Doomsday Girl

Wanting means doing

2010-02-11T08:24:00.004-05:00

Rather than create an entirely new blog, I thought I'd resurrect this one. At least for now.

I'm sitting here oh-so-early in the morning perusing Apartment Therapy and thinking how much I would love to live in an apartment (actually, a HOUSE would be preferable) that didn't have piles of paper, books and dirty clothes for decoration. Right now this place has NO style, which is kind of ironic since I studied interior design for two years. I guess I should have gone for the whole four years if I wanted to be a superstar at it.

The point is I keep having these urges to redecorate and de-clutter, but I don't do anything about them. I'm writing this in the hopes that I can get shit together and DO something. I hate living in an apartment I'd be embarrassed to invite people into. Not that I have a ton of (or, like, any) friends here in Austin that are beating down my door to come over and hang. But that's another (sad, sad) blog post. Despite my hermit-like existence I want to change my environment. I have a lot of other changes going on right now in my life, so why not throw this one in the pile. I'm hoping if I document it here, I will become accountable. We'll see how that goes.

So here's what I want to get out of this:

A livable living room - Right now my living room consists almost entirely of computers and art-making paraphernalia. I want a couch, possibly a new chair, end tables, a vintage credenza for the television, a new dvd player and a Wii. And room to use said Wii. This could be challenging since the living room is small and will still need to house our computers. But seriously, I don't know that we need four computers between the two of us. At least not in the setup they are in now.
I need to...

Save money for buying most of the stuff listed above
Come up with new floor plan ideas
Get a flat monitor for Wayne's server computer and figure out how to get rid of the desk it's on
Figure out wtf to do with the printer
Clear away desktop clutter and come up with a way to prevent future clutter
Move art stuff to the bedroom

A functioning bedroom/closet - Right now the bedroom has far too many clothes all over the place. My little sewing area is inaccessible. I want our bed with a nightstand on either side, the dresser (with the mirror somehow attached even though we lost part of it in one of the moves) and a sewing/crafting/arting area. Ideally I'd like to get rid of both big black metal shelves that hold our clothes, but we'll have to see about that one. After all we do have a HUGE closet and a dresser for that kinda thing.
I need to...

Come up with new floor plan ideas for the bedroom
Figure out how to fit both metal shelves and a bike rack into the closet
Go through boxes in the closet and currently on shelves and give stuff to Goodwill
Go through CLOTHES and give stuff to Goodwill

A kitchen that keeps us healthy - The kitchen itself isn't really a problem for me. It's a small apartment with a small, bland kitchen. Not much to be done about that. It's what goes on there that's a problem. I'd like to eat better, which to me includes organic, local, fresh produce and actual homemade foods. Not frozen or from a can. I want to learn to can things and actually use the unopened bread maker that has been in the closet for almost two years.
I need to...

Find my cookbooks
Sign back up for Greenling
Make sure dirty dishes go into the dishwasher as soon as they are dirty
Ask my mom to show me how to can stuff, and possibly even use a pressure cooker (though that thought kind of scares me. I'm not a fan of things potentially blowing up in my kitchen)
Get a crockpot
Remember to bring my own bags with me to the grocery store

Of course most of this implies having an actual steady income, which right now is not happening. And I'm sure there are lots more steps and actions that can be added to these lists, but this is good for now. It's out of my head and into the real world now, which is a good start.

What I'm thinking...

2009-08-26T16:34:00.003-04:00

I feel a little vomit rise into my throat when I even consider going to see The Time Traveler's Wife. Or My Sister's Keeper. Or pretty much any popular movie that was released in the last year (especially if there is a mall cop involved). Of course that didn't stop me from seeing a ton of movies last month.

Also.

If you are an adult please don't refer to your stomach as your "tummy" and don't say you have to go "potty".

That is all. For now.

Still kicking

2008-07-08T18:23:00.003-04:00

I'm not dead, honest. I am kind of bummed I missed June's monthly booklist, but it couldn't be helped. I didn't have much time to read or post here as we were busy moving to Austin (and breaking down in Virginia along the way). But we're here now, finally, and I'm still surrounded by boxes that need to be unpacked. Not much going on other than job hunting and staying up too late doing... what? I don't know.

This week we're going to meet some friends in Brenham (or some such town), then we're heading to my parents in OK with the intention of getting a new car while we're there. We desperately need one. As I said, the car broke down in Virginia, but this was even after we had it in the shop to get some hose fixed on it before we even left. Then we got to Texas and the air conditioner broke. NOT FUN. Then the radio broke. It's a downward spiral.

Austin's not bad. We've seen some of the sights while we were here (bars, bats, restaurants, Drew Barrymore), but I'm sure there's still a lot more to see. I need to go grocery shopping now. I'll be back when I have something more interesting to talk about.

Monthly Booklist

2008-05-29T22:50:00.003-04:00

May is here and school is over! YES! Somehow I actually passed both of my classes and now I can focus on The Move before classes start again. I don't know how much reading I'll get done during that time, but over the past month here's what we have:

The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle: Always love Holly's work and this was no exception. I can't wait for the next one in the series (The Silver Door), but I guess I'll have to keep myself busy reading her awesome weblog and drooling over this book's cover art.

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder: I've had this book sitting on my shelf for ten months. I don't know why I put off reading it for so long since I absolutely loved the first one. I guess I was afraid I'd be disappointed. I can't say that I finished it 100% satisfied - there were little bits and pieces that bugged me - but overall it was great.

I need to start a new category in the booklist called Books I Started But Never Finished Because They Were Incredibly Annoying. This is reserved for books where the main character says, "I never refused a job" then three(!) pages later she talks about the kinds of jobs she refuses. I'm looking at you, Zoe Martinique! But I try to give these kinds of books the benefit of the doubt. I mean I DID slog through almost every book in the Anita Blake series. (To be fair, it was only slogging for the last 4-5 books. Before that, it was devouring.) More than likely I'll try to finish this particular book and move on to one that entertains rather than infuriates.

These books (and others) can be found in my Amazon.com store conveniently located right here.

Legal mumbo jumbo

2008-05-27T21:30:00.002-04:00

I was reading the lease for the new apartment in Austin and came across this little tidbit in paragraph 22:

Death of Sole Resident. If you are the sole resident, upon your death you may terminate the Lease Contract without penalty with at least 30 days written notice.

Does that mean you have to tell them 30 days before you die or after? Either way, I am not that good at planning ahead.

Morning observations

2008-05-14T11:04:00.005-04:00

I totally saw a bald eagle as I was driving to work today. I don't think I've ever seen one just out, you know, flying around like birds sometimes do. It was kinda neat. Though I was disappointed it wasn't carrying around an American flag in its beak. Damn commie eagles.

I also saw a newspaper (not flying around) with a headline that read:

HIL
BILLY
WIN

I just saw it in passing and at first I was confused. Hil Billy? WTF? Then it hit me. Oh my god. It's like Brangelina or Bennifer. Hilary + Bill = HilBilly. If that's not reason enough to vote for Barack Obama, I don't know what is.

Public Service Announcement

2008-05-09T14:21:00.002-04:00

Please make sure someone is a mother before you tell her Happy Mother's Day. I'm just sayin'...

Weeds again.

2008-05-07T13:03:00.001-04:00

Season 3 finale. Kevin Nealon = awesome!

Cringeworthy

2008-04-30T13:20:00.002-04:00

A long, long time ago I created a website. That website was ugly. UG. LY. Of course, at the time I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I mean when you hovered your cursor over a button thingy it turned red! Wowee! Since then I've redesigned the website and it is much more presentable now, though it's currently not being used. (That should change soon though. Wayne and I are going to bring it back to life.) Anyway, today I googled the website's name and came across a thread titled "What's the worst site you've seen?" and the very first site? The site to inspire this post? The site I designed a long, long time ago, of course! I was simultaneously ashamed yet amused. Obviously I agree it was a terrible site, but I know (I KNOW) there were and are worse ones out there. So, mostly I just think it's pretty damn funny. Like when you bring out your old high school yearbook and you're like, "Satellite bangs! What was I thinking?" Then you show all your friends, family and coworkers that picture even though you know they'll laugh at you.

Monthly Booklist

2008-04-30T11:04:00.000-04:00

I was pretty slack in April. I only finished two books. I started a some others, but somehow haven't found the time to finish anything. Fretting over schoolwork rather than actually doing it while planning a cross-country move tends to take up a lot of time.

Jumper by Steven Gould: - I read Reflex first, which is the book that comes after this one. Then I watched the movie version of Jumper, then I read this book. You'd have to wake up pretty early to beat me when it comes to doing things ass-backward. But back to the book. Aside from the slightly implausible hijacking business, I really enjoyed it. I recommend that you do NOT compare this book to the movie, as they are pretty much nothing alike. The only thing they have in common is the main character's name is David and he can teleport. It seems like the producers thumbed through the book and caught certain keywords (as I've mentioned) and thought, "Hey! Teleportation. We can do something with that." Then they proceded to write their own story and say it was based on the book. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie... it just had nothing to do with the book. Here's a little fun fact: The cover of the newer paperback version has scenes from the movie on it that don't even happen in the book. At all. Griffin? Never heard of him.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson: - Max (aka Maximum Ride - great name!) is the leader of a flock of adolescent winged mutant kids on the run from their creators - the evil "whitecoats" - and Erasers (nasty mutant wolf-men whose sole purpose is to kill). They move quickly from one disaster to the next while searching for the truth about their genetically-modified origins, their destiny and the parents they've never known. The action-packed, cliffhanger chapters are mostly pretty short and led me halfway through the book before I even realized it. Great read. Technically this is a "young adult" book, but I'd never let that stop me from reading something that sounds interesting.

These books(and others) can be found in my Amazon.com store conveniently located right here.

Red light, green light

2008-04-25T09:10:00.005-04:00

Last night as I was sitting at a red light, I saw a guy on a bike get hit by a car. It was his fault. He tried across a busy street - through oncoming traffic - and ended up with a bent-up back wheel. He was fine, but had to carry his bike off the road. A few minutes later I was waiting at another red light and I heard tires squeal again. I looked over just in time to see a line of four cars ram each other end to end. Then the light turned green and, when I crossed the street, I saw a fifth car further in front that had pulled up onto the center median. The driver was walking down the median toward the pile-up (though technically I don't think it was really a "pile-up" as much as an orgy of bad driving since there appeared to be only minor damage) and I'm not sure if he was involved in the accident or just pulled over to go back and help. Maybe he went back to point and laugh at the other bad drivers. At that point I wouldn't have been surprised. I was just glad to make it to the grocery store and back home without getting run over.

Being nice doesn't pay

2008-04-24T11:13:00.005-04:00

This morning on my way to work I stopped at the bagel place. Standing in line, I noticed a twenty dollar bill in one of the muffin bins. Score! I ~~furtively snatched~~ picked it up and (seriously) considered using it to pay for my breakfast, but my goody-goody side won and I decided to turn it in. I really doubt anyone will claim it, but I figured I could use some Karma points. I handed it to the lady at the counter and told her where I found it. She tucked it under the edge of the cash register and said, "Oh yes, someone lost this." (Um, yeah that's why I turned it in.) She then proceded to overcharge me for my bagel. F U Karma!

Infatuated

2008-04-15T09:37:00.002-04:00

I've been obsessively watching Weeds lately on Netflix instant download. So funny. Even Wayne likes it and he hardly likes anything on TV that isn't animated or involving Jon Stewart. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching seasons one and two with him so far. You should check it out. If you don't have Netflix, get it now!

Taste the bitter

2008-04-14T14:33:00.004-04:00

I have no fucking patience for stupidity today. First, I had to turn off the radio before the dumbass commercials forced me to drive off a bridge or something.

Then I took a drink of my coffee only to find that the wrong caramel flavoring had been used. The new girl used the one that tastes like vomity maple syrup instead of the one that tastes like CARAMEL. The other employees know that you don't use the maple syrup one, but apparently the new girl wasn't adequately trained in this. I hate making a fuss over it, but I would have if I'd have tasted it before I left the store, the parking lot or the town. My ire about this situation isn't directed at the new girl necessarily, but the slack quality of coffee I've gotten there the last few times. It's coffee, dammit. How can you keep fucking it up so badly, Dunkin' Donuts??

And finally, Wayne called the laundry place to find out how much they charge per pound (because we have a ton of laundry and we have better things to do than sit at a laundromat for five hours if we can avoid it). The conversation went a little something like this:

Wayne: How much is it per pound?
Idiot: It goes by weight.
Wayne: What if it weighed one pound?
Idiot: I would have to weigh it.
Wayne: Um, okay. Thanks.

Upon hearing (or reading, as it were) a transcript of this conversation I immediately 1) choked back a fiery rage and 2) asked if she was aware that a pound was actually a unit used to measure the weight of an object. He didn't ask her, but I'm willing to bet she had no idea.

Angry Guy

2008-04-10T15:25:00.006-04:00

The other night I was sitting there doing my homework (okay! I was watching TV) and my phone rang. I ignored it, as I usually do, because I didn't recognize the ringtone. And if I don't know your ringtone, you can just leave a message, buddy. As I said, I ignored it. Five minutes later it rang again. Once more, ignored. Another five minutes passed and it rang again. Weird, huh? I figured someone must have really wanted to get in touch with me, so I checked the number. It wasn't one I recognized. I ignored the call, but checked my voicemail right away. It went a little something like this...

9:24 P.M.
Hi, Heather. How are you? My name is Chris and I'm calling for Daniel. I don't know if he's your girlfriend (no, that's not a typo) or whatever, but Kimberly is my wife and I wanted to tell him to stop contacting her. They used to be friends but they're not now, so he really needs to stop contacting her. If he wants to get confrontational about this, he can call me. Look... I don't want this to come to fisticuffs, but if he has a problem he can come to me about it. I don't mind handing him his ass. So, Daniel, if you're listening... LEAVE KIM THE FUCK ALONE.

9:30 P.M.
Hey Heather. Sorry. Daniel, you think you're real fuckin' funny don't you? You like to play your little games. I know what you did to Kim. She has witnesses. (Insert random profanity about the quantity of Daniel's pubic hair, questioning of Daniel's sexual orientation, something about sending Daniel back to prison (though I'm not sure how kicking Daniel's ass will send him to prison), etc.) Call me back. Come over. You think you're a big boy? I'll show you a big boy. You ain't nothin.
---
I love how he was all polite, even inquring about my health before laying into Daniel (whoever that is). Then the next time he apologizes before his colorful little rant. Ahhh... I get the best wrong number messages!

Annoyance

2008-04-02T11:16:00.007-04:00

I don't know what the deal is this week. Stress, maybe. My body (such as it is) has been freaking out and that annoys me tremendously. Sunday night after I got out of the shower I was putting on a pair of pants, as I have time after time after time, but this time in particular when I lifted one leg and bent over to insert foot, pull up pants... my entire lower back clenched into one huge spasm of pain. I just stood in the bathroom panting and trying to hold my shit together, hoping it would pass, for about ten minutes. It didn't. Eventually I slowly pulled my pants on, took some of my leftover pain medication from my shoulder surgery, and went to prop myself up with about six pillows in the comfy chair. I couldn't even explain how bad it hurt without my voice getting all wavery. But anyway, ouch. It still hurts today, but nowhere near as bad. When I stand up after sitting for awhile I hobble around, tilting a little to the right while hunching slightly, until the kinks work out enough for me to walk properly.

The other thing that is pissing me off is my face. Haha. Um, yeah. I think its actually my eyeballs that the real troublemakers. I am way overdue for a new pair of glasses and the nerves around my eyes keep jumping. Yesterday it was one near tear duct of my left eye. Today it's just under my right eyebrow. And motherfuck is it annoying. I feel like my whole face is spasming. I know it's not - I've looked in the mirror when it happens and you can't even see it - but, sweet baby jesus is it infuriating.

And finally the last thing on my list of Junk That Is Really Pissing Me Off Today, is my cubemate's phone or possibly her laptop. She's not here, but her junk is. And SOMETHING, I don't know what it is, keeps making this PWOP-ing sound every five minutes.

In somewhat related news, I am T minus eight weeks and two days until unemployment. I've reluctantly posted my resume on HotJobs and CareerBuilder, but I'm worried the only thing I'll get in return is spam. I've applied to some jobs elsewhere, but haven't heard anything yet. It has only been a little over a week since I received The News, but I feel the end drawing near and it is worrisome. (Who talks like that? I just pictured myself writing that last sentence out with a quill pen in flourishing script by candle light while wearing a Victorian dress.) I don't know where I'll be or what I'll be doing in three months. Scary. I'm still positive at this point, though. I am, possibly naively, thinking this is an opportunity for us to both find jobs we are happy with. I figure I have at least until the end of May before I really start freaking out. At that point, we'll be relying on school money and carefully tucked away savings (haha! that makes me giggle just typing it).

Now I'm gonna go get some lunch because it's 11:59 and that damn PWOP-ing is making me crazy.

Monthly Booklist

2008-03-29T12:25:00.003-04:00

In March I was on a roll. I pretty much just read one series, but it was a good one.

Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened and Lover Revealed (also known as the Black Dagger Brotherhood series) by J. R. Ward: - I devoured each of these books, forsaking homework and TV for days at a time. An addiction, I suppose. I won't go into the storylines too much (or at all, really), but suffice it to say there are vampires involved. But then, aren't there always? Just go read these books already, would ya.

Serenity by Keith R.A. DeCandido - Wow, I can't believe I forgot to add this one. Better late than never, I guess. Anyway, this novel is based on the Serenity screenplay. I've seen the movie at least twice and from what I remember, the novel is pretty much exactly the same. No better, no worse. I suggest you watch the Firefly series before reading this book (or watching the movie), though. It's just better that way. And it is OH so very good. Love it!

These books (and more) can be found in my Amazon.com store conveniently located right here.

How thoughtful!

2008-03-26T14:39:00.003-04:00

So I'm perusing Craig's List for apartments in Austin (keeping options open here) and as I'm looking at pictures I see the funniest thing. The first apartment has a picture of a kitchen and on the wall there are huge wooden letters that say "EAT". I don't think anything about it, but then I go a few apartments down the list and look at another one. This has a picture of a bedroom and on the wall over the bed there are huge letters that say "DREAM". I'm like, hey that's weird. So then I go back down the list and the third one I look at has a picture of a living room and what do you know - right there on the windowsill by the couch are huge wooden letters that spell out "LIVE".

I'm not even making this up. These were three separate listings in a row which I chose at random. So I can only assume all of the apartments in Austin have instructions on what you're supposed to do in each room conveniently located on the walls. Oh, Austin, you think of everything!

GRARG!

2008-03-26T12:24:00.002-04:00

See? I told you! It's a day later and I'm hearing someone RIGHT NOW talk about how Obama is related to Brad Pitt.

Hello, downward spiral

2008-03-25T15:09:00.003-04:00

This story caught my eye, then I felt a little like I might throw up. Seriously. I'm not sure if I'm more annoyed at the media for writing it, the genealogists for doing the research in the first place or the fact that some people probably base their entire political opinions on shit like this.

Maybe I'm just bitter because I got canned yesterday. Well, technically I guess I was just informed of my impending canning as of May 30, 2008. (To clarify, it wasn't just me. Five of my co-workers got the axe also. Budget issues or some such. That makes it all okay, doesn't it?)

Spring Break

2008-03-21T13:10:00.006-04:00

I took off work Monday - Wednesday this week because Wayne and I were both out of school for Spring Break. Joy! We went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Frida Kahlo exhibit. It was excellent! Not only were there so many of her phenomenal paintings, but there were also tons of photographs of her and Diego, their family and friends. It was very intimate, despite the people everywhere.

Five years ago, almost to the day, I was in Mexico City visiting the museum in Frida's famous blue house. While there were many more paintings and photographs at the Philadelphia exhibit, the blue house (Museo Frida Kahlo) was just amazing. There was her bed, where she was forced to spend so much of her life. Her casts. Her studio. I was so lucky to have the opportunity to visit there.

If you're in the area, you should definitely check out the exhibit in Philly. Even if you've never heard of Frida Kahlo you'll be amazed by her life, her spirit and her phenomenal artwork.

Go. Now!

Thinking and Driving

2008-03-06T15:26:00.004-05:00

As I was driving to work today I went through my CD case looking for something I hadn't listened to recently. The case is pretty thick, but I guess I keep going back to the same ones over and over. Anyway, I finally picked one I hadn't heard in awhile, a compilation of MP3s. (That's why I hadn't listened to it in a long time. The pause between the songs is like four seconds instead of two and my time is far too valuable to be wasted waiting on the music to start.)

I had to skip a few folders that were mostly there for Wayne's sake (Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill) and finally came to one called Goodies. Oh yeah, I remember this folder! So I listened and a few good songs come on, then one comes on that I'd totally forgotten about. It caught me completely off guard and kinda knocked the breath out of me, I love it so much. How could I have forgotten it? It made me think that there are very few songs that affect me like that. I can think of precisely three, and they have distinct memories attached to them:

Brick by Ben Folds Five (the one I heard today) - Talking to Wayne on the phone all night

Far Behind by Candlebox - First real concert, first super-favorite band

Black by Pearl Jam - Over and over and over and over and over

So, yeah, that's me being nostalgic.

Creeped out

2008-03-05T10:19:00.009-05:00

I am just a little traumatized from watching Last Tango in Paris the other day. I wasn't feeling well and it was free On Demand, so I figured why not. The name seemed familiar and I thought maybe it was one of those classics that would enrich me culturally, or some shit. Plus Marlon Brando was kinda hot when he was young. Unfortunately he'd already hit middle age by 1972 and his character was just a little crazed in this movie. (And really, I think that wispy 70's hair only accounts for about 40% of the insanity.) Overall it was just a smidge too creepy and disturbing for my liking. But I just kept watching it. I hate movies like that. You go in not knowing what to expect and when it's over you feel just a little dirtier for having seen it. And not in a good way.

Straightening up and flying right.

2008-03-03T09:35:00.004-05:00

I started reading One Year to an Organized Life by Regina Leeds on Saturday. In it she recommends journaling, so I suppose I will. I mean what is the use of buying the book if I don't even try what she says. I'm starting on week one where she says to explore the reasons why I am an unorganized slob and blame my parents if possible. Well, she doesn't say that exactly, but she does say to look back into my childhood and see what sorts of things might have triggered my current behavior. This is sort of a problem for me because I really can't remember a lot from my childhood. Not because it was unpleasant (quite the opposite), but because I watched too much Scooby Doo and you know there's only so much room to store things in the human brain. What I do remember is being late to school a lot because I stayed up too late and didn't want to wake up. Boy has THAT been a repeating pattern. Poor Wayne depends on me to take him to school three days a week and he's perpetually late. I'm perpetually late. If I would just go to bed and wake up 30 minutes earlier, this wouldn't be a problem.

But I am getting ahead of myself. The first week is about choosing one thing in the kitchen and doing it every day (like doing dishes or taking out the trash) for 21 days. Sounds good. I didn't do it yesterday though. Maybe today. See, that's another problem. I procrastinate too much (as I have whined about in previous posts). I have the best intentions of making a plan and following it, but everything falls apart when something good comes on TV. Or even something bad. I can always find 1,001 things to do instead of what I need to do (schoolwork, cleaning) and sometimes even things I want to do (schoolwork, writing).

Twenty-one days to make a habit, she says. I can do twenty-one days, right? Three weeks. The plan is to keep the sink clean of dishes and go to bed at 11:30. Baby steps. I'll keep you posted because I know you will be waiting on the edge of your seat.

Monthly Booklist

2008-02-29T09:24:00.002-05:00

Here's the list for February. Still no manuals on how to perform brian surgery for fun and profit. Just stuff I enjoy (mostly). Halfway through this month I got bogged down with homework and didn't have much time to finish any other books to add to the list. But here we go... books for February.

Idlewild by Nick Sagan - This is the story of a young man with a great name who attends an elite virtual reality prep school. He wakes up one day with amnesia and wackiness ensues. Okay, maybe not wackiness...or even hijinks. There are a few shenanigans though. But mostly, just some solid sci-fi writing. I enjoyed this book right up until this one chapter at the very end. It wasn't that the chapter was bad, it was just a little weird. Seemed disconnected. That didn't ruin the overall experience or enjoyability of the book though. I plan to read the next in the series, Edenborn, as soon as I find it or order it online. You should read it.

Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn - Kitty is a werewolf and also happens to have a supercool radio show about all things supernatural. Of course she also has several people who would like to see her dead. This is number four in the series, I believe. I recommend all of them, despite the silly titles. Great characters and stories. No gaping plot holes, which is nice.

Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cooke - Sara is an accountant turned New Age bookstore owner with a haunted air conditioner. Quinn is an immortal shapeshifting dragon guy who also happens to be a blacksmith. Supernatural forces bring them together, and some other shapeshifting dragon guys want to tear them apart - literally. I knew this was a "paranormal romance" when I bought it (even typing "paranormal romance" makes my teeth itch) but I liked the cover and I'm a sucker for shapeshifters. Overall it wasn't bad. (I might read the next one if I happen to see it on a shelf at the bookstore.) There was just a little bit too much romance for me, though. There was a lot of slow, sexy smiling and A LOT of sweating. However, the air conditioner was just a little bit too much of a main character for my liking. But if you're into romance novels and you happen to like supernatural junk, you'll probably like this one a lot.

These books (and more) can be found in my Amazon.com store conveniently located right here.

Infatuated

2008-02-15T10:33:00.002-05:00

I've been listening to Ray LaMontagne for the last week straight. If I could listen to him cranked up here at work, I probably would. If I could put him in an IV and stick him in my vein I would probably do that, too. He is the epitome of awesomeness. The bee's knees, if you will. It bums me out that Wayne doesn't like him. Maybe I'll convert him eventually.

Speaking of Wayne, he was pretty swell yesterday. He got me roses and chocolate for VDay. Awwwwwww, cheeeee.

(A friend of mine in high school used to say "cheeeee" instead of "awwww." I have no idea why, but I always found it funny. You know, I can't even remember which friend it was now. And actually I don't remember if it was high school or college. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't happen at all and it was something I saw on television. I firmly believe that TV rots your brain and steals your creativity. I'm living proof.)

Balls

2008-02-05T11:38:00.000-05:00

I've been twittering a lot, but no real updates. Twitter is just so much easier than thinking about stuff, logging in, then typing stuff. Lazy. Yes, I am aware.

School has started again. I love my animation class and can't wait to do more fun stuff. My first animation was cheesy and had a lot of problems, but it was superfun. That is, once Wayne and I got the camera rig FINALLY set up. It took longer to figure out how to mount the camera, buy the supplies, then put it all together than it did to draw all 178 individual frames of my animation. For reals! I have a nice setup now though. Perhaps I will post a picture of it. Wayne and I are both extremely pleased with ourselves and our ingenuity. We're all MacGyver up in here.

Well, I was GOING to post my animation video, but Blogger keeps eating it. The title of this post would make much more sense if the video was up, but whatever. I'm not changing it.

Ani

2008-01-27T15:41:00.000-05:00

Last night Wayne and I used our Tomtom (GPS navigation thingy, for you people living in caves) on a maiden voyage to see Ani Difranco at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. While this isn't supposed to be a review for Tomtoms, I have to say it was so extremely useful. We had the wrong address originally, but we got directly to that wrong address with no problems whatsoever. A kindly Philadelphia police officer gave us directions to the actual venue which was luckily nearby. We found parking easily and afterward... I've never had an easier time getting out of a concert and back onto the highway than I did last night. It was so cool. Especially when you compare that experience to a couple of months ago when we went to Baltimore to see Ani. Nothing but headaches and road construction and confusion. Bleh.

Anyway, the concert...

We'd never been to the Electric Factory, but it was a pretty cool little venue. And I do mean little. We weren't standing right at the stage, but very close to it. Anaïs Mitchell was the opening act. Never heard of her, but she was good. I think I'll have to invest in a cd. Gotta support RBR!

Ani finally came out and just the volume of cheering and screaming went up by about a billion decibels. (I was hoarse afterwards.) She did about four new - happy - songs and a lot of older ones. I was left with the feeling, like I usually am, that I can't wait to see her in concert again. I've seen her in Oklahoma, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. I tried to talk Wayne into going to see her again today in Norfolk, VA, but that didn't quite work out. That's okay, I guess. I gotta clean my house anyway.

Freecycle

2008-01-24T12:57:00.001-05:00

Pretty much since we've lived in our apartment the oven has been broken. I tried to get the landlord to get us a new one, but apparently I'd signed an agreement saying the appliances were not included in the rental. They weren't covered. Basically, tough shit. So we've been making due with two, sometimes three, burners and no oven. His mom kindly got us a toaster oven, but we've yet to use it.

Anyway, after posting a few times in the past to my local Freecycle group, I finally found someone with an oven who was willing to give it to me. FINALLY! YAY! So Wayne and I rented a U-Haul (and somehow a $19 one-hour, in-town rental turned into $52, but I digress) and found the house where the oven was. It was actually in a trailer that the owner was also giving away. And the trailer was propped precariously up on wheels, leaning to one side. We had to use a green plastic lawn chair to get up into the door. I say "we", but it was actually Wayne who made the journey into the trailor.

Long story short, we got the stove home and of course it didn't work properly. The oven didn't work at all and only one burner worked. So we went from three burners down to one. Fuck that! Wayne just unhooked the whole thing and so now we are stoveless.

(Update: We have a BRAND NEW range now. I LOVE IT. I've been cooking my little heart out since we got it. I still think Freecycle is an awesome deal, even though we got screwed on that stove thing. We did get a most fantastic chair out of it when we first moved into the apartment. I'll definitely Freecycle again in the future, but I doubt I'll take anything really freakin' heavy that has potentially broken parts on it. If I can't look at it and see it works, I ain't taking it. Oh and also we've been using the toaster oven to toast this really awesome jalapeño and cheddar foccacia bread from Safeway. MMMmm...)

People Are Funny (But Also Sometimes Assholes)

2008-01-24T12:29:00.000-05:00

Last night I was at Weight Watchers and the Leader (The Leader is good, The Leader is great, we submit our will as of this date!) was telling some hypothetical story designed to motivate us. She was talking about a fictional woman who stopped tracking her food and therefore decided to stop going to meetings. Then The Leader says, "Now, is she a cannibal?"

In my head I'm all... Huh? A cannibal? Did I miss some key part of the story where that even possibly makes sense? Mentally rewinding... Nope, doesn't make sense. I give up - IS she a cannibal?

So The Leader continues her story, "No, of course she's not accountable." And it clicks. A cannibal = accountable. It all makes sense now. Gotta love that Eastern Shore accent.

Last Saturday I was at a different WW meeting. I was supposed to meet a friend there who'd only been one time before. She got there before me, so I was scanning the seats and the length of the line looking for her. Finally I saw her maybe three people in front of me, so I went up to say hi and show her where to find her little folder to give to the receptionist when she checks in. When I moved up to stand next to her the lady behind her got all indignant and snarled, "EXCUSE ME!" Oh, dear! How dare I cut in line. This is, after all, the third grade and things like that matter.

I said, "Don't worry, I'm going back to the end of the line after I show her where to find her stuff." That still wasn't good enough. I was taking too long. She proceded to tell me where to find said stuff, even though she had no idea what she was talking about. She was still huffing and puffing after my friend and I found her folder. So I told her, "I'm going to move to the back of the line now so I don't upset the delicate balance of the universe." Bitch.

I told Wayne about this little encounter and he said (ala Family Guy), "You should have said I thought you people were supposed to be jolly." Dammit, why can't I think of these things?

Monthly Booklist

2008-01-23T09:10:00.001-05:00

In which I list and possibly recommend the books I've read this month... for no particular reason. You'd think I'd start doing this in a month where I read a few more books. Maybe some impressively thick ones on astrophysics or parliamentary procedure (whatever that is), but alas. If it doesn't have a vampire or people who've met and/or been bitten/threatened/seduced by vampires, you can just shove it. No, not really, but with this list you just might think that:

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs - Excellent as usual. I cried at the end and you will too, unless you're a heartless bastard. Enjoy!

Evermore by Lynn Veihl - My favorite Darkyn book to date. Much more memorable than the last one. Two thumbs up.

The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton - Suck. Do not buy this book. See previous post.

To buy any of the books I've recommended (and more!), check out my Amazon.com shop: Doomsday Girl Can Read!

Sucker

2008-01-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

I did it again. I bought yet another Anita Blake novel by Laurell K. Hamilton. This time, though, I was smart(ish) and got The Harlequin for a quarter at a library book sale. (The back of the book had "DISCARD" written across it in black sharpie - boy is there some good advice.)

I will never, ever buy another Anita Blake book from a retail outlet, lest that encourage L.K.H. to continue regurgitating past plots under the guise of fresh content. I will not be an enabler.

It's so sad to see how far downhill these books have gone. They were the books that turned me on to the vampire/dark fantasy genre in the first place. Sad.

Meh

2008-01-15T12:43:00.001-05:00

I am frustrated. Annoyed. Stifled. Frustrated. With myself. Anyone know how to get your shit together and stop procrastinating about everything? I need to figure out how to enjoy the processes of things instead of just wanting to jump to the superfun, juicy bits. I start something then if I'm not an immediate superstar at it (which hardly ever happens) I give up - only to begin yet another project and fall into the same trap. It's an endless cycle. Or at least it seems endless. Dammit. I'm so good at planning, but not the part where you actually do what you plan. How do I fix that?

Anyway. I'm going to lunch.

No rhyme or reason

2008-01-07T15:31:00.001-05:00

The car window is all fixed and we're back from Oklahoma already. It was good to be back home, but I missed my bed. And my computer. Now I'm back to missing Oklahoma again. We had extreme delays coming back to Delaware and I ended up going about 36 hours with only an hour or two of sleep spread across two different plane rides. Argh! Now I'm waiting on my mom to send me a package filled with goodies I either forgot or didn't have room to bring on the plane.

There's this one particular radio commercial (I don't even know what it's about. Maybe car insurance?) and hearing it sends me into a silent rage where all I can do is grit my teeth and stifle the urge to vomit. I don't know what it is about that commercial, but it rubs me the wrong way. Maybe because it's supposed to sound political, but the announcer sounds like Mayor Quimby. Nothing against Quimby, mind you. It's just... I don't know. It makes my ears bleed.

School starts January 29! I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully I can get myself on some kind of schedule and not wait til the very last possible second to get my work done this semester. I hate when I do that. I have lots of things I want to do in addition to school and I know the only way to do it is to be on a schedule. So I gotta get that done, then force myself to stick to it.

Wish I had something funnier or more interesting to report, but no one reads this so it doesn't matter either way.

Will I ever learn?

2007-12-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

One of our car windows was accidentally broken when we moved into our apartment. If you do the math, you'll realize that this was... 20 months ago. If that broken car window was a baby it'd be walking by now. Yes, it's still broken. Not gone, just in a million intact pieces with a layer or two of extremely weathered packing tape over it. Needless to say the car did not pass inspection when it was due for a tag at the end of November. So the plan has been to go car shopping and cleverly avoid paying $150 for a new window. $150 is extremely crazy to me, considering the window broken is that tiny triangular window in the backseat. But apparently that's the hardest window to fix so it's the most expensive. Of course it is. Anyway, sheer lazyness has kept us from looking for a new car over the last month. Now with only days before we go to Oklahoma I'm scrambling to try to find someone who will fix it for only $150. You see, our temporary tag expires December 27, but by that time I'll already be in Oklahoma. I'm sure there's a lesson in here about how I shouldn't put things off. I've had ample lessons like this in the past, but I doubt this one will stick either.

Shiver

2007-12-11T10:09:00.001-05:00

We'll be heading to Oklahoma soon for the holidays. Right now everything there is coated with ice. A couple of years ago when we visited there were massive wildfires everywhere. Next year, I fully expect a plague of locusts.

Eventful

2007-12-03T09:38:00.000-05:00

Wayne's birthday was a few weeks ago. To celebrate he bought himself some Red Stripe and, for me, a small bottle of tequilla. I'm not a fan of tequilla per se, but one time I drank it and we had a long interesting talk about monkey toupees (there were sketches involved) and since then he's decided that's my drink of choice. I don't actually drink much at all. I've never been a fan of the flavor, unless we're talking Malibu + Sprite or Buttery Nipples. In fact, the last drink I had was some fruity wine cooler thing back in July. I don't avoid alcohol because of the flavor (as I said the night of the monkey toupee - the first half of the bottle tastes terrible, but the second half is pretty good!) or because of any moral issues. I avoid it because it makes my face really hot. Sunburn hot. Not pleasant and, when drinking in public, a little embarassing.

Over time it occurred to me that I must be mildly allergic to alcohol, hence the face hotness. When I felt the urge to drink, though, it never really bothered me. A few drinks in and it would go away (or at least I would forget about it). Lately however, I've been having weird allergic reactions. Two different kinds of medicine and some random-as-yet-unknown-agent have made me break out in hives.

So on Friday, when I finally decided to have a shot or two of that tequilla, I jokingly told Wayne to call 911 if I happened to go into anaphylactic shock. I opened the bottle and took one swallow (yes, straight from the bottle cause that's just how I roll) and a minute or two later I started feeling the burn. My face felt super hot. HOT! I waited a few minutes to make sure my throat wasn't going to close up. When I happened to pass a mirror a couple minutes later...! It was crazy. My face wasn't just red - it looked like I'd smeared red lipstick all over my face. Even my ears and my neck were red. My face was puffy. I had huge splotchy hives all over my neck, back, side, ELBOWS. Strangely enough the area around my scar (from recent shoulder surgery) was red, too. I decided it would not be the best decision to keep drinking at that point. I took some benedryl instead (after only ONE gulp of alcohol, mind you). After an hour or so I was (mostly) back to normal and very sleepy.

You know what the worst part is? I was that person who never had a hang over. Now I'll never have a hang over, but for all the wrong reasons.

(And as an unrelated side note... Saturday night I broke the hell out of my tooth while eating some crab rangoon. It wasn't the food's fault, though. It was my tongue ring. I bit it. Chomped it, really. Those things are dangerous. Granted I'd had mine for almost 10 years before I did any damage, but still. I took it out and now it feels weird. Phantom barbell syndrome. Is that a thing? I wouldn't doubt it.)

Thinking, but not saying...

2007-11-28T11:52:00.000-05:00

Get off the phone! If you blow us up I'm going to be royally pissed. And you! Turn off your damn car when you're pumping gas. No! Don't get back in! I know it's cold, but there's a little thing called static electricity that occurs when you slide your lazy ass across the seat. And you know those gasoline fumes you used to think smelled so good when you were a kid? Combine those with said static electricity and, well, things tend to blow up. For the love of god, why is everyone at this gas station trying to kill me?

(And later...)

Sometimes its not about you.

Reading

2007-11-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

My mom-in-law loaned me a most awesome trilogy of novels called Queen of the Orcs (King's Property, Clan Daughter & Royal Destiny), by Morgan Howell. I'm just starting the third book, having devoured the first two earlier this week. It's been awhile since something grabbed me like these books have. The storyline is excellent and the characters are interesting, deep and dynamic. The author's use of language makes for a richly developed world.

After reading Holly Lisle's Create a Language Clinic I pondered how I might incorporate a made-up language into my writing. These books have shown me how it's done.

So, shashav, Morgan Howell. You rock.

Loose Ends

2007-11-13T12:43:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd update some junk from previous posts...

I am now sling-free. Still faithfully going to physical therapy - except for yesterday when I didn't go. But we don't need to talk about that.

The cat that was living under my bathroom floor was actually a kitten perhaps five or six weeks old. He doesn't live there anymore. Wayne captured him and he (the kitten, not Wayne) now lives with a nice family who desperately wanted a new cat. He is overcoming his wild fearfulness and getting fat and spoiled. His name is Milky Way.

I suck at doing NaNoWriMo. Suck. Diddly. Uck. I got like 800 words then promptly gave up. Well, I guess I didn't consciously give up, I just kept finding ten thousand other things to do instead like rescuing kittens, clipping coupons, reading The Orc Queen trilogy by Morgan Howell (which is awesome) and playing EverQuest II. Oh, and watching TV. And not writing. Maybe I'll start next week. (Ha.)

Madness (in a good way)

2007-11-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I saw an episode of Unwrapped that featured something called The Grocery Game. It looked interesting so I checked out the website. I ended up subscribing to The List(s) for my area and have since been HOOKED on this website.

The idea is simple. Use in-store sales combined with coupons to save an obscene amount of money. The Powers that Be at the Grocery Game do all the foot work (and brain work) for you, you just clip your coupons on Sunday and faithfully shop with The List. (Believe in The List. Trust The List. The List is your friend.) And it works.

Sunday I invested an hour or so cutting coupons. Monday I went shopping at three stores.

Store 1
Total Value of items purchased: $76
Total Out of Pocket (OOP) Spent: $37
Total Savings: $39

Store 2
Value: $74
OOP: $41
Savings: $33

Store 3
Value: $98
OOP: $58
Savings: 40

The grand total is.......
Value: $248
OOP: $136
Savings: $112 or 45%

If you want to sign up, which I highly HIGHLY suggest you do (at least check out the $1/4 week trial) please put in my email address as a referral (atomicbunnie at yahoo dot com). Thanks.

In related news, check out this great project that uses the Grocery Game to show kids how to save money AND provide for families in need: The Great Big Box Project

I complain a lot

2007-11-07T09:52:00.001-05:00

I came to the realization that humor is how I cope with pain. That and crying like a little girl occasionally. Yesterday I was fifteen minutes late to physical therapy because I got stuck behind every school bus in two counties on the way there. When I arrived my therapist skipped the heat and went right into the exercises. The fucking painful ones. I asked her if that was my punishment for being late. She said it was incentive for coming early. I don't see the logic. Next I moved to a ridiculous exercise where I was supposed to walk my fingers up the wall. I was still sniffling (shameful!) at this point and she asked if I needed a tissue and if I had allergies. I said, "Yes, I'm allergic to pain."

I remember Halloween

2007-11-01T09:37:00.000-04:00

Halloween was a bust. A bust! I had a grand total of four trick-or-treaters. This was even after Wayne kindly changed the bulb on the porch (which hadn't worked in the year-and-a-half we've lived there). Then Wayne pointed out that we were the only ones on the street with the light on at all. WTF Dover?

So if anyone wants 26 baggies of candy, give me a call. I can hook you up.

Happy Punkin Day

2007-10-31T12:10:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know it's been about eighty years since I've updated. No excuses, just acknowledgement. Not that I'm going to vow to update regularly from now on, but I'm updating now. What more do you want?? Geez.

Anyway, tomorrow NaNoWriMo begins! Exciting! I have most of my plot worked out (kinda, sorta) and I'm gung-ho to get started. I guess technically I could begin at midnight tonight, but I won't be doing that because I will be watching the Ghost Hunters LIVE! Halloween special on SciFi. I can't help it. I love that show.

In other news, my arm is still in a sling, physical therapy hurts and there's a cat living under my bathroom floor. Discuss.

Stupid phishing bastards

2007-09-10T14:24:00.001-04:00

Stupid phishing bastards (mentioned above) cracked Holly Lisle's website and screwed up her affilliate program/shop. I still HIGHLY recommend her books on writing, even though I had to delete the links in my sidebar. I think (hope) she'll have things up and working again soon, so check with her often. You should be reading her blog anyway because she rocks.

Update: It looks like you can still get her books here. I guess it was just the affiliate portion of the show that was cancelled.

Dessert

2007-08-21T22:43:00.000-04:00

After dinner, in the car, on the way to Coldstone.

Me: I guess I could just get ice cream and you could NOT get some because your stomache hurts.
W: And then I can sit there and watch you eat it in front of me?
Me (enthusiastically): Yeah!
W: Or... Why don't I get some, then you can eat my ice cream in front of me.
Me: Even better! Why didn't you get me THAT for my birthday?

The triumphant return

2007-08-21T11:53:00.000-04:00

Well, the return anyway. After a summer of lolly-gagging and shenanigans, I find myself blogging it up yet again. It's not that I meant to take the summer off, it just worked out that way.

While I was away, I...

Passed two classes
Scheduled shoulder surgery
Turned another year older (blarg)
Got lost numerous times in the wilds of Delaware (I didn't think it was possible, but apparently it is. For me.)
Procrastinated a lot
Slept even more (We're talking until 5pm some days, people. That is just pathetic.)
Discovered those Cinnamon Melt things from McDonalds
Attempted to swear off those Cinnamon Melt things from McDonalds
Enjoyed a visit from my family
Walked on the beach (and in an attempt to stop a HUGE fly from biting my leg, kicked myself so hard in the shin I had a huge purple knot for days)
Saw the Liberty Bell (...twice)

The Goods

2007-06-04T18:11:00.000-04:00

The Art Star Craft Bazaar was awesome. It was like Etsy exploded and rained down its Etsy goodness all over Northern Liberties, which is a very cool neighborhood, by the by. Every other table I was saying, "Ooooh, I saw this on Etsy!" The only problems I had with the whole thing, other than the freaking HEAT, were the prices. But maybe that's my own fault for being so poor all the time. (I really must stop doing that.) I could have left with five or six (dozen) items, but my wallet just wouldn't let me. I did pick up a few things which I covet tremendously:

Best. Mousepad. Ever. I believe the artist is Susie Ghahremani from boygirlparty.com, but don't quote me on that.

Spiffy little pocket mirror from myfavoritemirror.com. Artist is Susie Ghahremani.

Purtyful wool is blue faced leicester (quite soft!) from woolarina.com.

I picked up a business card from in-hope.com, but I can't remember why, other than there was something I really liked but probably couldn't afford. Also, I don't know if you're anywhere near New Jersey, but if you are and you are into making things, you have to check out petersvalley.org! From what I hear it is like summer camp for adults. I so would like to take a class or three there. Who knew such a place existed around here? Certainly not I.

In other news, I finished spinning up the fiber I was working on. I even plyed all of it except for a tiny bit. I'm kind of stuck at that point. I'll have to consult the interweb to find out how to ply a single skein all by its lonesome. Anyway here it is, clutched in my claw-like grasp. It turned out pretty okay. I kinda like this spinning thing.

Spintastic

2007-05-27T16:28:00.001-04:00

Last Wednesday I went to a spinning class with Nancy at a spiffy little shop in Chesapeake City, MD called Vulcan's Rest Fibers. It was also their weekly Knit Night, so I met lots of nice ladies who share my affinity to fiber and generally being crafty. I got to use a Louet S10 spinning wheel, which was fun. I did surprisingly well at it. I'd only ever used a wheel once before and that was months ago. Anyway, the point is, I didn't go there with the intention of bringing a wheel home with me. So, of course, that's exactly what I did. (Just a rental, but still... That lady who talked me into it knew what she was doing. I wannit!) Although I bought some fiber at Vulcan's Rest (duh), I haven't spun it yet. This is some wool Nancy gave me to try out. I think it's turning out pretty goodly. No clue what I'll do with it yet, though.

Wanna go!

2007-05-25T12:24:00.001-04:00

Coming soon to a Philadelphia near you!

Edit: We're going! Yay!

Aerial Attack

2007-05-25T09:11:00.000-04:00

Even Mother Nature hates President Bush.

Ouch

2007-05-24T09:51:00.000-04:00

I finally got off my lazy ass to make an appointment with a physical therapist yesterday. I have my first appointment today after work and three times a week for the next month. You see, I have this shoulder issue that totally sucks of the ass. It's been going on for over a year. I have no idea what originally happened to it - I just woke up one day and thought I had pulled a muscle but it never got better. I had an MRI done a few weeks ago, (which by the way is a SUPER fun thing to do when you're just getting over bronchitis and you keep coughing every five seconds) and it appears I have inflammation in my rotator cuff, bursitis and tendonitis. At least the rotator cuff isn't torn so I don't have to have surgery yet (unless the physical therapy doesn't help, which I doubt it will because I already HAD a month of physical therapy last year). I can't raise my left arm higher than shoulder height without pain. I can't put my hair in a ponytail or fasten/unfasten my unmentionable lady garmets without pain, either. Apparently there's some bone up in there that has little pointy bits on it and when I move my arm in a certain way (or, really, at all) the muscles or tendons or something meaty and full of pain receptors gets pinched and it causes inflammation. And did I mention pain? Apparently the cure for this condition is letting strangers yank on my arm and contort it into all sorts of interesting positions until I want to cry or punch said stranger in the neck, or maybe both. FUN!

Ridonkulous

2007-05-22T21:53:00.000-04:00

Hah. I'm dumb. See that heart? That heart I was so proud of? Upside down. Look at me! I can't read directions! Start from the bottom? Wha? Dur-dee-dur.

Crafty

2007-05-20T13:49:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd post my most recent yarn-related project. This is (supposedly) going to be a cell phone case. The pattern is in this book. Which, I might add, is a great book for beginners such as myself. When I started I had no clue what a garter stitch was or how to do Fair Isle, which apparently I do now. Sweet. I still don't know how to bind off, but there's a section covering it in the book and I have my mom-in-law who is like the Yoda of knitting, so I will figure it out when the time comes. I've yet to actually finish a project, but I think this time will be different. (I didn't even giggle as I typed that!) I picked this one because it is short and sweet and I think my attention span can sustain it.

Edit: Isn't my ignorance charming? This technique isn't Fair Isle, it's Intarsia. Just so ya know.

Shifting Sands

2007-05-18T11:13:00.000-04:00

Note: Another SS snippet, different POV. Like the last snippet I posted here, this is not the main POV and may not even be included in the final draft.

Debra sat in a daze beside her husband. Around her the shuttle jostled as it struggled to take off. Lights flickered behind translucent panels running along the wall that curved up over their heads. She clung to Steven’s hand and felt his nails digging into her skin, but she didn’t protest.

His hand was an anchor holding her inside her body. Without him, she thought she might dissipate. She could just let the static in her head take over, push her out. The static muffled everything, glazed her eyes and filled her ears.

She’d seen hundreds, maybe thousands of people die. The Krill had made sure of that. But never had it been by her own hand. Never on purpose. Already she was haunted by her decision, but she’d seen no alternative.

Slowly, she became aware of Steven’s voice. He was saying her name, shaking her arm. Then a burst of white light filled the cabin, bringing with it confusion and pain. She passed out.

When Debra woke there was more pain. Her eyelids felt heavy and it took all of her effort just to open them. She found she was on her side, still strapped into her seat. Large leafy plants surrounded her and she realized she was no longer in the shuttle. She didn’t see Steven or anyone else in her immediate field of vision. She needed to unstrap herself from the seat and find him. She tried to move her left arm, the one that wasn’t pinned down, but the pain made her vision dim and she thought she might pass out. Instead, she groaned and threw up a little onto the jungle floor in front of her.

Fire crackled somewhere and the acrid smell of smoke burned Debra’s lungs and stung her eyes. She didn’t see flames, but she knew they must be out there. And where there were flames, there was likely the shuttle and her husband. She needed to find Steven. She grit her teeth and tried to move her free arm again, determined to unbuckle herself and if necessary, crawl to the remains of the shuttle. The second attempt proved no more fruitful than the first. In fact, this time the darkness won. Her eyes closed.

She noticed the fear and static that had moments ago filled her head were gone. They were replaced by thoughts of her life, her children and Steven. As the blackness enveloped her, she wondered if she would ever see them again.

Paring Down

2007-05-07T12:49:00.000-04:00

One person doesn't need 6,473 blogs (that are never updated and no one reads anyway). Truly. I've already quit posting everywhere except here and Scintilla and I think I'll stop with Scintilla. Since I'm participating in Holly Lisle's Friday Snippets (assuming I actually remember to participate) I will just post my snippets here. Gives me some content, anyway.

Speaking of Friday Snippets, I'd like to say that the bit I posted last Friday is not quite representative of the full story (workingly titled Shifting Sands). Not yet anyway. It's just a very small portion that I rather liked. I'm not sure if I will get much new writing done on it in the next week since I'm working on moving it over to Liquid Story Binder and re-working the plot and outline and basically the whole thing. And, oh yeah, FINALS are coming up and work is winding down for the summer. Much the same way a tornado winds through a trailor park, I might add. When May is over, you won't KNOW me from happy. And my parents are coming to visit in June. Yay parents! Yay June!

Irrelevant Side Note: I tried to pare down on my use of parentheses in this post. I had about five sets, but I've narrowed it down to three. So put that in your hat and smoke it.

That reminds me...

2007-05-04T12:41:00.000-04:00

W: I told her, "She said you'd know what I want." You being her and she being you.
Me: Could you possibly find a more confusing way to explain that?
...
Moe: Ok here's the plan. This little model car will represent my car, and this olive will represent you.
Homer: (Homer eats the olive) Mmmmm. Me.
Moe: (angry) Oh Great. Now the model car will have to represent you (pulls out toy) and this little toy man will have to represent the car.

Someone somewhere

2007-04-19T15:17:00.000-04:00

Monday morning, like most of this week, I was sick and miserable. I dragged myself out of bed long enough to take my husband to class. As I was driving home, a thought came into my head from out of nowhere and made me feel a little better: Somewhere someone is having the best day of their life. Kind of a happy thought, isn't it? I kept saying that to myself and despite rebellious lungs and a disappearing voice, it helped.

...

I had a long, kind of depressing post written out about the tragedies of April, but I deleted it. We've all lived them. We all mourn and remember them. I don't need to rehash them.

Someone somewhere is having the best day of their lives.
I hope it's you!

Wiki-wiki-wiki-whack

2007-04-11T15:58:00.000-04:00

I love WikiHow. I'm an expert on EV-ER-Y-THING! And the topics are so random. From the exotic to the mundane. Much as I like the site, though, I can't shake the feeling that I'm the only person there who's not in junior high.

Haiku Friday

2007-04-06T11:24:00.000-04:00

Chocolate raisins.
Thou foul and wicked temptress.
Raisins are fruit, right?

Weekends go too fast.
Friday is almost Sunday.
Pretty much Monday.

New Additions

2007-04-02T15:15:00.000-04:00

I added Holly Lisle's Holly Lisle's Create A Culture Clinic to my recommendations. Holly has a great way of breaking down something as complex as a culture into easy-to-manage steps. I am a sucker for worksheets and well-organized information.

Also, I just purchased her Create A Character Clinic; I will post my thoughts on it once I have finished it. (Or perhaps along the way. We'll see.) I have been putting off reading this book because most of the other character development tutorials out there are just lists of questions you're supposed to answer on behalf of your character. I hate that. They're like those cheesy surveys that tell you what kind of flower you are or what European city you're most like. Blah. No thank you. I know I need to work on my characters, but I just can't bring myself to use those methods. So here's hoping that Holly's book will show me something different and helpful.

Side Note: I've decided to start spelling "recommend" correctly. It's a bold move, let's see how it pays off.

Two Things...

2007-03-28T21:22:00.000-04:00

About Gwen's performance:

1. Chris Sligh was having some clapping issues. Poor guy. He really does have rhythm problems. (And ultimately those problems came back to bite him in ye olde ass, didn't they? So long, Curly Sue!)

2. Akon... his only contribution was the occassional "Woo-Hoo Yee-Hoo" and "Yeah!" and "Make some noise!" Yawn. Oh, and his pants were falling down.

The remote is my razor blade

2007-03-27T21:19:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling kind of overwhelmed with work and school and the trials and tribulations of sitting on my ass watching TV when I should be TCB. On more than one occassion I've been just going about my business and suddenly all of my missed deadlines pop into my brain and start wailing at me. A near panic attack most assuredly follows. I was in such a state just now while flipping channels and I stopped on VH1. I don't know why I stopped. "I Love New York" was on and I usually hit the clicker as fast as I can because I don't even want to see one tiny glimpse of New York's hideous face lest I vomit profusely. But I didn't keep going. I fought back the nausea and watched. The manwhores were sliding on some sort of homemade slip-n-slide, then New York's mother was on a tirade, stomping through the house looking for a "buttnekkid ho." (I swear I got dumber just recalling the episode.) When I finally came to my senses and changed the channel, I felt so relieved. The one thing that popped into my head was that THIS is why anorexic teenage girls cut themselves. It was painful while it was happening, but when it was over I felt so much better.

(And on an unrelated note: What the fuck is up with Sanjaya's fucking hair? And why the fuck is he still on the fucking show? Stop it. Seriously.)

Minor Freakout

2007-03-20T11:42:00.000-04:00

A big nasty black spider just fell from the ceiling and bounced off my keyboard onto my notebook. Jesus hell! Somehow I contained my urge to scream like a little girl and merely flug the spider across the office. Uck. Now I keep looking up at the ceiling to make sure there aren't anymore and thinking that if I had been typing at that very second that spider could have touched my BARE FLESH. Uck. Uck again. Uck.

Extreme Makeover: Zombie Edition

2007-03-15T13:51:00.000-04:00

I was watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition the other day (don't ask me why) and Ty told a mother who had recently lost her son, "We can't bring him back, but we can..." Blah blah blah. I didn't even catch the last half of the sentence (but I'm sure it had something to do with building a house) because I was thinking about what a great show it would be if they COULD bring people back from the dead. People would submit their home-video applications and those with the most tragic, compelling stories would be selected and a Voodoo priestess would come butcher a chicken in their living room, raising their beloved family member from the dead. Yes! I would totally watch that. Of course I already watch it and all they raise is a house. Anyway, just a thought.

Worldbuilding

2006-08-16T13:31:00.000-04:00

Here are some links for information on creating your own fantasy world. I have used some of them, but not others. Hope this is helpful.

Astrofantasy
Worldbuilder by Patricia C. Wrede’s
Worldbuilding (and other goodness) by Holly Lisle
Creating the Fantasy World

Scintilla: A minute amount

2006-08-03T11:10:00.000-04:00

I started a new blog where I will post only short stories and snippets of other writing. There's only one story up at the moment, but the plan is to post something new at least once a week. Hey that's almost as often as I update this one. I'm working on it, people. I'm just not that interesting. But I try. Anyway, here ya go: Scintilla

Soap Box

2006-08-02T11:18:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many of you have heard about Net Neutrality, but if you're reading this, then you should educate yourself because it directly affects YOU. Net Neutrality ensures you have the freedom to choose what websites and internet applications you have access to. There is no discrimination with Net Neutrality – the internet’s sole purpose is to move data from place to another.

Now I want you to imagine a highway (a superhighway, if you will) and there are two lanes on this highway, but one lane is a toll lane. In this lane, you can go as fast as you want anywhere you want, but you have to pay extra. In fact it costs so much, only people driving Ferraris and Rolls-Royce convertibles are able to afford the luxury of this lane. The rest of us are crammed onto the other lane. It's cheaper, yes, but it's much slower and it doesn't always go where we need it to go.

Big phone and cable companies, who control 95% of all access to the internet, are trying to steer the internet in just this direction. Companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are spending millions of dollars in an effort to legislatively remove Net Neutrality. If we lose Net Neutrality, we are relegated to a bumpy-dirt-road of an internet while large companies, who can afford the taxes and fees associated with proposed new high speed internet regulations, will be zooming down the fast lane.

The internet will resemble cable television with programming chosen for you. Think about that. When was the last time you had YOUR own TV show where you could express your thoughts and ideas? I don’t know you, but I’m thinking probably never. But how many of you have websites or blogs where you can do just that? In 2004 eight million people had a blog. I can only assume that number has risen since then.

Eight million. That’s a lot of blogs. That’s a lot of ideas. That’s a lot of voices that could be silenced if we lose Net Neutrality. A scary thought. And it may be happening sooner than we think. CNet reports that Ted Stevens, a Republican Senator and the main proponent of a bill to rewrite telecommunications laws, is pushing for a vote on Net Neutrality (among other things) as soon as this week. If he gets his way, you really don’t have much time to let your Senator know how you feel about Net Neutrality. Better hurry!

Related: CNet story, Save the Internet, It's Our Net

Haiku Friday

2006-07-28T12:21:00.000-04:00

In which I post here
a tragic mockery of
Japanese poems.

Grudge held makes you weak.
Seek revenge and dance on strings
for sly puppeteers.

Retribution sought
leaves one open to clever
manipulation

Weak is the person
who seeks only reprisal.
Release and move on.

Two wrongs do not make
a right, but two Wrights, my friend,
do make an airplane.

Painful ache behind
my eyes. Forehead is throbbing.
Going home early.

Influenza is
far too long a word to say
when you could say flu.

Monkey toupees are
the brain child of boredom and
too much tequila.

One hand doesn’t know
the other is flipping off
valued customers.

Fun with spam

2006-07-27T09:02:00.000-04:00

Subject: But now I can penetrate hardly and give the pleasure to every woman!

Hello to you! The good news are that this obstacle can be overcome by you, the real man. Results are guaranteed with Extra-Time, the number one solution for any male. Lack control over your squirting? Partner unhappy with the time you last in bed? Come on in here: http://blahblahblah.blah Girls will start spreading rumors about the duration they got with you.

I received this spam today (at work) and it made me laugh. Especially the part about squirting.

Three-Quarters-Through Review

2006-07-24T10:03:00.001-04:00

I had a fairly scathing review (okay, more of a rant actually) written for Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton but I don’t think I will post it. I am still deeply annoyed and disappointed in the book, but I may have been a bit too harsh. I still love the earlier books but that’s not going to stop me from pointing out a few of the problems I had with the book. I’ll just do it in a (somewhat) less caustic manner. (EDIT: I suppose I should note there may be spoilers below. But honestly, if you've read everything up to this point, you pretty much already know what happened.)

First of all, enough with the multiple-chapter sex scenes. We get it. Everyone wants Anita (and they usually get her). She’s hot. The guys are hot. Everyone’s hot. And they all have fantastic sex together. Got it. I don’t have a problem with the actual having of sex or the frequency with which Anita has sex. The problem is that it is taking up precious page-space where plot should be.

Also, when you talk about a character, or reintroduce them, I don’t think it’s really necessary to spend a paragraph talking about the texture of their hair or how electric blue their eyes are, but not quite as blue as Jean-Claude’s eyes. Again, they’re all hot. Yes, we know.

The main problem I have with the book is, as I’ve mentioned, the lack of new plot. What little plot is present is somewhat convoluted and hard to follow, with new preternatural rules and exceptions to those rules made up at the drop of a hat. There’s nothing very original about this book. It is a rehashed conglomeration of previous plots. For example:

In DM, Belle Morte takes over Anita’s body briefly. Also happened in Cerulean Sins.

In DM, the Mother of Darkness is waking up soon and invades Anita’s dreams. Also happened in Cerulean Sins.

In DM, Anita tries to withdraw her power and injures Damien. Also happened in Narcissus in Chains.

In DM, Richard throws a hissy fit and storms off. Also happened in just about every other book in the series. Jesus, Richard, get over it.

There are probably more, but these are the major ones just off the top of my head. In this book, Anita solves no murders, raises no zombies and doesn’t even kill anyone! This is not the Anita we have come to know and love. I hope she comes back soon. I miss her.

Evolution

2006-07-18T15:56:00.000-04:00

I love the characters I’ve created for Hope, but I want to know more about them and the world they live in. So, it is time for world-building. It’s amazing to me that if I change one aspect of the world, it changes the characters themselves. Or they could if I let them. Which, evolution being what it is, I am compelled to do so. I just have to uncover the clues to decide which changes stay and which are out the window.

Wayne and I did some intensive work a couple of years ago figure out schools of magic and ways it could be used. I am going to incorporate that magic into this story, with some modifications. It’s two hundred years down the road from the original (and as yet unwritten) story we were working on at the time, so it’s only natural that the magic should change over time. It is a somewhat daunting task, but I am up to it. I think. Also looking forward to thoroughly mutilating the English language. Slang is fun! Think... A Clockwork Orange (sans ultraviolence), if you could understand what they were saying. Yeah. Frankenslang.

Hope and pain

2006-07-14T17:38:00.000-04:00

Well, Hope seems to have a mind of her own. What started as a few words inspired by a randomly generated name has morphed into almost 3500 words. I'm not sure what exactly her story is, but so far she has me hooked. I hope I keep this momentum until... well, until it's finished I suppose. I tried very hard not to get seduced away from Sands by anything until it was finished, but I am smitten.

On the real world front, I had a visit with my orthopedist today. Tendonitis apparently. Fun stuff. The doc was kind enough to tell me he was going to stick a needle in my shoulder and pump me full of cortisone, then leave me to dwell on that thought for the next ten minutes. You'd think he could have the courtesy to stab me immediately, so I wouldn't have time to get butterflies. If it was a regular shot I wouldn't have thought much about it. But there was something a little unsettling about the thought of a needle going in amongst the bones and tendons where needles ought not to be. But it was fine. A little pinch and then a strange probing sensation that went away before I knew it. Badabing bada ouch.

I'm also supposed to have aquatic physical therapy three times a week for the next four weeks. I'm curious as to what that actually entails. No one told me to bring a bathing suit, so I'm not stressing about it too much. I just hope the co-pay doesn't kill me because you know if you do the math that is 12 visits in one month. And a specialist co-pay is $20 a visit. So that would be $240. Maybe my shoulder doesn't hurt that much after all.

Back to the grind

2006-07-12T11:26:00.000-04:00

Vacation is over. Bummer. That means back to the writing schedule I set up (if only I knew where I put it) and back to the eating of healthy foods and going to bed before 2 a.m. Stupid vacation being over! On the medical front I have an appointment with an orthopedist (I guess that's what he is - ortho-somethingist) to get my shoulder finally taken care of. I will be happy to be able to do little things like pull a blanket over me or turn the steering wheel with my left hand and not be in pain.

WIP-it

2006-06-29T09:17:00.000-04:00

Got the writing schedule made up. Monday - Thursday evenings, 3 hours or 1500 words. Not super-demanding, but much more than I regularly write now. I started last night and once I finally tore myself away from internet distractions I got the first scene re-written with my new stuff added. I'm happy with the way it turned out and it was much less painful that I had feared. In fact, it worked in pretty seamlessly, I think.

14,077 / 100,000
(14.1%)

Zebrawatch 2006

2006-06-28T15:49:00.000-04:00

When one applies a sunless tanning spray to one's legs, one should not then decide that the solution to zebraleg syndrome is... more sunless tanning spray. To, you know, fill in the blanks. Yeah. Apparently it doesn’t work like that. I look like I’ve never washed my legs before in my life. And of course it’s summer so if I wear anything but jeans, which it’s too hot and humid to wear, then everyone can see my bruised-looking, splotchy brown legs. And you know everyone is always staring at my legs because they are so fine. (Insert riotous laughter here.)

My solution is to stay parked at my desk and think up excuses in case anyone asks. So far I have: Genetic disorder; Finalist in statewide shin-kicking contest; Bush's fault (haven’t worked out the details on that one yet); Descended from a long line of unwashed hippies, and finally: Something to do with the depletion of the ozone layer.

In other news, the writing schedule has been made. And already I plan to ignore it next week. Go me! But I have a good excuse. My sista and niece will be visiting for a few days and I want to spend as much time with them as possible. I haven’t seen them since Christmas. I miss them.

So now we’ll see how well this whole “organization” thing goes. I have high hopes for it. It occurs to me that tracking what I eat has helped me to lose weight, so perhaps tracking how often I write will help me stay on track with that as well. It’s a crazy notion but it just might work.

Now, I am off to find a loofa and remove the top layer of skin from my legs.

I thought you were my friend, TV. WTF?

2006-06-26T14:52:00.000-04:00

I'm having a difficult time getting focused on my writing. I want to write. But I find I want to do a lot of other things as well. I lack focus. I think I need a schedule. Not just some vague notion of a schedule I keep in the back of my head, but an actual written-in-real-ink-or-possibly-pencil-depending-on-what-I-have-handy-and-somewhere-there-will-be-paper-involved schedule. And also I need to follow this schedule. I'm learning as of late that I can, indeed, stick to a plan. It's just really, really hard sometimes.

On a completely unrelated topic, I thought I would be smart and use a sunless tanner to deflect some of the blinding white light that reflects off my legs during the summertime. That worked out not so very well. It was Neutrogena's MicroMist airbrush spray on tan and the nice lady on TV promised me even coverage. She lied. Unless by "even" she meant "zebralike."

Dear subconscious: Thank you!

2006-06-22T13:51:00.000-04:00

The other night I was lying in bed, very nearly asleep, vaguely thinking about my current writing project and its bland state when it occurred to me what was missing. Conflict. I knew that vital ingredient was lacking all along, but I never knew quite how to throw it into the mix. Now I do. I'm excited to get started adding this new dimension, but it's going to be a lot of work. I'm sitting at about 14000 words at the moment and all of it needs to be reworked. It will be worth it though.

Also giving me a boost of excitement for this project is Holly Lisle's Create a Language Clinic. Holy wow. Not only is it funny and smart and a great place to start if you want to build your own language, but I am learning a lot about the English language and its indescriminate past. I've spent hours working on my new language, Sujuq, and just learning the language of the world I've created has helped me work out numerous details about the people who live there. So, that's why I joined Holly's affiliate program and posted a link to the eBook in my sidebar. If you're a nerd (like me) and/or an aspiring sci-fi/fantasy writer (also like me) then you must read this book. Go on. I'll wait here.

And don't forget the sunscreen

2006-06-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday I, along with my husband and his partner in crime, traveled through the wilds of New Jersey to attend the Bridgeton Folk Festival. The drive down Route 49 through the scenic swampland just off the Delaware Bay seemed longer than it should have been. I kept thinking surely we should be there by now. After a quick stop for directions and a near run-in with an extra from Deliverance, we made it to the amphitheater. The guys lugged our ice chest in (no glass bottles – they do check your coolers) and we looked around for somewhere to sit. The venue was pretty small so, even though we were fairly high up, the view was great.

Our good intentions to be there by noon went unmet (I do regret missing Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, but what can ya do?) and we got there around two o’clock, just in time to see C.J. Chenier and The Red Hot Louisiana Band. This was my first foray into live zydeco music, honestly my first time really listening to it at all, but I have to say I was very impressed. I couldn’t help but want to move my feet. And when they did Jambalaya I even sang along (a little).

Next up was Danielia Cotton, a local NJ girl who was much less folk and much more rock and roll. Her set ranged from Hendrix’s Red House to a haunting Delta gospel inspired homage to post-Katrina New Orleans and finished up with a helping of AC/DC’s Back in Black. While I’m not a huge AC/DC fan, she nailed it and made it fun to listen to.

After a rocking performance by Danielia, Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett took the stage for an acoustic set. I don’t really know anything about these guys and I can’t say I particularly enjoyed their set. It seemed a bit of a lull in the lineup, plus I was anxious for the headliner, who was up next.

Ani Difranco, our reason for being there, finally woke up (she later said she’d been trying to nap all day) and came on stage at around 6:15. She played a few new, unreleased songs, as well as some old (and beloved) staples. She also paused midway through the set, handed off her guitar and recited her poem Grand Canyon. Even with carpal tunnel-related wrist pain and her lack of recent on-stage performance, she put on a great show and I can’t wait to see her again.

Now let me tell you a few things about the festival itself, in case you decide to go next year. Do bring a lawn chair, preferably one that is close to the ground, but don’t go there expecting everyone to be focused on the music at the same time you are. The adorable two-year-old on the blanket next to you will cry at some point. The little boy behind you will stand up several times and yell for his big sister (Abby! Aaaaaabbbbbyyyyyy!!) while the act on stage is singing soulfully about some soulful subject. And finally, several people all around you will get up, fold away their lawn chairs and inexplicably leave while the headliner is on stage. And most of these people will be in their bathing suits because the show is right on Sunset Lake and there is a Lifeguard on duty. I wish we’d have known this before we got there - we might’ve been some of the people in swimsuits.

Name Game

2006-06-20T14:07:00.000-04:00

PBW posted a little writing exercise a few days ago and I decided to give it a go. The idea is you get a few random names (courtesy of Kleimo in this case) and write a short paragraph about the person with the random name. Then you write about why you gave him/her that particular personality. Then you flip it around and make the person completely opposite (or at least different). My paragraph is slightly longer than the ones she used as examples, but what can you do? So...

Maricela Ferrin wanted to dance. She sat at her table on the edge of the dance floor nursing the same pink fruity drink she’d purchased over an hour ago from the cute blond bartender. It was hard to stick to a budget and still have a social life. She kept hoping some interested man would send a drink her way, but so far no luck. She’d gotten up several times, intending to sashay onto the dance floor alone but at the last minute chickened out and pretended to straighten her skirt or move to a different table on the other side of the club.

The first thing that popped into my head when I saw this name was, “Maricela Ferrin wanted to trip the light fantastic.” The problem was, however, that I had no clue what that meant. So, I googled it. Apparently it means she wanted to dance. (Only it turns out no one wanted to dance with her. Poor girl.) Moving on...

Maricela Ferrin drained the last of her Tequila shot, slammed the glass down on the bar and strutted fearlessly onto the empty dance floor. She’d finally rid herself of Titus and was ready to shake her ass. And if she’d left him in a pathetic heap on the floor of their apartment crying and shaking a pill bottle at her as she took her suitcase and left, well, that wasn’t her problem. And if the thought of him doing anything crazy was eating her up inside, all she had to do was focus on the pulsing, blaring music and moving her hips, shoulders, arms. And if that didn’t work, there was always more Tequila.

The major differences in the scenarios are that while Maricela still wanted to shake her groove thang, in the first she was meek, shy, a little frumpy, and I kind of felt sorry for her. In fact I think she’s a bit clueless, not even realizing she’s in a gay bar. Maybe that’s why none of the men wanted to buy her a drink. In the second scenario Maricela was bold, if not a little skanky, and had an agenda that did not include meeting a man but rather forgetting one.