ordinary extraordinary

Hiatus

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging for five years, and keeping a personal website for more than twelve. I am a true geek and in internet years, I am Older Than Dirt.

This has been an interesting spring for me. A season that is usually the restful and restorative calm following winter's madness has instead been charged with vigorous (and invigorating) change. I've moved. I've had an epiphany. I've started dating a great guy. I've stepped up my training. I've been doing a lot of thinking about where I've been, and where I want to go and today, my brain feels as though it's bursting with realizations, inspirations, and untapped ideas.

There are those who would argue that blogging is an exercise in discipline and dedication, and most of the time I would agree with them, but right now it just feels like a creative siphon. All of my spare time and energy is devoted to turning the ideas crashing around my head into legitimate project outlines and I just don't have an ounce left over for ordinary extraordinary.

So, rather than feeling guilty about neglecting my blog or posting endless memes and tidbits, I'm taking the month of May off.

I'm attempting to make some extraordinary changes in my life and it's time to narrow my focus for a little while. I owe myself my undivided attention.

Never fear my darlings, I will be back, but in the meantime there are plenty of gems in the archives to keep you entertained. Take a spin through them, won't you?

See you in June!

Crossing Things Off

So with the sudden move, a flurry of activity at work, and an unusually full social calendar I've gotten exactly nothing done on my 101 in 1001 list.

Ah well, May is a new month.

Seven down, ninety-four to go.

We're Even

The comment that made my Carpool Buddy snort coffee, uttered during an alternate merge when the female driver of a white Escalade tried to gun her engine and close a gap thereby depriving my of my rightful place in front of her:

How about you try not being a douchebag? 'Cause I will happily run your ass into the shoulder. Eat guardrail, bitch.

I'm such a delicate flower.

Later, as we're driving past a large Jewish temple where one service is clearly letting out and another is about to begin, he pipes up:

Wow, it's like the changing of the Jews or something!

Good thing I was driving rather than drinking. We're even now.

Therapist-fu

Earlier today, VT and I were discussing the fact that it seems to be National Relationship Drama Week. Though VT and I both have strong therapist-fu, she's had more practice and consequently has these conversations down to a science:

She: . . . i have just had a METRIC FUCK-TON of practice with this
She: sometimes i catch myself thinking, 'hmmm... it's been 17 minutes. we ought to be hitting the 'i just don't know what he's thinking' point of the conversation... oh, yeah, there we go.'
Me: That's both awful and brilliant
She: 'minute 48... ooh, i'm overdue to say DTMFA. better work that in.'
She: and i mouth, 'but you don't know what they're like!' as they say it, or type it.
She: 'yeah, of course i don't know him as well as you do.' [thank all the gods]
She: when they say, 'i just have this feeling that we're somehow supposed to be in each other's lives!' i start waiting until the word 'destiny' comes up.
She: or 'karma.'
She: i ought to make a bingo chart.

She: . . .and then there's the Not Quite Ready To Break Up With Them conversation.
She: which also has its own pattern:

them: Snugglewumpkins is the most horrible person ever!
me: DTMFA.
them: i hate how they treat me like crap!
me: DTMFA.
them: they never do X, or Y, or Z, and i wish they'd stop doing Q.
me: DTMFA.
them: lots of tearful reminiscing about how it used to be good, and wondering what changed.
me, checking the clock: look, you can either go to a couples therapist and work it out, or leave them.
them: oh, it's not that bad.
me: sigh.

She: then it's time for Son of Not Quite Ready To Break Up With Them.

them: i just don't know what i should do!
me: DTMFA.
them: but i love them!
me: news flash -- they don't love you. DTMFA.
them: they're not that bad!
me: okay, look. if 'not that bad' means they lie to you, ignore you, cheat on you, manipulate you, and make you spend time wondering what they're thinking and crying a lot? they're that bad. DTMFA.
them: don't tell me what to do! *stomps off*
me: sigh.

Me: You have the patience of a saint.
She: depending on the person, you can go through: Grandson of Not Quite Ready To Break Up With Them; Second Cousin of Not Quite Ready To Break Up With Them; I Might Almost Be Ready To Break Up With Them;
She: No, Really, I Will Break Up With Them
She: Oh, Shit, I Was Going to Break Up With Them But Then We Had Sex
She: Okay, For Real This Time
She: Not Quite Ready To Break Up With Them, I Know, I Know
She: and HOLY CRAP THEY BROKE UP WITH ME!
She: HOW!?!
She: WHY?!!!
She: and then *those* conversations run like this:

them: they were horrible!
me: yep.
them: they were evil! they lied to me! ignored me! cheated on me! manipulated me! i spent all this time wondering what they were thinking! why did i waste all that time and energy on them?!
me: uh, yeah.
them: why didn't you SAY something?
me: come here and run your head into my fist, won't you?

She: time passes
She: and then, a couple of months later...
She: them: i met someone!
She: AUUUGGGGHHH

I was laughing out loud at my desk as this conversation unfolded; I'm pretty sure my co-workers think I've finally cracked.

Bob Knows Best

I totally have a new favorite local band, and its name is Bob Knows Best. From the website:

The band’s original songs have earned them comparisons to Weird Al Yankovic, They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, Tenacious D, and Flight of the Conchords. . . The Mission of Bob Knows Best, or BKB for short, is to expose the band's listeners to a selection of songs to quench their diverse musical thirst and put a smile on their faces at the same time. BKB can take you to the funk of the 70’s, the vaudevillian sounds of 1910, the country flavor of yesteryear and then back to the rock sounds of today.

Shy Guy and I went to see them on Friday night and we had an absolute blast. Not only are the band members extremely talented musicians, but the songs are catchy and funny as hell they put on a great show. I highly suggest that you click on over to their MySpace page and listen to a few tracks; you'll be glad you did.

Sweet Ride

The LD and I have been tossing around the idea of carpooling for some time now. We live less than a mile apart and generally work the same hours, but for some reason we haven't quite made the leap to ride-sharing yet.

Today, when prices crossed the $4/gallon mark at our local gas station, I got this email from him:

Gas is expensive. Really expensive. It would be cheaper to fill my car with Voss Water. Are you interested in carpooling? I own an irresistable '99 Mustang. Sweet ride.

Have I mentioned lately how glad I am that I bought an SUV right before gas prices started to spiral out of control? Yeah. Great choice. My response:

Yes! Can't wait to go for a spin in that "sweet ride."

So, as of Monday morning, I'll be carpooling a few days a week. Hopefully now I'll be able to afford to eat again.

Finally Friday

Did anyone get the name of the week that hit me? 'Cause damn.

It's been an exceptionally long week for a variety of reasons and I am really, really glad that it's Friday. Three more hours until I can leave the office, woo! I'm facing an icky southbound drive in rush hour traffic, but at least there will be a Shy Guy waiting at the end of it. (Yes, this will be three dates in one week for those of you playing the home game.) Also, some beverages of the adult variety.

I haven't the brain power to put together a coherent post, so I'm just going to toss out some links that I've been collecting and meaning to share:

• It's Sizzle's birthday! You should go and tell her how awesome she is.


• Buffalo Exchange is having their annual Dollar Day Sale tomorrow to support the Galapagos Conservancy.


• After you're finished shopping, you can stop by the Grilled Cheese Invitational.


• Captain Snarky is blogging for RAINN and she's currently serving up some delicious tales from the dungeon. For hers is the power, the temptation, the prayer, and the fetish, Amen. (Not safe for work, or for the future of your eternal soul for that matter.)


• This is an awesome video depicting the reunion between an adolescent lion and the two men who were forced to part with him after raising him from a cub.


• And speaking of felines: engineers are delving deep into the mysteries of the common housecat...


• ...which is good, since we have no idea how much a kilo weighs anymore. That could be a bit problematic for the Engineering community at large.


• My friends at The Do Lab are putting on their awesome Lightning in a Bottle event again this year. You should go! (Burners, I think you'll find this event of particular interest...)


• Irony, thy name is Kelly L. Barber.

And there you have it! Happy Friday, everyone.