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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Thoughts from New England

Well I landed in Boston yesterday evening, and I'll be in the northeast until July 6.

I'm happy to be here but nervous, mostly because if Rob gets sent back to Santa Fe I might not get to see him before I go to Chicago for work.  Keep your fingers crossed for us please!

Anyhoo, here are some of my first impressions upon returning to the homeland:

1. Humidity.  WTF, mate? I've only been gone for four months so I can't say that it's all that hard to reacclimate, but it definitely was noticeable when I landed.  I complained a lot about the southwestern heat, but at least in New Mexico you can hide from the heat in the shade. Humidity, on the other hand, is everywhere and completely inescapable.

2. Lack of scary bugs. It's nice not having to double- and triple-check my bed or my towels for giant bugs or centipedes.  However, my scary bug killing skills have come in handy: my sister brought her laundry upstairs and found a weird scary silverfish that I was able to successfully kill with my spider-killin' shoe.

3. Waking up still being able to breathe. In New Mexico my nose is gross and booger-y when I wake up for some reason (yeah, I know, it's gross), but for some reason that's not really an issue here.  Lack of dry air, I suppose?

4. So fucking green.  I forgot how brown Santa Fe is until I saw all the lush greenery here in Massachusetts (and, later today, Maine).  Bananas.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Monday, June 25, 2012

What We've Been Up To: Fire Weekends, Roswell, and Other Things

Holy shit, where the hell did the time go? I haven't posted since last Wednesday and can't really remember the last time I did that.

This summer it's been really hard for me to drum up the motivation to write something that's even close to worth reading.  When Rob's gone I'm spending so much time trying to stay busy and working that writing a post is downright daunting.  Not to mention the fact that I just plain don't have much to write about. Anyway I thought I'd give an update since this last week was more eventful than previous weeks.

First off, Robbie had four glorious days off.  I'm happy to say that I was better than I have previously been at staying in the moment and enjoying him while he's here.  We didn't do much, mostly sat around and snuggled a lot, went out to eat, made fried banana splits, and watched TV.  Very "us," in other words.  He got called out again on Saturday (and is flying around in helicopters this time, which caused me to have a massive panic attack on Sunday morning) so I'm just trying to crawl into my shell and stop worrying.

In happier news, my good friend Heather came to visit on Thursday!  Heather and I became friends over the Interwebs back in 2005 or 2006 (and on Xanga, THROWBACK!) and we've been close every since.  It's weird that met for the first time this last week when she came to visit since I've known her for so long.

The unlikely highlight of her visit was our road trip to Roswell. As Heather put it, if you're considering going to Roswell, don't.

We were totally filled with nerdy glee the entire way down there.  "Down there," by the way, was a 3-hour drive of absolutely fucking nothing.  We came across two towns, both of which literally looked like the nuclear bomb had gone off and everyone was dead or gone.  Once we got to Roswell we went immediately to the UFO Museum, which, since there aren't any UFO artifacts, was mostly composed of  alien figurines, printed-out emails and photocopied affidavits from random people who "saw" the UFO.  We were looking forward to the gift shop by the end, which was also a huge disappointment. Literally there were maybe 5 styles of shirts, and most were in size XXL.

We left the gift shop and explored some of the local stores, which were equally disappointing.  Not a single witty or interesting shirt or high-quality alien item.  All in all we felt pretty screwed over and were on our way out of that piece within two hours.  I call it a highlight because it was still fun being with a good friend even if the location was pretty nonsense.

And now for some fun photos:

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On Sunday we went to Albuquerque to the natural history museum (yeah, we're nerds) and P.F. Chang's.  I was so happy to have someone to spend time with and force me outside when all I want to do is huddle inside and wait for Rob to come home.  

Well there you go, friends, an update on life.  This week is packed with work and packing for Maine, since I'm leaving on Friday.  I'm crossing my fingers that Robbie will be home for at least a day before I leave, but I've learned that getting my hopes up this summer is a pretty stupid thing to do.  If you don't mind, please keep Robbie and his crew in your thoughts with hopes that they'll stay safe and not too overworked.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Links and Such

I've given up any motivation to keep doing these on Thursday so there's no real point in calling them TILTs anymore, eh?

Shut up! Announcing your plans makes you less motivated to accomplish them. (via Nova) This is SO true for me.

Loved this photo series capturing the "dark side" of Barbie & Ken's marriage. (via Liz)

I'm not usually a fan of DIY/tutorial posts on the whole, but this water blob seems like SO MUCH FUN even if it's meant for kids.

11 Funny Facts I Learned from the Movies.

Thank your ex.

10 Things 90s Kids Will Have to Explain to Their Children.

Paper Miniatures - WOW.

I really enjoyed this documentary about Russian prisons and specifically the secret language behind Russian prison tattoos. I had to watch it all via YouTube which was a bummer given the poor video quality, but it was totally worth it. As a side note, please never put me in a Russian prison.

I was introduced to Friday Frodos courtesy of Suzy, and I'm totally hooked.  Basically this blogger finds a ton of hilarious photos and GIFs and compiles them into awesome weekly posts; I spent hours looking through old ones a few days ago!

I definitely got sucked into this Tumblr for awhile - OKCupid Enemies. Probably NSFW.

The 36 Absolute Best Things in the World (via Suzy)

You want a physicist to speak at your funeral, via Nova. This was beautiful.

Words as images.

Danielle talks about being a non-believer.  I really enjoy finding other non-believers since we seem to be few and far between in this community (or are just scared to talk about it)

Monday, June 18, 2012

Bits & Pieces

1. This gets to be number one for obvious reasons: MY ROBBIE IS HOME! I can't tell you how awesome this feels.  I swear to god after he got home I would miss him if I had to go into the other room for a second, that's how pathetic we are (though at least we can be pathetic together, I guess).  Rob drank 2 energy drinks just to be able to stay awake, and we spent like 2 hours in bed before going to sleep just talking about everything.  It was awesome.  I have him for four amazing days before he goes back on call and we're going to relish every single fucking minute of it.  What sucks is that my mind never lets me enjoy the moment and I'm already leaping to conclusions about him wanting to leave again (not true) and dreading when he actually does leave again (not helpful). It's a process, I guess.

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

2. I'm heading back to Maine next Friday for a week which should be fun.  It'll be great to see our families and celebrate the Fourth (which both of our families take very seriously) where I always did as a kid.  I'm super bummed that Robbie can't go, and even more bummed that leaving for a week may mean that I don't see Rob for an extended period of time depending on his schedule.  One of the things I want to work on is trying not to predict the future (and especially not predicting that it will be universally negative) but it's hard when his schedule is too up in the air to pin down.

3. Just before Rob came home last night he told me that he had found some wild onions on the fire and was bringing them home so we could cook them together.  In Maine you can't really forage in the same way (except for blueberries and tiny raspberries and strawberries) so I was initially skeptical, but turns out they tasted great! We included them in our "Chipotle Night" dinner last night. And, what do you know, they look like real onions!

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

4. I never thought I'd say this, but after weeks of 90-degree weather and unceasing sunshine, I am ready for a 75-degree day in front of a lake in Maine.  I'm getting a heat rash that's slowly spreading over my arms and walking the dog has become downright unbearable because of it.  The sun does not fuck around here.

5. All that said I do like the complete lack of blackflies and mosquitoes.  I will take cicadas dive-bombing my face and peeing on me (yes, turns out that fucking is a thing) over blackflies and mosquitoes.

6. What do you all have planned for this week?

Saturday, June 16, 2012

MST3K: The Tattoo

I can't remember if I've talked you guys about how much I love Mystery Science Theater 3000 but if I have, you're getting a healthy dose of repetition.

I wrote out this whole story for Chantilly's tattoo giveaway back in March, so I'm just copying it back here to avoid having to write it all because I suck at writing lately:

When I was 13 or 14 I started watching a TV show called "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (abbreviated MST3K). The basic premise of the show is that a man (named Joel, and later a different guy named Mike). is shot up into space and forced to watch terrible B-movies  He creates two robots to watch the movies with him, so you get to watch the movie and listen to their commentary. It's kind of a cult classic thing but I loved it.

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At age 16 I started dating my first boyfriend who I met through a mutual friend's band. I was hanging out with my boyfriend and two of his friends, and I asked if any of them had ever seen Mystery Science Theater 3000. One of his friends, Rob, perked up his head and looked at me, and told me that he had watched that show with his dad since he was a kid. That friend would later become my boyfriend and now my husband. He later told me that that was the first moment he thought that he thought that I might be more interesting than many awkward 16-year-old self portrayed.

Young and in love, MST3K was our go-to show to watch together. We quoted jokes, bought each other volumes, and, truthfully, would put it on the TV so we could make out without our parents knowing. A few months before Rob turned 19, he left for Georgia to begin his army enlistment. We had only been together for about a year and a half but this move totally changed everything. I started to find that whenever I was sad, MST3K was the only thing that cheered me up. I didn't even have to be watching it intently, it just had to be on or I started to feel a little...unmoored, I guess. I left for college and my vast collection of MST3K episodes followed. I got everyone in my dorm (including my roommate) into watching it and I'm not sure much else graced our television in our tiny dorm room.

In October of 2006, Rob, who had chosen one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army, left for Iraq during one of the most dangerous times in the war. Within the first month and a half he was injured when a sniper's bullet meant for his neck missed its mark and ricocheted off of a pole into his arm. To make matters worse, we frequently would go 2-3 weeks at time without talking or emailing due to his grueling schedule and frequent communication shut-downs. At the time I was attending a very liberal college and encountered many people who seemed to look at the idea of a soldier boyfriend with disdain. A few even asked me if he killed civilians. Those that weren't outrightly hostile were just confused, and didn't know how to tolerate my seemingly-random bouts of crying or periods of frustration. The only thing that would make me feel better after a day of trying to forget that he was in danger or how alone I felt was--you guessed it--MST3k. I watched the same episodes over and over again and always felt closer to Rob, no matter how far away he was.

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In late January 2007, while Rob was still in Iraq, I traveled to Moscow, Russia. When I arrived into my room after a 10-hour flight, and this is an absolutely true story, the first thing I did was search for an outlet so I could plug in my laptop and watch MST3K. When I couldn't find one, due to exhaustion and frustration, I burst into tears and called every family member I had. I was deeply, deeply homesick and anxious. I even went to the building manager and asked in halted Russian where my razetka (outlet) was. It's funny to me now but I actually had to look up the word for outlet having never used it before; it's still scrawled in pencil in my Russian dictionary. Anyway, I was pretty inconsolable until the next day, when a housekeeper barged into my room, mistook me for a boy, then showed me where to find the razetka--right behind my desk. From that point on whenever we weren't out doing something, or if I knew Rob wouldn't call me for a few weeks, I'd pop in one of the few MST3K episodes I had with me. When Rob informed me that his deployment was getting extended from 12 to 15 months, I cried a little a lot, settled in with a few MST3K episodes and just felt right again.

Now, almost 10 years after that first MST3K bonding moment, and 4 years after Rob finished his enlistment, we still watch at least one to two episodes per week. Last night (I wrote this in March but this is still true - we watch one every night) we popped in an episode that we've probably seen 150 times, but we laughed again together as though it was brand new to us. To this day it's just about my favorite thing to do on a quiet night together. Rob recently accepted a position as a wildland firefighter, meaning that he'll be gone for most of the summer fighting forest fires. As you can imagine, I'm already anticipating a lot of nights curled in my bed with our dog, Cypress, watching my favorite MST3K episodes.

This is a really long story so I'll sum it up. The idea of an MST3K tattoo (specifically of the two robots, Crow and Servo), commemorating the memories and strength I associate with this particular TV show, has floated around in my head for years, though for some reason it has yet to come to fruition. Now that Rob is out of the Army and we are moving on with a new chapter in our lives, I think it's finally time. I think that this giveaway is the perfect reason to get it.

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Well I didn't win the giveaway, but writing out the story reminded me of how much I wanted this tattoo and of how much it meant to me.  Believe me, I know it's silly to be so attached to a television show but if anyone would do it it's weird little me.

I went to Albuquerque on Thursday evening to start this tattoo with the amazing Gina from Star Tattoo and I'm already in love with it.  It's in a more visible spot than I would've planned, but the stencil looked great there and it just felt right.  I really wanted to share this story with you guys because I'm just so excited to have finally moved forward with this and I love sharing these parts of my life with you.

I'm not one of those people that insist on tattoos "meaning something" or having some deep significance. Often getting an awesome design you love is enough of a meaning for me. But this one is really special and I'm just so fucking happy about it.

I promise to post a photo once it's done in a few weeks.

Also I can't fucking write lately, and for that I apologize.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Things You Need to Know if We're Going to be BFFs

I saw this on Deanna's blog earlier today and since I'm husbandless for the next 3.75 days, I might as well make some new friends, right?

I'm sure that none of you all of you have read my blog and thought "what the hell is wrong with this girl how can I be her best friend right now?!" Well it's your lucky day, friends, because here are some things you need to know in order to be my BFFLDIKKAGEH.

1. I have a phobia of trains.  It's not like a full-on, can't leave my house phobia, but I have been known to structure my day around the train schedule to avoid coming to a crossing when it's passing. If I freak out at a train crossing or cry or gag, just accept that I'm one weird motherfucker and move on.

2. I tend to dive head-first into relationships and friendships. I tend to get uncomfortable topics out of the way and/or make disgusting jokes.  I've made some awesome friends by totally crossing boundaries from the get-go (here are a few examples).

3. Related to #2: I have a gross and offensive sense of humor, and I don't personally get offended all that easily.  I swear like a sailor (assuming it doesn't bug you, in which case I can tone it down, ha).

4. I am actually a total wuss.  I'm loathe to do something that could get me into trouble/yelled at/arrested.

5. I talk a lot. Probably too much. And I apologize for it a lot, especially when I've been drinking.

6. I speak Russian somehow more fluently when I drink (na zdorovya!).

7. I like to hang out with new friends pretty frequently if we're near each other.  So if you're more hands-off you might be annoyed by me.

8. Sometimes I'm really emotional and crazy.  It passes, and I don't usually subject new friends to it, but if you're my BFF you're probably going to see it.

9. I can't eat gluten, so if we're going out, I'm going to be pretty annoying. If we stay in and cook dinner I'll probably need to (rudely) get my food first to make sure my food isn't contaminated.  I promise I'm not being an asshole.

Your turn! Leave me a link in the comments if you do this too!


Sunday, June 10, 2012

A Walk with Cypress

We adopted Cypress back in 2008, and since then she's had a very active exercise schedule.  It's changed depending on which one of us was available to walk her, whether I was traveling, and how easily we could walk her off-leash.  Now that Rob's gone and I'm working from home, her normal schedule is four  3/4 mile walks each day (8 am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6:30pm).  She's unique in that she is even more routine-driven than most dogs; even if she's exhausted from previous walks or a trip to the dog park she will follow you around the house once she knows it's time for her to walk again.

Over the last few months I've taken her along the same path generally, a private hiking trail just behind our house.  We walk her so often that we actually created a shortcut trail that people have started to use (which is annoying, because they walk through our driveway to get to it). The trail goes up the mountain, but since I'm lazy and don't always have a ton of time, I walk her in the other direction (you know, down the mountain), around the houses below ours, then up the road back to our place.  

I thought it'd be fun to take some photos of one of our walks and share them with you.  I haven't been taking my camera out as much as I'd like so it helped to relieve the monotony of walking the same path every single day.

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Her morning walk was later than usual so she had an excess of energy.

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I feel like this is very much a "desert" flower, in that its beauty lies in its almost lack of beauty, if that makes sense.

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She usually won't go too far ahead of me before looking back.

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I hate yucca. I seriously do. Every time I touch one of these things I get the shit poked out of me.  One of those little white string things actually embedded itself in my finger once.

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The view from our walk - you can see all of Santa Fe, some of Los Alamos, and a tiny bit of Albuquerque.

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One of Dids's favorite things to do when she's anxious is to stand between my legs and get butt scritches.


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I've been amazed at how beautiful cactus flowers can be.


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Cicada holes. I am seriously so fucking over the cicadas. We had them in Maine, but the trees there are tall so you hardly have to see them.  Since the trees in New Mexico are mostly ear-level, they're 80 times louder and feel the need to fucking dive out of the tree as soon as you walk by.  I'm super jumpy because they've literally flown at my face several times.

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Did you know that this is what cactuses look like when they die? I had to look up whether this was wood and actually sits under the exterior of the cactus, or if this is just dried succulent.

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When I see small trees I like to imagine it's a tiny forest and I'm a giant.

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This is the last part of the walk and my least favorite. It looks relatively flat, but it's actually uphill, and in 90 degree weather with the sun beating down on you it's not a great way to end a walk.

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Finally, my favorite non-human. I don't know what I'd do without this little beastie when Rob's gone.

Happy Sunday, all!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Things I Love Thursday on a Weekend

Epic Geek Jewelry for Nerdy Girls (or guys, whatevs). Thanks Meg!

Draw a Stickman awesome little adventure game thing.  This was far, far more entertaining to me than I ever would've imagined. Thanks Meg!

If you want some awesome links check out The Oatmeal's new site BearFood.  Basically users submit and upvote hilarious/amazing links.  For the third time, thanks Megan!

If you need convincing that BearFood is awesome, check out this link I found there: 10 Strange Facts about Einstein.

Love should be a balls-out proposition.  Thanks for this, Deanna!

A child's skull before losing baby teeth.  This is creepy as hell but super cool. (via Lynsey)

25 Things You Didn't Know about "Mad Men" That Will Blow Your Mind.  These did blow my mind - Jon Hamm auditioned for the role of Jack Donaghy?! Pete Campbell lives off the grid?! What?!

25 YouTube Comments that are Actually Funny.

How cool would it be to be at this get together?

Behind the Scenes of Classic Movies. I spotted one from "Revenge of the Creature," one of my favorite MST3K episodes!

14 Photos of Marilyn Monroe that You've Probably Never Seen Before.

A great infographic detailing common rhetological fallacies.

I love collections of awesome photos of humans.

12 creative business cards.

What 10 Classic Books were Almost Called.

Disturbing unanswered questions from children's movies.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Up and Down

The last two days I have been breaking one of the cardinal rules of fire wife-dom, and that is to get my hopes up.

Rob left for a fire on Sunday. Since it was a small one I held out a slight hope he'd be home within a few days.  Just as they were preparing to come home, they got redirected to another fire.  The next day, same thing.  On Wednesday I woke up early and saw that there was a fire 10 miles from the edge of Santa Fe, and knew he'd go there (I was right).  He texted me this morning to say he was on his way back to the base but that (of course) they'd work a full work day. I cancelled several iterations of weekend plans thinking he'd be home.

Just after I'd spent money on groceries that will now probably never get eaten in anticipation of him coming home, I got another text from him and the crew heading all the way down to fucking Southern New Mexico, probably for the entire next week.

I like to think I've been doing better with this.  Each fire has gotten slightly easier and I don't find myself in a crumpled heap as often (which we here in Caitlin-land call progress).  But honestly, I was really fucking excited to see him, even though it's only been 5 days.  I really didn't want to sleep alone.  I didn't want to walk Cypress alone and eat alone and watch endless documentaries on Netflix and the Mad Men season finale alone.

So I'm pretty upset.  I know I've been through worse, I know it's always important to keep perspective. It'll pass, but I just need to whine.

In other news, if you'd like to come keep me company and grab a drink, I'm buying.

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

The Camel Spiders Get Revenge, and Other Things (Warning: Bug Photos)

A couple of months ago I shared with you a story about Rob's psychological battle with a camel spider back in Iraq.  I guess I must've pissed off the camel spider population, because last night they decided to get even for my libelous diatribe.

As I was preparing for bed, not thinking about camel spiders or any other terrifying beasts, I noticed a small bug-like creature zig-zagging around my kitchen and hiding under my trash can.  I grabbed my shoe and killed it without much of a thought.  However, as I looked closer, I realized that this zig-zagging little fucker was in fact a small version of the very camel spiders Rob had encountered in Iraq.

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

I was creeped out, but accepting, since we live in the goddamn desert and it only makes sense that there would be terrifying creatures haunting my home, right?

After disposing of the beast, I went into my bedroom before coming back to the kitchen.  As I went to pick up my phone charger, I noticed yet another camel spider running around in the act same place that the deceased one had been.  At this point I started to freak out a little bit, quite honestly.  I killed the second arachnid, and returned to my bedroom significantly shaken.

As I prepared to get into bed, I noticed a fucking third camel spider, the biggest of the three.  It was dead, and stiff, which makes me think that I may have stepped on it prior and brought it with me into the bedroom.  Despite its lack of vitality, I totally fucking lost it guys.  I cried, hyperventilated, contemplated going to a hotel, and looked at Cypress for support.  I triple- and quadruple-checked the bed and the entire kitchen three or four times (and even woke up in the middle of the night to check again, just in case).

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

This morning I woke up early and headed straight to Home Depot.  I think the camel spiders came through a gap between our patio door and the floor that I've been worrying about for months, so I bought a draft sealer, deadly bug spray, and sticky traps.  The camel spiders shall not have their night tonight.

Also, this is still happening:

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

So I am alone in my battle.  If you could say a prayer to the patron saint of Camel Spiders, I would much appreciate it.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Things I Don't Like that Others Seem to Love

I got this idea from Holly's blog so if you have a second, go over and say hello to her and read her post.

1. Twilight - Before you accuse me of being unfair, please know that I have read several of the Twilight books (always borrowed, never paid for a single one) and have seen the majority of the movies, though admittedly with the intention of getting drunk with a Twilight drinking game.  As a former 13-year-old girl I understand the appeal, I really do.  But guys, they are just fucking awful.  The message (hang around and eventually a man will hand you an identity and a reason to live) is terrible, the writing is even more terrible ("Edward looked at her amorously with love."), the story-telling is abysmal.  I really hope if that my children like Twilight, they are also understanding of how neither Bella nor Edward are role models to follow.

2. Soda and Beer.  Since I was a kid, I've never been able to drink soda.  It physically hurts my mouth and throat and makes me physically sick.  This applies to beer and any other carbonated beverages.

3. Wine.  I want to like wine, guys.  I want to be classy, I really do.  I just don't.  It's not as if I can't handle the taste of alcohol; some of my best friends are martinis.  I just don't think rotten grapes make for a yummy beverage.

4. Flowy Clothing.  To be fair, I'm only basing the fact that everyone must love this on the fact that there's a ton of this shit at Target.  I try on these clothes and they just don't fucking fit.  Maybe it's because I'm small, with short hair, and I already have to make sure I look feminine if I don't want to be mistaken for a boy or a lesbian (both of which have happened).  The flowy shit totally obscures my shape and makes me look like a solid block of human. I see people wearing it and it looks great, so maybe this is just some sort of weird conspiracy to make me more self-conscious.

5. High Heels with Socks.  Add this to the "looks great on other people" list (seeing a theme much?).  I did this as a little girl and I guess I can't get behind it again for that reason.  The other problem is, as soon as I put socks on that cover my ankle bones, it looks like I have cankles.  I think my legs are just too stubby.

6. Make-up.  I am just plain not interested in make-up or nail polish.  My main place to buy either of those things is either Walmart or the supermarket, and I keep the same 3 pieces (eyebrow pencil, eye shadow, mascara) for literally years.  If my eyes weren't so squinty I wouldn't even bother with it, quite frankly.

7. Seafood.  People think that because I am from Maine we must sacrifice lobsters every full moon and devour their flesh, or eat them for Thanksgiving, or something. And everyone is always so shocked when I tell them that I never eat lobster. I hate all seafood with the small exception of canned tuna (and even then I only eat it with a shit-ton of mayonnaise and bread).  I hate the smell and the taste that stays in your mouth for days.

What do you not like that others do?

Monday, June 4, 2012

Bits and Pieces

1. Cypress has been stressing me out to the max lately, which isn't great because we tend to feed off of one another's stress.  Back in Maine, she always loved going to doggy daycare.  She'd play all day and come home exhausted.  Here in New Mexico, she hasn't gone as often, and since I've been home and has often been subjected to my rapidly-changing emotions and stress levels.  I guess it's really gotten to her, because the few times I've tried to drop her off at daycare she has fucking flipped out.  She looks at me with crazy panic in her eyes and just whines/talks/howls incessantly.  A friend of mine works at the daycare she's been going to, and she said that while she warms up it does take some time.  I feel really bad that she's clearly internalized my stress so much, but I'm hoping it will be rectified by a few visits every week to get her back into it (and away from me and my crazy for a few hours).  The good news is that her daycare has a webcam, so I can watch what she does.


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HAYY

2. Rob's gone on another fire.  It's little, so we're hoping it's a short one but as always, I can't get my hopes up.  I only got a text message and he's in a dead zone in terms of coverage.  I'm sad, but I don't feel as hopeless as I did the last time around which I'm hoping keeps up.

3. I'm working on getting another tattoo in the next few weeks.  Maybe I'll tell the story when and if I show it here.  It's going to look kind of geeky and funny but it actually means a lot to me, and is a design I've been thinking about since college.  

4. I know I've said it several times on here, but I really am so happy to have met the fire wives and to get to spend so much time with them.  This week we're going to spend some time by the pool and totally relax--I think we've earned it.

5. MAD MEN, RIGHT?!

6. I really want to thank all of you guys for the sweet tweets, comments and emails you've sent me lately.  I hate that I've been so absent on here, especially because I really want to write and just...can't.  Writing this post took so much longer than it ever, ever should. You guys are awesome and totally help keep me sane, which is saying a lot because I don't have a lot of sanity going around anyway.  

I wish you all a magical week in which all of your dreams come true.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Things that Make Me Laugh

1. Any number of quotes from Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Wet Hot American Summer, or MST3K. Some of them I've literally heard hundreds of times and it doesn't even matter, I laugh like a fuckin' banshee.

Highlights

"I'm afraid I shot my wad on what was supposed to be a 'dry run,' so you could say I have a bit of a mess on my hands."
"Beads!" "BEES?!" "BEADS." "BEADS?!" "GOB's not on board."
"We put Tim in front to absorb the first hail of bullets."
"Rowsdower, can you put out my head?"
"I'm planning on going to the gym later so I deserve a treat!"
"I want you inside me." "What?" "Oh hey, what's up? From before."
"Jim Stancil.  You know Jim? He's that guy."
"And all the flesh slipped off my skullll!"
"What's her name?" "Crindy!" "Name's not Crindy, GOB." "Saul...Zentzman! Nope, that's her lawyer."
"Paool, you is a werewilf!"

2. When Rob and I quote any of the above together.

3. Silly faces that Cypress makes, like when her lip gets caught on her gums and she looks like she's making a sneer.  We call it her "Dick Cheney" face.

4. When bigoted people prove how stupid they are with their own words.

5. When I catch one of my tattoos out of the corner of my eye, think it's a giant spider, and jump a mile.

6. About 85% of what George Takei posts on his Facebook page.

What makes YOU laugh?

Happy Friday friends!