I'm in Columbus. Both plane rides went well, though O'Hare fails at in-terminal directions. I actually slept on the plane from IAH to ORD, which was good because I was seated next to a Marine officer candidate who was headed to boot camp and hadn't slept the night before and was acting squirrelly. I know way too many jokes about 2LTs.

Grandmom is doing good. She's very perky. Still extraordinarily skinny, but she can manage to eat regular people food from time-to-time without pain. Sweet Pea is as spoiled and adorable as ever. Grandmom is annoyed with her because she wouldn't do her business on the walk this morning...wanted to lick the grass instead.

Grandmom's party is today at Gale's at 1600. Parents and Evan leave to drive back to Texas tomorrow morning. I guess I'm just going to bum around until I go home Monday night.

EDIT: I CAN HAS A TANNIM (who has blond hair, pierced ears, and is already tormenting Evan 2.6 seconds after walking in the door)

Left work at 2000 when technically, I should have stayed until Marc was done. But I had a migraine that made it feel like small demons were poking the backs of my eyeballs with pitchforks and I was fighting not to throw up on something. Like the airway bill printer. Because, yeah, that would've been a fun thing to explain to my boss. So, I left.

Came home, took too much Tylenol, chugged Pepsi, and collapsed on the couch with Underworld: Evolution playing. Woke up three hours later with no migraine and the dogs looking at me pathetically because people are shooting off fireworks already.

Happy 4th of July, by the way.

My flight leaves from IAH to ORD at 0636. I was a tad bit confused when I had Dad book the flight (I thought Grandmom's party was today when it's tomorrow); otherwise I would've tried for a more reasonable hour. Because nobody wants to be at the airport at 0500.

Oh, yes, I'm flying. Cross your fingers that the plane doesn't fall out of the sky. My luck with flying is worse than my luck with cars, if that's even possible.

Places I want to see before I die: Bucharest, Budapest, Scotland, Bangkok, Prague, Italy.

I feel: Blah

DNW

All my Thursday, Friday, & Saturday shit has to go today.

Prepping the dogs for their walk. Now, there are three of them and one of me, and none of them wear the same style of harness, so this takes a few minutes. Especially since they like to run circles around the picnic table during this process.

I have Bryce on a leash (dragging it behind him as he does laps) and am easing Kate into her harness when all of a sudden, Bryce and Riley let out the canine equivalent of 'CHARGE!' and go tearing off across the yard.

There is a lightish blob running as fast as it along the top of our back fence, both dogs standing beneath it howling.

Unfortunately for Mr. Lightish Blob, when Riley gets it into her head to do so, she can clear the six foot privacy fence and she is ace at plucking squirrels off the top of it. So, before I can even get off the deck, she and Bryce have this ill-fortuned creature on the ground and are gleefully doing...something to it.

A great deal of cussing and arm-waving on my part sends them scampering back to the deck (where Kate is standing in her harness going "walk. now. bitches."). I shut them in the house.

Oh, god, I have a DEAD THING IN MY BACKYARD. It could be the neighbor's cat. It could be a nocturnal squirrel. But it is most likely DEAD and IN MY BACKYARD.

Objective 1: Find Flashlight. While doing this, I fish my phone out and call pige, because I am filled with the urge to yell "I live in motherfucking suburbia!" at someone, and she seems like a good candidate. She doesn't pick up, and the only flashlight I can locate is one of those eco-friendly ones that you shake to generate light. Good for not walking into walls during a blackout, but absolutely useless for checking the vitals of a rodent from six feet away.

Objective 2: Call Dad. Since I know we own flashlights powerful enough to befuddle low-flying planes, I call my dad's cell, regardless of the time zone difference. Besides, if I end up driving myself to the ER because I've been assaulted by a pain-enraged critter, he should know about it. Even if he is 1200 miles away.

Mind you, I'm wearing the same skirt I wore to the office and a pair of flipflops, and I curse my choice in footwear as I--minature spotlight in hand--inch across the grass to where I had seen Riley and Bryce loom over their prey. I shine the light over at the spot and...no dead thing. Dad, still on the phone, suggests that it might be a possum. You know, playing possum.

Haha.

I pan my light across the yard and am rewarded with the demonic red gleam of beady possum eyes. Motherfucker.

So, the dogs have now been walked, and they will have to cross their little legs tonight because I have given the possum until tomorrow morning to escort its rat-tailed ass out of my yard (I've even left the gate open for it). If it's still there in the morning, then...well, I'll have combat boots, a snow shovel, and daylight on my side.

If the instructions on the bag of popcorn are in Mandarin, it's probably not going to taste good.

I feel: Bored

Oh, this is going to be a promising day, I can just tell.

/sarcasm.

I couldn't fall asleep until almost 0300, and instead of going to bed, I just faceplanted on the downstairs couch. Woke up at 0530. Let the dogs out. Went back to sleep.

Feel like shit. No surprises there.

The family left today for Ohio, leaving me with three dogs. Pushy critters...right at 2100, Bryce starts barking up a storm to remind me to walk them. Right now, we are sitting in the dark living room, enjoying to the AC and the quiet.

I just got done reading a decent Big Bang and looking through the icons at jillicons. Now, I'm trying to find the energy to put Hellboy in.

I'm definitely going to see Hellboy 2: The Golden Army when it comes out. It seems more my speed than the first one's heavy noir influences were.

( Trailer )

I've been an asshole today. No idea why.

I feel: Thoughtful

I did not get off work until 23:15 tonight. This might have something to do with the 8 directs that got dumped on my desk at 2000. 8 directs that I was told to misfile the AES for because they were "hot" and there was no way to get the proper tax IDs and commodity codes at 2030 on a Friday night.

So, tomorrow...er, later today, I will have to mark in files with Sharpie that the AES was filed in such and such a way per the instructions of my supervisor, and I was just following orders. You know, in case Customs comes knocking on our door. Technically, I'm still a temp.

And Gregor wonders why I cover my ass so thoroughly.

Expeditors called me again today. I didn't get the voicemail until after my supervisor pulled his stunt, so I'm considering it a little harder than I normally would. I have to keep reminding myself how bored I would be in ocean imports. Also, how much I hate the strict corporate atmosphere at that company.

Anyway, the folks and Evan leave for Ohio tomorrow. Grandmom's 75th birthday is on July 4th, so they are driving up this week. I'll be flying up on the morning of the 4th and coming back the morning of the 7th. Somewhere in there, we'll pop up to Bowling Green to say 'hi' to Tannim.

Why am I still awake? And staring at a computer screen? That's pretty much all I've done since 0750 this morning.

I feel: Enraged

I was going to do a Stay Alive picspam, but my computer's retarded and didn't save 90% of the caps I took last night. So I'll regale you with a tale from work.

Basically, there's a person-sized plant near my desk (my desk being closest to the back window). It's apparently leased from a plant leasing company, and today they came to change the water and clean the pot.

Oh, god, it reeked of rotten eggs when they took that thing out of the planter. No wonder I've been sick constantly since I started working there. We made them take it out into the hall until the smell went away, but it was still foul. I went and hid in the print room and made copies for about a half hour.

Reply to this post, and I will write one thing I love about you. Maybe more than one. Then (if you want) repost to your own journal and spread the love.

I feel: Annoyed

There was a woman standing at the base of the ramp. Not a member of the port authority or the cops—though the way she stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her feet spread suggested to Jason that she was a woman well used to being listened to—since she was wearing an odd conglomeration of skirts and shawls. Her boots were heavy black spacer’s boots though, possibly the kind with the magnetic soles you could switch on and off with a kick when you needed to cling tight to the sloping side of your ship. A fall of dark brown hair was held back away from her face by a red and orange scarf, and her eyes were an eerie purple color.

“Can I help you?” he called, coming down the ramp to greet her. Goddess, please don’t let her be looking for passage, Drake prayed. Who knew how long they were going to be stuck on this rock if they couldn’t find Elliot. And if they couldn’t find him and get him back in one piece? Well, he didn’t much want to think about how royally screwed they’d be.

She smiled. “Actually, I think the question should be: how can I help you?”

Great, a saleswoman. He stopped and started to turn back around. “Sorry, I’m not interested.”

“Not even if I can help you get your skipmind back?”

( Read more... )

I feel: Bored

- pige has tact. I do not. (I don't know why I'm surprised at this.)

- Ludo is a fantastic band. I'm glad I cut out of work a little early to go see them at JavaJazz (along with arielchan, eckerlilas, irish_cocktail, thousandjulys, kylieq and Scarlet) even though I had never heard even one of their songs.

- The wannabe hipsters at JavaJazz are disgusted by pseudo-lesbian behavior.

- If I walk into the bathroom looking for my friends, they will be the ones two-to-a-stall. (See above re: pseudo-lesbian behavior. In actuality, they were spiking their pop with Malibu.)

- It is very easy to convince me to do silly but potentially mortifying things, which Scarlet exploited without even realizing it.

***

In other news, Willie the Warehouse Guy (the one who keeps asking me out, not the author of the creepy love note) decided to stop me on Friday and tell me that he "just doesn't get" me.

Me: "What's not to get?"

Willie: "I can't figure you out. One day you're all Goth and the next school girl and sometimes you just wear a bunch of bright colors that don't match."

Me: "Okay."

Willie: "You're...unique!"

***

I want to play on this!

I feel: Okay

mercurybard: then I succeeded in putting leftover salad in the only container without a lid
thousandjulys: hm
thousandjulys: saran wrap?
mercurybard: *laughs at herself*
mercurybard: I didn't even think of that.
thousandjulys: <333
mercurybard: I just flipped another plastic dish upside down on top of it and pounded on it until it sorta stuck
mercurybard: and put it in the fridge
thousandjulys: ahahaha oh bb
mercurybard: this is why I am not allowed to live alone
thousandjulys: ilu<33 XD

I feel: Slightly Embarassed

- TV: Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Bands: Gym Class Heroes, The Dresden Dolls, My Chemical Romance (well, Brian), Charlotte Sometimes, We The Kings, Schoolyard Heroes, Sing It Loud, The Cab, Mindless Self Indulgence, Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship
- Games: Dynasty Warriors
- Movies: Hogfather, Dracula, The Forbidden Kingdom
- oracleazure quotes

Take what you want. I don't care about commenting or crediting or any of that crap. Just, for the love god, don't hotlink my Photobucket.

( All the good girls go to Heaven / Heaven knows )

I feel: Tired

Dad: *comes in door, carrying pizza*

Me: "Hi. You gave Mom permission to organize the dvd collection and that's all she did today, except she ran out of cd sleeves and had to stop. Oh, and you missed me railing against the IRS because they sent me another refund check for $334 made out to the wrong person."

I feel: Crank

I see your mouth moving, but all that comes out is Greek to me.

I really need to stop reading science fiction above my intelligence level. (But then again, I should probably stop trying to convince myself that I can write science fiction.)

But boson particles of course made me think of Martian Successor Nadesico, an anime my ex and I enjoyed. Any series that gets a review: "the Nadesico mindset shows that heroism and self-sacrifice are still respectable virtues, and that nobody needs to hear whining about why you can't or won't pilot a giant robot" deserves a little attention. Plus, that is the series that spawned Ruri Hoshino, who may or may not be my favorite anime character ever.

I'm not sure if there was ever a point to this post.

I feel: Nerdy

So, today was Father's Day and Dad's birthday. He celebrated by sleeping in, taking a nap, eating chocolate cake, and going shopping with Mom at Home Depot. His idea of an ideal day. Tannim also remembered to call, and Evan mowed the lawn yesterday (the brat was stuffed in a van with the rest of the church's youth choir at 5am this morning...he'll be back on Saturday), which are both bonuses.

My other dad is currently in England, but he'll come back to a Father's Day message on his phone. (Also, my big sister is getting proposed to while they're over there! Danny is taking her to Paris and popping the question.)

Guys...guys...I just finished reading a Big Bang, and it's been so long since a fic made me go "ouch". I'm not a very emotional person, but this one just sucker punched me not once but twice. Owie. I'll rec it in comments if anyone is curious (I just feel weird talking about it in an unlocked post).

I feel: Lonely

Mom's AIM away message:

gone shopping. back when I've run out of money.

I swear, sometimes her inner 14-year-old is closer to the surface than I want to think about.

I feel: Indescribable

So, read volume 1 of Return to Labyrinth.

( Spoilers )

I feel: Disappointed

So, apparently, they made Labyrinth manga when I wasn't looking. Two of them (at least). I have them and shall report back whether or not they suck.

And, looking at the cover, it doesn't take much to turn David Bowie into an anime character.

I feel: Nerdy

“Teldiv Flight Control hailing Mud Dauber Shuttle 1. Come in Mud Dauber 1.”

Until the comm crackled to life, the flight had been almost pleasant, the polarized windows allowing Jason and Ardena to watch as the sun rose over the scarred and barren landscape. They’d passed Sutta—called the Gate to the Badlands—about a half hour before and were now moving along the southern coast. Here, the blight stretched right up to the water. There was beauty in the desolation laid out at their feet, Ardena decided.

They’d also discovered a flight hazard nobody had seen fit to warn them about: a huge cross between a featherless bird and a skate that lurked above the coastal waters right at flying altitude. The first one they’d come across, the captain—lulled by the simplicity of the scenery—had almost struck. They’d passed close enough to the creature that Ardena could see the pebbled texture of its leathery wings. “That’d fuck up an engine,” Drake had commented.

“Teldiv Flight Control to shuttle Mud Dauber 1,” the comm cut in again. “Come in Mud…”

( Read more... )

I feel: Restless