You're so Vain, You Probably Think this LJ is About You

It's time for what is becoming a bimonthly check in. Very bad, but what can I say? When did I get so busy? Seriously. I don't have kids or a demanding family or a wide circle of friends. And yet, somehow...my days are filled. Not with important or exciting things. Just...things.

I hope everyone had a good holiday. I was off this past week, so mine rocked. Tomorrow I return to work. Blargh. At least it should be a fairly quiet week (I hope). I don't think I mentioned it, but my boss got a really big promotion and now has only VPs reporting to her. She was nice to me, though, and placed me in a Technology/Project Support team run by her bestie, so I feel pretty safe for the time being. I am still working on that horrible project, but I think they will probably yank me off of it (or so my boss promised, but we'll see).

I am 40 now. It feels weird to say it. No big shindig or trip or even a weekend at Nay-nays, which is my normal way to celebrate. We had to postpone because we were both too busy. And I wanted to take a "dream" trip for this birthday, but since my brother just had his baby and tickets to Alaska were hovering around the two thousand dollar mark (for me and JP), I decided to postpone that as well. Instead, we went to Yuma to see my brother, his wife, and the baby (cutest thing ever, but I'm not a gusher so I will leave it at that). I am actually okay with being older. I think I freaked out a couple of years ago, so I am mostly over it.

We had a nice, quiet Christmas with no drama or problems. I have enjoyed this week off so much that I really want to look into retiring early. I guess I can't avoid a financial planner any longer, although I've been doing my best to not think about annuities and life insurance and IRAs. Yuck.

In concert news, I don't think I mentioned that JP and I went to see The Civil Wars, who were totally awesome and cute and wonderful. They performed in Austin, at Stubb's Barbeque, so I spent a lot of time looking around for people older than us, LOL. And apparently, I am hip as shit because every teenager I know (all three of them), were supremely jealous when I told them about the concert. If you get a chance, check out their music. They rock.

We also went to see Louis CK, also in Austin. He was flipping hilarious! Nice, long set. He got this annoying shithead thrown out of the venue, which was awesome. We almost didn't make the show because I took us to the wrong concert hall. What can I say? Sometimes I am sleepwalking through this life.

In movies, we saw The Hobbit (excellent and wonderful and Richard Armitage is my boyfriend...I saw him first!), Hotel Transylvania (a little late to that party but it was really good - Genndy Tartakovsky is my hero), Pitch Perfect (cute, but overrated IMO), and This is 40 (so fitting). My only beef with that movie is my frustration with the "bankruptcy" plotline - they run small businesses, drive a BMW and a Lexus, live in a big beautiful house and have parties catered...and they have money problems?! You don't say! I wanted to scream at them, "Sell your fucking shit!" Sorry - I have a beef with people living beyond their means and acting like it's so unfair that they get into financial predicaments. I have been driving the same Jeep wrangler for 12 years - suck it up, motherfuckers!

Ahem, anyway. I guess that is enough for now. Have a safe and happy New Year!

OMG, CRAMPS. Lady bits blow.

In other news, I am feeling a compulsive desire to update even though I have nothing to report, except...well...see above.

Anyone else feel like the work week should really end on Wednesday afternoon? Holy Hell, this has been a super-long week. Work is nuts...I had no idea people could attend seven meetings in one day and stay sane. OH WAIT. They can't!

Allow me to express my feelings in picture form:

Jeep is violently shaking when I hit a certain speed, either accelerating or decelerating. Oh, 2012...it is too early for you to start kicking my ass.

In refinancing news (achieving a New Years resolution wot wot), am trying to decide whether or not to pay my closing costs up front or roll them back into the loan. I don't really have $3K lying around but if I roll it into the loan, I will be paying PMI and thus less principal on the house. It feels like I am going backwards, especially if I do the 30 year loan instead of the 20 year one.



Yeah, like that.

 I am so done with this year, OMFG...

My AC died yesterday (up until last night, it was in the mid 80s here in Hades) and the guy came out today to look at it. He replaced the capacitors but is not certain as to whether or not the compressor was permanently damaged. If these capacitors burn out, I will need to buy a new unit. Oh yeah, baby. A new unit. Today's visit cost $400, bringing this past month's emergency expenditures over the $2K mark.

Also, (sorry for the TMI) I have a very painful cyst in a horrible spot and the pain and embarrassment is just ridiculous.

The cold front (or as I like to call it, the "not as hot front") has kicked something into the air that is driving my allergies bonkers.

What else? Oh, yeah - JP's computer is on the fritz and I am starting to have small issues with mine. Joy.

I do have one good piece of news, though: we went to see the free movie at the small art house theater tonight, Breakfast at Tiffanys. It was awesome and I won 2 movie passes and a popcorn voucher for correctly identifying the group that sang the song 'Breakfast at Tiffanys.' Go, me.

Okay, this week has kicked my ass over the river and through the woods. Time to go lie down and contemplate what I will do if we have another emergency (so far my contingency plan looks a little something like this: 1. Run away  2. Buy a disguise. Possibly a fake mustache).

Night, all.

Ugh. Wild fires are raging 15 miles north/northeast of us and everyone seems to be losing their shit over lack of containment/drought conditions exacerbating the situation/etc. I am going to sit here and pretend I am a pretty, pretty princess until I can get a grip. What made it real to me was that my work just instituted their "Red Alert" system, where they call you and tell you that there is bad weather/dangerous conditions/the Apocolypse happening and to be careful. I just got 2 voice mails and 2 text messages from some creepy disembodied voice. 

Two weeks to go until I depart for the family cruise. My parents, Paul, and I are flying to Los Angeles to meet up with the Kid and Traci to go on a Carnival cruise. I am looking forward to spending time with my family, but preparing for the trip has been a pain because everyone keeps asking me questions, but I can't remember 5 minutes ago, much less 5 years ago (also JP always took care of planning our previous cruises and no one seems to want to ask him anything).

All this plus my own planning and the thought of navigating my parents through airports and onto the ship just makes me want to lie down. And never get up. Wah, wah, wah - me and my middle-class, first world problems, eh?

The local playhouse is putting on Xanadu: The Musical and I have already bought tickets! I don't have...high expectations, but if someone wants to put on rollerskates and pretend to be a Muse while singing Magic and Suddenly, then I am honor-bound to go and watch them do it. Yay!

Okay, time to go be a grown-up or something.

Ugh - last week's crapfest at work has spilled over into this week.

I would not be averse to hearing some good news right about now.

Watching Notting Hill in an attempt to cheer the fuck up.

Ugh. I have no idea why I am still awake. On weekdays, I get up at 5am and am generally asleep by 11pm, but on the weekends I stay up 'til 2 or 3 in the morning. It's madness!

( Work twaddle... )

In movie news, we saw Midnight in Paris, which was amusing and whimsical. The actor who plays Hemingway is just AWESOME - a caricature perhaps, but sincere and spot-on. Made me want to go and buy a million books about the Jazz Age and the Lost Generation (more on that in a mo).

We also went to see Westside Story at the local artsy fartsy theater that was screening it for free. Even though it's not one of my favorite musicals, it's still fantastic. Finger-snapping, pirouetting gang members rule! Also, the theater makes kick-ass Greek pizza. Yum!

Tonight, we went to see Green Lantern. Although the movie was far from perfect, it didn't deserve the vitriolic and hateful reviews that I have been reading. Ryan Reynolds is charming and I love, love, loooove Peter Sarsgaard, who was both icky and sympathetic in his too-small role. I'm glad I went to see it.

Oh, yes...and about the million books...I GOT MY KINDLE!!!! I named it Shakespeare and it has a lovely red cover and is already full of classic lit because it was free and I can read that crap over and over like nobody's business (Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, and Shakespeare, I am looking at you!). I have pretty much spent every free minute since Thursday browsing for kindle books, downloading kindle books, and reading on my kindle until I pass out from pure exhaustion. I have the Book Hunger, which I used to have 24/7 until (ironically) I went to college. Then it became sporadic and I went for long periods of time when I couldn't be arsed to finish an entire novel unless it was non-fiction, preferably of the historical variety. But the BH is back, baby!!!

Ohhhkay, bedtime.

So on Thursday morning I was coming down the stairs at home, missed the last step and fell HARD. So hard, in fact, that I wrenched my shoulder a bit and twisted my ankle badly enough that for a moment, I thought it was broken. But I have complete mobility - right now it's just tender and swollen. I have been icing and elevating it and all that jazz.

Yes, I was hurt worse by tripping over a STAIR than by an SUV slamming into the back of my Jeep. The universe's sense of humor is not lost on me...

In other news, it is 37 degrees this morning! LOL! Oh, Texas weather!

My mattress is sold out. Slow burn II: Electric Boogaloo.

- Still no announcement about the job. Slow burn.
- I felt so gross yesterday, I called in sick. Spent two hours at the doctor and get to go back in 2 weeks.
- I hate the doctor.
- Everything I eat is making me sick to my stomach so I haven't eaten a whole lot lately, yet my doctor's scale assures me that I am the fattest I have ever been.
- Ugh. Exercise.
- I am so stressed about a stupid meeting next week that I can't focus. I need to study up on the topic and work on some notes this weekend so I can be prepared.
- I received my bonus, so that was cool.
- Need to do my taxes.
- Friday night tax party?
- Was invited out tonight. Not sure why I said no (other than being sick, but really, I am not so bad that I can't go hang out with my friend).
- Whatever. I am in a bitch of a mood.

I'll stop now.