Time to Vent

I am going to vent, in the hope that I will come up with a solution to my problem at hand.



This has been a less than stellar week. Nothing horrible. Just minor things here and there. The latest being that my car is in the shop with a broken water pump. It's going to take at least another day to fix. Right now I am at work. A friend has planned to come get me, but she won't have time to take me home before she needs to babysit. I don't really feel like going with her. I just want to go home or be some place quiet. But this is not her problem. It's mine. So. I ask another friend if he could either take me home or if I could wait at his place until Judy is done. That doesn't work. I call my insurance agency to see if I can get a rental car if my car is in the shop. First of all, I guess that caveat isn't on my policy. Secondly, it doesn't count for repairs such as this, but for like if the car has been vandalized or wrecked somehow. It was suggested I utilize the Metro. No. I hate being without a car. It feels too much like when I couldn't drive for six months after the seizure. I hate buses. I hate being at other people's automobile mercy. I am tired, crashing from a Mt. Dew binge, have suffered several disappointments this week, and need a shower.



I still haven't come up with a way out of this yet. I hate to be all emotional and dramatic about this, but I really just want to curl up in the corner under the desk and weep.

Nikki on 01.28.05 @ 02:23 PM PST [link]

I Used to Read

I have always been a reader. When I was a kid, one the rare occassions that I did something bad enough to warrant my mom punishing me, she would revoke my reading before bed privileges. Now, you might not think that revoking reading is such a great punishment, but if that's the one thing a kid really likes, and they're really too old to spank anymore...it makes some sense. (My mom was not a believer in groundings and I didn't have an allowance to take away.) In college, even before I was an English major, when I still believed myself to be a psychology major, I was really an English major. I took many English classes. I just like to read. What else can I say? I am also a list maker and keep track of the books I read every year, have every since I started keeping a real journal. But while I was in college, I started to get burned out on reading because of all that I had to do that I didn't especially enjoy. So after graduation (December of 1996), I made it a resolution to read two books a month: one that was of literary worth and one could be frivolous (back in my Grisham days). The last couple years have been pretty sorry in that department. In 2004, I think I only read six books. What??? That's one every other month! That is just pathetic.



I go into bookstores and am overwhelmed sometimes by the amount of books there are. How am I going to catch up? And as a writer I think about it as How is anyone ever going to find my book(s) in the myriad of literature??



So, I am taking a deep breath and am going to plunge back into reading again. Two books is a cinch for me. I have just ordered a couple books on the new evil site that I discovered, Overstock.com. Two are nonfiction, but one is fiction, and I think it will fulfill the literary quota that I demand. I don't usually count nonfiction books...Do you think that counts? One is a book about project management and the other is about getting into the habit of reading, strangely enough. Those count, right?

Nikki on 01.26.05 @ 01:28 PM PST [link]

Weekend Blahness

On Saturday I got up and got weighed (down nearly 4 pounds after being sick all week). When I returned home, around 11 am, I fell asleep on the couch...until about 5 pm! I didn't think I was that tired! The rest of the evening I lazed about and did none of the chores I'd intended to do on Saturday. I did go and get some KFC chicken, though! Why is the most evil food the tastiest? Then, of course I couldn't get back to sleep until nearly 4 am. I felt tired, but just couldn't get to sleep. Sunday was much more productive: worked out, ran some errands, cleaned the house.



Does anyone else find it a little spooky that it's nearly the end of January and nearly 60 degrees? Well, if you live here, that is. You Midwest people are dealing with a bunch of snow right now. Mind you, I don't mind it at all, as I am not a cold weather lover, but it's just weird. Today I didn't even wear my winter coat because it seemed silly.

Nikki on 01.24.05 @ 11:40 AM PST [link]

Eulogy for Perfume

Yesterday morning I reached for my Realms perfume bottle, only to discover that it was empty. I knew that it was getting close to the end-the last bit must have evaporated. Realms perfume is one of the few good things that resulted from my less than favorable roommate situation a couple years back. She was a perfume afficionado (afficionada?); her dresser top was covered in perfume bottles. She invited me to try whatever I like and I found that I liked Realms. It was also kinda fun because it touts the fact that it has phermones in it. :) So, I finally went and bought a bottle of my own, once she and I were no longer living as comfortably together as we had in the beginning. It's not expensive perfume...I take that back. It's moderately expensive if you go to a department store...but not bad at all if you go to someplace like TJ Max or Marshalls! I think I paid $15 for the bottle or something. So here it is a little over two years later and it's gone. I have plenty of other perfume: a huge bottle of Candid (from Avon) that my great-aunt buys me about every other year, about half a bottle of Abercrombie and Fitch (back from when I lived with Heather and Meg), and two testers that I got for free from Victoria Secret. But I really like perfume. I've never had "good" perfume, like the kind you go to Nordstrom's to get. And that's fine. Maybe I will go looking for the Realms perfume. Or maybe I just need a new kind. :)



It's kinda funny to blog about perfume.



Last night, I couldn't sleep. Maybe it was that nap I had around 5 pm. Maybe it was that little bit of Mt. Dew I indulged in just because I was feeling kinda crappy. Maybe I was too hot. Whatever. I think it was 3 am before I finally drifted off. I hate that.

Nikki on 01.19.05 @ 12:00 PM PST [link]

Feeling Better...Kinda

This morning I woke up feeling much better. It's degraded since then to "slightly better," but compared to Sunday, it is leaps and bounds better. I stepped on the scale this morning and discovered that apparently I have lost five pounds since Saturday, on my new diet of strawberry sorbet, chicken broth (because I had no soup in the house at the time), and orange juice. I'm one of those people who doesn't eat when she's sick. When I had the chicken pox in the seventh grade, my mom started to worry so much that she bought me ice cream in an effort to eat. What can I say; I just lose my appetite and nothing tastes good anyway so it doesn't seem like the effort is worth it. If only I could carry this affliction over to my real life somehow. At least partially! Unfortunately, I enjoy food too much. Today, though, I get slightly nautious if I don't eat, which is difficult to remedy when nothing sounds good to eat. A conundrum.



Went to my PM class last night. It was fairly interesting. Maybe I will even go buy the book that helps you study to get certified.

Nikki on 01.18.05 @ 11:48 AM PST [link]

Alone and Ill

There are many good things to living alone. I can walk around the place naked. I can stock the entire pantry with reduced calorie/fat free food. Stuff like that. However, on the negative side, when I am sick, there's no one to talk to. Or to get me things.



I didn't feel well this weekend. Oh, it was nothing that bad. Started out with a stuffed up nose late Friday night that by Saturday morning had dissipated and was replaced by a tiny cough and lung congestion. I always worry about lung congestion, given being prone to pneumonia. So all day Saturday I just lazed around the house: watched tv, painted my nails, tooks some naps, etc. On Sunday I woke up feeling more achy and just plain gross. Finally last night, I dragged myself out to the car and drove to the store to get some orange juice and sorbet. Nothing sounded good to eat. Nothing really tastes that swell either. I bought some cold medicine that has done nothing for me really. Today I feel mostly better. I think I just needed to get out of the house.



I tried to send Mika to the store for the chicken noodle soup that I forgot, but she just blinked at me. Some roommate she is.

Nikki on 01.17.05 @ 03:16 PM PST [link]

A Good Song Gone Bad

So there's this song on the radio that I like. It's called, Beautiful Soul Basically, it's a song that I believe every guy should, if not actually singing than at least thinking-the sentiment that he wants a girl for her "beautiful soul" not just because she's hot, although she is hot. One day, I go to Launchcast to see if there's a video, and sure enough, there is. As I am watching it, which the video isn't all that impressive, I'm thinking, "That Jesse McCartney (the singer) looks pretty young." So I further research it and it turns out the kid is like, 17 or something. As most of you, I've always preferred younger guys, but that is beyond the "babysitting rule." I immediately felt like I had committed some kind of crime. :) Anyway...that will teach me to go looking for a video to a song I like. :)

Nikki on 01.13.05 @ 03:33 PM PST [link]

Yoga

I hadn't been to a yoga class in...I can't even remember the last time. The Tuesday/Thursday class is at noon and by the time I leave enough time to commute there and back besides the hour long class, it's like I am gone for almost two hours, which just seems wrong. But today I was stressed and cranky and work was slow so I talked myself into it. I am glad I went. Not sure that it completely alleviated my crankiness and I will most likely be sore tomorrow, but it was still very good. And no work came in while I was gone, so it was a better use of my time than sitting here staring at the computer. Tonight: cardio playground. Then, I have to really clean the office tonight (as well as other less messy areas of the house) since all the girls are coming over tomorrow night for Movie Night. I'm kinda excited about it.

Movies on the block for tomorrow: The Count of Monte Cristo, Secondhand Lions, The Four Feathers, and possibly Garden State.



Saw Noises Off last night at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. It was really funny. A friend of mine had been in it in high school so I knew a little about it, but really only that it was a play about a play. Halfway into the first act I remembered that for the second act, they turn the set around so we can see what's going on behind the "play" being performed. It was quite funny. The seats weren't too bad either. I was a little worried when I couldn't get center seats, but it worked out.



Well, it looks like I am not going to get to see Lion King like I so wanted to. Everyone was either too poor or seemed to be uninterested. Yes, I could've went alone, but that's just no fun. Hopefully it will come back.

Nikki on 01.13.05 @ 03:00 PM PST [link]

Finally, I'm Cool!

You've all heard me lament about how I never had the popular clothes or gadgets growing up...not until they weren't cool anymore, thus were cheap to buy. Never had a Cabbage Patch Kid. Had a ton of those charms...about 6 months after they went out of style. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Even now, I wouldn't say that I'm all that "cool," if you measure coolness by fashion accumin and cutting edge gadget ownership. But there is now something that makes me cool. At last!! You're wondering what it is...let me tell you...knitting!



I know what you're thinking..."Knitting? Excuse me, that is what little old ladies do. That cannot make you cool." But you are wrong.



About a month ago, I responded to a chick on Craigslist who wanted to put together a little group of other chicks who knit or crochet. Ever looking for things to do and to meet new people, I responded because, at the time, I at least knew how to crochet. So a big group of us met, the size has dwindled over time, and just sat around knitting and crocheting. That night, they taught me to knit. Albeit, it was horrible and slow and frustrating. But I was knitting. And I've improved. I made two scarves over Christmas break. I still need to figure out how to make hats...Anyway. You're still unconvinced that this makes me cool. Well obviously, you don't read enough. All the cool chicks are knitting now. All the celebrities. I guess this book, which I own, Stitch and Bitch made it cool and hip. See all those pricey scarves at the Gap? I can make those. So it's (somewhat) economical, too. And it keeps the fingers and brain busy, thus out of the kitchen as it is difficult to stitch, count (knit one, purl two), walk into the kitchen, and then forage for chocolate. And, it makes me feel a little more productive even if I'm watching a movie.



So there you have it. I am cool.

Nikki on 01.11.05 @ 03:00 PM PST [link]

The Butterfly Effect

So I finally watched it this weekend (it's been on the shelf for several weeks now). It wasn't bad. It's fairly thought provoking. What would I go change in my past? I've thought about this before. Even without the threat, like the movie portrays, of things going totally wrong and everything turning out worse or less than anticipated, I'm not sure that I would. All things lead to where I am right now and I am not wholly unhappy...So why risk that?



Note to self: Resist the temptation to create a paradox with time travel.

Nikki on 01.10.05 @ 03:59 PM PST [link]

Anthimeria

So lately I have come up with some new words. Yes, I have the power to do this. Today, I came up with "404ed," as in, "This page 404ed, can you tell me what the correct link is?" The other recent addition to Nikkiese: Netflix. Oh I know what you're thinking. "That's a proper noun." But it isn't if I use it like this: "I am not willing to pay nearly 10 dollars to see that movie but it looks somewhat entertaining so I will Netflix it." Why doesn't the Oxford English Dictionary hire me on as a consultant?

Nikki on 01.10.05 @ 01:58 PM PST [link]

Christmas Pictures

Here are a few pictures, as requested, from my journey to Wisconsin. My Riemer pictures are on the home computer, so those will come later.

My only first cousin, Taylor, doesn't like me. Actually, she just doesn't know me and she's kinda shy...but still. On the ride over to our Christmas, when my uncle told her who all would be there, when he told her that I would be there, she replied, "She doesn't like me." What?? She's 2 1/2! I spent the day admiring her mostly from afar; she'd have nothing to do with me. I only got this picture because she let me rescue her from upstairs. Sorry the pic quality isn't good...the lighting in that house is atrocious.

I was disappointed that Jeremy didn't bring his new baby, Konner. But I guess the poor kid has a stomach condition that leaves him throwing up a lot. Jeremy claimed that it would've taken them 14 hours to drive the usual 2 hour drive. Jeremy seems like he's really taken to parenthood and is a cool dad who actually parents instead of letting the woman do everything. After his rather tumultuous adolescence...this is a refreshing change. :)

I don't think there are any pictures of the three of us floating around. There are some generational pictures, but I think of Grandma, Mom, and me. So I thought this would be nice.

So here's my latest God son, Jeremiah. I couldn't believe how big he was! And so cute! You can't tell in the picture because I edited it, but he had the same red eye curse that I do. Poor guy.


Nikki on 01.07.05 @ 03:23 PM PST [link]

What? Snow?

There are rumors that snow is on the way here. I don't like that. Well, I like it if it can keep me from working! But that's about it. I didn't move away from the Frozen Tundra® to be inundated with snow.



And by the way, where are the comments from people? All I heard was griping and complaining while I was gone that I didn't update the blog and the minute I do...silence. And where is the long lost ET? He hasn't commented in ages. Kind of like he hasn't sent e-mail or made an appearance in ages...



My house is a disaster area. Ugh.



Knitting group is tonight! I am super excited because I need them to confirm that I actually do know how to knit and purl on the same row now. If I haven't figured it out, then I have no idea what else to try. I have a new "pattern" that I want to start working on that requires it. ;)



Watched Cold Mountain last night. I think it got a lot of hype. It was an okay movie, but not great. Certainly not something that I would buy. But looking at Jude Law for a couple of hours (despite him being scruffy and dirty the majority of the time) is not a difficult task. Speaking of Jude Law, I want everyone to know that I discovered him. Yes, it's true. When I first moved here, no one had heard of Jude Law. A friend and I watched a little known movie, Music From Another Room, which he is in. Both of us thought he was uber cute. Then, many years later, he becomes popular. I can't remember what movie did it. But I liked him before he was a megastar. I just want everyone to know that! :)



Next on the agenda of movies: The Butterfly Effect and Four Feathers (Heath Ledger!) (All of a sudden I sound like a 16 years old on the verge of sticking up posters from Teen Beat of these guys...)



Packers vs. Vikings...at Lambeau....this Sunday! Woohoo! I think I have brats in the freezer...Or should I save them for the Super Bowl? Decisions, decisions...

Nikki on 01.06.05 @ 12:49 PM PST [link]

Braidesmaid Dresses

One of the first things I did when I arrived back "home" (I feel weird calling it home when I think of my apartment as home...yet it's habit to call my mom's house that...) was delve into the closet that I used to posses and pull out two bridesmaid dresses, a Snowball dress, and my junior year prom dress. None of these dresses have I been able to even think about zipping in quite awhile. In fact, when I was home in May, I tried the two bridesmaid dresses on and they were nowhere near close. So, I tried them on in reverse order, starting with the magenta one from Tina's wedding. Oh yeah, baby! Zipped no problem! I was 20 when I wore that. Next was the lavendar one from Marie's wedding. Double whammy! It zipped no problem, too! I was 18 (nearly 19) when I wore that one! (My mom actually had the audacity to suggest I could wear these dresses out and about to a "fancy event." Puhlease! They are SO 1990s!) Next was the crimson red, brocade Snowball dress. Snowball is the semi-formal that my high school has every year. I got the dress on and buttoned, although the buttons were tight. I have...well, I have more cleavage now than I did back then. So while it wasn't a comfortable fit like it once was, the point is, dammit, that I got it on! I was 17 when I wore that one. Last but not least was the coveted junior prom dress. A dress I plan never to get rid of because I loved it so much. I know that I will never wear it again. And if I am ever able to zip it up again, someone, please, drive me to a clinic, because no way should a 30 year old woman be that small. But I had to try it on. So I did and of course it in no way came close to zipping fully. My God, we had the size 5 dress taken in...it's probably a size 3. Especially around the bust, which as stated above...I am more endowed now (thank the Lord).



But anyway, that started things off nicely. I don't know why I don't throw those bridesmaid dresses out. But no, I hung them back up.



More to come later but my admirers were lamenting no new posts so I had to placate them. :P

Nikki on 01.03.05 @ 07:50 PM PST [link]