September 30, 2005
Five on Friday for September 30, 2005
Boob Tube
These questions were part of the original Friday Five, from April 2002
- 1. What's your favorite TV show and why?
- Currently? Arrested Development because, well, it's hilariously funny. I know not everyone gets it, but I do and that makes all the difference in the world. Rosanne is probably still my all-time favorite though.
- 2. Who is your favorite television star?
- That's difficult to answer since I don't watch too much TV. Maybe Jerry Remy or John Madden.
- 3. What was your favorite TV show as a child?
- Smurfs, Mr. Wizard, Voltron, and Looney Tunes.
- 4. What show do you think should have been cancelled by now?
- ER.
- 5. What new show do you hope escapes the axe this season?
- I've only seen three new shows this year, and frankly, I don't care if any of them make it through the year.
- Last weekend, I got completely frustrated trying to install shelves in the bathroom. Jon solved my problem in moments by reading the instructions. It wasn't the solution I wanted, which made me even more upset. That made Jon upset and pouty. So I hid in spare room and started painting.
- Monday I felt really lethargic and had absolutely no appetite for lunch, turning down a run to Moe's.
- And on Tuesday I got really angry over a stupid little change in our football pool rules that I should've noticed much earlier. I got angry and frustrated to the point I wanted to cry.
Posted by criminal at 04:54 PM | Comments (2)
Like Molasses
It's a slow morning here. There was no real traffic to speak of this morning, so I was easily at my desk checking e-mail at 9 a.m. instead of waiting in the usual traffic back-up at 495 and 290. The only problem is that there's an odd shortage of e-mails. I usually have over a hundred e-mails to sort through when I arrive in the morning, but today there were only a handful, half of which were junk that was missed by the filter. Amy is also out this morning, so it makes our usually quiet Friday even more quiet. It's actually a bit unnerving. Hopefully she'll be in later to stir things up.
Posted by criminal at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2005
Cub Scout
You Are a Bear Cub!
Bears are strong and independent creatures who roam in the forest in search of food. Bears are usually gentle, but anger one and be prepared for their full fury! You're tough, you won't back down from a fight -- classic attributes of a bear. Intelligent and resourceful, though lazy at times, you are a fascinating creature of the wild.
You were almost a: Duck or a Pony
You are least like a: Groundhog or a Chipmunk
Posted by criminal at 10:25 PM | Comments (4)
Cat Scratch Fever
Tia finally has an appointment with a vet at the Merrimack Animal Hospital for Saturday morning. It's literally three-quarters of a mile from our apartment. They've given me instructions to lock her in an uncarpeted room the night before with a clean and completely empty litter box so I can collect a urine sample.
Great.
Because that's going to go over really well with my little OCD poo scratcher. She is terribly obsessive about covering her messes, to the point that she'll paw at the area around the box, including any walls or furniture in a three-foot radius, for about five minutes after she has finished scratching inside the box. I've learned to live with it, but every once in a while I find myself pleading with her to give it a rest. But I'll take simple scratching over peeing outside the box any day, so she'll be locked in the bathroom on Friday night whether she likes it or not.
Posted by criminal at 05:21 PM | Comments (1)
September 27, 2005
Bump on the Head
Because there isn't enough wrong with my head already, I have a nice dent in it now. This weekend I made more progress on decorating the apartment, hanging more pictures and a couple decorative shelves/ledges in the living room. While gesturing to Jon about where we could put a console table I whacked my head on the pointy corner of one of the new shelves. I saw stars, but didn't pass out. A bag of frozen corn (which Jon says is not as good as ice) helped keep the swelling down and I've only had a few light aches from the area since then. It's still tender to the touch, which makes brushing my frizzy hair out of my face a little tricky. I suspect it may have caused a mild concussion, but it's hard to tell since most of the symptoms overlap with the early side-effects of my new medication. I'm watching it and trying to rest though, which is really all I can do. Well, that and reconsidering the placement of that shelf.
Posted by criminal at 09:55 AM | Comments (2)
September 26, 2005
Not Quite Right
For the last few weeks I haven't felt quite right. I was irritable, but that was easy to blame on having a new "roommate" and routine. Mood swings were just PMS and fluctuating hormones. Ditto for the massive cramps and bloating. My lack of focus was just boredom. Urges to shop by myself for hours on end were just some sort of nesting instinct. Of course the sudden urge to create and construct things was just pent-up creativity I had to stifle during the wedding and moving rush. And the fatigue, well, that's caused by along commute and one noisy, nosy, nocturnal kitten. The long period, my first in over two years, was the only thing I thought was wrong with me, but I was willing to wait that out. I mean, maybe it was the cause of everything and would go away again, like periods do.
But by the middle of last week I had seen enough to know what was happening:
Running away to paint passionately made me suspicious, but the football pool incident was like a tornado siren going off in my head. Depression is catching up with me again and I ignored every one of my warning signs. I got them all mixed up with some weaker hormonal fluctuations and let it creep up. I called my doctor immediately and requested an appointment. I was in by lunch-time and walked out a couple hours later with a prescription for Lexapro and referrals to a counselor, an ob/gyn, and several lab tests.
I'm not sure what's going on with the rest of my body yet, but I'm sure as hell aware of what's going on in my head now. I've never taken medication for my depression before, but I can't afford to waste any more of my life trying to let it work it's way out of my system. So I'm trying it. It won't reach full effectiveness for another week or two, and I'm already battling some of the side effects, but I think the assistance will be more than worth it.
Posted by criminal at 05:22 PM | Comments (4)
September 23, 2005
Bleh
I'm home sick today. By the time I got home from work yesterday my head had started to hurt a bit. It just kept getting worse, and today I'm struggling to look at the computer. But I had an obligation to post the new Five on Friday and e-mail the office. Now I'm off to bed again.
Posted by criminal at 09:30 AM | Comments (3)
September 22, 2005
Santa Baby
Those adorable santas I coveted so much last year? Hallmark is introducing a new one this year: he's from England, carrying a little plum pudding. I caught a sneak peek at the new Keepsakes ornament collection yesterday and nearly squealed when I saw it. I hope this means they're creating a whole series I can collect. That should relieve my family a little and make their gift giving slightly easier. I still need to track down Italy and Ireland from last year too.
Posted by criminal at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)
September 21, 2005
Full Wizard
Fineto! You scored 87%!
Wow! Impressive. "We can expect great things from you." You must have read the books several times or are just really good at remembering which spell does what. I myself didn't know all the spells until I started writing this test. haha... In any case, if you wanna talk "Harry Potter" with someone, message me. I love meeting other Harry Potter enthusiasts!
Posted by criminal at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2005
Leading Questions
An e-mail that I received today just reminded me how much I dislike leading questions. I suppose they have a purpose, but mostly they get in the way. You just can't find out what someone really wants if you ask them to pick and answer that you're looking for. Why bother asking the question at all if you already know what you want the answer to be? It may be perfect for lawyers and parents, but it's lousy when you need to be objective.
Posted by criminal at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2005
Super Smelly
I think my sniffer is in high gear today. Everything smells more intense and distinct. I could smell the plate of brownies I was carrying across campus this morning. Through two layers of plastic wrap and a plastic bag. And we won't even go into what the library elevator smelled like. The nice thing is that the "Perfect Autumn" pumpkin scented hand soap I bought from Bath and Body Works last week is still divine, even with my hightened senses. It's much warmer and muskier than the Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin I coveted two years ago. Making it much more wearable. A quick check of their Web site reveals that it's only a home fragrance, meaning no warm pumkin body spray for me. They do have a candle that's supposed to smell like buttery mashed potatoes. Mmm. That could go really well with the perfect pumpkin scent...
Posted by criminal at 02:02 PM | Comments (1)
September 16, 2005
Five on Friday for September 16, 2005
In Your Opinion
1. Why does history repeat itself? Because mankind hasn't really evolved since the dawn of "history." As a society we may have made progress, but as individuals we're still being limited and driven by a human nature that hasn't changed in thousands of years. We have the same emotions, instincts, and intellectual capacity as our predecessors so the choices we make are bound to resemble theirs.
2. Why are people so fascinated by celebrities? Because they need an escape from their own lives. I'm not often drawn to celebrities, but I have been on a few occasions. During one of my worst battles with depression I was pretty well fixated on professional wrestlers, the Big Show in particular. All the drama in their performances helped me detach from myself from my own painful existence. It was sad, really. Whether it's depression, insecurity, or just boredom, celebrities offer us a distraction from our own lives and maybe even reassurance that it could be worse.
3. Who is overrated? Who is underrated?
Overrated: Michael Vick. Emeril. Clay Aiken. John Mayer.
Underrated: Toni Collette. Kevin Youkilis. Maia Sharp.
4. Why do so many marriages end in divorce? Because we expect too much of our spouses. Gone are the days when the role of a husband was to provide for, protect, and love his wife, when his wife was expected to take care of him and his children, be faithful, and love him. Now there seems to be an expectation that we be each other's best friend, confidant, golf partner, soulmate, sexual outlet, business parter, nurse, surrogate parent, and personal cheerleader. That's a lot of stress for a relationship, not to mention a major let-down if when one or both spouses aren't able to satisfy all of these expectations. Love can hold two separate people together like a bridge, but it has it's limits. And I just don't think the average relationship has the structural integrity to withstand the stress we place on it over the course of a lifetime. It seems to me that the couples that keep things together have made a lot of repairs to their relationship and adjustments to their expectations.
5. Will there ever be world peace? Continuing on the philosophy in #1, there won't be peace until we evolve and change our nature. As long as we're jealous, proud, and vindictive we're doomed to continue repeat the unrest and violence of our past.
Posted by criminal at 05:19 PM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2005
Photos!
I have finally managed to upload a few of the wedding photos. Jon's family took these and gave them to us on a CD at last weekend's festivities. I'm still working on getting good scans of the professional photographs, but I hope to have them up within a week as well.
Posted by criminal at 05:46 PM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2005
Tonight's Forecast
From SmarTraveler:
I-495 North (Mass Pike/I-90 to Rte. 3) - Animal on road and Curiosity delay at Exit 31: Rte. 119 in the breakdown lane and the right shoulder. Heavy congestion. A pig that fell off the back of the truck.
Posted by criminal at 05:19 PM | Comments (0)
Fender Bender
I totally forgot to mention that I was involved in a small accident on my way home Friday. Shortly after I left the freeway the road I chose slowed through a little town and eventually stopped to let a few cars through. Or at least it tried to stop...
As I came to a full stop behind a woman waiting to make a left turn I glanced up into my rearview mirror just in time to see that the minivan behind me wasn't planning on making a full stop. Luckily, traffic was moving slow enough that our bumpers absorbed the impact. Still, it made an already stressful ride even more so.
Posted by criminal at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
A Very Important Meeting
Amy and I had a very important meeting this afternoon...
...with the World Series Trophy.
Even though we're on our best behavior, thoping to make a good impression on the new VP of Marketing and Communications, when we heard that the trophy was at the CVS in Shrewsbury with absolutely no line, we jumped at the chance to see it. As you can see, I even touched it. It was worth it, even with the CVS employees shooing us along so they could get their own pictures with it. As amazing as the effort to win the trophy was, up close it doesn't seem nearly as big or impressive. But at least I've seen it now.
Posted by criminal at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2005
A Jealous Husband
I get to go to Moe's on a fairly regular basis. Jon, who loves the place even more than I do, gets to go maybe once a month. And he's terribly jealous when I get to go without him...
jon: how was Moe's
me: it was pretty good.
me: we could probably buy some of the meat and things catering style and put them in the freezer
me: then you could make your own moe's all the time.
jon: ooh
jon: Moe's @ home all the time. That would be awesome
me: well, not as good as having them make it for you, but yeah
jon: if you have it at home, will you yell "Welcome to Moe's!!!" when I come in?
Posted by criminal at 02:08 PM | Comments (0)
Goldilocks and the WDO
A few weeks ago when she was cleaning out her office, Amy put my supposedly "empty" mousetrap on my desk. With all the moving and marrying, I forgot about it. Today, I was about to toss it in my bag to take home when I felt an urge to make sure all of Josh's moldy cheese was gone.
It was, but only because something else ate it. And that something else was still there.
We've been living with a dead mouse for at least a couple days. There were no batteries in the trap, so it had to have become trapped, dying of starvation and dehydration. Although the office climate could've done it too. Eew. Eew. Eew.
Posted by criminal at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
Commuter
On Thursday, a major accident on I-495 turned my 45-minute ride home into a two-hour trial. Luckily I was able to chat with my sister and get through a couple chapters of my latest audiobook (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, whose narrator is driving me batty with his Hermoine howl: Nohhhhhh, Hahhreeeee! Like nails on a chalkboard.) to distract me from the gas that was disappearing while I sat waiting. Eventually I came to an exit and made my way through the Acton area on back roads. I'm not sure it saved me much time -- but it did help save my sanity.
The roads were back to normal by Friday morning. It became apparent later in the day that Massholes forget how to drive in the afternoon. A few quick checks of SmarTraveler let me know that the stretch of I-495 I travel was moving at an average speed of 22mph. Because we had to leave for Maine, I tried not to stay late at work, driving off the campus around 5:30. I didn't get home until 7 because of yet another accident. Commuting would be fine if not for these people that can't seem to keep their cars from colliding with other cars.
Posted by criminal at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2005
Maine Reception
As soon as I get home we're heading up to Maine for our second reception. That means I'll be out of touch all weekend. And you know what? It doesn't bother me in the slightest. Ahh, progress.
Posted by criminal at 05:16 PM | Comments (0)
Future Test
I wrote this entry at 10:15 a.m. on Friday. I don't want it to show up until noon. Hopefully the future post feature in MT will work.
Posted by criminal at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)
Five on Friday for September 9, 2005
It's Personal
1. What kinds of things are too personal to discuss with others? Some of my innermost thoughts and insecurities. Other than that, everything else is pretty much fair game with someone.
2. Is there a person you tell (or at least *can* tell) everything to? A couple, yes. Even if I don't tell them everything you know I could if I felt I needed to.
3. Do you keep a diary outside of LJ? Considering this my LJ is just a feed of this journal, techncially yes. But I have kept handwritten journals as well. I really only use them when my brain is stuck on something, so they've been laying dormant for a while now.
4. Do you know who you are? For the most part, yes.
5. Who/what can you rely on to never change and always be there? The weather. Even when it changes it never really changes.
Posted by criminal at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2005
Sweet Sleep
For the first time in a month I got a truly restful night of sleep. No sweltering heat, no manic kittens tearing up anything they can sink their teeth into, no husband tossing and turning, no toothache, no sleep-stalling stress, no kittens licking my hands and 4 in the morning, no back spasms or muscle cramps, no insomnia, no strange beds, and no annoying cats to ruin my pleasant slumber. I was actually ready to get out of bed when the alarm clock went off. And did I mention that a certain smallish cat was well-behaved for the first time in... well... ever? Maybe I was just so tired that I slept through it all. Either way, it was wonderful and appreciated.
Posted by criminal at 11:04 AM | Comments (1)
September 07, 2005
Gym
A few weeks ago I promised Amy that if she signed up for Body Blast (or whatever that sadistic aerobics class is called this term) I would go with her to the gym. And since I no longer had the excuse that I needed to empty out my apartment or drop stuff off at Goodwill I had no choice but to make good.
So I spent about 50 minutes in the fitness center — enough time to warm up, make three circuits of my favorite machines, and do a 10-minute cool-down on the bikes — while she sweated away upstairs with Amy D. I have to admit that it was nice. I usually dread my first workout, but this wasn't bad at all. I had plenty of company, but it was quiet, non-threatening company. And that's always good for getting over the mental hump that accompanies all early trips to the gym. Once you've been going for a while, gaggles of grunting football players don't phase you, but when your resolve is still fragile and weak, they can be enough to make you want to run the other direction.
I think the best part was seeing how much strength I still had. I may have let myself go over the last two years, but I haven't fallen all the way back. At the dawn of the millenium I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without feeling winded and crampy. And when I went to the gym for the first time, I couldn't lift much. Yesterday I was only using a couple fewer plates than I was at my weight-lifting peak, just enough to make me push for the last reps on each set. It felt so good. In fact, I can't wait to go tomorrow.
Posted by criminal at 03:06 PM | Comments (1)
September 06, 2005
Toothache
I have had a toothache for almost a week now. The pain comes and goes, but since last friday has been particularly powerful when it does come. So I scheduled an appointment with my dentist which conflicted with a previously scheduled appointment with my eye doctor to pick up my trial contacts. But the tooth pain is far more important than the convenience of disposable lenses, so I rescheduled. It will amost another month before I can get the darned things. But at least I got to see my dentist, right? If only that were true. Nothing showed up on my x-rays and she can't see anything wrong during a physical inspection. She referred me to an endodontist and had me out of the office within 15 minutes of my arrival without any real answers. The worst part is that I would've been less than five minutes late for my other appointment had I kept it. Figures.
Posted by criminal at 04:52 PM | Comments (0)
September 02, 2005
Higher and Higher
The gas station closest to my apartment has been raising it's prices several times a day this week. Between 8am when I leave for work and 6-7pm when I get home, it usually jumps $.30. And then another $.10 or so overnight. Regular was $3.35 this morning and I'm reluctant to look at the sign tonight because I can't imagine that it will be getting better until at least next week.
It's going to be tough, but when I think about the cause, I'm willing to settle for exorbitant gas prices. Somehow they don't seem so bad when compared to a the destruction and disruption caused by hurricane Katrina.
Posted by criminal at 04:00 PM | Comments (1)
September 01, 2005
Back to Normal
Things are starting to get back to normal. At least as normal as things can get when you've just gotten married and started sharing a new home. Our morning routine is starting to shape up and while we're still pretty scattered in the evenings because of moving errands, the end is in site. I'm also starting to get used to my commute. Thanks to the audio book I borrowed from the WPI library (Stephen King's Dreamcatcher) it really seems to zip along. I think I'm averaging 45 minutes, although I've made it in as little as 38 and as much as 75 (heavy rain + massholes = stopped traffic). And while gas is getting more expensive, my highway fuel economy is better than I expected. I'm so used to my city average being about 18mpg that I was surprised to see highway averages up around 28mpg.
Posted by criminal at 04:39 PM | Comments (1)