I'm Home

Yes, I made it back safely. The pets are all okay thanks to Angie, there's tons of laundry to do, plenty to put away, and I'm now feeling stressed. Add to that - a dead rat out on the sidewalk and a messed up iTunes and I'm starting to think I should have stayed away. Yeah. I'm going to try not to stress out any more, take two Excedrin PMs, and crawl into bed. Peace out.

Late Night

It's 1:40 EST (10:40 PST), and I'm still up. Not good. I'm going to bed shortly so that I can wake up in six hours and head back to Baltimore. For now... the Santa Cruz pier at dusk. I wanted to ride the rollercoasters, but time was against me. Maybe I'll get to come out here again soon...

Early Morning

Since I'm awake... I thought I'd share the view from my room... the waterfront in Santa Cruz.

PST

I am sooooo on EST. I went to bed at 10 PM PST and woke at 3 AM PST. I am such a gonner today... I just can't sleep. Help...

Safe Travels

So I'm off... when most of you read this I will be on a plane headed for San Jose. I won't be gone long - back Wednesday - and Angie is pet and house sitting for me (THANK YOU, Angie) so that I don't have to board Antonio for $25 per day (plus all of the extras). I just hate these whirlwind trips, though. Tomorrow will start at 4 AM, and I probably won't get to sleep until 10 PM west coast time. OMG...

I'll do my best to blog from California, but who knows what I'll have time for. I'll take some pretty pictures to share with you all at very least. And then I have ACW's happy hour to look forward to when I get back... :)

So long!

damn, damn, damn...

stupid storm. i am typing this using my internet tablet because the thunderstorm knocked out our power. bg&e says it should be back on by three, but it's 1:30!! i have so much to do.

it's too hard to use caps on this thing, which is why everything is lowercase. but the battery life is pretty good so i'll be able to check email at least for the next hour or two - regardless of the power situation.

so now is my chance to get a few things done without the distraction of tv. although i'm stressing about all of the work work i have yet to do, i can get some basic stuff done now.

1. clean cat box - done
2. dust - done
3. put laundry away - mostly done
4. pack - done
5. shower - done
6. take excedrin for headache caused by beers at poncabird last night - done
7. take out trash again
8. put away bills & paperwork - sort of done
9. tell angie what she needs to know write angie a cheat sheet for house/pet sitting - done
10. prep carry on bag - done
11. lysol doorknobs and such - done

things i'm waiting to do that require power:
1. launder sheets - done (the power is back on!)
2. work on work - sort of done
3. charge laptop and ipod chargers for plane - done
4. run dishwasher - done
5. pay bills - done
6. charge camera battery - done

Achy

My stomach aches today. Ugh. I spent last night and this morning working, got up around ten, went to pick up my prescription, and now I'm trying to clean. In case anyone is interested... karaoke at Poncabird will occur again, tonight. Should be fun, so come on by.

To Do before Monday:
1. Vacuum - done
2. Trash - done
3. Cleaned bathroom - done
4. Scrub tub - done
Sidenote: I bought the original powder COMET at the store today, and although a less pleasant cleaning experience than the more modern "scrub-less" formulas... WOW, did it clean! It's all a little reminiscent of my childhood, and I have to admit I am VERY pleased. :)
5. Laundry - in progress
6. Sheets (will do tomorrow)
7. Finish pricing work
8. Cat box
9. Pharmacy - done
10. Pack (tomorrow)
11. Dust
12. De-fur
13. Clean fridge - done
14. Kitchen floors - done

Nothing

Okay... so I worked until after 7 PM tonight (and NOT at the DC), but when I came home, I swear I did nothing. I changed clothes, painted my toenails, snuggled with the animals and watched Shear Genius, Project Runway and Kathy Griffin - all in a row. (Kathy Griffin is SO funny.) I ate leftovers, munched on some Doritos, and drank wine. The only thing missing is the ability to sleep in tomorrow.

So remember those stuffed animals purchased at Dave & Busters at my birthday party? We've been slowly moving through them. For your enjoyment, I thought it would be fun to show you all the progression of Antonio's destruction.

1. Antonio stressing out as I make him STAAAAYYYY and pose with the toy.
2. He is DYING inside...
3. DESTRUCTION!


4. And as quickly as it started... it's over. And the stuffed animal is armless.









Tonight I took some video of Antonio playing and growling. It's sort of a long video - I wasn't really thinking about the length when I was recording it - but boy, does he sound vicious!

Happy Birthday, Nicole!!

Okay... I'm still tired. Last night was Nicole's birthday, and although I fully intended to stay only an hour or two, I stayed a lot later. Sooo sleepy. Today is going to be long.

I'm interested to get some feedback on what y'all use to stay awake - whether it's caffeine in the form of drinks, caffeine pills, ginseng, etc. Caffeine in drinks keeps me up at night, but doesn't really help me if I need it during the day. What do you use and how well does it work?

Wow. Tired.

Last night I went to Claddagh to see my friend, Wes McDonough, play. If you recall, he moved to Nashville a few months back, and was back in B-more only a few short days. The place was PACKED - rather unpleasantly so - but towards the end of the night it cleared up somewhat which made his final set a bit more entertaining.

Sure, I drank a bit, but not excessively. I'm just so tired. I slept in, but now I have to rally and go to work. Fun. And I'll miss my friend, Wes... I sure will.

Tonight is Nicole's birthday bash, so I'm bound to be even more tired tomorrow. We'll see how long I last. I feel like taking a few Advil PMs and going back to bed right now, but instead it's time to let out the dog and get ready for work.

Being 31 is tough, man... I was so much better at this five years ago.

Catching Up

I'm back. I've been having belly aches for a few days, and they've been dragging me down. I did learn that wine helps quite a bit... but maybe I learned a little too well. Hmmm. Back to the belly aches. Do you think it's the heat? Or a virus going around? Or my medium-rare Poncaburger? I don't know.

Anyway... I just want to catch up on a few things... Saturday night a group of us went karaoke-ing at Poncabird Pub again, and we had a lot of fun. I sang The Fresh Prince of Bel air (among other things), and I even got a few of my non-singer friends up for a song or two.
I'll let you all take a gander at who this is... hee-hee.

Funny.





Then on Sunday a group of us met up at Artscape - my second year, I think. It was... God awful HOT. OMG. Like sweat on your back please-don't-show-through-my-shirt type hot. I know it's gross. It was worse actually being there.















I have to admit that the event for me was disappointing. Not because there weren't lots of beautiful things (oh, there were), but because this just isn't the kind of economy where I can buy $65 photography prints just because I think they're pretty. Nope. The whole event felt different to me. The footprint seemed larger, but there were less people, I think. Hmph.

So this year I walked away from Artscape with nothing. It's a disappointment for me, sure... but I'm afraid the term starving artist may be a bit more true for local artists these days... now I remember why I majored in business.

Antonio's Dog Party

Yesterday Antonio and I went to a dog party - where he was both the smallest and the oldest dog. He did really well for the most part, although there was an altercation towards the end when one dog challenged his Alpha status and then pinned him down (twice). But all is well, he's fine, and those moments are bound to happen when dogs vie for the position of top dog.

Regardless of the incident, we had so much fun. The dogs exhausted themselves and the peoples were fed yummy burgers and snacks (... you can include Kenzie with eating the snacks since she dive-bombed a few people going after their food. What a booger.).

Some photos:
Tyson licking my face. Check out the dirt on my chin... sexy, right?
Nala, Charlie (back), and Kenzie (our hostess) with Tyson in the kiddie pool in the background. Notice Antonio is not present... he's such a loner sometimes.
Charlie - isn't he handsome? He's a labradoodle.
Antonio destroying Kenzie's plastic chicken.
Nala, Tyson , and Kenzie in the kiddie pool. Our hosts put LIVE feeder goldfish in the pool for the dogs to go after; I think Kenzie was the only one who noticed (and it's not like Antonio was going in).

Okay... and BY FAR the CUTEST photo that Antonio and I have ever taken EVER. OMG. Isn't this the best photo you've EVER SEEN???

My Day Off

- Slept until 7 AM and let the dog out
- Slept until 9:30 but told the dog to go nigh-nigh, now
- Slept until 11:30 and let the dog out
- Checked email, read reader, ate doritos
- Cleaned the house
- Showered
- Played computer games
- Turned on TV while playing computer games
- Ate while watching TV and playing computer games
- Drank wine wine watching TV and playing computer games
- Slept

Fun.

I Am So Tired, but...

...Katie and I saw Jukebox the Ghost last night at Ottobar, and we had such a good time. The band was just extremely energetic, and if you have a chance to buy the CD, or a chance to hear them live, I suggest you do so. They're actually entertaining; they interact with the audience, sing beautifully, and just look like they are having a grand 'ole time. They aren't pretentious or egotistical - Katie got all three of their autographs on her CD before the concert because they were just walking around and mixing with people.

Their music has often been described (by me as well) as Ben Folds-like... but it's really a style or sound thing. Their sounds are much more optimistic and positive for the most part, but the lead singer sits at a keyboard and definitely grooves to the song while he is performing. The guitar player lost his voice, so that was a bummer because we couldn't hear any of his songs, and I desperately wanted to cut the drummer's hair because it was all over the place and he kept flinging it around all night.

Anyway, their CD, "Let Live and Let Ghosts," is on iTunes and only $9.99. Worth the money.

I, on the other hand, am going back to sleep. I love vacation days...

Stress

So I decided to take Friday off... for no other reason than I have plenty of hours available, and I really never take any time for myself. I have no plans. To my knowledge, no one else is taking the day off (but if you are, tell me now!), so I imagine I'll sleep in, read on my deck, and watch movies. Or, maybe... I'll do something else. I dunno.

The funny thing is that once I decided I was taking the day off, I realized just how much work I have to do. I stayed at work until 7 PM tonight, and tomorrow is so busy for me that I'm already stressing about getting things done. It's ridiculous, right? Why, oh why, do I do this to myself?

The triple threat for the day is that my grandma is back in the hospital - in something called palliative care. It's not hospice... but it's "care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than halting or delaying progression of the disease itself or providing a cure." (Or as my negative, sad mind calls it, pre-hospice.) I'm so frustrated right now...

[Untitled]

I'm missing my friend, Wes. *sigh*

Thames Street

When Jodi and I were walking in Fells Point after lunch on Sunday, we passed a homeless man on Thames Street over by The Daily Grind coffee shop. The first time we walked by him I heard him talk, but honestly, I get so used to blocking out panhandlers (or pretending to) that I didn't really hear him. But after buying Jodi's drink and walking back towards Broadway, I did hear him... and he asked for money... or for my lunch leftovers.

I must say that in all my years in this city I've never ever had a homeless person ask for food. They ALWAYS ask for money. ALWAYS. Jodi tells a story about a time when she offered a homeless woman in New York her banana, and the woman screamed at her. I forget who else recently told me a similar story about a homeless person who specifically wanted money for alcohol and said so. It's not that I'm cold - I swear that I'm not - but I'm skeptical. We all know that some panhandlers are "professional" handlers, and we also know that some truly homeless people want money for their addictions. It's impossible to tell them apart from those with a legitimate need. And to me that will be eternally frustrating.

But on Sunday - you bet I gave that man my sandwich. Once I offered it he didn't look at me again - only at the bag - and as we walked away I admit that I turned around and saw him eat it immediately. You know what? My heart is still broken from that. He has been on my mind all day. I know I can't single-handedly help them all, but we all make small contributions, don't we? I have my Christian Children's Fund kid, I give blood, and I donate to Bea Gaddy... but there's always so much more to do. And for every two or five of fifteen people who beg for money or drugs or liquor, there's one just like that man who just wants food.

That just breaks my heart.

The Longest Post Ever

Okay... I am going to try to do this all in one post: My Birthday in Review. There were a few different events, lots of beers, games, and karaoke... and therefore, lots of photos. I've included only the highlights of the photos here, but to see all of them, go to my Kodak Gallery.

My birthday-day was really great. My friends at work went all out - I had a balloon, a birthday album full of short jokes, single girl cards, wine, cookies, cards, that kick ass harmonica and flowers from one of the companies I work with. It was just a great day. After work, we headed over to Hightopps for drinks, and we had such a good time!

Paul and I... cute shirt, isn't it? My birthday shirt!
Dale, me and Brian.











Yesterday Jodi came into town and we spent the day together. I got some MAJOR highlights (blonde! AH!) and a haircut, we ate at a trashy bar, and then Katie picked us up for dinner at Chevy's at Arundel Mills. I love these photos.

Katie and me
Jodi and me












After dinner, we partied it up at Dave & Busters. OMG I love Police 911. It's a game at D&B and my thighs will never be the same they hurt so bad. My whole body aches from playing that game - shoulders, back, thighs. Who needs a gym? I've got Police 911 - sooo much fun. So many people came out, too! It was impossible to keep everyone together, so I didn't see as much of some people as I wanted to, but I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. :)

We're playing one of those dancing games - I was sweating by the time we were done!
Katie and Ken getting their redneck on.
Police 911, baby...
...it was all the rage. (Isn't this a great action shot?)
Rob and Jill getting ready to make babies!
So cool - everyone pooled the tickets they won to get toys for Antonio, so this is what we walked out with! He's a loved puppy dog. :)












So after we'd all had our fill of games (I SO could have played more Police 911 if my legs had held out), we headed to Poncabird for karaoke. R, you were right... it's awesome. I'm thinking I'll go back next Saturday. And since it was mostly empty, we were able to sing over and over again. Around 1 AM they started shutting down the karaoke machine (the bar closed at 2 AM), but I worked my mad skillz and convinced the KJ and the bar owner to let us keep singing for another 30 minutes!! YAY! It was great! I rocked out some Heart (new for me), too, so that was very fun.

Me and Ken at Poncabird.
So tired after all of that gaming and singing...
Jodi is one. Popular. Chick.











We ended the night on my lovely deck, with Jodi and I falling asleep in the deck chairs and JJT probably bored out of his mind with drunk girls, but I had so much fun. I really did. I can't thank you all enough for coming out for my birthday (and thanks to Katie for planning it). It's great to have such a wonderful group of people in my life, and it reminds me how lucky I am to have you all around me.

Today Jodi and I were hurting a little bit, but we rallied and made it out around 2:30 PM. Once again we went through a few open houses (why aren't there any more?), and then we drove over and ate in Fells Point. I actually just got her on a bus back to NYC about twenty minutes ago. In a thunderstorm. Poor Jodi. (I love you.)

Fun Birthday

I had a really fun birthday. The day was just excellent. I got lots of cards, wine, a harmonica (!), cookies, and flowers. In addition, the project I've been working on in the DC was praised, which just made me so darn proud. We wrapped the evening up with happy hour... and although I didn't overdo it, my head is still a bit fuzzy this morning. I hate that. Hopefully the day will go quickly (which is unlikely), and I can rest easy tonight.

With and luck, I'll have some photos sometime today or this weekend, so I'll post a few (not all) when I get them. Happy Friday!

Endings? Or Beginnings?

So today was my last day as a 30 year old, and I'll be officially "in my 30s" around 5:30 AM (I think). It's a curious time for me... full of questions and curiosities, a few "what ifs" and many "I wonders." I could post how excited I am to be moving forward, to be growing, blah, blah, blah... but I don't really feel that way. I'm not sad at all. I'm not thrilled, certainly. And I'm not exactly indifferent. It's likely that tomorrow will feel very much like today, and next week will feel like last week. Life just doesn't change overnight. You can usually see it coming if you're paying any attention at all.

Tonight, while making a very pathetic attempt to clean, I decided to toss out those pretty plants I bought for the deck. The 80-100 degree Baltimore June destroyed them, and although I'd kept them living for a good while, I finally gave up a few weeks ago. My schedule doesn't allow for watering three times a day, and I just couldn't do it anymore. I took the first one down and lobbed it over the side of the deck into the trash can without incident, but when I took down the second one, I noticed a curious white object among the dead branches. An egg. Yes, really. I've been eyeing it for awhile tonight, and it appears completely unfertilized, but I have to wonder if I destroyed its chances during one of my many waterings, or if the Baltimore heat was the culprit. I have no clue, although I strangely feel sad about it.

To dream of an egg promises that something new is about to happen in your life. Somehow... I don't think that translation carries over here.

Taking A Break

So I worked again tonight, but I've decided not to work any more extra hours until next week - I need a few days off. Tomorrow I'll relax and clean. Thursday I'll celebrate my birthday at Hightopps in Timonium after work (all welcome!). Friday, I dunno. And Saturday will be my night out. I really need a normal schedule for a few days to get back to the basics, you know?

I'm also considering taking a day off sometime next week - the only day it can't be is Thursday because I have a big meeting - but other than that, I'm open. I was considering Wednesday so that I'd have a day off mid-week to sleep in and play computer games, but then there's Friday, too, and Artscape starts Friday. It would be great to go the first day, but Angie wants to go Sunday so I just don't know. Thoughts? Invitations? Ideas?

Hating

Laziness... bothers me. It irks me. It drives me crazy.

Laziness is one of the most unattractive qualities a person can have in my opinion, so when I'm busting my butt for the 13th straight hour in my day (15 hours awake), and you're standing there not even pretending to work while I try to cover for the mess that your laziness is making for the rest of us... you bet I'm hating on you. Yes, I am.

Intervention

I was coaxed outdoors to play today by the kind JJT, who was hell bent to make me live a little. Yes, it was an intervention. And it was much appreciated. I know I've been killing myself with the work hours, and as a result I'm a 100% couch potato on my off hours. JJT staged an intervention today, and I am so very appreciative. We had fun. :)

So today was my first visit to Harvest Table over in Locust Point. And YUM. I had a veggie/cheese omelet which they made it a little differently because the veggies were cooked and served on top of the eggs. Different, but delicious. And the mimosas... oh so good. Who knew any place had unlimited mimosa refills? I love brunch.

We also visited a few open houses today just for fun. No, I can't buy... I still have at least a year of bill paying before I can consider it, but it's fun to see what's out there. My favorite house was in Canton but had tiny, tiny closets. That's a deal killer. My second favorite house had a lot of natural charm and original details. I loved the hard wood and kitchen, but no deck. I know. I don't need a deck... but I want one. Lastly, we saw a new construction with CRAZY high ceilings. After a few minutes I knew this wasn't a house I could live in. I felt so small.

Today was nice though. No plans, no schedule. I forget that life can be like that. I think I'll start looking at open houses more frequently so that maybe when I'm ready to buy, I'll know exactly what I want. The only downside to open house visiting is most assuredly the desperation of these Realtors. They are totally whoring themselves out (sorry, mom), and it's sad. They'll say anything to sell a house these days... and I'm just not ready quite yet.

Sigh... I want to be a homeowner.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Oh yeah, and it was America's birthday, too, wasn't it? I forget - my mom's birthday is so much more important to me. Love you, mom. :)

Yesterday, CJ, Nicole and I had a girl's 4th. Yummy food, lots of chatting and lots of drinking. I haven't played Truth or Dare in ages... but BOY did I learn some things. :)

One of many of CJ's losses... she's no good at Truth or Dare UNO.
Me and Nicole. She's thinking, "Yummy, yummy shots..."
BAD, BAD shots... Citron is not my friend.
This was a mean hand of Truth or Dare War. And I won this one. Heh heh.
We pretty much all felt like this after seven plus hours of drinking... I wouldn't have minded so much if I hadn't promised to work at 6 AM today. THAT was hard. Which is why I'm going to take a nap here shortly. I'm not really that hungover, but I'm exhausted. Currently I have no concrete plans for tonight, although I was invited out. I just can't decide if I want to rest up and party, or lay low and relax. I guess the first step is actually napping... then I'll see.

Thanks for the fun, girls!

It Came.

And Antonio looks just a tiny bit worried...

Me, Too

I know... I'm as sick as posting about working and sleeping as you are reading it. Ugh. Last night I couldn't even coax myself into a lame post. Happy July 3rd. :)

Well, hmmm...

Wow. You guys aren't comedians, are ya? :) I heard a few good short jokes at the DC tonight (from people who aren't likely to post a comment about it), and I'm still waiting for the zinger. I know you can do it!!! So click here if you still want to play.

If you'd rather discuss the fact that I got home from the DC at 9:15, and I somehow managed to do the list below before 10:05 PM so that I could rest easy tonight... that's open for comment as well. I may not have a social life right now, but I'm still chugging along...

- walked the dog
- talked to a vendor
- started some laundry
- vacuumed carpets
- swiffered kitchen/bathroom
- wet swiffered kitchen/bathroom
- went through mail
- posted this post