Thanksgiving Sucks

Well, today just sucked. Maybe that's too harsh a characterization. Most of it I spent sleeping and I do enjoy sleeping. But spending a holiday alone sucks. I had a few invitations, one even being viable and I half intended to go. But then I fell asleep and woke up too late. So I here I sit in my messy apartment, with both packed and unpacked boxes all over the place, needing to buy groceries, no idea where I am going to move, in a job that makes me less than fulfilled...alone.

Nikki on 11.25.05 @ 01:05 AM PST [link]

Hey, Tami

Imagine my surprise to see an former high school classmate leave me a comment on here! And to answer your question, Tami...I'm still Nikki. Well, for the most part. At work people tend to call me Nicole. And I use Nicole when I write. But that's about it.

So I now have upwards of 10 boxes packed, mostly books, and that doesn't even cover the office stuff. Sigh. I keep thinking, oh packing won't be so bad. I don't have that much stuff. And then I see the size of the boxes. But tonight I go to look at that apartment that I've been anxious about. I am hoping that it is as nice as it is convenient.

So I wrote at the library last night. I don't think that I've ever done that before. I was going to go to a standard coffee shop, but I wasn't hungry or thirsty really and didn't want to be guilted into purchasing something. The Redmond library, which is quite lovely, is near the soccer arena, so I set up shop there. It's much quieter than I am used to, but I survived. I like to write in the weirdest of spots. When I lived in RC, I once had a great time writing at the laundrymat. A couple years ago, when I worked in the lab, on a rainy Sunday (this was before I had discovered the JJJ I think) I went to the building I worked in and wrote for hours in the lounge that later would hold the ping pong table. Now that I think about it, that was a really quiet spot, too, since I encountered no one while I was there. Basically, any place that is not my house is better for me to write in. Although, I have been getting better about writing at home since reclining in bed and writing on the laptop is quite decadent.

So I have tickets to see Harry Potter at the IMAX. I would like to see it opening day, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Only six more days until Rent!

Nikki on 11.15.05 @ 07:17 PM PST [link]

Compliments

The other day some co-workers and I were chatting and it came up that one of them is fluent in several languages, Latin included. Since neither of us know anyone that speaks fluent Latin, the third co-worker asked the second one to say something in Latin. So, the phrase he came up with was, "Nicole is pretty." Now, he is happily married, so I know that it wasn't some kind of come on. But I cannot deny that a small thrill shot through me when, of any combination of words he could have chosen, he chose that, especially when it wasn't me that had asked. Even if he didn't think that the statement is true, it's just the first thing that came into his mind, it was still nice to hear. I've received other compliments of course, usually having to do with my writing or my ability to get good grades in school, but this innocent, probably not even true statement outranks them I think. :) I think it ranks up there with the stranger at Safeway last year that told me I have a beautiful spirit. Maybe I should write that into my novel. :)

Stayed home from work today. Wasn't sick; I was tired.

Looking at condos tonight.

Tomorrow is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Port Orchard. I think I can disclose it now...

Nikki on 11.10.05 @ 09:32 PM PST [link]

NaNoWriMo

While I am not cranking out the minimum 1600 words a day, I am writing, which is a step in the right direction at least. Is it quality? Not especially. But quantity is what NaNoWriMo is about. However, as I reread a journal entry from a couple months ago that I had forgotten about, I found a brief entry that was striking to me. First I wrote it into the novel and it's fine there. But it continues to plague me and now all I can think about is how to make it into a poem. Sigh. I don't have time for poetry right now! I have a novel to finish! I don't even like poetry that much! Double sigh.

You realize I am going to have to write this poem, don't you?

Apartment/condo hunting is really not fun. At all. It's a bad time of year to be looking. I did go look at one on Saturday, which wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. The outside is kinda ghetto looking, but inside isn't bad. I've already started thinking about how my stuff will look in there, which I take as a good sign since after I'd looked at my current place, I mentally began moving things before I even knew if I was going to get the place. There is another place in the neighborhood that I want to look at. And on Thursday, I am going to look at some condos, although I feel less and less comfortable with that option. I have one box packed; one empty box is in the car and another in my cubicle. It's all the damn books I have that are a killer.

Good Step Aerobics Teacher taught last night! Yahoo! I love it when Step Aerobics Teacher from Hell® takes vacation!

It was freaking cold last night. I was at an indoor soccer game and had to wear my jacket and bum someone else's jacket to cover my legs with because I was wearing a skirt. I could see my breath!

On Friday, Judy and I are going to Port Orchard. It's top secret business, which I will divulge later. Probably tomorrow.

How long does a turkey keep in the fridge? I don't have room for it in the freezer, but I don't want to wait until the last minute to buy one or else I'll get stuck with a 30 pounder that only needs to feed one. This will be the first year that I don't go to Nanaimo around Thanksgiving. I do want to go to Canada, though, and pick up some Kindersurprises and other candy to take back to Wisconsin.

My mom sent me a Halloween card and inside was a picture of this blond little boy and she left the message, "Guess who this cute little boy is!" It was a school picture and I was baffled by whom it might be. I figured it had to be some relative because who else would give her a school pic. So, my first guess was a cousin who lives in Racine, Jake. Although, Jake is about 12 and this kid didn't look that old. And, I'd seen other pics of Jake and although both kids are blond and blue eyed, that was the only resemblance. I knew it wasn't a Riemer, a Brandford, or a Sutton. Who the heck was this kid? When I called, she finally unveiled who: a kids I used to teach at the daycare in RC. Ahha! Now I could tell. He was about four when his mom took him out of the daycare so he must be about 10 or so now. Man, that just makes me feel older....

Nikki on 11.08.05 @ 04:34 PM PST [link]