The Beauty and the Mess

GO RED SOX! I like Boston and I like underdogs. This will be an entertaining World Series. Even Evan was transfixed by the game last night, and he doesn't like baseball much. We were talking about the post-game riots earlier:

Me: Why do they want to destroy their own city? Something good happened! I don't get it.
Evan: ...They should have goalposts on the baseball field, so at the end of the game the fans could tear down the goalposts to work out their aggression.
Me: Or they could build up the pitcher's mound a lot. So the fans could tear it down and throw sand and stuff.
Evan: Yes... sand will assuage the mob. "Hey, I have sand! I can go home now!"

I'm in my new cubicle! I like it. It's quieter down here.

( I'm the last person to take this survey. )

Okay, I know I'm stupid for having to ask this, but can someone explain how to download a (free) font from a website? All fonts are zipped now, it seems, and I don't know how to unzip them. I've tried opening them, extracting them to the fonts folder, and everything else I can think of. They never show up in Word. I need some weddingy font choices for my invitations and at this rate I'll have to use Arial. Please reply and use small words. Thank you.

Yesterday was not the greatest day. We're in the midst of a mind-numbing data entry project at work, which has caused my tendonitis to flare up again from all the tabbing over. Tendonitis is one of the most annoying sensations I know of. It's not so much a pain as a sort of nonstop painful itch inside my arm. I can't be wimpy and beg off the project, so I just have to put up with it. I have my arm brace on, though, and it's helping a little. At least I have a nice long computerless week coming up soon.

On the positive side, we booked a fantastic photographer last night. My mom and I met with him and are both very excited about him. He's very talented and organized. Now all we need is a florist. God is really bringing this wedding together. Yay God! :) After the photographer meeting, we met up with my dad and Evan for dinner, which was a nice surprise. Then Evan and I went to the library. To my excitement they had Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, and I'm already about halfway through it. I am simultaneously fascinated and disturbed, and feeling more thankful than ever that I didn't go that route.

The weather is absolutely amazing. Today's high is 79. I have never gotten an early fall as a birthday present before, but I'm loving it. :) Also I'm having lunch with my friend Kristin today, which might help alleviate the restlessness I've been feeling all week. Evan feels similarly bored. I don't know what's wrong with us. We have a nice action-packed weekend coming up, though! I'm so excited about the Olympics starting tomorrow. I love the Olympics. I still have a tape of the 1998 figure-skating long program with Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski. I think I'll tape the gymnastics this year since it's my favorite of the summer events. Go USA!

Happy Friday! Hace mucho frio hoy. The high was supposed to be 50-something, but now they say we'll struggle to reach 32. February is coming, and that's often a snowy month for us. ("Snowy" meaning "several flurries, with one accumulating two inches.") :)

After hearing this news, I'm even more excited about the Super Bowl! Because of my trips, I haven't gotten to watch the game with friends in two years. We're having a church party. I'm looking forward to it. Root for the Patriots: it's what our founding fathers would have wanted you to do. (Was American football even invented in 1776?)

Kathy is re-reading the Harry Potter books. I need to re-read Book 5, because our discussions have kicked up again. The other day she came into the living room and announced, apropos of nothing, "Somewhere there's a snake that's Harry's friend." I quickly understood what she was getting at, but Daniel, who does not read fiction, thought she had finally gone nuts.

I forgot to mention that Evan and I did see Big Fish last week. It's well worth your time. If you liked Moulin Rouge, you'll like this because it has the same surreal quality. I thought it was a beautiful movie.

So who's watching The Apprentice? I never thought I'd get into this show, but it's addictive. Evan is more hooked on it than I am, which I find hilarious.

stacye13 just told me that they have brown corduroy pants at Target, so I may be completing my pants mission after work. Woo hoo! Have a great weekend!

I thought I'd get online tonight (gasp) and catch up on LJ so I could make a nice relaxed post instead of an "I'm insanely busy and would lose my head if it wasn't fastened on, but surely I can think of something to say" post. :)

The long weekend has had its ups and downs so far. I've been struggling with the fact that Evan and I rarely have dates anymore because we are poor. So on Friday night, we had a candlelight picnic in the living room. Then we played Scrabble instead of watching TV. It was nice and free. I guess I have to practice making the simple things more special.

On Saturday I had lunch at Molly's with calypsobard. It was fun and the food was amazing. After lunch we came back to the apartment to visit with Gandalf and started looking through old yearbooks from our common high school. It seemed like we knew a lot of the same people. Finally she asked me what street I lived on in high school. It turns out that we lived on the same block for ten years and never met - until we did so on LJ through Shana. It's definitely one of the weirder things I've ever discovered.

That evening our group of once and current RUFers went to the school to hear Ravi Zacharias, the famous apologist. His free appearance had been advertised to every church in town. When we got to the doors of the theatre, there was a guy announcing that it was for students only, but they'd let the general public in later if any seats were left. The longer we waited around, the more amazing the crowd got. There were at least 200 people. Groups from Arkansas and Kentucky were turned away. I was strangely moved by the way the Christian community was making an appearance. :) Needless to say, we didn't get in, so we all went to Garibaldi's (some of the best pizza in town) and then back here to watch Wayne's World (the movie that never gets old). It was good fellowship. :)

Today was a special day for me. I joined my church! I interviewed last week, but didn't want to talk about it here in case something went awry. All went well, and this morning I took a happy walk down the aisle. My pastor said, "It's about time," when I arrived at the pulpit. Everyone came up and greeted me with surprise that I wasn't already a member. Evan hugged me a lot and said he was proud of me. I'm very happy. :) I feel complete, but in a way like I didn't know I was missing a piece. It's hard to explain. I feel like it's a step toward something. Many things. ;)

The rest of today was relaxing. Evan and I were invited, individually, to other activities, but decided our one full day together was more important. So we just rested and watched the Patriots game. Despite the fact that they beat my Titans and my Dolphins, I am rooting for them. (Sorry, Lori and Shelley.) I mean, everyone likes the Patriots, right? They're patriotic. Not liking them seems un-American. Besides, I'm an AFC girl. Speaking of which, doesn't it seem weird that the expansion teams have been the ones dominating the last few years? Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Carolina, Baltimore, etc. What's the deal with that?

Oh, and also, I love to watch the presentation of the trophies. It brings back happy memories of band victory. I get a little weepy.

I'm feeling rambly and could go on for some time, but I'll spare you. Tomorrow I'm off work. I plan to take care of some chores in the most relaxed way possible, and maybe visit my mom. Happy MLK day!

Hello! In the spirit of a new year, I have redesigned. Again. Also, I've purged and replaced almost all of my icons. I needed some cleansing, you know? :)

This weekend was busy. Friday night Evan and I had our date. We had dinner at Huey's and then went to Borders so I could use my gift card. I went a little nuts. Total: $86. Yikes. One of those was the first Shopaholic book, on the recommendation of Danielle and Casey. Also included was Evan's and my birthday present for Ryan- a coffee table book about the history of the Porsche. He will be pleased. On Saturday I had lunch with Debs and we went to the pond, where we fed the ducks. Then I came home and read. Kathy stopped by and invited me to a Grizzlies game with her, Daniel, and Daniel's best friend, so I went. It was fun, since Kathy and I hadn't done anything together in a while. Also, I had never been to an NBA game. It was very different from the Tigers games.

Sunday was a long day, but Evan and I spent it together! :) We went to church and lunch, as usual, then to Ryan's new apartment because we hadn't seen it yet. After that it was to my parents' house to wish my dad a happy birthday, to the mall to get Evan some clothes, and to Old Navy to get me some clothes. The shopping was not as much fun as I'd thought it would be. Evan's giftcard was for a (much) smaller amount than he had been told, so after an hour of shopping he ended up with one pair of pants. Old Navy was cleaned out, and nothing fit right, which left me feeling fat and depressed. I got three fairly simple shirts and a new pair of jeans. After all that we were worn out, so we settled in front of my TV to watch the Sugar Bowl. By halftime we were both fast asleep. I woke up at 11, very disoriented, and went into Kathy's room to find her and Daniel there, also asleep. So we all woke up and the guys went home. LOL.

What my pastor is calling the "Grace Venture" was kicked off yesterday at my church. This is that program I've referred to before, where we're supposed to be giving more money, time, etc. I found it kind of ironic that this happened on a weekend when I bought so much. :( I'm going to start giving a little extra, but it won't be much. The good thing about being moderately poor is that I don't have fancy things I have to give up, like cable or a nice car. Better to have never had than to have and get used to. Ryan just bought a brand-new Jeep Liberty (he's about to have a good IT job). I can't let myself covet that stuff. :P

Evan is about to (hopefully) go back to school. He registers today or tomorrow. I know he has to finish school, but part of me is really sad that the first, carefree phase of our relationship is ending. From now on he'll be tired and stressed all the time, and we'll hardly get to see each other and will have even less money for dates. But we'll have each other, so I guess that's what's important. :)

My wrist hurts. It is not fun. Lawson says I probably have tendonitis rather than carpal tunnel syndrome, so that's a little comforting. I really ought to go to the doctor. I don't like going to the doctor.

After Wednesday lunch today, helenangel and I had a great time wandering around the office looking for a box, which Helen dubbed "Happy Fun Box" in honor of the classic SNL sketch Happy Fun Ball. Of course, this caused us to go off on a tangent of, "Happy Fun Box contains a radioactive substance which must not be exposed. Do not taunt Happy Fun Box." Sadly, we were unable to locate Happy Fun Box, so we came back to my department and told my co-workers the story. They said, "What did you have for lunch?" :) Helen is fun. I'm glad to know her.

I found out that REM is releasing a greatest-hits CD at the end of October! I'm so excited. This will eliminate my need to buy all 283 of their albums (now that I don't download anymore).

Although I'm a Florida native, I'm rooting for the Cubs, and last night's debacle made me very mad. Here's a great article about it. I don't feel at all bad about rooting for the Cubs, because I usually root for the underdog, and my boyfriend is a Chicagoan. :) I would love to see a Cubs-Red Sox World Series, just for the miraculousness. But that seems unlikely now.

Home again, home again.

My trip to Nashville was pretty good, but tiring. I arrived in town at about 9 pm on Friday. When I got to Debra's dorm, I met some of her friends, including her best dorm friend Meghan. We sat around and talked for a couple of hours and then went to bed. Debra's roommate was, ironically, back in Memphis for the weekend, so I was able to sleep on her bed instead of the floor. That was nice. :)

On Saturday morning Debs and I got up relatively early (for a Saturday) and worked out at the school gym. Then she had a ministry thing to go to for a few hours, so I entertained myself by walking to the Subway at the foot of the hill and getting some lunch. I ate my sandwich in a pretty picnic area on the campus. At around 2, Debs and Meghan and I went to the outlet mall. I was prepared to spend a lot of money, but I ended up buying two Old Navy clearance tank tops and a $4 Gap plain long-sleeved shirt. It was probably for the best. I've decided I'm getting a hoodie sweater this year, in a specific tan color. I would have gotten one I saw at the Gap, except it was a braided-type sweater and I prefer straight cable-knit. Anyway, after shopping till we dropped, we went to Debra's favorite Mexican restaurant, Mazatlan. It was fantastic. Our high-profile Mexican place, El Porton, is good but kind of heavy and greasy. This food tasted much more fresh. I had fajita quesadillas. Yum. Now I'm hungry, thinking about them.

After dinner we watched the entire Miami/Boston College game, even though we were leading 33 to 7 for most of the game and I pleaded with Debra for us to go do something. Finally we went to Dairy Queen with Meghan. When we got back I was tired, but she decided (at midnight) to do her laundry and then to study for her Bib. Faith class, so I had a hard time sleeping with all the lights on. :P The next morning we went to the church she's been attending. It's very charismatic, and she loves it. Half of her floormates went with us. One of them swore she saw Toby Mac in the back pew, but no one else saw him. (That's the cool thing about Nashville- go to a church function, run into a celebrity.) Then we went back to the dorm for a gourmet lunch of grilled cheese and ramen noodles (it was actually really good). After that I had to go home. No more hermana time. :(

On the way home I encountered a massive cold front, which made for a very nerve-wracking drive in the rain. However, when I came home and saw my cute cat and my brand-new Bissell vacuum waiting to be used, life was good again. :) I happily vacuumed the apartment and then made a big salad dinner for my tired boyfriend, who was working a 12-hour shift. It was a special salad with special tomatoes and nuts and stuff, so I was excited. I also made strawberry smoothies. Unfortunately, it turned out that Evan isn't too fond of strawberries or most of the things that were in the salad. But he ate everything anyway and was very sweet and grateful. Yay. :) We hadn't seen each other in four days, so it was a happy reunion. I try really hard not to be clingy or overdramatic about seeing him; I've seen enough of the "Oh my gosh we've been apart for four hours, I thought you were dead" approach to know how annoying it is. But I miss him when he's not there. He misses me, too, which is the most amazing thing. :)

Weekend football recap: All my teams (Hurricanes, Dolphins, Titans, and Steelers) won! The Tigers didn't play this week, but I'll be at the game next weekend.

The sweltering continues. Thankfully, the power was restored to my apartment by Saturday night, so I was able to spend the night comfortably in my own bed. But today, the air conditioner to our department is broken. Not the whole office building. Just our department (and Helen's). We have fans going full blast. No one has come to fix it. I half expect to see a camel go by any second. I'm ready for winter.

Okay, so my weekend. Friday night was happily spent hanging out with my brother, Evan, and Chris. Oh, and watching the Dolphins win their pre-season game! :) Saturday was spent at my parents' to escape the heat. I worked on my band scrapbook for most of the day, until my back started hurting. My parents took me to the new branch of Wolf River Cafe for dinner, and we had some great catfish. On Sunday, I went to church as usual. It was great; my pastor has been doing a series on the necessity of suffering. After service I saw Addie and got to talk to her for a few minutes. Yay! I then spent the afternoon at home, very bored.

Later, longing for something to do, I did the New York City Ballet Workout that Em gave me for my birthday. To my surprise and joy, I could do most of it fairly well. :) I've always loved ballet. I started when I was three, and stopped after we moved here, when I was almost ten. Then I took it again in college, briefly, and went through a major Ballet Phase during which I wore leotards and overalls and my hair in a bun (Jeremy will remember this). I used to wonder if I could have been really good, had I stuck with it, but the truth is, I'm not built the right way. I just really enjoy dancing. I like the way I feel when I'm dancing regularly. I'd like to take a class again, but do they have any classes for non-professionals over 18? I'm, like, elderly in ballet terms.

( A survey and some football philosophy ) Hey, Danielle, did you know Memphis and Ole Miss are playing each other on your birthday? I realized this because it's also Kathy's birthday, and she's having to make her birthday plans around the game. :)

I had the most amazing cookie earlier. The cafe in our business complex is under new management, so they've been giving stuff away all week, and today it was Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. I took a freshly baked Red White & Blue cookie, which contained cranberries, blueberries, and white chocolate. I never would have thought of putting berries in a cookie, but it was out of this world.

Last night I went to a Redbirds game with Kathy and Daniel, since Bible study was canceled. It was a great game, and we won 6-0. :) Tonight I am planning a quiet evening of reading. I have to finish Wheel of Time book 2. I've never had such a hard time finishing books before, but they're starting to get more interesting. Yay.

I keep typing things and then deleting them. Nothing is interesting enough to talk about here. I hope you're all having a good day!

I feel very Broadway today. There's something theatrical about my outfit, though I'm not sure what it is...maybe the shoes. I felt compelled to sing and fake-tap-dance around the apartment this morning. I also decided that this song ought to be in a musical. Sarah Harmer rocks.

I had a very refreshing evening yesterday. I went to Harbor Town to water Nina's plants, and then spent over an hour at a park next to the Mississippi River. You can go right down to the river there. You could even go in the river, if you were crazy. I sat on some rocks and read psalms and looked at the water, and felt great by the time I left. I think if I went to that park more often, I would feel less homesick for the ocean. After that, I went to the new Summer Study at the Ugly Mug. It was packed. I felt like I was at an RUF reunion...there were people I hadn't seen in about six months. It made me so happy to see everyone together again, and to hear good teaching, and especially to sing with everyone. I've missed that so much. I love being a child of God, and I love being Presbyterian. I can't imagine being anything else. :)

As if all that weren't enough, I got a surprise package from Kathy full of Miami Dolphins merchandise. My Dolphins tumbler broke months ago, and I was really sad about it, so Kathy went to buy me a new glass and found a bunch of other stuff. I love my new glass. It has the Dolphins logo in the bottom. I thought it would also be fun to have a glass with Dan Marino's head in the bottom, so he could watch you drink. We decided this would be a good item for beer mugs, so Dan could cheer on the chugging at frat parties. LOL.

I talked with my dad about the job and I feel much better. I'm probably going to go for it.

( Old Man River )