A Mighty Fine Life

I have red-eye. Lucas is cute! (Jen went to take the picture and he and I turned opposite directions to pose, somehow; I ended up turning in a full circle. Him: "Nice spin." Me: "At least I didn't fall down!" Him: "Then it's a win!" Me, mentally: Lucas Grabeel just made fun of me and it was awesome.)


ZOMG, how cute is Drew Seeley's smile?

Also: the review. They're so talented and also adorable; I really wish it had been better.

I don't even like vampires, but.

BUT.



I WILL WATCH THAT SO HARD.

( Oh yeah, I got new glasses. My face. )

Yesterday I got a new phone and a haircut! I'm actually mostly on the fence about my hair, but I more or less like it this morning, so quick, have some camwhoring before I leave for work.

( there are bangs somewhere in that mess )

For the record, no, I can not see anything out of my right eye. I'm working on it.

So today I spent almost $500 on clothing. That's the most I've ever spent on clothing at any one time in my whole life.

Here's the thing: I'd love for that to have been frivolous or fun, but it was, in fact, necessity. Random pink dots have appeared on a lot of my clothes lately, meaning, I think, that I washed a pen with them. WHOOPS. And that's stuff I didn't spill coffee or other staining things on. Or rip. Or... Well, let's just say I'm very hard on clothing. I'm a klutz, and I'm not really into clothing or fashion, so a lot of what I buy is cheap to begin with, and thus easily destroyed, and I am Becky: Almighty Destroyer of Clothing. So. I checked my bank account, made sure the rent had already gone through, figured how much I'll have in bills this month, and actually unclenched my usually-tight wallet and let myself buy the stuff I actually needed.

$170 of it was just on bras, underwear, and socks. I am glamorous, I tell you what. Aside from that, I got a bunch of camies -- you can never have too many camies, right? -- and a few nicer shirts and sweaters. And a dress. It has polka dots. This brings the grand total of dresses I own up to two, by the way. Seeing as how I'm okay on pants, between my few pairs of jeans and a couple pairs of cords I've bought over the last few months, that means I basically now have a new wardrobe.

So I did the mature, adult thing and actually went through everything else I owned, tossed what's stained (even when it pains me -- goodbye, adorable green hoodie, I hardly knew ye) and doesn't fit well or I just didn't like, and put everything away. My entire wardrobe, such as it is, fits in two plastic drawer sets of the kind you might send your kid off to college with to store papers. SIGH. I have a beautiful dream of someday having saved enough money to buy a new bed -- trust me, also a necessity -- AND a dresser, so I'll have a real one, AND a bookshelf, because I have books all over my floor and my bookshelf is already packed. These are my wild fantasies, folks.

I'm mostly just proud of myself for actually feeling okay about the money I spent. I decided awhile ago that I'd actually like to start dressing, well, slightly nicer, and have been working hard on really feeling okay about caring about that. I don't know, maybe that sounds stupid, but it's really never been anything even on my radar, and I've always felt kind of weird and guilty about caring about how I look. So I've not only never done it, but I've always actively avoided it. So that I was able to go out, find things I liked, and not hang them back up just because they cost more than $20, is a big step for me.

I mean, it comes at a stupid time, economically speaking, but still.

In other news, it turns out I can make a decent omelette! That's pretty exciting.

And typing this has set off my wrists, so peace out, y'all. I'll check in again in a few days, maybe.

The morning after $3 margarita night I woke up with a weird pain and bruise on my back. I wondered why that was, but I suspect ( it might be from falling on the floor a lot ). Aren't I charming and adorable?

(Thank you for the pics, munkykiss.)

I ran laundry today, but didn't get around to folding it until a little after 10 tonight. I finished and then looked around my room, which was a bit of a mess, so I cleaned it. Then looked around again and scowled, because I had a few posters sitting around on the floor and books tossed everywhere and my walls were still creepy white expanses.

So at 10:30 at night I decided to finally actually do some decorating. It isn't much because I don't have much to work with, but now at least the books are stacked (that's the best I can do until I get some more shelves), and the various posters (including Corbin!) hung up. I still have a lot of wall space and I'm not sure how I'm going to fill it. I still need to buy that Newsies poster -- it will live next to Corbin, in a great wall of Disney -- but that actually still leaves an entire wall untouched. Hmmmmm.

Anyway. My room is clean, my laundry and sheets are clean, and I am pleased. Now if I only I were sleepy so I wouldn't end up exhausted tomorrow...

I've been asleep for 15 of the last 24 hours.

I feel quite a bit better, though!

So...I've been feeling a bit under the weather this week. Bleh. So today, the managing editor -- also feeling a bit sick -- picked up some Tylenol Cold and offered me some.

We realized after the fact it was nighttime medication. We realized that when we both -- well, mostly me -- completely lost the ability to do work. It was startling like being drunk, actually; I couldn't type well, I couldn't keep track of conversations, I all but collapsed. I've never reacted like that to anything before -- codine helps me sleep, but neither benadryl nor nyquil even makes me sleepy. I don't know what it was.

But I left work at 3:30, got home at 4, and slept until 7. Now I'm going back to bed, because I'm still exhausted. Weird.

In other news, Rachel and I just watched four episodes of Greek. CAPPIE. MARRY ME. THROUGH THE TV! That is all.

From revena:

Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair - just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with the picture.

It was after work. I was sleepy.

(Done with my lovely iSight camera because Rachel's digital camera is soooooo far away on the other side of the room...)

( I make faces. )

My faceyourmanga.com icon really does look rather like me...

So I have my own room now. This is a very big deal: I haven't reeeeally had one since I graduated from college and left my beloved Mod 10. I lived with my parents for awhile, which was dandy (they were really great about letting me be an adult and independent, and went far out of their ways to accommodate me ♥) but it wasn't the house where I'd grown up (that one kind of fell down, long story) so I was basically staying in a guest room with all of my mom's sewing. Then I moved into Rachel's one-bedroom apartment in what was originally going to be a temporary arrangement until I got up on my feet in the city, but, uh... I never moved out. (Rachel also gets a ♥ for letting me do that.) So we shared a single bedroom (a large one, but still) for two and a half years.

But now I have my own! So I can actually hang up my own posters and such! And so I've reached a decision: after waffling about this for well over five years, I definitely want a Newsies movie poster, even though they're completely hideous. Seriously, completely. But there are two in existence! And they are equally fugly!

So internet, please tell me: which eyesore should I purchase and hang on my wall?

Poll #1230135 Very Important Question
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 38

Which Newsies poster should I go with?

Today was my birthday. It was also lease signing day, which really dominated it. And it was extremely stressful; we still don't have the keys. Nnnnrg. So that kind of sucked, especially the part where Rachel and I both got freaked out phone messages from the realtor to call back ASAP, only to have him say, "Hey, never mind, it wasn't a problem." Uh, way to instill faith, dude.

However, dinner with harriet_vane and poisonivory was lovely!

I have a dentist appointment first thing in the morning.

So in the time I was basically computerless:

1) I (finally) went to the dentist. I have four cavities, which will be filled over the next month or so. On the one hand, this sucks. On the other hand, considering I've had no dental care at all for two and a half years and I thought I was going to need a root canal or something, it's not that bad. I didn't especially like the dentist I saw, but the convenience of his office being in the same building where I work can't really be beat.

2) Tuesday evening was feminist SF book club! We read an Ursula LeGuin collection, which I thought was very good, even if it isn't what I, personally, would pick up for fun. Last time I went, the discussion was kind of meh; this time it was great and smart and full of people thinking about things and disagreeing politely and generally being awesome. I'm so pleased, let me tell you. (And afterwords, a coworker [who also is part of the club] and I went out for ice cream. Well, sorbet on my part. But it was fun times.)

3) Yesterday, harriet_vane and I finally went and saw some apartments with our realtor, who is a very nice guy. Knock on wood, we found one we loooooove, and so began the process of nabbing it. Such things can always fall through, so I'm trying not to have my hopes up too high, but it would be so fantastic.

4) Work has been work. To make up for the time I've been off getting my teeth cleaned and trying to find a place to live, I stayed crazy late a couple nights and came in early, too. Which sucked and was pretty exhausting. Ah, well. Sadly, it's just going to get crazier; between the big-ass conference at the beginning of August and the week I'm taking off for the move, it is going to be super stressful and annoying. Groan.

5) July 4th! Pretty much my favorite non-present-giving holiday, because I looooove fireworks. poisonivory is coming out to play, and she and harriet_vane and I are hopefully going to go see the giant show. Hooray! Also: long weekend! Double hooray!

6) I read Suzanne Brockmann's Hot Target, and you should too! You know, if you like WWII (or WWII movies), trashy romance, trashy gay romance, hot Navy SEALs, and -- especially -- dreamy gay-in-denial actors with substance abuse problems and daddy issues. (And who doesn't?)

7) I have a Twitter, if you are a person who likes to follow those. It's mostly mundane stuff and complaining about work, though.

8) I have written jack shit. I know I should just get back to work, but I had such momentum built up in my projects that now that Teh Novel has been wiped I'm just exhausted and having trouble forcing myself to get started. Maybe this weekend. We'll see.

So today I cut fifteen inches off my hair.

Yeah. Fifteen. Inches. (Preserved to send to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, as my hair stylist said they're better than Locks of Love.)

Needless to say, it is a huge change. It is also totally cute and I'm a little in love with it. Seriously.

( Before )
AND NOW...!
( After )

It was also seriously such a good experience -- the stylist was super nice and we talked for like ten minutes about what I wanted, what my skill level with hair is (hint: not good), what product she recommends, and as she styled she explained to me what she was doing and how it could be done on my own. She was so sweet, I totally ♥ her and hope she can cut my hair always.

So in summary: so cute!!

I think this is my crazy fangirl face. (More at Rachel's flickr.)

Despite the, uh, part where they lost (eyeroll), it was quite a lovely day. Seriously. The prediction was rain, but instead it was 60 and sunny out. Rachel and I were on the ball enough to bring sunscreen (because we are vampirically pale and would spontaneously burst into flame otherwise), which meant that the sun was quite lovely. And like, seriously, warm enough that we both stripped off the jackets and sweatshirts, which for those of you who know me and that I prefer temperatures approaching jungle-like, was quite remarkable. Our seats were about three quarters of the way back on the third base side; upper deck, but near the front. They were actually damn near perfect, because the lower decks were all in shadow, and from our understanding, it was cold where there was no sun. So ha!

And yes, I kept hydrated.

Also fun was that we were sitting next to the Tiniest Yankees Fan. He was with his dad, and probably about three, and decked out in full, adorable gear. Obviously, being a toddler, he didn't really have much of an attention span, but was adorably entertaining throughout.

The boys lost, but there was an entertaining rally in the 8th that kept it from being a total downer. If the A hadn't been running shuttle bus (oy) even the trip home would have been fine.

I, on the other hand, am still completely stuffed up -- but not sick in the way I was all week. Like, this is clearly still the flu, and I'm coughing, but I feel like a person again, capable of thought and movement and digesting food. So this is all very positive. (Regardless, I'm off to take cough syrup and go to bed. Yay for sleep!)

Rachel and I have tickets for opening weekend! :D :D :D :D :D

In unrelated news, after a week, I did not have to put goo on my head. My scalp is much better; still a bit pink in places, but, like, the spot behind my ears that has been itchy and flakey for, oh, three or four years now? Lovely and skin like. Not scaly at all! Which is good because I am, you know, a mammal.

I'm supposed to continue to use this stuff once or twice a week for... ever? Dunno. Regardless, though, I am pleased with my non-disgusting head.

A big hooray at work: I've been allowed to do editorial stuff, finally! I'm editing and footnoting a transcript. This is great, because I've missed actually doing editing things; I like all the webstuff I do, but, ya know. Editing is what I'm actually sort of vaguely qualified for. Not really. But it's what I do anyway and like best.

( So here's how I ended up with a gooey thigh at work today! )

So on Tuesday I went to the doctor, despite the fact that I was, you know, entirely better. He concurred with my "I'm actually dandy now" assessment. But does everyone remember how awesome this was? (Explanation.) Because when I lost my insurance over the summer, I couldn't afford to keep up the scalp treatment, which means the horrible disgusting condition is back and better than ever! By which I mean itchier and flakier. Anyway, point is, the shower cap and hair gunk has returned.

I'm so hot, you don't even know.

And speaking of my hair, it's long. I realize that's not the most profound statement in the world, but it is remarkably true. It's long, like, the longest its been since high school, and possibly the longest it's ever been. It's about an inch or two above my butt. It is lonnnnnng. It's also the first thing people comment on when they haven't seen me in awhile ("My, your hair is long,") and also something people who spend a lot of time with me comment on ("Wow, your hair is long, and also, Panic! at the Disco exists, and here are some things about them..." [ilu rachel!]). So yes.

I occasionally entertain fantasies of chopping it off, or dying it blue. I really want to do something with it, but I'm at a loss for what. I'm not exactly a, uh, hair person. (Or makeup. Or clothes. Or shoes. Or... okay, you know that whole performance of femininity thing? I don't do that. I don't know how to do that, but I've avoided learning mostly by choice.) So... If anyone has any thoughts on how to make not-quite-straight-but-mostly-flat, extremely long, basically extremely pretty but dull hair exiting, do feel free to let me know!

(If I weren't far too lazy to fiddle with hair before work, except for getting it dry enough to not freeze in the cold, I would consider Vickie T's haircut. Sassiest bangs ever. Except I can't picture me with bangs. Nnnnnrg.)

So, yes. My scalp: bad. My hair: long. My life: dull.

( Oh, and also, I'm not participating in the LJ strike. )

So I survived the week! It was actually only the last couple days that were particularly bad, though everything was intense. Like I said, Thursday I was at work until 11; yesterday, until 9. For those playing along at home, my actual hours are 10-6. And this was the kind of intense work where you don't leave your desk, pretty much. The company is good enough that it acknowledges t his, at least, and bought lunch and dinner for us every day, but still. Tiiiiiiired.

The upside is that we got all of our deadlines met so I'm not in the office now. Next week will also be pretty lengthy and intense, but not as bad. And next week (if I have my dates right) is the Spice Girls!

I just feel completely drained right now. The apartment has to be cleaned because I was way too tired and stressed to care all week. Rachel and I just bought groceries for the first time in months (yeah, months -- but I can also actually eat now, which for some reason I hadn't been able to do reliably for about a month). And I feel like I should do laundry or go out and be productive, but what I actually want to do is take a nap, or play Paper Mario. Or maybe one and then the other.

(I'm someone who needs a lot of me-time. I haven't had ANY this week, I've been too busy to think.)

I kind of want Penelope's shirt from today's comic. (Er, she's the blond one.) Because--I swear, due to my dark hair and the fact that I wear glasses--people tend to assume I'm into indie bands.

I'm...not, particularly. In fact, I love pop music. Like, a lot. And not ironically. I'm going to see the Spice Girls when they're in the area. But man, everyone I meet who asks me about music the first time is really surprised by that.