Oh my, oh my.
This would happen: I fall in love with a man who lives 2380 miles away, just as a massive economic recession hits, making both jobs and cash unavailable. Now I’m working like a madwoman to uproot my life so I can casually date who I want. If somehow this ends in an unfortunate situation (ie. we don’t get hitched after a period of time because we actually aren’t compatible or he doesn’t believe in monogamy, I lose my job out there, and my cat runs away) I will be completely broken and all of my hard work to strengthen myself and end my battle with depression and anxiety will be for naught.
Well, not for naught. I feel great despite my worries.
I’m just sayin’.
I am completely barney.
Twi-Fight
I cannot stand Twilight.
Quinn asked me to read the books several months ago because he wasn’t sure if the reason why he hated them was because he was heartless, or because he is a man. Though the first book was poorly written and somewhat repetitive, I felt it was still “cute” and I quickly latched on to the Vampire loving fandom. I convinced Quinn to continue reading the books, and we did, together.
I am a bad friend.
When I think about how much time we wasted, how much money we each poured into buying those over-long, repetitive, and generally terrible books… it makes me want to drive a stake into series’ Mormon author. It’s not her fault though. I’m pretty sure she had no idea that her book would first get a following with the teen crowd, then move on to the Fantasy/Harry Potter nerds, then spread to the general population of shut-in catladies and sadgirls in their 30’s, who would pass it along to their late 20’s MILF friends, who talk to me about it at dinner as if they were the ones who discovered the series 2 weeks ago. It’s not Stephenie Meyer’s fault. What is her fault is the horrible writing, the unfortunate editing, and the incomprehensibly dull storyline that killed her last book, Breaking Dawn, thus killing the entire series for me. Just the fact that the sex scene between Bella and Edward was described in a such a fashion that makes me believe that Meyer herself is somehow a virgin, or the fact that the book promotes teen brides, teen pregnancy, and skipping school in favor of vampirism is annoying to me.
Now there’s a movie. It includes Robert Pattinson, the drunkiest member of the Harry Potter films franchise, and some 17 year old girl who looks as if she’s been spending too much time with Robbo. Nothing about this movie appeals to me in the least. Apparently it was made with no money, and according to the recent reviews- it shows. Mostly I’m just tired of hearing about the fucking movie. If I see one more “status update” on Facebook about seeing Twilight AGAIN (some of these girls/women have seen it 5 or 6 times, and it’s only been out since Friday) I will likely scream at any teen girl who comes near me.
I know, there’s no accounting for taste.
It’s A Funny Old Game
The Sicilian team carried out the maneuver to perfection Sunday. Three players dropped their shorts practically to their knees so Torino goalie Matteo Sereni couldn’t see the kick by Giuseppe Mascara, who scored during Catania’s 3-2 victory.
“It’s a trick that should not be tolerated anymore by the referees,” he said.
Lo Monaco replied: “A trick? I wouldn’t say so. It’s up to the referee to decide if it should be penalized, otherwise I don’t see where the problem is. … Good taste is relative.”
She Can Have You.
Tomorrow is my Friday, a sad fact that I plan to accept by going to the We Are Scientists show, dancing my ass off, and hopefully meeting fun people and “discovering” some new bands. I’ve been on a hardcore music kick lately, which is a good thing.
I’ve also started working out again, which has put me in a much better mood. I’m much more alert and less likely to take moody ridiculousness from people who know better- that’s for sure. I think I got a tad depressed and doormat-like during/after that last trip to LA- so the lack of funds to take me cross-country again is likely an undisguised blessing.
I do need cash though. I’ve gotten really excited about the prospect of going to Toronto next year, and getting to hang out with the few people I know in that city. It seems silly to have never considered venturing to Canada (aside from going to Terminus last year), and the more pictures I see of Toronto, the more I want to visit. I’m a big “tree person”.
So that’s that.
Tomorrow I begin my Etsy/Christmas present bonanza, and I will try to at least finish my gifts for the grandparents (scarf-sets, coffee mugs, and scouting around for reasonably priced jewelry) and Haley (scarflette, jogging headband earwarmer thing), within the next week. I still have no earthly clue what I’m getting for my parents. Last year it was all apparel, and they seemed to really like it. This year- matted and framed “Obama Wins” articles with some carefully chosen books? It’s so hard to buy for people who have money.
Oh well.
I’m a mushy Moderate.
Teeming with Wanderlust
Staring at Taylor frolicking in the salt plains in Bolivia and the warm waters in Venezuela made me rethink my travel plans for the spring. I’d like to go world trekking soon, but money, career, and other life issues need to be sorted away first. So until I can afford to take a couple months/1 year off from work, I will continue to take advantage of the massive four weeks of paid vacation time allotted by my company and take shorter jaunts around the world.
So here’s the plan thus far:
-January/February: Los Angeles + San Diego (?)
-April/May: Either London or Toronto or Victoria (if London won’t work) or Niagra Falls
-July/August: Someplace beachy. Perhaps Fajardo, Puerto Rico- which according to TripAdvisor is great for sex. Interesting. Also, I want to go somewhere and see a live volcano. No snarky qualifiers there, I just want to see some lava.
I’m looking to stay in each place for a week or so, and I need to go somewhere (likely off season) where the American dollar isn’t a useless piece of paper. That’s why I’m avoiding Europe (though I desperately want to return to London), and looking toward South America and Canada for my good times in 2009.
Meanwhile, in an effort to satisfy my wanderlust without leaving home, I’ve been planning trips around the Great State* of Georgia, more specifically- Atlanta, my home. On some of these adventures I’ve gone solo, others required me to bring my friends along for maximum hilarity (or to shield me from stray bullets if necessary).
-Stone Mountain: It’s a far cry from the scary, poorly kept Confederate memorial/Klan meeting place of my youth. It’s now a full scale historical themepark. This means it costs a bit more to get in, but it’s well worth it inside. There are less folks screaming, “THE SOUTH SHALL RISE AGAIN!” as you drive around, which is somewhat comforting.
-Atlanta Botanical Gardens: I keep wanting to go on a date here, but I’ll probably just end up bringing my SLR and several rolls of film instead.
- Savannah, GA: Duh.
- Helen, GA and surrounding mountain areas: I loved this little slice of Bavaria in the Deep South as a child. Now it’s lost a bit of the charm it held in the early 90’s, but I imagine it’s still the only place to get a decent bratwurst south of the Mason-Dixon line.
- Augusta, GA: I promised I’d never return to that cesspit of unhappiness after my 2 year contract ended, but as long as I’m living in this state, I feel like I should be going to the Masters Tournament. Here’s to hoping I’m at the Augusta National in 2009.
Cali-fire-cation.
Kim: [text message] so are you being affected by the fires?
Chris: [text message] I’m more affected by these fries.
So the sunniest state in the Union* is on fire. Again. I won’t let this deter me from moving there within the next year- as my current home has its share of natural disasters. Albeit those “disasters” usually come in the form of occasional thunderstorms, mild winters, rednecks, and Moonpies, but they can all be deadly in their own way.
The feeling before eating your very first strawberry frosting covered moonpie must be akin to taking shelter before a possibly massive earthquake. No? Am I wrong? Have you eaten a moonpie?
Chris: hmm. i wake up and everything is on fire
Chris: i’m gonna have a cup of tea
Kim: I love you. Go set the teapot in the flames of your neighbors burning keepsakes
Kim: there’s no better way to wake up
This all sounds rather glib, but in these craptastic days- you have to try and put on a brave face. My brave face happens to be in the form of a smile.
I’ve stopped reading Gawker each day because the news of media buyouts and massive journalism layoffs just isn’t helping me get through the day. Most of my friends who call themselves proper journos are either working in television or they are already full time freelancers- so we haven’t seen the big crunch first hand. I just hate to see anyone out of a job, especially folks who, like me, had parents who begged them to go into more stable and lucrative fields of business.
So I hope the economy rebounds within the next year so the articles about how terrible our lives are will taper off, though as one commenter hack on Gawker explained,
“This is how it always goes. There’s a lot of money in misery. I’ve lived and worked in this industry through two major downward economic spirals, and several smaller ones. Companies will panic and lay off their staff and bring in freelancers- who don’t require benefits, thus slashing costs. Then the economy will rebound, the freelancers will be kicked out and you’ll all have jobs again. The end.”
It’s still sad, but it’s also a somewhat comforting view of the current situation.
Oh- now I’m making myself feel ookey again.
Time to watch “Best in Show”! (I finally broke down and purchased a dvd player. I feel so high-class now.)
*this is not a fact.
Beats that Go Boom
So, the other half of the Kudurich Files has asked me to change this blog project to be a bit more like this.
I’ll consider it the next go ’round, but for now I’m sticking with the quasi-diary format to complete my 30 post goal. It may not be interesting, but then- neither are you.
Ahem, apologies for the snarky/completely false turn there. I’m just slightly sad that Fridays have now become my Mondays thanks to a scheduling change at work. It means I can’t go out, and have to hear my neighbors whooping it up and having a lovely time whilst I’m working on freelance projects and/or listening to music to decompress from the workday.
Speaking of music, I work with a bunch of guys in their mid-to-late 30’s who love nothing more than seranading everyone with 80’s pop music and early rap “jams”. It’s quite funny and charming, but I’m also currently dating a 30-something who loves decades old Canadian pop/rock music replete with heavy synthesizer action. I thought I was immune to these influences, but I’ve found myself falling hopelessly in love with Cut Copy. I listen to “Far Away” almost every single morning, and sometimes it’s the only thing that can get me out of bed.
Wait! I feel a list coming on…
Top 8 songs of the Weak Week:
8. “Why We’re Better Now”- The Outline
7. “Backstabber”- Kesha
6. “I’ll Fly With You”- Gigi D’Agostino
5. “Smiley Faces”- Gnarls Barkley
4. “Rich Girls (Remix)” – The Twelves
3. “Look at Me When I Rock Wichoo”- Black Kids
2. “Far Away”- Cut Copy
1. “Let Go” – Frou Frou
If you listen to any of those songs, I shouldn’t have to explain why I love them- with the exception of #7. It’s a pure guilty pleasure. I don’t like real drama in my life, but reminiscing upon the drama of high school and the first few years of college now makes me laugh really hard. So Kesha’s lyrics and bratty-teen-angst-a-riffic vocals fit perfectly into my nostalgic wonderland. The backing loop is pretty sick too. … Okay fine, I just plain like the song.
