6.29.2007

Facts and Habits

Tagged by belsum

The rules: Each player lists 8 facts or habits about themselves; the rules of the game are to be posted first; at the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people.

1) I always start my workday with a look at the 6 or 7 comics I access through the washingtonpost.com website.

2) I never used to eat breakfast, but taught myself the habit of doing so in the last year or so. Exercising in the morning now makes it a necessity, but I started with a box of cereal and container of milk stored at work.

3) I put on a movie I've seen a thousand times (like The Princess Bride or Star Wars or Monty Python and the Holy Grail) when cleaning the house or the cat box.

4) I organize my clothes closet by type and color.

5) I am a chocoholic and there is rarely a day that I don't eat any chocolate. It may be as little as a few chocolate chips, but it's pretty much every day. Fortunately, I've taught myself to be satisfied with a little high quality chocolate, rather than a lot.

6) Sometimes I have to take time out from my day to day activities at work to tidy up my desk. I can't think when my desk is too out of control.

7) Come to think of it, my brain's pretty fuzzy when I don't have my glasses on or contacts in. I think better when I can see better.

8) I hate having to throw away vegetables that go bad. It feels very wasteful and unvirtous.

Tagged (I'm listing folks because the "rules" say I have to. Obviously, no obligation is implied):
Laura
Aileen (unfortunately, her site is by invite only, but I haven't got many blogging friends)
Gregg and/or Amy (I'm reaching here!)
Reuben has quit blogging, so he's out.
Dammit, that's all I've got!
If any of my readers would like to participate (come on, everyone's doing it!), just go ahead and do it in the comments.

6.27.2007

Poor Lily Von Shtupp

I'M TIRED
by Madeline Kahn as Lily Von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles

(Just watched this last night, and I love this song. Part of it is just the way Madeline Kahn sang the song. I've never experienced the kind of tired she's talking about, but I always think of this song when I'm tired.)

Here I stand, the goddess of Desire
Set men on fire
I have this power
Morning noon and night it's drink and dancing
Some quick romancing
And then a shower
Stage door johnnies always surround me
They always hound me
With one request
Who can satisfy their lustful habits
I'm not a rabbit
I need some rest

I'm tired
Sick and tired of love
I've had my fill of love
From below and above
Tired, tired of being admired
Tired of love uninspired
Let's face it
I'm tired

I've been with 1000s of men
Again and again
They promise the moon
They always coming and going
Going and coming
And always too soon
Right girls?

I'm tired,
Tired of playing the game
Ain't it a crying shame
I'm so tired
God dammit I'm exhausted

Tired, tired of playing the game
Ain't it a crying shame
I'm so tired

[Soldiers:]
She's tired (She's tired)
Sick and tired of love (Give her a break)
She's had her fill of love (She's not a snake)
From bellow and above (Can't you see she's sick)
Tired (She's bushed)
Tired of being admired (Let her alone)
Tired of love uninspired (Get off the phone)
She's tired (Don't you know she's pooped)

I've been with 1000s of men
Again and again
They sing the same tune
They start with Byron and Shelly
And jump on your belly
And bust your ballon
Aye!

Tired, tired of playing the game
Ain't it a freakin' shame
I'm so...
Let's face it everything below the waist is kapput!

[Soldiers:]
Tired!

6.25.2007

Do Not Take This Personally

I've taken a couple posts off my blog, since they offended some of my readers.
I was talking about social pressures because I feel social pressure so acutely. It's like a giant anvil sitting on top of my life. I let off some ill considered steam about the anvil. Some of my readers, unfortuately, thought I was talking about them. It was never my intention to discuss individuals.

The Sand, It Is Done


My wonderful dad helped me out with the final bit of the sand grading. Now I'm ready for the bricks. They are scheduled to arrive on Thursday. Looks like I get a bit of a break until they get here. :)

6.22.2007

The Blues?

I've been feeling kinda depressed the last couple of days, but only in the middle of the day, like between 9 and 4. Not sure why, maybe I'm just tired of work. Yesterday it was getting to me more successfully than today.
I put "why am I sad?" into the Google search engine and came up with this explanation of sadness and depression geared towards kids. One of the quotes is:
Feeling sad every once in a while is natural. Maybe you didn't get something you really wanted. Maybe you miss somebody. Maybe somebody you really like doesn't want to be friends, and you don't feel so great about yourself.
I'd have to say, that pretty much covers it. I wanted to fall in love with someone, who didn't want the same thing. My dear uncle Arch, who helped me so much on the early stages of home improvement, has passed away. A good friend of mine has "fired" me (not her words, but another friend's) as a friend. I never meant to hurt her, but somehow I did. I need a break from work. I'm feeling guilty for not being more proactive about the registration exams.
I know intellectually I'm supported and that things are going just fine, but I can't shake these lows. I guess the only way through is through.
Thanks, for listening, folks.

6.21.2007

Life is a Beach, Some Assembly Required



The sand for the patio arrived yesterday. I moved some of it to the patio area, but the majority is still piled behind my garage.
It is definitely an easier task than digging.
Granted, I think the fact that I've got a wheelbarrow now helps a hell of a lot, but digging sand is easier than dirt and rocks. And I don't have to haul around heavy buckets. Yay!
Vive le wheelbarrow!

6.18.2007

The Dirt, It Is Done


Next, sand.
I won't describe for you how exhausted I was when I finally got to this point on Sunday. It makes me tired just thinking about it. I was so tired, my brain turned off.
Thanks for the offers of help, I'll be more likely to accept them now that the really crappy part of the task is done.

6.17.2007

Almost Done... Digging


This was the state of the patio when I stopped working last night. I have pictures from Wednesday and Friday nights as well, but didn't have time to post them until now. I was planning on posting them all, but realized that the point of the photos is to show the progress. You can see that with one photo, rather than three.
I plan to finish the digging today and put in the 2x4s that will help me put in a level sand base. I'm hoping sand will be delivered on Wednesday (I say "hoping" because I have not ordered it yet. I've been so busy at work lately I haven't had a chance to call.) and then I'll be entering phase two of the patio installation.
Stay tuned!

6.13.2007

The Dig Goes On


It was raining yesterday, plus I went to tai chi, so no digging happened yesterday, but this is how the dig looked after I spent a couple hours digging on Monday night. One thing you can't see from the picture is that I made the original area a couple inches deeper to achieve the full 7" (4" Sand, 3" Paver/Brick) depth I need.

I also had a meeting with a mason for the project I'm working on, so I asked him if I could get a deal on brick pavers. He said "sure" (of course), and this morning I went to his showroom to look at his selection. He had some very interesting Australian pavers, that were new, but they're a little too polished looking for this particular patio. His red brick pavers seem pretty nice and basic. He gave me a couple samples to go and check against some other brick I have in the front of the house, etc. Really nice guy.

6.11.2007

The Day I Declared War on the Worms


Poor worms. Sunday I started digging up the yard for a brick patio (see image above for current progress) and felt sorry for all the earthworms I dug up. I hope I displaced them, not killed them.
(For the curious, the white tube in the background is for a conduit I'm putting under the patio in case I need to run waterlines for irrigation in the future.)
Word to the wise: hauling dirt sucks.

6.08.2007

Architect of the Capitol

As a former resident of Washington, D.C. and as a practictioner of the architectural profession, I found the following article:
On the Hill, a Heap of Trouble, by Philip Kennicott, about the appointment of a new Architect of the Capitol. The former AOC, apparently did not do a very good job staying on budget and on schedule for a major architectural project going on at the Capitol. They're thinking a manager of some sort would be better.

The best quote from the article is: "The job is a classic federal conundrum, relatively low pay for a workload that would draw top dollar in the private sector. On the agenda for the next architect is finishing and opening the new visitor center, and suffering regular and theatrical abuse from Congress until the oohs and ahs of happy constituents, who will no longer have to wait in the blazing sun for tours, start coming in."
Low pay, high expectations, lots of drama?
They won't be able to get anyone but an architect to take such a horrific job. They're trained for it!

August Is Too Far Away

Becoming Jane is a movie about Jane Austen coming out August 3rd. It supposedly chronicles a love affair Jane had before she became famous. Knowing that her biography has her dying at a fairly young age and unmarried, I know it must have a tragic end. Also, I normally approach any adaptation of Austen's work with many grains of salt.
AND YET for some reason, I'm looking forward to this one. The trailer looks good.
[tapping fingernails on desk] Now where is August?

6.05.2007

Pics of Zooming

They actually had a photographer taking pictures at the Bolder Boulder. You could find yourself via your bib number and for the low low price of $16, get a 5 x 7 of yourself.
They were pretty tricky and made it so the larger, digital, version ($29!) of the photos shown couldn't be stolen, so I had to steal the itty bitty versions they didn't bother to protect and link to the website where the larger one is. Pbbblt, Brightroom!
This is me and the other is Le Squeeze (who really should have another nickname, since it's winding down). It must have been taken around the 3rd or 4th mile marker, since we were no longer running together at that point, but we don't look like we're pushing that hard, as we would at the end.