It's My Party

Thanks to everyone who's wished me a happy birthday. I'm blown over by the amount of e-mails, e-cards and in one case a very strange voicemail with a certain insane acquaintance singing "Happy Birthday" in Pig Latin.

Since it's a Wednesday, I don't really have any special plans. I DID go to the dentist today because of a really sore spot on my gums which turned out to be nothing. The hygenist thinks I got a popcorn kernel stuck in my gum and it went in deep and irritated it.

I had a birthday dinner last weekend with Caitism and SalemGirl and although was supposed to go up North to go hiking with MomTook, VeggieSis and BabySis this weekend and celebrate my birthday, it's been pushed off to the weekend of the ninth, but I shall still be celebrating with the family (for the first time in at least ten years) then.

Random Thought

I was flipping through the channels, stopped on Sci-Fi for one of their wonderfully cheesy movies and realized:

Corbin Bernsen is the poor man's Sam Neil.

Sorry you couldn't afford the real thing, Sci-Fi.

The Physical Toll of TKD

Warning: this is not for the easily squeamish.



Well, I've known for a while that practicing Tae Kwon Do so much had caused pretty thick calluses to develop on my feet to the point where I could probably walk over hot coals without feeling it.

I bought a callus/corn remover the other day to take care of at least some of it. Well, I just used it for the first time and took off (and I wish I were exaggerating) a total of a ping-pong ball sized clump of dead skin. The scariest part? I still have plenty of callus left.

Shut Up, Romney!

Shut.

Up.

Romney.

Attempting to block access to the day after pill, suggesting WIRETAPPING MOSQUES and indirectly INSULTING THE GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA AND MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS as WEAK LEADERS. And that's just in the past 24 hours, people.

To all Massholes: I apologize for voting for this fucktard. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking.

To all Americans: This asshole is a strong GOP candidate for the next Presidential election. Keep your eye on him.

*Yaaaaaaawn*

Well, yesterday was pretty Monday-ish.

It started with tripping over one of my cats' scratching posts. My little toe caught on the base and was ripped in the wrong direction. It was bad enough that I still have it taped, but I can move it (albeit painfully) and it's not turning colors, so it's just a really bad sprain.

I was having my business line installed so I spent the whole morning frantically picking up my apartment so it was at least decent for the telephone guy. The window was from 8-12, which, four hours? Shut UP, Verizon! 12:00 and still no one had showed up, so I called Verizon, which has one of those INFURIATING voice-response menus. If you're going to force me to deal with a computer, at least don't make me TALK TO IT.

Anyway, the telephone guy claimed he couldn't get in touch with me, which, it was an additional line so HOW BOUT CALLING MY EXISTING LINE, CHIEF? Even the customer service woman, was all, "I don't know what his problem was." Luckily, they got out a guy who knew what he was doing by 1:30 and in a jiffy he had the wiring done. Additionally, he split the jack so that it has two jacks, one for each line.

I headed to Best Buy before going to TKD to pick up a business phone and a keyboard, but only had a little luck. It seems that both Best Buy and Staples only carry wireless keyboards now, which - NOT. I simply wanted a USB keyboard with a USB port in it for my mouse. I will have to search online for it. I did at least get a phone. It will be awesome - mute button and speakerphone - no more holding the phone to my head during those long meetings. It also takes two lines, so with the split jack I now can answer both lines from the same phone. SWEET! I just need to buy longer phone cords so that the phone can actually sit on my new desk. (More on that in a separate entry.)

So after that, I get to TKD and have absolutely NO energy. UsedCarSalesMan and several black belts told me I did well at the test and I didn't get pulled aside for any criticism, which is a good sign. (Either that or they're giving me a break before tearing into me. *G*) It was wierd - I hadn't realized how much the test had taken out of me until I tried to work out. I survived Advanced class, although it wasn't my finest performance by far.

So that was Monday. At least now my apartment is clean for the first time since Momtook and I redid the bedroom.

My Mother the Designer

In my neverending attempts at catching up in this blog...

MomTook came down over Labor Day weekend to help me redesign my bedroom. She arrived late Friday night with all her supplies. We woke up early Saturday morning raring to go. First we needed fuel though, so we tried out the diner down the street. I have to give it my wholehearted stamp of approval.

We did the first coat of paint and then went down to the fabric district in Boston. A whole bunch of walking around later, we had AMAZING duvet cover fabric, fabric for two throw pillows and new knobs for the nightstand.

We ordered Chinese food and painted the second wall coat and all the furniture. We stopped at eleven and were up again at 6:30 Sunday morning.

MomTook did all the sewing while I put final coats on all the furniture and assembled the chair I bought for the reading nook.

And now, what all the sweat and tears brought:

Before:



And after:




Does my mother rock or what?

Time Keeps on Slippin'

Wow...I can't believe I haven't updated since 9/1. My bad. Of course, last I checked Laura hadn't updated since early AUGUST, so at least I'm not the WORST. ;-)

Yesterday was my black belt test. I got up at 7:30, thinking I had to wash my good uniform. Turns out my good uniform was actually the ONLY clean one (I have four) and had simply fallen into the very back of my closet from when MomTook came down last weekend and we redecorated the bedroom. Anyway, I had three loads of laundry done by 9 in the morning.

I left for the dojang at ten, wanting to get there an hour before the test. There were a LOT of people testing (32) and the air was electric with tension. Although a lot of people were already there when I arrived, I'm very glad I didn't get there any earlier. I was a bit "overstretched" by the time the test started as it was.

There is a tradition of the black belt test being held behind curtains and kept secret, so I won't go into details about the actual test, but I was very glad when it was finally over with. I think I did fairly well. The few little mistakes I made were due to nerves rather than forgetting or not knowing anything. The test actually wasn't that long. I was so relieved and full of adrenaline at the end that my hands were literally shaking.

We all went for a celebratory dinner at Chef Changs after. (We always go there since the owner attends TKD and gives us a big discount.) Pretty much everyone had a nice 22 oz Sapporo to take the edge off.

In a way, the whole thing was very anticlimatic because what happens next is that those who need to improve things will be pulled aside and told so and after they have fixed whatever they need to the black belt ceremony will be held for everyone. One of the blackbelts said it usually takes about a month or so, so it looks like I WON'T get it for my birthday. Ah well.

So it looks like the bid for black belt continues. I really hope I don't get pulled aside, mainly because I like to think I did well. Plus, I have many aches and pains from training so hard and my body is screaming for some time off.

O Frabjuous Day!

...I know, not an original title, but it's how I feel.

1.) It's September 1st, the official kickoff to my favorite time of year, Autumn. (Yes, I know it's not actually the Autumnal Equinox, but still...SEPTEMBER.)

2.) The Evil Neighbors are moving out as we speak. I bumped into one of the guys yesterday and he mentioned he's moving to Dorchester. How...appropriate for a pot-smoking partier. There's an adult lady helping out (the other dozen or so people are in their early twenties), making me wonder if she's a parent and if so, if she knows how much her kid(s) party.)

3.) I actually got a good (if not filled with REALLY bizarre dreams) night's sleep after having awful insomnia the night before.

Now if the normally quiet upstairs neighbor(s) can NOT spend the entire evening talking and yelling loudly on their balcony like they did last night, life will be VERY good. (From 4:30-10 or so, folks, but at least it booted my ass out to Tae Kwon Do when I was thinking about not going.)

(Of course it doesn't matter if they do tonight since I am having a good-bye dinner with Korngirl, who is being a BITCH and LEAVING ME for a semester abroad in SPAIN. *sniff* At least I'll get to visit her. Hooray for Madrid!)