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 update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label update. 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.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
PortCon!!
Just got back from PortCon Maine. I love this convention because it's close to home and very small and relaxing. The entire thing takes place in one hotel so it doesn't have the discombobulation of AnimeNEXT and the South Portand Wyndham is a great little hotel and it's conveniently located across from the Maine Mall and countless restaurants and businesses are within a short walking or driving distance so you can easily get good food instead of living off con junk and also grab last-minute purchases. The Artist's Alley closes very early for a convention - 7! - which gave us plenty of free time in the evening to go out to eat, relax in the pool, go to convention events or just veg out. A lot better than getting out at 10PM. Of course, the shorter hours and smaller foot traffic means we don't make as much money than at the other cons. PopCult always does well because no one can resist our buttons and they're the most affordable item in the whole convention. My own products didn't do as well. I only made $52 this weekend. But we had a lot of fun as we often do at PortCon because it truly is less stressful.
We left around 130 on Thursday and took 95 all the way up. It was funny because we passed Inyx on the way up and then blew past her as I have a lead foot. After realizing I was passing 90, I slowed down a bit and then got stuck in slowed traffic due to a downpour, yet I never saw Inyx catch up with us. Despite all that, she made it to the hotel before us, albeit literally a minute before us.
Wig and I had a HUGE fight as soon as we got up to the room. Despite how negatively he's viewing the whole pregnancy situation, we haven't straight out fought more than twice. We made up soon after between keeping up appearances as we set up the booth and genuine apologies. We had the room to ourselves most of the night because Inyx and her new girlfriend Alina went out to dinner alone and I was able to assuage his qualms about having sex with a pregnant woman and we had some much-needed make-up sex. Even though he says he won't want to have sex when I really look pregnant, he's not going to be able to resist. My libido's already starting to increase, imagine what it's going to be like in a few months. Wig was pretty quiet and withdrawn for most of the first day, but he slowly started to become his old self. He started joking a bit more and smiling and started playing guitar again and even made it to the final round of a Super Smash Bros Brawl tournament. But all these improvements are only on the surface. Every once in a while he'd still make some negative comment about the pregnancy and our future. It's a long, long road, but he'll soon see things will work out. They won't be perfect - not by a longshot - but we'll survive and we'll be happy and we'll still be able to do the same things we did before we had a baby. He won't be able to believe that until it happens though.
He's telling Gahmstead tonight. I wonder what he's going to say about it. I still haven't told my parents. I was going to tell them tomorrow but I have to close and will be at work before they come home so it'll have to wait until Tuesday. It would've been as awkward if I told them tonight when I got back from PortCon than if I told them last week then left. Plus we're going to need a lot of uninterrupted time to discuss what I'm going to do.
Anyway, I have a couple weeks to prepare for ConnectiCon, then a couple weeks after that the Stoneham store should be opening and I'll start my new full-time supervisor's position! I'm going to start looking for apartments soon. We might just stay in Medford for convenience but I'm going to actively look in Stoneham so we're closer to work, and also in Wakefield and Melrose. MAYBE Malden and Somerville but I'm not big on Malden (especially when you have to pay for "city garbage bags") and Somerville's touch and go depending on the neighborhood and the best neighborhoods like Davis and Ball Sq are probably a lot more pricey. Plus there's almost no on-street parking for visitors. I need a place where my friends and family can come to visit and not worry about being towed or have to park 3 blocks away. We might look for a 3-room so Gahm can move in too because everyone in that household wants to get rid of Susan and her drunken "I have cancer so I'm going to do coke and drink myself to death" mentality. That's if he's interested in living w/his brother, sister-in-law and future nephew (or niece).
So tomorrow when I go back to work I hope they have more news about the Stoneham store. It'll be good to be armed w/that info when I tell my parents I'm pregnant. Having a full-time, better paying and better benefits job will really soften the blow of how soon in my life this happened.
I'm off to finish uploading to flickr then off to bed. I'll post more when I have more news.
We left around 130 on Thursday and took 95 all the way up. It was funny because we passed Inyx on the way up and then blew past her as I have a lead foot. After realizing I was passing 90, I slowed down a bit and then got stuck in slowed traffic due to a downpour, yet I never saw Inyx catch up with us. Despite all that, she made it to the hotel before us, albeit literally a minute before us.
Wig and I had a HUGE fight as soon as we got up to the room. Despite how negatively he's viewing the whole pregnancy situation, we haven't straight out fought more than twice. We made up soon after between keeping up appearances as we set up the booth and genuine apologies. We had the room to ourselves most of the night because Inyx and her new girlfriend Alina went out to dinner alone and I was able to assuage his qualms about having sex with a pregnant woman and we had some much-needed make-up sex. Even though he says he won't want to have sex when I really look pregnant, he's not going to be able to resist. My libido's already starting to increase, imagine what it's going to be like in a few months. Wig was pretty quiet and withdrawn for most of the first day, but he slowly started to become his old self. He started joking a bit more and smiling and started playing guitar again and even made it to the final round of a Super Smash Bros Brawl tournament. But all these improvements are only on the surface. Every once in a while he'd still make some negative comment about the pregnancy and our future. It's a long, long road, but he'll soon see things will work out. They won't be perfect - not by a longshot - but we'll survive and we'll be happy and we'll still be able to do the same things we did before we had a baby. He won't be able to believe that until it happens though.
He's telling Gahmstead tonight. I wonder what he's going to say about it. I still haven't told my parents. I was going to tell them tomorrow but I have to close and will be at work before they come home so it'll have to wait until Tuesday. It would've been as awkward if I told them tonight when I got back from PortCon than if I told them last week then left. Plus we're going to need a lot of uninterrupted time to discuss what I'm going to do.
Anyway, I have a couple weeks to prepare for ConnectiCon, then a couple weeks after that the Stoneham store should be opening and I'll start my new full-time supervisor's position! I'm going to start looking for apartments soon. We might just stay in Medford for convenience but I'm going to actively look in Stoneham so we're closer to work, and also in Wakefield and Melrose. MAYBE Malden and Somerville but I'm not big on Malden (especially when you have to pay for "city garbage bags") and Somerville's touch and go depending on the neighborhood and the best neighborhoods like Davis and Ball Sq are probably a lot more pricey. Plus there's almost no on-street parking for visitors. I need a place where my friends and family can come to visit and not worry about being towed or have to park 3 blocks away. We might look for a 3-room so Gahm can move in too because everyone in that household wants to get rid of Susan and her drunken "I have cancer so I'm going to do coke and drink myself to death" mentality. That's if he's interested in living w/his brother, sister-in-law and future nephew (or niece).
So tomorrow when I go back to work I hope they have more news about the Stoneham store. It'll be good to be armed w/that info when I tell my parents I'm pregnant. Having a full-time, better paying and better benefits job will really soften the blow of how soon in my life this happened.
I'm off to finish uploading to flickr then off to bed. I'll post more when I have more news.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
First Ultrasound
I had my first ultrasound yesterday, and it turn out I'm already 13 1/2 weeks along! I'm due December 23rd. As much as I'm dying to tell my mom, I don't want to ruin this weekend. I can't drop a bombshell like this and then be like "Well, I'm off to Maine!" They'd either be like "You can't go to a convention! You have to save money for the baby and you shouldn't be travelling in your condition!" Then they'd be worried about me all weekend. If I tell them next Monday then we'll have plenty of time to sit down and discuss my course of action. I'm expecting more shock than anger. They'll be disappointed that I let something like this happen too soon, but they already know from personal experience that even when you're careful, accidents happen. I mean that's how I got here. So they can't be pissed at me. It's not like I did it on purpose. Their main concern will be my financial situation. They're going to ask how I'm going to afford to get my own place - because there's no room here for an extra baby and for Wig to move in w/me - and raise a child while trying to pay student loans. They don't have the money to spare to help support me but I know my grandparents do, but I feel guilty and selfish just assuming they will lend that kind of money, even though I'm sure I will. I'm already actively looking for a full-time job and I know Toys R Us will give me extra hours if they can spare them in the meantime - and if all else fails, there's that supervisor position at the Holiday Express when it opens. But I already have a response to one of my applications that looks promising. I had another call-back but it ended up a no-go as they were looking for someone with definitive classroom experience. At least they called back. Wig might have a lead at Stop & Shop. It's the dreaded "We'll call you back" period where you don't know whether they will or not. But they are hiring now, and last month when Wig first applied they called him in 4 times for mini-interviews before telling him they weren't hiring 'til June, so it's a better lead than some of the roads he's tried to take in the past.
The hardest part right now is dealing with Wig's depression and anger. He can't get over the fact that he truly believes he's just going to snap and that this is the end of his life as he knows it. No matter what I say or do I can't convince him that everything will work out for us, and that I know he's too good a person to become an abusive bad father. He's going to get worse when he sees the ultrasound picture and I tell him how far along I really am. He wouldn't let me bring it up last night. I know he'll come around, it's just how long before he does. Is he going to be miserable the entire pregnancy? I need him to remain his sweet, romantic self or else I'm going to fall to pieces. This is the happiest time of my life and I want nothing more to share that with him but he can't relate. I wish he could've been there for the ultrasound. It hurts that I was alone for my first glimpse at my baby. I just hope he's there for the first movements too - that they don't happen before we can move in together or happen at work or something. And of course he HAS to be there for the next ultrasound and when I find out the baby's gender. Which I'm convinced is going to be a boy. My first appointment with the ob/gyn isn't until July 19th so it's going to be a long wait. But so far I've felt fine and the baby looks normal on the ultrasound so I don't think I have anything to worry about. I think it's amazing that he's only 3 inches long right now but he already has fingerprints! No crime in the womb, they'll be able to track him. You could say he already has a big head like Wig but their heads are always larger at this stage of development. It might normal out as his body grows, we'll see.
I'm slowly telling everyone. It's tough to have to wait to let some people know but I've told Flav, everyone who was working yesterday, and all my online acquaintanes at Expansion Mansion and the CreateCrochet Etsy team. So far nothing but support and happiness. Wig is the only one against this pregnancy, so far. I'm sure some of his friends and relatives will have a negative reaction too, but the general consensus is that this is a good thing, just a little ill-timed but not impossible to pull off. I have the support of possibly hundreds of people so I feel secure. I have a long journey ahead of me, and I'm glad I won't be alone.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Long-Awaited Update, AnimeNEXT and News
Daaaaaaaaaaaayum I've been lazy/busy/forgetful/tired and haven't updated in FOREVER. This weekend was AnimeNEXT in Somerset, NJ. This was my first time driving that far, but everything went off without a hitch. We took 95 to 287 to avoid tolls and stopped at Friendly's in West Haven, CT for food and got to the hotel in about 6 hours. The ride back was going even smoother - we didn't make any stops and were flying through New Jersey and ConnectiCut - until we hit tons of roadwork in RI and MA. The return trip ended up taking about 6 hours too but it was at least an easy route - long but at least there weren't a lot of changeovers to other highways.
I've never been particularly fond of AnimeNEXT. It's not set up very well. 2 years ago when it was still in Secaucus it was horribly set up. That was the year that the Artist Alley was in a parking garage. The Somerset location does a slightly better job but it's too spread out. Last year it was in the Garden State Exhibit Center and the Doubletree Hotel, which wasn't a big deal because there was a handy covered walkway connecting the Doubletree and the Exhibit Center. But this year they added locations in the Holiday Inn and a training center across the street. It was too spread out. With Inyx in charge of the Artist Alley this year, the Artist Alley was better set up than last year. We ended up commandeering the entire corner since she was staff, so we had the staff table, 2 tables for our displays and then Sin's table for her studio. I can't believe I forgot to take pictures. It was impressive. Another beef with AnimeNEXT is there isn't much for quality panels or workshops. They don't get the best guests. They did have Greg Ayres this year, who is a very notable voice actor, but they usually don't get anyone bigger than that. The panels are usually lame. The only ones that are of any merit are the Bento and Sake panels but you have to sign up way in advance because they fill out so fast. The Adult Swim Revolution panel happens every year and it's great for Adult Swim fans who want to hear about new shows, see previews, find out what's been cancelled, what's coming back, what's on hiatus and just bitch about crappy shows and praise awesome shows. The panel is a mix of awesome and lame-ass bullshit. I've gone to it every year I've done AnimeNEXT - which is only 3 years, but so far it's progressively gone downhill. This year's panel went from talking about new seasons and new series to bitching about Family Guy and American Dad, and they barely talked about the new shows or any original Adult Swim content. Last year had a lot more information and the year before had free swag and I won a Murderface button by being able to correctly answer what Adult Swim's first time slot was. (I beat someone dressed as Space Ghost, that's epic)
But I think AnimeNEXT should've been renamed PokeCon this year as like, 85% of con-goers were cosplaying Pokemon, Pokemon trainers or Teams Rocket, Magma or Aqua. And everyone had PokeWalkers from the new DS games (mine took a nasty trip through the washer and no longer works, but Wig and Xaqu got plenty of items and Watts). Wig got lots of great pictures. I didn't get as many. I usually just take pics of the cosplays I like and if I got a picture of it at one con I usually don't take subsequent pictures unless the person did an exceptional job and it's extremely accurate or it's some clever twist on the normal character design.
Anyway, the Artist Alley wasn't nearly as busy as Anime Boston's. We still did pretty well. A small but comfortable $650 on Friday and a much better $800 on Saturday. I don't know the Sunday numbers because Inyx stayed to go to the staff after-party and we left early, so she hadn't counted it before we left. I myself only made $76, a far cry from the $101 I made at Anime Boston but still decent for some crocheted dolls and guitar pick earrings. Someone bought 3 of my $12 amigurumi on one sale - both mushrooms and the Dragon Quest slime. The mini Brain Slugs were the star this time, trumping their full-size counterparts. I don't know how PortCon will fare, it's a much smaller and less busy convention but I think people are a little more willing to spend on handicrafts there.
In other news, I'm pregnant. It's kind of shocking. I never expected it to happen this soon. Everyone who knows me knows how badly I want a baby, though, and I'm more happy than nervous. Part of me wishes it isn't happening now, but part of me is glad I no longer have to wait. I can finally experience pregnancy and have the baby I always wanted. I was kind of getting sick of a lot of my friends and old classmates having kids before me. I felt like I was being left in the dust. Me and Wig's friends Dan and Lindsey just had their 2nd baby, and Katie and Fetus (another Sean, everyone goes by nicknames) had Seamus in January. Not only was I jealous of people having what I want and couldn't have, I was disappointed that our kids would end up being far apart in age. Now they'll be close in age and get to play together. Wig isn't happy. He's convinced he'll be a horrible father just like his father and thinks he'll end up doing something bad that'll cause me to divorce him, kill him or have him arrested. I know him better than he knows himself and I know he is too sweet, caring and too desperate to not turn out like his parents and that he'll come out fine in the end. I don't know how we're going to manage raising a child right now. I'm confident in help from my family and friends. My parents don't have money to spare but my grandparents do, and I bet some of my friends will donate some of their old baby things. I have a lot of my old baby furniture down in the basement that is still useful and of course there's the baby shower. Finding full time work is gong to be tough. Wig is still having trouble finding a job, but I think Stop n Shop will work out if he just follows through, and he's finally expressed interest in going to school to learn a trade. I wonder if he pulls the "my fiancee is pregnant I really need a job!" spiel if that'll get him a job out of sympathy. Now that I'm not doing the Census I can finally focus on applying for full-time jobs again and I'm trying for some entry-level government jobs because even if you don't have any experience if you at least have a Bachelor's degree they'll train you. My aunt also knows someone with a music teacher job opportunity on the South Shore. She's going to give him my contact info and I'm just waiting for an email or phone call with the info. I haven't told my parents yet. I'm waiting until after PortCon, because if I tell them now, they'll either forbid me to go or bitch and moan that I'm going to another convention when I should be saving money for the baby and shouldn't be traveling and doing convention-type things when I'm pregnant. Plus I don't want to stress them out like that then take off like that. I don't know how I'm going to bring it up. But I'm going to tell my mom first because she'll take it better. They're going to freak out at first because it really is too soon. I'm not too young - I'm 25, which I think is a good age to have a kid (my goal was always between 25 and 30 for my first) - but working part-time with an unemployed fiancee and we both still live at home and have less than $700 between us isn't an ideal situation for having a child. But they won't forget that they were in the same boat when they were younger than me and that their parents supported them and helped them out. It could be a lot worse. Plus once they get over the initial shock and we figure out how we're going to work this out, they'll start to gush over the fact that they'll be grandparents. My sister is going to refuse to look at me during my 2nd and 3rd trimester, though - she's weirded out by pregnant women. All in all, I'm amazingly calm right now considering the news. It's surreal though. I'm still having a hard time believing it really happened and it happened so soon. I don't even feel pregnant yet. But it must be meant to be, so something good must be coming from it somewhere down the line. I'm not too worried yet. I'm determined to find away.
I've never been particularly fond of AnimeNEXT. It's not set up very well. 2 years ago when it was still in Secaucus it was horribly set up. That was the year that the Artist Alley was in a parking garage. The Somerset location does a slightly better job but it's too spread out. Last year it was in the Garden State Exhibit Center and the Doubletree Hotel, which wasn't a big deal because there was a handy covered walkway connecting the Doubletree and the Exhibit Center. But this year they added locations in the Holiday Inn and a training center across the street. It was too spread out. With Inyx in charge of the Artist Alley this year, the Artist Alley was better set up than last year. We ended up commandeering the entire corner since she was staff, so we had the staff table, 2 tables for our displays and then Sin's table for her studio. I can't believe I forgot to take pictures. It was impressive. Another beef with AnimeNEXT is there isn't much for quality panels or workshops. They don't get the best guests. They did have Greg Ayres this year, who is a very notable voice actor, but they usually don't get anyone bigger than that. The panels are usually lame. The only ones that are of any merit are the Bento and Sake panels but you have to sign up way in advance because they fill out so fast. The Adult Swim Revolution panel happens every year and it's great for Adult Swim fans who want to hear about new shows, see previews, find out what's been cancelled, what's coming back, what's on hiatus and just bitch about crappy shows and praise awesome shows. The panel is a mix of awesome and lame-ass bullshit. I've gone to it every year I've done AnimeNEXT - which is only 3 years, but so far it's progressively gone downhill. This year's panel went from talking about new seasons and new series to bitching about Family Guy and American Dad, and they barely talked about the new shows or any original Adult Swim content. Last year had a lot more information and the year before had free swag and I won a Murderface button by being able to correctly answer what Adult Swim's first time slot was. (I beat someone dressed as Space Ghost, that's epic)
But I think AnimeNEXT should've been renamed PokeCon this year as like, 85% of con-goers were cosplaying Pokemon, Pokemon trainers or Teams Rocket, Magma or Aqua. And everyone had PokeWalkers from the new DS games (mine took a nasty trip through the washer and no longer works, but Wig and Xaqu got plenty of items and Watts). Wig got lots of great pictures. I didn't get as many. I usually just take pics of the cosplays I like and if I got a picture of it at one con I usually don't take subsequent pictures unless the person did an exceptional job and it's extremely accurate or it's some clever twist on the normal character design.
Anyway, the Artist Alley wasn't nearly as busy as Anime Boston's. We still did pretty well. A small but comfortable $650 on Friday and a much better $800 on Saturday. I don't know the Sunday numbers because Inyx stayed to go to the staff after-party and we left early, so she hadn't counted it before we left. I myself only made $76, a far cry from the $101 I made at Anime Boston but still decent for some crocheted dolls and guitar pick earrings. Someone bought 3 of my $12 amigurumi on one sale - both mushrooms and the Dragon Quest slime. The mini Brain Slugs were the star this time, trumping their full-size counterparts. I don't know how PortCon will fare, it's a much smaller and less busy convention but I think people are a little more willing to spend on handicrafts there.
In other news, I'm pregnant. It's kind of shocking. I never expected it to happen this soon. Everyone who knows me knows how badly I want a baby, though, and I'm more happy than nervous. Part of me wishes it isn't happening now, but part of me is glad I no longer have to wait. I can finally experience pregnancy and have the baby I always wanted. I was kind of getting sick of a lot of my friends and old classmates having kids before me. I felt like I was being left in the dust. Me and Wig's friends Dan and Lindsey just had their 2nd baby, and Katie and Fetus (another Sean, everyone goes by nicknames) had Seamus in January. Not only was I jealous of people having what I want and couldn't have, I was disappointed that our kids would end up being far apart in age. Now they'll be close in age and get to play together. Wig isn't happy. He's convinced he'll be a horrible father just like his father and thinks he'll end up doing something bad that'll cause me to divorce him, kill him or have him arrested. I know him better than he knows himself and I know he is too sweet, caring and too desperate to not turn out like his parents and that he'll come out fine in the end. I don't know how we're going to manage raising a child right now. I'm confident in help from my family and friends. My parents don't have money to spare but my grandparents do, and I bet some of my friends will donate some of their old baby things. I have a lot of my old baby furniture down in the basement that is still useful and of course there's the baby shower. Finding full time work is gong to be tough. Wig is still having trouble finding a job, but I think Stop n Shop will work out if he just follows through, and he's finally expressed interest in going to school to learn a trade. I wonder if he pulls the "my fiancee is pregnant I really need a job!" spiel if that'll get him a job out of sympathy. Now that I'm not doing the Census I can finally focus on applying for full-time jobs again and I'm trying for some entry-level government jobs because even if you don't have any experience if you at least have a Bachelor's degree they'll train you. My aunt also knows someone with a music teacher job opportunity on the South Shore. She's going to give him my contact info and I'm just waiting for an email or phone call with the info. I haven't told my parents yet. I'm waiting until after PortCon, because if I tell them now, they'll either forbid me to go or bitch and moan that I'm going to another convention when I should be saving money for the baby and shouldn't be traveling and doing convention-type things when I'm pregnant. Plus I don't want to stress them out like that then take off like that. I don't know how I'm going to bring it up. But I'm going to tell my mom first because she'll take it better. They're going to freak out at first because it really is too soon. I'm not too young - I'm 25, which I think is a good age to have a kid (my goal was always between 25 and 30 for my first) - but working part-time with an unemployed fiancee and we both still live at home and have less than $700 between us isn't an ideal situation for having a child. But they won't forget that they were in the same boat when they were younger than me and that their parents supported them and helped them out. It could be a lot worse. Plus once they get over the initial shock and we figure out how we're going to work this out, they'll start to gush over the fact that they'll be grandparents. My sister is going to refuse to look at me during my 2nd and 3rd trimester, though - she's weirded out by pregnant women. All in all, I'm amazingly calm right now considering the news. It's surreal though. I'm still having a hard time believing it really happened and it happened so soon. I don't even feel pregnant yet. But it must be meant to be, so something good must be coming from it somewhere down the line. I'm not too worried yet. I'm determined to find away.
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
Etsy Updates
New item in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34228859
Free shipping on all items until Nov 30th
New Twitter: @stringtheory101
Check it out!
Free shipping on all items until Nov 30th
New Twitter: @stringtheory101
Check it out!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Seasonal Update
I have to get back in the swing of blogging more frequently. It's been too long since the last time I updated. So even though it's 2 months before New Year's I'm going to make a resolution to update my Blogger, Twitter and FaceBook on an almost-daily basis.
So I think I'm having a quarter-life crisis. I'm turning 25 this month. On the one hand that's not old at all, but on the other it's 5 years from 30, and nothing I had planned to have accomplished by now has come to fruition. I'm still living at home, and I'm no closer to starting my career and getting married. I realized that subconciously I've been trying to recreate my youth. Over the past year or so I've been slowly collecting all my favorite childhood shows on DVD, the most important being Peanuts specials. For some reason, Snoopy will always stick out in my mind as being a big deal when I was growing up, and recently I've been rewatching the specials I already have on DVD or VHS and have been trying to collect the rest that are available on DVD (no small feat as there were over 130 made between the 1960s and early 2000s and not all of them are on DVD yet) I've been on the Peanuts wikipedia page and I found out there's a Charles Schultz museum in Santa Rosa, California that I MUST go to - and there's even a statue of Charlie Brown and Snoopy in Santa Rosa center. Other series from back in the day I've amassed in my nostalgia stupor include Garfield, Adventures of Pete & Pete, Darkwing Duck, Inspector Gadget, Clarissa Explains it All, Alf, and Punky Brewster. Not to mention all the old movies I have as well. I'm too young to be freaking out about my age and trying to recapture my youth, but right now the desire to relive the simpler times in my life is at full force. But it's not necessarily a bad thing. Those were some great shows and the fact that they're on DVD and I can watch them whenever I want is great - especially when there's bonus features because I'm a trivia whore.
They're having a Price is Right Live event at Foxwoods now through the 18th. Being the game show whore that I am and the fact that it's only 2 hours away and $25 for a ticket, me and Wig are thinking of going next week. Who knows? We might luck out and win some awesome prizes. It's worth the shot. I'd fare a lot better on Cash Cab, Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy though, it's less up to chance and more reliant on my unending cache of useless random trivia. Also I just found out that there's a little sci-fi convention being held the 21st and 22nd in the Framingham Sheraton (the castle on the Mass pike) and fucking Brent Spiner is going to be there. Only my favorite actor who played my favorite character in the entire Star Trek universe. And tickets are only $35 for the whole weekend. I've already started overnights for the season, and getting weekends off is normally impossible this time of year, but my manager is a fellow nerd and he totally understood. I only really need Friday off so I can sleep and be well rested and get there early then I can do my normal Saturday overnight after I get back from the con. I don't need to go Sunday unless I miss Brent on Saturday and he's going to be doing signings on Sunday too. But I think Sat will suffice. But if I couldn't get the days off, I could function on a couple hours sleep and still work and go to the con. I can forgo sleep for one weekend for Brent Spiner. I know I'm being a total spaz right now, but this is a big deal. I've been a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation since I was eight and Data has always been my favorite character, so this is a lifelong dream.
In other news, I had a couple Etsy sales a few weeks ago. Two in a row. I also joined an Etsy Team. It's the CreateCrochet team and it's wicked fun. Every month there's a new challenge theme. This month's is "winter" and the possibilities are endless. You make your item, list it, and it gets featured on the blog and in treasuries. Every week there's a featured seller and I was the featured seller 2 weeks ago. I got much love for my brain slug amigurumi as usual and a bunch more hearts but no sales. We're also doing a swap right now where we were matched up with other members to convo back and forth and get to know each other and make each other surprise gifts. I have to work on the swap and the winter challenge item plus some new ideas I have for the shop. I don't know what I'm going to do for everyone for Christmas yet. I have a lot of ideas that cost a lot of money but no money to pull them off, but I don't know what I can crochet for everyone that I can get done in time. But I'll think of something and pull it off last minute.
I actually had a decent Halloween for the first time in years. Me, Wig, Inyx, Sin and Ed went into Salem. It's so overrated and overcrowded and has been totally ruined by the tourists. But the highlight of the day was seeing a DeLorean decked out just like the one in Back to the Future! Complete with a Marty McFly and Doc Brown for photo-ops. They were collecting donations for TeamFox for Parkinson's Disease research and any donation allowed you to take a picture in the driver's seat. I love the Back to the Future trilogy and I love DeLoreans because we share the same initials, DMC. My dad used to joke I was named after the DeLorean Motor Company, and I'm even considering keeping my maiden name when I marry just to keep the coolest initials ever. More pics on my flickr.
I had a job interview a couple weeks ago. While the position was in Beverly I had to go to the main office in Sudbury for the interview. It was for a part-time music teacher for a daycare/school called Next Generation Children's Center. I thought the interview went really well but I got a rejection letter literally 3 days later. With my license still pending and no experience, it's next to impossible to get a job in anything remotely teaching related. But I'm not giving up yet. I have a list of online resources for private school job listings someone my mom knows sent her for me, and there's the option of private lessons. I'm also seriously pursuing the idea I had for a children's book: Hayden Go Seek. I don't know whether I want to do it like an I Spy book or for younger children where you lift open flaps to find items, but the plot is that you have to find specific orchestral instruments, parts of the musical staff and composers. Also my eBay sales have been steady. No huge hauls but I'm getting a few bucks for things I don't need anymore (or promotional items I got for free or for as little as a penny!). Although I'm having some issues with a couple buyers not having paid yet. They're already late, it's been over a week, but I try to be understanding and lenient. I mean, there could've been a death or medical emergency and they haven't been online in a week. Who knows? But if I still get no reply or payment in a few days I will file a claim with eBay. This is the first time I've had this problem on eBay, although I had it once on Etsy. Generally I get paid instantly or within the first 3 days. I pride myself in having 100% positive feedback and everyone praises my fast shipping and communication. I'd hate for my reputation to be tarnished.
And my car has been in the shop TWICE in the past month for leaking coolant. The first time was a cracked something-or-other valve and then 2 weeks later the radiator went. When they were replacing the radiator, they found that the transmission lines were rusted and one broke so those had to be replaced. Fortunately, the guy that does all my repairs is a close friend of my dad's and didn't charge any labor. I still owe my dad and my grandmother a ton of money for helping me with car parts and repairs. :(
And we have a new kitten! Heather's friend couldn't keep him and she didn't want to see him go to the animal shelter, so she brought him home. We were supposed to find a new home for him but we got too attached and kept him. His name's Frankenstein. He is the most obnoxious pet I ever owned but he's adorable. And my parakeet Gemini died the other day. Sad, but not devastatingly sad as I wasn't too attached to him, and he was old for a parakeet and I think het got sick in the past couple months.
I saw Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day. If you haven't seen the first one, what the fuck are you waiting for?! And if you have, see the sequel you'll fucking love it! It was much like the first one with the action and the spurts of comedy but it had a deep backstory that Saints fans will appreciate. Wig and I both give it two thumbs up.
Well, I think I'm going to work on some crochet projects and rest before my overnight shift. I'm going to try to blog more often so my few readers know what's going on. Until then...
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Keeping Up Appearances
Haven't blogged in a while, so just posting so the few people who do read my blog or who will eventually come across it don't think I'm dead.
Since I last blogged, I saw AC/DC at Gillette Stadium. The concert was AMAZING but traffic to and from Foxboro SUCKED, especially trying to get out of the parking lot. It took me 3 hours to get home. THREE FACKING HOURS! But man, I'd go to the ends of the Earth for AC/DC. I hate to admit it, but they're starting to show their age a little bit: Angus looked more tired than usual and I think he slipped up on the TNT solo and he picked the intro the Thunderstruck which is always does hammer-ons and pull-offs live. But he still kept going non-stop the entire time and except for those 2 little off moments was as perfect as any performance. As always, they put on the most high-enegery, electrifying rock show ever.
That same week, I drove to Hartford, CT for ConnectiCon, the last anime convention of the summer. ConnectiCon's a big one because we always have the Artist's Alley Networking Party. It's a way for fellow artists to get together and share their craft and make connections to get their work out there and also to unwind and get drunk and have some fun at the end of the con season. Sales were great, and I sold a Super Mario Invincibilty Star to a cosplayer who was doing a spot-in Billy Mays impression selling 1Up Mushrooms and throwing in the invincibility for free. You can see it on YouTubes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojwo7ioDEIo and buy both 1Up mushrooms and Invicibility stars at my Etsy, stringtheory101.etsy.com.
And if driving to Foxboro and Hartford wasn't enough, the following Tuesday I then went to Mansfield to the Comcast Center for Mayhem Fest, which has effectively replaced the new defunct Ozzfest as the must-see metal festival of the summer. This is only Mayhem's 2nd year but they were able to get big names both last year (Disturbed) and this year (Slayer). Slayer was a BIG DEAL to all the metalheads there. Marilyn Manson and KillSwitch Engage were also headlining. KillSwitch played their cover of Holy Diver, which, no offense to Dio (especially since Ronnie James Dio is a fellow mini-guinea and we's gotta stick together) rocks harder than the original. We left early to try to beat the crowd, we like Marilyn Manson, just not that much. We stayed for the popular songs like Disposable Teens, Dope Show and Beautiful People. He did his cover of Sweet Dreams too. But with leaving 15 min early and our optimal position in the parking lot, we made a "Leaving Comcast Center" record of 5 mins! We hit a little bit of traffic on 95 because everyone was rubbernecking to watch firefighters put out a burning bus, which I can only assume was a Fung-Wah or Lucky Star bus since they have a history of exploding or tipping LOL.
So between AC/DC, ConnectiCon, Mayhem Fest and work, I spent more time on major highways and in traffic in 2 weeks than I have in the 7 years I've had my license.
And now that the con season is over, I can relax on the amigurumi a bit and work on other crochet or craft projects. I made some new guitar pick earrings and I finally finished the Shit Pickle amigurumi. The Shit Pickle is a cartoon pickle covered in shit that bounces around and repeats its name a la Pokemon. He's got a big buck tooth and cross eyes and is only there to be annoying. He is the creation of independant filmmaker James Rolfe, who is world-famous on YouTube for his Angry Video Game Nerd webisodes where he reviews the crappiest games and consoles of the 80s and 90s with hilarious results. I was inspired after seeing the Shit Pickle in some of James' videos and seeing that Shit Pickle had a bit of a cult following. Other fans have gotten tattoos, drawn fan art, made a Shit Pickle version of Monopoly, cookies, and decorated their XBox 360s. So I said, man, a Shit Pickle would be easy to crochet! So I did. Then I emailed James Rolfe about sending him the first and so far only Shit Pickle. I also asked for his permission to sell them on Etsy, but he said they don't know what they're planning on doing with Shit Pickle for merchandising right now. He's tied up with contracts from Spike.com and MTV (they own GameTrailers.com which hosts his newer Nerd videos) and he's an indie filmmaker running his own small business so I respect his rights. It's different from Nintendo characters where it's such a huge corporation and they're already making millions and they'd barely notice one person on Etsy selling 1Up mushrooms.
Another project I was able to finish was my Pint o'Guinness. Wig's friend Fetus, being fiercely Irish, always drinks Guinness when he's over Wig's. I thought it'd be cool to make an amigurumi in the shape of the trademark curved glass, complete with a big head of foam. I was working on a rug using the same crocheting and increasing in the round I use for amigurumi to make a spiral design, and it was coming out pretty well but it was getting tedius, so I stopped for a while and made an Oreo cookie. I also plan to make some more scrunchies. I have too many ideas for crocheting and not enough time to do them. I'm also trying to get my name out over the interwebs more so I can get more traffic to my Etsy. Sales have stalled out since last month, but I'm hoping they pick up soon.
But that's all for now, hopefully I'll write sooner next time.
Since I last blogged, I saw AC/DC at Gillette Stadium. The concert was AMAZING but traffic to and from Foxboro SUCKED, especially trying to get out of the parking lot. It took me 3 hours to get home. THREE FACKING HOURS! But man, I'd go to the ends of the Earth for AC/DC. I hate to admit it, but they're starting to show their age a little bit: Angus looked more tired than usual and I think he slipped up on the TNT solo and he picked the intro the Thunderstruck which is always does hammer-ons and pull-offs live. But he still kept going non-stop the entire time and except for those 2 little off moments was as perfect as any performance. As always, they put on the most high-enegery, electrifying rock show ever.
That same week, I drove to Hartford, CT for ConnectiCon, the last anime convention of the summer. ConnectiCon's a big one because we always have the Artist's Alley Networking Party. It's a way for fellow artists to get together and share their craft and make connections to get their work out there and also to unwind and get drunk and have some fun at the end of the con season. Sales were great, and I sold a Super Mario Invincibilty Star to a cosplayer who was doing a spot-in Billy Mays impression selling 1Up Mushrooms and throwing in the invincibility for free. You can see it on YouTubes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojwo7ioDEIo and buy both 1Up mushrooms and Invicibility stars at my Etsy, stringtheory101.etsy.com.
And if driving to Foxboro and Hartford wasn't enough, the following Tuesday I then went to Mansfield to the Comcast Center for Mayhem Fest, which has effectively replaced the new defunct Ozzfest as the must-see metal festival of the summer. This is only Mayhem's 2nd year but they were able to get big names both last year (Disturbed) and this year (Slayer). Slayer was a BIG DEAL to all the metalheads there. Marilyn Manson and KillSwitch Engage were also headlining. KillSwitch played their cover of Holy Diver, which, no offense to Dio (especially since Ronnie James Dio is a fellow mini-guinea and we's gotta stick together) rocks harder than the original. We left early to try to beat the crowd, we like Marilyn Manson, just not that much. We stayed for the popular songs like Disposable Teens, Dope Show and Beautiful People. He did his cover of Sweet Dreams too. But with leaving 15 min early and our optimal position in the parking lot, we made a "Leaving Comcast Center" record of 5 mins! We hit a little bit of traffic on 95 because everyone was rubbernecking to watch firefighters put out a burning bus, which I can only assume was a Fung-Wah or Lucky Star bus since they have a history of exploding or tipping LOL.
So between AC/DC, ConnectiCon, Mayhem Fest and work, I spent more time on major highways and in traffic in 2 weeks than I have in the 7 years I've had my license.
And now that the con season is over, I can relax on the amigurumi a bit and work on other crochet or craft projects. I made some new guitar pick earrings and I finally finished the Shit Pickle amigurumi. The Shit Pickle is a cartoon pickle covered in shit that bounces around and repeats its name a la Pokemon. He's got a big buck tooth and cross eyes and is only there to be annoying. He is the creation of independant filmmaker James Rolfe, who is world-famous on YouTube for his Angry Video Game Nerd webisodes where he reviews the crappiest games and consoles of the 80s and 90s with hilarious results. I was inspired after seeing the Shit Pickle in some of James' videos and seeing that Shit Pickle had a bit of a cult following. Other fans have gotten tattoos, drawn fan art, made a Shit Pickle version of Monopoly, cookies, and decorated their XBox 360s. So I said, man, a Shit Pickle would be easy to crochet! So I did. Then I emailed James Rolfe about sending him the first and so far only Shit Pickle. I also asked for his permission to sell them on Etsy, but he said they don't know what they're planning on doing with Shit Pickle for merchandising right now. He's tied up with contracts from Spike.com and MTV (they own GameTrailers.com which hosts his newer Nerd videos) and he's an indie filmmaker running his own small business so I respect his rights. It's different from Nintendo characters where it's such a huge corporation and they're already making millions and they'd barely notice one person on Etsy selling 1Up mushrooms.
Another project I was able to finish was my Pint o'Guinness. Wig's friend Fetus, being fiercely Irish, always drinks Guinness when he's over Wig's. I thought it'd be cool to make an amigurumi in the shape of the trademark curved glass, complete with a big head of foam. I was working on a rug using the same crocheting and increasing in the round I use for amigurumi to make a spiral design, and it was coming out pretty well but it was getting tedius, so I stopped for a while and made an Oreo cookie. I also plan to make some more scrunchies. I have too many ideas for crocheting and not enough time to do them. I'm also trying to get my name out over the interwebs more so I can get more traffic to my Etsy. Sales have stalled out since last month, but I'm hoping they pick up soon.
But that's all for now, hopefully I'll write sooner next time.
Monday, June 29, 2009
PortCon, Wheel of Fortune, and the Death of Many Legends
So I didn't have a chance last week to blog about PortCon Maine, which was actually 2 weekends ago, so time to blog about it now.
It was just Inyx and I, as Wig had the opportunity to make $120 and get some of his old parking tickets paid off and get his license renewed in exchange for working with his father and uncles. We got up to Portland quickly and checked in. The convention was back in its old location, which was the South Portland Sheraton but is now the Wyndham, which is a much better location than where it was last year. It's right across from the Maine Mall and only a few blocks away from a lot of major restaurants and a Hannafords.
After an easy set-up, we headed over to the Maine Mall for a quick dinner at Panda Express. There was a David's Bridal there and Inyx thought it'd be fun to look around. I saw a couple on display that I kind of liked because they had old-fashioned elements, but I didn't see any I really wanted to try on, but Inyx weaseled her way into getting a fitting and tried on a dress herself and sent a picture to her boyfriend in Maryland to see if he'd freak, but nothing fazes him. We also went to Michaels because I forgot to pack my glue gun. Then we went to the hotel's pool and hot tub.
Sin arrived the next day after a delay because her friend Ed's car was in the shop and business went as usual. Friday night we went to Old Country Buffet with a group of other Artist Alley people. It was us, Sin and her group, Zodi-ack! a mother/daughters business also from Massachusetts, and a couple of Zodi-ack!'s friends. The food was decent, because OCB is really luck of the draw, depending on when you go there's shit to choose from or there's a good spread. At one point, someone got a taco, and another said "They serve tacos? At a Chinese food place?" And her friends are like "This isn't a Chinese food place! What made you think that?" and I go "Did you think the 'Old Country' was Thailand or something?" And hilarity ensued. I think the staff was happy when we finally left. Then we went swimming and hot tubbing with Sin and her crew.
Saturday after Artist Alley closed we all went to Olive Garden. Instead of squeezing into Ed's car, we threw Sin, Ed and Anzu into Inyx's truck bed, because it was only around the corner. I don't know if it's illegal in Maine to ride in the bed, but it is in Mass. But Anzu kept making Mexican migrant worker jokes and talking in a bad Mexican accent. On the way back from Olive Garden Sin's sitting up on her knees and dancing and waving her arms and when Inyx took a wide turn she flew forward and landed in Ed's lap. I have 4 videos of the entire trip to and from Olive Garden with the stop at Hannaford's to buy booze, including Sin's spill. They'll be up on YouTube eventually. Hannaford's wouldn't let us purchase the alcohol because not all of us had ID.
We all decided that the entire crew for PopCult and Plastic Love are going to dress in steampunk for ConnectiCon so now the race is on to get some Victorian-ish clothes and accessories that look like they came out of a Jules Verne novel. It's going to be fun. ConnectiCon is alway the big con because we have the Artist Alley Networking Party. Fortunately, it's not until July 31 so I have a lot more prep time.
After I got back from PorCon, Wig and I met up at Dunks w/Flav, Ricky, Alison, Jay, Gantz, Tony and Joey. Alison was down in Boston to celebrate her birthday. Mark and Katie also arrived and later Doug. We spent most of the time looking through yearbooks and photo albums reminscing about high school. Wig and I left early because I was exhausted after 2 conventions in a row and very little sleep. I've actually been out of it for a while, sleeping til 1130 and noon most days. I'm trying to get myself up at 9 to get shit done, but 10/1030 is all I can muster.
Yesterday, I drove an hour to Marlborough to Solomon Pond Mall because the Wheelmobile was there holding try-outs for Wheel of Fortune. As everyone knows, I'm too good at that game and it's my goal to get on there and/or Jeopardy. The ride was easy, just 93 and 495, but long, but it took me 20 minutes to find parking. But I only had to stand in line for an hour and a half before they began to call out names from my application group. Alas, they didn't call me :( But while I was at the mall I took the opportunity to get the AC/DC Chucks and also ended up getting Thundercats Season 2 volumes 1 and 2 for $9.99 each and Season 1 volume 1 for $20. Considering when they first came out, each volume was $60 each, this was a great value.
Of course, you all know that last week was the Week o' Celebrity Deaths with Ed McMahon dying at 86 on either Monday or Tuesday and Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson dying Thursday. Then yesterday while in line at the Wheel of Fortune event, Wig's brother texts him to say Billy Mays died. At first I insisted it was a prank because so many deaths already happened last week somebody's starting a rumor. I couldn't look it up on my phone because internet on my phone sucks. Wig called his friend Guru to look it up online from a reputable news source and it's unfortunately true. The report so far is that he was unresponsive yesterday morning but no foul play is expected. Saturday he was in a minor plane accident and hit his head, but he insisted he was fine and didn't go to the hospital. My theory is he had a concussion that he didn't treat and fell asleep and you know you're supposed to keep concussed people awake. But we'll see what the autopsy says. I'm devastated, he was an icon. Easy to parody, very memorable. I won't be able to laugh at the YouTube poops anymore. Would it be in bad taste for Wig to continue on with his spot-on impression? What will become of the reality show Pitchmen? And who will promote products like OxiClean and Mighty Putty now? Vince is good, but nowhere near the same caliber of Billy Mays. Incidentally, Wig wants to create a tribute song in the style of Dethklok, the death metal band from the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse. One of the suggested titles is "Sinfomercial" I'll post lyrics as soon as they're written. He already has one line about Zorbeez sopping up your blood or something. Meanwhile, jokes about Michael Jackson molesting small boys continue on even after his death while simultaneously everyone praises him for his memorable music...much like when he was still alive. And Farrah Fawcett's death seems merely a footnote. Who's going to die next? With all the rain and celebrities dropping like flies, someting apocalypic is going on...It's been a fucked up summer.
It was just Inyx and I, as Wig had the opportunity to make $120 and get some of his old parking tickets paid off and get his license renewed in exchange for working with his father and uncles. We got up to Portland quickly and checked in. The convention was back in its old location, which was the South Portland Sheraton but is now the Wyndham, which is a much better location than where it was last year. It's right across from the Maine Mall and only a few blocks away from a lot of major restaurants and a Hannafords.
After an easy set-up, we headed over to the Maine Mall for a quick dinner at Panda Express. There was a David's Bridal there and Inyx thought it'd be fun to look around. I saw a couple on display that I kind of liked because they had old-fashioned elements, but I didn't see any I really wanted to try on, but Inyx weaseled her way into getting a fitting and tried on a dress herself and sent a picture to her boyfriend in Maryland to see if he'd freak, but nothing fazes him. We also went to Michaels because I forgot to pack my glue gun. Then we went to the hotel's pool and hot tub.
Sin arrived the next day after a delay because her friend Ed's car was in the shop and business went as usual. Friday night we went to Old Country Buffet with a group of other Artist Alley people. It was us, Sin and her group, Zodi-ack! a mother/daughters business also from Massachusetts, and a couple of Zodi-ack!'s friends. The food was decent, because OCB is really luck of the draw, depending on when you go there's shit to choose from or there's a good spread. At one point, someone got a taco, and another said "They serve tacos? At a Chinese food place?" And her friends are like "This isn't a Chinese food place! What made you think that?" and I go "Did you think the 'Old Country' was Thailand or something?" And hilarity ensued. I think the staff was happy when we finally left. Then we went swimming and hot tubbing with Sin and her crew.
Saturday after Artist Alley closed we all went to Olive Garden. Instead of squeezing into Ed's car, we threw Sin, Ed and Anzu into Inyx's truck bed, because it was only around the corner. I don't know if it's illegal in Maine to ride in the bed, but it is in Mass. But Anzu kept making Mexican migrant worker jokes and talking in a bad Mexican accent. On the way back from Olive Garden Sin's sitting up on her knees and dancing and waving her arms and when Inyx took a wide turn she flew forward and landed in Ed's lap. I have 4 videos of the entire trip to and from Olive Garden with the stop at Hannaford's to buy booze, including Sin's spill. They'll be up on YouTube eventually. Hannaford's wouldn't let us purchase the alcohol because not all of us had ID.
We all decided that the entire crew for PopCult and Plastic Love are going to dress in steampunk for ConnectiCon so now the race is on to get some Victorian-ish clothes and accessories that look like they came out of a Jules Verne novel. It's going to be fun. ConnectiCon is alway the big con because we have the Artist Alley Networking Party. Fortunately, it's not until July 31 so I have a lot more prep time.
After I got back from PorCon, Wig and I met up at Dunks w/Flav, Ricky, Alison, Jay, Gantz, Tony and Joey. Alison was down in Boston to celebrate her birthday. Mark and Katie also arrived and later Doug. We spent most of the time looking through yearbooks and photo albums reminscing about high school. Wig and I left early because I was exhausted after 2 conventions in a row and very little sleep. I've actually been out of it for a while, sleeping til 1130 and noon most days. I'm trying to get myself up at 9 to get shit done, but 10/1030 is all I can muster.
Yesterday, I drove an hour to Marlborough to Solomon Pond Mall because the Wheelmobile was there holding try-outs for Wheel of Fortune. As everyone knows, I'm too good at that game and it's my goal to get on there and/or Jeopardy. The ride was easy, just 93 and 495, but long, but it took me 20 minutes to find parking. But I only had to stand in line for an hour and a half before they began to call out names from my application group. Alas, they didn't call me :( But while I was at the mall I took the opportunity to get the AC/DC Chucks and also ended up getting Thundercats Season 2 volumes 1 and 2 for $9.99 each and Season 1 volume 1 for $20. Considering when they first came out, each volume was $60 each, this was a great value.
Of course, you all know that last week was the Week o' Celebrity Deaths with Ed McMahon dying at 86 on either Monday or Tuesday and Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson dying Thursday. Then yesterday while in line at the Wheel of Fortune event, Wig's brother texts him to say Billy Mays died. At first I insisted it was a prank because so many deaths already happened last week somebody's starting a rumor. I couldn't look it up on my phone because internet on my phone sucks. Wig called his friend Guru to look it up online from a reputable news source and it's unfortunately true. The report so far is that he was unresponsive yesterday morning but no foul play is expected. Saturday he was in a minor plane accident and hit his head, but he insisted he was fine and didn't go to the hospital. My theory is he had a concussion that he didn't treat and fell asleep and you know you're supposed to keep concussed people awake. But we'll see what the autopsy says. I'm devastated, he was an icon. Easy to parody, very memorable. I won't be able to laugh at the YouTube poops anymore. Would it be in bad taste for Wig to continue on with his spot-on impression? What will become of the reality show Pitchmen? And who will promote products like OxiClean and Mighty Putty now? Vince is good, but nowhere near the same caliber of Billy Mays. Incidentally, Wig wants to create a tribute song in the style of Dethklok, the death metal band from the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse. One of the suggested titles is "Sinfomercial" I'll post lyrics as soon as they're written. He already has one line about Zorbeez sopping up your blood or something. Meanwhile, jokes about Michael Jackson molesting small boys continue on even after his death while simultaneously everyone praises him for his memorable music...much like when he was still alive. And Farrah Fawcett's death seems merely a footnote. Who's going to die next? With all the rain and celebrities dropping like flies, someting apocalypic is going on...It's been a fucked up summer.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Who Watches the Watchmen...in IMAX
So as you can tell from my subject line, I got to see The Watchmen. Wigster and I went to IMAX yesterday. The movie was EPIC. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to read the graphic novel before seeing the movie, which is half laziness half inability to buy it half not knowing anyone who owned it to borrow it from (except Ricky but that doesn't help because he's on the other side of the state). Still, I went into the movie with certain expectations from what I've read in Entertainment Weekly and what bits and pieces I did know about the comic. Ironically, Wig and I know more about the Watchmen than his brother who actually works in a comic book store for a living. Ironically, Wig did get to read part of the comic and it was one of the few parts that was changed. It was Rorshach's flashback to when he was looking for a kidnapped girl, and he found out a guy murdered her and fed her to his dogs. In the comic, Rorshach handcuffed the killer to a furnace then gave him a hacksaw and set the house on fire, watching as it burned to the ground and no one escaped, whereas in the movie he handcuffs the man to the furnace but instead hacks him to pieces. I loved the cinematography and the aptly chosen and placed music. Entertainment Weekly complained a bit that the scenes were too close-up and cramped in their effort to look like a comic book and it prevented scenes from playing out and moving naturally. I think the comic book panel-esque scene blocking was perfect since it IS a comic book. It made it look like a live-action comic book which was the intention all along. My only beef was: too much blue penis. Don't get me wrong, I'm not offended or uncomfortable - I love cock. But it was unecessary. I mean, Dr Manhattan doesn't need to wear clothes - he's beyond clothes at this point since he's pure energy and time and whatever - but he can. Sometime's he's got a blue Speedo-thing on, and he can even dress up in a suit and tie. Why doesn't he wear that blue Speedo all the time? I mean, is he beyond modesty too? I don't understand how the other characters didn't get distracted in the middle of important conversations. Imagine, "We're close to nuclear war. We got to...um..." *eyes slowly shift downward* "uh....Jeez, John! Cover up, I can't concentrate!!" At least it was proportionate. I was expecting something gargantuan the way everyone in the media was commenting on it. I just feel bad because the guy has perpetual blue balls and there's nothing he can do about it. They'll always be blue...
Anyway, a random fact: David Hayter, who wrote the screenplay adaptation of Watchmen is also the voice of Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid video game series. He also co-wrote the screenplays to X-Men and X2. You never know, that might be a question on Cash Cab. I could've just won you $50. You'll be thanking me.
But we also enjoyed Fuddrucker's because Phantom Gourmet has some "March Meal Deals" and one of them was a 1/3 burger, fries and a soda for only $4.99 which is mad cheap for Fuddrucker's, plus we haven't had it in forever. One of the most delicious hamburgers you could ever eat. We had, like an hour to kill because we went straight there from doing errands so we wandered around Jordan's, which is a labrynth of furniture. Everytime I go through that store, I just go deeper and deeper into the bedroom section or the home office section and then I don't know how to get back to the theater. But we made it back to civilization in due time. I always try to pick out what kind of furniture I'd get for my future house. They had sculptures that were giant versions of Monopoly pieces. They had them all: the racecar, the shoe, the thimble the top hat. I want them! But they were $70 each. Still they're so deliciously random and kitschy. There was also an ottoman that looked like a giant dice, so I'd love to get all those together and paint a floor like a giant Monopoly board so I could play giant Monopoly. The money could be beach towels LOL. Do you find it wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly? (Think about it...thank you Steven Wright)
So yay I got a new phone finally. I decided to renew my contract with Sprint just one last time (because I have a severe learning disability and I can't tell shitty service from good service). It's just cheaper. With my grandfather's government discount, my plan is only $35. I don't want to spend extra - even if it's for a better plan - right now. So, I have another 2-year contract and once that's up I'll be finally at a better paying job and I can move on to a slightly more expensive but significantly better plan. Besides, I wanted the Samsung Rant and that's a Sprint exclusive. It's so pretty and shiny and purple and it charges properly!!! I'm excited to have a great phone for once. YAY!
Anyway, a random fact: David Hayter, who wrote the screenplay adaptation of Watchmen is also the voice of Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid video game series. He also co-wrote the screenplays to X-Men and X2. You never know, that might be a question on Cash Cab. I could've just won you $50. You'll be thanking me.
But we also enjoyed Fuddrucker's because Phantom Gourmet has some "March Meal Deals" and one of them was a 1/3 burger, fries and a soda for only $4.99 which is mad cheap for Fuddrucker's, plus we haven't had it in forever. One of the most delicious hamburgers you could ever eat. We had, like an hour to kill because we went straight there from doing errands so we wandered around Jordan's, which is a labrynth of furniture. Everytime I go through that store, I just go deeper and deeper into the bedroom section or the home office section and then I don't know how to get back to the theater. But we made it back to civilization in due time. I always try to pick out what kind of furniture I'd get for my future house. They had sculptures that were giant versions of Monopoly pieces. They had them all: the racecar, the shoe, the thimble the top hat. I want them! But they were $70 each. Still they're so deliciously random and kitschy. There was also an ottoman that looked like a giant dice, so I'd love to get all those together and paint a floor like a giant Monopoly board so I could play giant Monopoly. The money could be beach towels LOL. Do you find it wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly? (Think about it...thank you Steven Wright)
So yay I got a new phone finally. I decided to renew my contract with Sprint just one last time (because I have a severe learning disability and I can't tell shitty service from good service). It's just cheaper. With my grandfather's government discount, my plan is only $35. I don't want to spend extra - even if it's for a better plan - right now. So, I have another 2-year contract and once that's up I'll be finally at a better paying job and I can move on to a slightly more expensive but significantly better plan. Besides, I wanted the Samsung Rant and that's a Sprint exclusive. It's so pretty and shiny and purple and it charges properly!!! I'm excited to have a great phone for once. YAY!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Long Time No Post
Yeah, I've been lazy, I know. I haven't updated my blog in weeks. I haven't been on Facebook either. I'm not good at this online social networking thing, so sue me LOL.
Anyway, I've been surviving, doing the same ol' same ol'. A couple weeks ago Wig's father took us to see Gary Charone perform with his Who cover band at Tequila's in Danvers. Fitzy (yes I call my future father-in-law by his nickname. I call my future husband by his nickname. They're both Seans, it's just easier this way) has been close friends with Charone since high school and actually used to tag along on Extreme's tours once in a while. They even have an inside joke together. ("Sides of cows," since Fitzy knew a butcher and could actually get a whole side of a cow worth of steaks and would give some to the band) It's not the biggest deal knowing someone from Extreme since the band was made up of people from Medford and Malden, but Extreme was pretty big in the 80s and 90s and Gary Charone was also in Van Halen. Anyway, the show was awesome. I don't know a lot of Who music, basically the common songs like Baba O'Reilly, My Generation, Tommy, etc but they put on a hell of a show, especially Charone who was all over the place. I kind of hate going to see shows in small, cramped bars and clubs like that because people just shove you around, you can't see shit and it's wicked hot and stuffy but I endured. The funny thing is they had to temporarily shut the show down because the fire marshall had to make sure we weren't over the max capacity. So they made everyone leave and stand out in the parking lot until the bar was completely empty, then shuffled us back in single file so they could physically count us. We lingered as long as we could and were some of the last people out so were were some of the first back in which meant once we got back we were right up front near the stage, which improved the cramped situation a bit. The show continued and it was funny, Charone kept leaning against the people in the first 2 rows, especially this one large girl, and at one point he just laid right on top of the first 2 rows' shoulders. I'm surprised no one dropped him LOL. Anway, we were supposed to meet up w/him after the show but because of having to stop in the middle and how late it was and how long it probably would've taken to wait for him, we didn't stick around and Fitzy said he'd call and try to set up going to a rehearsal instead. Wig's already met him twice, once when he was younger and again probably 3 or 4 years ago. It's good that he's got some business connections as he tries to get Umbilical Cord off the ground. Too bad his dad's marriage didn't work out, his former stepmom Maria had a lot of connections - including being friendly enough with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant to have gone bowling with him on numerous occasions.
I also finally took up exercising daily again. Since purchasing Wii Fit, I did it every day or almost every day - up until early September when I got really sick for a whole week. I just couldn't get back into the swing of things and then was really busy w/the holiday season, but since 2 weeks ago I've been doing it daily again (except for last Friday, Sunday and yesterday). When I was weighed for the first time since Christmas, I had dropped to 131...I was floored. Last time I weighed myself i was 135 - how did I lose 4 pounds doing nothing?! In the past two weeks I've fluctuated between 128 and 132 as I get reaccustomed to exercising and trying to improve my diet. No matter what, I'm finally in the Normal BMI bracket. Sure the Wii balance board isn't the most accurate piece of machinery, but it is pretty damn close.
Then Sunday, I got my car towed for the first time ever. Not realizing it was going to be considered a snow emergency because there wasn't that much snow on the ground, I parked on Wig's street all night and when I left at midnight, the entire street was empty. I'm like "FUCK!!!" So, I had to call home to get picked up then drive over to Export and pay $122.05 in cash to get my car out. I didn't get home until 130 between getting yelled at over the phone, waiting for my mom, calling Export, then actually going to Export and getting the car. The stupidest thing is the fact that Wig's neighbors recently moved out and I can park in their driveway until the house gets rented or sold again but I don't like doing this often because I don't want to suddenly be smacked with a trespassing charge. Plus everyone knows how much of a bitch it is to back out of a driveway on Harvard St, especially when this house is right by the intersection of Main St. So I usually only use it as a last resort. I should've parked there Sunday, but I forgot about the fact that they tow people off that street when there's a snow emergency. Still I got my car back no problem - except that I'm $123 broker with a $25 parking ticket on top of that - at least I have a little more time to pay that. Good thing my tax return should be coming in the next week or so.
I was supposed to spend today getting a lot of things done and I failed. After my workout I was going to take pictures of some of my finished jewelry and post it on Etsy, post some more stuff on eBay, apply for a substitute teaching job, play some violin for the first time in almost 2 years, and finish some Brain Slugs. So far, I've taken pictures of my jewelry and posted them on Etsy. It doesn't help that I didn't wake up until 1030. Then I sat half-naked and watched Crocodile Dundee instead of getting dressed - I'm so lethargic in the morning and it takes forever to get me moving regardless of how much sleep I got, and I don't know why. But finally I got up and did my workout and it was about 1PM by time I was done. So I had some lunch and got to doing the pictures - which took forever because the lighting in my room sucks and it took forever to get halfway decent pictures. I also had to check my email since I failed to do so yesterday and was pretty backed up - lots of surveys and Publisher's Clearing House entries LOL. Then I could finally start posting to Etsy. I posted, like 7 new items. I have a bunch more guitar pick earring and 2 new hemp necklaces. I finished that about halfway through Jeopardy. I'm going to apply for that sub job now and then either do some crocheting or reorganize my DVDs, books, CDs and games. Probably the crocheting, cuz the organzing takes hours and I don't want to be up all night. But I've been putting it off for too long and I won't have time the rest of this week. We'll see. But I wanted to get a blog in so that all two people who read my blog don't think I'm dead, which is almost worthless because one of those two people I talk to on the phone on an almost-daily basis. LOL.
Anyway, I've been surviving, doing the same ol' same ol'. A couple weeks ago Wig's father took us to see Gary Charone perform with his Who cover band at Tequila's in Danvers. Fitzy (yes I call my future father-in-law by his nickname. I call my future husband by his nickname. They're both Seans, it's just easier this way) has been close friends with Charone since high school and actually used to tag along on Extreme's tours once in a while. They even have an inside joke together. ("Sides of cows," since Fitzy knew a butcher and could actually get a whole side of a cow worth of steaks and would give some to the band) It's not the biggest deal knowing someone from Extreme since the band was made up of people from Medford and Malden, but Extreme was pretty big in the 80s and 90s and Gary Charone was also in Van Halen. Anyway, the show was awesome. I don't know a lot of Who music, basically the common songs like Baba O'Reilly, My Generation, Tommy, etc but they put on a hell of a show, especially Charone who was all over the place. I kind of hate going to see shows in small, cramped bars and clubs like that because people just shove you around, you can't see shit and it's wicked hot and stuffy but I endured. The funny thing is they had to temporarily shut the show down because the fire marshall had to make sure we weren't over the max capacity. So they made everyone leave and stand out in the parking lot until the bar was completely empty, then shuffled us back in single file so they could physically count us. We lingered as long as we could and were some of the last people out so were were some of the first back in which meant once we got back we were right up front near the stage, which improved the cramped situation a bit. The show continued and it was funny, Charone kept leaning against the people in the first 2 rows, especially this one large girl, and at one point he just laid right on top of the first 2 rows' shoulders. I'm surprised no one dropped him LOL. Anway, we were supposed to meet up w/him after the show but because of having to stop in the middle and how late it was and how long it probably would've taken to wait for him, we didn't stick around and Fitzy said he'd call and try to set up going to a rehearsal instead. Wig's already met him twice, once when he was younger and again probably 3 or 4 years ago. It's good that he's got some business connections as he tries to get Umbilical Cord off the ground. Too bad his dad's marriage didn't work out, his former stepmom Maria had a lot of connections - including being friendly enough with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant to have gone bowling with him on numerous occasions.
I also finally took up exercising daily again. Since purchasing Wii Fit, I did it every day or almost every day - up until early September when I got really sick for a whole week. I just couldn't get back into the swing of things and then was really busy w/the holiday season, but since 2 weeks ago I've been doing it daily again (except for last Friday, Sunday and yesterday). When I was weighed for the first time since Christmas, I had dropped to 131...I was floored. Last time I weighed myself i was 135 - how did I lose 4 pounds doing nothing?! In the past two weeks I've fluctuated between 128 and 132 as I get reaccustomed to exercising and trying to improve my diet. No matter what, I'm finally in the Normal BMI bracket. Sure the Wii balance board isn't the most accurate piece of machinery, but it is pretty damn close.
Then Sunday, I got my car towed for the first time ever. Not realizing it was going to be considered a snow emergency because there wasn't that much snow on the ground, I parked on Wig's street all night and when I left at midnight, the entire street was empty. I'm like "FUCK!!!" So, I had to call home to get picked up then drive over to Export and pay $122.05 in cash to get my car out. I didn't get home until 130 between getting yelled at over the phone, waiting for my mom, calling Export, then actually going to Export and getting the car. The stupidest thing is the fact that Wig's neighbors recently moved out and I can park in their driveway until the house gets rented or sold again but I don't like doing this often because I don't want to suddenly be smacked with a trespassing charge. Plus everyone knows how much of a bitch it is to back out of a driveway on Harvard St, especially when this house is right by the intersection of Main St. So I usually only use it as a last resort. I should've parked there Sunday, but I forgot about the fact that they tow people off that street when there's a snow emergency. Still I got my car back no problem - except that I'm $123 broker with a $25 parking ticket on top of that - at least I have a little more time to pay that. Good thing my tax return should be coming in the next week or so.
I was supposed to spend today getting a lot of things done and I failed. After my workout I was going to take pictures of some of my finished jewelry and post it on Etsy, post some more stuff on eBay, apply for a substitute teaching job, play some violin for the first time in almost 2 years, and finish some Brain Slugs. So far, I've taken pictures of my jewelry and posted them on Etsy. It doesn't help that I didn't wake up until 1030. Then I sat half-naked and watched Crocodile Dundee instead of getting dressed - I'm so lethargic in the morning and it takes forever to get me moving regardless of how much sleep I got, and I don't know why. But finally I got up and did my workout and it was about 1PM by time I was done. So I had some lunch and got to doing the pictures - which took forever because the lighting in my room sucks and it took forever to get halfway decent pictures. I also had to check my email since I failed to do so yesterday and was pretty backed up - lots of surveys and Publisher's Clearing House entries LOL. Then I could finally start posting to Etsy. I posted, like 7 new items. I have a bunch more guitar pick earring and 2 new hemp necklaces. I finished that about halfway through Jeopardy. I'm going to apply for that sub job now and then either do some crocheting or reorganize my DVDs, books, CDs and games. Probably the crocheting, cuz the organzing takes hours and I don't want to be up all night. But I've been putting it off for too long and I won't have time the rest of this week. We'll see. But I wanted to get a blog in so that all two people who read my blog don't think I'm dead, which is almost worthless because one of those two people I talk to on the phone on an almost-daily basis. LOL.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Pwned
So for the past month, the website T-Shirt Hell has been having a 10% off sale and emailing their subscribers with the regretful news that they're closing their doors. Today founder Sunshine Megatron sent out the "last" newsletter with the news that ha-ha it was a practical joke. An early April Fool's joke. It was a very clever ploy to up sales and thus save the company in this shitty economy. They fooled EVERYONE and it worked. So many people thinking it would be their last chance to get these hilariously offensive shirts ordered them like mad. Except me, cuz I'm broke and can't justify buying a $19 shirt, no matter how funny or clever it is. But I'm greatly amused. I think more businesses should try this tactic to draw more consumers in. Imagine if Circuit City is also just fucking with us? Nah...it wouldn't work with bigger corporations. But it's certainly effective for little privately owned businesses, especially with cult followings.
Anyway, haven't blogged in a couple of weeks so time for an updatey. Last week was my grandfather's retirement party. It was held at Anthony's in Malden which is one of the many Spadafora businesses strewn about the city. My grandfather had a very cushy government job for the DCMA/GE doing quality assurance for airplane parts and stuff. The party consisted of the majority of his coworkers and close family: my parents, me and my sister and my aunt, uncle and cousins. They did a roast - with hilarious visuals via PowerPoint - where they poked fun at classic "Choff" traits like his intense skill for getting away with napping at his desk, his alter ego Al Coupon (a play on Al Capone if you didn't get it) and many inside jokes that I only really ever heard reference of such as the infamous "third chair" and the term CFC which I forget what it really meant but it's more common meaning was "Can't find Choff." After 43 years with the DCMA, everyone was sad to see him go and after all the ribbing there was plenty of bittersweet moments too, and he was also presented with a beautifully framed and engraved picture of the USS Constitution which is reserved only for people who worked there for 35 or more years. It's about time my grandfather retired, but everyone in my family are workaholics. I think he's going to go stir-crazy with nothing to do at home - that is between trips (my grandparents have and always will be avid travellers).
Valentine's day was rather inconsequential. Wig and I were thinking about going for lobster since neither of us had it in a long while. But then I had a total girly moment and was having a hard time deciding what to wear and getting really frustrated. Wig almost insisted I wear a skirt cuz he loves how I look in a skirt and I almost never wear them. But I wasn't liking how any skirt/top combinations were looking, plus it was too cold for skirts and I didn't want to be too dressed up for a casual restaurant. Finally Wig surrendered and freed me from the skirt requirement and I wore my skinny jeans with a long black shirt with some beading on the hem and these new black high heels I got a Hot Topic a while back. Meanwhile we were debating about the lobster, since there's no "in between" lobster restaurants - it's either really expensive and fancy like Legal Seafood or it's a clam shack kind of place like SeaWitch, and we didn't want to spend too much but wanted to do something nice for Valentine's Day. So we decided to save lobster for the summer since it's more of a summer meal anyway and we'd go to this place in Rockport where you can sit outside and watch the sun set over the ocean while eating the freshest seafood, which would be more fitting. So instead we considered Cheesecake Factory or Outback for their "middle of the road not too casual but just casual enough" atmosphere and "special occasion" pricing and settled on Outback since we hadn't been there longer. They have an awesome new S'moretini which is vodka, Kahlua, chocolate and marshmallow flavoring with crushed graham cracker around the rim and topped with marshmallows. Damn it was strong. They also have the Bloomin' burger, which has pieces of a Bloomin' Onion on it and comes with the same dipping sauce, which is perfect since Wig hates onions so I can't order a Bloomin' Onion since it's too much for just me. So I still got to have a little bit of Bloomin'. They should make individual sized Bloomin' Onions. Then we decided to stay in and watch The Love Guru which I rented from Blockbuster Total Access. It was really funny, but that immature retarded kind of funny (which I'll always love). All the jokes were, like, cheesy middle school jokes. I'm like "Did a 12 year old write this script?" but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Then I busted out my "surprise" a red negligee I bought at Kohl's. It's hard to find sexy lingerie that fits my tig ole bitties and supports but with the help of Flav I lucked out and it went over very well and Wig and I went wild. In contrast my sister was downstairs in the living room watching TV with her boyfriend and wearing feetie pajamas LOL.
The sucky thing was I also started to come down with a cold on Saturday, which still hasn't fully gone away. One nostril is still completely stuffed up and I can't even blow it. But then it starts to run. I never understood the physics that make it possible for a nose to be both stuffy and runny at the same time. But I should be right as rain in a day or two. My colds always are somewhat extreme for a few days then gradually improve. At least I'm nowhere near as sick as I was back in September when I had that virus that left me practically comatose.
Also, Flav and I are getting into shape. I picked Wii Fit back up today and although I was rusty, I came back pretty strong. When I got weighed in at the end I was shocked to see that I was now 131 lbs and 24. something-or-other BMI and finally made it down to "Normal" on the BMI scale (I'm literally just under the line between Normal and Overweight so I just made it). Last time I weighed myself (at Christmas at my grandmother's house cuz she still has the same electronic digital scale she's had for over 20 years!) I was 135 so this is amazing since I haven't really changed any exercise habits until today and barely changed my eating habits. But Flav and I are going to walk a lot more now that it's warming up again and we're going to start doing DDR again too. What I need to do most myself is tone. I'm a little jiggly in places and I'd like to firm up. So wish us luck.
Anyway, haven't blogged in a couple of weeks so time for an updatey. Last week was my grandfather's retirement party. It was held at Anthony's in Malden which is one of the many Spadafora businesses strewn about the city. My grandfather had a very cushy government job for the DCMA/GE doing quality assurance for airplane parts and stuff. The party consisted of the majority of his coworkers and close family: my parents, me and my sister and my aunt, uncle and cousins. They did a roast - with hilarious visuals via PowerPoint - where they poked fun at classic "Choff" traits like his intense skill for getting away with napping at his desk, his alter ego Al Coupon (a play on Al Capone if you didn't get it) and many inside jokes that I only really ever heard reference of such as the infamous "third chair" and the term CFC which I forget what it really meant but it's more common meaning was "Can't find Choff." After 43 years with the DCMA, everyone was sad to see him go and after all the ribbing there was plenty of bittersweet moments too, and he was also presented with a beautifully framed and engraved picture of the USS Constitution which is reserved only for people who worked there for 35 or more years. It's about time my grandfather retired, but everyone in my family are workaholics. I think he's going to go stir-crazy with nothing to do at home - that is between trips (my grandparents have and always will be avid travellers).
Valentine's day was rather inconsequential. Wig and I were thinking about going for lobster since neither of us had it in a long while. But then I had a total girly moment and was having a hard time deciding what to wear and getting really frustrated. Wig almost insisted I wear a skirt cuz he loves how I look in a skirt and I almost never wear them. But I wasn't liking how any skirt/top combinations were looking, plus it was too cold for skirts and I didn't want to be too dressed up for a casual restaurant. Finally Wig surrendered and freed me from the skirt requirement and I wore my skinny jeans with a long black shirt with some beading on the hem and these new black high heels I got a Hot Topic a while back. Meanwhile we were debating about the lobster, since there's no "in between" lobster restaurants - it's either really expensive and fancy like Legal Seafood or it's a clam shack kind of place like SeaWitch, and we didn't want to spend too much but wanted to do something nice for Valentine's Day. So we decided to save lobster for the summer since it's more of a summer meal anyway and we'd go to this place in Rockport where you can sit outside and watch the sun set over the ocean while eating the freshest seafood, which would be more fitting. So instead we considered Cheesecake Factory or Outback for their "middle of the road not too casual but just casual enough" atmosphere and "special occasion" pricing and settled on Outback since we hadn't been there longer. They have an awesome new S'moretini which is vodka, Kahlua, chocolate and marshmallow flavoring with crushed graham cracker around the rim and topped with marshmallows. Damn it was strong. They also have the Bloomin' burger, which has pieces of a Bloomin' Onion on it and comes with the same dipping sauce, which is perfect since Wig hates onions so I can't order a Bloomin' Onion since it's too much for just me. So I still got to have a little bit of Bloomin'. They should make individual sized Bloomin' Onions. Then we decided to stay in and watch The Love Guru which I rented from Blockbuster Total Access. It was really funny, but that immature retarded kind of funny (which I'll always love). All the jokes were, like, cheesy middle school jokes. I'm like "Did a 12 year old write this script?" but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Then I busted out my "surprise" a red negligee I bought at Kohl's. It's hard to find sexy lingerie that fits my tig ole bitties and supports but with the help of Flav I lucked out and it went over very well and Wig and I went wild. In contrast my sister was downstairs in the living room watching TV with her boyfriend and wearing feetie pajamas LOL.
The sucky thing was I also started to come down with a cold on Saturday, which still hasn't fully gone away. One nostril is still completely stuffed up and I can't even blow it. But then it starts to run. I never understood the physics that make it possible for a nose to be both stuffy and runny at the same time. But I should be right as rain in a day or two. My colds always are somewhat extreme for a few days then gradually improve. At least I'm nowhere near as sick as I was back in September when I had that virus that left me practically comatose.
Also, Flav and I are getting into shape. I picked Wii Fit back up today and although I was rusty, I came back pretty strong. When I got weighed in at the end I was shocked to see that I was now 131 lbs and 24. something-or-other BMI and finally made it down to "Normal" on the BMI scale (I'm literally just under the line between Normal and Overweight so I just made it). Last time I weighed myself (at Christmas at my grandmother's house cuz she still has the same electronic digital scale she's had for over 20 years!) I was 135 so this is amazing since I haven't really changed any exercise habits until today and barely changed my eating habits. But Flav and I are going to walk a lot more now that it's warming up again and we're going to start doing DDR again too. What I need to do most myself is tone. I'm a little jiggly in places and I'd like to firm up. So wish us luck.
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."
Monday, January 19, 2009
Crafty Craft
So I FINALLY finished the Brain Slug and posted it today on Etsy. I would've posted the long-waiting jumbo Gryffindor scarf tonight too but it's tough to get a decent picture of myself modelling the scarf even with the self-timer. I can only put the camera on top of my TV or my Wii to get the right height when using the self-timer and the light's reflected in the poster behind me causing crappy glare. So I'm gonna ask Flav tomorrow or Wig Wednesday to help me get better pics, then I'll post that. The Gryffindor scarf only took so long to post in the first place because I initially wanted to make a matching hat and mittens and sell it as a set - differentiate it from the dozens of other Gryffindor scarves on the site. But I wasn't happy with the mitten pattern I had and was too busy with other projects and holiday stuff to look for patterns so at this point I'm like "fuck it" and am just going to sell the scarf by itself. But I've been preoccupied with work and random shit so I got to get cracking on crafting. Especially since I got to look for a full-time job to afford to pay these student loans and once I get another job I'll probably have less time. Right now I'm finishing projects too slowly, I gotta get on the ball. I also need to make some new jewelry, I haven't made anything since before Christmas. But that stuff is quick to make so I should be able to chug out a bunch of pieces in one day. So expect to finally see some more action on my Etsy.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Apparently, fail is everywhere
So this is an actual screen-cap of a window that pops up when you don't qualify for an OTX survey (commonly associated w/MyPoints, e-Rewards, InboxDollars and other survey for money sites). Is the intrawebs so rife with fail that they have to point it out so blatantly? Also, this isn't even technically fail. It's not like I suck at taking surveys. I didn't even know Survey Fail existed until today. At least it's not Epic Survey Fail. That'd be hard to live down.Anyway, life has been pretty inconsequential the past couple days. I've been working, and yesterday I hung w/Der Flav. We went to Jo-Ann Fabrics and Friendly's, where we were apparently served by a Lizard...
I'm trying to finish more craft projects so I can finally put something else on Etsy, but it's so hard to find time, and when I have time, to find the motivation. There's always something else to do, or I'm too tired. I just have to glue the eye on the Brain Slug, so that can go up tomorrow, and I started a new scarf, a red and white striped homage to Waldo of Where's Waldo fame. I also want to make teeny scarves out of leftover yarn for pets and dolls. I got the idea at Wig's house. I had a very small amount of blue left and his youngest cat Nibbler is just sitting there on his lap being retardedly adorable as usual and I said "I know, I'll make a scarf for Nibbler. A kitty scarf" But I didn't have enough blue yarn left for even that. But the idea stuck. People dress their pets in ridiculous things all the time, how 'bout cat and dog-sized scarves? They'd also be suitable for dolls and teddy bears...*shrug* It's something for the the little balls of leftover yarn that aren't big enough for anything else.
So I'm going to continue work on my Waldo scarf as I watch Stargate. I've never seen it all the way through, but I got it for mad cheap at FYE last week. (see http://nocturnalinfernal.blogspot.com/2009/01/coupon-whore-strikes-again.html).Sundays are usually spent with Wiggy. I have mixed feelings about having tomorrow off. Sure it's nice to not have to go into work (especially when it's going to snow AGAIN), I get to sleep in, watch Phantom Gourmet and get some stuff done before going to Wig's. But on the other hand, I'd rather work tomorrow since it's time and a half and have a different day off. Especially when hours are still bad and I'm down to three days again this week.
WTF? Richard Kind - the obnoxious guy from Mad About You and Spin City - is in Stargate? I also saw French Stewart's (squinty-face guy from 3rd Rock from the Sun) name in the credits too. Ran...dom...And now I leave you with that useless bit of information
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