( Here be rambling. )

C'est tout, pour maintenant.

I'm just saying, a lot of my entries from now until October are probably going to have a bit to do with Paris, so if that's annoying, I totally apologize in advance. (I worry I might start to sound like Harmony in Harsh Light of Day, you know? I don't want it to get to the point where you would be insanely happy if you heard bugger all about sodding France.)

But, yeah. I booked my trip today, hotel and airfare. Going over October 10, coming back October 17. I am so excited I sort of don't know what to do with myself. I don't think I've ever pushed the button on anything that expensive before, and it made me so nervous I thought I was going to puke, so I just tried to remind myself that 75% of it was essentially free. That made it easier!

I got my birth certificate in the mail yesterday, in preparation for getting a passport. Remember back when your birth certificate was something you were supposed to put in a safe deposit box or whatever, like if you lost it it was a huge deal to get another one? Now it's a $23 check and a copy of your driver's license to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Washington DC (if that's where you were born) and presto, a week later, you have your birth certificate, all raised-seal and official looking.

(A couple of things of interest: First, there is a box for occupation of the father, but not the mother; I imagine this has changed since 1971. Second, there is a section that asks for the number of children previously "born to this mother," and mine says "1". I thought this was funny because my brother, while obviously an official child of my parents, was technically not "born to" my mother. I asked my mom last night, and she thinks someone just asked her how many other kids she had, and that was that.)

So anyway, now there are six months of planning and saving ahead of me, a good amount of time for both, I think. I'm upping the amount of money that goes directly from my paycheck into my savings account, for one thing. For another, I imagine the necessity of every purchase will now be weighed against this trip, and I'm thinking the trip will win almost every time.

As for the planning, I have my Fodor's guide, the interwebs, and you lot, all of you who have been before! You will tell me what to do and see and hear and eat and drink, n'est-ce pas?

It's been weeks and weeks, hasn't it? Have we noticed a dropoff from others as well, since Facebook and Twitter have taken over our lives? It's not a Good Thing, I don't think, but I am as blameworthy as anyone, and will try to fix it, I promise. I certainly won't let another damn month go by.

So the big news around here is probably old news to all of you, since I'm pretty sure that everyone who reads this is also on either Facebook or Twitter, but earlier this week, I won a March Madness pool for... OMG... $805.

I KNOW. It's insane. I wasn't even in the running after the first weekend, so I didn't bother to take my bracket home to follow along on the second weekend. Then the interim results came around a week ago Monday (when the Final Four had been determined), and lo and behold -- I had won $20 (on a $10 entry fee) for picking 10 of 12 in the 3rd and 4th rounds, and I was the only one with the most points to have all Final Four teams correct. I had picked North Carolina to beat Michigan State in the finals, and in the finals, North Carolina beat Michigan State. So I won. $825, all told.

And there is very little question about what I'm going to do with it.



Obviously $800 doesn't get me all the way there, but you'd be surprised how far it goes. I've priced out a couple of packages and can get a six-night stay in Paris in October for about $1100, including hotel, airfare, and taxes.

Of course, my father chimed in with an e-mail full of advice about how to invest it. We hadn't discussed what I'm doing with it, and I'm going up to see them this weekend so I decided to wait and tell them in person, but I replied with this:

I appreciate the advice, I really do, but I've had a week to think about it, and I have already decided what I'm going to do. It's something I've wanted for a very very long time, and since this money basically fell from the sky and landed in my hands, I feel okay about doing something extraordinary with it.

Because the truth is, if I got hit by a bus tomorrow, my biggest regret would not be not getting married, or not having children, or not having finished my novel. My biggest regret would be that I hadn't stood on a bridge over the Seine at dusk and watched the Eiffel Tower light up, that I hadn't sat in the park in front of the Hôtel des Invalides with a baguette and some brie, that I hadn't spent an afternoon lost in the Louvre, that I hadn't stood under the Arc de Triomphe or peered in windows on the Champs-Elysées or done any one of a hundred things I've wanted to do since I was 17.

This October, I will finally be able to do them, all because North Carolina beat Michigan State.

Yeah. It's totally ridiculous. And, you know, completely awesome.

Oscar meme stolen from mesawyou . A list of all best pic nominees since 1980, with the ones I've seen in bold. It's all I can gear up for at the moment.

( What 1985, 1994, 1997, and 2000 have in common, if you're me. )

1. Heading to Hilton Head on Saturday to spend a week with the family. I am taking the train, which is 11 hours each way. That is a long damn time on a train, I think, especially when one's laptop DVD drive isn't functioning (ETA: It works!! I have no idea why, it really shouldn't. Some metal pieces that used to be attached to the drive tray are no longer attached. But who cares! It works!) I'm sure I will be okay, though, with magazines and knitting and audiobooks and regular books and crosswords and Marple (geeky logic iPhone game app to which I am completely addicted) and, if all else fails, napping. And now DVDs, so I am okay!

2. I have been pondering my catlessness lately and am thinking that once I get back from my trip, it might be time to get a kitten. Or two. I'm thinking seriously about two, because everyone says two are happier. I have to warn you, though, if I do get two, the urge to name them after characters from the Russell Davies oeuvre might be too strong to resist. Yes, I could be like the gazillions of people in the 90's who had cats named Mulder and Scully. Only no one would know who mine were.

3. I have also been pondering my somewhat ludicrous desire for a new computer, and think that a Dell netbook might be a solution.

4. I am totally annoyed about the fact that the 20-year reunions for both my high schools are the exact same day. GDS (the high school I actually graduated from in DC) has always had its reunions in October, but they sent out an e-mail this week saying that too many people complained about it being so late in the year, too close to the holidays, kids are in school, etc. etc. etc., so they moved it up. To June 13th, which is the same date as the reunion for my high school in Kansas, which I left the summer before my senior year after having gone to school with the same kids since 1st grade.

There's really no question here, I'm going to the one in Kansas. Aside from having friended a few GDS classmates on Facebook, I don't actually keep in touch with anyone from that year, although I was looking forward to reconnecting with them in October. Maybe I'll try again at the 25th reunion!

5. Despite all my job grumblings over the past few months, I have decided that the only thing to do for now is keep my head down and be thankful that I have a job at all. There have been massive layoffs going on in the world of major law firms, with both associates and staff getting kicked out the door, sometimes with barely one month's severance. Nearly 1000 were laid off in the last two days alone. Horrifying. All signs point to my firm being okay, but no one can really count on anything anymore.

6. But let us end on a happy note: Hooray hooray hooray and millions of congratulations to tracing00 and Keith on the birth of their son, Baby Whose Name Has Yet To Be Announced!

I don't know what's been happening. Maybe writing so much in December just took all the updating I had out of me. Also, I really do feel like Facebook and Twitter have reduced my desire to write here, which is Not Good. I don't want everything I have to say to be reduced to 140 characters or less.

Anyway. I am writing today because February is going to be a bit of a windfall month around here. My tax refund will be coming in soon (the only place where being single, childless, and a renter means anything but Loserville is in terms of tax return preparation; the whole thing took about ten minutes), and I am fortunate enough to work at a firm that actually did okay last year, which means we'll be getting our bonuses as planned in our February checks. They will range anywhere from 5% to 10% of our salaries. I won't know the exact amount for another couple of weeks, but at a minimum, it's still a nice chunk of change.

I am going to do my damnedest to be responsible about this money. To that end, I am making a list of everything I want to use it for, including necessary (bill paying), discretionary but reasonable (high school reunion trip), and totally, utterly frivolous (new iPod). Once I know the entire amount, I am going to go through the list, estimate some costs, and apportion my influx of capital in such a way that my id, ego, and superego are all satisfied.

( More of a to-spend list than a to-do list... )

Hmm. Many things to ponder. Will be adding to the list as the mood strikes, and I'll gladly take suggestions, especially in the area of (3)!

(P.S.: The title is a totally obscure Moonlighting reference. In case you were wondering.)

11/4/08:

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will repsond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes, we can.

...

1/20/09:

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

10:30 is a crazy bedtime for me, but I'm up at 5:30, to leave for the airport by 7:00, to catch a 10:25 flight (okay, that's a lot of time, but the B-W parkway is scary even going against rush hour, although I'm counting on light traffic on account of it being New Year's Eve and maybe many other people like me are not going to work, but they might be going to the airport too) to fly to St. Louis and spend a week with melange428 , woo!

My suitcase is packed, zipped up even! My carry-ons are packed. You'd think I was getting on a 3-day flight the way I plan for diversions and snacks, when in all likelihood I will put on my headphones and be asleep before we take off and wake up because we land. My house is a mess, which is disappointing because it's always so much nicer to come back to a clean house after a vacation, but I just didn't get around to it because I had to work until 8 last night (ugh) and spent too much time at Target after work tonight.

It occured to me while packing that it has been years since I have been on a plane. I think the last time I flew was in 2006. That's probably the longest stretch of my life. I can't say I've missed it, as it seems to be a big damn hassle mostly, but it will get me to St. Louis to see my dear friend, and that is worth all the hassle in the world.

The problem with trying to write while I'm home is my parents are late-night people too, so we're always up kind of late. And I also like to sleep more while I'm here, so when I go upstairs, I just go to bed, rather than go online.

Christmas was fine, lovely. I got the two things I specifically requested, Series 4 of Doctor Who and a speaker dock for my iPhone, and some other little things, and some cash. We had decided a long time ago that it was going to be a light Christmas, so we were all good with it.


We went to bed in the dark, but it was back on in the morning -- by the count of a digital clock, we determined it had come back on around 3am. Some discussion ensued about whether the turkey breast would still be okay, and although we all thought it was, we called the Butterball Hotline just in case, and the woman on the phone said "Oh, I'd eat at your house in a heartbeat."

The second notable thing is that I played Scrabble with my mother and got my first honest-to-goodness bingo, using all seven of my letters, which included a Q, over a triple word score, for a total point count of 107. And yes, I took a picture of it:
The use of the word "quaintly" then became quite popular over the weekend.

I hope your holiday was just as lovely.

But not really. I think it's because this is the first year I've had to work on Christmas Eve in I don't know how long, and I really don't. Up until now, I've had jobs where I have more or less dictated my own schedule. Not so much this year. All the more reason, right?

(Speaking of which, I have gone back and f-locked all of the Holidaily entries wherein I wax somewhat negative about my current employment. If you're not seeing them, then why are you not my friend?)

Anyway, I have gotten over my earlier bitterness about it and will be fine going in for a few hours tomorrow. It's not like I'm missing anything at home, and I'll be there in time for dinner and our annual tradition of game-playing and eggnog-drinking and Pope-watching. (We love watching the Pope on Christmas Eve, though we are not Catholic. One year the local Harrisburg station didn't run it, and there was an article in the paper the next day about how many complaining phone calls the station had received. One of them was from my mother.)

And I do still have some shopping to do on my way out of town tomorrow, mostly at Best Buy. My brother gets a gift card from there every year, and that's all he gets from me, as I have long since stopped trying to figure out what he wants. I have a few fun things for my sister-in-law, a couple of books and the Mad Men DVDs for my mother. I have also long since stopped trying to figure out what my dad wants, so he gets a stack of blank CD's (a running joke) and possibly some gadget or other I find at Best Buy or Staples. I also bought Bananagrams as a family gift, as I have heard fun things about it.

C'est tout, pour ce soir. Bonne nuit.
 

If there is one thing I am learning from this Holidailies exercise, it is that I lead, on the whole, a very boring life.

This is not a complaint. I feel like I go through phases. Like, I will be solitary for a while, and then I will, for example, do a show, and be surrounded by people a whole lot, and then I will need solitude again. But now we're circling back, and I'm ready for a little interaction, and so I sent off a check for the acting class today, which ate up a nice chunk of my birthday cash but is very much worth it, I think.

And now, I give you one of those silly song question memes, which Liz tagged me to do on FB and I reproduce here in its entirety.

( Brown Derby Jump. I know. Remember when swing came back for like two weeks in 1998? )

I'm also sending happy literal birth day vibes to casey98 . Can't wait to meet Matthew's little sister!

I get to this time of year -- my birthday, Christmas, the end of the year -- and I always make some plans. The problem is the plans seem to be very ephemeral, very undefined. Mostly, they involve a general sense of wanting to slow down and simplify. There's an awful lot of noise in the world, and a lot of noise in my head, and sometimes I just want to be still and quiet, yet I have a hard time doing that. I think I need to figure out how to do still and quiet more in 2009.

Speaking of 2009, because of a question I received on AQA, I now know that 2009 is not a prime number. Its factors are 7, 7, and 41. The last prime year was 2003 and the next prime year will be 2011. Just in case you were curious, too.

Anyway, here is my day, and I apologize in advance for the number of parentheticals in the next paragraph.

I ran out this morning to deposit my birthday check and get a Christmas card for my grandmother, the only card I will be mailing this year. (Sorry, everyone who sends me one. Next year, I promise!) Then I made Chex Mix the old-fashioned way, which is in the oven. (The box only gives you microwave directions anymore. I guess I should make half the batch in the microwave and see if I can tell the difference, but I'm very suspicious of getting the same quality that way.) Then my mother and I made my great-grandmother's sugar cookies while watching Little Women (which involved a lot of me clutching a rolling pin and weeping). Then we cajoled my father away from the computer and watched Dark Passage (1947+Bogart and Bacall=awesome) and had dinner (butternut squash soup and grilled onion cheese sandwiches) and watched the Cowboys-Ravens football game (sorry, Dallas people).

Now I'm excited about some overnight snow, which I have been waiting for all month, even if it keeps me here until Monday morning. Snow is still and quiet. That's what I want.
 

...in 1971, yours truly was born.

According to Wikipedia, my notable birthday twins are Liz Cho (New York ABC nightly news anchor), Amy Locane (an actress best known as the sassy Southerner Sandy who only lasted one season on Melrose Place), and Tiffany Towers (a Canadian adult film actress, which, for some reason, I find hilarious. They have adult film actresses in Canada? I mean, obviously, but the idea of Canadian porn just seems funny to me.)

It was a fine day. I went to work and did absolutely nothing until noon, when I left to drive two and a half hours in the rain to Hershey. I went to dinner with my parents at a ridiculously early hour and had two blueberry martinis, which were delicious and brought about a mild state of inebriation such that I had to explain the cheek-poking to my parents. (You can always tell when I have a buzz going, because I will start poking myself in the cheeks. Not constantly, just every once in a while. My cheeks go numb when I get drunk. I have no idea why.)

Anyway, thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday directly, or on FB, or on LJ, or wherever, really. It's a strange and mighty thing to feel surrounded by people even when you can't see them. And I did, indeed, have a happy birthday, thanks to all of you.
 

I think part of the reason is because I start to write when I'm tired and just want to go to bed but I feel like I have to write something just to be able to say that I posted something every day in December. Which is silly.

Maybe it's Twittering or AQAing but I am so used to writing in 140 (or 153) characters or less, I feel like that's all I can do now. I'll try to stretch things out, but it's a pretty slow news day.

Apparently a lot people are up in arms about Rick Warren. Maybe I'm just generally tired but I can't get all that worked up about it. It's an invocation. He won't be making policy. Obama has said a gazillion times that he's not going to ignore all the people who disagree with him. A politician made a political move, a nod to the conservative right that has zero effect on anything. I realize I don't really have standing to comment on this, but sometimes a turning of the cheek might be called for, is all I'm saying.

Is it wrong that I am looking forward to the Doctor Who Christmas Special more than pretty much anything else about Christmas day?

I have had a Hannah Montana doll sitting at my desk for the last three days. How I got it is a long and not-interesting story. I've been trying to find a Toys for Tots location in which to deposit it, but have been failing miserably. I feel like tomorrow is probably the last day this will be possible, so I'm on a mission.

Pandora baffles me sometimes. Here's Elvis, out of nowhere! Well, sure. Barenaked Ladies, Dave Matthews, Embrace... and Elvis. Well, he fits any station, doesn't he?

...Yeah, I got nothing.

Far, far too cranky.

The plantar fasciitis has been flaring up since the weekend and I am so effing tired of gimping around like an old woman and being in constant pain and eating Aleve like candy that I could scream.

Work is work, it is what it is, I am taking it a day at a time and will continue to do that until I get out, however long that takes.

It's been a boring week. What can I say? A boring, kind of cranky week. But, you know, I'm hanging in there.

Move on down your friends list, people. Nothing to see here.

1. I have listened to "Rains in Asia" by Jump Little Children about nine million times in the last four days.

2. I root for the Steelers because my parents are fans, but the Ravens were totally robbed.

3. Tom Cruise is nutsy, but he is aging very well. And that kid is adorable.

4. I sometimes wish I could read, write, knit, surf the internet, and answer AQA questions all at the same time.

5. Total AQA haul so far this month: £46.50, which is about $70. I've decided this will be yarn money.

6. I am very much missing Doctor Who.

7. I also miss the cat sometimes. I am not one of those people who mourns a pet for months, but I do miss her presence.

8. I'm kind of annoyed that it is so bloody hot here while it is ice storming everywhere else.

9. I am returning a book to Amazon because the corner is smashed in. Normally I wouldn't care, but it's a gift.

10. Who knew GWB had ninja-like reflexes?

Please ignore the lack of a Christmas tree skirt, and the ghetto cable coming in from the window. Thank you.

I just looked at a clock on the Bose downstairs as we were getting ready to go to bed and said "I can't believe it's 11:48 already!" To which my mother responded no, it was actually 10:48, she just never figured out how to change the clock. It felt like 11:48. It felt like 1:48 in the morning. I am exhausted.

Family party today, which was as fun as it could be given the idiosyncracies of many of my family members. None of them are particularly off-putting; we're just a weird bunch of people.

Tired. Must sleep.
 

It's 1:15 in the morning, I am sitting on a twin bed in my parents' house, in the room where my brother and sister-in-law usually sleep because I am not nice enough to give them the room with the double bed where I always sleep when I come here (which is 50 times more often than they come here, so I consider it my room) but I am nice enough to give my room to my aunt and uncle, who are here in advance of our family Christmas gathering tomorrow.

I don't really have much to say tonight, other than to notice that the lives of many people I love are in a bit of turmoil right now. I'm not turmoiling myself, not like my friends are. I'm just... uncertain, I guess, about a few things.

That's all I have for tonight.