Things not to do when drunk

Text message exes.
Email - anyone.

Feeling a little remorseful today. But that's what I get.
A little too tipsy, a little too honest, and today, a little too hungover.

And just like that

It's gone.
They had us all geared up for all this ice, and today, it's 40 degrees out.

So maybe I will be productive, we'll see.

First, coffee.

PostScript: So much for that. Snow has taken the place of ice.
Quite lovely, most picturesque, but it's supposed to continue for three more days so we'll see how enamoured I am with it's beauty come Tuesday.

The Ice Storm Cometh

After three days of winter storm advisories and warning, the predicted ice storm has started.
Actually, it started about two hours ago.

Bottom line: I should've gotten things done today while it was still tolerable outside.
Uber gusty winds combined with living not too terribly far from Lake Michigan pretty much means that I'm not going to bother scraping the Salt Lick car of mine to run errands tomorrow.

But really, why would I want to? I have enough groceries to get by until the next warm up and, considering how I've embraced the sin of Sloth of late, it's not like I was going to go to the gym tomorrow anyway, although it had, albeit briefly, crossed my mind.
Besides, I've got prime parking real estate right now. Managed to snag a spot right outside my apartment, so why jeopardize that?

So, I'll be remaining a latch-key kid this weekend.
Not that I have the cash-flow to consider going out again anyway.
I've got pool league on Tuesday, so it's just as well that I reserve my currency for that outing.

Most impressive

Today is my parents' wedding anniversary, and, contrary to what appears to be the norm, they are, in fact, still married.
I think it's 38 years now, but I might be off by a year in either direction.

In any case, I think it's downright impressive.
They love each other to bits and that's not something that goes away over time, at least not for them.

Anyway, inspiring to me.

One good thing about bad water pressure

Over the past week, the water pressure in my shower has gone from poor to non-existent.
This can be an issue when tackling the ever challenging Jew-fro.
My hair is an entity unto itself.
Especially in the summer, my friends and I refer to my hair as a separate being.
Case in point - 90 degrees out? "The Jew-fro is displeased." And, visibly, large.

Well, for lack of water pressure, I can barely get the water to penetrate my hair, let alone sufficiently clean, condition and rinse.

As a result, I sit here, some 14 hours later, with admittedly curly (duh) but curiously subdued hair.

This may not seem like a big deal to anyone but, for me, who wakes up with dredlocks on a daily basis, it's a damn revelation.
Clearly, not sufficiently rinsing my hair leaves residual schmutz that tames the savage beast that is my mane.

Nonetheless, other aspects of showering have definitely suffered. Like, say, rinsing off in general. Not to share to much but, my hair is not the only part of me with residue.

Landlord has been informed. Theoretically, despite the "holiday" a plumber will be arriving tomorrow to assist. I won't exactly be holding by breath but will, in the meantime, be showering exclusively at the gym.

Post Script - It's now Monday, 10:40AM.
All fixed.
All clean.
Fastest landlord turnaround time ever. A rare surprise and treat.

Baby Steps

So, I don't make New Year's Resolutions.
They never stick.

The weight loss attempt thing is ongoing, perpetually, so certainly not worthy of a once-per-year declaration.

One thing I did consciously attempt was to stop biting my nails. Go figure, the big girl who smokes has an oral fixation.
Finally, something I was capable of accomplishing and did, in fact, do.

Observe.

So, if nothing else, I've accomplished one goal, albeit minor and otherwise unimportant when compared to my other, ongoing goals.

But there you have it.
Yay, me!

Abusing Blockbuster every chance I get

For the President's Day weekend, Blockbuster is trying to lure away Netflix users.
Through the 21st, one can bring in the address stub from Netflix and trade them in for free rental.
Looked through my paper trash, found four labels.
So, my weekend, if housebound, is set.

Coupla bottles of wine,
Four rentals,
All for the price of a coupla bottles of wine.

Pretty damn spiffy

I got my email alumni newsletter from Macalester today, and it included this picture:

One of the math professors there, along with a team won 2nd place in the 2007 Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships (never heard of it, but congrats to them anyway).

Me, I love music, so it's pretty nifty to see a 3-D G Clef, in snow no less.

Ahhh, winter in the city

As I write this, I can hear a car outside, spinning it's wheels, trying to extract itself from the snow laden curb to which it is attached.
I'd go out and help, really I would, but A - I already did that twice today - it's cold out there! and B - I've transitioned into nighttime loungewear, thoroughly ill-equipped to go out and provide assistance.
In fact, I'm guessing that, by the time I'm done with this post, said motorist will be free and along his or her way towards whatever their final destination may be.

Bottom line, it's days like today that I truly appreciate living in a city.
The Captain Jessmobile is still buried under snow, next to snow, abutted by snow and would require considerable effort to remove, only to find the spot taken once returned to.
That said, I'm glad I can walk a mere block and change to a CVS. Granted, not a grocery store, but still enough to tide me over until the good sun does it's work and allows me access to my car.

If nothing else, I can wait until the weekend when there will be more parking spaces awaiting me upon my return from whatever grocery trip I may pursue.
See, the thing is, I live about a block and change away from a train stop so, during the day, the available parking spots are quickly harvested by those from outside the neighborhood who descend to shorten their journey to and from the train.

I'm patient.
I'll wait.
And in the meantime, here's to frozen veggies and half cases of diet soda.

And.....the motorist has been freed.

Cheers!

Incidental musical Rorschach Test

I know it's random, it's on shuffle after all.
Just interesting how my itunes shuffles my music library.

The last ten songs I've listened to:

Thoughts of a Dying Atheist - Muse
I'm Not Okay - My Chemical Romance
Novocaine for the Soul - Eels
Serenity - Godsmack
The Remedy - Abandoned Pools
The Killing Jar - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Ugly - The Exies
Breathe - Nickelback
Aenima - Tool
Feeling Good - Muse

Kinda works.
Kinda full circle.

I don't know, but I like it anyway.

Exhausting

I remember when I was a kid that there was this coach that said that, for a good cardio workout, go running on the beach.
A whole lotta good that does me.
Little access to a beach and, oh yeah, I don't run.

In any case, we've been inundated here with snow over the last two days.
Not a big issue, seeing as how I'm pretty much a homebody these days.

However, I had pool league tonight, which requires walking to the train, and then to the bar from the train stop.

Let's begin with my departure.
Big ass snow drift in my front yard so, as I descend the porch steps to the sidewalk, I don't realize that the last step is under snow, so I put my full weight on what I think is the sidewalk.
Took a header into the sidewalk.

Thankfully, (and I can't believe I'm saying this) no one had shoveled the sidewalk, so I actually had a fairly soft landing into a snowdrift.

Then onto the train. Big, clunking steps through the snowdrifts to the trainstop.
Wait twenty minutes on the platform, hop the train.
Get off to transfer.
Wait twenty minutes on the platform, this one without heat lamps (I know, waah, right?).
Then to my stop.

Then the requisite two block stomp through more snow drifts until finally, my destination.
Believe it or not, this is the most precarious leg of the journey.
For whatever reason, there is a massive slope to get to the actual front door of what is now my home bar for pool league.
Thankfully, the door was in the process of opening with a departed guest or else I certainly would've taken a header without the door to grab onto.

In any case, made it there, a little bruised, but nonetheless.
Love my team. Love hanging out with them.
I lost two of my five games, unfortunately, reducing me to a season 17 and 4, until today, I was in first place individually and held the women's record for start to a season. (I was 14-0 before my first loss).
Irrelevant, of course. This pool league is a team sport, so all I care about is our team's overall win-loss percentage.

I took off early, once my games were done.
At the time, we were losing, so I don't know how the night ended up.

Bottom line though, by the time I got home, trekking again through now larger snow drifts, I was more than ready to crash.

Which is what I'll do now.
Good night all.
Drive safe - it's a mess out there.

Latch Key Kid

Although I haven't truly been one since I was in junior high, I find myself now, a latch-key-kid.
Short on funds. Ok, let's not be nice about it, I'm downright destitute.
Having paid the rent and the month's bills, I'm without funds for the rest of the month, aside from the joint bills that my roommate will pay back to me during the course of the month.

It's an interesting prospect, actually, having to spend one's time indoors.
Netflix only does so much and one tires of online video games after a time.

I would go back to crocheting but, now that winter has almost run it's course, almost no one needs a scarf at this point.

I find myself revisiting and, revisiting again, tv shows that I have access to on DVD either through me, my roommate, or Netflix.

Dave is out, who knows where. Probably with friends or his girlfriend.
Must be nice. I'm only slightly bitter since, if I did have his share of the bill money, I still wouldn't be able to go out, it would only enable me to buy groceries for the rest of the month.

I did find a wonderful thing, though.
A friend of mine on my pool team celebrated her birthday yesterday.
The gathering took place at a tapas resaurant remotely near my neighborhood.
Thanks to some friends in the know, I was able to pre-purchase $25 worth of grub for, get this, five dollars. A great find for the destitute.
I henceforth went to the gathering, ordered maybe $15 worth of food and felt downright magnanimous giving fifteen dollars to the cause.
Didn't eat much, but got to hang out with both friends and friends by proxy for a minimal total.

Bottom line: It's a rare treat to go out with friends with money and not have it thrown in your face that you have none.
All it cost me was the admission of destitution to the host.
She already knew about my situation, so I lost no face.
A good time was had by all and I had some pretty tasty tapas and sangria.

However, truth behind the tale time, I had made her a scarf as a gift, a really nice one, if I do say so myself.
So, I left my apartment, hopped the bus to the train.
Was about halfway to the train when I realized that I forgot her scarf.
Got off the bus.
Crossed the street.
Hopped the bus back.
Went home.
Got the scarf.
Left.
Waited a half hour for the next bus to the train.
Mercifully, once I got to the train stop, the train arrived almost right away.
Got off. Walked half a mile (in 5 degree weather, thank you very much)
And still arrived on time. Actually, I was the third of thirteen people to arrive, so I was very timely.

In any case, good times. Good tapas. Good sangria.

And there you have it.
Maybe one of these days I'll be back with something substantive.
Until then, who knows.

Yep, "The Bears Still Suck"

I haven't heard that song in years and, chances are, I won't be hearing it around these parts any time soon.
My buddy Tom used to play it from time to time while DJ'ing at a bar I went to while living in St. Paul, MN, just to cheer up the Vikings fans there. Plus, he's a die-hard Packer-Backer, so, cheered him up too.

The first half was as fun and exciting a Super Bowl half as I've seen in years.
The second half? Not so much.

"the pride and joy
of Illinois"

Again, not so much.

Ah well.
Again, don't really care.
Still, pissed off the Colts won, and even more so that Peyton "What's in it for me via commercials?" Manning won MVP. Shoulda given it to the Bears lack of offense. Or to Dungy, but that's just me. Frickin' tool.

Part of me is OK with the Bears losing for purely spiteful reasons, as ashamed as I am to admit it.
Fact of the matter is - my roommate is dating a psycho Bears fan.
That's not the problem. I actually like her a lot - although, admittedly, I can't listen to her voice for more than an hour at a stretch.
The problem stems from her complete stolidness with her fandom.
Case in point. I am, of course, a die-hard Red Sox and Patriots fan.
However - I am willing to root for the Bears when they are not playing the Pats and likewise for the White Sox when they are not playing the Red Sox.
She, on the other hand, adamantly declares hatred for both of my teams and is unwilling to even offer respect, if not appreciation.
This, my friends, makes me more than ok with the Bears losing.

Childish, I know. But, for lack of being intentionally, verbally rude, this is all I have to go on for the time being.

Enough. Football's officially over, unless you count (and who honestly does?) the Pro Bowl.

Goodnight Blogosphere.

Funny, I thought I'd left Minnesota

We are deep in the midst of a cold snap.
Currently 2 degrees, with an anticipated windchill of minus 25-30 degrees.
Lovely.

Walked to the CVS down the street and made the mistake of breathing while wearing a scarf. My breath hit my glasses and froze instantly, leaving me to remove them and make my journey completely blind. Thankfully, there was no ice on the ground or I'd be making this post in traction.

The Captain Jessmobile is back in commission but has fully embraced it's Winter name of The Salt Lick.
If I were still living in Minnesota it'd be attracting deer at this point.

So, I find myself rethinking my plans for Super Bowl Sunday.
Not sure I'm ready to venture out again, only to be surrounded by more than one's share of psychotic Bears fans.
But we'll see.

Enjoy the weekend.
I'll be dreaming of warmer days, and Spring Training.