death to all resolutions...

This will be my last posting (unless I decide otherwise) from this side of 2005. Due to overwhelming internal pressure, I have made resolutions for 2006. I had the misfortune earlier today, while chowing on a huge hamburger and fries (resolution 1), to read of the fact that 2006 will be horribly unlucky for those of us born in the year of the dog.

Hey, THANKS. two days before I resolve to better myself both mentally and physically, wikipedia tells me this?

Give me fries and cigarettes and all the sourdogh bread - Jabba the Hutt, move over.

yellow...

While listening to my favorite shared iTunes music library here at the best place of all places - if I can't be in Portland, that is, I was sent my LiquidTreat weekly newsletter. And the last option was this really way cool over the top and at the same time subtle free movement started in NY - I think. One places yellow arrows, takes pictures and posts them. Yay! No sticker to buy, no bad yellow ribbons getting wet and fraying and losing color on trees, no expensive rhinestone red ribbons, just a well designed site. Wahoo!

In other news: I have found my last wayward package. I'm listening to Depeche Mode (Dressed in Black | Black Celebration). I'm planning on writing a novel in a month, with no prewriting or even outlines. I do have a book to help me with this. I had a stellar performance review yesterday. It's grey and gloomy here in the silicon valley. I'm fighting a cold, telling the old white cells to hang in there guys! I'm singing for midnight mass and morning mass. 7 am will come waaaay too soon on sunday morning. I have a sort of solo. One of the women sings tragically flat ALL THE TIME. She always sits by me. I want to strangle her in a spate of very non-peace-holiday-solstice spirit. my left foot is asleep. I really should have the ergo people over to my desk. I've eaten too much chocolate in the last week. I'm getting my hair cut and colored tomorrow.

I should relax.

Santa...

I was thinking on my slightly-less-than-interminable drive this morning (apparently most people have already started their winter pilgrimages) about the whole thing about Santa Claus. And since I'm an inveterate looker-upper, I looked up Saint Nicholas. Apparently he's actually from modern day Turkey. He's also thought to be the the transmigratory christianized Poseidon. Hm.

"Saint Nicholas is revered by many as the patron saint of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers, pawnbrokers, prisoners, the city of Amsterdam and of Russia."

I find this interesting, as the patron saint of merchants - among others - apparently the commercialization of this particular pagan holiday is properly rooted in the christian tradition.

woohoo for them. I'm not gonna say a THING about the prostitutes.

Speaking of which, I havent' finished my own dive into the buying season - darn it. More shopping tonight.

the etch-a-sketch...

End of the world. I'm listening to Eddie Izzard, He's talking about the end of the world - and the Flood of Noah's time being the "etch-a sketch" end of the world. And since bees make honey, well then do earwigs make chutney??

God this guy's funny.

ACK!

One more. Just ONE more, and I shall have all my gifts delivered, ordered, or wrapped. Some will arrive late, due to unforseen supply issues. Some will arrive just in the nick of time, which I prefer. Some will sadly not be wrapped. Damn it.

And due to professional obligations, and graduations and other things, I didn't get to my gingerbread house.

Maybe I'll make one for my birthday.

eeek

santa threw up...

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you! Will only last until around January 6th or so! A free-for-all display of horrendous taste, justified and encouraged by yet another hijacked pagan celebration! You can see it every time you walk out your door! All you need is about 50,000 watts, some fake reindeer, and those gi-mon-gous blow up things from your local lack of taste home improvement emorium!

I'm horrified every time I drive up to my house. Dripping icicles made out of bee lites. Cut outs of twice life size cartoon characters forcing the holiday feeling. Having to wear ROBES at choir practice. Wearing PINK on the third sunday of advent. YUCK.

I'm not a humbug. I just take exception to lack of taste. Apparently the community around me stifles all it's creative tendencies all year round, just to achieve the horror of too many lights, dried out wreaths, and blasting holiday music. I take exception to people just trailing the ends of their strings of lights over a random bush. I take exception to lit up nativity scenes. I'm overdosing on "holier than thou" - but that's just my own family.

Thank goodness I'm not a catholic any more. I'd have to hang myself this christmas.

haute couture?

I think NOT. I've just gotten an interesting video podcast of Global Fashion news - done sept 15 - and apparently Joop! has come up with the newest line of clothing made of old paper sacks too wrinkled to be recycled - and shiny kleenex. Oh my god. I cobbled together some images from the podcast. Horrifying.

At least Prada was more my speed - what with the morose drums and hollow cheeks and lots of black to start out the spring collection. I would look like a cow in these things. But damn if they don't have so FIERCE shoes this season.

tuesday...

...is actually the worst day of the week. It's completely blah. It has no oomph. Nothing happens on tuesdays - unless you count politics, which is worse than nothing. Monday has the distinction of being icky-est - most popular day to pretend you're sick, attendance at staff meetings which are completely pointless, and breaking all your resolutions about drinking less coffee. Wednesday is 1/2 way through the week, and therefore of some significance. Thursday is within spitting distance of friday, at which point you can see the glimmer of light that is the weekend. Friday is for getting nothing done, making final plans, and going home early. I need say nothing about the weekend, other than the fact that sunday is depressing.

But tuesday sucks.

I've destroyed...

...my salad.

Let me 'splain.

Across the street is the obligatory lunch counter which serves things like large cups of coffee and danish in the morning, and salads and sandwiches at lunchtime. The sandwiches are uninspired, but the salads are large, varied and invariably have just enough dressing in little plastic cups to give a hint of taste, but not so much as to make one appear to be a pig. I get one of two types, usually. Either the chicken ceasar or the chinese chicken. They were out of both by the time I arrived, famished and forlorn, at 1:20 pm (the counter closes at 3pm, having inevitably run out of things to eat). So I was faced with a choice of boring italian dressing salad sans meat (horrifyiing thought) or two kinds of uninspired sandwiches with no meat (noNoNO).

I therefore threw my caution to the wind and got the cobb. It had chicken, what can I say? I was wary at first, since there was bleu cheese dressing, and since everyone knows the salad is made by the dressing, I became bereft. I'm an earth sign through and through when it comes to food. I like what I like, and those things are fairly limted, despite the goat-like tasts of my sign that I sometimes aspire to. I prefer (in this order) ranch, caesar, honey mustard, and all other BEFORE bleu cheese. I'll usually eat salad with boring vinaigrette before bleu cheese. But the salad with the vinaigrette HAD NO MEAT.

The reader must realize that for this whole past week I've been staring a spreadsheets, which makes me even loopier than usual. And so, I thought, that I could open up the small plastic cup containing the stinky dressing, and if it made me heave, well then I would go without. And assuage my bruised sensibilities with snickers or something.

Well, It didn't make me heave. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had bleu cheese. There was just enough to give a little flavor and not be too stinky.

The rest of the salad ROCKED. Of course, I hadn't aten in forever, and I'd been burning my retinas with the aformentioned spreadsheets, but this was one good salad. Radiccio, arugula, eggs, real bacon, a whole avocado, chicken, crumbled cheese...

Hence - Salad Destruction Day.

I even rewarded myself for being adventurous - Snickers.

I am easily amused.