Yays and nays February 29, 2008

Dan and I went to the movies last Sunday. While we were waiting for the film to start, it dawned on me: I’m not in school anymore.  I realized that for over a decade, most intensely during that past five years, I would spend Sundays working on assignments and dreading the next morning.  This is no longer the case, and I’m loving it.  There are a lot of things about being a college student that I enjoyed and will miss.  There are also a number of things that I’m glad I no longer have to deal with.

Things I will miss:
-always having a friend to be irresponsible with
-blowing off class
-being able to walk everywhere
-riding the MKT
-various dining establishments
-really cheap drinks
-snow day
-foreign friends
-living downtown
-emergency dance parties
-The Missourian
-holiday breaks when nobody’s in town
-widdle bwudder/ms. mawni/lay-c
-trips to the Lou
-Missouri winters

Things I will NOT miss, ever:
-being broke all the time
-homework
-actually going to class
-working multiple jobs
-buying text books
-living in crappy apartments
-crowded roads during the school year
-driving to Cape
-writing papers
-waking up early
-being hungover too many weekends
-never having new clothes
-parking tickets
-Missouri summers and humidity
-dreading Monday morning
-general stress

I can feel the wind in my hair…it’s cold. February 26, 2008

Dan and I got a scooter/moped/whatever you want to call it. It’s like a Vespa, and it’s yellow. We spent most of yesterday scooting around town and getting used to driving it. We took it to this restaurant called Panini 38, which is also a wine bar.

I don’t know if I mentioned this or not, but Dan got a job doing computer stuff for a care center place. Anyway, we went out and bought a scooter because our hours overlap so oddly that we needed a cheap, CHEAP second mode of transportation.  After going to pick it up and what have you, we spent the rest of the glorious day riding around by the beach in 70+ degree weather. That is, until the sun set.

Dan and I had agreed to try that new restaurant and splurge on a nice dinner to celebrate his new job.  While we were at dinner taking our time to savor our food, the weather became much, much colder.  By the time we finished dinner and hopped on the scooter to go home, the sun was down and it was about 45 degrees.  Add a winds of 35-40 mph and it gets pretty cold.

We were frozen by the time we got home.  But anyway, it was still fun.

Sunday, we went to go see “Be Kind Rewind.” I really, really enjoyed it. It ended up being a little more serious than I thought it was going to be, but still funny.  Michel Gondry’s use of camera tricks for the film is delightful.

Good weekend. It’s storming like mad out right now.

The things that happen when you fall asleep. February 19, 2008

I have been having the weirdest dreams lately. I don’t know why, but they have been lucid and oddly strung together. I don’t get it.

For instance, last night I dreamt that I was part of a hip-hop dance troupe and we were performing in a talent show (which we won). There happened to be a guy there selling boats and scooters, and I stole one. Then the dream shifted from all that to me being at work, designing some page for the paper. (that really isn’t that unusual for me; designing pages has the same effect on me as playing a lot of video games before going to bed. the images get etched in my brain and i end up dreaming about it. last night i designed and played video games, so that’s probably where that came from).

However, the previous night, I dreamt I was at work copy editing something, and my mind had conjured up an entirely fictional news story for me to read. This is very weird, because in previous dreams, I will typically wake up whenever I need to read something (eg: if there’s a book/note/etc., that needs reading, I’ll pick it up to look at it, but will either wake up before my eyes can focus on it or something will happen in the dream to prevent me from reading whatever it is) Anyway, so the fact that I was able to successfully read something in this dream was very odd. The story had something to do with international relations, but I don’t really remember the specifics, other than I thought it was unreasonable when I was reading it.

The night before that, I dreamt that Dan and I were on a road trip and we stopped at a grocery store in the middle of nowhere. We got separated, and some guys started chasing me. They were in wheelchairs, and they were psychotic. I couldn’t find Dan, and I kept calling him on my cell phone while trying to run away from my wheelchair-bound assailants, but we kept getting cut off. I had no idea what state we were even in, and it was really, really dark. I woke up feeling very panicked.

In short, I’m going to stop having snacks before I go to bed.

A few thoughts on an epic battle. February 17, 2008

Last night was my first foray into the magnificant land of Medieval Times, thanks to a coworker who was able to get Dan and me some free tickets. Ladies and gentlemen, let me just say that it did not disappoint.

There were way more people there than I thought there would be, given that it’s the off season and there aren’t as many tourists in town. The place was packed, thus proving the event’s excellence. Upon entering ye olde castle, the crowd is shoveled into a giant meeting area, aka the bar and gift shop. At this particular point, I was thinking that an adult beverage would be quite nice, but I’m not drinking at the moment. Let it suffice to say that the event would have been even more extreme had I been.

Anyway, after much carrying on and announcing of names, we were finally escorted into the tournament room and told that our particular section would be cheering for the Green Night, who happened to be a hispanic man with very long, shiny black hair and an impressive beard. After many a battle and much entertainment, our night ended up losing in the final round. But it was fun anyway. I don’t want to ruin the surprise in case you go some day, but I will say that there is a plot twist that will BLOW.YOUR.MIND. They also give you an insane amoutn of food.

Needless to say, I will be taking my guests to Medieval Times.

The new one is here. February 7, 2008

We got our new kitten. So far, he’s being a cwanker. (cranky + wanker)

He won’t come out from under the couch, but he’s sweet when I catch him.

I never get my fill of kittens. February 5, 2008

This weekend was a good one.

The hub and I got a lot accomplished on my two days off, including but not limited to: Depositing paychecks, blowing some gift certificates, putting in some good mileage, watching Rocky III and picking out a new kitten from the Humane Society.

That’s right: NEW KITTEN.

Dan and I had talked about getting another one, and we agreed to go check out the shelter today because it put a notice on its Web site saying that they’re overflowing with cats. I didn’t expect to get a new pet today; Dan had seemed pretty reserved about it. However, we found a kitten we really liked. I went to ask the office people some questions about the adoption process, just for future reference, and they said we needed to have our landlord fill out some paperwork saying we’re allowed to have pets. Then Dan said “Well, I guess we should go ahead and get one and bring it back.” So really, it was his idea to get a kitten today and not mine, which makes me excited. We don’t have him yet, and I don’t know what we’re going to name him, but he is adorable and has the cutest round face. I can’t get over it. There was also a Persian cat that had been adopted. I had no idea that those things looked so hilarious. It’s like it got smashed in the face with a shovel.

Official announcement: Dan and I are going to train for the Myrtle Beach Marathon. We’re too late to do this year’s, which is coming up in a week or so, but we’re putting next year’s on our schedule. We’ve been running three or four days a week and the official training program starts in April. Ask us how it’s going. I want us to be unconditionally shamed if we don’t do it. I’ve been wanting to run one for a long time, and I finally have time to do it. It’s going to happen. Period.

This weekend was the first that I’ve really felt homesick for Columbia. I was working Saturday night and thinking about what I’d be doing if I were back in CoMo; who’d I’d be hanging out with and where I’d be going. The weirdness of not having any place to call my own or close friends that I can call up whenever I want to do something had finally dawned on me. It’s a void that I thought I would feel, but it took so long that I’d kind of forgotten about it.

I’ve decided that for Lent this year, I’m going to give up alcohol and sweets. I’m not Catholic, but I decided to start participating in Lent a few years ago because I feel like there’s something special about giving up a thing that you enjoy – maybe a little too much – in order to better yourself. I feel like it gives you a tiny taste of what Jesus went through when he sacrificed himself for humanity. It also brings the sense of accomplishment that comes with setting a goal and achieving it. So, alcohol and sweets it is.

So, tomorrow kicks off another work week and kitten day. There’s really not much else to say.

Ladies and gentlemen: We have furniture. February 2, 2008

It finally came yesterday morning, and everything was there.  The guys who delivered it didn’t speak the entire time they were putting stuff together, which I found odd.  I have the feeling that one spoke very little English, and the other was just a bit off.  At one point, the “off” one asked if he could use our bathroom. When I told him Dan was in there, he got a panicked look on his face and literally ran out the door clutching his crotch. I don’t know where he went, but he came back a few minutes later looking relieved.

Today was my first trip ever to the esteemed Dunkin’ Donuts.  I usually eat egg sandwiches for breakfast, but was jonesing for something sweet today. We looked up the closet location, which just so happened to be inside, not next to or by, an arcade/gift shop/Baskin Robbins/playhouse.  It was utterly bizarre and completely in line with all things Myrtle Beach tourism.  I can’t imagine actually going there for an early-morning breakfast and cup of coffee.  The flashing lights and cartoon sound effects would be sensory overload if absorbed any time before noon or so.  At any rate, the food was good, and the hot chocolate was even better.  I give it two thumbs up, carnival atmosphere aside.

Another note: We found our pizza place.  The Pizza Shack offers fantastic pies that make the place’s name ironic.  It’s open until 5 a.m. and serves pasta, subs and salads, too.  And the food is cheap.  I give it 4.4 stars out of 5, since there can always be room for improvement.  If you’re ever out here, I will make you try it.

In even better news: My health insurance should kick in within the next 10 days.  Hooooooraaaaay.