Hello everyone. Nice to see you. The "y" button on my laptop isn't working so well, so forgive any typos.

Things are going well - work is good, home is good (when I'm there, which isn't as often as I like but will probably be more now), I'm feeling satisfied with a lot of things, and I'm writing again, which is always good. March is alwas a shitty month, and I'll be glad to see the back end of it and possibly put my boot up its ass, but I think April will be even better.

Tomorrow is supposed to be 73 degrees, and I plan on spending my entire lunch hour outside, breathing in air that doesn't come back out as vapors, that doesn't make your chest ache. Sitting on a marble bench that isn't so cold it burns your skin through your clothes. Oh, spring! Where the fuck have you been?

In less happy news, Raul and Julia are gone, and walking into their old office and not seeing them there kind of squishes my soul every morning. I expect to walk in a and wish my favorite customer service team hello, but now it's just Rob. And he's always cranky. Well, he's not always cranky, but he always looks cranky. *snerk* I miss you guys already, though, seriously. I walked down Steinway past your place and couldn't believe that if I just went over and rang the bell, you wouldn't be there to buzz me in.

I would be afeared that the Astoria crew would start to fade out of my life, but I just agreed to help out with a rather time-intensive project so hopefully that will put my fears to rest. It's completely irrational, but there's always that worry when you've infiltrated someone's group of friends that their leaving will dissolve any ties you had to that group. I don't actually think that'll happen, but that's what makes it irrational. Shut up. You all know what I mean. I'm allowed to girl out every now and then.

What else, what else. I'm working on a submission for an anthology, and if I can get what's in my head to actually be on the paper, I think I have a decent chance at getting it published. It's interesting a dark and sexual without being tasteless (not that I write a lot of tasteless things, but I recognize that in short story fiction, there's a very fine fucking line). I just need to find time to write it - I haven't had more than a half hour to sit and fuck around on the computer in weeks. Maybe I'll bring my laptop and work on it at lunch tomorrow. In the delicious warm weather. Yes. *purrs*

Also, I want to marry Titus Pollo and smoke cigars with him on a beach in Monte Carlo. That is all.

To paraphrase a conversation with Raul, today I got my tax return, quit my job, scheduled a body rub and massage and facial for tomorrow, booked a cruise, and now I'm buying underwear online. In about two hours I'm going to have ex-coworkers buying me drinks 'til I get wasted, then I'm having dinner at Veselka and going to a very good friend's comedy show. If I make out with someone, this may be the best day of the decade.

Man, kissing boys on New Year's really does make it a better year!

Stolen from Dee, because she always brings the funny...

( When you skimp on the research )

Feeling a lot better today, which is strange. Good, but strange. I'm now worried that my attempt to compensate the lack of iron wrecked my immune system, which is a strange thing to have happen. I will have to get healthy and then reinstate the iron to see if I get sick again. Or I could just, you know, go to a doctor once I have insurance. *gasp!*

I sprained my ankle last night while walking to the train, and unfortunatley I did it with a serious badlyness. I just tripped over a dip in the sidewalk, and luckily Rob was there to catch me (and also make me feel clumsy and embarrassed), but the damage was done. I was able to walk to the train without much problem, since the first few minutes after a sprain don't really bother you too much. After an hour on the train, though, my ankle stiffened up and it was a tear-filled trip of horror to hobble the two blocks to my apartment from the subway. And waking up this morning was another nightmare, since it was all swollen and bruised and tender, and made out of pain. Luckily the trip to the office wasn't too strenuous - I took my time and someone was nice enough to let me sit down on the train - and then I taped it up with stuff from the first aid kit when I got here, so now it's okay. Just a bit painful, but the advil is helping with that. So now I'm limping and coughing. Whee!

My boss was fascinated while watching me tape my own ankle. Ever since I tore my CCFL my sophomore year in college (serious Grade 3 tear, not just a little sprain), I've sprained my ankle at least once every year, usually more like every four months, and usually not that bad. So I'm used to taping my own ankle. And I know how to do so correctly because I used to teach the Lifeguarding, First Aid, and CPR classes at my college. It seems like no matter how many times I tell people, they always forget that I didn't always look like this - I actually used to swim fifty laps every day and wear a bathing suit to work. Every time I say "I know how to do so-and-so because I used to be a lifeguard" they always look surprised, and then unconsciously give me the once-over. *shrug* I don't much care though. I have the satisfaction of knowing that at 18 years old, I saved a child's life. That's something cool that being overweight doesn't cancel out. :D

Speaking of which, being sick has done me some good in that area - I've lost weight since I couldn't really swallow and all the meds cancel out my appetite. Whee! I'm actually kind of down about this, because my clothes already fit poorly from the last bit of weight loss in October. Hopefully I really will get my tax return this weekend, and will be able to buy new clothes for my new job. I'm actually considering splurging on a cashmere sweater from UNIQLO, but my frugal side will probably smack me silly and tell me to back away from the $60 item of clothing. But cashmere is so fuzzy! I will tell it. But cashmere is such a hard thing to clean! it will counter, and it will be right. Oh well. I'll still go try it on.

My new boss called me last night to welcome me and work out exactly when I would start, and then invited me out for drinks with my new coworkers on Tuesday to celebrate my arrival. How lovely! I think I'm going to do very, very well there. And if I don't, I'll have no one to blame but myself, because they're more than willing to be welcoming and help me in any way I need. Which is a new working experience. *L*

I am spending Valentine's with friends and making Booze Cake and Jeremy's Tipsy Cake, and also maybe some non-boozy non-dessert food. Hehe. Well, I am making all the boozy food in the event that my landlord has not cashed my rent check my tomorrow, since my direct deposit doesn't go through until midnight. I'm pretty sure I'm in the clear though. Maybe I'll make some stir-fry. I haven't made stir-fry in a while. Mmm.

I'm still sick, but sometime around 5am my lungs finally waved a snotty white flag and surrendered to the chemical concoction I've been consuming for the last two days. I got a teensy bit of sleep, but most importantly it seems that my body is just plain tired of coughing. I feel like I should be coughing, like I'm sick enough to still be coughing, but that my muscles have given up and refuse to be bothered with it. Which I don't mind a whole lot, considering I've been working on six-pack abs with all the coughing I've been doing. That, and I keep making the Bill the Cat face. Ugh.

I think this is hilarious... it's like the gamer girl visual diary. And today's lesson from SGR was "Don't let a boy put anything in you that isn't a hot dinner," so apparently sex is weighing heavily on everyone's minds. I thought V-Day was supposed to be for schmoopy things, not for that 4am last-call-at-the-bar air of desperation. Who needs another holiday for that? I mean, isn't that what New Year's is for? Sheesh.

My room is a wreck (and I mean a disaster) but I can't really exert myself without falling over, so I haven't been able to clean it. I'm hoping that by the time I get home tonight I'll feel better enough to deal with it, since I can't handle vaulting over my laundry to get to my bed any longer. I don't know how I let it get this bad - I mean, I can keep it spotless for a good long while, and then one day will go by where I'm sick or tired or just can't be bothered, and it's like my entire room vomits laundry on the floor - and nothing less than an entire day devoted to cleaning will get it back in order. Is that how it is with everyone? Gah.

Each paragraph previous to this one was ended with an onomatopoeia, and I'm kinda okay with that.

There were sparrows building a nest in front of my building this morning. I wish I were as convinced of Spring as they are. I want the warmth back! I will take the 98% humidity, just make this infernal cold go away!

Delsym, Mucinex, Primatine, Ricola cough drops, Nyquil, orange juice, Amoxicillan left over from the strep throat incident.

When I breeze in, it wheezes. When I breathe out, it rattles. Fun!

I had to cancel all my plans, including hanging out in Astoria for a friend's birthday last night, seeing the crew today for games, and Jeremy's show tonight. And I totally would have made it to the show if it were possible for me to move without doubling over. Ugh. I think I'm gonna have to suck it up and go to the doctor tomorrow, even if it does cost me a couple hundred bucks. I can't take the chance on another infection. Boo!

Add Advil to that list, since the coughing is giving me a headaache. Is there any way to stop me from whining? No way, man. I'm a whine machine! :)

How? How did this happen again? I was sick three months ago, why the hell am I sick again? I think perhaps the plague blanket on the couch is to blame. It looks as though it was once traded for wampum beads.

I spent all night coughing, coughing, coughing. I went through half a bottle of cough syrup in about three hours in an attempt to stop coughing, and all that happened was I got sorta high. Does cough syrup ever make anyone stop coughing? It's never done so for me, but I'm always filled with hope. Six dollars worth of hope. Fuckers. However, I have gone from having a meaningless annoying cough to lungs full of crud. I will need to find some Mucinex and some of that bronchial stuff that starts with a P. I can't remember. Either way, I'm seriously full of ill, and I don't want to be. Couldn't it have waited a week? Just one week until my new insurance kicks in, that's all I ask. But no, I have to get sick now, during the last few days when I can't go to the doctor. I swear to god, if I start coughing up blood again, I'll... shit, I can't even think of a good threat against the world and/or the baby Jesus. I just don't want to bleed out of my lungs again.

I'm glad I don't have anything to do today, because I don't think I could handle it right now. I really need to clean my room, but unfortunately I can't so much do anything strenuous. Thank goodness for DVR!

If anyone wants to come bring me chicken soup, I wouldn't really complain. ;)

Holy shit, is it Friday already? How in the world did that happen? Just yesterday it was Monday and I was deciding how best to quit my job, and now here it is Friday already and I've only a week left to go in this hell-hole! Here I am, sitting at my desk and taking the exit interview online, planning next week's debauchery and sticking my fingers in all the office gossip I can before I leave. Life is kinda awesome.

Before I start babbling, I should make with the memeing.

It's Friday, bitches!

Reading: Still reading Watership Down because I haven't been in the right mood/state of mind to really devote myself to the last section of the book, and I don't want to half-ass it. I want to be able to understand everything and tie it all together in my head, and I can't do that unless it has my full attention. In the meantime, someone who shall remain nameless gave me a very tawdry and silly romance novel to read. I am, of course, almost finished with it. What is it about crappy romance novels that are so irresistable? Anyway, at some point this weekend I will finish reading The 300 as well.

Writing: Not a damn thing. Been too busy getting my life together for any of that.

Wearing: Black turtleneck wool sweater, red long-sleeve t-shirt, comfy jeans, black leather belt, black stripey socks, black leather loafers. I can't remember what skivies I'm wearing.

Planning: I am very tempted to skip out of work early since I have the Death Cough and am annoying both myself and everyone around me. Tonight I'm making dinner for Jeremy - it is chicken and biscuits night at Chez Selli - and we will watch movies and/or worship at the alter of the XBox 360. And also drink beer. We like drinking beer. Tomorrow is Saturday, which involves nothing that I can think of other than cleaning my room, which I've been avoiding all week. Sunday there will be a trip to Astoria, followed by a brief interlude where I'll go see Jeremy's kick-ass show, and then back to Astoria for Rome and BSG. Wait, that means I will have to show up in Queens early to catch up on the episode of Rome I missed last week. Curses! Sleep will elude me once more.

* * *

I really, really can't wait to start my new job. Not just to get away from this one, but because I'm anxious to learn exactly what I'll be doing, what my responsibilities and expectations will be, and most of all how quickly I'll be able to pick up everything they'll need to teach me. I want to know what I'll be doing so I can figure out how fast I can get myself to doing it, and then get myself to excelling at it. Man, having a job with any sort of hope of success kind of changes your whole outlook on things. :)

Also, I want chicken and biscuits. Mmmmm. Alsoalso, icon in celebration of Thank You, Robot!

I got the job.

*squee*

And now I've just got to figure out how to hand in my notice. I'm going to wait until my bosses are done with their lunch meetings so I'm not personally responsible for fucking up their day. Their week, I'm okay with. But I'm trying to be as nice as possible.

*squee*

I should be getting all the paperwork in the mail tomorrow or Wednesday (tomorrow, I hope) and then I can officially accept everything and make it happen. Ohmigod.

*squeeeeee!*

I spent most of the weekend either sick or drunk in celebration, so my apologies for missing emails and phone calls and other various things. Once I get through February and get settled into my new position (which has the word MANAGER in the title!) I will arrange a party of large and happy proportions, I promise. Oh, and I did my tax returns, and I'm getting about $4200 back.

*squee!!!*

Life's kinda awesome right now. Except for the weird sickness I'm dealing with, which is just one more reason to be glad for the new job because I need to see my fucking doctor with a serious badliness. ( Extremely squishy girl problems under the cut. Seriously, if you don't want to know, go away. )

That was fun. Anyway, I love you all and will hopefully see you all soon. Jeremy, I totally owe you a six-pack for crapping out on you this weekend, so name a night this week and we shall make drinking and movies happen. I will cook dinner. It will be heavenly!

Damn no!



I hope Time Warner puts out a statement that says "Stop being paranoid freaks and watch some television so you'll know what the fuck's going on. If you don't know, ask your kids - they'll be able to tell you that a lite-brite of a cartoon alien is not a fucking terrorist attack. Also, we're famous now, bitches! Haha! Thanks!"

Although haircuts from the 70's is almost as good.

* * *

I feel the need for, like, four more hours of sleep. I also need to go to the bank. And have another cigarette. This whole "quit smoking" thing is not going as well as I'd hoped. It's not that I'm running around fiending for a cigarette and twitching because I don't have one - it's that I like smoking. I just do. And making myself stop smoking is kind of like making myself stop eating cake. I'll probably be better for it, but it's not really fucking worth it.

I'm saying "fuck" a lot today. Fuckity fuck fuck. There. Maybe it's out of my fucking syst- oh. Nope.

* * *

I really must make myself work, so that I can accomplish the one thing I need to do today, so that I can be ready if I decide to bust the hell out of here. Oh man, I think I had too much coffee already today. Boo!

I'm almost unbearable to be around. I keep having to apologize immediately after speaking, because whatever I said was in the most offensive and grating tone possible. Gah. And I had a really shitty trip to the dentist today, which included me almost choking to death because the stupid bitch who's replacing my dentist while she drops a kid out of her crotch is too busy being a bitch to notice that the little suction thing isn't working, so my mouth is filling up with spit and some cavity-filling chemical compound that tastes exactly the way vomit smells. So I am trying desperately to get the little suction thing to suck up this vile concoction and keep me from choking, when aparently I closed my mouth too much and ruined the filling, and then she got pissed at me because she had to do it again. So I finish spitting out the shit in my mouth and explain to her that I'm fucking choking and she's like "Okay, sure, whatever" and starts on the second one. This time, the little suction thingee is working -- only too well, because when she tells me to open my mouth as wide as I can, it slips down from where it was resting on my lip and falls into my throat. You can imagine the fit of coughing and/or dying this invoked, which invariably ruined the second filling, which she had to start again. And again she was pissy as if the whole thing were my fault. Do I look like a contrary child? If I'm squirming and freaking the fuck out, you can pretty well assume there's something legitimately wrong. Stupid fucking bitch.

So I've spent all afternoon with half my mouth working, sleepy and irritable and utterly unbearable. And I have another interview today! Yay! I'm hoping that I will be in a marginally better mood just because I'll be leaving here. And then tonight I will hopefully do my taxes. I'm a bit worried, as this will be the first time I try a medical deduction, but I don't think it will be too complicated. TurboTax is helpful as always. I just need to compile all my receipts. *L*

I just had hugs yesterday, and already I need more. :P

* * *

I wrote that yesterday, but never posted it because I'm a silly bean.

Yesterday ended sort of badly at work, because I sent one email to Person A but actually sent it to Person B, thereby letting the Person B know that the Person A and I both thought she was a moron. Not in so many words, but it was definately a clear message. *sigh* And then on the way to the interview, the train malfunctioned and the doors wouldn't close, and it was at 50th Street so it wasn't like there was really a transfer available so I just had to sit there.

Made it to my interview on time, though, and it went just as well as the first one did. I am hoping to have an offer letter in my hand by the end of the week, which would be fucking amazing and an absolute godsend at this point. I can almost taste the sweet success of a new job. But I'm also terrified of getting too excited until I have the actual offer letter in my hand. Although I did get pretty drunk last night with Karina and Jordan. We took turns going through shots of Jagermeister until we finished the bottle. Jordan tried to wimp out, but I wrestled him and made him do another one. Or I tickled him or something, I don't remember. He took off a sock. Shut up, I was drunk.

Apparently, in order to have such good karma for the job interview, I had to have bad things happen to me all day. The final part of the interview was a phone call to the sales VP in San Fransico, which went well as far as I could tell. I hate phone interviews because it's impossible for me to read people, but then it's a teleconferencing business so I'd better get used to that. Anyway, karma demanded a sacrifice for that to go well, and it sacrificed my brand new, supposed-to-start-today, monthly metrocard. *screams in frustration* I lost a fucking brand new, unused monthly metrocard. I'm so pissed. I'd even put a little Rainbow Brite sticker on it to make sure I knew that it was the new one. And then sometime yesterday it just vacated my pocket. My old metrocard was in there, but the new one was gone. So now I've got to drop $80 on a new card. Grrrr.

I hate you, karma. If you don't get me this job, we're not going to be friends anymore. If you do, we'll continue to nod to each other at parties, and you will remain on my Christmas card list.

I slept last night, though. It was awesome.

I shall avoid the busyness with a meme.

It's Friday! What's the dealy-o?

Reading: Watership Down, and I'm convinced it is the best book ever written. I really, honestly believe that this book eclipses just about every other work I've read, although Jane Eyre might have a bit of an edge because of nostalgia. But I digress - this book is everything that you'd want in a fictional work. It's vivid, the characters are both sympathetic and believable, the plot is unpredictable, and the language used is so rich and thick it feels like hot caramel on your tongue. It sticks with you and makes you want more, but I find myself reading slowly and savoring it, afraid to go too fast because I might overlook something or skim a bit of genius that could have made my head reel if only I'd taken my time. Seriously - best book ever.

Writing: Shut up.

Wearing: Grey dress slacks, white silk tank-top, aquamarine sweater that looks and feels like cashmere but is actually acrylic (thanks, Chemistry!), black leather boots, tights to keep my legs warm, scarf to keep my neck warm, and hat to keep my head warm. Yes, I am wearing my hat inside. It's that freakin' cold in my office, I have to do something!

Planning: Interview today, then hanging out with the Astoria Crew for a few hours. I may end up visiting with Erin for a little while since she's going to be up that way, but I will eventually end up snoozing on Raul's couch. Tomorrow is a bright and early trip out to Schlong Island with the AC, then back to my house to take care of all the household chores I have been neglecting. Mainly, cleaning Generalissimo's fish tank, sending my laundry to Mexico, setting up my bookshelf, and going through the three bags of random baubles labeled "Misc." in the move/clean-up. Sunday I will probably be back to Queens for most of the afternoon, but I'm gonna try not to stay too late again. I got home at a decent hour last night thanks to an iron will and the ability to out-whine Rob. I'm a champion whiner.

* * *

My hair is too floofy. I think it may give me a panic attack. Grr!

I have a super-sekrit (from my coworkers, at least) job interview tomorrow, which I am excited about and which I really hope I get. It would make life easier, more fun, and more stable - and stability is what I need if I'm going to get back to school. I am trying to decide if I even want to bother coming to work tomorrow or if I'll skip it. I've been skipping a day a week since the beginning of the year, mostly because I've felt like ass rather than because of job!hate, but I think that taking a day to prepare wouldn't be amiss. Then again, if I don't get this job I'll have used up some of my precious vacation time. Which, boo.

Speaking of vacation time, I'd thought I was about 10 days over PTO for last year, since I had one day of PTO left (according to the website) before I was out sick for two weeks. HR started talking to me about paying that back and I asked to have it split between paychecks because that would be a lot of money, only to discover that I'm an asshole and I was actually 10 hours over PTO. Which, shit, I can afford that. I've no idea how the math worked out on that one, but I'm not asking any more questions. I did, however, push the deduction back to next paycheck since it's rent week and I like being able to pay my rent.

So much to do! I just got a text message from one of the Astoria crew, so I'll be heading over there after work. Can't stay too late, though - must get sleep so I can be all rested for tomorrow! Saturday I'm going out to LI with Raul for some geekery, Saturday night will be devoted to cleaning the living fuck out of my room (like, for reals), and Sunday will in all likelihood find me back in Astoria. I seriously need to work out a custody schedule between my apartment and Raulia's. My bed is starting to miss me! All this commuting and I'm not even getting laid - every other time I've made hour-long trips to Queens in the middle of the night, it's involved some rather extensive moaning and groaning. I'm just doing this for friendship! Life is seriously hard. ;)

I think the previous paragraph warrents the "bros before hos" icon. Yesh.

I have so much to do today, and I just can't manage to actually do it. One of my bosses has disappeared (was supposed to be in the office and is nowhere to be found) and the other decided on a whim to work in the other office, which I'm totally okay with. Unfortunately that leaves me unsupervised and alone in my department, which just sucks the ambition right out of me. I have a bill that absolutely, positively, without fail must get done today, and I haven't even looked at it. Blech.

In lieu of intelligent things to say, I shall meme.

Friday Meme!

Reading: Just finished The Empty Crown trilogy, which is about as far as you can go in cheesy, Mary-Sue girl fantasy - but then again, it's the best of that type of book I've ever read, so I can love it all I want. Neener. I do, however, have a hankering for something with a little more bite, so I'm going over to B&N in a moment to purchase Watership Down. We were all talking about it during our girly weekend, and now I have the urge to read it. Surprise.

Writing: Did a little work on my NaNo novel, but not much. I did, however, find an old story that I wrote a looooong time ago for 400 Words, and it was both amusing and adorable, so I might post it up on the writing journal. Mostly over the next month or so I will be writing and writing and writing things for the BR game.

Wearing: My favorite pressed grey slacks, my toasty-warm black suede snowboots, a large black turtleneck sweater I stole from an ex a few years ago (because it looks way better on me), moonstone necklace, matching black skivies with silvery sparkles on the underpants. My hair is kicking it pretty hard, too, so the overall effect is very metropolitan.

Planning: Tonight is a previously-planned night with some girls from work, where we eat guacamole and bemoan our fate. Afterwards, home to clean up my room and rearrange it so I can fit my new bookshelf in. Did I mention I got a new bookshelf? It is super-tall and super-awesome, because it was super free. Someone in my building threw out this beautiful blue bookcase that perfectly matches my room, and I saw it in the driveway when leaving for work and claimed it as my own. The landlord was nice enough to drag it upstairs for me, and assured me that it was indestructable, as he'd tried to break it with a sledgehammer to make the disposal of it easier, and it wouldn't even creak. Sweet! Maybe it is magic. Either way, that means I can put my books on the shelves and use my trunk for storing clothes, which means I don't need the space under my bed for storage, which means I can put the bed on the floor instead of rolling around on the fucking wheeley-frame. I am excited. So. That's tonight. Tomorrow will be cooking in Astoria, and I am bringing what liquor I can find because I plan to be drunk Saturday night come hell or high water. Or high alcohol content. Whichever. Sunday is, I think, another day in Astoria. I can't remember. Somewhere in there I will probably squeeze in a trip to Ali's Manbeast's to discuss BR stuff. And possibly some sleep, although I make no guarantees on that one.

* * *

As an aside, I got hit on no less than four times while on my way to dinner with bunny last night, and sort of got the sexy eye from a guy I bummed a smoke from when she and I were walking to the train. Am I a hott mama? I think so!

I have a huge project due in an hour, and I've barely started it. Luckily, I've done this huge project every quarter for the past *checks watch* 6 quarters now, and am sure I can have it done in twenty minutes or less. Amazing, I know. And so I shall spend the other 40 minutes jacking off on the internet. Woot.

I lovelovelove this song. Gimmie some whiskey now! It is my war cry. Speaking of which, I think I'm going to go home after work and get very, very drunk while I clean my room. I'm hoping that if I get drunk enough, I'll decide to finish painting my room - of course, it has the obvious drawback of ending up looking like a drunken paintjob. Which is better than a half-assed paintjob in my opinion, so there you go. I will not, however, play with my new hot-glue gun while intoxicated. That's just asking for an eyepatch. I may put up the seashell ornaments, though. And I still need to work on my collage. So much to do!

( In which I discuss depression. )

Well. That was sorta sad. *L* I'm gonna go self-medicate with a cup of hot chocolate and a walk around the building. Mmm, chocolate.

This song is seriously awesome. Too pop-y for my usual tastes, but the lyrics are so clever I can't help but love it. Especially since I am a girl in sales and marketing, and I like making out. And also, snost and lost? Brilliant.

That was not how I planned on opening this entry. Dammit, Mike. I was supposed to open it with a whine about the headcold reaching the point where I am now both dizzy and nauseous along with the horrible sinus pressure, headache, slightly achy-sore throat, and inability to form coherent thought for more than 20 second stretches. I was actually kind of worried, since I've never had a headcold and rarely ever get sick, and these symptoms seem a bit drastic for a simple virus, but Bill assured me that the dizziness/nausea is perfectly normal because my ears are all stuffed up. Which makes sense. I just wish I had the option of going to a doctor. *sigh* Stupid job.

Someone should come make me chicken soup, and possibly curl up in the bed with me. I have plenty of new movies, and I took a bath a few minutes ago, so I smell like lavender shampoo and green tea bath soak. I'm not sure if that means I smell like a fresh summer day, or a hippie. I'm gonna go with the summer day.

Ohmigod, make the spinning room and throbbing head stop! I've gotta lie down. Blech.

A very happy new year to everyone! I hope you all got really drunk and made it through National Hangover Day with less pain than the person to your left. ;)

I had a fabulous time, with a minimal of hangover, which included: four or five bottles of champagne for me, a sexy new haircut, several new years kisses, a guest swap with the neighbors, and even a trip into the city for another party in the LES with even more friends and booze and sing-a-longs and rooftop homoerotic debauchery. So yes, all in all a good way to start the year!

My house is surprisingly clean since one of the guests stayed over and cleaned the kitchen and living room with a thoroughness that was astounding and much appreciated. My room, however, is still a disaster area. It kinda smells like someone threw up and died in my room, but I aired it out last night and febreezed the bed this morning, and I can't find any evidence of vomit or dead bodies in there (though it could be hidden under the massive piles of stuff, who knows?) so my goal tonight is to (A) take out all the garbage from the kitchen, living room, and bathrooms, and (B) take every single thing out of my bedroom, pile it in the hallway, clean and dust and mop everything, and then put it all back where it belongs. I discovered while looking around that I desperately need to rearrange the furniture in my room to be more space efficient, especially now that I don't have the armchair over by the television -- I didn't mind the slightly cramped conditions because I had an entire section of my room with a tv, comfy chair, and all the video games I could play. Now it's just a tv and a pile of curtains and empty gift bags. This is not good. So I'll be pulling all the shit out of that corner and pushing the bed over there. That will give me about five more feet of room to frolic about in (or set up all my physical therapy shit in, which would probably be smarter), but will leave me with a bunch of stuff that needs to be stored. And now that I'm thinking about it, that means I'll need to rearrange both of my closets and probably New Jersey. GAH. At least I have clean sheets and towels and underwear. The rest, I can wing it.

That's a lot to do. Especially when I have ten episodes of Law & Order on DVR. But Clarice said she may come over today to help -- something about violating my garbage can and needing to make penance *snerk* -- so let it be known that I'm counting on you to keep me away from the television. Hit me with a wooden spoon if you need to. I promise not to get mad. :D

I didn't make any espresso this morning because I was running late (which is a long story since I woke up at 5am) and am now feeling the crankiness of withdrawal. It's amazing how quickly you can acclimate to having a cafe au lait in your kitchen each morning. I need to pick up some Splenda so I don't give myself a diabetic coma. Speaking of diabetes, I need to go buy cat food and insulin. Whee!

for the drunk I have going on right now. The worst is that my stepdad fed me two bowls of coffee before feeding me rum, so not only am I pissing every five minutes, I can't sleep. Wheeeeee!

I got my ass kicked in cards again, though I was very close this year. But then again, I'm very close very year. :)

Tomorrow I have four people who are willing to help me clean up for the party, which makes me very happy indeed. I'd also like to say that I'm typing without looking at the keyboard at all, because my stepdad just popped in Little Miss Sunshine and is trying to convince me it's the best movie ever. Grampa is doing coke right now, so I think the chances of me agreeing are pretty good.

I love you, Tony Collette. Steve Carrell is crazy looking, though.

Done!

New icons from explosm, which I made myself. Take 'em if you want. You don't have to credit me or anything stupid like that. I don't credit people when I steal their icons, no reason you should show me the same respect. :D

I got paid today, and then paid off all my bills, and then went Christmas shopping for my family. At the end of that, I had spent over $1300 in just under 2 hours. Ahem. Don't worry, though -- I've got my bonus left over, which will sustain me through the next couple of weeks without problems... it's just funny to think about. I'm no longer behind on anything, though, which is good. I'm actually ahead on most of my bills and don't have to worry about them until February. Which, woot!

Friday Meme!

Reading: The Watchmen, which is a bit slower going than I would like -- there's things I want to see happen and things I want to know, and I don't really want to read four page articles about how cool owls are when they screech, no matter how artistic or philosophical it sounds. But even though it's a little frsutrating, I like it. I just ordered The Empty Crown trilogy from Amazon, though, and that will be my next victim. I lovelovelove those books. It was originally supposed to be a 12 book series, but DAW stopped after the third one because their sales weren't as good as they should have been or something. Is there a way to get a publisher to pick up a once-abandoned series? Because I will totally start a letter writing campaign for these books. Seriously, if you've never read the Twelve Treasures series, I will let you borrow it. Soooo good.

Writing: Preliminaries for the Birthright game, which will hopefully get launched in late January/early February. I've got a lot of work to do on it, though, so that deadline may be a little unrealistic for me. We'll see, though. Once I get the books it'll be easier, because I'll remember how damn easy the system is and won't have to worry so much. I've already got maps sketched out, so now I just need to solidify some ideas and see what everyone wants to play. I like the group of people I've got together, though we don't have a girl unless Ali plays. I can't remember if she was interested. Hrm.

Wearing: Teal and green striped v-neck sweater (it looks better than that description sounds), black tank top, cuffed jeans, thigh-highs, patent leather loafers, Scorpian bracelet because I am wily and live a theme, ponytail.

Planning: A trip to the First State in about half an hour to go visit my family there and give and receive presents of goodness. I'll be there for a couple of days, and will be coming back Sunday morning/afternoon. Then it will be a MAD CLEANING SPREE to get my room in order. Seriously, if anyone wants some early booze, come over and help me rearrange my furniture and hang stuff on my walls. I am lazy and have not managed it yet. Boo. Also, if any of you tall people with the long arms would like to come and finish painting my walls so I can pull the fucking painter's tape off, I would be very appreciative as well. By which I mean: I'll feed and booze you. Maybe even at the same time. With love.

Grah. I need, like, the biggest hug in the world. Why are hugs such a rare commodity? I think it should always be a contest to see which person can hug the longest. Because that is a contest I will always win. :)

I am staying home today, seeing's how the blood vessels in my head are staging a revolt. I'm not sure what they're revolting against or fighting for, but they sure are pissed.

And since I can't sleep, I might as well use this time to clean. I've finished most of the dishes, except for those in the living room which are really scary, and cleaned out the fridge. Next is my room, which will probably take the rest of the day. At least I will, if possible, get the rest of my stuff hung on the wall. It's about damn time, too. And I want to rearrange the furniture too. Hopefully I will be able to do all of this and more! The "more" here being watch a couple episodes of L&O. Because that's how I roll.

I also roll with the extreme pain in the tempular area. It just goes to show how fucking used to migraines I am that instead of being debilitated, I'm just bitchy and still moving around accomplishing things. I probably could have managed to go to work, but I wouldn't have done anything there because everything involves thinking instead of doing, which is not my strong point right now. That, and the thought of getting out of my pajamas makes me cry. Boooo-hoo.

I am excited about Birthright now. I (heart) Sean.

EDIT: Man Ray photo is scanned!

I'm so bored. So bored. So very, unequivocally bored. The only person who is here in my department and the two departments on either side is the old Jewish lady who spends all day on the phone to her grandkids and is waiting out her retirement. There's not even any entertainment value there, just whispered conversation in child-babble that are quite close to driving me to drink. Blech. I could probably file some things, but then what will I have to do tomorrow? Nothing, I tell you. Might as well take my nothing in giant chunks.

I made some homemade tapioca last night, and it's pretty tasty. Now that I understand the recipe I can probably switch it up a little -- though there's not a whole lot one should do to tapioca, since it's sweet-blandness and interesting texture is kind of the point. But at least I now know how to do it. Another recipe under my belt, huzzah.

I need to put a cookbook together, or at least a recipe card catalog or something. I have most recipes jotted down on random pieces of paper (I found my recipe for lemon merangue pie behind the bathroom sink) or just sitting in my head. It'd be nice to get everything organized and in its place. Heh, the story of my life. I still haven't put my laundry away. I am lame in ways previously undiscovered by science.

I did, however, use my gift cards to go on an all-out internet shoppng spree last night, which was a damn good use of my time. I bought a few things which were a little more expensive than I usually like to go, but I justified it by remembering that it wasn't my money to begin with. That made things better. Now I just have to wait for that delicious box of clothes from Old Navy so I can strut my stuff in winter style.

My new tattoo is settling quite nicely, and as soon as I get my shit together I'll get a picture for everyone to see. If anyone has a camera, that might help. I also need to scan the picture that Karina gave me from the Man Ray photoshoot she did (the link is to the real Man Ray photograph, not the one that she shot, natch).

Boooooooooored. Gah. I'm gonna go annoy the intrawebulars and make them amuse me. Or possibly go play hopscotch on MySpace.