No List Friday

Cone fighting in Tennessee.

Book Stuff

• Favorite Boy Writer: Hemingway
• Favorite Girl Writer: S.Plath
• All Time Favorite Book: A Movable Feast
• All Time Favorite Short Story: The Daemon Lover by Shirley Jackson
• Currently Reading: Infinite Jest
• Disposable Writers: Dickens, Steinbeck
• Best Kid Stuff: Ghost Cadet, Encyclopedia Brown, Box Car Children, Fudge
• Top Shelf Non Fiction: Flags of Our Fathers
• Character Crushes: Holden Caulfield, Nick Carraway, Atticus Finch, Edward Bloom
• Best Books As Movies: The English Patient, Great Gatsby, To Kill A Mockingbird, Wuthering Heights, Big Fish

Confessions

• I feel like I am becoming a human version of a feral cat.
• The term 'feral' reminds me of MegFarrell.
• That makes me smile.
• I watched Quarterlife last night.
• I believe they stole my quarter life crisis theory.
• I still enjoy looking at clouds.
• I spotted a T-Rex last week.
• Modest Mouse's newest album is absolutely amazing.
• Get Set Go is a ridiculously underrated band.
• I want an Apple.
• Not the fruit.
• I have been sledding with the Charmin Bears.

• That's a true fact.

No List Friday

The 757 under snow circa 2005.

Deep Thoughts

• I love that most shirts are now made without tags. What an innovation! There is no greater nuisance in the world than the itch created by an annoying tag on the back of one’s neck.
• It just took about 32 attempts to spell something closely resembling ‘nuisance’ for spell-check to fix for me.
• I believe that the bargain bins/ shelves in front of bookstores are urging people to steal the books from them. --- Why else would they be outside of the store?
• I just started reading Infinite Jest ... and I generally (and by generally I mean, never) don’t read big books ... this one resembles a phone book. I hope to finish it one day.
• I am so ready for the Spring ... enough with the cold weather.
• Finger knitting is fun.
• I am addicted to American Idol.
• John McCain looks like a grumpy old man ... and he looks like he could die at any moment.
• I have been working on being less jaded.
• I do not think I am making progress.

Serenity in Tennessee

Lately I have been fed up with life, so this past weekend I fled to Tennessee to hang out with Gavin. I had an awesome time. Knoxville provides such a contrast to the hustle and bustle of Fairfax. Highlights included:

• Cheap brews
• Seeing the white trash of America at the place where Gav got a haircut
• Meeting Gavin's Tennessee friends (they don't fall into the white trash of America category)
• Getting a tee shirt with a smiling taco on it from the thrift store
• The weather! It was pretty much in the 60's and sunny the entire time I was there
• The tour of the ghetto, and then the tour of the upper class parts of town
• Being away from the TV and internet the entire weekend … talk about detox
• Knitting
• Developing the stoplight theory for my friends: Green means we're cool; Yellow - watch yourself; Red - it's over
• The used bookstore --- it's basically the Mecca for all used bookstores
• Reading about how the Japs feel about my personality

Reading Rainbow

I started a list (haha, who would have thought?) back in November about things I wanted to accomplish during my 25th year in this crazy world --- I keep tinkering with it, hence why I have not gone public with it. At this rate by the time I am done with it I will be 26. Anyway, one of the things on the list is to keep a detailed log about the books I read this year ... and thanks to an idea from CollegeGrad, also track the number of pages I am conquering. You can catch the tally to the right. Below are the 4 books I have read so far ... I have been very pleased with all of them.

• Helping Me Help Myself
• Eat Pray Love
• The Money Book for the Young Fabulous and Broke
• The Friday Night Knitting Club

News Flash

• Reasons why I hate Republicans:
• John McCain
• Reasons why I hate Democrats:
• Hilary Clinton

Grocery List

• Cheese
• Pickles
• Black olives
• Mayonnaise
• Tomatoes
• Tomatoe soup
• Cilantro
• Avocadoes
• Onion
• Lettuce
• Rice
• Tuna fish
• Shrimp
• Cocktail sauce

If Money Grew on Trees

Things I would buy if I had some extra ca$h/ wasn't such a cheapskate:

• leggings
• sewing machine
• salmon
• gym membership
• iPod Shuffle
• digital camera
• friends
• face cream
• chocolate ice cream
• double pointed knitting needles

No List Friday

The nicer side of the 757. (Photo by BPong)

Bizarre Lunch Encounter

• I was getting out of my car to grab lunch today, when I was almost hit by a pimped out, rimmed out, tinted window-ed out flashy BMW.
• As I scowled at the tinted glass, I was able to clearly hear, "I'm a gangsta, I'm a gangsta, I'm a gangsta" blaring from the stereo.
• The thug mobile parked, and I was surprised to see a small 16ish looking Asian kid, with perfectly trimmed eyebrows hop out ... check that, roll out.
• Then he went to Starbucks.
• Since when do gangsters drive BMW's (clearly paid for by Mom and Dad) and drink Starbuck's? --- Only in NOVA.

Quotes From a Dumb Roommate

Just to follow up with my previous rant about my roommate that is driving me nuts, I decided to compile a list of dumb/ obnoxious/ incorrect claims she has made/ makes constantly about her boyfriend. Also, when you read the quotes (I swear I'm not making them up) --- the statements are equivalent to that of an obnoxious 5 year old shouting at you ... repeatedly.

• Disclaimer: She lies about how long they have been dating
• Disclaimer: they've been dating approx. 4 months Disclaimer: She lies about the fact they the met/ found each other on an online dating service
• Disclaimer: He hates beer, and only drinks bitch drinks ... I'm talking strawberry daiquiris and appletini’s
• Disclaimer: They only smoke when they drink … what are you, 17?
• Disclaimer: They are both dumb
• "I want to be engaged just so I can wear an engagement ring"
• "He buys good gifts, I wonder what he's getting me for Christmas"
• "My laptop sucks, maybe he'll buy me a new one for Christmas"
• "I found the perfect engagement ring, it is $30,000"
• "If I marry him, I'll be rich!"
• "He's skinny!" ... this is true, he is extremely skinny and equally gross ... he is also about 1/4 of the size of her
• "He's cute!" ... this statement could not be further (farther?) from the truth ... he is 23 and resembles a frail old man ... he has dark circles around his eyes, has horrible posture and looks at the ground all the time ... I think a 5th grader could take him down
• -- basically she constantly references that he is 'cute' and that has money ... this is the extent of their relationship ... BARF.

Roommate Rant

As much as I enjoy living with one of my roommates, I equally despise living with the other one. I do acknowledge things could be worse, but whatever. I think we could hang out and get along great if we did not live together ... but living with her is pure torture. I have had amazing luck with roommates in the past ... I guess we all have to pay our dues with the duds.

• She has never met a door she can't slam. It doesn't matter the time of day, the weather, her mood ... every door she touches, she slams - including, but not limited to the following:
  bedroom door
  front door
  closet door
  bathroom door
  shower door
  refrigerator/ freezer
  microwave
  kitchen cabinets
  pantry
  dish washer
  washing marching
  dryer
  
• She can't walk without stomping
• She leaves lights on constantly
• She can't manage to turn off (1) the TV (2) the cable box and (3) the speakers. Usually, you can bet on her leaving at least one of them on
• Usually if you get home, and she's been there it looks as if she's evacuated a burning building
  --- there will be lights on, kitchen cabinets open, and dishes on the counter
• When she is around, the TV is on, and by on I mean it is at max volume; who cares if nobody is watching it.
• I have witnessed her stay on the couch for nearly 3 days ... doing nothing but sleeping, watching TV, and eating
• She eats all the time
• She usually leaves a trail of dirty dishes
• She also hoards them in her room
• She is ridiculously over dramatic
• She lies
• She is quite possibly the most inconsiderate person I have ever met
• She'll stay up all night doing nothing ... except making noise
• She is her own biggest fan - surprise, surprise
• If she's on her cell phone, she's yelling
• She and her crony boyfriend spend more time in the bathroom (separately, thank goodness) than anyone I have ever met in my life
• Speaking of bathrooms, she has bought toilet paper once since we moved in back in August
• Did I mention she stomps?
• And tonight, she broke the garbage disposal
• She is also quite dense

Hallmark, HallWrong

Unfortunately I had to go to Hallmark the other day to buy a card. I was overwhelmed with the amounts of dumb card categories. Whatever happened to the basics? Card topics included:

• Congratulations on completing rehab
• Death of a pet
• Congratulations on becoming a minister
• Encouragement for a recent divorce
• (they should make congratulations for your recent divorce … you know, look on the bright side)
• Support for a recent diet
• I'm sorry (for parents to give to their kid)

No List Friday

I bumped into this guy on the streets of New York in December.