And you think you have problems

Day 90

Every time I have a bit of a close call on the road, I wonder if maybe I'm dead. Maybe I was involved in a horrible accident and died, but it was so sudden and traumatic that I'm carrying on as a ghost as if nothing ever happened. Actually, it doesn't even have to be a close call. If someone's headlights catch my eye a certain way, or I think I see a car in my peripheral vision that isn't really there... I start to wonder.

I have had this thought pattern ever since the first time I saw Dead End with Joe. That's what the movie is about - a family is involved in a tragic car accident and don't realize they're dead until spooky things start happening. After the movie, I started thinking, and 99% of the time, when I think, it leads to anxiety. This time was no exception.

"What if we're dead?" I asked suddenly.

Joe turned his attention from the TV to my worried face. "We're  not even in the car, Michelle."

"I know, but we were," I said, wringing my hands. "What if we died, and we don't know it yet?"

"And we just happened to get a movie about that very thing?" He was making his ironic face. His mother also made that face.

"Yes," I answered matter-of-factly.

"Your mom said hi to us when we came in," he reminded me. "If we were dead, she wouldn't have seen us."

"Oh, right." Then my heart jumped again. "Oh my God, what if - "

"Honey," Joe interrupted me quickly. "We're not dead."

Turns out, he was right. But still, to this day, every so often when I park my car and turn off the engine, I wonder - what if I'm dead?

Maybe I should stop watching horror movies.

... And disappears inside of her head

Day 89

Sometimes I wish I could take a picture of my mind. Not like a CAT scan or anything, although I've had my fair share of those. I want to take a picture of the world I create inside my head. Maybe a group photo of all the characters I've breathed life into for so many years. A panoramic view of the huge backyard my imaginary house has, where the fog hangs from the trees, but it's not scary. An action shot of my pet goblin Nasal stealing someone's left sock. I would say a cute couple photo of me and my fake boyfriend Doyle, but once I decided he was my fake boyfriend, he died in the very next episode. Wow, even in my imagination I have horrible luck with guys.

Tuesday's gone with the wind

Day 88

Today was a very long day indeed. Not in a bad way, but I'm still tired. It was actually a rather good long day - apparently, those still exist, and now they exist in my world again. I'm very happy about this. I'm also happy to be in my pajamas, sitting on Grandma's chair, watching TV. Life is good.

The stink of clean

Day 87

I admit it - sometimes rather proudly - I enjoy doing laundry. There's something calming about it for me. It's definitely hard to fold sheets by yourself, which is evidenced in this picture, but there's nothing better than the feel and smell of clean sheets. Except maybe a clean, warm towel right out of the dryer. Or socks... yeah, clean dryer-fresh socks are the best. What was I saying about Boober Fraggle?

Shenanigans

Day 86

I have some of the best friends in the entire world. Katie sent me a text message earlier in the day to invite me over, then sent me another text message to remind me that she had sent me a text message. She's awesome like that. I showed up just as Steve was leaving to get the pizza, so we waved to each other as we drove past one another in the parking lot. Jon and Paul were already there when I showed up. Steve came back with the pizza, and we watched some Dexter episodes. Next to arrive was Heather, followed by Justin. Katie cooked five pounds of wings in varying degrees of spiciness. I even ate some, despite the fact that I'm not a big wing fan - so that's a definite compliment to Kate's cooking ability. I shared the couch and a fuzzy blanket with Heather, and she shared half of her "baldie" cookie with me, which I haven't had since I was a kid. That's a chocolate chip cookie, sans chocolate chips, for those who aren't in the know. We all watched Clerks 2, which is a hysterical flick on its own, but when you add it to our silly crew, it's even funnier. Heather even made a sign on a Post-It that said "DONKEY" to commemorate this epic viewing of the movie. As I was setting up for this picture, Katie warned me that the mantle might actually fall on me, but I scoff in the face of danger, plus I'm magic, so it didn't collapse. Paul was not in my self picture until the last second when he dove right in. He's a funny guy. I'm impressed he got in the shot on such short notice. Nobody even cared that I was wearing pajamas and you could probably totally see my red and white candy striped underwear through my plaid pants. I love you guys.

Phases

Day 85

I've decided that I'm pretty much in love with my bangs. They look good on me. I'm less in love with the red highlights, which are not so red anymore. They looked awesome when I first got them, but now they've faded to the point where they either look brassy or perfectly caramel, depending on the way the light hits them. I have to pay Lori a visit soon anyway, so it will go back to its usual color. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Box it out

Day 84

This is how Luna and I relieve stress at the end of the day - we box. I pretend to throw a punch and say, "Box it out, Lu." And she comes back at me with her own little punches. She's (usually) very good about not using claws. I don't know why I find it fun to spar with my cat, but I never said I was normal.

Here's looking at you, kid.

Day 83

I think Luna's about as sick of me taking pictures as I am of seeing pictures of myself. 282 days to go, Lu. Hang in there.

Club Pogo

Day 82

Sue introduced me to Pogo back in 2002. She was playing Word Whomp one afternoon, and suddenly I was addicted. I signed up for my own account on September 17, 2002. Nine years later, I'm still a Club Pogo member. As the real me has changed in appearance, so has my Pogo Mini. I change "my" clothing at least monthly, just to switch things up. Luna now joins me in my Pogo world, since she's my constant companion in real life. I've phased through many backgrounds, hair styles, and outfits. I have earned 267 badges in my years on Pogo. I have 1,265,411 tokens and 88 gems. I spend most of my tokens on new clothing, so I guess my Pogo mini is a lot like me. My current "favorite" badge is The Shooting Star badge I got playing Panda Pai Gow Poker on January 24, 2005. I just like the picture - cute little panda and stars - what's not to like? Pogo has gotten me through a lot of boredom over the years, and I'm sure it will continue to do so for a long time to come.