Archives for November 2013

Today the spousal bonding is happening at the laundromat.  We haven’t done laundry in a couple weeks. I ran out of pants, so it was time.

Earlier we watched the movie Looper (good, but dark). Later we will eat more turkey.

Tomorrow I plan on crockpotting some BBQ pork.

Good long weekend.

Slept a lot last night, I think I was asleep before 10 pm. Woke up between 8 and 9 this morning. Read my book, watched some Fringe. Then Edmund and I watched some stuff together, including The Hobbit. I ate a Turkey Sandwich. And some pie. And Turkey Nachos. And then we started watching Life of Birds and I fell asleep.

In one of my dreams I am in someone else’s house and we are watching television. We decide to watch a show that was on, but was also being recorded on the DVR. I could not figure out how to work the DVR. And no one could help me. Or would help me. And then some dude I hardly knew made an inappropriate pass.

When I (finally) woke up, I watched the last two Episodes of Fringe. My second watch of the series. So that’s out of the way. (If you are looking for a Sci-Fi show to watch, I recommend. Good Stuff.)

Now I guess I am going to watch the Primeval series. I watched the first three seasons a few years ago, but I fell out of watching it. I’m going to give it another go.

Tomorrow we have big plans to do some laundry. And possibly more naps.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am thankful for stuff. Family, both biological and chosen. A great job. Awesome friends. Books and gadgets and whatnot. Kitties!

However, I am ambivalent about Black Friday. So many feelings. Here they are.

I think it sucks that some companies are open today, Thanksgiving. Well, that’s not exactly true. It sucks that some people who would rather be at home with their families are forced to work in a industry that has stores that historically did not open on Thanksgiving. When they got the job, they thought they would at least get that day off. For instance, it doesn’t bother me that L.L. Bean, which has been open 24 hours a day, 365 a year for FOREVER, is open because I know anyone who works there knew when they started that they might have to work on Thanksgiving (and I suspect they start with volunteers when they do the scheduling.)

Now, regarding Black Friday, let me start right off by saying I am not one who loves to go shopping. Running around in stores, crowds, and browsing are not fun for me. When I go to a store I am planning on buying something specific* (for the most part), and I usually try to buy it online first. An exception would be my recent purchase of eyeglasses; I did NOT want to buy them online because I needed to try them on to see how they looked on my face. So I visited 4 different stores, and finally picked out one pair I liked – eyeglasses are a big purchase, tho. I will be wearing them for the next couple of years.

But I don’t have a problem with stores doing black Friday sale extravaganzas – on Friday (any time after midnight). I have a lot of friends (and my husband) who object to the commercialization of it all, and they do have a point, but I think it can be fun. And the pragmatic part of me loves to get things for cheap.

Examples:

Two years ago my work monitor upgraded to a 23″ screen, which made it difficult to transition/work remotely in my home office. So my goal was to get a new monitor to match. After rejecting the insane midnight line at Best Buy, I set my sights on Staples instead. I got there early (was one of a few) and they gave me a guarantee I could get the item I wanted, and I went back to wait in my car. At the time, I wouldn’t have been able to afford this monitor otherwise.

This year Edmund and I have already rejected the idea of trying to upgrade our television to an HD (because we really don’t need an HDTV). But today I noticed Amazon had a new Sprint phone was $.01 if we re-upped our plan. Edmund has been overdue for a new phone, and saving $200+ on one, well, we just couldn’t resist. (I told him I could pay for his new phone on my card. He won’t have to pay me back the $.01. Generous, aren’t I?)

Tomorrow I have idea of a couple of things I would like to buy, if only because I will save money if I buy them now rather than later.

Now about the workers on Black Friday, I’ve worked retail, and when I did I knew I was expected to work on Black Friday. I think they made exceptions (you always have to have exceptions), but the rule was you work on the Friday after Thanksgiving. And the people I worked for made it as fun as they could, providing food and making sure we got our breaks. And when you are that busy, the day goes by pretty fast.

Ok. What was my point? I guess that the idea of Black Friday is much more complicated than: It Sucks! It’s AWESOME! Parts of it are good, and parts of it are lame. Going insane over a Furby, not cool. Paying one cent for a $650 phone, super cool. Employees being pressured to work, not cool. Employees making extra money for working hours they volunteered for: AWESOME.

I could go on. But I won’t. Because it’s TURKEY TIME!

*The exceptions: bookstores and stationary/pens

Hey. I’m typing this in my home office. If you’ve been following along, you might think that will herald a post of awesomeness and delight. You would be wrong.

Sure, it’s easier for me to type this here than on my phone, but my brain is still dead. Or sleepy. Or numb. Or something something.

So. Pith!

Edmund is talking to me from the next room. That doesn’t help me maintain my concentration, but he is telling me important things about an email he just got from Longfellow books (lesson: Buy local). He told me he would stop talking, but then he mentions how fast I am typing.

I am a dynamo. Don’t you forget it.

Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. A few weeks ago I got a bee in my bonnet to get an old school typewriter. We saw a documentary about old school typewriters an I got all caught up into the romance of it all. Last Saturday Edmund and I visited a local shop, Pinecone+Chickadee, they have lots of cool, kitchy hipster stuff, including old-school typewriters. I found one I liked, only $65. But. When I typed on it, I went too fast and a bunch of keys got stuck. I didn’t like that. Now, if someone gave me a free typewriter, that’s cool, I’d probably try using it, but I cannot pay money to get something that will irritate me. Life. Is. Too. Short.

Funny thing is, not only do I have a laptop, I also have an Alphasmart 2000 – which is a great thing I can bring anywhere to type on. And it doesn’t have internet, (just like an old-school typewriter). And BONUS: I can hook it up to my computer to download what I’ve typed directly into any Word or Text document. It lacks the romance of the old-school typewriter, but I am a practical girl. Function OVER form.

That is all.

I’ve been typing my blag posts on my phone, which is harder to write on than my computer.  I just can’t bring myself to go into my home office nowadays.

It’s like I’m suspended in the Wonderful World of Meh.  All I feel like doing is watching tv (Fringe).

Tonight I switched things up. Not only did I cook some dinner (sausage and mashed potatoes), I read books (end of Hunger Games,  beginning of Catching Fire).

This is, in part,  because the last season of Fringe is a little darker than previous seasons. Good, but intense. So instead I chose to read about the Hunger Games,  where 24 teens fight to the death as a way to discourage rebellion. A laugh riot.

Yay.

Now I’m probably going to stay up too late with the reading. Even though Edmund warned me not to.

I never listen.

Watched Fringe all day. This afternoon I put some hot water on for tea. While waiting for it to boil, Squiggy got on my lap. I was stuck. Clearly I needed to pet the kitty.  The tea needed to wait.

While waiting for Squiggy to be done with me, I fell asleep. And I slept for hours.

Not very exciting, is it?

Let me make something up.

I fell asleep and then I woke up in London.  I fought crime, and danced with some Chippendale dancers! Then I teleported to Mars and had Scotty to beam me up to the Enterprise where I met the Doctor. He and I traipsed all over the known universe, saving worlds. He got me back in time to wake up and eat the Chinese food Edmund brought home for dinner.

Then we watched some Doctor Who and Agents of Shield.

Now for more Fringe.

Edmund and I bought too many pastries and went over to our friend’s house to watch the newest Doctor Who,  the 50th anniversary special.

So. Much. Fun.

A great episode. I had great plans of taking pictures while I was there.  You know, a nice one of doctor who on the big screen. But instead I was too busy talking and enjoying the company.  And watching the show, of course.

Was a good time.

It is Friday, people.  Watching some Fringe. 

I don’t wanna write a blag post.  I don’t wanna.

Tomorrow Eddie and I are going to a Doctor Who party at Pat’s house. Woo hoo!

Look. Here is a picture I took while playing with my phone.

fin.

When I get to work in the morning I make my coffee (Hazelnut, 2 k-cups, half-and-half and sugar) the same way every day. The same number of sugars in the same cup. We even always use the same BRAND of half-and-half.

So why does it taste better on some days than others?

Today it was an okay day. My coffee tasted pretty good. But I have had days where it was like liquid ambrosia. Where the coffee goodness exploded in my mouth like a punch of awesomeness.

Is that normal? To have the same thing be awesome some days and pretty good on other days? I suspect it might be.

My theory is that on the stupendous-flavor-caressing-my-taste-buds days my internal chemistry is more tuned to the coffee’s inherent deliciousness.

Should that happen every day? Would I want to have a taste-flavor-combustion-engine thing happen every day? Or is it better to have the fleeting wondrous-winning-mouth-watering coffee experience – that way I appreciate it all the more?

These are rhetorical questions.

Tonight – as soon as I leave the office – I am going to see the newest Hunger Games Movie, Catching Fire. I will not be drinking coffee.

It’s 50 cent wing night at The Frog and Turtle.  Edmund and I walked over and ate some wings. Along with delicious Poutine. We split a salad too. Don’t look at me like that.

Afterward, we came home and watched the first Hunger Games again, so I’m all ready to see Catching Fire.

Oh. First thing I did today was take a shower and go to work. I had my contact covered peepers checked out by my eye doctor.

I bought some DF cough syrup and milk for Edmund.  I don’t THINK he’s going to mix them,  but I’m not sure.

This post brought to you by: I’m-writing-a-blag-post-every-day-in-November.

Work was busy. A good busy.  And then I went to see Thor again, this time in 3D IMAX. 

Blagging every day is not as romantic as it sounds.

I’d write more but it seems I am on strike with my home computer.

Time for more Fringe.

The internet stopped working. Right in the middle of a Fringe episode.  The same episode I fell asleep while watching last night.

I called Fairpoint. They determined the issue came from outside our house.

So I type my blag post on my phone. For. The. Win.

I had 3G a second ago (never you mind I’m supposed to have a 4G phone.) Now my phone ain’t working either.

3G is back!

I think I better post now while I can!

First off, Edmund cooked me some toast and cheesy eggs. We watched some Doctor Who, and I watched some Fringe. I bathed.

I ate some cupcakes : carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Then Edmund and I drove out for a party, mead around a fire circle. We left around 8 pm, I dropped Edmund of at home, and went to Shaw’s to pick up some groceries.  Tomorrow I will be cooking some BBQ beef brisket in the crockpot.

Now I am watching some more Fringe.

A good day.