Stuck

Day 273

I have been trying to soak these stupid nails off with acetone since I got home from work. My left hand is finally UV gel free after two and a half hours. I'm well into the first hour with the right hand. I'm in hell.

Stilts

Day 272

The invention of heels was surely the work of an evil genius. They cause excruciating foot, ankle, and calf pain, but they are part of the reason my legs look as toned as they do. I also believe that they must have been invented by a man. No woman would do this to herself, for one. And only a man would want to put a woman through hell while simultaneously getting aroused by staring at her legs.

Gym rat

Day 271

Check out my cool gym shorts I got at the Nike outlet two years ago. They look like they jumped right out of the 80's. It's all good though; my legs look great in them.

We all scream for ice cream

Day 270

I was introduced to Americone Dream the first night I hung out with Doug. All it took was one taste to turn me into an addict. Best ice cream ever.

It does the body good

Day 269

I have been a milk drinker on and off throughout my life. Currently on.

I was never big on milk as a wee one.

When we moved to Delaware, I started drinking milk regularly because my cousins did. My milk drinking days became few and far between after we moved out of my uncle's house.

My next big milk phase started when I met Joe. He introduced me to all different kinds of milk - chocolate, caramel, strawberry, vanilla... There was a whole new world of milk for me to discover. He even made me his own concoction called sugar milk, which is exactly what it sounds like - milk with sugar in it. It's really good.

When I said goodbye to Joe, milk fell by the wayside once again. There were a few phases here and there, but nothing consistent.

Lately, I have taken up drinking milk again. I'm a 2% girl now, even though back when, I used to only drink whole milk. I think 2% happened when I realized there were options between skim and whole. I know that there have always been those options, but sometimes I'm a bit slow on the uptake. Skim grosses me out, and 1% is sort of icky, but 2% is just right.

Autumnal

Day 268

The weather is cool enough for me to rock the long-sleeved pajamas. My landlords usually keep it cool enough where I can wear long sleeves whenever I want, but it's fun when the weather outside matches my clothing choice. The thrill of that will wear off in about a week.

The perfect evening

Day 267

I had a Saturday night all to myself, and I spent a wonderful quiet night at home. Instead of feeling like a loser, I savored the evening as a rare treat.

I cracked open the bottle of wine that was a favor at Michelle's wedding. I sat on the couch in my pajamas and fuzzy socks. I read a book for a while. I enjoy reading, and it has been too long since I've done it.

After that, I watched Saw: The Final Chapter. I streamed it from Netflix. I had never seen it, and I decided that tonight was the night. It was actually overall a bit disappointing, but the twist ending really surprised me.

At the close of my evening of contented solitude, I played Guild Wars for a while. I brought Yvaine out running air magic, and it worked out rather well. She's level 12 now.

I have decided that I need to schedule nights like this once or twice a month. I've always enjoyed alone time, required it even, and I don't have enough of it these days. I'll have to work on that.

Fall wardrobe

Day 266

We are going to hang out with Jackie & Harun tonight at their new place and meet their kitten Jasper. It is somewhat cool outside tonight, so I found it occasion to wear this new lightweight long-sleeved shirt from New York & Company. I'm a fan. Now if only the humidity would get out of the air so my hair would behave.

Insta-shoes

Day 265

These things are awesome. Squared got them as gifts for her bridal party. They are little flats that roll up and fit into a stylish bag. She got them for us to wear at the reception after being in our heels all day. I have gotten a lot of use out of them since then. They come in handy at work when I'm wearing uncomfortable heels. I don't see the point in being uncomfortable just sitting at my desk, so I'll slip these bad boys on until I have to get up. These little slipper shoes were definitely a good call on Squared's part.

I try to be my best

Day 264

My obsession with Netflix streaming brought me to Dollhouse. I had been streaming the entire run of Angel after I decided I didn't want to wait for the DVDs to show up in the mail anymore, so Netflix suggested Dollhouse to me. Joss Whedon is not one to disappoint, and Dollhouse was no exception. It took me a couple of episodes to really get into it, but then I was hooked. It even prompted me to text Clem: "Joss Whedon rocks my socks." And I was, in fact, wearing socks. It was a pair that Clem had gotten me for my birthday, so he got the text. It seemed appropriate.

I got Doug into the series when we first started hanging out. He had only gotten through the first couple of episodes before deciding against it, but I convinced him to stick it out and give it another go. There is now another Dollhouse fan in the world. Go me. I strongly identify with the character Echo, and Doug identifies with Alpha. We make a good pair.

Guardian Angel

Day 263

When I first started going to Lori to get my hair done, she told me that if I was using a flat iron, I needed to use heat protectant to guard my hair against damage. This is the best one I've found. I'm generally a fan of got 2 b products, and their heat protect spray is second to none. All of the other ones I tried left my hair sticky or crunchy, but this product leaves it soft, silky, and very straight. Love this stuff.

Group

Day 262

On my way to the Crankypants Support Group tonight, the tire pressure light came on as I was driving down Hempstead Turnpike. I rolled my eyes, thinking it was the usual problem. My car is stupid, and it has a habit of flashing the tire pressure light at me when the weather drops below 70 degrees. Apparently, it's a common Nissan problem, because I remember Katie telling me that Steve's car did it too.

After making the turn at the gas station, I realized that it wasn't just my car's stupidity. Stupid doesn't make that noise and pull to the right really hard. By the time I rolled up to Toni's house, my front right tire was making a fun thump-thump-thump noise. Crankypants? Yeah, I was definitely wearing a pair of those.

"I don't even really know how to change a tire!" I exclaimed after telling Toni what had happened.

"I've done it..." Toni's sentence trailed off. Not very encouraging.

But, I figured, we're intelligent people. How hard could it be?

We decided to have a few drinks and then tackle the tire problem. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Toni presented me with the gift she had bought for me in Italy - a beautiful dip pen with a bottle of purple ink. It is such a thoughtful gift, and I absolutely love it. She chose the perfect present for me. She's so sweet; I love her.

Instead of attempting to change the tire ourselves, Toni ultimately decided to enlist the help of her tenant, Ted, who also happens to be my friend/old co-worker's boyfriend. Talk about a small world. It was a very funny night when I realized that Toni's tenant Ted is also Karen's boyfriend Ted. So Toni and I stood outside and tried to learn something while Ted changed the tire.

"Wow, could you imagine us trying to do this ourselves?" I asked Toni. Our eyes met, and we cracked up. Asking Ted for help was definitely the way to go.

We discovered where the hole in my tire was. It looks like I ran over a nail, so it should be able to be repaired. Until then, I get to drive around with this stylish donut. Ghetto fabulous.

Stay tuned for more updates from the Crankypants Support Group. There's never a dull moment, and we always have more than enough cranky to go around.

Party animals

Day 261

In true Squared fashion, we partied through the night and into the next morning. What a fun night!

My best friend's wedding

Day 260

Squared and Dan got married today!

I was at her parents' house bright and early, along with the rest of the bridal party, for hair and makeup. We all got dressed just in time for the photographer to arrive. Once the pictures were taken, we all climbed into the party bus and headed off to St. Joseph's church.

The ceremony was beautiful, and I somehow managed to not cry. The threat of ruining my $60 makeup job was enough to keep the tears at bay. Michelle and Dan were the epitome of happy and calm throughout the ceremony.

Afterward, we went down by the water in Northport for more pictures. We got some really fun shots. Downtown Northport is a perfect setting for photographs.

The reception was at The Watermill, and it was absolutely amazing. The venue was elegant, the food was incredible, and everyone had a great time.

Today was everything I had hoped it would be for my Squared, and I know she's ecstatic today and will have many happy years with her new husband.

Manicured

Day 259

Squared, Jenn, Kellie and I got our nails done together this morning for the big day tomorrow. I absolutely love these girls. We always have a blast together. I can't wait to celebrate Squared's wedding with them tomorrow!

Practice makes perfect

Day 258

Michelle and Dan's rehearsal dinner was awesome! I had such a great time! I had never been to La Famiglia in Smithtown before, but the food was excellent. The rehearsal itself was rather haphazard, but they always are, and somehow it falls perfectly into place on the wedding day. This was the best possible way to end the evening - with wonderful friends, delicious food, and plenty of wine.

Ugh!

Day 257

I have to be in a wedding in three days. There is a zit the size of Texas on my chin. Welcome to my life.

The Ladies Man

Day 256

Pistachio has decided to romance my foot, likely because I've just fed him. I give him the noms, and then we have snuggle time. He's down with that - he likes the ladies. Stashi is my favorite little player.

Q-Tip Head Dog

Day 255

I personally feel that the Q-Tip is one of the best inventions ever. It is the second best part of my post-shower routine. (The best part being lotion, of course.) Cleaning my ears after a shower is very important. I have had panic attacks upon discovering I don't have any more Q-Tips. I try to make sure I have plenty in stock so that doesn't happen. Happiness is... clean ears.

Down with the sickness

Day 254

I woke up this morning (okay, this afternoon) with a bit of a nasty bug. So far that we know of, three of us who were out last night have it. Excellent. I feel like I'm on my death bed, and this isn't even my bed. Come to think of it, these aren't even my clothes.

Rock and roll all night

Day 253

I showed up solo to the Finespun show tonight at Ollie's Point, but I was certainly not lacking friends. I was just able to wander off whenever the heck I wanted and not feel guilty about it. I tend to do that a lot. It probably annoys the crap out of people.

Finespun had an awesome set, even though they got cut short. I parked myself at the front of the stage by Doug's feet, but I gave up on taking pictures with my craptastic camera after about 5 minutes.

I snapped this picture of Jackie and I in front of the merch rack right before Finespun went on stage. We look like we are up to no good and shenanigans are eminent. Sounds about right.

P-stash

Day 252

This is Day One of checking on Pistachio while Toni is away on her cruise. The little man of the house seemed very happy to see me today. He didn't immediately try to dash out the door, which was was nice. While we're both sort of bummed about being unable to go on vacation too, at least we've got each other to hang out with. Now that I've given Stashi noms and lots of hugs, it's time to go home and feed Luna. And maybe myself too.

We meet again

Day 251

Using the Wii Fit for exercise has fallen out of favor since I joined a gym. For some reason lately, I have gotten back into using Wii Fit and EA Sports Active. Maybe I'm going into winter mode early, where I never leave the house. Or maybe I'm just going through another phase.

Frazzled

Day 250

There are some days when you should really just go back to bed and start over tomorrow. If this morning was any indication, today will be one of those days.

Despite the fact that the weather is absolutely miserable, and all I wanted to do was roll over, snuggle under the covers with Luna, and go back to sleep, I got up and blearily stumbled into the shower. Halfway through my usual shower routine, I was suddenly reminded of one of the reasons I generally lock Luna out of the bathroom. She likes to watch the toilet flush. She has figured out how to do it herself. The water went from warm to nuclear in about half a second, and I plastered my body against the far wall of the shower. My shower is not that big. The spray was just barely missing my body, but my toes were not so lucky, so I had to slide up the wall and stand on tip toes until the water returned to a tolerable temperature. Definitely awake now. Thanks Lu.

Once out of the shower, I was standing at the bathroom sink. I glanced to my left and thought, "Hey, where the heck is my toothbrush?" I was brushing my teeth. Okay, maybe I wasn't awake.

I hit the wrong button on the Keurig and made the smaller size coffee, so it did not fill up my to-go cup. I screwed up my coffee, and I have the easiest coffee maker on the planet.

I need a vacation.

Crankypants Support Group

Day 249


By the way, I'm coming over in sweatpants. That was the last text I sent to Toni before I headed over to her house. I was already in my pajamas. It was raining. No way I was changing.

When I arrived, Toni opened the door before I got the chance to knock. Even though she was wearing sweatpants of her own, she looked entirely unhappy and greeted me with a curt, "Hi."

I laughed, which made her laugh. Progress. "What's wrong?"

"The pool is overflowing, and the pool guys won't come because it's raining."

"That's just stupid."

"I know."

With that, we trooped out back to pump some water out of the pool before her entire back yard became the pool. I helped her straighten all the kinks out of the hose because if it's not straight it will explode when the water goes through it. Apparently she's lost a few hoses that way. Finally, she turned the pump on, and I followed the water through the hose to make sure it was working. I was abnormally excited to see the pool water coming out of the end of the hose and into the street. By "abnormally excited," I mean jumping up and down while yelling, "It's working, Toni, it's working!" Sometimes I get a little over-stimulated.

The moment Toni opened the back door, Pistachio made his escape. Damn it. Back outside into the rain we went, this time to catch the cat, who really didn't care that it was raining and was simply thrilled to be running around outside. Toni finally cornered him, and we got him back inside.

As soon as I took my sneakers off, P-stash stuck his head right in. We thought that maybe he smelled Luna and wondered if she might be inside the shoes. But maybe he just knew he was in trouble for running outside and was applying the ostrich theory.

Snuggle time?

Day 248

I was going to sit down and write. I grabbed a pen and a notebook, popped open a can of Planters Nut-rition digestive health mix, and settled down on the couch. I was even wearing sweatpants, so I was all set. Luna had other plans. She took the pen; I still don't know where it is. Then she sprawled out right on top of the notebook. Why does she always win? Why do we always have to do whatever she wants to do? How is that fair? At least I can still reach the mixed nuts. So there's that.

Bronzed

Day 247

I'm so happy. I found my Sunlit Bronze lipstick today while I was searching through an old pocket book for something else. I didn't find what I was originally looking for, but this was a very nice surprise.

Rock Sake rocks

Day 246

Doug & I went out for sushi at Mitsui tonight. The picture of the cool Rock Sake bottle caught my eye as soon as we sat down, but it took me until after we had placed our order to decide that I wanted it. This particular flavor is called Cloud. Not only did it come in a really pretty bottle, but it had coconut in it as well. That intrigued me. I was imagining something along the lines of pina colada sake. I wasn't too far off.

Rebel

Day 245

It's like 2 o'clock in the morning. I just got home. I'm highly amused by the fact that the stamp for Eject is actually the eject button symbol. I should really go to bed.

Wives night out

Day 244

Toni and I decided to take the Crankypants Support Group on the road tonight. We're headed to the Eject Party at The Gallery Room. For once, we decided against the sweatpants. We are going to drink, dance, and socialize while wearing cute clothing. Go us. This is a testament to how much I truly love Toni, because I'm going out to a club on a school night. Yes, I still call it a "school night," even though I'm technically a grown up and have a job and all that jazz. Just let me have it.