It's 2AM... I am still awake. I have, in the last couple of hours gone on 4 or 5 online shopping sprees wherein I go to a site where I need something but then see all of these other things that I momentarily justify needing and then I go to check out, look at the total and promptly click away from the site in horror because I've spent more than the GNP of Fiji... So, as of right now, I've ended up purchasing nothing but there are things that I NEED and I can't just go and procure them because, apparently, I have no self-restraint.
I've also just discovered that, at 2AM with no need to get up at anything vaguely resembling a decent hour tomorrow, when given the choice between nice, wholesome fruit juice and a Mike's Hard Strawberry Lemonade to drink because I've started coughing dust, I'll choose the Mike's. I am pretty sure that this is a sign that at some point my cats will sit me down and stage an intervention.
Speaking of liquor... I seem to be on the road to attempting to make my own limoncello. I have a glass jar for mixing/steeping. I have vodka. I need lemons. And a lemon zester (although I am sure that if all I can find is a lime zester or an orange zester, that will be sufficient).
Also speaking of liquor... on Wednesday I went to a vodka tasting and was introduced to the magic that is Bakon vodka... which is a (bet you didn't see this coming) BACON flavored vodka. Now, you might think to yourself "yeah, so what?" but let me tell you, a bacon bloody mary is pretty much the best idea in the history of ever. I think I need to work a bit on finding the perfect bloody mary mix, but Bakon Bloody Mary's even with an imperfect mixer, are pretty delicious.
Other than that, I am trying to put together a wedding ceremony... I have a ton of ideas and now I just need to make something coherent out of all of those ideas. Oh well, I will think about it tomorrow.... or, ummm, later today as the case may be.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Catching Up
Things have been a tad chaotic, here at the CrossWorld's Cafe. I met my heroine, Jenny "The Bloggess" Lawson and it was every bit as wonderful as I had hoped (though altogether way too brief). I got my book signed and have now finished reading the book.
Here's the thing. I started reading the book when I first got it. And I loved it. But it wasn't something I could read on the bus (laughing on the bus is ill advised) and so it got put into the bathroom to be read whilst soaking in the tub. The only problem with that is that most of the time when I read in the tub I fall asleep and so I had to be careful to not drop my autographed copy into the bathwater. It was a wonderful book and I laughed til it hurt and a couple of times I cried a little and found myself, perhaps all too often, nodding my head knowingly.
So, now I am finished with the book and feel a little bereft knowing I've finished and so am back to hanging around waiting for Jenny's next blog post. Still, I have those to look forward to, so life is good.
Not so good... I've spent the past couple of days incredibly sick. I'm pretty sure it was the Indian Buffet I had on Saturday and...blargh. My stomach is still not happy but I'm at that weird point right now where I am not entirely sure if the pain in my stomach means "feed me" or "get ready to hurl again". Even though I desperately want mac n' cheese and bacon (I dunno, that's just what I'm hungry for), I'm having a smoothie.
Also from the not so good side... someone got shot in the parking lot in front of my apartment on Saturday. I am thinking it was not a fatality because I can't find anything about it in the news or on the police website.
Lastly, for tonight, I had a conference call on Saturday and it looks like I will, indeed, be traveling to Boston to officiate at a wedding in June. I am both excited and nervous. Not so nervous about the wedding (though I am anxious about NOT SCREWING UP) but more nervous about the travel. Even though I have been flying my whole life, I don't like to do it.
So... that's the catch up for now. Have a stellar week, y'all!
Here's the thing. I started reading the book when I first got it. And I loved it. But it wasn't something I could read on the bus (laughing on the bus is ill advised) and so it got put into the bathroom to be read whilst soaking in the tub. The only problem with that is that most of the time when I read in the tub I fall asleep and so I had to be careful to not drop my autographed copy into the bathwater. It was a wonderful book and I laughed til it hurt and a couple of times I cried a little and found myself, perhaps all too often, nodding my head knowingly.
So, now I am finished with the book and feel a little bereft knowing I've finished and so am back to hanging around waiting for Jenny's next blog post. Still, I have those to look forward to, so life is good.
Not so good... I've spent the past couple of days incredibly sick. I'm pretty sure it was the Indian Buffet I had on Saturday and...blargh. My stomach is still not happy but I'm at that weird point right now where I am not entirely sure if the pain in my stomach means "feed me" or "get ready to hurl again". Even though I desperately want mac n' cheese and bacon (I dunno, that's just what I'm hungry for), I'm having a smoothie.
Also from the not so good side... someone got shot in the parking lot in front of my apartment on Saturday. I am thinking it was not a fatality because I can't find anything about it in the news or on the police website.
Lastly, for tonight, I had a conference call on Saturday and it looks like I will, indeed, be traveling to Boston to officiate at a wedding in June. I am both excited and nervous. Not so nervous about the wedding (though I am anxious about NOT SCREWING UP) but more nervous about the travel. Even though I have been flying my whole life, I don't like to do it.
So... that's the catch up for now. Have a stellar week, y'all!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
I am a little early...
It is a little after 2PM... I am at "A Real Bookstore" (that is the name of the bookstore) and at about 7PM, The Bloggess will be here. So, yeah, I may be a little early. BUT, they start handing out the wristbands that you have to have to get your book signed at 5PM, so I guess I am just "prepared" and not freakishly early. When I picked up my book, they asked me if I was coming back later. No... I am staying right here. Because I am not going to take even the remotest chance that this will somehow NOT happen. It is not often that I get the chance to meet someone I have dreamed of meeting. So I am crazy excited for the chance to meet Jenny. AND... AND... I might also get to meet Lisa, who will be here with a penguin. I don't have a penguin, but I do have a necklace that I got for Jenny before I found out that she hates jewelry (yeah, I died a little inside when I read that in her blog a couple days ago, but I am hoping that somehow the particular necklace I have will meet with her approval. I mean, I don't expect her to wear it if she hates jewelry, but maybe it will make a nice accessory for Juanita. Yes, accessorizing your weasel can be important...and difficult. Because there is a bit of an anti-weasel sentiment in retail.... or at least there was before Jenny came along.
It's been a bit of an emotional week and I am worried that I am going to make an ass of myself in front of Jenny and/or Lisa because I don't do well with social situations. Plus, there is already someone in the blogosphere that thinks I am some sort of dangerous psychopath. And the worst part of that is that I have no clue why the person came to that conclusion. I'm trying to not dwell on it, but it's hard sometimes because it makes you start second guessing EVERYTHING you do.
I mean, I do realize that I have always been "weird" and that when I worked in residential facilities for adults with mental illnesses, the counselors would always tease me that they felt that having me around was a bit like having an inmate running the asylum... partially because of my innate strangeness and partially because I often had really good insights on what was really going on with some of the residents (because I dealt with them as PEOPLE and not as case studies). Apparently when you are in "the system" you eventually get tired of everyone you encounter being on a mission to "fix" you when sometimes what you really want is for someone to just LISTEN to you. And since I was just an Administrative Assistant who took care of the business part of things and not a therapist of any sort, the clients actually TALKED to me. But not like client-to-therapist but more like someone remembering what it was like to have a conversation with people that didn't involve any effort to change you. I wonder sometimes if "the system" might work better if people were treated more like PEOPLE and less like broken things that needed repairing. (And that, my friends, is why I am not in management or in the mental health field). I was once told by a co-worker at one of the residential facilities that I would eventually stop caring about the residents. I never wanted to get to that point and knew that if I did, that was the day I should get out of the field.
This post has gotten really long and i still have several hours to go before Jenny will be here. But I'll wrap up this post and write another after the evening is over. I'm sure it will be magical.
It's been a bit of an emotional week and I am worried that I am going to make an ass of myself in front of Jenny and/or Lisa because I don't do well with social situations. Plus, there is already someone in the blogosphere that thinks I am some sort of dangerous psychopath. And the worst part of that is that I have no clue why the person came to that conclusion. I'm trying to not dwell on it, but it's hard sometimes because it makes you start second guessing EVERYTHING you do.
I mean, I do realize that I have always been "weird" and that when I worked in residential facilities for adults with mental illnesses, the counselors would always tease me that they felt that having me around was a bit like having an inmate running the asylum... partially because of my innate strangeness and partially because I often had really good insights on what was really going on with some of the residents (because I dealt with them as PEOPLE and not as case studies). Apparently when you are in "the system" you eventually get tired of everyone you encounter being on a mission to "fix" you when sometimes what you really want is for someone to just LISTEN to you. And since I was just an Administrative Assistant who took care of the business part of things and not a therapist of any sort, the clients actually TALKED to me. But not like client-to-therapist but more like someone remembering what it was like to have a conversation with people that didn't involve any effort to change you. I wonder sometimes if "the system" might work better if people were treated more like PEOPLE and less like broken things that needed repairing. (And that, my friends, is why I am not in management or in the mental health field). I was once told by a co-worker at one of the residential facilities that I would eventually stop caring about the residents. I never wanted to get to that point and knew that if I did, that was the day I should get out of the field.
This post has gotten really long and i still have several hours to go before Jenny will be here. But I'll wrap up this post and write another after the evening is over. I'm sure it will be magical.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
S/he who is forewarned...
The Blogosphere is a magnificent and wonderous place. It opens up new venues for friendships that might not exist without it. You can reach out and "meet" people all over the world. But, because subtle things cannot be conveyed perfectly in a written medium, sometimes you may find that you have unintentionally gotten on someone's shit list.
Sometimes, too, you write something that might be provocative and there are people who won't like what you have to say and they will either stop reading your blog or maybe make a snarky comment on your blog. I've seen it happen. Sometimes those relationships can be repaired. Other times they can't.
In the 90's, back before the current incarnation of the Internet, there were BBS's. You tended to get local people from these groups meeting each other. I was an idiot at a New Year's Eve party and managed to pretty much, in one fell swoop, cut my social circle down to pretty much nothing. I'd like to think I am older and wiser now, but I still tend to be somewhat socially inept. Part of it comes from circumstances growing up, part of it is just my personality. I tend to be one of those people that people don't feel "middle-of-the-road" about... they either adore me or loathe me.
Still, there are times when I think I've "clicked" with someone and then something happens that I don't quite "get" and I encounter a cold shoulder. And I'm never quite sure how to approach it. Do I just walk away without trying to figure things out? Do I ask and risk getting told "you know what you did" when I honestly DON'T know what I did? Do I ask a mutual friend to be an intermediary (that strikes me as pretty juvenile, actually).
There's really no "point" to this whole thing... I'm musing on a situation/situations and my inability to find "the right thing" to do.
Unrelated...The Center for Biological Diversity sent me a package. They have a program that focuses on the environmental impact of overpopulation and they distribute over 100,000 condoms. Guess what was in my package? Nowhere near 100,000 condoms, but a bunch of condoms. And I am hoping that I will get around to putting up the giveaway info this weekend. I am hoping that no one is offended by a condom giveaway. If you are offended, I hope you will just skip those posts and come back again another time. I'm here to make friends and discover a world outside of my little corner of it.
Sometimes, too, you write something that might be provocative and there are people who won't like what you have to say and they will either stop reading your blog or maybe make a snarky comment on your blog. I've seen it happen. Sometimes those relationships can be repaired. Other times they can't.
In the 90's, back before the current incarnation of the Internet, there were BBS's. You tended to get local people from these groups meeting each other. I was an idiot at a New Year's Eve party and managed to pretty much, in one fell swoop, cut my social circle down to pretty much nothing. I'd like to think I am older and wiser now, but I still tend to be somewhat socially inept. Part of it comes from circumstances growing up, part of it is just my personality. I tend to be one of those people that people don't feel "middle-of-the-road" about... they either adore me or loathe me.
Still, there are times when I think I've "clicked" with someone and then something happens that I don't quite "get" and I encounter a cold shoulder. And I'm never quite sure how to approach it. Do I just walk away without trying to figure things out? Do I ask and risk getting told "you know what you did" when I honestly DON'T know what I did? Do I ask a mutual friend to be an intermediary (that strikes me as pretty juvenile, actually).
There's really no "point" to this whole thing... I'm musing on a situation/situations and my inability to find "the right thing" to do.
Unrelated...The Center for Biological Diversity sent me a package. They have a program that focuses on the environmental impact of overpopulation and they distribute over 100,000 condoms. Guess what was in my package? Nowhere near 100,000 condoms, but a bunch of condoms. And I am hoping that I will get around to putting up the giveaway info this weekend. I am hoping that no one is offended by a condom giveaway. If you are offended, I hope you will just skip those posts and come back again another time. I'm here to make friends and discover a world outside of my little corner of it.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Catting Around
Hey all you internetz peoples. I am Crystal. I am a cat. Momma left her computer logged in tonight when she went to bed. Sometimes she forgets to log off. Most of the time I look at food when she is sleeping. Sometimes I get on Facebooks. I have my own Facebooks page. With my beeyutiful picture on it and everythings.
But also, there was this cat Dumbcat of a blog place called Lucys Football (which sounds dangerous cause feets is dangerous cuz they can step on your tailz and that is not a good feeling). And that Dumbcat blogged the other day and I wonder if Dumbcat is his real name or if he is using a special name so the Internetz does not catnap him. Cuz he is scared of peeplez. I am not afraid of peeplez. They make good beds. And chairs.Also bathtubs (cat bathtubs anyways, because we do not use all the water) Plus sometimes they have food. Food they will share with you. Anyhow, I do not think Dumbcat is a nice name for a cat because my brother is not too bright but I don't think Momma and Daddy would name him Dumbcat. They do call us silly sometimes but I try to not be offended because they do weird stuff all the time. But Momma says that Dumbcats mom is a nice lady who would probably pet me and maybe sneak me snacks so I will go with the theory that she just gave Dumbcat an internet name so he doesn't get all catnapped.
Well, I suppose I should go looking for pictures of fish. And food. And maybe see if I can order some new toys from the internetz. The kind with catnipz. Because I like the nip. And I like toys. If Dumbcat gets catnapped to my house, I will maybe even share my toys. But not my stinky food. The stinky food is all mine. I have Momma trained to feed it to me. I would do it myself but apparently you need thumbs to open cans and I sadly don't have any thumbs. I am trying to find someone to complain to about that. I need at least one thumb.
Goodnight internetz people. Please don't catnap Dumbcat. Unless you catnap him to my house. Thank you.
But also, there was this cat Dumbcat of a blog place called Lucys Football (which sounds dangerous cause feets is dangerous cuz they can step on your tailz and that is not a good feeling). And that Dumbcat blogged the other day and I wonder if Dumbcat is his real name or if he is using a special name so the Internetz does not catnap him. Cuz he is scared of peeplez. I am not afraid of peeplez. They make good beds. And chairs.Also bathtubs (cat bathtubs anyways, because we do not use all the water) Plus sometimes they have food. Food they will share with you. Anyhow, I do not think Dumbcat is a nice name for a cat because my brother is not too bright but I don't think Momma and Daddy would name him Dumbcat. They do call us silly sometimes but I try to not be offended because they do weird stuff all the time. But Momma says that Dumbcats mom is a nice lady who would probably pet me and maybe sneak me snacks so I will go with the theory that she just gave Dumbcat an internet name so he doesn't get all catnapped.
Well, I suppose I should go looking for pictures of fish. And food. And maybe see if I can order some new toys from the internetz. The kind with catnipz. Because I like the nip. And I like toys. If Dumbcat gets catnapped to my house, I will maybe even share my toys. But not my stinky food. The stinky food is all mine. I have Momma trained to feed it to me. I would do it myself but apparently you need thumbs to open cans and I sadly don't have any thumbs. I am trying to find someone to complain to about that. I need at least one thumb.
Goodnight internetz people. Please don't catnap Dumbcat. Unless you catnap him to my house. Thank you.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Reading, Lists and Giveaway Prep
Got something interesting in the mail today... something that will be part of a giveaway very soon.
Busy weekend ahead and I will be disappearing for part of it to read Jenny "The Bloggess" Lawson's new book "Let's Pretend This Never Happened"... because it is awesome. I got it yesterday and really wanted to find a way to take today off to read it but I will behave and wait until I have the time (and a time when my laughing until it hurts will not wake anyone). And, in the time it has taken me to write this I've realized that I have a ton of things I need to do tomorrow night, as well.
So, now I need to write this blog post and then I need to write a "to-do" list and one of the things on the "to-do" list is to write more blog posts, maybe even including the one that will talk about the giveaway but I don't know if maybe that is overly ambitious... because I also need to finish writing a wedding ceremony this weekend AND finish compiling a list AND all the housekeeping and other things that are on the agenda to be done.
But right now, I need to go to bed. Even though I feel bad because I didn't get any reading done tonight. I will make up for it tomorrow.
And I will get the giveaway information up soon. Possibly this weekend.
Busy weekend ahead and I will be disappearing for part of it to read Jenny "The Bloggess" Lawson's new book "Let's Pretend This Never Happened"... because it is awesome. I got it yesterday and really wanted to find a way to take today off to read it but I will behave and wait until I have the time (and a time when my laughing until it hurts will not wake anyone). And, in the time it has taken me to write this I've realized that I have a ton of things I need to do tomorrow night, as well.
So, now I need to write this blog post and then I need to write a "to-do" list and one of the things on the "to-do" list is to write more blog posts, maybe even including the one that will talk about the giveaway but I don't know if maybe that is overly ambitious... because I also need to finish writing a wedding ceremony this weekend AND finish compiling a list AND all the housekeeping and other things that are on the agenda to be done.
But right now, I need to go to bed. Even though I feel bad because I didn't get any reading done tonight. I will make up for it tomorrow.
And I will get the giveaway information up soon. Possibly this weekend.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Terrifying Transit
A few weeks ago, I started taking DART (local public transportation) to work in the morning and home from work in the evening. For the most part it isn't too awful and has been uneventful.
HOWEVER, then entered the bus driver I have nicknamed Flingin' Flo. Flingin' Flo is apparently a new driver. Judging from her skills, she got her license from a box of Lucky Charms one morning, donned a DART uniform and took to the road.
Why am I maligning the woman, you ask? Oh, let me extrapolate:
I am actually fairly convinced, at this point, that she has a death wish and wants to take the rest of us with her. However, I have indeed lived to tell the tale, so I suppose she's not THAT bad... but it is very scary sometimes to ride with someone who seems to have so very little regard for passengers and other drivers. Perhaps some more training. In a nice secluded training area. And something for the rage.
I'd better get to bed and rest my road-weary body. Hope the bruising (from people being flung into my lap with great force and velocity) isn't too bad tomorrow.
HOWEVER, then entered the bus driver I have nicknamed Flingin' Flo. Flingin' Flo is apparently a new driver. Judging from her skills, she got her license from a box of Lucky Charms one morning, donned a DART uniform and took to the road.
Why am I maligning the woman, you ask? Oh, let me extrapolate:
- Consistently late....at least 10 minutes late. She gets a partial pass for today because there was an accident where she was supposed to turn and she had to go out of her way to get around it.
- STOMPS on the brakes. This is part of the reason I call her Flingin' Flo... because her brake stomping causes passengers to (quite literally) be flung from their seats into the aisles and onto the floors of the bus.
- WHIPS around turns.... This is the rest of the reason I call her Flingin' Flo... She takes corners hard and fast.
- Road Ragey... she has used her horn more in the three trips I've taken with her than all other transit workers I've EVER ridden with combined.
- Has her route written on a piece of paper and still consistently needs reminding from passengers where she needs to turn. Ok, I get it.. It isn't easy to keep a long bus ride straight in your head, especially the route I ride that twists and turns and doubles back upon itself. But really, consistently having to whip across three lanes of traffic to make a turn is not winning you any friend.
- Crash waiting to happen... every ride she comes really close to plowing into a car or cars. Todays incident she gets a partial pass because the idiot DID pull out in front of her and should have known better.
I am actually fairly convinced, at this point, that she has a death wish and wants to take the rest of us with her. However, I have indeed lived to tell the tale, so I suppose she's not THAT bad... but it is very scary sometimes to ride with someone who seems to have so very little regard for passengers and other drivers. Perhaps some more training. In a nice secluded training area. And something for the rage.
I'd better get to bed and rest my road-weary body. Hope the bruising (from people being flung into my lap with great force and velocity) isn't too bad tomorrow.
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