my area. I made the purchase last night and hope to be reaping the benefits of the service by early next week. It should only cost me about $10 extra each month and I think I can move around some expenditures and trim enough that this is feasible. Plus, if things work out as hoped, the man has agreed to purchase a wireless router so that we can both utilize the Internet access at the same time (he's hoping he can use his Xbox 360 online with the router).

Oh, to be able to speedily do anything online from home. That would be a joyous event.

june 2009 - two weeks in

It has been two weeks since I set out on my June 2009 goals. These are in various stages of completion:

• read at least one book (pending)
• finish my coffee table project (haven't really begun yet)
• plant vegetables and finish my flower beds (pending)
• prepare the guest bedroom for the "mother-in-law" (pending - it is pretty close)
• go to the farmer's market at least three times (haven't gone at all yet)
• reorganize my paper files (kind of scared to start this unless I have a few solid hours to complete it)

I still think I can get everything finished before the end of the month and undoubtedly will add additional projects along the way. I'm getting kind of interested in feng shui, but have not pursued that yet. I'll be picking up a book about it tonight at the library. It's safe to assume that this will spur additional projects.

i love it, but not enough that a restraining order is warranted

I know that I have mentioned how much I love the FX show Burn Notice before. Well, this is one of the songs that is played in the advertisements for the show. I love it, but I kept forgetting to google it. Today it popped up on my Pandora station. (You can check out my work station by clicking on the link in the nav bar to the left of the posts.) Oh, Pandora, what had I done all of those years before you? I guess I had to remember things and make an effort. Thank God I don't have to do that anymore.

Go here for the video for "Hang Me Up To Dry" by the Cold War Kids. I can't embed the video because it is the "official" version and the folks at Universal are apparently bastards.

it was good while it lasted

I have to go back to work tomorrow. It is only 9:30 PM, which is my general bedtime on weeknights, and I'm mourning the end of my vacation time for June. I have a few hours left to take before the end of the fiscal year (July 1), but I won't be taking any more full days off. Not to mention that I have a major project to finish up and have out of my hands before the end of the month. And that there is potential for a shitload more work to be heading my way once the new fiscal year hits. This is going to be one whirlwind of a summer.

Next weekend is my town's summer festival, which the man and I always attend (I'm looking forward to the pancake breakfast more than the beer tents, to be honest). My parents are visiting in two weeks, but only for a couple days maximum. Two weekends in July will be spent at weddings. The man's mother is visiting for three weeks in July. I am looking forward to seeing her, but the prospect of sharing our space with another person for three whole weeks is making my blood pressure raise every time I think about it. I'm sure it will be fine, and I'm trying not to add it to the stress bucket right now.

As for my time off, I was pretty productive. I can't say that I accomplished everything I had hoped over the past few days, but I did catch up with some friends and get a better grasp on a few things.

I'll post more about my project/goals status tomorrow. Right now I'm pretty exhausted after spending half the day enlarging (doubling) one of the flowerbeds next to the house and moving plants around. I'm off to get a good night's sleep [knock on wood] before facing work tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

eco brushes

Here is yet another of my recent purchases to beautify myself while keeping the environment in mind.

These are EcoTools Earth-Friendly brushes. The handles are bamboo and the bristles are cruelty-free. The carrying case is made from hemp. Quite green, I'd say, and they are super-soft and work quite well. The $8.99 price tag at Target doesn't hurt.

This is my last cosmetics post for a while, I promise. I'm biding my time until I can share my bridesmaid dress with you all - if Pam ever tells me which one she'd like me to wear.

we fit

I hung some sheets and towels and such on the clothesline today. It was the first day when it was warm and the wind wasn’t whipping past my house at hurricane strength, so it was time to save some energy and let some sheets absorb that fresh from the sun smell.

Folding fitted sheets has always sucked for me. I could never seem to get the folded product to look like anything but a mangled ball of wrinkles. This video has made my linen closet let out a huge sigh of relief.

thisclose

I suck. I missed a day. The problem is, when I thought “oh shit, I have to post to my blog,” it was already 12:09 AM. I had just finished watching the new episode of Burn Notice and was about ready to go to bed when it struck me. But, alas, it was too late. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you. I'll post twice today. I promise.

I spent the day yesterday at the mall with my friend Pam, window shopping and making a half-assed attempt to find shoes for her wedding. It was a nice, laid back, do nothing kind of day. Today was once again much of the same. I spent the majority of the day with my friend Kristen, had lunch, spent most of the day outside with her dog, nothing serious or too intense. Tomorrow I plan on waking up early to hit a few garage sales with a couple of friends, then I hope to mow the lawn (if the man hasn’t already finished by the time I get back), and then cook up a couple steaks for dinner.

Thank God it is finally summer.

counting my pennies, and my hatred

Well, well, well...I've been posting about a lot of products and objects and goals and such lately, and have given the bitching a bit of a rest for a while. The bitching is back, my friends, and it is back with a vengeance. At least for today.

I really don't like the roommate...at all. I think he is a worthless, over-sized carcass who takes up space and has been set on this earth to annoy the fuck out of me and my man. I have recently noticed that I don't even look at the roommate anymore. The sight of him annoys me and if I were to make eye contact, a conversation might ensue and I surely don't have the intestinal fortitude to deal with all the bullshit he would try to feed me. Also, it is difficult to make eye contact with someone whose gaze so rarely shifts from either his feed bag or the television.

Anyway, I don't like him and now he has a girlfriend. They've seemingly bonded over their shared abilities to not speak to one another and to be slovenly, couch-lounging, thick-bodied sloths. Okay, she's not terribly over-wide, but when you never get off the fucking couch it is difficult for me to distinguish between cushion and your ass. I've heard them speak to one another only a couple times, always about food, funny enough. Yes, they've been dating for just over a month and she is at the house ever single night without fail. And they only leave to feed themselves then it is back to the couch to watch yet another Deadliest Catch marathon or another Food network program. I have the sneaking suspicion that the girlfriend is annoyed by the dickbag roommate's proclivity to laziness and that she doesn't care to be a fatbody who lays around staring at the tv screen. She has recently taken to sitting next to him on these marathons but instead does crossword puzzles and doesn't stare blindly into Emeril's huge face like the roommate chooses to do.

Why do we still keep him around? Because we are still only thisclose to not needing his rent check. The man's answer to everything roommate related is, "tell him to move out if he doesn't like it." I hope that this means his finances are getting very close to the point that we would be able to live alone. Thus, I'm hoping and praying that the man will soon be the one telling Mr. Lazyballs to move the fuck out and to take his girlfriend and massive load of ugly-ass belongings with him. Personally, my goal is to be able to kick in his portion of the rent by the end of the year, and that we'll be okay to kick his ass to the curb shortly thereafter (this is all independent of what the man can pitch in). Until that time, I'll bide my time and continue to avoid looking in the roommate's general direction as not to be drawn into the vortex of yuck. The vortex has gotten even stronger now that his female counterpart has joined in the sucking worthlessness.