24 hours and counting

Minneapolis: -1°

San Francisco: 57°

Holy Hair Do! Or is it Doo?

You can't tell from the crappy lighting in my house but her hair is super cute. And not a word has been said about it. At her house anyway. I guess everybody at school loves it. Ah, to be in high school again. No thanks!

Wish I had gotten a photo of her highlights because they're my favorite.

Cross your Fingers

...but your right hand only, left is bad luck, though I don't remember why. Might have something to do with wrestling. Remember when I used to tape my fingers together during tournaments? If only that were the most embarrassing superstitious thing I used to do. Anyway...

I might have found someone to go to London with! My friend B, who I haven't seen in years and only chat with by email a few times a year is possibly interested. Interested or playing a really mean email trick. B was Macaroni's very first daycare provider and actually gave him the name Macaroni. So sweet and cool, I was always "I want to be you when I grow up" when we'd sit around at daycare. Partially because she got to sit around at daycare all day with my baby but also because she's very together without being even a drop boring. Her ex-husband/current boyfriend/live in luvaaah is from London and his family runs a B&B there. And she gets free airfare. So, sounds like a might have a traveling buddy/tour guide/cheap place to stay. Rock the fuck on.

I've had a tiny little bit of ulcermunching over this whole traveling abroad alone thing. Not that I won't do it, but damn if Heather didn't have to be in charge last time.

The little ulcer, who I've named Bebe Jesus, is busy with this weekend's trip to see The Rockstar too. What was I thinking?

1 vs. All of the Writers in Hollywood

The details of CBS Inc. chief executive Les Moonves’ new contract have become public. The CEO will receive a $3.5 million annual salary, a $10.5 million “target bonus,” an annual grant of free shares worth up to $7.6 million, and an option covering 5 million shares that could be worth as much as another $57 million annually.

Under the terms of the financial plan put forward by the WGA (and rejected by the AMPTP negotiators), CBS Inc. would only pay writers an additional $4.7 million per year.

More interesting and/or ironic tidbits here.

The Hair, Continued

After all that I forgot to mention how her hair turned out!?!? Sorry about that. Thanks for the comments too, I feel better about it.

Sweet Girl (I so need to come up with something else to call her, that sounds dumb. And pink.) got a beautiful color...orangey red with blonde highlights and lots of "dimension". I think I called it depth, I so didn't go to beauty school.

She actually asked for orange orange (just like this super fake tan woman who works at the Coach store at the Mall) so the Ronald McDonald thing wouldn't have been too far off. Looks great though, she couldn't stop starring at herself in the mirror. Which, if you've seen her is pretty easy to understand. Gorgeous. I'll try to post a photo soon.

And of course I forgive you for burning off my hair Shayne...I asked you to do it! Though not much smells worse than singed hair. We did all kinds of mean things to our hair back then, remember? Not to mention the environment. Aquanet anyone? The girls bathroom at Roosevelt High School could be directly responsible for that hole in the ozone.

Netflix review: White Noise 2: The Light

Five stars, but it's got Nathan Fillion so that's a given. Sort of horror but not really scary. Like soft core porn. And Nathan. And great extras of Nathan. And clips from Firefly/Serenity in the extras. And Nathan. And the line "Captain Tight Pants" which was written just for me. And the other millions of Joss geeks, I suppose. But mostly me.

Damn, he is so very pretty. And in this last shot, a little bit orgasmic.

Have I already asked this?

Whew! Just reread that post...think I needed to vent?

Anyway...I'm in the market for a laptop. Anyone have any advice? What to buy, or sometimes more importantly, what not to buy? Definitely a PC kid so although I'd love to hear about your cool iMac or MacBook or whatever, I won't be getting one.

Pick your battles

I am under no illusions about my parenting skills. Or more accurately, my lack of parenting skills. I won't be winning any Mother of the Year awards and Jboy just might make a fortune writing that Mommy Dearest memoir like he always threatens. That said, holy shit am I ever a good parent compared to some asshats I know.

Now I don't want to name names, so let's just call her Stacey. And her daughter Sweet Girl. And I love Sweet Girl like no body's business but I'm not blind. I know she exaggerates and leaves out specific pieces of information and/or chooses words carefully so that she isn't really lying. Just like any teenager. But good God, Stacey lost her mother fucking mind last night.

At first I thought maybe I was way out of line thinking Sweet Girl, a 17 year old who drives, works, gets straight A's and pretty much lives alone, (cause Stacey has a loser boyfriend that she'd rather spend time with) was mature enough to color her hair without her crazy, controlling mom's permission.

Am I wrong? Should I have called Crazy Stacey (ooh, I like that better) and made sure she was okay with her kid getting her hair colored at a salon? Sweet Girl's hair had already been colored at home with less than perfect results, which is why I suggested the woman who does my hair. And it's not like she was bleaching it out and dying it pink or anything. Or getting blue ends like me.

Crazy Stacey started sending text messages after the foils were already on Sweet Girl's head. "You better not be coloring your hair" and "I'm not kidding" and then I got one too. We decided it was too late to take it out, the dye had been on long enough to change her hair color...just not to the color she wanted. So, sure enough, Crazy Stacey shows up at the salon. At first we thought she'd just drive by like a psycho but when she parked I went outside to talk to her.

She looked like she was going to kill someone. I'm not kidding, I thought she was carrying a gun. Total crazy eyes. We talked outside for a couple of minutes. Well I talked, she yelled.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew. It never occurred to me that you'd have a problem with this." "YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! SHE KNEW! SHE KNEW!" and my personal favorite "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS PLACE WOULD DYE THE HAIR OF A MINOR!" as if they had just tied her off and shot her full of heroin. I tried to calm her down. "I understand that you're upset that she didn't tell you..." "SHE LIED!" "She didn't tell either one of us everything..." "NO! SHE LIED!" "Okay, but hasn't she colored her hair..." "YES! AND THAT'S WHY IT'S SO DAMAGED NOW! SHE KNEW! SHE KNEW!"

Fucking insane, right?

So then she goes into the salon. The really nice, quiet receptionist asks if she can help her and Crazy Stacey, no longer yelling but certainly not using her indoor voice, says "Yeah, I guess I'm here for this...mumbles mean nasties..." and points at Sweet Girl like she's Satan or something. I missed this next part...because I was trying to send psychic messages to Sweet Girl that it would be okay...but apparently Crazy Stacey yelled "You did not have permission to dye her hair!" at the owner of the salon. Like for real?

I think everyone in the building wanted to laugh because she was obviously batshit, but nobody did because she was obviously batshit. She finally left, saying that Sweet Girl "Better come right home after."

And after all of that insanity, she didn't say anything about it to Sweet Girl when she got home.

Was I wrong? Was it a big deal? Maybe because I have boys I'm a little biased. I went home and told Jboy he has my permission to do whatever he wants with his hair. Since you know, it's his hair. And man would I love it if he did something, anything with his hair.


And oh holy crap am I ever glad that Sweet Girl and I didn't go up to Leviticus to get our traguses pierced like we had planned.
And before you start screaming Crazy Stacey, you only have to be sixteen for that.

Productive weekend

Meet my new (vegan!) boots and coat that I got during the shopping spree Saturday morning. I also got a sweater, a black top and some socks. Mary is a much better shopper than me and let me finally wimp out on trying on clothes. I think I'd rather scrub toilets that shop for clothes for myself. Ick.

Saturday night Mandy and Teddy and I tried to see Sweeney Todd at Southdale. The crowd was insane. Completely insane. We got in line hoping we could get tickets to Juno, which started about 25 minutes later, but that sold out while we were waiting. So instead we walked around Southdale until after 9 o'clock when we finally got a table at PF Chang's. Of course I made a total pig of myself. Mandy and Teddy are so ridiculously cute together. He's a very sweet guy. I approve, not that either of them care.

I think I just slept all day yesterday. Oh, I did find the games on my new iPod, so wasted hours playing the trivia game...it's got all kinds of Joss related questions! Jboy and I also watched a movie but I honestly don't remember what it was. I'll have to check the Netflix list. It couldn't have been that good.

Where's my girl power?

I have seriously tried to ignore all of the political debates and media coverage in Iowa, but damn, third place? Don't get me wrong, I love Barack Obama and John Edwards and would be perfectly happy with either of them as my next President. But I have been waiting 37 long years for a female President and thought we might finally get there. I know a lot of people hate Hillary, most of them for stupid reasons but I'm sure there are a lot of smart people with justifiable reasons too, but I love her. She's smart and strong and can be funny as hell. I thought she might come in second. And I'll never understand why Iowa of all places is so important anyway. Could they be any whiter? Any ruraler? Could I make up any other words?

And Clinton finishing in third place is hardly the worst thing coming out of Iowa. I don't like any of the Republican candidates and will go on the record now that I would not be happy with any of them as my **can't say for word for fear of jinxing the election**. Sorry if my bias just smacked you in the face there. But Huckabee? He's just like the jackass we have now, if not worse. All charm until he bends you over. This is scary:

Huckabee supports a human life amendment to the United States Constitution. Versions of these amendments could lead to bans on not only abortion, but most common forms of birth control, stem-cell research, and assisted reproductive technologies like in-vitro fertilization.

I know intelligent people who still have problems with embryonic stem-cell research and I get that abortion is a very touchy and personal subject, but really? Fucking birth control and in-vitro?!?! Are you kidding me? Are there really still people who want to ban the pill? Who don't think infertile couples should have the opportunity to get pregnant and with the same breath want to force crack whores and 12 year old girls to carry to term?

Uggh, unfortunately I already know the answer. Shit, I know the people. And I really hate people sometimes.

Urine related post

I'm so excited! I had my pre-construction meeting with my builders and they're going to start my bathroom remodel while I'm in Europe. Do you have any idea how relieved I am that we're not going to have to run across the alley in the snow to Bobbie and Darryl's house every night to pee? Bet you're even more relieved, huh Bobbie? Especially since I hadn't even asked or mentioned it. I'm hoping they work extra fast and get it all finished while I'm gone, although there will probably be at least a few days of work to do. As long as we have a working toilet I'll be happy. Still bummed to be back in Minnesota I'm sure, but at least it's something to look forward to.



The construction going on outside my office is not making me happy. They're building a hotel on the tiniest piece of land and today they're pile driving so it's this constant THUMP!, THUMP!, THUMP! with fun little interruptions that shake the whole building. My lippy keeps rolling off my document tray from the vibrations. They just came up and took photos of the cracks on the walls. I'm kind of hoping they hit a power line or something so that we can all go home early. Cause getting here two hours late today just wasn't enough for me. Thank goodness I have my new iPod to blare out some of the noise. It's so much louder than my nano was. And Jboy ripped four Joy Division discs for me last night too. Woo hoo!



I'm drinking a horrible detox tea today. I'd rather be fat and bloated than drink anymore of this shit, but I'm going to give it a day or two to grow on me. Mostly because I'm going shopping with Mary this weekend, for traveling clothes. (Have I mentioned my trips to San Francisco and Europe??? Can you tell I'm excited???) I want to try to recreate Summer's outfit from the day of the strike. Of course it won't look nearly as cute on me...I'm at least three or four times bigger than her little tiny self. My goddaughter wears a size 00 and Summer, Eliza, Amy and Felicia were all smaller than her, I think. Or just as small, whatever. Do they make clothes in negative number sizes?



I'm off to lunch now...running to Target for Advil. Although I'd way rather stop off at the liquor store. This pounding is so annoying! And just because I've been watching Long Way Down, I'll leave you with a photo of my boyfriend. Try not to drool on the keyboard.

The definition of irony

I'm so in love with my new iPod right now.

At first I thought it was too big, but I've already loaded about half of my CDs and tons of photos and haven't even made a dent in the memory.

It's engraved with "Auntie Sunshine's iPod. Please don't steal me." Ironic, since Jboy just had his stolen. Apple's going to get lots of my money this month.

Happy 2008

It's been a crazy night here...watching lots of The Office and picking out bathtubs and toilets. I know, you wish you were as hardcore as me.

There's still another 40 minutes to go but I'm gonna go brush my teeth and try to be asleep at 12:01.

Peace!

Mastercard loves me longtime

So I just booked a flight to San Francisco to see Johnny Rockstar and came home and booked my flights to London, Amsterdam and home to Minneapolis. Still need to book my train to Edinburgh, unless I find a cheap flight like we did last time. Or was that the train to Paris? I forget.

Plus I charged more than $6,000 for the remodel, so I'm sure someone at Mastercard is lighting a candle in my honor right now.

I'll only be in Europe for ten days, which is so not enough time, but since I'm going alone it was hard to justify any longer. And Macaroni will be going to Mexico with his dad just a couple of days after I get home. Don't want to miss sending him off. And then there's school and my pesky job, suppose I have to come back to those too.

I've got my hotel in San Fran all squared away. Staying at this little funky rock star hotel where Pearl Jam used to stay. I'm not sure what we're doing. Johnny is in charge of showing me around. I'm guessing a little sightseeing and a show or two.

I have a couple of things planned for Europe. Seeing Ewan twice! And getting my tattoo. I'll probably do a day tour as well. I really want to do the Jack the Ripper Tour this time. Think I might stay here again in London. Not perfect, kind of far from the center of London but I know where it is. Now I just need to find a place in Edinburgh. And see if I can hook up with Gee, an Aussie I met last time I was in Edinburgh. That little girl can drink me under the table easy.

So glad 2007 is almost over. Other than meeting Joss again, this year was mostly forgettable. And after what happened to Jboy last night, I'll be glad to start fresh. But I don't have a daruma to make a wish! My wish from last New Years actually came true, so I really wanted to do another one this year. I bet you can all guess what my wish would be, too!

Oh, and in case you're wondering...I haven't had any soda all year!

In case I don't make it back here by midnight, have a happy and safe New Year!

My brain needs an off switch

It's 2:39 in the morning and I haven't had any sleep at all. ** Deleted **
I really want to kick the crap out of someone. I'm pissed and scared and relieved and so full of rage. ** Deleted ** And still, I just want to hit something. Wish I could just stop thinking and go to sleep.

Think I might have to enroll in a boxing class, make that my New Year's resolution?



Okay...so I typed up this whole entry and realized I probably shouldn't be blabbing this. Something happened tonight that obviously pissed me off, but it didn't happened to me so I think I'll shut up now and go pretend to sleep again.

Back to our regularly scheduled non-program

This is a great breakdown.

Holiday Hangover

Wow, I'm wiped out. Too much Too Much™ this year.

Wanted to poke my eyes out yesterday at work. I may have mentioned this before, like a few thousand times, but you know how some people just make you insane? Like just the sound of their voice in the morning makes all the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you suddenly become almost understanding of those murder-suicide stories on the news? Okay...bad example. Just the murder stories.

I am once again considering looking for a new job because a women I work with is making me nuts. Why do I always do this? I've got school starting on the 7th (and eek! I'm taking an online independent study class.), the bathroom remodeling starting and I'm going to Europe in February. Too much Too Much™.

I'm also considering a trip to San Francisco to see the sweet boy I met on my cruise. I have frequent flier miles that are about to expire and I can't use them for Europe...and I can't use any vacation time so have to do it over a holiday. Hmm, is that crazy? I'm pretty sure I know the answer.

Not much else going on. We watched Ocean's Eleven (or is it Ocean's 11?) last night. Macaroni got the box set from Jboy so guess what we'll be watching today? Not that I'm going to complain about looking at Brad and George and Matt and Don and Casey and...

And I suppose I should clean up all the Holiday Vomit one of these days. These should be the last of the photos. Take care!

Randy w/one of grandma's plates

the coat hanger was a big hit

Look at what Santa brought me!

Wait, this isn't a DVD. It's a book!

Merry Christmas!

Jboy's bugging me to get off the computer so no photos of today's display of obscene consumerism. Had a very nice morning at mom's and then came home for a 2 and 1/2 hour nap. Just finished watching The Simpson's Movie, one of Macaroni's gifts from Santa.

Off to bed now. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and don't have to work tomorrow like me. Love you!

Here comes Santa Claus

I hope. My living room looks like a tornado hit. Yes, that's what it usually looks like, but it's got lots of green and red going on right now. It's 11:26. I've wrapped about half the gifts for tomorrow at mom's, but Santa hasn't shown up with presents for the boys yet.

And their stockings are down in the basement. Down those stairs my arthritis won't let me climb. Santa sucks ass this year.

Hope everyone (all 3 of you) are having a fun, safe and very merry Christmas. Photos from mom's tonight:

Ruby looked like a princess in this coat...that Shannon found for $5!

Look at those chompers!

Oops! Rotate

Macaroni and me

Pete and mom

Earl and Joan

Macaroni adores his older cousin Malcolm...the trouble twins

Rachel, Serdar and Malcolm

She's pregnant!

Leah and Andrew

Juli, Meaghan, Jack and Daren

Marie and Bobby

Shannon, Ruby and Randy

Say "Santa!"

I had to use my old camera for this shot because this new camera

is much, much smarter than me and the timer is in hiding.

Can you tell I'm counting?

And it's begun...

Christmas with Ron & Kim & the kids at mom and dad's house today. Tofurky, which always makes me happy. Tried to keep it low key, not too many presents today, those will come Christmas morning. Still need to sneak out of work tomorrow to find a CD for Jboy. Unless he keeps acting like an ass. Then I'll need to find some coal.

Katie brought a tape of her last skating

competition, she's really good

too much energy

Shannon, Randy and Ruby

Kim, Ron, Katie and Jacob

Macaroni and Momma

I cropped out the finger he was giving the camera

Macaroni and his older cousin Katie

Grandpa and Rube

Sleepy Ruby and Grandma

Giggling

Enough photos!