On Friday night, H and I met Stefanie for dinner at Nye's. Nye's is a famous local restaurant and bar that H described as a fancy VFW that mobsters might go to. We sat in a cool curved booth with sparkly gold vinyl seats. We ate the best pierogi I have ever eaten in my entire life. {I haven't actually eaten much pierogi in my life, so my praise may not mean much, but oh my gosh, they were delicious.) Our salads and appetizers were accompanied by a relish tray containing pickles and pasta salad, which H and Stefanie had seen before, but I had never before seen pasta salad on a relish tray. Then we had our main dishes, which were also delicious. Finally, H ordered apple streudel or something (Stefanie, do you remember?) for dessert, and Stefanie and I each had one delicious bite. After dinner, we went into the bar where The World's Most Dangerous Polka Band performed. For really no reason at all, H announced multiple times that all lesbians like him, and then he proceeded to chat with the lesbian next to us who, it turns out, got her masters degree at the same school where H and I got our law degrees. In summary, Nye's = awesome.
On Saturday, it snowed. A lot. I stayed home all day. H rented the Futurama movie and the first disc of Season One of 30 Rock, so that kept us pretty busy.
On Sunday, after church, we watched the Vikings win. Then we went to H''s office for a little bit, and finally, we went over to a friend's house to play Rock Band. Rock Band is my new favorite game. I took turns playing the guitar and drums, and I even sang a couple of songs, including "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys. I have discovered that rapping is not my true calling. I am lucky to have this lawyer thing to fall back on. I actually did well enough for the game, but I will leave the real rapping to others. What what. Boy-eeee.
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Monday, December 03, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Double G's Wedding Elephant
Today, I bring to you a guest post by Double G. In case you do not remember everything I have ever written, I met Double G when we were in the same English class in 9th grade. We have been friends now for fourteen years, which I am now realizing is half of my life. Whoa. Anyway, here is Double G's story.
Indian weddings often begin with the groom and his entourage of family and friends arriving at the wedding hall in a grand fashion. Back in the day, the groom’s side would make their way to the bride’s village, singing and dancing all the way, and the groom would be seated on a horse or carriage, or if their families were particularly important, an elephant.
When my husband -S- and I got engaged, we were asked many questions about Indian ceremonies and traditions. One of the most common was whether we would have an elephant at our wedding. In the hopes of getting people excited about attending, -S- would say, “of course!” I would either roll my eyes or shrug my shoulders in response. I was pretty sure there would be no horse and no elephant; most likely -S- would be arriving in his brother-in-law’s convertible.
One day, I came home to my laptop and found that the last words searched for were “elephant rental.” Putting more fuel in the fire, -R- let -S- know that her sister was in vet school and had some circus connections which may help in his quest for an elephant.
The hype around the elephant was growing larger and larger. We created an FAQ section on our wedding website, including “What’s this I hear about elephants?” as one of the questions. -S- insisted that I not edit his response: “Typically, the groom arrives at the wedding hall in a grand fashion with a dancing entourage and seated in a fancy car, on a horse, or even on an elephant. We are partial towards elephants.”
In an email sent to our friends, explaining how the festivities would start, we wrote: “The wedding festivities will begin in typical Indian wedding style with a groom's procession or baraat. The groom, along with his family and friends, will gather outside the wedding hall at the parking lot gate. Our DJ will be in a van blasting music while the procession dances their way to the wedding hall, accompanying -S- in a car/horse/elephant/???.”
Luckily, -S-’s brother-in-law’s convertible made a pretty damn good elephant:
Recently, one of my mom’s coworkers informed us they had sent in pictures of the elephant car into a contest at Car and Driver magazine. It won! So look for it in the January 2008 issue.
For more information on Double G's wedding, you can see my old entries here and here.
Indian weddings often begin with the groom and his entourage of family and friends arriving at the wedding hall in a grand fashion. Back in the day, the groom’s side would make their way to the bride’s village, singing and dancing all the way, and the groom would be seated on a horse or carriage, or if their families were particularly important, an elephant.
When my husband -S- and I got engaged, we were asked many questions about Indian ceremonies and traditions. One of the most common was whether we would have an elephant at our wedding. In the hopes of getting people excited about attending, -S- would say, “of course!” I would either roll my eyes or shrug my shoulders in response. I was pretty sure there would be no horse and no elephant; most likely -S- would be arriving in his brother-in-law’s convertible.
One day, I came home to my laptop and found that the last words searched for were “elephant rental.” Putting more fuel in the fire, -R- let -S- know that her sister was in vet school and had some circus connections which may help in his quest for an elephant.
The hype around the elephant was growing larger and larger. We created an FAQ section on our wedding website, including “What’s this I hear about elephants?” as one of the questions. -S- insisted that I not edit his response: “Typically, the groom arrives at the wedding hall in a grand fashion with a dancing entourage and seated in a fancy car, on a horse, or even on an elephant. We are partial towards elephants.”
In an email sent to our friends, explaining how the festivities would start, we wrote: “The wedding festivities will begin in typical Indian wedding style with a groom's procession or baraat. The groom, along with his family and friends, will gather outside the wedding hall at the parking lot gate. Our DJ will be in a van blasting music while the procession dances their way to the wedding hall, accompanying -S- in a car/horse/elephant/???.”
Luckily, -S-’s brother-in-law’s convertible made a pretty damn good elephant:
Recently, one of my mom’s coworkers informed us they had sent in pictures of the elephant car into a contest at Car and Driver magazine. It won! So look for it in the January 2008 issue.
For more information on Double G's wedding, you can see my old entries here and here.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Sunday Post
The main excitement of the day was that it snowed for a little while. Huge flakes, the size of the palm of my hand. It was freaky. I don't think I have ever seen snowflakes that large before. They all melted right away though.
Last night, I drank absinthe with Stefanie and her friends. If you click the link for absinthe, you will read that absinthe is distilled with wormwood. I don't know what that means, but it does not sound good. Absinthe tastes like black licorice. I do not like black licorice, so I cannot say I am a fan of this drink. However, I did get drunk after slowly drinking one glass. And then I proceeded to have two glasses of wine. Whee! I think I also kind of propositioned some guy in a zip-up sweater about swinging. Not really, but kind of. I don't remember exactly what happened. Oh, I do remember that I told the same zip-up sweater guy that the reason I know Stefanie is that H pulled her key out of a bowl at a swingers' party. So, in summary, you probably don't want to invite me to meet your friends because I am socially awkward.
The first part of this week shall be consumed by cleaning my house before my mom gets here to celebrate Thanksgiving so that she does not know we live in total squalor. Unfortunately, no matter how much I clean, my mom will still think our house is dirty. But I still feel the need to scrub everything.
We always celebrate Thanksgiving at my mom's house, but she got time off from work, my sister isn't able to make it this year, and H probably wouldn't be able to travel to my mom's because of his work, so this year we are having Thanksgiving in Minnesota. I told my mom that I would buy all the groceries, but she still needs to cook everything. My mom said no. She will help me, but I am in charge of the meal. Except that she calls me every other day now and tell me something else that she has already cooked and is bringing with her in a cooler. She just can't help herself, and I am glad because I would rather not have Thanksgiving dinner be a disaster. H and I did the final grocery shopping tonight, so $175 later (ugh!), I think we are ready.
Last night, I drank absinthe with Stefanie and her friends. If you click the link for absinthe, you will read that absinthe is distilled with wormwood. I don't know what that means, but it does not sound good. Absinthe tastes like black licorice. I do not like black licorice, so I cannot say I am a fan of this drink. However, I did get drunk after slowly drinking one glass. And then I proceeded to have two glasses of wine. Whee! I think I also kind of propositioned some guy in a zip-up sweater about swinging. Not really, but kind of. I don't remember exactly what happened. Oh, I do remember that I told the same zip-up sweater guy that the reason I know Stefanie is that H pulled her key out of a bowl at a swingers' party. So, in summary, you probably don't want to invite me to meet your friends because I am socially awkward.
The first part of this week shall be consumed by cleaning my house before my mom gets here to celebrate Thanksgiving so that she does not know we live in total squalor. Unfortunately, no matter how much I clean, my mom will still think our house is dirty. But I still feel the need to scrub everything.
We always celebrate Thanksgiving at my mom's house, but she got time off from work, my sister isn't able to make it this year, and H probably wouldn't be able to travel to my mom's because of his work, so this year we are having Thanksgiving in Minnesota. I told my mom that I would buy all the groceries, but she still needs to cook everything. My mom said no. She will help me, but I am in charge of the meal. Except that she calls me every other day now and tell me something else that she has already cooked and is bringing with her in a cooler. She just can't help herself, and I am glad because I would rather not have Thanksgiving dinner be a disaster. H and I did the final grocery shopping tonight, so $175 later (ugh!), I think we are ready.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Blog Share
I have been thinking recently about the things I am not willing to share on my blog. When Laurie spoke in MN on her book tour, she talked a little bit about how people think they know all about her life, when really, she only shares a small part of it online. Maybe that is a bad paraphrase of what she said, but it was something along those lines. She was very gracious about it, but I think I would be a little freaked out if people felt like they were my closest friends, when they only know what I am willing to share online. But I guess my non-blog friends only know what I am willing to share with them, so I don't know that it's much different. My non-blog friends know about certain aspects of my life that blog friends don't, and blog friends probably know a lot more about certain aspects of my life that my non-blog friends don't know about at all.
For example, only non-blog friends know all about some crazy work situations (although I may have actually e-mailed a couple of you about certain aspects of the craziness), but only blog friends know about my love of "Gossip Girl" and the song "Eternal Flame." In fact, most non-blog friends don't even know about the blog at all, so they are missing out on that whole aspect of me.
I am ok with this. Not everyone needs to know everything about me. It is just weird to think that your perceptions are shaped by what I write, and I wonder whether your perceptions match up to who I really am.
NPW wrote today about all this today too, which I thought was interesting, and it gave me an idea. This idea does not really do anything to help you know any more about me. But it would allow me to share a funny story that is related to what I consider a forbidden blog topic (for me). I think it would be interesting to switch blogs for a day and write anonymously on someone else's blog. Here is what I am thinking: anyone who is interested could leave a comment here or send me an e-mail. I will do a random drawing to assign people to a different blog. Then you send an e-mail with your (mostly) anonymous blog post (obviously the blogger I assign you to will know who you are) on November 14th, and the person posts it on November 15th. You could write something funny, something silly, something serious, something confessional- whatever you want. So if you are interested, let me know. If you're not interested, then we will pretend this never happened.
Also, I have a secret non-anonymous guest blog post coming soon, hopefully! And it's not H! I think it is going to be a lot of fun.
For example, only non-blog friends know all about some crazy work situations (although I may have actually e-mailed a couple of you about certain aspects of the craziness), but only blog friends know about my love of "Gossip Girl" and the song "Eternal Flame." In fact, most non-blog friends don't even know about the blog at all, so they are missing out on that whole aspect of me.
I am ok with this. Not everyone needs to know everything about me. It is just weird to think that your perceptions are shaped by what I write, and I wonder whether your perceptions match up to who I really am.
NPW wrote today about all this today too, which I thought was interesting, and it gave me an idea. This idea does not really do anything to help you know any more about me. But it would allow me to share a funny story that is related to what I consider a forbidden blog topic (for me). I think it would be interesting to switch blogs for a day and write anonymously on someone else's blog. Here is what I am thinking: anyone who is interested could leave a comment here or send me an e-mail. I will do a random drawing to assign people to a different blog. Then you send an e-mail with your (mostly) anonymous blog post (obviously the blogger I assign you to will know who you are) on November 14th, and the person posts it on November 15th. You could write something funny, something silly, something serious, something confessional- whatever you want. So if you are interested, let me know. If you're not interested, then we will pretend this never happened.
Also, I have a secret non-anonymous guest blog post coming soon, hopefully! And it's not H! I think it is going to be a lot of fun.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Saturday
We have people over, so I only have time to write a short, and probably nonsensical, post.
I mowed the lawn today.
H made hilarious t-shirts using MS Paint, pictures of his friends, and iron-on transfers.
I tried to make quesadillas for our friends but kept burning them. The quesadillas, not the friends.
I drank some Leinenkeugel Summer Shandy beer, which I would highly recommend. It is tastes like half lemonade/half beer.
I just typed that it tasted like half beef. That would not be something I would recommend.
We played Guitar Hero 3 with our friends. Guitar Hero 3 has a Weezer song on it, so I love it. It also has a Pearl Jam song, which H has already played 4 times. H + Eddie Vedder = Tru Luv 4eva.
I mowed the lawn today.
H made hilarious t-shirts using MS Paint, pictures of his friends, and iron-on transfers.
I tried to make quesadillas for our friends but kept burning them. The quesadillas, not the friends.
I drank some Leinenkeugel Summer Shandy beer, which I would highly recommend. It is tastes like half lemonade/half beer.
I just typed that it tasted like half beef. That would not be something I would recommend.
We played Guitar Hero 3 with our friends. Guitar Hero 3 has a Weezer song on it, so I love it. It also has a Pearl Jam song, which H has already played 4 times. H + Eddie Vedder = Tru Luv 4eva.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Friend or Foe
First of all, happy October. You know what October means, right? The Holiday House is back! I tried to take pictures today, but they didn't come out very well. I will try again tomorrow.
In other news, a coworker friend (the one who thinks she has a bad haircut) and I had a not very serious at all discussion about friendship. We were talking about the awkwardness of determining how close you are with other people. We decided that the only way to find out how close you are with someone is to bring up an embarrassing topic or make an inappropriate comment and see how the other person reacts. This can be great, like when you discover that the other person really gets your sense of humor, or it can be very awkward, like when you discover that the other person thinks you are a freak. My friend and I have decided that to avoid the awkwardness, we are going to develop a Friendship Questionnaire to hand out to all the people we like (because handing out a questionnaire totally won't be awkward at all). The questionnaire is below.
1. How close is your relationship to me?
a. We are BFF!
b. Close friends
c. Friends
d. Friendly acquaintances
e. I used to like her until she gave me this questionnaire, and now I think she is a freak.
f. Mortal enemies
2. What topics do you feel comfortable discussing with me (repeatedly)?
a. Times I embarrassed myself
b. Boring stories about my work
c. My blog (if you do not know I have a blog, please ignore this option)
d. My love for Ann Taylor Loft
e. The Holiday House
f. Times I winked at my nemesis (also see option 2a above)
g. Pam and Jim (aka PB&J)
Obviously, my coworker friend and I are BFF and can discuss (and have discussed) all of the above topics, except for 2c.
In other news, a coworker friend (the one who thinks she has a bad haircut) and I had a not very serious at all discussion about friendship. We were talking about the awkwardness of determining how close you are with other people. We decided that the only way to find out how close you are with someone is to bring up an embarrassing topic or make an inappropriate comment and see how the other person reacts. This can be great, like when you discover that the other person really gets your sense of humor, or it can be very awkward, like when you discover that the other person thinks you are a freak. My friend and I have decided that to avoid the awkwardness, we are going to develop a Friendship Questionnaire to hand out to all the people we like (because handing out a questionnaire totally won't be awkward at all). The questionnaire is below.
1. How close is your relationship to me?
a. We are BFF!
b. Close friends
c. Friends
d. Friendly acquaintances
e. I used to like her until she gave me this questionnaire, and now I think she is a freak.
f. Mortal enemies
2. What topics do you feel comfortable discussing with me (repeatedly)?
a. Times I embarrassed myself
b. Boring stories about my work
c. My blog (if you do not know I have a blog, please ignore this option)
d. My love for Ann Taylor Loft
e. The Holiday House
f. Times I winked at my nemesis (also see option 2a above)
g. Pam and Jim (aka PB&J)
Obviously, my coworker friend and I are BFF and can discuss (and have discussed) all of the above topics, except for 2c.
Monday, September 17, 2007
The Flamingo of Regret
You will have to excuse my nonsensical ramblings tonight because I am excited. I have been putting off two projects for a really long time because they are hard. But then I finally sat down tonight and just did them, and I didn't even take breaks to check my e-mail or Go Fug Yourself. I just sat down and did the projects, and now I feel like a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders, as I won't have to have nightmares about my boss secretly being in the mob and hunting me down because of the lateness of these projects. Wooo!
I have a big bug bite on my neck. I am afraid that it looks like a hickey. But it is not a hickey! It is a bug bite! I don't even think it really looks like a hickey. But I do have a puffy pink area on my neck. Attractive!
What other random exclamations can I share with you? I watched Hot Fuzz on Sunday night. It was super good, right up there on my scale with The Sound of Music. But not anything like The Sound of Music. It was a really funny murder mystery movie by the same people who did Shaun of the Dead. Two thumbs up! Also, in random exclamation news, Liz got a tattoo for her birthday!
Have I ever told you about my college roommate's tattoos? During our freshman year, she thought for several months about what kind of tattoo she wanted to get on the inside of her ankle, and one night when she was bored, we went to the tattoo shop and she got it. It was a Chi-Rho and looked very cool. But she didn't want her parents to know about it, so she wore a couple of band-aids on her ankle every time she went home for at least the next four years. In a hot, swampy suburb of Houston. Her mom actually saw the tattoo once, but my friend just told her mom that it was just a doodle she had drawn on her ankle with a pen and the mom didn't question it.
Then during our sophomore year, my roommate decided she wanted another tattoo. So we went to the tattoo shop one night when we were bored, and my friend really wanted to get this tattoo of a devilish teddy bear holding a football. My friend hated football and was not really a fan of devilish teddy bears, as far as I knew, so I tried to change her mind. She would not listen to reason. She wanted the devilish teddy bear. I suggested other religious symbols, but she wanted the scary teddy bear. Somehow I convinced her to get a tattoo of a flamingo. She got it on her right shoulder blade. And then a few hours later, she regretted it and blamed me. She continued to blame me for the flamingo for the rest of our college careers, but I do not feel bad. I actually think the flamingo is kind of cool, though random. And MUCH better than the scary football teddy bear.
I do not have any tattoos because (1) it hurts to get a tattoo and (2) I do not trust myself not to get the equivalent of The Flamingo of Regret.
I have a big bug bite on my neck. I am afraid that it looks like a hickey. But it is not a hickey! It is a bug bite! I don't even think it really looks like a hickey. But I do have a puffy pink area on my neck. Attractive!
What other random exclamations can I share with you? I watched Hot Fuzz on Sunday night. It was super good, right up there on my scale with The Sound of Music. But not anything like The Sound of Music. It was a really funny murder mystery movie by the same people who did Shaun of the Dead. Two thumbs up! Also, in random exclamation news, Liz got a tattoo for her birthday!
Have I ever told you about my college roommate's tattoos? During our freshman year, she thought for several months about what kind of tattoo she wanted to get on the inside of her ankle, and one night when she was bored, we went to the tattoo shop and she got it. It was a Chi-Rho and looked very cool. But she didn't want her parents to know about it, so she wore a couple of band-aids on her ankle every time she went home for at least the next four years. In a hot, swampy suburb of Houston. Her mom actually saw the tattoo once, but my friend just told her mom that it was just a doodle she had drawn on her ankle with a pen and the mom didn't question it.
Then during our sophomore year, my roommate decided she wanted another tattoo. So we went to the tattoo shop one night when we were bored, and my friend really wanted to get this tattoo of a devilish teddy bear holding a football. My friend hated football and was not really a fan of devilish teddy bears, as far as I knew, so I tried to change her mind. She would not listen to reason. She wanted the devilish teddy bear. I suggested other religious symbols, but she wanted the scary teddy bear. Somehow I convinced her to get a tattoo of a flamingo. She got it on her right shoulder blade. And then a few hours later, she regretted it and blamed me. She continued to blame me for the flamingo for the rest of our college careers, but I do not feel bad. I actually think the flamingo is kind of cool, though random. And MUCH better than the scary football teddy bear.
I do not have any tattoos because (1) it hurts to get a tattoo and (2) I do not trust myself not to get the equivalent of The Flamingo of Regret.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Shoe Emergency!
Sent: Friday Morning
From: Me
To: Coworker
IT IS A SHOE EMERGENCY. I wore my flip-flops on the bus this morning (as usual), but I brought brown shoes to change into at work. And I am wearing black pants. I do not think this will go well. I am going to Macy's at 10 am.
From: Coworker
To: Me
I would love to come, but I got a really bad haircut last night, so I shall be hiding in my office all day.
From: Me
To: Coworker
Ok. I will stop by after my shoe extravaganza to show off the new shoes and to make fun of your hair.
From: Coworker
To: Me
Sounds good. Please bring some Kleenex, as you will cry after seeing my hair. Also, please wear your flip-flops so that I can laugh at your stupidity.
---------------------------------------------
Having good friends at work makes my life so much better.
PS I bought these (on sale at Macy's for $40). They are much cuter in person. I feel like my feet are wearing little tuxedos.
From: Me
To: Coworker
IT IS A SHOE EMERGENCY. I wore my flip-flops on the bus this morning (as usual), but I brought brown shoes to change into at work. And I am wearing black pants. I do not think this will go well. I am going to Macy's at 10 am.
From: Coworker
To: Me
I would love to come, but I got a really bad haircut last night, so I shall be hiding in my office all day.
From: Me
To: Coworker
Ok. I will stop by after my shoe extravaganza to show off the new shoes and to make fun of your hair.
From: Coworker
To: Me
Sounds good. Please bring some Kleenex, as you will cry after seeing my hair. Also, please wear your flip-flops so that I can laugh at your stupidity.
---------------------------------------------
Having good friends at work makes my life so much better.
PS I bought these (on sale at Macy's for $40). They are much cuter in person. I feel like my feet are wearing little tuxedos.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
The Mean Stuff Is Just More Interesting
As I have mentioned previously, my 10 year high school reunion is coming up soon. I am not going. But this summer I have discovered some facts about my former classmates that I have shared with H. Stupid stuff like that there are several people from my class who married other people from my class. And when I share these delightful tidbits with H, he says things like, "You sure are obsessed with this reunion considering that you are pretending you don't care about it at all." It isn't that I don't care. Like I've already said, it's that I don't have any desire to see most of the people who I think will attend the reunion. But I do want to know what they are up to these days so that I can mock them (or think they are cool, but that is not as fun) from a distance.
The reunion organizers sent out an evite to everyone. Many of the people who responded that they weren't going to attend the reunion left little notes saying why they weren't going to attend, like they had a wedding or a business conference to attend that weekend. Double G (my high school best friend, for those of you just tuning in) responded that she would be on vacation in Greece and Turkey. Which is true. But which is also code for, "Suck it, losers." Double G and I find this hilarious. Not that we're bitter. But I think, like most people, there are a few people to whom we would like to point out that we are much more successful than them. Specifically, Lindsey, Erin, and Kari: my two choir nemeses and this one girl who was just the meanest person I've ever met (although I can't remember her ever being mean to me).
Anyway, this is all just an introduction for the questionnaire that I am stealing from Stefanie, since my class doesn't (unfortunately) have a questionnaire.
Name: -R-
Married?
_X_ Yes
___ No
If yes, name of spouse: H. You may have heard of him, since he is an internet celebrity.
Number of years married: Almost 2.
Children?
___ Yes
_X_ No thanks.
Occupation(s): Law stuff that you wouldn't understand.
Hobbies: Starting to knit a baby blanket that is nowhere near finished despite the fact that the baby is approaching 6 months old; reading books by Maeve Binchy.
Future Plans: Reading your questionnaire responses and judging you.
Most Memorable Moment from High School: I can either write something really sincere but not interesting to the internet or something that makes me sound supremely bitter, even though I'm not. Or I could write that it was the time when I snuck out for lunch my junior year, and when I came back, the security guard was blocking the doors. And I started trying to think of a senior that I could pretend to be and say that I had forgotten my i.d.(since only seniors were allowed to go off campus for lunch), and the only senior I could think of was Parul, this Indian girl. I was pretty sure the guard was not going to buy that I was Indian. But then the security guard just said hi and held the door open for my friends and me.
Biggest Accomplishment Since Graduation: Getting season tickets to Husker football games!!!!! Woooo!!!! Oh wait, that's not me; that is what the rest of my class will write.
Most Embarrassing Moment in High School: Seriously? This question is just cruel. I wasn't embarrassed at the time, but looking back, my most embarrassing moment is probably wearing this purple shirt on which I wrote something lame with puffy paint. I can't remember what it said, but I remember that it was mortifying. Or crying when I was supposed to give a speech at this senior banquet. Ok, it was a debate team banquet. Yeah.
One Thing That Your Classmates Do Not Know About You: My husband could beat you up.
Would you be interested in working with the 20th year reunion committee?
___ Yes
___ No
_x_ Hell no.
The reunion organizers sent out an evite to everyone. Many of the people who responded that they weren't going to attend the reunion left little notes saying why they weren't going to attend, like they had a wedding or a business conference to attend that weekend. Double G (my high school best friend, for those of you just tuning in) responded that she would be on vacation in Greece and Turkey. Which is true. But which is also code for, "Suck it, losers." Double G and I find this hilarious. Not that we're bitter. But I think, like most people, there are a few people to whom we would like to point out that we are much more successful than them. Specifically, Lindsey, Erin, and Kari: my two choir nemeses and this one girl who was just the meanest person I've ever met (although I can't remember her ever being mean to me).
Anyway, this is all just an introduction for the questionnaire that I am stealing from Stefanie, since my class doesn't (unfortunately) have a questionnaire.
Name: -R-
Married?
_X_ Yes
___ No
If yes, name of spouse: H. You may have heard of him, since he is an internet celebrity.
Number of years married: Almost 2.
Children?
___ Yes
_X_ No thanks.
Occupation(s): Law stuff that you wouldn't understand.
Hobbies: Starting to knit a baby blanket that is nowhere near finished despite the fact that the baby is approaching 6 months old; reading books by Maeve Binchy.
Future Plans: Reading your questionnaire responses and judging you.
Most Memorable Moment from High School: I can either write something really sincere but not interesting to the internet or something that makes me sound supremely bitter, even though I'm not. Or I could write that it was the time when I snuck out for lunch my junior year, and when I came back, the security guard was blocking the doors. And I started trying to think of a senior that I could pretend to be and say that I had forgotten my i.d.(since only seniors were allowed to go off campus for lunch), and the only senior I could think of was Parul, this Indian girl. I was pretty sure the guard was not going to buy that I was Indian. But then the security guard just said hi and held the door open for my friends and me.
Biggest Accomplishment Since Graduation: Getting season tickets to Husker football games!!!!! Woooo!!!! Oh wait, that's not me; that is what the rest of my class will write.
Most Embarrassing Moment in High School: Seriously? This question is just cruel. I wasn't embarrassed at the time, but looking back, my most embarrassing moment is probably wearing this purple shirt on which I wrote something lame with puffy paint. I can't remember what it said, but I remember that it was mortifying. Or crying when I was supposed to give a speech at this senior banquet. Ok, it was a debate team banquet. Yeah.
One Thing That Your Classmates Do Not Know About You: My husband could beat you up.
Would you be interested in working with the 20th year reunion committee?
___ Yes
___ No
_x_ Hell no.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
This Post Brought To You By Coffee Plus Not Enough Sleep
When I am upset about something (which I am not right now, I was just thinking about this on my drive home from the bus stop), I deal with my sadness or anger or other feelings by talking about the upsetting thing. So when I got super smoldering angry with H about something a while ago, I let myself steam about it for a while, and when I didn't start feeling better about the situation, I called Double G (my best friend from high school) and said, "Aaa! I am so pissed off about this! Blah blah blah!" And then I felt a lot better. But sometimes, talking about a situation once does not make me feel better. I have to talk about it 50 times. Frequently, once I feel better, I forget all about it. And then a friend will say, "Hey, remember when that really bad thing happened and you were so pissed and talked about it for a week?" And I will have no idea what they are talking about. That happens to me more frequently than you would think. Well, more frequently than I would think it would happen. Or maybe I am just losing my damn mind [which certainly seems like the case after re-reading this post].
So Double G is probably my best friend (besides H), even though I don't talk to her that often. But I am not sure that I am her best friend. She has a few really close friends from college who are all awesome women, and I think they are better at staying in touch with Double G than I am. (I kind of suck at regular communication right now. I am not even a good e-mailer, which used to be my strong point. I was an awesome e-mailer.) I have one really close friend from college who would be the other candidate for my best friend, but I think I am probably more open with Double G. Anyway, the point of this is that it doesn't bother me if we are not mutual best friends. My best friend in law school (besides H) was this guy from the bad date story. I know without a doubt that I was not his best friend in law school, but it never bothered me. And now he lives near me, and I think that (besides his girlfriend) I am probably his best friend in Minnesota, and yet, he is not mine. And it's ok! I am probably the only adult who even thinks about things like this, but that didn't bother me until just now when I typed this all out, and now I look like some weirdo who keeps best friend tallies or something. I don't. This is just a random observation. That I feel the need to write out and publish on the internet.
The thinking about best friends leads me to thinking about mean girls. I have read other female bloggers write posts referring to mean girls who picked on them. I don't think I've ever dealt with that. Not that I was never made fun of in my whole life. Of course I was. But the only example I can think of is that one time in first grade, my pants were riding really low when I was sitting in the cafeteria, and a group of other first graders saw my butt and pointed at me and laughed. But I just pulled up my pants and pretended I wasn't embarrassed. And one time in eighth grade, I heard these three girls I didn't like talking about me behind my back, and they were saying that I thought I was smarter than everyone. It hurt my feelings, but it was probably true. I probably did think I was smarter than everyone. I was certainly smarter than them. Ah, it is funny how I still feel bitchy about those girls 15 years later. But I never had a group of mean girls pick on me, and I never have had any fears of being friends with girls, about which there was an interesting discussion on Jonniker's blog.
In case the rest of this post was not long and random enough, can I tell you that I am kind of freaking out because I got a postcard in the mail offering me a free DVD about breastfeeding? Why does anyone think I would need such a DVD? Shouldn't I have a baby or something first? Or even be pregnant? Did the breastfeeding people just send this postcard to all women between the ages of 18 and 55? Is this some kind of breastfeeding DVD scam to which I am not hip?
So Double G is probably my best friend (besides H), even though I don't talk to her that often. But I am not sure that I am her best friend. She has a few really close friends from college who are all awesome women, and I think they are better at staying in touch with Double G than I am. (I kind of suck at regular communication right now. I am not even a good e-mailer, which used to be my strong point. I was an awesome e-mailer.) I have one really close friend from college who would be the other candidate for my best friend, but I think I am probably more open with Double G. Anyway, the point of this is that it doesn't bother me if we are not mutual best friends. My best friend in law school (besides H) was this guy from the bad date story. I know without a doubt that I was not his best friend in law school, but it never bothered me. And now he lives near me, and I think that (besides his girlfriend) I am probably his best friend in Minnesota, and yet, he is not mine. And it's ok! I am probably the only adult who even thinks about things like this, but that didn't bother me until just now when I typed this all out, and now I look like some weirdo who keeps best friend tallies or something. I don't. This is just a random observation. That I feel the need to write out and publish on the internet.
The thinking about best friends leads me to thinking about mean girls. I have read other female bloggers write posts referring to mean girls who picked on them. I don't think I've ever dealt with that. Not that I was never made fun of in my whole life. Of course I was. But the only example I can think of is that one time in first grade, my pants were riding really low when I was sitting in the cafeteria, and a group of other first graders saw my butt and pointed at me and laughed. But I just pulled up my pants and pretended I wasn't embarrassed. And one time in eighth grade, I heard these three girls I didn't like talking about me behind my back, and they were saying that I thought I was smarter than everyone. It hurt my feelings, but it was probably true. I probably did think I was smarter than everyone. I was certainly smarter than them. Ah, it is funny how I still feel bitchy about those girls 15 years later. But I never had a group of mean girls pick on me, and I never have had any fears of being friends with girls, about which there was an interesting discussion on Jonniker's blog.
In case the rest of this post was not long and random enough, can I tell you that I am kind of freaking out because I got a postcard in the mail offering me a free DVD about breastfeeding? Why does anyone think I would need such a DVD? Shouldn't I have a baby or something first? Or even be pregnant? Did the breastfeeding people just send this postcard to all women between the ages of 18 and 55? Is this some kind of breastfeeding DVD scam to which I am not hip?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
If You're Blue and You Don't Know Where to Go To
For Memorial Day, H and I are flying to Chicago to spend time with one of my best friends and her husband, who will both be flying in from Dallas. I haven't ever had the chance to get to know my friend's husband very well because they live so far away. I am hoping this weekend will be a good chance for us to all hang out without a lot of stress or other distractions. The good thing is that even if H or I don't fall in friend-love with the husband, it is only one weekend, and I can plan some girly trips with my friend from then on. We are also going to spend at least Saturday night hanging out with my friend from high school who lives in Chicago, so I am really looking forward to this trip. I can't believe we leave on Friday though. It still feels a long way away.
Normally I don't like to talk about upcoming trips, but I know that Stefanie will be out of town for Memorial Day, so she will be unable to rob my house. This time.
After we get back from Chicago, I will be home for a week, and then I leave again, this time for a work-related trip. I will be in Philadelphia for a few days doing my exciting work stuff, and then H is going to fly up, and we'll spend the weekend cruisin' the city. I'm not sure what that means. Hopefully we will be able to meet up with Guinness Girl and Christine at some point.
In an unrelated conclusion, what is our opinion on bermuda shorts? I thought I was against them, but I tried on a pair today, and I think they would have been cute if (1) they fit better at the waist, and (2) they were either an inch shorter or an inch longer because they hit right in the middle of my knee. So I think I may not be against the bermuda short in general. What do you think? Also, do you wear leggings? If so, then I can probably disregard your opinion on bermuda shorts because I just cannot do leggings.
Normally I don't like to talk about upcoming trips, but I know that Stefanie will be out of town for Memorial Day, so she will be unable to rob my house. This time.
After we get back from Chicago, I will be home for a week, and then I leave again, this time for a work-related trip. I will be in Philadelphia for a few days doing my exciting work stuff, and then H is going to fly up, and we'll spend the weekend cruisin' the city. I'm not sure what that means. Hopefully we will be able to meet up with Guinness Girl and Christine at some point.
In an unrelated conclusion, what is our opinion on bermuda shorts? I thought I was against them, but I tried on a pair today, and I think they would have been cute if (1) they fit better at the waist, and (2) they were either an inch shorter or an inch longer because they hit right in the middle of my knee. So I think I may not be against the bermuda short in general. What do you think? Also, do you wear leggings? If so, then I can probably disregard your opinion on bermuda shorts because I just cannot do leggings.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Happy Birthday
I was right: I own five books by Binchy. They are Scarlet Feather, Tara Road, Circle of Friends, Light a Penny Candle, and Echoes. So good! Oh, and I own a collection of short stories by multiple authors, including Binchy. I also own three books by Sarah Vowell and two books by Madeleine L'Engle. My collection is not what I would call varied. But I don't care because I love my books.
Tomorrow (May 1st) is the birthday of one of my best friends, Double G. I am tempted to post embarrassing pictures of her to celebrate, but I am afraid of the retaliation that could result, so I will restrain myself. I have known Double G since we were freshmen in high school, so we have known each other for almost 14 years. I am sure if that calculation is incorrect she will let me know because she is a math genius. (Not like that is a hard calculation, but she really is brilliant at math.) Of those approximately 14 years, Double G and I only lived in the same town for the first three. After that, she went to college about an hour away, and then when I graduated from high school a year later, I moved about 12 hours away. Then Double G moved to Wisconsin, and I moved to Nebraska, and then Double G moved to California, and I moved to Minnesota. Yet Double G has always been there for me, and I hope she knows that I have always been there for her and will continue to be.
When Double G graduated from high school, I spent a lot of time during her senior year writing a book about our times together. In order to put the book together, I had to call Double G from time to time and ask her strange questions like, "When did we take that trip to Sioux Falls?" and "What was the name of the guy you had a crush on sophomore year?" (Ok, I didn't really have to ask that second question because I know the answer: D@n Rez@c.) Despite the fact that Double G is much smarter than me, she did not suspect anything based on my odd questions. But now, every time I call her to ask her about random facts, she is very suspicious. I suppose her suspicion is reasonable, but it is funny. The thing is that Double G probably knows more about me and my life than anyone else, so she is the only one will know weird things like the name of the guy in high school who tried to give himself the nickname The Italian Stallion.
I don't know why we have been able to be such good friends. It doesn't make sense to me because of the three years that we lived near each other, we were really only good friends for two of those years, and after that we have always been so freaking far apart. But for some reason, something kept us together. And I am glad to have Double G in my life.
She's the pope of chili-town.
Tomorrow (May 1st) is the birthday of one of my best friends, Double G. I am tempted to post embarrassing pictures of her to celebrate, but I am afraid of the retaliation that could result, so I will restrain myself. I have known Double G since we were freshmen in high school, so we have known each other for almost 14 years. I am sure if that calculation is incorrect she will let me know because she is a math genius. (Not like that is a hard calculation, but she really is brilliant at math.) Of those approximately 14 years, Double G and I only lived in the same town for the first three. After that, she went to college about an hour away, and then when I graduated from high school a year later, I moved about 12 hours away. Then Double G moved to Wisconsin, and I moved to Nebraska, and then Double G moved to California, and I moved to Minnesota. Yet Double G has always been there for me, and I hope she knows that I have always been there for her and will continue to be.
When Double G graduated from high school, I spent a lot of time during her senior year writing a book about our times together. In order to put the book together, I had to call Double G from time to time and ask her strange questions like, "When did we take that trip to Sioux Falls?" and "What was the name of the guy you had a crush on sophomore year?" (Ok, I didn't really have to ask that second question because I know the answer: D@n Rez@c.) Despite the fact that Double G is much smarter than me, she did not suspect anything based on my odd questions. But now, every time I call her to ask her about random facts, she is very suspicious. I suppose her suspicion is reasonable, but it is funny. The thing is that Double G probably knows more about me and my life than anyone else, so she is the only one will know weird things like the name of the guy in high school who tried to give himself the nickname The Italian Stallion.
I don't know why we have been able to be such good friends. It doesn't make sense to me because of the three years that we lived near each other, we were really only good friends for two of those years, and after that we have always been so freaking far apart. But for some reason, something kept us together. And I am glad to have Double G in my life.
She's the pope of chili-town.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Cool Whip Makes Everything Better
We had a tiny visitor at our house today. My friend and her 8-month-old daughter came over to play. We ripped up an old magazine, crawled around the living room and kitchen, and played with the Nintendo Wii. I will let you guess which activities the 8-month-old instigated and which activity caused her to start screaming because her mom was busy swinging a Wii-mote around. Apparently I am not an adequate substitute attention-giver. H and I also discovered that our house is really not baby-proofed for a crawler, not that we thought it was. No injuries occurred though, so really, what more could you want.
H and I also went to the Mall of America today, and I bought this dress (although mine is a petite size since I am so freaking short) for my brother-in-law's wedding this summer. It is so cute, and I can wear it to work too. I am pathetically pleased by this purchase.
I have been in a bad mood for the past few weeks, but H has been pitching in by doing a lot of cleaning around the house and being all-around hilarious. There are some people I've met who just seem so serious all the time; I don't know how they survive. I need at least a little laughter every day to get by. [/end lame serious paragraph about having a sense of humor]
Do you know what else helps me get by? Freaking Samoa flavored ice cream. How did I live without it? Also, coffee with Cool Whip instead of cream and sugar. Seriously. It is terrific.
H and I also went to the Mall of America today, and I bought this dress (although mine is a petite size since I am so freaking short) for my brother-in-law's wedding this summer. It is so cute, and I can wear it to work too. I am pathetically pleased by this purchase.
I have been in a bad mood for the past few weeks, but H has been pitching in by doing a lot of cleaning around the house and being all-around hilarious. There are some people I've met who just seem so serious all the time; I don't know how they survive. I need at least a little laughter every day to get by. [/end lame serious paragraph about having a sense of humor]
Do you know what else helps me get by? Freaking Samoa flavored ice cream. How did I live without it? Also, coffee with Cool Whip instead of cream and sugar. Seriously. It is terrific.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
IT'S THE PROM
[This post has been updated as of 3/27/07.]
Panic attack!
I challenged all of you to post a picture of yourself from your high school prom, and I was worried I wouldn't get home from work in time to write this post. Luckily, I got home at 9:20, but then I COULD NOT FIND A PICTURE OF MYSELF AT PROM. I looked through four different photo albums and a big plastic bin before I finally did find some pictures from my junior prom. Phew. I also found the most embarrassing photo of me EVER. Maybe some day I will be brave enough to post it, but that day is not today.
A side note: H insists that I never went to prom. We went to high school in different states and didn't meet until I was 22 and H was 23, but H insists that he knows I didn't go to prom. In fact, I went to both my junior and senior proms. These pictures will do nothing to prove to H that I actually went to prom. Just like he insists that Dr Pepper does not have caffeine and there is no such thing as Caffeine Free Dr Pepper. H is weird. I have no explanation.
Without further ado, a picture of me before the prom.
Nerdy, but not as embarrassing as I was afraid it might be.
[I have changed my mind. Every time I look at this picture, it gets worse. The glasses. The hair. OMG, why did my mom not insist that she help me with my makeup because I look like a freak! And I have no idea what shoes I wore, but I am sure they were bad. Oh, man.]
[PS Those are sequins on the top. I was very shiny. But I still have fond feelings for the dress.]
Here is a group picture:
Ok, never mind, we are all nerds. Especially my date and me. No offense to my date.
I am not sure why all these people are in the picture. My date (the guy farthest to the right) and I went to dinner with 3 other couples (red dress and her date, white top/black bottom and her date, and purple dress and her date), so I have no idea why those other 2 couples are in the picture.
Also, as I mentioned in the comments to my last post, I was the one who asked my date to prom. I called and invited him to the prom, and his response was, "I have to ask my parents. I'll call you back later." Oh, the rejection! But then he called me back later that day or the next day and said he would go with me. Oh, the acceptance!
Other brave souls who have accepted my challenge [now updated as of Thursday night, but I will continue to update as I find more people who have met the challenge]:
Sass Attack
Love Is Blonde
Hola Isabel
Stefanie Says [While there is no prom picture, Stefanie gets half-credit for a good story.]
Sunday Undies
Stephanie at Mama Drama
Jenny at Mama Drama
Face Down
Power Purl Girl
Emelou
Grumpy Frump
Preppy Girl's Guide
Paisley Propaganda
Maliavale
Jurgen Nation
Nothing Heavy
Anniina
I'm not sure why I refer to everyone by their blog name, but I do. And if I have left you off the list, it was inadvertent. Leave me a comment or send me an e-mail, and I will fix it.
But anyway... I think H is feeling a little left out, so here is a cute picture of him from the first wedding we went to together, about five years ago.
Panic attack!
I challenged all of you to post a picture of yourself from your high school prom, and I was worried I wouldn't get home from work in time to write this post. Luckily, I got home at 9:20, but then I COULD NOT FIND A PICTURE OF MYSELF AT PROM. I looked through four different photo albums and a big plastic bin before I finally did find some pictures from my junior prom. Phew. I also found the most embarrassing photo of me EVER. Maybe some day I will be brave enough to post it, but that day is not today.
A side note: H insists that I never went to prom. We went to high school in different states and didn't meet until I was 22 and H was 23, but H insists that he knows I didn't go to prom. In fact, I went to both my junior and senior proms. These pictures will do nothing to prove to H that I actually went to prom. Just like he insists that Dr Pepper does not have caffeine and there is no such thing as Caffeine Free Dr Pepper. H is weird. I have no explanation.
Without further ado, a picture of me before the prom.
Here is a group picture:
I am not sure why all these people are in the picture. My date (the guy farthest to the right) and I went to dinner with 3 other couples (red dress and her date, white top/black bottom and her date, and purple dress and her date), so I have no idea why those other 2 couples are in the picture.
Also, as I mentioned in the comments to my last post, I was the one who asked my date to prom. I called and invited him to the prom, and his response was, "I have to ask my parents. I'll call you back later." Oh, the rejection! But then he called me back later that day or the next day and said he would go with me. Oh, the acceptance!
Other brave souls who have accepted my challenge [now updated as of Thursday night, but I will continue to update as I find more people who have met the challenge]:
Sass Attack
Love Is Blonde
Hola Isabel
Stefanie Says [While there is no prom picture, Stefanie gets half-credit for a good story.]
Sunday Undies
Stephanie at Mama Drama
Jenny at Mama Drama
Face Down
Power Purl Girl
Emelou
Grumpy Frump
Preppy Girl's Guide
Paisley Propaganda
Maliavale
Jurgen Nation
Nothing Heavy
Anniina
I'm not sure why I refer to everyone by their blog name, but I do. And if I have left you off the list, it was inadvertent. Leave me a comment or send me an e-mail, and I will fix it.
But anyway... I think H is feeling a little left out, so here is a cute picture of him from the first wedding we went to together, about five years ago.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Hodge Podge
Jay Are is doing a project for school on why women blog. If you would like to help her by participating in a short survey, you can click here.
I have a tiny notebook in which I write notes to myself about things I need to remember to do and ideas for blog entries. I am looking through the notebook right now to see if I can get inspired for a blog entry, and the first thing written in the notebook is "pointy head." Below this is a picture of a head that it really pointy on the top. What the heck is that about?
My mom and her boyfriend are coming to town this weekend for a visit. I am not sure what we are going to do to entertain them. I think I am going to make reservations for Sunday brunch at one of my favorite restaurants, and we may go to a Minnesota Wild game. But before any of this can occur, I must attempt to clean my house because my mom would have a heart attack if she saw the house in its current state. My mom and her boyfriend are both naturally clean and organized people, while H and I
are most definitely not. Our house isn't disgusting or anything, but my mom would be appalled if she could see the clean laundry still in baskets, waiting to be folded, in the *gasp* living room. So H and I will be busy over the next few days.
Speaking of moms, my friend Schneids is a new mom! Congratulations to Schneids and family! Please tell Baby Schneids that I will hopefully be done knitting his blanket before he starts kindergarten. I have seen pictures, and Baby Schneids is adorable and perfect!
I have a tiny notebook in which I write notes to myself about things I need to remember to do and ideas for blog entries. I am looking through the notebook right now to see if I can get inspired for a blog entry, and the first thing written in the notebook is "pointy head." Below this is a picture of a head that it really pointy on the top. What the heck is that about?
My mom and her boyfriend are coming to town this weekend for a visit. I am not sure what we are going to do to entertain them. I think I am going to make reservations for Sunday brunch at one of my favorite restaurants, and we may go to a Minnesota Wild game. But before any of this can occur, I must attempt to clean my house because my mom would have a heart attack if she saw the house in its current state. My mom and her boyfriend are both naturally clean and organized people, while H and I
are most definitely not. Our house isn't disgusting or anything, but my mom would be appalled if she could see the clean laundry still in baskets, waiting to be folded, in the *gasp* living room. So H and I will be busy over the next few days.
Speaking of moms, my friend Schneids is a new mom! Congratulations to Schneids and family! Please tell Baby Schneids that I will hopefully be done knitting his blanket before he starts kindergarten. I have seen pictures, and Baby Schneids is adorable and perfect!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
I Am Too A Winner
Not a lot of new info tonight. I am up kind of late, but that is because we had dinner with friends at their condo in Minneapolis. I got to tell my banjo sex story, which was inspired by my friends' neighbors. Apparently their upstairs neighbors are swingers who enjoy Dave Matthews, and that is all I will say about that.
My neighbors, on the other hand, are freaks who yell at LDS missionaries and still have their Christmas decorations up despite the fact that the temperature has been in the 50s, all the snow has melted, and IT IS AFTER ST PATRICK'S DAY. The Holiday House has its Easter decorations up, and yet my neighbors still think it is Christmas.
Would you like to hear about the time I think I was invited to participate in a threesome, or possibly a foursome? Ok, I will tell you. In college, one of my best friends had a lot of classes with a girl we shall call Meather. Meather was a little weird. Meather invited my friend over to her apartment one day, and my friend asked me to go with her since I live in the same apartment complex as Meather. So we went to Meather's apartment, and Meather said, "Come on in! My boyfriend is in the bedroom." So Meather, my friend, and I hung out in the living room, and as I was about to sit on the papasan chair, Meather said, "That chair is a really comfortable place to do it." So then I sat on the couch.
"Come on into the bedroom," Meather said. I looked at my friend, who gave me a scared look, and we entered the bedroom. Meather's boyfriend was in the bed, under the covers. Meather said, "We just had sex and were about to watch Eyes Wide Shut. Y'all should watch with us."
"Oh," I said, "I would love to, but I really have to go right this second."
"Me too," said my friend.
Meather tried to convince us to stay, but we basically sprinted out of the apartment.
Really, I don't know why you needed to know that, and yet, I am sharing it with you.
In more recent news, I am a winner on two counts. First of all, Laura won a free ticket on Blingo, which means I won a free movie ticket too! Aw yeah.
Secondly, Jenny, who is a hilarious blogger, gave me an award. Despite the fact that I have not been blogging much and my last post (and this one too!) totally sucked. She is so sweet.
I am hoping that I will have more time to blog this week, so stay tuned. I may also have to go back through old post and close the comments on them because I am getting spam, so if you see that I have updated 50 times, you will know what is going on. I am not that prolific.
Love,
-R-
My neighbors, on the other hand, are freaks who yell at LDS missionaries and still have their Christmas decorations up despite the fact that the temperature has been in the 50s, all the snow has melted, and IT IS AFTER ST PATRICK'S DAY. The Holiday House has its Easter decorations up, and yet my neighbors still think it is Christmas.
Would you like to hear about the time I think I was invited to participate in a threesome, or possibly a foursome? Ok, I will tell you. In college, one of my best friends had a lot of classes with a girl we shall call Meather. Meather was a little weird. Meather invited my friend over to her apartment one day, and my friend asked me to go with her since I live in the same apartment complex as Meather. So we went to Meather's apartment, and Meather said, "Come on in! My boyfriend is in the bedroom." So Meather, my friend, and I hung out in the living room, and as I was about to sit on the papasan chair, Meather said, "That chair is a really comfortable place to do it." So then I sat on the couch.
"Come on into the bedroom," Meather said. I looked at my friend, who gave me a scared look, and we entered the bedroom. Meather's boyfriend was in the bed, under the covers. Meather said, "We just had sex and were about to watch Eyes Wide Shut. Y'all should watch with us."
"Oh," I said, "I would love to, but I really have to go right this second."
"Me too," said my friend.
Meather tried to convince us to stay, but we basically sprinted out of the apartment.
Really, I don't know why you needed to know that, and yet, I am sharing it with you.
In more recent news, I am a winner on two counts. First of all, Laura won a free ticket on Blingo, which means I won a free movie ticket too! Aw yeah.
Secondly, Jenny, who is a hilarious blogger, gave me an award. Despite the fact that I have not been blogging much and my last post (and this one too!) totally sucked. She is so sweet.
I am hoping that I will have more time to blog this week, so stay tuned. I may also have to go back through old post and close the comments on them because I am getting spam, so if you see that I have updated 50 times, you will know what is going on. I am not that prolific.
Love,
-R-
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Best Friends
Tonight I finished reading The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart. It is the story of two best friends who end up not speaking for eight years. The book was really good, and it reminded me of my best friend from college. I know that I have mentioned her before, but I don't think I have really written about her.
She was the person I was closest to for four years. We went through everything together. She knew almost everything that happened to me during those four years, down to the most boring detail. I knew about all her classes and professors, her crushes, her random acquaintances. We weren't inseparable, but we were together a lot. We had so many inside jokes and stories that no one else shares or really understands.
I saw the way she treated her best friend from high school. I could tell that my friend still really loved her high school best friend, but she was not good about returning phone calls or e-mail. There were a lot of things that she kept hidden from her high school best friend because she told me she felt like the high school best friend had a certain image of her that she had to keep intact.
When I was moving out of our apartment on the last day of July after our senior year of college, my friend reminded me that she wasn't good at keeping in touch with people. "You're going to have to be the one who always calls and keeps in touch," she said. I was ok with that.
I went to law school, and she did a one-year volunteer gig on the East Coast. I called every once in a while, and she wrote me a couple of letters, and it was fine. During my second year of law school, she got harder and harder to reach. During the fall semester, I called her every week for ten weeks and left a message, and she didn't return my call until New Years Day. She called on a cell phone, and we talked for maybe five minutes before she had to go. I didn't try very hard to keep in touch after that. I called her about a week after I got engaged and left a message with the news, mostly because I felt like I should call her, not because I wanted to call her. She called to congratulate me, but I didn't answer the phone. A few months before the wedding, I tried to give her a call, but the phone number I had for her had been disconnected. I sent her a wedding invitation anyway (mostly because I had already sent her a save the date card announcing our engagement and the wedding date). She didn't send in her RSVP, although she did send me an e-mail a week or two before the wedding. The e-mail said that she wanted to come to the wedding, but she was going to the beach with some guy instead. I sent her a very bland thank you note for the gift she sent, as though I were writing to an aunt of H that I had never met instead of someone who had once meant so much to me. I am guessing that thank you note will be my last contact with her.
I think one of the reasons my friend and I fell out of touch was that my friend felt like she needed to "keep up her image" with me. The thing is that if she thinks I would judge her for changing or for making choices that aren't necessarily the same ones I would have made, then I am sorry that she thinks so little of me and my ability to be a good friend.
At this point, I don't want to get in touch with my friend again. If you change your phone number without telling me and don't come to my wedding because you feel like going to the beach, are we really even friends? But every once in a while, something will happen that will remind me of one of our stupid inside jokes, and it makes me sad that no one else understands what is funny about some guy nodding at me when we pass on the sidewalk.
She was the person I was closest to for four years. We went through everything together. She knew almost everything that happened to me during those four years, down to the most boring detail. I knew about all her classes and professors, her crushes, her random acquaintances. We weren't inseparable, but we were together a lot. We had so many inside jokes and stories that no one else shares or really understands.
I saw the way she treated her best friend from high school. I could tell that my friend still really loved her high school best friend, but she was not good about returning phone calls or e-mail. There were a lot of things that she kept hidden from her high school best friend because she told me she felt like the high school best friend had a certain image of her that she had to keep intact.
When I was moving out of our apartment on the last day of July after our senior year of college, my friend reminded me that she wasn't good at keeping in touch with people. "You're going to have to be the one who always calls and keeps in touch," she said. I was ok with that.
I went to law school, and she did a one-year volunteer gig on the East Coast. I called every once in a while, and she wrote me a couple of letters, and it was fine. During my second year of law school, she got harder and harder to reach. During the fall semester, I called her every week for ten weeks and left a message, and she didn't return my call until New Years Day. She called on a cell phone, and we talked for maybe five minutes before she had to go. I didn't try very hard to keep in touch after that. I called her about a week after I got engaged and left a message with the news, mostly because I felt like I should call her, not because I wanted to call her. She called to congratulate me, but I didn't answer the phone. A few months before the wedding, I tried to give her a call, but the phone number I had for her had been disconnected. I sent her a wedding invitation anyway (mostly because I had already sent her a save the date card announcing our engagement and the wedding date). She didn't send in her RSVP, although she did send me an e-mail a week or two before the wedding. The e-mail said that she wanted to come to the wedding, but she was going to the beach with some guy instead. I sent her a very bland thank you note for the gift she sent, as though I were writing to an aunt of H that I had never met instead of someone who had once meant so much to me. I am guessing that thank you note will be my last contact with her.
I think one of the reasons my friend and I fell out of touch was that my friend felt like she needed to "keep up her image" with me. The thing is that if she thinks I would judge her for changing or for making choices that aren't necessarily the same ones I would have made, then I am sorry that she thinks so little of me and my ability to be a good friend.
At this point, I don't want to get in touch with my friend again. If you change your phone number without telling me and don't come to my wedding because you feel like going to the beach, are we really even friends? But every once in a while, something will happen that will remind me of one of our stupid inside jokes, and it makes me sad that no one else understands what is funny about some guy nodding at me when we pass on the sidewalk.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Class of '97
I received an e-mail a few days ago informing me of my upcoming ten year high school reunion. I didn't actually receive the e-mail from the organizing committee. I was on the list of people under the heading, "Does anyone have the e-mail address of any of these people?" (Not that I was the only one on that list. There were about 425 people in my high school graduating class, and there were around 200 names on the "missing people" list.) I only stay in touch with two people from high school, so it was pretty shocking that one of these people actually got the e-mail and forwarded it on to me.
I am not going to go to the reunion, but I did reply to the e-mail so that the committee would have my contact information. There are several reasons why I am not going to go to the reunion. First, it is about a six hour drive from here. Second, I can't think of anyone who I am just dying to see. Third, I am guessing that most of the attendees will be people who still live in the area and who still see each other from time to time, and I will just be standing on the outside, making small talk with people I haven't seen for ten years. Fourth, I don't have any old high school enemies that I need to go face or impress with my awesomeness, like some guest on Maury Povich; i.e., "I Was Ugly When I Was 14, But Now I'm A Bodybuilder, So Take That!"
I don't think we should even have a reunion. I think the committee should collect everyone's pictures, addresses, job information, and relationship status. Then they should put all that info in a booklet and send it to everyone so that I can mock my old classmates from the comfort of my own home. I would send in the following picture:
[really bad picture of me aiming my finger guns at the camera]
What's up, bizatches?
[Note: this was taken right after I got done working out, so it is not exactly my best look.]
Or maybe this one:
[H and me at my friend's wedding last summer]
Aw, yeah. Former president of the debate team and HOTT stuff. Also, I'm still short.
I am not going to go to the reunion, but I did reply to the e-mail so that the committee would have my contact information. There are several reasons why I am not going to go to the reunion. First, it is about a six hour drive from here. Second, I can't think of anyone who I am just dying to see. Third, I am guessing that most of the attendees will be people who still live in the area and who still see each other from time to time, and I will just be standing on the outside, making small talk with people I haven't seen for ten years. Fourth, I don't have any old high school enemies that I need to go face or impress with my awesomeness, like some guest on Maury Povich; i.e., "I Was Ugly When I Was 14, But Now I'm A Bodybuilder, So Take That!"
I don't think we should even have a reunion. I think the committee should collect everyone's pictures, addresses, job information, and relationship status. Then they should put all that info in a booklet and send it to everyone so that I can mock my old classmates from the comfort of my own home. I would send in the following picture:
[really bad picture of me aiming my finger guns at the camera]
[Note: this was taken right after I got done working out, so it is not exactly my best look.]
Or maybe this one:
[H and me at my friend's wedding last summer]
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Why Am I Admitting This?
The other day, when I was driving to the bus stop, I was thinking about my friends. I was thinking about who I can really count on, and who I wouldn't trust with the really important things. (Not that I am the greatest friend ever. I have owed my friend something like $45 since July. I finally sent her the money last Monday. I do feel really bad about it, if that makes my forgetfulness and laziness any better, which it doesn't. And I did send her some extra money to make up for my freaking 6 months of laziness.) Anyway, I was thinking about my friends. And I thought, "If H died, who would I call and ask to come stay with me, and who would actually come and sleep on H's side of the bed and listen to me cry?" Obviously, I would call my family, but next I would call my two best friends, and I know that they would fly to Minnesota as soon as they could. And then I almost started weeping in my car because I was thinking about what would happen if H died. And I thought, "I cannot keep thinking about this because this is really weird and morbid. Also, I actually wore mascara today, and I do not want to be the scary person on the bus with raccoon eyes."
So I turned on NPR and listened to the news for a few minutes, and the weeping was avoided. As soon as I got to work, I called H to make sure he had gotten to work safely because I was a little freaked out that either (1) my thinking about his death had caused him to die or (2) the reason I was thinking about his death was that I sensed he had died. I am not normally superstitious, but I managed to freak myself out a little bit. And of course, H was not there when I called. I reminded myself that I was being stupid, and I talked to H later that morning, and he was fine.
I am not sure what the point of this story is except that it clearly shows that I can be a neurotic freak from time to time. And also that I love H despite the fact that he told me today I was dressed really sloppily, and when I said, "I know," he said, "I am so glad you didn't overreact to that like you normally do." I kind of love that he says these stupid things, and they make me laugh instead of annoying me.
Also, I love and trust my friends and am so lucky to have them in my life. Living so far from both of them is hard, and I have not made calling them and e-mailing them one of my top priorities. I need to change that and make sure that I do a better job keeping in touch with them, and not just when I need to vent. I think my (belated) resolution for this year is to be a better friend.
So I turned on NPR and listened to the news for a few minutes, and the weeping was avoided. As soon as I got to work, I called H to make sure he had gotten to work safely because I was a little freaked out that either (1) my thinking about his death had caused him to die or (2) the reason I was thinking about his death was that I sensed he had died. I am not normally superstitious, but I managed to freak myself out a little bit. And of course, H was not there when I called. I reminded myself that I was being stupid, and I talked to H later that morning, and he was fine.
I am not sure what the point of this story is except that it clearly shows that I can be a neurotic freak from time to time. And also that I love H despite the fact that he told me today I was dressed really sloppily, and when I said, "I know," he said, "I am so glad you didn't overreact to that like you normally do." I kind of love that he says these stupid things, and they make me laugh instead of annoying me.
Also, I love and trust my friends and am so lucky to have them in my life. Living so far from both of them is hard, and I have not made calling them and e-mailing them one of my top priorities. I need to change that and make sure that I do a better job keeping in touch with them, and not just when I need to vent. I think my (belated) resolution for this year is to be a better friend.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
The 2006 Review
I am thinking about doing my own Project 365, but like Laurie, I am unsure whether to do it or not.
Reasons I might do it: it would be cool to have a record of every day of 2007, the end result might be cool
Reasons I might not do it: I am not a great photographer, I hate stopping to take pictures of things when I am with other people, I might get tired and give up on it, the end result might suck
Looking at that defeatist list makes me want to try. So I think I shall. I doubt I will post all the pictures here, but I may share some of the good ones. I have no idea yet what the end result will be. Maybe a post on December 31, 2007 of a collage of all the photos. Or maybe just an online record of my year. I don't feel like I have to decide that yet. And now for my thirteen, I shall steal some questions from Lawyerish's post tonight.
1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before? Stay married for a whole year. Work at the same job for a whole year (the last job was only 51 weeks). Serve as a bridesmaid (twice). Attend a Hindu wedding.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I just looked through my blog archives to see if I had any resolutions. So obviously if I made them I didn't keep them, or I only kept them accidentally. I don't think I made any last year though. This year, my resolution is to treat people the way I want to be treated. Kind of hard to measure, but I think it's a good goal.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My friend who I met while we were studying abroad in Ireland gave birth this year. Her baby is the cutest baby ever. Sorry, Stefanie, but she is. I admit that Megan is extremely cute though.
4. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A vacation where I can just sit by the pool or ocean and read. I want to go somewhere warm and relax! Also, a bookcase in our home office.
5. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 28 was my Texas friend's wedding. It was gorgeous and fun and Texas-y. July 2 was Double_G's wedding. It was beautiful and unique and Indian-y. September 3 was our first anniversary. So apparently weddings are very important to me.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Staying happily married. Not that we had a rough time or anything. I am just very proud of our relationship. H is really my best friend. (I apologize if lame cliches make you barf.)
7. What was your biggest failure? Losing 5 pounds and then gaining back 10 pounds. I am back to exercising almost every day and paying attention to what I eat. Hopefully, I can lose 15 pounds by the end of March (my arbitrary deadline). When I told H I wanted to lose 15 pounds, he asked, "Why not 20?" Please see Item 6 above. (He was not being mean; he just doesn't think about how he says certain things.)
8. What was the best thing you bought? Our bedroom set. I feel like an adult and not like a college kid now.
9. Whose behavior merited celebration? H's. Not only is he a wonderful person, but he has lost 35 pounds! He has worked really hard to change his diet and exercise more. Of course, I think he was hot before, and he is still hot. I am just proud of all his effort and discipline.
10. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Lindsay Lohan. You were so cute in "Mean Girls"! What happened?
11. Where did most of your money go? Our house. I love it though, so it is worth it.
12. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Guitar Hero. Pam and Jim's kiss.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Happier, fatter, and richer. May 2007 bring more of the same. Except for the fat.
Reasons I might do it: it would be cool to have a record of every day of 2007, the end result might be cool
Reasons I might not do it: I am not a great photographer, I hate stopping to take pictures of things when I am with other people, I might get tired and give up on it, the end result might suck
Looking at that defeatist list makes me want to try. So I think I shall. I doubt I will post all the pictures here, but I may share some of the good ones. I have no idea yet what the end result will be. Maybe a post on December 31, 2007 of a collage of all the photos. Or maybe just an online record of my year. I don't feel like I have to decide that yet. And now for my thirteen, I shall steal some questions from Lawyerish's post tonight.
1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before? Stay married for a whole year. Work at the same job for a whole year (the last job was only 51 weeks). Serve as a bridesmaid (twice). Attend a Hindu wedding.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I just looked through my blog archives to see if I had any resolutions. So obviously if I made them I didn't keep them, or I only kept them accidentally. I don't think I made any last year though. This year, my resolution is to treat people the way I want to be treated. Kind of hard to measure, but I think it's a good goal.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My friend who I met while we were studying abroad in Ireland gave birth this year. Her baby is the cutest baby ever. Sorry, Stefanie, but she is. I admit that Megan is extremely cute though.
4. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A vacation where I can just sit by the pool or ocean and read. I want to go somewhere warm and relax! Also, a bookcase in our home office.
5. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 28 was my Texas friend's wedding. It was gorgeous and fun and Texas-y. July 2 was Double_G's wedding. It was beautiful and unique and Indian-y. September 3 was our first anniversary. So apparently weddings are very important to me.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Staying happily married. Not that we had a rough time or anything. I am just very proud of our relationship. H is really my best friend. (I apologize if lame cliches make you barf.)
7. What was your biggest failure? Losing 5 pounds and then gaining back 10 pounds. I am back to exercising almost every day and paying attention to what I eat. Hopefully, I can lose 15 pounds by the end of March (my arbitrary deadline). When I told H I wanted to lose 15 pounds, he asked, "Why not 20?" Please see Item 6 above. (He was not being mean; he just doesn't think about how he says certain things.)
8. What was the best thing you bought? Our bedroom set. I feel like an adult and not like a college kid now.
9. Whose behavior merited celebration? H's. Not only is he a wonderful person, but he has lost 35 pounds! He has worked really hard to change his diet and exercise more. Of course, I think he was hot before, and he is still hot. I am just proud of all his effort and discipline.
10. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Lindsay Lohan. You were so cute in "Mean Girls"! What happened?
11. Where did most of your money go? Our house. I love it though, so it is worth it.
12. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Guitar Hero. Pam and Jim's kiss.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Happier, fatter, and richer. May 2007 bring more of the same. Except for the fat.
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