Well, I've survived my first week home w/Shannon. So far, motherhood is easy but I know that once I go back to work and once Wig & I get our own place it's going to become a lot harder. But it turns out I'm a natural born mother. I adapted to having to take care of a newborn almost instantly. I thought it'd take a few days or even weeks to get used to the sleep deprivation, clean up a particularly messy poop without gagging, and learn the different cues and types of cries for hungry, dirty, tired or plain cranky, but from day one none of that was a problem. Shannon is a perfectly healthy and happy baby, and my family has been a very big help. I don't try to take too much advantage of their help because A) they work full-time and have their own things to worry about, they can't watch a newborn all the time and 2) I don't want to get spoiled or complacent and be unprepared once I move out. But when they're home they'll gladly take her long enough to let me shower and eat or take a nap or get some important chore done. My dad who's usually so serious, stoic and strict turns to mush when he holds Shannon. The man who said he wanted to be called "Sir" when we were discussing grandparent nicknames is now a self-proclaimed Grampy and he'll hold her and talk baby talk to her. He's quick to give her back the second she needs to be changed though. And my mom insists on getting in some quality time with her before she leaves or as soon as she gets home for work. Even my sister has to take her for a little bit. But she won't feed or change her either. She just likes to hold her until she starts to get cranky - or starts farting too much.
Wig comes by whenever he can and helps me out, but he's still getting used to the reality of fatherhood. He feels insecure in his ability to be a good father and feels uncomfortable holding Shannon or feeding or changing her. But he is making an effort and soon enough he'll realize he's doing a good job. I feel he'll connect better once she's a little older and more interactive - sitting up, cooing and smiling. Wig takes care of me, though, and that's just as big a help. But for most of the day once my dad leaves for work it's just me and Shannon and I've learned to adapt to doing a lot of things w/just one hand or to work quickly before she wakes up. Once she has a little more neck strength I can put her in the carrier and just strap her to my chest so I have both hands free. I wanted one of those baby slings but they're all either really expensive or really ugly. I think it's a more comfortable and intimate way to carry the baby than the traditional carriers, so hopefully I can find one that works for me at a reasonable price.
Shannon's slowly starting to get on a schedule. She's almost predictable. She'll eat every 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours and usually nap the entire time between. Every so often she gets the urge to cluster feed & want to eat an hour or hour and a half later, but she's more or less predictable. She rarely gets cranky or overtired; she almost only cries when she's hungry or needs to be changed or is being changed or bathed - she hates being naked.
They say to sleep when the baby sleeps, but I can only really do that at night. I have too much of a second wind and running on pure adrenaline to nap during the day. Plus it's the only time I can keep up with housework and other stuff. I'm slowly getting back into crocheting and am working on new amigurumi when I have the free time. Right now I'm working on Pac-man, Ms Pac-man and the ghosts, Chain Chomps from Super Mario and Kirby. I also want to do Metroids and try to make hat versions of some of my amigurumi, particularly the Brain Slug. I also want to make replicas of the kids from South Park's hats, although I know Kenny's is going to be a problem since it's actually a hood. I want to branch out and do actual craft fairs this year. It's going to be a matter of money and balancing it with taking care of Shannon. But I'd probably sell a lot more than I do at the conventions so it could be worth the investment and I can make extra cash to put away in a savings account.
But I'm loving every minute of motherhood so far. Sometimes it's frustrating and tiresome when she wants to eat again, or won't sleep and wants to be held indefinately, but it's worth it for that look she gives me when I'm holding her. A working schedule is developing and will be in place within weeks and I'll have a normal life again - just with added baby.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Birth Annoucement
Wow, I really suck at blogging. I promised I'd blog all through the pregnancy w/updates but working at the new Toys R Us Express really sucked up a lot of my time since I ended up working 8 hour shifts 5 days a week, then of course preparing for the baby, sleeping, squeezing in as much of a social life as possible, and other tasks. So it's understandable I didn't have the time to type up a blog. There wasn't much of interest to post anyway; my pregnancy was the easiest & most inconsequential pregnancy ever. Nothing happened. I found out it was a girl, I got a bigger bump, she moved around a lot. But the delivery is quite a story, so here I am finally blogging.
So Shannon was due on the 23rd. Everyone had bets on when she'd actually be born. My mom wanted her to come on her birthday, the 21st. The most popular prediction was Christmas Eve. Even a psychic my mom sees regularly said the 24th.
The 23rd came & went. So did the 24th and I got through Christmas Day without a twinge. Then at about 1230 in the morning on the 26th I got up to pee & had bright red bloody show. A mild cramping soon followed & we headed to the hospital. While I was under observation for about an hour/hour & a half they became definite contractions, not very intense but regularly spaced 5 minutes apart. However, my cervix didn't dilate at all and I was still at only 1cm so they sent me home to wait out the early labor stages.
Now a massive blizzard was heading down to us later that day, so we were dreading that my labor would intensify during the worst part of the storm. I took a warm bath and shower and was able to doze a little, but the contractions continued to come. They weren't so bad early in the morning - like menstrual cramps, maybe a little more painful, something I could easily grit my teeth & wait out, but as the day wore on and the snow started falling they gradually got more uncomfortable. The pain didn't get worse but the pressure against my rectum and pelvis were tough to sit through. I was contemplating whether I would be able to wait it out through the night & go to the hospital the next day during the tail end of the storm. So far, my water still hadn't broken and there was no sign of further dilation. Finally, more bloody show was appearing and the contractions were so uncomfortable that we braved the storm and headed to Winchester. The roads were treacherous & visibility very low, but we made it there safely & as soon as I was checked I was 3cm dilated. Finally things were moving along.
I was hoping I'd be able to hold out & have a natural birth, but the combination of pain & pressure from the contractions were getting to much and I broke down & got the epidural. I'm so glad I did. It made it so I didn't feel a single contraction and I was able to sleep. Well, I would've been able to sleep if I didn't have this thing where I never sleep well in other beds (I never fall completely asleep at hotels either). But I dozed enough. They had pull-out bed for Wig & he slept like a log the whole night.
My cervix continued to dilate steadily throughout the night but my water never broke. At about 7AM Monday morning the doctor broke my water and I began to try to deliver my daughter. It was tough. Sometimes I could feel the pressure and need to bear down w/the contractions but other times I had to go by the doctor reading the monitor that said when I had a contraction. I was pushing well, and I was expecting Shannon to come out any minute but after an hour of pushing the doctor checked her head position & said her head was not able to pass through the pelvic bone & molding was starting. On top of that there was meconium & I had a low-grade fever & infection so all those factors led to csection. I was wheeled into the OR and prepped. Wig looked so adorable in his scrubs. He was so fascinated with the whole procedure and the fact that I was so numb I didn't feel a single thing while they rooted in my wide opened stomach cavity. Then at 9:48AM, Shannon officially came into the world kicking and screaming, weighing 7lb 12oz and 20 3/4 inches long.
They wisked her away to Special Care to treat her w/antibiotics and it took me neary 4 hours to finally see my little girl. But it was worth the wait. Everyone sees a little bit of someone else in her. I think she has Wig's nose & ears, others say she looks like me or my sister. Some say she has my mom's chin. She already has quite the personality. I'm so glad I have her. She's the best Christmas gift I ever got.
So Shannon was due on the 23rd. Everyone had bets on when she'd actually be born. My mom wanted her to come on her birthday, the 21st. The most popular prediction was Christmas Eve. Even a psychic my mom sees regularly said the 24th.
The 23rd came & went. So did the 24th and I got through Christmas Day without a twinge. Then at about 1230 in the morning on the 26th I got up to pee & had bright red bloody show. A mild cramping soon followed & we headed to the hospital. While I was under observation for about an hour/hour & a half they became definite contractions, not very intense but regularly spaced 5 minutes apart. However, my cervix didn't dilate at all and I was still at only 1cm so they sent me home to wait out the early labor stages.
Now a massive blizzard was heading down to us later that day, so we were dreading that my labor would intensify during the worst part of the storm. I took a warm bath and shower and was able to doze a little, but the contractions continued to come. They weren't so bad early in the morning - like menstrual cramps, maybe a little more painful, something I could easily grit my teeth & wait out, but as the day wore on and the snow started falling they gradually got more uncomfortable. The pain didn't get worse but the pressure against my rectum and pelvis were tough to sit through. I was contemplating whether I would be able to wait it out through the night & go to the hospital the next day during the tail end of the storm. So far, my water still hadn't broken and there was no sign of further dilation. Finally, more bloody show was appearing and the contractions were so uncomfortable that we braved the storm and headed to Winchester. The roads were treacherous & visibility very low, but we made it there safely & as soon as I was checked I was 3cm dilated. Finally things were moving along.
I was hoping I'd be able to hold out & have a natural birth, but the combination of pain & pressure from the contractions were getting to much and I broke down & got the epidural. I'm so glad I did. It made it so I didn't feel a single contraction and I was able to sleep. Well, I would've been able to sleep if I didn't have this thing where I never sleep well in other beds (I never fall completely asleep at hotels either). But I dozed enough. They had pull-out bed for Wig & he slept like a log the whole night.
My cervix continued to dilate steadily throughout the night but my water never broke. At about 7AM Monday morning the doctor broke my water and I began to try to deliver my daughter. It was tough. Sometimes I could feel the pressure and need to bear down w/the contractions but other times I had to go by the doctor reading the monitor that said when I had a contraction. I was pushing well, and I was expecting Shannon to come out any minute but after an hour of pushing the doctor checked her head position & said her head was not able to pass through the pelvic bone & molding was starting. On top of that there was meconium & I had a low-grade fever & infection so all those factors led to csection. I was wheeled into the OR and prepped. Wig looked so adorable in his scrubs. He was so fascinated with the whole procedure and the fact that I was so numb I didn't feel a single thing while they rooted in my wide opened stomach cavity. Then at 9:48AM, Shannon officially came into the world kicking and screaming, weighing 7lb 12oz and 20 3/4 inches long.
They wisked her away to Special Care to treat her w/antibiotics and it took me neary 4 hours to finally see my little girl. But it was worth the wait. Everyone sees a little bit of someone else in her. I think she has Wig's nose & ears, others say she looks like me or my sister. Some say she has my mom's chin. She already has quite the personality. I'm so glad I have her. She's the best Christmas gift I ever got.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
So I finally told my parents today. They were more disappointed and concerned about financial stability than anything else. They said themselves they can't be mad, we're adults and at least I'm 25 and not 18 like she was. But they're worried about Wig and I holding down jobs and paying bills while raising a child. The news about my supervisor position eased a little bit of the concern, but it won't be enough. They feel bad that they can't support us the way my grandparents supported them when they were pregnant with me. But they'll be emotionally supportive and do what they can. My grandparents will throw some money my way. I'm not expecting the ride on their coattails. But they took it somewhat well, as well as one can when their eldest daughter who's not yet married, in dire finanical straits w/tons of student loan debt and still living at home tells you she's pregnant. They're secretly excited to be grandparents, I think, but the timing is bad and my situation could be better. At least it's not worse and it is slowly improving.
After telling them, I immediately posted it on FaceBook. I was dying to announce it to the world but couldn't because my mom would see. Perhaps I did it too soon because my aunt was the first to see and her reaction was "EXCUSE ME?!" my mom was like "Why'd you have to go announcing it on FaceBook already?! The phone's ringing off the hook!" Then later she pokes back in and says "Your father's calling all his friends" so he must be somewhat excited. But the outpouring of comments were 99% positive, all congratulations except for my aunt's incredulty and my "uncle" Chris was like "congrats? I'm going to be a great uncle!" A couple of me and Wig's mutual friends IMed me on FaceBook. Greg, who's in Afghanistan right now, was very supportive, Katie aka K-Fon was like "WTF?" and suggested abortion before I mentioned that our financial situation was improving, so she offered both her congratulations and condolences and let us decide which to take.
Wig told his brother and Guru and he said that Guru told him it was the worst time to have a baby and said "my condolences" which surprised me because as a father, I thought Guru would give Wig the old "It's a lot of hard work and scary but worth it" speech. My theory is Guru knows how Wig feels and said what Wig needed to hear. Guru's wife Lindsey was very excited for me on FaceBook. But of course, women and men handle pregnancy very differently. Wig said Gahmstead said more or less the same as Guru. While Gahm isn't one to be all mooshy about stuff like this, I was hoping he'd be a little more supportive while still voicing concern about finanical issues and how it would affect the band and everything else. Again, he's probably just saying what Wig wants to hear. I know that while Gahm is not one to immediately come off as a baby person, he was rather excited and involved w/Seamus' birth and seemed to revel in the fact that he was his godfather, so he's got a soft side. While he may think having a baby this soon is a bad idea for us, he'll probably be supportive and play his role as uncle. Wig hasn't told any of his other friends yet or his parents. I know the reactions are going to be mixed. But his friends and family are going to be the few people actively against this pregnancy. So far none of my friends have had a negative reaction and my parents, while concerned and disappointed, are not forcing me to abort it or put it up for adoption and are standing by my decision to keep it. We have more support than dissent, and that's a positive sign that things will work out for us. It's still going to be hard but I know we can work it out. People with less than us have made it, I keep reminding myself that. We have more than we thought we would've.
Training for my new supervisor position should start next week. I also have ConnectiCon next weekend. Then the Stoneham store is opening I think the 3rd week of July. It's going to be exciting.
After telling them, I immediately posted it on FaceBook. I was dying to announce it to the world but couldn't because my mom would see. Perhaps I did it too soon because my aunt was the first to see and her reaction was "EXCUSE ME?!" my mom was like "Why'd you have to go announcing it on FaceBook already?! The phone's ringing off the hook!" Then later she pokes back in and says "Your father's calling all his friends" so he must be somewhat excited. But the outpouring of comments were 99% positive, all congratulations except for my aunt's incredulty and my "uncle" Chris was like "congrats? I'm going to be a great uncle!" A couple of me and Wig's mutual friends IMed me on FaceBook. Greg, who's in Afghanistan right now, was very supportive, Katie aka K-Fon was like "WTF?" and suggested abortion before I mentioned that our financial situation was improving, so she offered both her congratulations and condolences and let us decide which to take.
Wig told his brother and Guru and he said that Guru told him it was the worst time to have a baby and said "my condolences" which surprised me because as a father, I thought Guru would give Wig the old "It's a lot of hard work and scary but worth it" speech. My theory is Guru knows how Wig feels and said what Wig needed to hear. Guru's wife Lindsey was very excited for me on FaceBook. But of course, women and men handle pregnancy very differently. Wig said Gahmstead said more or less the same as Guru. While Gahm isn't one to be all mooshy about stuff like this, I was hoping he'd be a little more supportive while still voicing concern about finanical issues and how it would affect the band and everything else. Again, he's probably just saying what Wig wants to hear. I know that while Gahm is not one to immediately come off as a baby person, he was rather excited and involved w/Seamus' birth and seemed to revel in the fact that he was his godfather, so he's got a soft side. While he may think having a baby this soon is a bad idea for us, he'll probably be supportive and play his role as uncle. Wig hasn't told any of his other friends yet or his parents. I know the reactions are going to be mixed. But his friends and family are going to be the few people actively against this pregnancy. So far none of my friends have had a negative reaction and my parents, while concerned and disappointed, are not forcing me to abort it or put it up for adoption and are standing by my decision to keep it. We have more support than dissent, and that's a positive sign that things will work out for us. It's still going to be hard but I know we can work it out. People with less than us have made it, I keep reminding myself that. We have more than we thought we would've.
Training for my new supervisor position should start next week. I also have ConnectiCon next weekend. Then the Stoneham store is opening I think the 3rd week of July. It's going to be exciting.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
So things had been pretty much the same old for a while, until a couple weeks ago it was decided my mom needed a hysterectomy because of the fibroids in her uterus. They weren't causing any problems until a month ago when she started bleeding excessively. She went in for surgery today and everything went fine. She was understandably loopy from the morphine when we went to visit her earlier but other than that she's doing well. She should be home Friday at the latest. It's up to me, my dad and Heather to keep up with the housework for the next 4-6 weeks, so we're gonna have our hands full. It'll be good for my mom to not do anything for once, cuz she overworks herself. We weren't too overly worried about the surgery, hysertectomies are more or less routine and we were all joking even after my mom came out of surgery. Like last night before she went to bed I told her to have fun and when she told me she was gonna have to have a blood transfusion too I told her "Don't get AIDS." Today when we went to visit her my dad was ripping on her the whole time. She was on the same floor as the pediatric ward and joked she was up there because she had the IQ of a child. LOL. That's just how our family is. Besides, laughter is a great way to get through stressful moments even if it seems in bad taste.
Meanwhile, I applied and took the test for census taker the other day. If I'm hired it's, like, $20 an hour part-time which will really help, even though it's only for a few months. Sure, I have to go door-to-door or call up strangers to ask personal questions about their home and family, but it's still a decent government stint. Wig applied too but he hit a snag since his driver's license is expired and he needs a valid ID. He'll be getting it renewed soon and also has an interview sometime this week for a job on kitchen staff in a nursing home. Someone his father knows works there.
I got to go out to Ludlow and visit the Flav and Ricky a couple weeks ago. We had a helluva time. I drove out Saturday morning and breezed in in under an hour and a half and we went to Northampton. I got to try Thai Garden finally and it was better than Tom Yum Koong although Tom Yum Koong comes incredibly close. Northampton's got so many fun little shops. Then later, an old friend of Ricky's and her husband came by for Simpsons Scene It and we all filled up on chips and Mountain Dew Throwback and talked for hours. Then we watched Sleepaway Camp, which is probably one of the most bizarre thrillers I've ever seen. Before I left on Sunday we ate at Peppa's in East Longmeadow and had a pizza that had french fries and bacon on it w/ranch dressing. It was almost like a potato skin pizza. I had a great time and can't wait to go back out there, which I guess will be when I go to see Finntroll w/them in April! Too awesome.
The other night a handful of TRU night crew people went out to Fridays. It was supposed to be a huge reunion event at Kowloons but first it got delayed a week so people'd have money, then it got switched to Fridays, then a bunch of people couldn't go for various reasons. So it ended up being only me, Wig, Dan, Mikey, Charlene, Hillary and Hillary's boyfriend. It was fun. Dan and I kept making Dayjob Orchestra references all night (look them up on YouTube. They're a Canadian prog rock band, but their most popular thing is their overdub videos where they take clips of Star Trek or politicians and redo the dialogue so it's the most bizarre shit but it matches the lips perfectly!) The best thing was I was the only one with a Give Me More Stripes card, so I got ALL the points :)
Finally finished the baby blanket for little Seamus. Pictures will be on Flickr later. Then I'll be getting cracking on amigurumi for the conventions. I'm also having a special promotion for Facebook fans and Twitter followers only. So become a fan at www.facebook.com/StringTheory101 and follow twitter.com/StringTheory101.
Meanwhile, I applied and took the test for census taker the other day. If I'm hired it's, like, $20 an hour part-time which will really help, even though it's only for a few months. Sure, I have to go door-to-door or call up strangers to ask personal questions about their home and family, but it's still a decent government stint. Wig applied too but he hit a snag since his driver's license is expired and he needs a valid ID. He'll be getting it renewed soon and also has an interview sometime this week for a job on kitchen staff in a nursing home. Someone his father knows works there.
I got to go out to Ludlow and visit the Flav and Ricky a couple weeks ago. We had a helluva time. I drove out Saturday morning and breezed in in under an hour and a half and we went to Northampton. I got to try Thai Garden finally and it was better than Tom Yum Koong although Tom Yum Koong comes incredibly close. Northampton's got so many fun little shops. Then later, an old friend of Ricky's and her husband came by for Simpsons Scene It and we all filled up on chips and Mountain Dew Throwback and talked for hours. Then we watched Sleepaway Camp, which is probably one of the most bizarre thrillers I've ever seen. Before I left on Sunday we ate at Peppa's in East Longmeadow and had a pizza that had french fries and bacon on it w/ranch dressing. It was almost like a potato skin pizza. I had a great time and can't wait to go back out there, which I guess will be when I go to see Finntroll w/them in April! Too awesome.
The other night a handful of TRU night crew people went out to Fridays. It was supposed to be a huge reunion event at Kowloons but first it got delayed a week so people'd have money, then it got switched to Fridays, then a bunch of people couldn't go for various reasons. So it ended up being only me, Wig, Dan, Mikey, Charlene, Hillary and Hillary's boyfriend. It was fun. Dan and I kept making Dayjob Orchestra references all night (look them up on YouTube. They're a Canadian prog rock band, but their most popular thing is their overdub videos where they take clips of Star Trek or politicians and redo the dialogue so it's the most bizarre shit but it matches the lips perfectly!) The best thing was I was the only one with a Give Me More Stripes card, so I got ALL the points :)
Finally finished the baby blanket for little Seamus. Pictures will be on Flickr later. Then I'll be getting cracking on amigurumi for the conventions. I'm also having a special promotion for Facebook fans and Twitter followers only. So become a fan at www.facebook.com/StringTheory101 and follow twitter.com/StringTheory101.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Christmas Haul
It was a pretty good Christmas. My mom was beside herself that my dad broke down and got her her own Wii and my dad is very interested in learning how to sync music to his new iPod. His only concern is figuring out the most effective way to listen to it at work while keeping the bluetooth headset required for work in one ear. The cats got stoned on catnip and Frankenstein was totally enthralled with his first Christmas ever. I got lots of great stuff.
A new peacoat
A new bathrobe
New pillows with satin pillowcases
Slippers in the shape of Gir from Invader Zim - my favorite gift as I had a pair like 4 years ago but they got wrecked and had to be thrown out when I had a bedbug infestation
Peanuts Collection 1960s and 1970s Volume 1 on DVD
Watchmen on DVD
The Essential Weird Al on CD
Rockers and Rollers: An Automobile Autobiography by Brian Johnson of AC/DC
Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
$50 Kohl's gift card
Various candy and skincare/beauty products in my stocking
No pads for once LOL (inside joke from back when my grandmother was still alive)
$250 from my grandfather.
My other grandparents are paying off a medical bill as my gift and I haven't gotten the gift from my aunt yet but I can only assume it's yet another Nintendo sweatshirt from Hot Topic (seriously, I looove Nintendo but three's enough). I haven't gotten Wig's gift yet. I asked for Parker Lewis Can't Lose on DVD (only the BEST forgotten show of the 90s) but if he couldn't find it, a new ring or 2 to replace the 2 I lost at work this Season.
My grandfather, uncle, and my mom's cousins Raymond and his partner Tom and Julie and her husband and 2 daughters all came for dinner at our house. Olivia is 2 and Sophia's 3 months. Olivia's one of those toddlers that is too smart and clever for their own good. And y'know the old saying kids say the darnedest things. Raymond was telling a story of when he took her to some Santa's Village thingie and they're waiting in line and some other kid was acting up she goes "It OK Unky Raymond. I think he's retarded" Like where'd she learn that word? When we babysat her a few weeks ago she just turned to my mom and addressed her by her first name, like "Hey, Carolyn!" and my mom's like "Call me auntie!" Also it was quite funny to see how enthralled with my uncle Richard both Olivia and Sophia were. My uncle Richard's waaaaay out there. He's tapped. So they're just staring at him like "WTF?" He spent half the party watching Christmas Vacation and the other half watching Elmo because we put it on for Olivia but she wouldn't stand still...but he left it on, even after my mom's like "Y'know, Rich, you can change that..." no response "...unless you want to watch it..."
After the horde of people left I headed over to Wiggy's where Wig shit a brick when he got his special edition Nintendo DSi. We watched Santa Claus Conquers the Martian (Mystery Science Theater version of couse) which is our new Christmas tradition after it went over so well with him and Gahmstead last year.
...and WTF Luis Guzman is in Crocodile Dundee II? Sorry that threw me off. It's on TVLand right now and I look over and I see the one Hispanic actor who's in EVERTHING...besides Danny Trejo, but he's technically only in everything directed by Robert Rodriguez...and Bubble Boy.
Anyway, after the movie Wig gave me a different kind of Christmas gift if you know what I mean *wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say no more* We called it an early night soon after because even though it was Christmas it was still a Friday which means he HAS to go over Jack's with the rest of the gang to play 360. LOL.
Christmas Eve was fun too. In the morning after the overnight shift was over, a huge group of us went over to Denny's, including Ed our manager. I'm surprised we weren't kicked out for being loud, obnoxious and continuously talking about vaginas. Something about Christmas vaginas and everyone was replacing the word Christmas with Vagina in song titles...yeah, we're very mature. A couple of them were noticably drunk. How professional. Jason actually passed out in his aisle and John got a hysteriacal picture of him just curled up on a couple boxes. Not that Ed can do anything cuz John's also got a picture of him asleep on a shelf. See what I miss when I'm closed off in the RZone? Neither of them were as drunk as this one kid who was actually drinking AT work, having smuggled in old-school alocholic egg nog in a water bottle, but he didn't come to Denny's. Probably for the best. Good thing Season and the overnight shift are over tonight because he wouldn't have had a job still anyway.
Anyway, that was one breakfast/dinner/whatever that was chock full of innuendo. And male cleavage (Mikey makes some really convincing cleavage when he squishes his chest up, which is odd because he's a skinny guy and doesn't have man-boobs or anything). God we were there for like, 3 hours just stuffing our faces and laughing hysterically. And Ed paid for the whole thing as a Christmas gift to us - despite our protests. But we all threw in for the tip. It's bittersweet. I'm so glad Christmas is over and hours and general foot traffic in the store are going back to normal and I can get back on a normal sleep schedule, but I was finally starting to have a real rapport with some of the night crew (I don't see them much because we're in our own respective sections but after work we started getting to talking only in the past week and Dan's a funny-ass guy...and he's the only other person I know so far besides me and Wig that have see Dayjob Orchestra's video dubs on YouTube! I also got him addicted to iCarly LOL) There' always Facebook, which I HAVE to friend everyone on, especially to nab copies of John's pics of Jason and Ed sleeping and Mikey's hot tits LOL.
After stumbling home from Denny's I slept a little and headed over to Wig's. His friend and drummer Mikey was over and we all watched Dragonball Evolution and the Invader Zim Christmas episode. Then when Gahmstead came home we watched Dodgeball which I FINALLY got to see. Hysterical. Dragonball wasn't bad but it wasn't great. If you're a fan of the original manga and anime, it's worth renting because they get a handful of things right like character personalities and the balance of action and comedy, but took a lot of liberties with the backstory. I don't think they even used the term Saiyan once. If you're not a Dragonball fan, this movie doesn't hold up much as just an action flick. There's some cool martial arts stuff and a fiery lava Mount Doom-esque landscape where the final showdown happens and there's an evil alien (played by Spike from Buffy and Angel) trying to take over but it's too cheesy even for people who like cheesy.
All in all it was a good end to a mediocre year.
A new peacoat
A new bathrobe
New pillows with satin pillowcases
Slippers in the shape of Gir from Invader Zim - my favorite gift as I had a pair like 4 years ago but they got wrecked and had to be thrown out when I had a bedbug infestation
Peanuts Collection 1960s and 1970s Volume 1 on DVD
Watchmen on DVD
The Essential Weird Al on CD
Rockers and Rollers: An Automobile Autobiography by Brian Johnson of AC/DC
Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
$50 Kohl's gift card
Various candy and skincare/beauty products in my stocking
No pads for once LOL (inside joke from back when my grandmother was still alive)
$250 from my grandfather.
My other grandparents are paying off a medical bill as my gift and I haven't gotten the gift from my aunt yet but I can only assume it's yet another Nintendo sweatshirt from Hot Topic (seriously, I looove Nintendo but three's enough). I haven't gotten Wig's gift yet. I asked for Parker Lewis Can't Lose on DVD (only the BEST forgotten show of the 90s) but if he couldn't find it, a new ring or 2 to replace the 2 I lost at work this Season.
My grandfather, uncle, and my mom's cousins Raymond and his partner Tom and Julie and her husband and 2 daughters all came for dinner at our house. Olivia is 2 and Sophia's 3 months. Olivia's one of those toddlers that is too smart and clever for their own good. And y'know the old saying kids say the darnedest things. Raymond was telling a story of when he took her to some Santa's Village thingie and they're waiting in line and some other kid was acting up she goes "It OK Unky Raymond. I think he's retarded" Like where'd she learn that word? When we babysat her a few weeks ago she just turned to my mom and addressed her by her first name, like "Hey, Carolyn!" and my mom's like "Call me auntie!" Also it was quite funny to see how enthralled with my uncle Richard both Olivia and Sophia were. My uncle Richard's waaaaay out there. He's tapped. So they're just staring at him like "WTF?" He spent half the party watching Christmas Vacation and the other half watching Elmo because we put it on for Olivia but she wouldn't stand still...but he left it on, even after my mom's like "Y'know, Rich, you can change that..." no response "...unless you want to watch it..."
After the horde of people left I headed over to Wiggy's where Wig shit a brick when he got his special edition Nintendo DSi. We watched Santa Claus Conquers the Martian (Mystery Science Theater version of couse) which is our new Christmas tradition after it went over so well with him and Gahmstead last year.
...and WTF Luis Guzman is in Crocodile Dundee II? Sorry that threw me off. It's on TVLand right now and I look over and I see the one Hispanic actor who's in EVERTHING...besides Danny Trejo, but he's technically only in everything directed by Robert Rodriguez...and Bubble Boy.
Anyway, after the movie Wig gave me a different kind of Christmas gift if you know what I mean *wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say no more* We called it an early night soon after because even though it was Christmas it was still a Friday which means he HAS to go over Jack's with the rest of the gang to play 360. LOL.
Christmas Eve was fun too. In the morning after the overnight shift was over, a huge group of us went over to Denny's, including Ed our manager. I'm surprised we weren't kicked out for being loud, obnoxious and continuously talking about vaginas. Something about Christmas vaginas and everyone was replacing the word Christmas with Vagina in song titles...yeah, we're very mature. A couple of them were noticably drunk. How professional. Jason actually passed out in his aisle and John got a hysteriacal picture of him just curled up on a couple boxes. Not that Ed can do anything cuz John's also got a picture of him asleep on a shelf. See what I miss when I'm closed off in the RZone? Neither of them were as drunk as this one kid who was actually drinking AT work, having smuggled in old-school alocholic egg nog in a water bottle, but he didn't come to Denny's. Probably for the best. Good thing Season and the overnight shift are over tonight because he wouldn't have had a job still anyway.
Anyway, that was one breakfast/dinner/whatever that was chock full of innuendo. And male cleavage (Mikey makes some really convincing cleavage when he squishes his chest up, which is odd because he's a skinny guy and doesn't have man-boobs or anything). God we were there for like, 3 hours just stuffing our faces and laughing hysterically. And Ed paid for the whole thing as a Christmas gift to us - despite our protests. But we all threw in for the tip. It's bittersweet. I'm so glad Christmas is over and hours and general foot traffic in the store are going back to normal and I can get back on a normal sleep schedule, but I was finally starting to have a real rapport with some of the night crew (I don't see them much because we're in our own respective sections but after work we started getting to talking only in the past week and Dan's a funny-ass guy...and he's the only other person I know so far besides me and Wig that have see Dayjob Orchestra's video dubs on YouTube! I also got him addicted to iCarly LOL) There' always Facebook, which I HAVE to friend everyone on, especially to nab copies of John's pics of Jason and Ed sleeping and Mikey's hot tits LOL.
After stumbling home from Denny's I slept a little and headed over to Wig's. His friend and drummer Mikey was over and we all watched Dragonball Evolution and the Invader Zim Christmas episode. Then when Gahmstead came home we watched Dodgeball which I FINALLY got to see. Hysterical. Dragonball wasn't bad but it wasn't great. If you're a fan of the original manga and anime, it's worth renting because they get a handful of things right like character personalities and the balance of action and comedy, but took a lot of liberties with the backstory. I don't think they even used the term Saiyan once. If you're not a Dragonball fan, this movie doesn't hold up much as just an action flick. There's some cool martial arts stuff and a fiery lava Mount Doom-esque landscape where the final showdown happens and there's an evil alien (played by Spike from Buffy and Angel) trying to take over but it's too cheesy even for people who like cheesy.
All in all it was a good end to a mediocre year.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Popping in
Just popping in so the blogosphere doesn't think I'm dead. Lately I've been busy with work or being in pain because of work. If it's not my back it's one of my knees. Or my feet. Or my arm. I've been constantly getting headaches too and while they're not severe I hope it's not a sign that I could end up getting cluster headaches like my dad. Plus I've started getting panic attacks at work, something which none of my coworkers have any sympathy for. It took them 15-20 minutes to get someone to cover for me so I could go to the break room to calm down. And yesterday my manager Steve told me I should just quit. The only people seemingly on my side and willing to help me out at work are my other managers Ed and Aaron, who actually produce helpful solutions. Ed has recruited not one but three people to work RZone overnights with me and on nights I'm not there so more stuff is getting done. And the other day Aaron actually ran over to Shaws to buy my Advil when my backache was unbearable. Aaron also almost looks like Rick Astley so whenever he's working I have Never Gonna Give You Up stuck in my head the whole time. This time of year's always horrible and there's always some things that get worse and some that get better. I try to remind myself that there's only 3 weeks left, but those are going to be three loooong weeks.
When I'm not working or in a stupor trying to recover from work, I'm working on 3 crochet projects - 2 scarves, one for Wig's sister and one for his mom, and a blanket for our friends Katie and Fetus' baby. They found out they're having a boy and are naming him Seamus Joseph Conley. Fetus is fiercely proud of his Irish heritage. I have a feeling the middle name Joseph is for our friend Joe Tilton who died last September. Fetus was really close to him. All three are made up of granny squares so I'm seeing granny squares in my sleep right now. Other than that most of my Christmas shopping is done. I have a few more people I need to get gifts for and I don't know what to get them yet. My dad finally broke down and got a Wii for my mom so me and Heather are going to get Wii Fit Plus so now she doesn't have to complain that I won't move the system into the living room. Me and Heather are getting dad an iPod Nano and I got Wig a Nintendo DSi bundle that we had on Black Friday because it was too good to pass up and his DS is broken. Heather asked for Aquasaurs, these prehistoric fish you hatch in an aquarium.
Speaking of which Heather's actually STILL working despite threatening to quit when the manager failed to have the schedule out on time and then told her last minute she had to work when she already had plans. Instead the manager apologized and said it was all his fault. She's actually going to stick out through the whole Season and however long into January ToyZAM is open for. She might even transfer to Spencer's once it closes (they're owned by the same company) but that's a might. She jokes that she's going to work for three months every 19 years.
So after seeing many Etsy CreateCrochet Teammates and a few of my close friends make fan pages for their Etsys (Etsies?) I jumped on the bandwagon and made one too. I'm planning on some fun Fan-only promotions in the future. I've spent a lot of time in the past couple weeks networking and connecting with everyone on the CreatCrochet team- following any blogs or Twitters they have, favoriting their shops, and becoming fans on FaceBook. The more connections, the more word spreads. The CreateCrochet team is a great community. We recently did a swap where we were matched up and got to know our partner through convos and we had to make a secret gift for each other. I was matched with a woman from Vermont and it was fun getting to know her. I felt bad because she had a mild stroke and it's crazy because she's only in her late 20s. But she's doing OK now. She made me a reuseable Swiffer pad and a scrubbie and I made her a set of regular-sized and mini brain slugs (Mommy and Baby to represent her and her 2-year old daughter) in the same variegrated pink I made Flav's out of. I'm aiming to join a couple more teams, one for my jewelry and hopefully find some local ones. If you're on Etsy and not on a team yet look it up. It's a great way to network, get your items some more views, get tips and support and have fun doing your craft.
Tonight I'm getting together with a group of former Toys R Us Medford coworkers. It's something we do 2 or 3 times a year to catch up, have some drinks and have fun. We'll be going to Border Cafe in Burlington. Jill usually orchestrates the plans and other regulars always include Lynnette, Noelle, Joanne Ellard, Amy Struppa, and Melissa Cashman. Last time we got together Aimee Walkup was back in the area after moving the North Carolina and getting married. It was funny because a lot of us were wondering whatever happend to her after she quit and boom there she was. LOL. But I look forward to getting buzzed on margaritas before pulling an overnight LOL.
I wonder when we're putting up our tree. Probably this weekend or next weekend. My dad has a reputation as a Scrooge or a Grinch because he hates Christmas decorations. He just doesn't like the hassle of digging them out, putting them up, and then having to clean them up after the holidays. I'll admit the tree is a bit of a pain in the ass, hauling it upstairs, putting it together. (I'm allergic to pine so we can't have a real tree. Real trees are a hassle too though. Cutting it down or going to the lot and picking one out, hauling it back home, trimming it, watering it, sweeping up shed needles) And of course our cat Wyatt always has to try to climb it, and we have no idea what the new one, Frankenstein, is going to do when he first sees the tree. But I can't wrap any gifts until the tree is up because I have nowhere else to put them. If I try to shove them back in the back of my closet while they're wrapped, the wrapping could get ripped. So, no wrapping until I can put them under a tree.
Beating up a zombie to Queen's Don't Stop Me Now is one of the greatest moments in cinema history. Why don't I own Shaun of the Dead on DVD? Watching it edited on Comedy Central is subpar.
When I'm not working or in a stupor trying to recover from work, I'm working on 3 crochet projects - 2 scarves, one for Wig's sister and one for his mom, and a blanket for our friends Katie and Fetus' baby. They found out they're having a boy and are naming him Seamus Joseph Conley. Fetus is fiercely proud of his Irish heritage. I have a feeling the middle name Joseph is for our friend Joe Tilton who died last September. Fetus was really close to him. All three are made up of granny squares so I'm seeing granny squares in my sleep right now. Other than that most of my Christmas shopping is done. I have a few more people I need to get gifts for and I don't know what to get them yet. My dad finally broke down and got a Wii for my mom so me and Heather are going to get Wii Fit Plus so now she doesn't have to complain that I won't move the system into the living room. Me and Heather are getting dad an iPod Nano and I got Wig a Nintendo DSi bundle that we had on Black Friday because it was too good to pass up and his DS is broken. Heather asked for Aquasaurs, these prehistoric fish you hatch in an aquarium.
Speaking of which Heather's actually STILL working despite threatening to quit when the manager failed to have the schedule out on time and then told her last minute she had to work when she already had plans. Instead the manager apologized and said it was all his fault. She's actually going to stick out through the whole Season and however long into January ToyZAM is open for. She might even transfer to Spencer's once it closes (they're owned by the same company) but that's a might. She jokes that she's going to work for three months every 19 years.
So after seeing many Etsy CreateCrochet Teammates and a few of my close friends make fan pages for their Etsys (Etsies?) I jumped on the bandwagon and made one too. I'm planning on some fun Fan-only promotions in the future. I've spent a lot of time in the past couple weeks networking and connecting with everyone on the CreatCrochet team- following any blogs or Twitters they have, favoriting their shops, and becoming fans on FaceBook. The more connections, the more word spreads. The CreateCrochet team is a great community. We recently did a swap where we were matched up and got to know our partner through convos and we had to make a secret gift for each other. I was matched with a woman from Vermont and it was fun getting to know her. I felt bad because she had a mild stroke and it's crazy because she's only in her late 20s. But she's doing OK now. She made me a reuseable Swiffer pad and a scrubbie and I made her a set of regular-sized and mini brain slugs (Mommy and Baby to represent her and her 2-year old daughter) in the same variegrated pink I made Flav's out of. I'm aiming to join a couple more teams, one for my jewelry and hopefully find some local ones. If you're on Etsy and not on a team yet look it up. It's a great way to network, get your items some more views, get tips and support and have fun doing your craft.
Tonight I'm getting together with a group of former Toys R Us Medford coworkers. It's something we do 2 or 3 times a year to catch up, have some drinks and have fun. We'll be going to Border Cafe in Burlington. Jill usually orchestrates the plans and other regulars always include Lynnette, Noelle, Joanne Ellard, Amy Struppa, and Melissa Cashman. Last time we got together Aimee Walkup was back in the area after moving the North Carolina and getting married. It was funny because a lot of us were wondering whatever happend to her after she quit and boom there she was. LOL. But I look forward to getting buzzed on margaritas before pulling an overnight LOL.
I wonder when we're putting up our tree. Probably this weekend or next weekend. My dad has a reputation as a Scrooge or a Grinch because he hates Christmas decorations. He just doesn't like the hassle of digging them out, putting them up, and then having to clean them up after the holidays. I'll admit the tree is a bit of a pain in the ass, hauling it upstairs, putting it together. (I'm allergic to pine so we can't have a real tree. Real trees are a hassle too though. Cutting it down or going to the lot and picking one out, hauling it back home, trimming it, watering it, sweeping up shed needles) And of course our cat Wyatt always has to try to climb it, and we have no idea what the new one, Frankenstein, is going to do when he first sees the tree. But I can't wrap any gifts until the tree is up because I have nowhere else to put them. If I try to shove them back in the back of my closet while they're wrapped, the wrapping could get ripped. So, no wrapping until I can put them under a tree.
Beating up a zombie to Queen's Don't Stop Me Now is one of the greatest moments in cinema history. Why don't I own Shaun of the Dead on DVD? Watching it edited on Comedy Central is subpar.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
WTF?
So I took the most bizarre, disquieting survey earlier. I just HAD to screen cap every question. I can't believe this was an actual e-Rewards survey...
The clincher? I ended up not qualifying for the survey! Apparently, I'm too confident in my sexual interests and desires for their study... Sorry about the 2nd picture, it's on the Large setting on the uploader and is still too small. If I try to enlarge it it gets blurry. But you still get the idea from the other three.
Also, my sister has finally joined the workforce. One of her friends works at a seasonal store in the Cambridgeside Galleria (ie, it was all Halloween costumes but now it's going to be Christmas stuff like decorations and wrapping paper and gifts) and convinced her into applying and she got the job. I think she starts tomorrow. She's happy because right now they're just setting up the merch so she doesn't have to deal with people at all. I give it a week before she get's sick of it and quits or gets fired for mouthing off LOL.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Sightseeing and Other Things
So, Wednesday, Wig's cousin JT flew in from Mississippi. He's originally from Texas, which is where his mother - Wig's crazy aunt Marilee - moved back in the 80s, but didn't spare any time moving away from her once he was 18. So, he moved to Mississippi where his father is. Anyway, he's up here for the week and is staying w/Wig. Wig's mom Susan has his grandmother's van for the time being because she (Phyllis, the grandmother, not Susan) isn't in the best of health right now, so Susan went to pick up JT from the airport and Wig and I went on for the ride. I stayed w/the van while they went into the terminal to find JT and everything was fine until literally a minute before they came out when a statie told me to move. So I think I'm just going around in a circle, but I somehow ended up on the far end of the terminal, then spent about 10 minutes following signs until I got back to where they were. Fucking Logan airport. Then we went to Phyllis' for pizza. Phyllis had two mild strokes about 2 weeks ago, but you wouldn't be able to tell just by seeing her. She looked really good considering her recent health. Apparently, she also had a stroke back in November and didn't bother telling anyone, not even her 3 children. Wig's family is fucked up, but more on that some other time. I think her deteriorating health has mellowed her out, because when she saw me, she gave me a big hug and I don't think she's ever hugged me once in the 8 1/2 years I've been with Wig LOL.
So Wed we just chilled since it was about 8PM by the time we got back and JT was kinda tired. We played some video games and watched TV and the boys smoked. JT likes pot too, and he's into the same kind of music and video games as Wig and Gahm, so there was no awkwardness at all. I finally played Portal - which is an awesomely addictive puzzle/shooter game for the PC/360/PS3. If you've ever heard the phrase "the cake is a lie!" or the song "Still Alive" (not the Pearl Jam one) this is the game they're from. Basically you have a gun that makes holes in walls, ceilings and floors that transport you to other areas and you use these portals to get through mazes and move cubes around to unlock doors. The computer, GLaDOS, says some really bizarre, funny things and then sings the ending credit theme, "Still Alive" which is incredibly catchy and has some fucked up lyrics.
Today we wanted to show JT some of Boston so we took the train into Fanuiel Hall. We just walked around and looked at the shops and bought some Boston Chipyard cookies. We watched one of the street performers - an escape artist get out of a straitjacket and ropes while hanging upside down. Then we came back and got some subs and then I dropped Wig, Gahm and JT at Jack's house - which is where Wig and Gahm go every Friday and Saturday night to hang out and play video games.
Also this week Wig, Gahmstead and I made the best investment of our video game collectors' lives. Toys R Us was having the greatest sale ever: Guitar Hero: World Tour Super Bundle (that's the full setup w/drumset, guitar, microphone and game) for $99.99 regularly $189.99. But that's not all. You also got at $10 gift card. Then factor in my 10% employee discount plus a 15% off coupon and a $10 off coupon. It ended up coming to $61. That's split 3 ways between me, Wig and Gahmstead. While my mom and Heather would definitely play Guitar Hero with me (they loved the PS2 version), I don't really have the room in my room or in the living room for a drumset, and I'd play it more frequently w/Wig and Gahm anyway, so we're keeping it at their house. That also decided whether we get the Wii or the 360 version. If we got the Wii version, I could take it to my house whenever, I don't have a 360. But Wig and Gahm do, and the 360 has a lot more downloadable content so we settled on the 360 version. Sunday we christened it and me, Wig, Gahmstead and his girlfriend Janice rocked the shit out of it. Then Wednesday I finally got the AC/DC Live Rock Band track pack (yes, Guitar Hero and Rock Band instruments and games are 100% interchangable, at least on 360). My only beef is the pitch recognition on the mic for both Guitar Hero and Rock Band isn't very accurate. Or I'm just a shitty singer...No I can sing all right if I don't overdo it, but trying to follow the pitch bars can throw you off, especially if you naturally sing lower than the pitch bars want you to.
But I can't do my Brian Johnson impression as usual because it doesn't register as the right pitch, which sucks cuz I can't sing AC/DC songs without doing a Brian Johnson or Bon Scott impression.
Speaking of AC/DC, the concert at Foxboro Stadium is next Tuesday and I CAN'T WAIT. First time in 8 years seeing them! And I'm going to be completely decked out in AC/DC gear. I got the limited edition AC/DC Chucks, I have an AC/DC shirt, AC/DC skirt, AC/DC hat, AC/DC hairclips - even AC/DC underwear :) Then Thursday I'll be leaving for ConnectiCon, the last convention of the year unless we go to Another Anime Con in November. This is the big one, as almost everyone in our anime circle goes and we have the Artist Alley Networking Party. We book a suite just for Saturday night and get tons of pizza and booze and everyone shows up and just networks and draws and gets drunk. Expect tons of pictures on my Flickr, and when I get the chance I'm going to upload pics from past ConnectiCons too.
Tomorrow Wig's sister comes back from Texas where she's been staying w/Marilee - the crazy aunt and JT's mom. Marilee's coming back with her to see Phyllis. I wonder if I'll finally get to meet Marilee. From all the stories I've heard of her, I kind of want to avoid her at all costs, but it's been 8 1/2 years and I have to meet her sometime. It's kind of a morbid curiosity, like "I have to see for myself how bat-shit insane she is." Examples: She "doesn't believe in" cellphones. Something about brain tumors I guess; in high school, she lied about having cancer just to get attention; she tried tightening something broken on her car with her teeth and broke all her teeth; she shot at her cheating husband and HE went to jail for kicking out her car windows; she attacked a carjacker with a field hockey stick. Yeah...so I'm gonna just leave on that note there, cuz this woman's too fucked up for words. Talk to you later blogland.
So Wed we just chilled since it was about 8PM by the time we got back and JT was kinda tired. We played some video games and watched TV and the boys smoked. JT likes pot too, and he's into the same kind of music and video games as Wig and Gahm, so there was no awkwardness at all. I finally played Portal - which is an awesomely addictive puzzle/shooter game for the PC/360/PS3. If you've ever heard the phrase "the cake is a lie!" or the song "Still Alive" (not the Pearl Jam one) this is the game they're from. Basically you have a gun that makes holes in walls, ceilings and floors that transport you to other areas and you use these portals to get through mazes and move cubes around to unlock doors. The computer, GLaDOS, says some really bizarre, funny things and then sings the ending credit theme, "Still Alive" which is incredibly catchy and has some fucked up lyrics.
Today we wanted to show JT some of Boston so we took the train into Fanuiel Hall. We just walked around and looked at the shops and bought some Boston Chipyard cookies. We watched one of the street performers - an escape artist get out of a straitjacket and ropes while hanging upside down. Then we came back and got some subs and then I dropped Wig, Gahm and JT at Jack's house - which is where Wig and Gahm go every Friday and Saturday night to hang out and play video games.
Also this week Wig, Gahmstead and I made the best investment of our video game collectors' lives. Toys R Us was having the greatest sale ever: Guitar Hero: World Tour Super Bundle (that's the full setup w/drumset, guitar, microphone and game) for $99.99 regularly $189.99. But that's not all. You also got at $10 gift card. Then factor in my 10% employee discount plus a 15% off coupon and a $10 off coupon. It ended up coming to $61. That's split 3 ways between me, Wig and Gahmstead. While my mom and Heather would definitely play Guitar Hero with me (they loved the PS2 version), I don't really have the room in my room or in the living room for a drumset, and I'd play it more frequently w/Wig and Gahm anyway, so we're keeping it at their house. That also decided whether we get the Wii or the 360 version. If we got the Wii version, I could take it to my house whenever, I don't have a 360. But Wig and Gahm do, and the 360 has a lot more downloadable content so we settled on the 360 version. Sunday we christened it and me, Wig, Gahmstead and his girlfriend Janice rocked the shit out of it. Then Wednesday I finally got the AC/DC Live Rock Band track pack (yes, Guitar Hero and Rock Band instruments and games are 100% interchangable, at least on 360). My only beef is the pitch recognition on the mic for both Guitar Hero and Rock Band isn't very accurate. Or I'm just a shitty singer...No I can sing all right if I don't overdo it, but trying to follow the pitch bars can throw you off, especially if you naturally sing lower than the pitch bars want you to.
But I can't do my Brian Johnson impression as usual because it doesn't register as the right pitch, which sucks cuz I can't sing AC/DC songs without doing a Brian Johnson or Bon Scott impression.
Speaking of AC/DC, the concert at Foxboro Stadium is next Tuesday and I CAN'T WAIT. First time in 8 years seeing them! And I'm going to be completely decked out in AC/DC gear. I got the limited edition AC/DC Chucks, I have an AC/DC shirt, AC/DC skirt, AC/DC hat, AC/DC hairclips - even AC/DC underwear :) Then Thursday I'll be leaving for ConnectiCon, the last convention of the year unless we go to Another Anime Con in November. This is the big one, as almost everyone in our anime circle goes and we have the Artist Alley Networking Party. We book a suite just for Saturday night and get tons of pizza and booze and everyone shows up and just networks and draws and gets drunk. Expect tons of pictures on my Flickr, and when I get the chance I'm going to upload pics from past ConnectiCons too.
Tomorrow Wig's sister comes back from Texas where she's been staying w/Marilee - the crazy aunt and JT's mom. Marilee's coming back with her to see Phyllis. I wonder if I'll finally get to meet Marilee. From all the stories I've heard of her, I kind of want to avoid her at all costs, but it's been 8 1/2 years and I have to meet her sometime. It's kind of a morbid curiosity, like "I have to see for myself how bat-shit insane she is." Examples: She "doesn't believe in" cellphones. Something about brain tumors I guess; in high school, she lied about having cancer just to get attention; she tried tightening something broken on her car with her teeth and broke all her teeth; she shot at her cheating husband and HE went to jail for kicking out her car windows; she attacked a carjacker with a field hockey stick. Yeah...so I'm gonna just leave on that note there, cuz this woman's too fucked up for words. Talk to you later blogland.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Testy
So after much deliberation about whether to play it safe and apply for a preliminary license or to just go for the initial license, I went for the initial license and paid the damn $100 fee today. I love how it costs less for a license to operate a potentially dangerous vehicle than it does to teach. I guess it's the need for extensive background checks to make sure they're not giving a total pyscho pedophile a teaching license that makes it so steep. I would've had to do it no matter what, so I can't really complain. It's another step completed toward starting an actual career.
Then tonight I took the Jeopardy online test. I didn't do as well as I thought I would. It's all luck of the draw what questions you're gonna get and I got some crappy questions. The thing that sucks the most is that one question was on the author of the book Out of Africa, which was referenced in the book Alex and Me which I JUST READ YESTERDAY!!! and I couldn't remember pseudonym the author wrote it under. And I couldn't run and look it up in Alex and Me because I only had 15 seconds to answer. I don't know when the test results will be sent to me, but I'm not too concerned about whether I passed or not. Even if I passed I still have a very slim chance to actually get on Jeopardy, so I'm not going to get my hopes up. Still, it doesn't hurt to try, so there's always next time they have an online test.
Also, Wig finally ordered my engagement ring today. It kind of loses its surprise and romanticism when I actually picked it out, but we're not very tradi
tional, plus it wasn't going to be much of a surprise anyway. We had decided a long time ago that we were going to get married, it was just a matter of waiting until I was out of college, got a good job, and we could afford to move in together. So I always knew he'd propose, it was just when. Plus I'd rather pick out something I'd like since I'd be wearing it every day for the rest of my life (although I can trust Wig's choices, he knows my tastes). The ring itself isn' a traditional engagement ring either. My sister is making fun of me because A)I had to tell Wig what ring to get and 2) because I picked it out of the Pyramid Collection catalogue and it's only $70. Whatever. It's not how much it's worth, it's what it symbolizes. We wouldn't even bother with a ring and a proposal since we're already definitely getting married, but I like to be a little traditional and I want a new piece of jewelry to mark this milestone in our relationship.
tional, plus it wasn't going to be much of a surprise anyway. We had decided a long time ago that we were going to get married, it was just a matter of waiting until I was out of college, got a good job, and we could afford to move in together. So I always knew he'd propose, it was just when. Plus I'd rather pick out something I'd like since I'd be wearing it every day for the rest of my life (although I can trust Wig's choices, he knows my tastes). The ring itself isn' a traditional engagement ring either. My sister is making fun of me because A)I had to tell Wig what ring to get and 2) because I picked it out of the Pyramid Collection catalogue and it's only $70. Whatever. It's not how much it's worth, it's what it symbolizes. We wouldn't even bother with a ring and a proposal since we're already definitely getting married, but I like to be a little traditional and I want a new piece of jewelry to mark this milestone in our relationship. Which brings me to another point, Wig and I have always wanted to keep the anniversary of our first date, September 9, as our wedding date. Last year we were saying how cool it would be to get married on 9/9/09 but I was trying to think realistically about cost and planning and wanting to be able to move in with my new husband after the wedding and not being able to afford all that just 9 months from now. But when the topic came up again last week, Wig was adamant about having that date and said he'd do anything he could to make it happen. So save the date, it's likely I'll be getting married on 9/9/09. It's going to be a medium-small ceremony. I want most of my family and friends there, but it doesn't have to be fancy, extravagant or expensive. Ironically, my mom also brought up the fact that she knows an aging Justice of the Peace that has a large gazebo in his backyard and has offered to marry me and/or Heather. I think my mom knows him because he's a patient at the office she works at. She had mentioned him years ago and I forgot until she brought it up again last Sunday, saying that we (my sister and I) need to get married before he kicks the bucket so we could use his gazebo. Then we could have the reception at Anthony's or the Marconi Club which are both owned by family. And my dress doesn't have to be more than $100. I want something medieval or Victorian looking - something just from another time. There are a couple dresses from Pyramid Collection I like, but I'm not above checking out David's Bridal and their $99 sales. I don't know what I'd do for my bridesmaids. I still want a maid of honor and bridesmaids because there's my sister, Wig's sister, my cousin and my closest and oldest friends I'd like to be part of the ceremony. I'm definitely not going to make them wear ugly dresses, I promise. So I got some planning to do. I hope I can pull it off. If not this year, next year is definite.
But on that note, I leave you with a quote from Zoidberg on Futurama "I've had it with this game. I'm going for a scuttle."
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Nap-tastic and bird talk
*yawn* My body enjoys sleep too much. My mind's all like, "Wake up!" and my body goes "No! Too comfy, roll over!" At least I have an excuse for my extensive napping the past two days - I picked up an early-morning stock shift both yesterday and today (6AM-10AM) which means I had to get up at 4AM two days in a row. It's just tough to get back up when you've been cozy dozy for a few hours.
So I'm reading a book my grandmother got me about Alex, the African Grey 
parrot that for the last 30 years proved that parrots can do more than just mimic, they can understand what they're talking about. It's a real interesting read, even if you're not into parrots. It's extremely funny and some parts are sad since this was written by Alex's ower and trainer, Irene Pepperberg, after Alex died in Sept of 2007 at the somewhat young for a parrot age of 31. (African Greys can live to be 50). It also reminds me of my parrots, Squawker and Chicky, who we adopted off to other people when our hectic lives caused them attention deprivation. Chicky didn't care too much cuz she was kind of a loner for a bird. She enjoyed attention but didn't need it, whereas Squawker needed 24 hour attention as most breeds of conure do. He eventually started self-plucking, a very common psychological disorder in captive birds. The good thing is that both birds are very happy in their new homes. Chicky lives with my dad's friend/coworker/my mom's cousin's husband's parents literally two blocks away so we could actuall visit her if we wanted to (Dave's parents actually paid for the gender testing to confirm my suspicions all these years that Chicky was female, even though we referred to her as a he all that time cuz we weren't sure and was going by her previous owner's assumptions) Squawker is with a man who owns numerous other parrots in a small private aviary, so not only does he have an owner who can give him a lot of proper attention, he has feathered friends now to keep him entertained. I forget where he lives but it's someplace kind of far but not too far, like New Hampshire, or the North Shore or western Mass.
parrot that for the last 30 years proved that parrots can do more than just mimic, they can understand what they're talking about. It's a real interesting read, even if you're not into parrots. It's extremely funny and some parts are sad since this was written by Alex's ower and trainer, Irene Pepperberg, after Alex died in Sept of 2007 at the somewhat young for a parrot age of 31. (African Greys can live to be 50). It also reminds me of my parrots, Squawker and Chicky, who we adopted off to other people when our hectic lives caused them attention deprivation. Chicky didn't care too much cuz she was kind of a loner for a bird. She enjoyed attention but didn't need it, whereas Squawker needed 24 hour attention as most breeds of conure do. He eventually started self-plucking, a very common psychological disorder in captive birds. The good thing is that both birds are very happy in their new homes. Chicky lives with my dad's friend/coworker/my mom's cousin's husband's parents literally two blocks away so we could actuall visit her if we wanted to (Dave's parents actually paid for the gender testing to confirm my suspicions all these years that Chicky was female, even though we referred to her as a he all that time cuz we weren't sure and was going by her previous owner's assumptions) Squawker is with a man who owns numerous other parrots in a small private aviary, so not only does he have an owner who can give him a lot of proper attention, he has feathered friends now to keep him entertained. I forget where he lives but it's someplace kind of far but not too far, like New Hampshire, or the North Shore or western Mass. But anyway, Chicky wasn't much of a talker, she could say "Hi!" and would repeatedly to anyone who walked in the door. Her forte was sound effects including everyone's favorite zipper impression. Squawker knew various phrases, but he didn't have the same intelligence as Alex. He was smart on his own level, though. While I don't think he had a full understanding of what he was saying, he was observant enough to see the cues of when certain phrases were said. For example, he would go on a squawking spree and then spontaneouly tell himself to "shut up!" or say "how are you?" to someone who just walked in the door (although he would also start saying "how are you" randomly to get people's attention. He'd also scream "Cut the shit!" if anyone was arguing. But he was smart enough to convey his wants, needs and feelings in other ways when he didn't know the words. He had a specific squawk for different wants, fears or if a sound went off (ie, the phone ringing squawk, the "OMG THERE'S A VACUUM CLEANER!!" squawk, "I want whatever you're eating" squawk and the "Play with me!" squawk.) So he basically taught us the proper response to his squawks the way we'd teach him to talk...But he had a personality unlike any other pet bird I've known. He tried to be as human as possible. He even mimicked laughter whenever we laughed. (He confused sobbing with laughter too which sometimes lightened up sad situations. Imagine bawling your eyes out, but this mitred conure's sitting in the corner chuckling). He loved music, and would actually headbang to hard rock. He particularly liked Back in Black by AC/DC, Wango Tango by Ted Nugent and Little Willy by Sweet. He was also a very affectionate bird. He trusted and loved my dad the most, mainly because he had the longest relationship with him. Ever since his previous owner, a cowork of my dad's, brought him to work all the time, Squawker took to my dad. One event sealed this trust. Danny brought Squawker to work and said "Look I clipped his wings!" and Squawker took off flying. This was when my dad still worked at a car dealership on the Malden/Melrose line and Squawker flew to the nearby Mt Hood Golf Course. Everyone took off following him and found him in a tree on the golf course. Squawker was so terrified he bit the hell out of Danny when he tried to get him out of the tree. Squawker would only go to my dad for some reason. So when Danny moved to Maine and had no working heat for the first 6 months in his new home, my dad was the first and only choice for bird sitter. Squawker quickly took to my mom and me in that time too. He moved back with Danny for about a year or two until Danny's girlfriend (Squawker and Lisa mutally hated each other) had enough and Squawker came back to live with us permanently (while Squawker was back with Danny, we got another mitred conure, Buddy who was retarded and shortly after went to live with a lady in a wheelchair and Chicky to fill the void Squawker left). In the 6-8 years we had Squawker, he really took to my mom and he gained a lot of trust in me too. The only one he didn't really like was Heather. He'd chase her whenever he was out of his cage (even upstairs, it was funny to see her run screaming up the stairs and then see him slowly pull himself up). But he loved to play with us and he'd show his affection by climbing up to your shoulder and nuzzling you with his beak. He had his neuroses like a lot of birds: he had an obsession with towels, and they were a security blanket of sorts. He loved burrowing under them and playing with him, if you couldn't get him to climb on your arm or go back in his cage you could scoop him up with a towel, and it was the only thing you could hold him with when he was getting his wings clipped. Also, he would snap if you made any strange noises and snap at you; if you were a few feet away when you made the noise he'd charge at you with his beak open ready to bite. It was kind of funny. Dr Pepperberg's relationship with Alex, who learned to say "I'm sorry" and "I love you" and mean it just gets me reminiscing about Squawker, even though he wasn't much like Alex. Squawker just had such a unique personality. Even if I got another mitred conure it wouldn't be the same. You'd have to be a bird aficionado to really understand though.
Anyway, that's enough rambling about parrots. I'm going to Friday's with Flav in a little bit and probably going to work on some crafts and get some good pictures of my Gryffindor scarf. So yay.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
License to trill
So today I found the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (are they getting paid by the letter? Cuz what was the point of changing it from Department of Education to the deliciously verbose new version?) so I could look for the necessary information on obtaining my teaching license. A very useful website, which is rare for government websites because they're usually extremely difficult to navigate. Anyway, I already knew the 2 main requirements: receive a Bachelor's degree and pass the MTEL (Massachusetts Test for Education Licensure) but I wasn't sure if there was anything else, like if you had to do so many hours of student teaching or whatnot, and of course where to apply for the license.
Well, there's the preliminary license and the initial license. Both are valid for 5 years, but the preliminary is for those who have not yet completed an "approved educator preparation program." With just my Bachelor's degree and my passing scores on the MTEL I can get a preliminary. So then I checked under the initial license requirements and besids the degree and MTEL passing it says "completion of a Massachsetts Music: vocal/instrumental/general all levels approved program" so I clicked on this for the list of approved program and it says Berklee College of Music baccalaureate. I'm like "WTF is baccalaureate? Is that just a fancy Latin word for Bachelor's degree?" Of course I gotta double-check so I go to dictionary.com and sho' nuff, baccalaureate is just another word for Bachelor's degree. And that's what I've been doing at Berklee for the last 6 years, doing Bachelor's degree courses in music education. So I've already completed the so-called approved program, got my degree and passed both halves of the MTEL. So I guess I can get my initial license. I think I might ask my grandmother for some more info, tips and advice since she used to be a teacher. The only snag is she started teaching in the 1960s and retired 5 years ago, rules and requirements have changed, so I don't know how much she's going to know. At the least I could just run through the application process and see what happens. I'm not in too much of a rush, I probably wouldn't get hired until the start of the new school year anyway, I don't think anyone would hire a new teacher with 5 months left in the school year. Also, I already have an in with one of the local schools so I don't need to rush to snag rare teaching openings or things like that. I have to rush a little because I've been overdue to start my career and I got student loans to pay and I'd like to finally move out and get married.
I'm still kind of wary about going straight into a classroom, especially after the negative experience with my proficiency. I know I got the skills, I'm just rusty because I haven't done anything music-ed related in over a year. I still have all my notes and books and the infinite reference of the interwebs to brush up with, but I think I'd be more comfortable if I could get some student teaching hours or start off as a teacher's aide or assistant teacher. If chorus teacher David Seaman stayed on, that's what would've happened. I would've been his aide for a year or two then I would've taken over for him. What happened was he was diagnosed with a neurological disorder a few years ago (I forget which), and was in the hospital for a long time with complete loss of speech and mobility. His speech came back pretty quickly but he never regained full mobility, but came back to teach in a wheelchair for a while then abruptly quit about a year, year and a half ago and nothing the city could say or do would bring him back. It's a shame because he was an awesome teacher, one of my favorites when I was doing observations (how many other teachers are going to listen to Denis Leary with you in his car on his lunch break? LOL).
So I got a lot of good on my side. It looks like I'm all set to apply for my license, I have a school principle who wants to give me a job - especially since he wants to get rid of this cunt-like vocal and general music teacher that no one likes, and I got plenty of resources to brush up and practice my teaching skills with and the support of a former teacher grandmother. Holy shnizz, are things going to finally work out?! WOW!
Well, there's the preliminary license and the initial license. Both are valid for 5 years, but the preliminary is for those who have not yet completed an "approved educator preparation program." With just my Bachelor's degree and my passing scores on the MTEL I can get a preliminary. So then I checked under the initial license requirements and besids the degree and MTEL passing it says "completion of a Massachsetts Music: vocal/instrumental/general all levels approved program" so I clicked on this for the list of approved program and it says Berklee College of Music baccalaureate. I'm like "WTF is baccalaureate? Is that just a fancy Latin word for Bachelor's degree?" Of course I gotta double-check so I go to dictionary.com and sho' nuff, baccalaureate is just another word for Bachelor's degree. And that's what I've been doing at Berklee for the last 6 years, doing Bachelor's degree courses in music education. So I've already completed the so-called approved program, got my degree and passed both halves of the MTEL. So I guess I can get my initial license. I think I might ask my grandmother for some more info, tips and advice since she used to be a teacher. The only snag is she started teaching in the 1960s and retired 5 years ago, rules and requirements have changed, so I don't know how much she's going to know. At the least I could just run through the application process and see what happens. I'm not in too much of a rush, I probably wouldn't get hired until the start of the new school year anyway, I don't think anyone would hire a new teacher with 5 months left in the school year. Also, I already have an in with one of the local schools so I don't need to rush to snag rare teaching openings or things like that. I have to rush a little because I've been overdue to start my career and I got student loans to pay and I'd like to finally move out and get married.
I'm still kind of wary about going straight into a classroom, especially after the negative experience with my proficiency. I know I got the skills, I'm just rusty because I haven't done anything music-ed related in over a year. I still have all my notes and books and the infinite reference of the interwebs to brush up with, but I think I'd be more comfortable if I could get some student teaching hours or start off as a teacher's aide or assistant teacher. If chorus teacher David Seaman stayed on, that's what would've happened. I would've been his aide for a year or two then I would've taken over for him. What happened was he was diagnosed with a neurological disorder a few years ago (I forget which), and was in the hospital for a long time with complete loss of speech and mobility. His speech came back pretty quickly but he never regained full mobility, but came back to teach in a wheelchair for a while then abruptly quit about a year, year and a half ago and nothing the city could say or do would bring him back. It's a shame because he was an awesome teacher, one of my favorites when I was doing observations (how many other teachers are going to listen to Denis Leary with you in his car on his lunch break? LOL).
So I got a lot of good on my side. It looks like I'm all set to apply for my license, I have a school principle who wants to give me a job - especially since he wants to get rid of this cunt-like vocal and general music teacher that no one likes, and I got plenty of resources to brush up and practice my teaching skills with and the support of a former teacher grandmother. Holy shnizz, are things going to finally work out?! WOW!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Mayonaise haves nightmare bike
Today was my great-grandmother's 90th birthday. Longevity seems to run in the family, her mother lived to be 103. Everyone from that side of the family got together at my great-aunt's house and I got to see cousins I haven't seen in years. My great-uncle and 2 of my cousins who moved to Pennsylvania quite a few years ago and my cousins from Malden whom I haven't seen since their high school graduations. We took numerous group pictures such as all the children, then all the grand and great-grandchildren (that was a huge group). I think she's even a great-great-grandmother now. She suffers from dementia, but she's doing pretty well. She repeats herself a lot, but she doesn't forget big things yet. She's in good spirits and jokes about it even. She even has a boyfriend at the assisted-living complex she lives in. At Christmas she told my grandmother that he could be her "next step-father." So we had a good time catching up with everyone and celebrating such an auspicious milestone.
Later, I went to see Yes Man with Wig. The Showcase Cinemas in Revere has "Director's Hall" theaters now which cost, like, $2 more. I had movie passes but still had to pay the difference and we weren't going to wait an hour for the later show that was in a regular theater. But it's worth the 2 extra bucks cuz the seats are more comfortable and they recline slightly, there's stadium seating but that's everywhere nowadays, but the kicker is the ushers show you to your seat and will actually go fetch concessions for you so you don't miss any previews or the movie. We didn't have to take advantage of this service but it's good to know for future excursions.
Yes Man is beyond hysterical. Go see it and you will not be disappointed. One of Jim Carrey's best works, and the scene where he bungee jumps, he really bungee jumped. I saw it on the Comedy Central's Reel Comedy. I think he also really learned to play guitar and Korean (at least the sentences he said in the movie) cuz the scene where he's talking Luis Guzman down off the ledge it looks like he's really playing and I can tell fake-playing. But yeah, funniest movie since I saw Pineapple Express. Which is coming to DVD next week woot.
Tomorrow I'm just staying in and finishing cleaning this shithole. I started Saturday and it already starts to look better but I got a ton of stuff to go through and reorganize and get rid of some stuff and finish dusting. So that's going to be exciting. I'll probably watch more Mary Tyler Moore season 1 while I do it. I ordered Houe and Mary Tyler Moore from Columbia House. It was $9.95 for both and I also got 1000 points from MyPoints. And I have 2 years to buy the 4 required regular price DVDs so it's not too bad. I did Columbia House for CDs years ago so it's cool. I'm gonna get some TV series boxsets I've been wanting for a long time, even though I shouldn't, I have so much shit already which is why I gotta clean out my room. But it's the packrat collector in me, I can't help it.
But that's all for tomorrow. Wig'll be working and Flav'll be out West and Gahm's in Maine with the gang cuz the Monkey's brother is back from Germany where he's stationed at a military base. Wig would've gone too but the Monkeys (Dave and Mikey) both work at QuickPhone too and all 3 of them couldn't have the days off. But Wig is taking advantage of this by sucking up a ton more hours and get even more money.
So that's all for now. If somthing interesting happens at all while I'm cleaning I'll update tomorrow.
Later, I went to see Yes Man with Wig. The Showcase Cinemas in Revere has "Director's Hall" theaters now which cost, like, $2 more. I had movie passes but still had to pay the difference and we weren't going to wait an hour for the later show that was in a regular theater. But it's worth the 2 extra bucks cuz the seats are more comfortable and they recline slightly, there's stadium seating but that's everywhere nowadays, but the kicker is the ushers show you to your seat and will actually go fetch concessions for you so you don't miss any previews or the movie. We didn't have to take advantage of this service but it's good to know for future excursions.
Yes Man is beyond hysterical. Go see it and you will not be disappointed. One of Jim Carrey's best works, and the scene where he bungee jumps, he really bungee jumped. I saw it on the Comedy Central's Reel Comedy. I think he also really learned to play guitar and Korean (at least the sentences he said in the movie) cuz the scene where he's talking Luis Guzman down off the ledge it looks like he's really playing and I can tell fake-playing. But yeah, funniest movie since I saw Pineapple Express. Which is coming to DVD next week woot.
Tomorrow I'm just staying in and finishing cleaning this shithole. I started Saturday and it already starts to look better but I got a ton of stuff to go through and reorganize and get rid of some stuff and finish dusting. So that's going to be exciting. I'll probably watch more Mary Tyler Moore season 1 while I do it. I ordered Houe and Mary Tyler Moore from Columbia House. It was $9.95 for both and I also got 1000 points from MyPoints. And I have 2 years to buy the 4 required regular price DVDs so it's not too bad. I did Columbia House for CDs years ago so it's cool. I'm gonna get some TV series boxsets I've been wanting for a long time, even though I shouldn't, I have so much shit already which is why I gotta clean out my room. But it's the packrat collector in me, I can't help it.
But that's all for tomorrow. Wig'll be working and Flav'll be out West and Gahm's in Maine with the gang cuz the Monkey's brother is back from Germany where he's stationed at a military base. Wig would've gone too but the Monkeys (Dave and Mikey) both work at QuickPhone too and all 3 of them couldn't have the days off. But Wig is taking advantage of this by sucking up a ton more hours and get even more money.
So that's all for now. If somthing interesting happens at all while I'm cleaning I'll update tomorrow.
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