Get Back to Work!

This is what Reggie Fils-Aime is doing instead of making good decision at Nintendo of America...

That's really all I have to say today.

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Goodreads

My friend Dan Lang told me about Goodreads when he was over this weekend. He's created a monster. I spent the majority of yesterday adding books to my shelves, marking them as read, rating them, adding things to my "to read" pile, and marveling at the fact that every book I've ever read since I was able to read is on there. Go Dog, Go!? It's there. War and Peace? It's there. Strangely enough, I gave them both five stars.

I looked at book lists and joined some groups and found some friends. Then I took a bike ride. When I came back, I jumped right back in and added some things I'd only thought of while I was out. By the end of the night my eyes were so tired from staring at my computer screen that I could barely focus. Phew. I slept like a rock, too. Of course, it might have been the dream where I ended up owning Disneyland that kept me sleeping...

Are you on Goodreads? You should find me! I'd love to see what you've been reading, what you are reading, and what you plan to read.

Out

Pride Pride Pride...

We went. We thought we saw all of the parade. We ate. We realized the parade wasn't over. We wandered. We left.

A friend of a friend got in a fistfight with a not-so-nice lesbian that was standing near us. Granted, he was drunk and obnoxious and antagonistic. He deserved to be headlocked and body punched repeatedly. He probably deserved to be led away by the police, which he was. And he probably deserved to be told off at dinner for being a perfect ass. Being. Not having. Read carefully, folks.

We tried to get there an hour early, but...we were thwarted, somehow. We got stuck in a time warp that had us crammed into a an el train with no room to jump to the left OR step to the right. And forget putting your hands on your hips. And then...crowds. Crowds. Crowds.

I still don't know what happened with the two hour cushion we built in to our travel. It's been three years since we've been subjected to the huge, crazy crowds. Usually we get a spot near the barricades an hour early and get to ignore the crowds. This year? we got stuck between a large black woman with her children and the tallest Asian man that God ever made. Not to mention the glitter-throwing kids behind us...there's still glitter in the carpet at home.

But honestly, Robb and I had a good time hanging out, meeting people, talking. Dan's a wonderful conversationalist and a great friend. I only wish he wasn't three hours (four with creative detouring) away. And now I have some new book and music recommendations to look into. What more could you ask for from a weekend? Sun, parade, laughs, music, books...what more is there?

Oh...this: It's not Katy Perry's "Firework" anymore.

"Baby you're a dinosaur,
Come on let me hear you roar..."

What a fun weekend!

Out

Yup...on our way home. Good music and a fantastic lack of ignorant shouting bitches makes for a great ride home.

And now our train is stuck...and a crazy drunk black woman is shouting and pounding on a window...but it's a good message. She's offering to eat girls out.

Okay...it was hot. A friend of a friend got in a fistfight with a dyke and was arrested. A good meal and a good walk later, we decided it was time to go.

Four.

"Born This Way" count? 3.

Parade is crazy...holy cow. More people here than ever before.

The train is packed with rainbows. It begins!

Pre-Pride...

Well, I got my pre-Pride haircut, the one that my Hair Cuttery girl Renee and I joke is the most important one of the year. I'm all set. I think I've decided what I'm wearing. And tonight we do all the stuff we've been meaning to do since the beginning of the week. That includes exciting entries such as: clean the bathtub, do the dishes, sweep the floor, vacuum, prepare the guest bed...

Prepare the guest bed? Why?

Oh...Dan Lang is coming with us! No, really. We're way excited! Saturday night he's gonna roll into town and spend all night playing Ocarina of Time 3D, and Sunday we're gonna drag his ass out of bed and head to the parade! Oh man. Let's hope the Orange Line is reliable this weekend. I'd hate to be late and miss Dykes on Bikes...or the Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps (if they're there...last year they were not!).

BTW, my camera is WAY broken, so...I probably won't have it with me. I might take my 3DS to take some photos, but...I hadn't decided if I wanted to lug it around. I probably won't. But Robb has his camera (as long as he remembers it and doesn't leave it at home like he did when we went to Glee--j/k, babe! I love you!), and, in the event that we don't have one, it might be nice just to watch the parade for a change.

Anywho...it's a busy weekend. Working today, working Saturday, Pride on Sunday, and working on Monday. Updates on Tuesday!

Out

Boyfriend calls while I'm waiting for him to pick me up at the train station. His car is dead. Dang...looks like I WILL finish reading this chapter...

Music and Running....

I haven't run this week.  Monday it was crappy out, so I figured I'd run Tuesday.  Then my schedule changed, and I had an opening shift instead of a closing shift.  We had a meeting at night, and when I went home, it was storming.  I missed my run.  And today?  So far...rain, tons of wind...etc.  Looks like I could miss my run today, too.  Anyone know where there's a free indoor track around here I could use?  

All these rainy days have had me writing a little bit and playing a lot of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the 3DS (which, can I say, is amazingly new and nostalgic all at once).  Oh...and listening to music.  Of course, there's almost ALWAYS music on at home.  I was curious what my most played songs were, and the list was as follows:

1.  "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green
2.  "Shame for You" by Lily Allen
3.  "Black Keys" by Andy Davis
4.  "Killing Me Softly" by the Fugees
5.  "Cryin'" by Aerosmith
6.  "(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin
7.  "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak
8.  "Nervous" by Dryve
9.  "L.O.V." by Fitz and the Tantrums
10.  "Sadie Hawkins Dance" by Relient K

I was honestly a little shocked.   It's not entirely indicative of the music I feel I've been listening to.  I mean, "Fuck You" is a great song, and that one was no surprise.  It's been played WAY more often than any other song...of course, we listened to it, like, ten times when my brother was over right after it came out, so, you know.  

I can't even remember how "Shame for You" goes, s I can't believe it's second.  The next three are pretty accurate, though.  That Aretha song is one I can't remember hearing recently OR very often, but...there it is.

And the last three?  Hm.  Still kind of odd to me.  The Fitz and the Tantrums song should probably be higher on the list.  And I'm really surprised there's no Ben Folds on this list, considering they're my favorite band.  They made the top 25, but there's only one song clocking it at number 20, and it's not one I even love.  

Oh, and number 11?  "The Bed Intruder Song" by Antoine Dodson.  Yeah...guilty pleasure and a party song.  Sometimes I don't play DJ at my own parties; I just let whoever play whatever.  But, honestly, that one's mostly me.  Ha!

Out

 

Hair...

I've contemplated shaving my head.  I love my hair.  It's thick and pretty easy to manage, and I've never thought, "God, I hate my hair..." ever.  But recently, I've been looking in the mirror and going, "Meh."  I'm getting tired of the same style every day, and I think I'm ready for a change.  But...half my personality is in my hair.  

I'm only half joking about that.

I had a dream last night that I was combing it back and it was getting longer and longer and longer until it was flowing and sandy brown and kind of styled like...I dunno...Murphy Brown or something.

Yikes.  The thing is, I was so happy!  Confused about how I'd style it, yes...but happy.  

Will I change it?  Probably not.  I'm a creature of habit, and hair, while there is that old fall back, "It'll grow out," isn't something I take risks with.  Except that one time I dyed it red.  That was kind of fun.  But I'm not going to color it again.  No way.  College is a good time for being "Arizona Clay", but not in the professional, cut-throat world of bank tellering.  *snicker*  I couldn't even type that with a straight face.

I think it's time for a change.  Just not now.  And definitely not right before Pride.  

Out

Late to the Party...

I'm not a trend setter. I'm just not. Change makes me squeamish and keeps me from sleeping. It takes me a long time to accept something as okay after it is introduced. And sometimes? Sometimes I'm just the last person to hear about things.

It seems like every trend I jump on is on its way out. By the time I say, "Oh, I could see myself wearing that..." it's already not cool anymore. I'm that guy.

It extends to television, as well. I think part of that is because we don't have TV at home. No channels. The television I watch is whatever's on at the laundromat every two weeks. Last night it was "How I Met Your Mother," as show I've never seen before. Now that I've seen it, though, I feel like I'm missing out on something everyone else has said was great for a few years.

We're currently watching a show on DVD that I'm not going to name, because I don't want anyone to know that we're watching it. No, I'm not ashamed. I just don't want people to spoil it. But we're way late to that party, too. It makes me wish I'd watched it when it was on, because then I could talk to people about what I think is going on. Instead, Robb and I banter back and forth about it and then we watch the next episode. I love that banter. But just think about how much more it could have been had we watched it when it was on!

I think not wanting to get TV at home is a solid decision. It used to eat my life. Oh, a Mythbuster's marathon? I'll sit and watch all day? 8 hours of Comedy Central stand-up? Why not! And then there's the, "OMG I have to stop what I'm doing right now because _____ is on!" thing. I'm happy not having that obligation, although with DVR and Hulu, that's quickly becoming passe. And then there's the Pushing Daisies syndrome. I find a show, I love it, I get attached, I proclaim it as the best show ever, and then it gets cancelled.

I hate getting dumped by a TV show.

So...yeah...I'm just not on the ball there.

And don't even get me started on current movies...

Out

Nothing to Add...

Have I already told you how much I have found that I adore the album Rumours by Fleetwood Mac? It's been on repeat in my car for weeks. There's just something about it that feels perfect. Other music gets stuck in my head, so I listen to it. This album, though...I CRAVE it. It's unlike anything I've heard...

Enough about that.

I went for my third run of the week. I haven't made three runs in a week since I started, so that's kind of nice. This time, it was just above 50 degrees, so I pushed myself pretty hard. It as a good run. I think if I had better shoes (read: any shoes for running) I'd be able to really run without my calves and feet burning so much. Maybe not.

My brain's scattered. Zombie feeding frenzy!

Happy Friday. Wish I had something to report...sort of. No news is good news, right? Between watching coverage on Nintendo's new system and upcoming games and being at work, I don't have much going on. And I'm working all weekend.

Out

Wednesday Wilt...

It's hot.  Very hot.  What am I doing?  Well, I took a short, short run this morning.  And now?  I'm just doing as little as possible in the AC.  

I used to live for this weather.  I loved being outside when it was hot.  It was my favorite part of the year.  But now?  I'm finding myself becoming one of those miserable, sweaty people you hear about on the news.  Or...something.

You know who else hates the heat?

This guy:

If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have the AC on, probably.  But he just looks so miserable in his little pool of fat and fur.  Although, really, he makes it worse by sitting in the sun when it's already 80 in the apartment.

Thankfully, we're all happier now that we've turned on the air.  

Out

Civil Union...

My lovely state of Illinois just approved civil unions. That means that Robb and I, instead of saying, "well...maybe someday when it's legal," are saying, "well...maybe Tuesday."

Not really. I mean, we've discussed it, and the best reason to do it at the moment is that I'd be able to be covered under his insurance, so I'd finally have health insurance for the first time since college. That was five-and-a-half years and two teeth ago. It would be very nice to have insurance. It would be very nice to be civil-unioned.

Civilly uned?

Civilly united. That's probably what it is. I prefer the previous iteration. Uned. Like, {yoond}. It sounds so dirty. Anyway...

Since people have been asking me about my thoughts and whether or not they'd be hearing wedding bells--sorry, civil union bells...wouldn't want to offend the semantically-obsessed--in the near future, I figured I' just put it out there.

Am I ready? Sure. Are we ready? I think so.

But I don't want to just race off to the court house to get it done. I want a ceremony. I want a wedding. Friends. Family. Presents. I don't want my mom to have to miss ANOTHER of her sons' weddings...you know, since my brother was married for a year and a month before he told us...And I know that if we raced off and got the forms and just united for insurance purposes, I'd never get a ceremony. Saving for a ceremony would fall to the end of the priority list, since we'd already technically be united. But dang it, I want a wedding!

So, soon? Probably not. Someday? I hope so!

Out

Glee...

The concert was amazing. I took pictures with my phone, but honestly, I was too busy staring with mouth agape and hands clapping to do anything much.

They surprised us with the Warblers! The WARBLERS! They were all there. All of them. Oh my gosh. It was amazing. There were video segments with Sue and Mr. Shue. Cheerios handed out barf bags because the show was going to be that vomit-inducingly bad. I didn't get one...sad sad. There was confetti, t-shirt guns, and tons of music. I was staring at the stage at one point and not paying attention to the little stage that was close to us, and Robb smacks me and goes, "LOOK!"

Puck. Was. Right. THERE!

Oh my gosh. There were a few points in the show where I was so overwhelmed by the fact that all these kids I've watched for two years on TV were RIGHT THERE! SINGING! LIVE! that I might have teared up a little. I'm such a fangirl. And going in to it, I was thinking, "This is going to be a lot of fun, but nothing earth shattering or anything..." I don't know if it was the crowd or what, but I got caught up like a little 'tween.

They opened with "Don't Stop Believin'", Britney did "Slave 4 U", Mercedes sang the hell out of "Ain't No Way", they did "Fat Bottom Girls", the Warblers did "Raise Your Glass"...and many others including "Loser Like Me". The show was about an hour with a half hour encore, so about an hour and a half. I thought it was on the short side, but I understand that singing and dancing for two hours can probably be pretty tiring.

All-in-all? Phenomenal.

Out

Glee Live was AMAZING! The Warblers were even there! More later...Right now? Dinner at Nookie's in Boystown. My favorite!

Had An Idea...

I woke up this morning all gung-ho about posting this great idea I had while I was sleeping. Something happened! I had to tell everyone about it! What a great story it would make!

Then I realized it was a dream. Dang.

So here I sit with nothing.

Except to tell you that I'm SO EXCITED FOR TOMORROW!

Why?

The boy and I are going to see Glee...live...in concert. I know it's not the full cast, but I wonder if Mike Chang will be there...I've read that it's a concert with a storyline, something about their rivalry with Vocal Adrenaline. And they've got Lady Gaga's set designer, a huge stage, tons of multimedia. Funny thing is, I know the people who are in charge of Gaga's set...along with Bon Jovi, Journey, Charlie Sheen, etc. They're based out of my town. My friends have dated some of their employees...met celebrities...it's all kinds of exciting. They tell me that this Glee show is pretty amazing.

I might pee in my pants just thinking about it.

I'm gonna go get a towel.

Out