Confessions of a One-Track Mind

Yesterday, I ran around with Mb. Long day! Lunch, the ASPCA thrift store, Home Depot, followed by Target, WalMart (where Mb was looking for a new coffeepot---one of her cats killed her glass carafe) and Aldi. Then back to her place, and I hit my WalMart on my way home.

The ASPCA thrift is one I've been wanting to visit for quite a while. Being a Saturday, it was fairly busy, but I liked it and will go again. I got a great piece of fabric, 3 yards of a sturdy cotton with a classic red and white Hawaiian hibiscus print. Not sure what I'm gonna DO with it, but I'll think of something! Also got a couple bits of bling---two brooches and a bracelet. One pin was a leaping gazelle or impala, the other is an abstract thing that looks like Liberace's boomerang. The bracelet is plain chain and destined to be an extender for a necklace that's much too short. (I don't do choakers, but I got one with a pretty charm for Christmas.)

At Home Depot, I made my first investments from the card pwcorgigirl gifted me with for Xmas: I got a box of Mr Clean Magic Erasers, a tube of Super Glue, and a bag of concrete. Had a bear of a time with the bag---60 pounds of concrete is surprisingly dense and heavier that it seems.

I think what I'm going to end up doing is digging out the old mailbox, getting the hole to a size where it will accomodate the new one, putting it in there and shoveling the concrete powder into the hole a little at a time and wetting it down. Because frankly, I can't lift the damn thing out of my trunk, so that's the only way I can think of to do it.

It did get frosty last night, but I managed to stay comfy. Wore the ensemble I'd planned to church, and got some bad news: There's been a rash of thefts among area churches, and somebody pilfered our heating and a/c unit. We're insured, but it's still going to be a major pain, although as AI pointed out, "That's going to earn somebody some butt-ugly kharma."

Our guest speaker didn't show up---we figure he must've gotten his weeks mixed up---so a couple of the Buddhists pinch hit. Which was very nice of them...although one gal drove me to distraction---if I had ten cents for every time she said, "You know", I could've gone out for a steak dinner. It was a persistant verbal tic. Sometimes, she'd say it two or three times in a row. Arrrgh!

Movie night is next Friday. I'm really looking forward to it, partly because we haven't had movie night in a few months, partly because it's a Bogart classic, We're No Angels. Ah, Bogie!

Next month's discussion topic for CUUPs is suppossedly going to be "Dead Mothers", which wasn't what I expected when it was brought up. I *thought* they meant IRL, since most of the group is 50+ and is of an age to have lost a parent or two. They were talking about TV moms...okay, I can do that, too.

Now I'm home. And it's a funny thing; since I spent a few months having to make special trips to check my email/look things up/etcetera, I thought I'd be online contantly making up for lost time. Instead, I'm NOT checking my email every fifteen minutes. In fact, yesterday, I didn't turn my computer on at all! But it's so nice to have the option.

Glory be, I'm writing! I finally jumped in and started work on the idea I've had for Person of Interest fic. It's around the thousand-word mark and just getting started. Heaven knows how long it'll wind up---but I'm just happy that I have a plot taking root.

Have a good week, y'all! (I know I'm going to! Alcatraz debut Monday, Justified season premiere Tuesday, Royal Pains, White Collar and fresh PoI on Thursday. Yay!)

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Today has been a very mixed bag. Woke an hour before I needed to, not really worth going back to sleep.

Had a good talk by LadyWolfy on New Year's customs around the world, but I had a wretched headache and left directly after it was over. Didn't even stick around for hospitality.

Went to WalMart to cash my last piddly little check. Got caffeine---fuck it; too stressed to go through the decaf headache right now.

Tomight is CUUPs, and I would've gone---I put $10 worth of gas in my tank especially for that---but Mb called, and frankly, I'd rather hang with her. Especially since she offered to buy me dinner. Dude, I may be half-crazy, but I'm not stoopid.

She should be here to kidnap me shortly. I need to go set some timers. Later, gator!
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After being up til OMG AM getting a cd burned so I could do a PowerPoint presentation with my talk, I got *maybe* four hours of sleep. Practically beat my snooze alarm to death for twenty minutes or so just tryinng to summon the get up and go to get up and go.

Realized I hadn't put together a reading. Couldn't find the quote I wanted to use. Found something else and printed it. Grabbed the craft supplies I needed for CUUPs. Dashed out the door at 10 til, got there in a state.

*takes deep breaths*

I was introduced to applause by AI. Got up and talked about how clutter and hoarding are hot topics at the moment, and what defines hoarding, the symptons, the levels of severity---all the technical stuff. Talked about the Collyer brothers (Check Wikipedia if you've never heard of the Collyers---they're fascinating.) at length, and the Japanese phenomenon of "lonely death" and concluded with a list of resources. Got more applause and a lengthy comments-from-the-audience ensued.

Everyone complimented me, which was gratifying. I was told that I speak well, that I have good delivery, and that I'm good at organizing my thoughts. To which my response is, I can always run my mouth, I got my delivery from watching old-fashioned sit-coms with laugh tracks, and hahahaha, me, organized? ONLY on paper!

CUUPs followed hospitality. Today we made brooms. I'll get pix later. I'll answer wmail later. Right now, it's thundering and excellent weather for a nap, which I could really use right now.

Thanks, everyone, for your good wishes---I'm sure they helped.

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Today did not go quite as planned. missybrat was unwell and unbribable (Feel better soon, love!). I have not yet shopped; since BC and I are visiting food banks tomorrow, I decided to hold off on major shopping, although I may make a caffeine run in a bit.

As I expected, BC was ameneable to bribery; after the aforementioned banking, we're going to do the a/c installation and shift the mattress, not necessarily in that order. He gets money and gets to keep/recycle the dead a/c. (And welcome to it, I say.) Plus, he's got some copper wire for me, as apparently the price has gone down drastically since this time last year.

Today's talk was by a gentleman in our congregation who's also a writer, and his topic was "Last Words"---in the context of how the end of a piece of fiction should bring a kind of closure to the work. After the CRAP WRITING that was last night's two-hour Harper's Island finale, I was savagely amused by the irony. (Crap! Crap! Crap! Can you tell I was furiously dissatisfied?!) The talk, though, was very inventive---he'd printed out a number of final passages and distributed them for us to read aloud---without telling us what they were from. Some of us guessed---I knew several, including the one I got, which was To Kill a Mockingbird (which was pretty easy---where else are you going to find people named Scout, Jem and Atticus?).

Afterward, I came home and posted a wee drabble for Harper's Island, here and at Pit of Voles. Not much action here, but the hit counter over there is rolling over nicely, plus I've had 2 comments and been favorited 4 times. W00t, go me!

Went to SUPPER club tonight---it's been moved to Sundays, which I like much better, actually. Very small group, just three others, but one of them was LadyJ, and we always get along famously. Early on when we met, she said we'd known each other in previous lives as Carmelite nuns. I'm inclined to believe her, since I've had a lifelong "thing" about nuns. I wasn't raised Catholic, although I grew up in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood---8 AM meant the bells for Mass at St. Michael's.

I got to the restaurant early and knocked out a few hundred words on my post-apocalyptic western a/k/a the Jericho WIP. Have gotten them transcribed, and now I'm going to watch some BoB.

And in less than 24 hours, I will have a/c and a comfortable bed, deo volente....

Did not sleep well last night---found myself waking at oh-dark-thirty to void my bladder, then instead of going directly back to bed, I slithered into a cold shower for a couple minutes. Since I'd taken a muscle relaxer before bed, it took less time than one might expect for me to fall back to sleep after that, although I was still restless. Fucking heat and humidity....

Did the usual Monday lunch with Kat. Afterward, I *finally* got to christen my new swimsuit. Annoying business that I did not expect from suit---flotation of skirt and middy panel---but what the heck, it's still more comfortable than my old one which was a one-piece-perpetual-wedgie. I had the pool to myself the whole time, which was awesome.

Went by WinnDixie for a couple of things, came home, had dinner, went to CUUPs. We watched a documentary on Maria Giambutas, which was fascinating. She was a Lithuanian-born archaeologist who linked folklore of the region to finds of various sites.

This evening, I need to get prepared to be gone for a week and a half. Yeah, I might stop by on Sunday after church, but that's if I don't skip it...there's something about house-sitting that tends to make me apathetic about pursuing anything optional outside a certain radius. Meaning I need sufficient clothes for...six work days---although some ensembles may be recycled toward the end of the era---plus a couple more outfits for schlepping around in and going back and forth between Casa C and Schnauzerland. And other essentials, like a few books, muscle relaxers, PBOD, etc.

Was that a rumble of thunder I heard?! If so, my next post may be made after being bailed out for public indecency---IE dancing nekkid in the rain.

Had the annual congregational meeting today at church. Guh. Would not have gone if not for that; I need a sleep-in Sunday, damn it. As usual, a certain amount of BS, but the changes are for the better, IMO.

I've been a) working on a fic for cream_fudge (although tomorrow morning may have been a little optimistic) and b) started fiddling with a project for CUUPs.

April's CUUPs project is going to be tiaras, and I had an idea. I got a 99-cent cloth-covered visor, and by rotating it, have decided it'll make an excellent tiara. Instead of wearing it down like a baseball cap, I've reoriented it so that the curve of the bill is upright on the head facing out and the arms of the visor are worn like a headband.

The visor itself is beige, I've got a whole roll of gathered ivory lace, tons of decorative fabric and a shitload of beads. Stay tuned, this is going to be amazing.

Back to the fic....

Today I woke thinking I heard Kat's voice. Hearing things...because I called her, she was at home, no trouble...so we went out and did errands and lunch. The weather could not be more gorgeous. Comfortably cool, not cold, just a few wisps of clouds marbling the sunny blue sky, and a constant breeze that makes me want to unfurl my wings and drift like the hawk I saw, gliding at a hundred feet.

It was so lovely that I wanted to be out in it, so when I got home, I changed out of my polka-dotted skirt and bright pink tee and into denim capris and a brightly-colored patchwork shirt (mostly blues and oranges) and went and cleared off my front porch. It's been languishing for months---I did it last spring and sometime around May "It's too freaking hot" set in and I haven't done anything since. I got the trash and leaves picked up and dragged down to the curb---tomorrow's trash day, great timing!---and sat there for a while enjoying my wee terrace.

There's a CUUPs meeting this evening. The topic is signs and learning to recognize them. AI said at church yesterday that she had a "fairy godmother present" for me, and I'm curious about that. There was a rock and gem show on M.I. over the weekend---I didn't go, because I really don't dare get any more stuff right now, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if she did. Hmm...if I get focused, I can probably come up with a box of games and such to donate...I can take them over this evening....

And speaking of church yesterday, last week we had had an "assignment" to do: We had a list of positive words and a list of the people who attend most often, and we were supposed to send the speaker a list of the words we thought described each person. The list I got was: "Caring, charming, colorful, creative, fashionable, flamboyant, fun-loving, honest, impartial, kind, open, precious, sunny, thrifty shopper, stylish, well-read, witty, a good sense of humor and a laid-back bibliophile." Wow! Of course, that's the opinion of a dozen different people. The only one I really raised an eyebrow at was "impartial". Probably because I keep my mouth shut during most discussions---that's not so much impartial, though, as it is wanting to be polite and not tell people they're idjits.

Also, I took my respondants at their word. I called HR this morning and asked if I could get a copy of my Sweetheart photo emailed to me, and they did. ( Here it is. )

When I got home last night, it was to a reminder that CUUPs was signed up to provide hospitality after service today. Gee, nothing like a little warning. With such short notice, I was torn. I could make cornbread (although AI had posted that she was bringing bagels and cream cheese) if I got up early enough. I could sleep in and sacrifice the Entenmanns raspberry Danish I got for my own personal consumption. Or, I could blow it all off and stay home. Decisions, decisions.

Add to that the fact that someone else had posted her regrets that cash flow didn't allow her to contribute---meaning we were one donor down, and my contribution was obviously needed. I woke up at 9:30 and angsted about it. And then--I remembered that I had a giant summer sausage stashed in my pantry. Woohoo. Didn't mind sacrificing that, because I've been through about four of them in the last few months. (Ended up bringing about half of it home, and several surplus bagels. Score! Guess we weren't very hungry today....)

Came home and took a nap, since 9:30 is at least an hour before I usually wake up. Ended up sleeping until a little after 5, which gave me time to get conscious for the Super Bowl. I didn't even know who was playing, but I *do* like to watch football and the commercials are always fun. ANYTHNG with Clydesdales rocks my world, and the movie trailers got me all squeeful. Yay, Vin Diesel in F&F4, hooraw new Star Trek---YES ZQ IS DOING A VULCAN MIND MELD!!! and Heroes is on again tomorrow night!

So I watched the game and squeed and ate Danish and sorted beads on my coffee table which is almost civilized and cheered and cursed and had a fine time. The game was good---hey, is it me, or does the Pittsburgh coach look like he and Omar Epps were separated at birth?--I've got Danish left for whenever, and bagels.

A couple little links:
Friends with an interest in alternative spiritual paths will get a laugh out of this tale of customer service madness brought to my attention from sbjb.

If you're into Orlando Bloom, check out the shirtless shots here.

I hear bagels calling....

Today I turned over the last page of this year's calendar---where has 2008 gone?! I can hardly believe it's December! I worked on Xmas fic. And my resume. Also washed my hair, because the forecast called for a cold snap, and I knew I needed it asap, or I'd chicken out. The evil cold has progressed to my chest, where it's trying to cough its way out. I found a BOGO on cough medicine, so I'm swigging that and hoping it goes away soon.

Haven't had a lot of energy, but I went to the CUUPs Night Out which went really well. One of the gals there who has given me readings before did one tonight that was WAY better than any of the previous ones (all of which were consistantly rotten), so hopefully things are turning around! I wouldn't mind some hot romance OR travel in the near future*.

I got my first Christmas card of the season---my goodness, karaokegal, you certainly are well-organized! And, there are two houses in my subdivision with their holiday lights up so far, not including the Asshats next door, who have an inflatable snowman.

I suppose when I go in tomorrow I'll find out if I have to work next Sunday. I hope not....

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* Aside from house-sitting, which I don't count, I haven't even had an out-of-town weekend since July 2004. Was last out of the state in 1999---for a funeral. Hell, it's been about six months since I've even been out of the COUNTY. As long as I don't have to drive MY car....

Schedule for the next few days:


Thursday: Training (All Wet/Old Baggage), 9 AM til 1 PM, work til 5:30, Home in time for SPN, if I'm still awake.
Friday: OFF - Collect paycheck, pay bills, create/purchase dessert for Saturday, spruce up church, time TBD.
Saturday: OFF - Decorating the church 11 AM. 2nd annual Full Moon Ball 6-11 PM, drumming circle starts at 7.
Sunday: OFF - No regular service due to county-wide UU picnic (which I won't be attending, because no way am I driving to Satellite Beach at 10 AM on my day off). Shopping at new grocery store on M.I. with missybrat.
Monday: OFF - Pagans Behaving Badly monthly dinner, 7 PM.

And I don't have a costume finished for karaokegal's party OR the Full Moon Ball.

*sigh*

On the bright side, I *DO* have a four-day weekend to look forward to!

Work tonight was more of the same. I got slammed, the noobs had time to browse the web. I'm glad tomorrow is my Friday---today FEELS like it ought to be Saturday. In the good news, the 35 item order went through; in fact, of all the orders I took Thursday, only one was cancelled. Go, me!

I need to call AI tomorrow and ask what CUUPs plans are for Samhain---although getting my ass up Sunday AM and home to dress in time may be a challenge. Unless I go home after work and return to Schnauzerland immediately thereafter. I have a very pretty trouser suit in autumnal colors that I've been reserving for the occasion. I will try to get pix.

Part of me wants to poach in the jacuzzi for a while before bed, but at the moment, I think bed is going to win.

I got undertime early yesterday, so I was able to attend the Haunted Sleepover at church---the whole thing. Which turned out to be something of an anticlimax, since there were only four other people there and the party broke up early instead of going on all night. Still, undertime---there's been very little of that lately, but the phones were fairly quiet, so...Miracle #1.

I hit the road just in time for the 5PM Friday rush. Oh, joy! It was bright and sunny when I got out of work, but just a few miles down the road, the sky was black. No hyperbole: The clouds north of Melbourne were dark with water.

Now, if you've joined this journal already in progress, let me confide that I've had some heavy-duty anxiety issues. The first couple of months, I had to nerve myself up just to drive to Melbourne---or home from same---regardless of the weather. If I hadn't been completely desperate for a job, I NEVER would've set myself up for that stress, because my comfort zone was about 3 miles square and I practically hid under the bed rather than drive in the rain---any rain!

There was a bit of drippy mist north of Eau Gallie, then it started seriously pissing down at Post Road---which means nothing to most of you, from from there to the Patrick Causeway, a distance of some 4-5 miles, it was all I could do to see the lines on the road and the cars ahead of and beside me. Didn't whimper or pull off to the shoulder, which I've been known to do when the weather scared me---nope, I gripped the wheel and did about 30 mph, and at that, I actually passed another car.

It trailed off just before the causeway, and the rest of the drive home rained lightly and intermittently. Considering that that would've once been impossible for me---without a full-scale freak-out, I'm looking at that as Miracle #2.

Tomorrow, Red is meeting me durng my lunch break and bringing me my belated birthday present: Iron Man: the DVD. Yay! Because RDJ falls within the parameters of a type I've gone for forever: dark hair and Bambi-brown bedroom eyes...just sayin'!

Oh, and I've had my first-ever request from someone who wants to post a translation of one of my stories: a Russian chick wants to do End Game. Mega-yay! An "international best-seller"!

What did I do today? Well, for starters, I checked my mail and found a box of shiny goodies from socialhermit. She was cleaning out her jewelry box and sent me the expendables, saying she knew I'd be creative with them.

Got a lengthy epistle from GK in my email, detailing Thing One and Thing Two's behavioral difficulties. (This is me, not commenting.)

I washed my hair, shaved my legs and gave myself a fresh coat of glow-in-the-dark nails---not over another color, as last time. This way, it just looks like clear polish til the lights go out, so it's a lot more low maintanence.

Pagans Behaving Badly dinner at Ashleys---good teriyaki wings, but I HATE going stag to those affairs, as the rest is all couples. *sigh*

Oh, and I've got about 1100 words on some feathered fiction. It's gonna be pornish shortly. *smirk* Pity I can't stay home and work on it tomorrow....

Today has been a nice, peaceful Sunday. After playing hooky for the last two weeks, I went today. (Had to, because I was calling West for Lammas.) I awoke at 9:21, which turned out to be a Good Thing, since I'd set my alarm for 9:30 and then forgot to turn it on.

It was a small group, only a half-dozen people aside from the participants. Our attendence in the middle of the summer is pretty low; everyone's off on vacation or at the beach or being lazy in general. Found my Corningware pie plate in the kitchen during clean-up afterward, which made me VERY happy. It's been MIA for about six months, since I departed shortly after service and left it there with its contents (gingerbread or brownies, I forget which).

Kat and I have a lunch date for tomorrow, and then I have the CUUPs meetup at 7. Plus sundry running around...and then Tuesday I go in a half-hour early for training---this week is a double-header: All Wet (parent company) and Old Baggage...which has me coming in from 9 AM to 11 on my day off. No getting out of that one, sadly. *sigh* On the other hand, I'll be out in time for lunch, if I can scrape up a few bucks, or an afternoon movie. I'd *like* to see the latest Mummy flick....

Have a good week, y'all!

Dinner at El Charro's (Mexican place) was fabulous...the C's asked if anyone else had been there previously---since it's right around the corner from the billing service, I'm quite familiar with it, although tonight I tried something new. I splurged on pork and chicken with lime. I practically licked the plate; it was delectible. Attendance consisted of the usual suspects for the most part, although there was a new couple who seemed pretty cool. Let's see if they come back; we've had plenty of one-timers.

Work tomorrow, off Wednesday, in and out early Thursday because of training---I forget if it's Trendicrap or White Trash Queen, but it's not like it makes much of a difference. Regular hours Friday, then a three-day weekend with GK visiting! Yay!

Next week...some kind of training Wednesday, and I'm going to try like hell to trade my Wednesday for someone else's Saturday: S is going out of town for the weekend and needs a schnauzer sitter, so I'd prefer not to have to do the additional commute if I can avoid it. We'll see.

Have had a fresh burst of enthusiasm for Gone Hunting thanks to page 32 of the latest TV Guide. Hawt! Don't suppose anyone's scanned it...?

Dropped car off at Carguy's to have tailpipe fixed properly because the baling-wire-and-bubble-gum method of securing it had me decidedly insecure. Had Kat pick me up there, grabbed lunch, went and got car after, cost $50.

CUUPs meeting at church, showed the documentary "Spooked", about Waverley Hills, a former TB sanitorium that is supposedly the most haunted place in the world. Grim.

Ass on couch for House MD finale, which was intense, but probably a lot more so for y'all who have been watching it regularly all along. No, the thing that got me was the CSI: Miami cliffhanger, which I totally did NOT see coming. I'm going to be biting my nails all summer, even worse than for SPN, which is saying something!

EDIT: Spoilers in comments.

My sleep schedule is seriously buggered. I've managed to set my clock back somehow---too much early to bed and early to rise, so I need to get back on track by Tuesday.

Showed The Cloak off last night at CUUPs and got many compliments---also on the shoeses---wore the leopard print platforms for the first time AND a necklace I fashioned from the labradorite I acquired at the rock and gem show. Now if missybrat will just e-mail me the pix....

It's not even 10:30 and I'm yawning my head off---how absurd!

Had brisket for brunch---yummy! Plus dinner for next three nights. It always gives me such a feeling of accomplishment when I get organized like this---why don't I do it more often?!

Off to work momentarily, and looking forward to a short week, because I'm taking Friday and Saturday off. Christopher Penczak is visiting our CUUPs group for a series of workshops. He was here last year, and liked us enough to return---we ARE a fun bunch. (For those of you wearing 'WTF' expressions, Christopher is a well-known pagan author, and CUUPS stands for Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans.)

I just hope that the carpet installation made progress while I was gone and that I *won't* be displaced again. I'm very territorial and I like having a routine.