Year in Review Meme

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?Hmmm… what did I do new this year? I stayed in a bed and breakfast, that was fun!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t recall making resolutions. I had been telling myself that I was going to give up regular soda for New Years, but I know I won’t stick to it. I’m going to set the bar very low and say I’ll exercise
at least 5 minutes 3-4 times a week. I’ll probably still fail. Whatever.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A bunch of people I knew in high school did. And the Twin will sometime soon, but probably in ’09, unless she goes into labor to spite me for writing this.

4. Did anyone close to you die?My grandma.

5. What countries did you visit? Here… here… here. Fuck, I need to get out more.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A shitload more money and a car that doesn’t break down every six fucking weeks.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Arbor Day. No, seriously, I have no idea. There will be things to remember, but not a specific day. Maybe January 20, because that’s when Grandma died.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Hmmm… I managed to take care of myself for another full year, which was nice. I’ve sustained a happy relationship, which is also good.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not keeping my apartment clean and not managing my money better.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?Nothing major. The biggest one was falling down in my apartment and skinning the piss out of my elbow. I’d forgotten how bad that shit hurts!

11. What was the best thing you bought? Tickets to see Flogging Molly with Jon.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jon’s been awesome, despite his insane amounts of stress, and his mom is a lovely person. The Twin for surviving pregnancy! Obama’s, for being awesome, winning, and coming to Indiana a whole bunch. Oh, and Indiana went blue, so that’s pretty awesome!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Sarah god-damn Palin, Stupid ass California’s Prop 8 bull-shit.

14. Where did most of your money go? Away. I wish I could figure it out better.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I get excited by stupid-ass things, because I’m essentially a six year-old off the ADD meds. But Liss being pregnant is pretty damned awesome, and Jon ponying up and saying he loved me was also a highlight.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? I’m Yours, Jason Mraz. He’s bad-ass. And anything by Flogging Molly.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Probably happier, in all likelihood fatter, and almost definitely poorer. Oh well.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Cleaning, knitting.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Being completely and pointlessly idle.

20. How did you spend Christmas?At my sister’s, then with my dad, then at Benihana with Jon and his mom.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yep, every day.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Countdown, The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Also Pushing Daisies. (Stupid ABC) And 30 Rock and The Office. I watch too much TV. And Jon and Kate Plus 8.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? You betcha! I didn't even know about Sarah Palin last year. (Sorry, Queen, your answer is too good to get rid of. And also true!)

24. What was the best book you read? The Poisonwood Bible. I also read a lot of good non-fiction, whose names all escape me now.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Flogging Molly and Ingrid Michealson.

26. What did you want and get? I got another visit to the Wild Animal Park. I think the is the first time I've returned to a place I had vacationed before.

27. What did you want and not get? A lot of money and for my car not to be dead.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? The Dark Knight was pretty awesome, as was Wall-E

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? It rocked, actually, though I had to check my blog to verify it. I got roses from Jon, and the A&E Pride and Prejudice, which I’ve watched three times through, a giant poster to color (which I’m still working on!) and fun books, and had good meals with people I love. I turned 26.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Having more money. Keeping the apartment clean.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? “Is this clean? Have I worn it to work this week?”

32. What kept you sane? The pets, Jon, cable and Zoloft. Also Julie, my counselor.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Barack Obama. Smart is hot.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? The election in general, and Prop 8.

35. Who did you miss? Mary, my grandma, grandpa and Aunt Ruth.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I think my co-worker Ned. I can’t think of other people I’ve met really.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. I honestly don’t know. I just try to show up every day and be myself as best I can and hope that works for people. My biggest thing I guess would be to express love whenever possible and not hold onto stuff too much.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. “I been spending way too much time checking my tongue in the mirror/and bending over backwards just to try and see clearer.”

CAR-rap...

Or: "The Saga of My Car Trying to Make Me Lose My Goddamn Mind." (And, apparently, sapping my desire to blog.)

Ok, so I mentioned last time that my car was having transmission issues, right? Which sucked ass. So I found out eventually that getting the transmission rebuilt would be the cheapest option, at the bargain price of $1300. Bah. So through a divine intervention (read: startlingly large loan from someone who was very kind, and who had no reason to help me, thank you, good Karma I've managed to amass!) I was able to get that done. The car place that rebuilt the transmission does very good work, but they're also quite slow. So it took ten days from the time they got my car to have it ready for me, which was already two and a half weeks after it already died. Bumming rides is actually terribly degrading after a while, or at least very frustrating.

So, last Thursday, they finally called and said it was all done and I could come get my car, and so I did, with much triumph. And Friday, I triumphantly drove my car into work, where it triumphantly began spewing white smoke and the temperature guage shot up to high. My direct quote? "Oh, you mother fucker." (Pardon my French.) An hour and a half later, I drove my "cooled off" car down to the car place, where it proceeded to overheat again, and then froze up and would not start. BLEH. The nice car guys picked me up and drove me home, where they told me that my radiator had a hole in it, that likely was started back when I rear-ended that dude on the shitty birthday of doom. So much for having my car for that weekend.

But Monday evening, they called again. You're all set, come get your car, that'll be a hundred bucks. Tuesday morning? Car wouldn't start. Lovely car place? Jumped it, and after letting it charge/warm up for a few minutes, I drove myself to school, where the battery proceeded to die again. I called my dad, cussing a blue streak, and ready to Thelma and Louise my freaking car off the nearest available cliff, and was informed that it would most likely be an alternator. GAH. So at that point, I had the car towed to the other garage I use. The good news? The car was fixed in six hours. The bad news? $300.

Mind you, I paid $3000 for the car, which I do love. But if anything else breaks on it? I'm giving that bitch the Mythbusters treatment.

And the icing on the crap cake? I've been driving with a suspended license (I know, I suck) for an unpaid (so they say) ticket for... well, way too long. So no license, expired plates, every time I saw a cop car, I'd basically say a Hail Mary and hope for the best. This morning, a mile and a half from school? Pulled over by a cop. I was practically crying before he could even get to the car. But the cop was actually really nice, gave me the cheapest ticket he was allowed to do, just for the expired plates, and totally gave me the giant kick in the ass to get to the BMV and get stuff straightened out. So at the other end of the story, I emerge triumphant, with a running car with valid plates and a valid license, and all's well that ends well. Expensively, but well.

But I'm going to a b&b tomorrow with Jon, so that makes up for most of it. Well, if not, I'll at least forget it for a few hours!

8 Things, Etc.

So Doppelganger is helping me write again, which is awesome. She's insisting that anyone who read her 8 Random Facts supply their own. Perfect to get the brain flexing on a Monday morning!

1. You know those giant mascot costumes? I had to wear one once. I was being Arthur the Anteater for my mom as part of a book promotion thing. It paid like $8 an hour and I was in high school so it sounded great. The problem is kids are evil to people in costumes, with poking and kicking and saying mean things, and you aren't allowed to say shit. Arthur thought seriously about going on a killing spree those three or four days.
2. I don't eat cheese by itself. This seems really odd to people, as I love grilled cheese and cheese on stuff, but I just... can't get behind eating it solo. It's probably textural, most of my food things are. But I really need to get over it, because it makes me a bitch to please at cocktail parties, etc. Oh, and I also can't stand macaroni and cheese. Bleh.
3. My mom was super-duper over-protective. I wasn't allowed to ride my bike in the street (in a suburban neighborhood) until I was 14. I wasn't allowed to walk to the library (which was literally across the street) by myself until I was like, 13, and even then I had to take a pager so she could get a hold of me, and I had a time limit.
4. I was like every other young girl in the world at one point and wanted to be a ballerina. My mom told me I couldn't be a ballerina because I was going to end up getting really big boobs, and I insisted that I wasn't ever going to have those. I was so wrong as to be hysterical. But really, my mom should have just told me no because I had flat feet.
5. I like ranch salad dressing on so much stuff as to probably branch into gross. I particularly like it with meatloaf, which tends to gack out everyone around me. At least I don't put ketchup on my turkey like my brother-in-law! And it's got to be Hidden Valley. Nothing else tastes right.
6. I'm afraid of birds, which is one of my go-to oddities. I'm working on being less afraid, but wing-flapping scares the hell out of me.
7. When I was a kid, I wanted to be the following professions: lawyer (because I watched LA Law with my parents), actor/singer, marine biologist, President, writer. All things I still like, but none what I ultimately plan on doing.
8. I'm really good at massage, and am so far self-taught. I want to get certified, though, so I can use it as a way to supplement my income. How awesome would it be to have a therapist who's also good at massage? I joke about it, but really, that might be a profitable career path...

Also, because I watched a fair amount of Inside the Actor's Studio over the weekend, I keep thinking about that survey from the end (you know, the one by Ber-nard Pe-VOT. I love James Lipton.) and have decided to answer it as well, so I can be prepared if the need arises.

What is your favorite word?
"Bulbous" because of the way it makes my sister laugh.

What is your least favorite word?
I hate the word "moist". It gacks me out.

What is your favorite curse word?
Bollocks. Though I say "fuck" far more frequently.

What sound or noise do you love?
Running water, great music, or genuine laughter.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Sirens really hurt my ears. I also hate the sound of parents speaking harshly to their kids, it makes me really anxious.

What turns you on or excites you?
Things that allow me to be funny, to think, or to do things for other people. Great music, or books or conversation.

What turns you off?
Small-mindedness and bigotry. People who don't listen to each other. Excessive egotism.

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
Well, we'll assume that my intended profession is out of the way, since I plan on being a counselor. I really do love performing, so any setting that would allow that.

What profession other than yours would you not like to attempt?
Anything that's excessively paper-pushy or mind-numbing. I need something that makes me think and really allows me to be creative and helpful. An Office Space type job would probably destroy my soul.

And finally, if Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"Good enough."

If you've read this, consider yourself tagged for one or both!

Fun with ADHD!

I love and hate having ADHD. I love it because it means I'm quick, funny, creative, a good problem solver, passionate, [insert additional wordage that indicates good things.]

The thing I hate is that I have the attention span of a fucking gnat. To wit, I'm working on this paper about Scrubs and gendered humor. I only manage to write about ten minutes before I start doing shit like this. Which, on the one hand is fine, and I know I can overcome it because I have in a lot of circumstances, especially when crunch time hits. But on the other hand, I really just want to get the paper done, but at the same time don't want to work on it.

Blargh!

Hezzawhat?

You'll notice that the title of this blog is C.R.A.P. That's not because my intention here is to write crap. I got bored at work one day and created the Committee for Random Activities and Play, basically so we could watch Office Space during lunch. Sometimes at work I send around C.R.A.P. emails with dumb fun facts and stuff. I felt like it would be good to have another place to do that. Plus, I read a lot of blogs religiously, and even though I do keep an online journal, this seemed like a better way to have a place to be silly and random. Hence me now having my very own blog. So now that I've done the needless description for the no one who will read this, I guess we can get on with the show!