Our Song...

So, I'm trying really hard to focus on positives lately. I'm willing my life into the positive. And if you know me, you know that's hilarious. I'm not New Age-y at all. But I've been reading a blog called "Five Rules to Life," and almost anyone who has anything remotely true to say says that if you focus on the positives, you'll be happier.

It's pretty self-explanatory. So, I'm working on it.

Prepare for a happier blog. OR a colossal meltdown. Whichever.

Anywho, that wasn't the original intention of this post.

What I was going to say is that THIS GUY:



And THIS GUY:



Do not have a song. Never have. And or those of you not in the know, that's me in the first photo and the boy in the second. The more you know...

We've talked about this topic several times, and we can never come close to resolving this issue. I think the closest song we have to an "Our Song" is "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds.



But he thinks the closest we have to our song is "Lady in Red" by Chris de Burgh



No. I say no to that one. We both like that song, but it's not our song.

My question to you is as follows: How does one go about getting a song?

Also, do you and your significant other have a song? What is it? And why?

Thanks!

Out

Crazy...

It's funny, a relationship...



So true.

Out

Flop...

So, I tried to be a good boyfriend yesterday.

Fail.

I took the laundry to do it, because I knew Robb wouldn't be getting home until after 7, and he wouldn't want to go do it then. Since he's coming home late every day this week because of physical therapy, I thought it would be nice.

So I did that with no incident. Washed, dried, folded. And, of course, it was raining when I finished. It eatiher rains or snows EVERY TIME we do the laundry. I wish I were exaggerating here, but it's true. It's the strangest thing.

Anywho, then he calls me and I told him I did the laundry. And we decided I could put a pizza in the oven before he got home so that dinner could be ready when he arrived. I was being a good boyfriend. And if you know me, you know I don't really cook much. I just can't multitask in the kitchen, with the candlestick. What? Oh, right...

So, I burned the pizza, EVEN THOUGH I put it in for LESS than the time the box called for.

Now I felt like an idiot for not even being able to cook a frozen pizza right. Even with instructions on the box. Fail.

And then I got mad, because apparently I have the emotional range of a nine-years-old boy. I just felt ashamed that even when I tried really hard to do things right, they still suck. So I threw an oven mitt at the counter. Now, Robb hates it when I throw things...and I'm a thrower. I always have been (just ask my mother's collection of stuff-that-isn't-quite-whole-anymore...). It's where I go when I'm angry, and it makes me feel better.

It's not right, but it's who I am.

So then he was mad. And now it doens't matter if I'd carved Lincoln's face on Mt. Rushmore into a likeness of the boy, I still felt like a failure as a good boyfriend. Ugh.

And the mood persisted all night. Ruined.

Sometimes, even when I try really, really hard to be a good boyfriend, I fail. Fabulously.

Out

Glitches...

I haven't been getting around and commenting as much as I'd like to lately. See, thing is, Blogger is REALLY glitchy.

Is anyone else having the problem where they close a window containing a blog they were reading and several more pop up on the screen? It does this to me at work ad nauseum. I end up having to bring up my task manager and shut Internet Explorer (the only thing we have there...ick) manually.

Am I the only one?

Out

Obligatory Update...

Okay, all. Obviously there's nothing exciting going on in my life right now. If there were, I'd be updating. The last post I actually wrote was for my other blog, and all it contained was a snippet about how sometimes, when I eat peach yogurt, all I can taste is cheese.

It's true.

What's going on in my life?

I'm saving for vacation.
I rode my bike 5.5 miles.
I am sunburned and entering that itchy stage.
Punch Out!! for the Wii is phenomenal. It's every bit as good as the original NES game and maybe even better.
I repeat, "There you are. Have a nice day." seven hundred thousand times a week.
I got bitten by our cat the other day.
My boyfriend is still a gimp, but he's getting better.
I'm off Monday. Bank holiday.

Other than that...there's really nothing going on. So...my apologies for not updating.

Out

Change a-be a-comin'...

I feel a change coming on. And maybe it's just because every one has been asking me about grad school lately. Couple that with the fact that I'm dissatisfied with work lately, what with all the policy changes and the HUGE drop in sales recently. Trying to get people to open checking accounts is like taking a red hot poker in the anus. No fun. And savings? Do people even know HOW TO save anymore?

Not that there's any extra money TO save...

Banking is lame right now. And I mean that in every sense of the word.

But I feel a change coming on. I feel like I'm not living up to my potential. I'm doing nothing. I'm bored. I'm restless. I'm, in short, dissatified.

And when I am no longer happy, I change things. So.

Stay tuned.

*sings* What do you do with a BA in English?

Out

The Other Shoe...

Yesterday my boss handed me my schedule and told me, "You got two Saturdays off!"

Immediately I started looking at my schedule to try to find the blow she was cushioning with the good news. I was expecting to not have any other days off or to be closing every day or something. After perusing the schedule, highlighting my hours, counting them, and putting a green ring around payday (also known as Water Guy day), I came to the conclusion that there was no bad news. I had plenty of hours; I opened a lot; AND I had two Saturdays off.

So why was I looking for the bad news?

I don't know if I've addressed this subject on my blog before, but I know I've been thinking about this for a while.

This whole "waiting for the other shoe to drop" thing...

I always find myself waiting for the bad news. I get a paycheck that's large and I expect car trouble or something else expensive. I do this ALL THE TIME. It's kind of a bad practice to get into, but I think I've found the cause.

Living in Illinois. Living in the Midwest, in general. Think about it. What do we get after most gorgeous days in the summer? A storm. The best days are followed by tornado warnings. And if it's a mild winter? We just KNOW it will be a scorchingly bad summer. Mild summer? Bad winter! We just EXPECT it!

It's the weather in the Midwest. It makes us all expect the worst after a bit of good news.

Think about it.

Well, I'm done waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's sandal weather!

Out

Absent...

I apologize, blog world. My life has eaten my face recently.

Work and junk...you know. I'll be back soon, I promise.

Out

We Don't Watch TV...

Stop gasping.

Breathe. It's not the end of the world.

I'm going to tell you again, and I want you not to panic.

We. Don't. Watch. Television.

Seriously. I'm not up on American Idol. I don't watch Bones. We're not itching for a brand new CSI. And I haven't seen a What Not To Wear marathon in years. Is that even still on?

I used to be a TV junkie. I could sit and watch Bravo all day long, My DVR was always full of stuff I missed while I was at work: Seven episodes of Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D List, three of What Not To Wear, the newest Simpson's episode right about this month's big new movie channel movie. I could waste an entire Saturday just sitting on the couch feeling worthless and not doing anything about it while I was entertained. Mythbusters? I was learning. What Not To Wear? Educating myself on style. Pushing Daisies? Okay, that was just fun.

Then I moved. Comcast is the only cable prvider in the area, and I can't afford to foot an exorbitant cable bill. And before you tell me about Dish Network or DirecTV, I can't afford them, either. So, we don't watch TV. And you know what? I don't miss it.

We use our TV for playing video games and watching DVDs (or television on DVD such as Will and Grace, MXC, Third Rock from the Sun, and Animaniacs, to name a few). But we don't watch anything current. When people in my life ask me about a show, I tell them I don't watch TV. And they are ALWAYS. SHOCKED. And then I have to convince them that I'm not some freak of nature with a million books all over the walls (I WISH!) and a monocle.

Psh.

I am a normal human being. I know what's out there (aside form new movies...I tend to not find news about them anywhere but blogs). I just don't watch it. News? NPR gives me that. Entertainment? Try reading a book. Stemming boredom? Magainzes, word puzzles, video games, and for God's sake, GOING OUTSIDE!

It's all good. There is no need for alarm. We live perfectly well adjusted lives. We just don't watch television.

Out

All Is Well...

Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday. I appreciate the advice.

We did that unhealthy white people thing where he comes home and we pretend it didn't happen. I eventually got an apology (Sorry I made you mad.), so that's good. I probably shouldn't have gotten so offended, true.

But we're fine.

And more importantly, he got his bandages off and staples removed at his check-up appointment yesterday. We didn't even know he had staples in there. He still has to wear the brace, but at least now he can ACTUALLY SHOWER! Not that he can bend to reach his feet while balancing on one leg in a slippery shower...details, details.

So, one fight behind us, one antiseptic-yellowed leg, and one less pound of bandages later, all is well.

Out

Fight...

Ugh. I hate fighting.

The boy and I are apparently not speaking...and last night we slept in separate beds.

That's the first time it's ever happened.

I mean, we've fought...but we usually make up before bed.

Here's the deal, and don't be afraid to tell me I'm crazy.

He was standing at the sink after his sponge bath talking about how he wouldn't be going to his nephew's bouncy castle birthday party, being that he's in a brace and all, and then I went to turn on the shower. And he trails off with this single little moo noise. So I turn and say, "What?" And he accuses me of not listening to him because I was getting in the shower.

Umm...except that I heard every word and I was actually interested in hearing what he had to say, but it was past 11 and I wanted to go to bed, so I was going to take my shower. No biggie. Well...apparently it was a biggie.

So, I wanted an apology because he accused me of something that wasn't true. Is that crazy of me?

And he didn't think he did anything wrong. So...we fought. And he shared the futon with the cat while I slept in our bedroom. It sucked, honestly. I slept well, not having to share the bed with the cat, but I'd rather have shared it with Robb.

So...am I crazy? Is he justified in being mad at me for thinking he needed to apoligize?

Any thoughts?

Out

Tagged!

A great blogger, Jasmine at An Experiment in Poverty, tagged me for this one. I was thrilled.

Rules to follow... if you're the kind who follows rules: Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own. Tag five other un-tagged people.

What is your current obsession?
I guess it might be our new cat, Marbles. He’s freaking adorable. We just learned that he loves to play the blanket game, where we put him under a sheet and poke at him, and he fights back. So cute.

What are you wearing now?
I’m wearing my forest green sweater with the thin, horizontal grey stripes, my grey pinstripe pants, and my black argyle socks. It’s business casual, baby. But only because I’m at work. At this time of day at home, I’d be in my birthday suit.

Do you nap a lot?
No. Almost never, actually. Napping leaves me feeling groggy and disoriented for days. I must never have inherited that one from my mother. It’s about the only thing we don’t have in common.

What would you like to learn to do?
Cook. I’d love to learn to cook. I’m a terrible multitasker, so timing and doting on more than one thing on the stove is really hard for me. I always end up with cold noodles and sauce and hot bread. Or…you know…But I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich.

What’s for dinner?
I don’t know. I don’t usually cook. It’ll probably be something fast, since we have to eat between when I get off work at 6:15 and church at 8:15. I know it’s two hours, but I won’t get home until 6:30 and then it’s changing and playing with the cat and playing with the boyfriend…you know, time consuming stuff. We might just eat out.

What was the last thing you bought?
Yesterday I went to a thrift store in town and bought One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, a book of random facts for Robb, and Elite Beat Agents for the Nintendo DS. Grand total? $10.83. I love No Strings Attached.

What is your favorite weather?
I love sunny, 70-80 degrees. Anything that makes for great picture taking. Cloud cover washes everything out…no fun at all. Although, I love a good rain, provided that I have nowhere to be.

What is on your bedside table?
I don’t sleep in my own bed. Mine is basically a guest bed in our apartment. But on the table is a drunken Homer Simpson lamp, three books (To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Thinking and Being, Best American Short Stories 200#, -- 8? Is it 8? – and Bearing an Hourglass), my checkbook and car payment booklet, my alarm clock, my change can, a box with all my random foreign coins in it (I should blog about that), a box of Kleenex (currently empty), and several small things I should probably throw away.

What is your most challenging goal right now?
Making enough money to pay my bills. I need a full time job. Working part time at a bank for under ten dollars an hour just isn’t cutting it for me.

Do you have a blog you read daily even when there are no updates?
I used to look at See Kyle Draw (kyle-cummings.blogspot.com) all the time, but now that he’s stopped posting artwork as often, I don’t go there as much. Other than that, Bent Objects (bentobjects.blogspot.com) is a great one.

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
Adam Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5. Or twenty thousand dollars to pay off my loans.

What would you like to get rid of?
The extra body fat around my midsection. I need to start running or something…the abs I do crunches twice a day for are somewhere under that extra poundage. And, admittedly, it’s not much. But it’s enough.

What language(s) do you want to be able to speak?
I would love to speak German. Or Russian. I adore the German language.

What's one thing you're looking forward to?
See previous blog. VACATION!!!!! Although, admittedly, I'm a little bit freaking out about the cat being there without us for almost two weeks. I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking about it. I need a cat sitter.

If you were to pick up a pen right now, what would be the first thing you'd write?
Probably the date. I always date something if I write it. Who knows when I’ll look back at it again. I had a great idea for a poem last night, and I let it get away without writing it down. Grr.

Who was your childhood crush?
Well, in my childhood it was the older brother of a boy I played with (with a last name like a gun). When I figured out what I actually wanted, though (read: high school), it was Jordan Swanson…oh man. I spent way too much energy thinking about that man.

What do you want to be... when you grow up?
A writer, a teacher, a librarian, a clerk at a bookstore…something. Maybe a cartoon voice actor. I’ve been told I’d be good at that. What I don’t want is to be defined by my career. I just want to be able to pay the bills and have a little something leftover to do what I love during my free time.

What (and when) was the last book you read?
I just finished reading On a Pale Horse a little over a week ago. It’s the first book of the seven-book Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony. I read five or six of them waaaay back in the day, when I was into fantasy and sci-fi, and I have always wanted to go back and read them again, if only to finish the series. They’re not as good as I recall them being, but nothing ever is.

I liked all of these questions, so I didn’t delete any of them. But I did add one of my own at the end. Now, to tag…

How about:
A Human Kind of Human
All Is Fair
Melissa

All right, then...

Viewtiful_Justin...Out

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...

Is it bad that I am SO looking forward to a vacation that I'm not even taking until July?

We just found out that we'll be in town for San Diego Pride! That's so very frickin' exciting! I never even thought about it until the other night when we were making sure we wouldn't miss Chicago Pride. We won't. And with any luck, we won't miss San Diego Pride, either!

Now it's off to work. Until close. Which means I won't get around to getting around much today. Blast.

Out

Home...

Well, the boy is home from his ACL surgery.

He's in one piece, plus a leg brace and bandages. He's not really mobile, though, and that's really hard on him. Ugh. I feel so bad seeing him so frustrated. Do you KNOW how hard it is to bathe when you're in a leg brace that you can't get wet?

So...we're grinning and bearing it, and I'm trying to help him out as much as I can.

How long does this recovery usually take? No one thought to ask a nurse...

Out