some good news for a change

i gots me a job!  it's true.  i'll be an office assistant (with lots of possibilities) at the cullom eye & laser center in williamsburg, va.  woooot!  apparently, i could also get free lasiks... lasix?  whatever, i'll be able to see through my own eyeballs, which i haven't done since sometime in the early 90's.  so that's kinda hot.

however, it's not as much as i got at the FORMER job, and therefore jack will stay here in alexandria to look for jobs (not here but other places) while i take refuge with my in-laws.  it won't be too bad, since they are pretty nice people and i'll get to live with cats again.  i'll miss jack, though.  when you spend all your time with someone, it's weird when they're not around.  i don't start until april 28th, so there's lots of time to figure out what goes where and who takes what and rock crushes scissors.

i'm excited to have a job, though... and my reasons are 3 fold.  1- money that's not called "unemployment."  2- health insurance!!  3- something to do!  it's true; i got too bored, and that's really an accomplishment.  here's a list of all the entire series of tv shows i watched while not working:

-arrested development (at least twice)

-futurama (also, at least twice)

-scrubs (don't ask how many times, please)

-six feet under

-friends (almost; i'm on season finale of 8 now)

-how i met your mother

-sex and the city

-ER (through season 7)

-grey's anatomy (through season 3 TWICE)

-the office

-the OC seasons 1 & 2

that is a lot of logged hours on the sofa.  i can see a plot device coming from a mile away.  so many gag reels and deleted scenes and featurettes.  it truly boggles the mind.  i can't wait to tell my future children about the time in life that i was unemployed and sans cable TV.  they will think i lived in the dark ages.

i've started a new knitting project using my new Denise interchangeable needles!  this is the first time i've ever used circulars, and i think i'm doing alright.  i'm making the Ribbed Lace Bolero, and i think it's going to end up being giant.  i'm a tight knitter, so my gauge is different than everything i've seen on ravelry, AND when i did the initial shoulder measurement, i got 20 inches across... which makes me feel like a freakin' LINEBACKER or something.  so, it might be my Ribbed Lace Humpback Warmer for when i'm an old lady and i can't stand up straight any longer.  now i feel guilty about my posture.

DH is making eyes at me about wanting to go to 7-11, so i'll peace out.

holy crap.

so... how i met your mother?  seriously hilarious.  i love any show that makes fun of itself or has shout-outs to previous work the cast has done, like a little inside joke for people like me.  so, to see neil patrick harris blogging on a blue screen at the end of tonite's episode to some VERY familiar 80's sounding electronic music... why, my heart just fluttered a little.

i am so happy right in this moment :)

How I Updated My Blog

So remember like 5 months ago when I said I was gonna update this and change the "format" and all that?  Yeah, that went well, right?  Sure it did.  I'm trying something new this time and actually updating, and I'll do my best to update everyday.  There's really no excuse for my lack of updates, since I still have no job and basically no friends and therefore lots of time.  

However, since I have been wishing I could write for a pop culture outlet or something similar, I thought I might actually try that out on my own.  From time to time, I'll be posting my opinions regarding the shows I watch, the movies I see, good albums (or bad) that I may hear, and general ponderings on life in these United States... though different than the Reader's Digest versions.  And for starters, check this out.

It is a well-known fact amongst my friends and loved ones that I have a predilection for television addiction.  In fact, I sometimes hold off on shows that I hear are particularly good and engrossing to save myself years of sedentary couch time, but I usually fall victim anyway (see also: LOST).  However, it has been quite a while since I have been interested in a laugh-track sitcom, especially one on CBS.  Due to the writer's strike and the complete lack of ANYTHING on television (also since we are apparently Amish and don't have cable), Jack and I have taken to watching whatever's on.  This has led to hours of Deal or No Deal and other mindless variations.  So, when we flipped to How I Met Your Mother one Monday eve, we chose to watch it since it was the only non-reality show on at the time.

I am so glad.

I've had friends tell me for a while that this is a funny show.  Due to my previous addictions and the large amounts of DVDs on the shelves in our place, I tried to stay away.  I had plenty of Scrubs, The Office, Gilmore Girls, Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, and 10 whole seasons of Friends to entertain me (and that's just scratching the surface).  It didn't matter.  Something about HIMYM stuck with me, and it wasn't just Neil Patrick Harris.

HIMYM is one of the first shows I've seen that seems real.  It's less like a show and more like watching videos of old times.  The dialogue is the first thing I noticed that seemed believable.  The gang all talks like other people my age.  They have their own set of lingo, and that is certainly the case with my group too.  After that, I found myself drawn to Lily because we are so much alike.  She starts out as the lone girl in a sea of silly boys, dating a guy she's been with all through college and beyond.  She's fun and silly, and she can joke and drink with the boys.  It wasn't until later in the first season that I really saw myself in Lily, when she goes out to a bar with Robin and no one hits on her or even notices her, but they certainly notice Robin.  I don't mind not getting hit on by random strangers, but at the same time... I'm not invisible.  When I saw that, I knew this was the show for me.

So now, I'm addicted.  Sue me.  It's gotten to a fever pitch almost, where I have the third disc of the first season coming in tomorrow via Netflix BUT the mail doesn't get here until almost 4... and we just bought the second season with a Target wedding gift card (thanks Paul & Stef!)... so we'll just have to work backwards.  Eh, whatever.  It's not like I've got anything better to do.

change in blog-itude

so things around here are a little bit different right now. i just recently stopped working at the newshour. if you want to know the whole story, feel free to ask. however, i now have lots of time to play and blog and do whatever i want.

also, i recently have become addicted to knitting. it's my new favorite thing to do. a little bit of research on the internet, and come to find out, there is like a whole underground knitting world out there full of people like me. apparently, one of the things crazy knitters like me do is BLOG about their knitting. from what i can tell, it's mostly just pictures of what they're doing or they have done, with stories about why. so guess what? whenever i actually finish something (besides the first scarf i did for me mam), i'll post it.

the other thing i've been doing lately is watching classic episodes of ER. i gotta tell you, george clooney... he's like a fine wine. he just gets better with age. fantastic.

it's getting just as bad as the LJ.

i never update anything anymore because i'm a terrible blogger. also, it's because my job changed a bit. i used to have a lot more free time to do things like blog and bitch about crap and read perez hilton and stalk people via myspace. nowadays i have to do things like call people before i leave for charlottesville for a shoot. then, on tuesday, i'll be up all day (i mean ALL DAY, my call time is SIX AM!?!?!?!) doing crap for this shoot. so yeah, ugh.

i also started reviewing classic films for this website called theywatchmovies.com, and i'm really excited about it. you can read my newest review for "our town" there right now. be sure to read the comment my grandma left me :) it's awesome.

that's all i got for today. i've been wanting to update for so long, and now, i'm just burnt out.

the "return" of smashing pumpkins.

all of the radio stations around here have been advertising the CRAP out of the "sold out" show at the 930 club tonite. the headliners? the "reunited" smashing pumpkins. people are calling the stations in droves apparently to get tickets to this big deal of a show. if this were true, i would be in line myself. however, it's complete crap.

it's not the reunion of SP. it's billy corgan, jimmy chamberlin, ginger reyes (if that's even a real name...), jeff schroeder, and lisa harriton. no james iha. no d'arcy. therefore... NOT the pumpkins. so, why is everyone so excited to go?

varina had one of the biggest SP phases of all time. everyone was into it. linda and i listened to all of their albums religiously, writing down song lyrics as if they were our own words. in fact, we sang "mayonnaise" at our high school talent show together, with kone (or "sin") and jason mullins (pre-amanda days) playing guitar. jaclyn and i sat in her room for hours on end, listening to the blue disc of "mellon collie and the infinite sadness," inbetween all the tori and van halen (yes, i listened to van halen. cram it). my brother and i rocked out again and again to countless songs, always reading to yell, "and coil my tongue around a bumblebee mouth." tony was even the only person still standing when SP finally made it to richmond, and they were on a 40 minute tangent of XYU. i loved smashing pumpkins, and listening to their songs is like visiting with an old friend, like driving through the streets in the town you grew up in, like nostalgia in music form.

seeing THIS version of smashing pumpkins seems... wrong. it's like cheating. it's stupid. maybe i'm a music purist, but if billy corgan considers THIS a smashing pumpkins reunion... i don't know, someone should tell him that it's still zwan. and who wants that?

i really hate southern dunkin donuts.

i was spoiled being in rhode island for just that one year. anywhere you went in town, there was a dunkin donuts within walking distance... sometimes, within rock throwing distance. i was in charge of the iced coffee runs at the law office (making sure tracy got skim milk & no sugar, while michelle got extra extra). every sunday, either jack or i would saunter down to the dun-don around the corner for a coffee, egg sandwich, and donut.

and then, for whatever reason we felt was right at the time, we moved back to the south. back to virginia. people do not revere the dunkies here the same way they do in new england. it's more of a starbucks lust around here, and starbucks just doesn't cut it when it comes to iced coffee. mcdonald's is trying to jump on the iced coffee wagon, but they fall short. nothing compares to a nice dunkies iced coffee in the morning.

except here in the vag, they can't seem to get their act together. i found a new, shorter route to work since we moved, and there's a dunkin donuts on the way. so, i've taken to stopping there when i have a few minutes to spare on my "commute" of 10-15 minutes. when the place is empty and i am their only customer, i get exactly what i order. when there is even just one other person, something is messed up, and it's usually my coffee. new england uses what i call "coffee language" when ordering, and i spent a year honing my coffee language skills. it's all for naught, because i can't order a medium iced regular, because i get a latte. i have to say, "i'll have a medium iced coffee, french vanilla, with cream and sugar." that is a waste of time. AND, the past two times i've been, i've gotten flavorless coffee with no sugar and hazelnut coffee respectively. today, in fact, when my coffee was brought out, the guy behind the counter said, "hazelnut!" and put it in front of me. my cashier said, "she had vanilla." and the guy said, "yeah, vanilla." and pointed to the coffee he just announced was NOT vanilla. i took it and had a sip, and it's definitely hazelnut.

now, i know this seems like a little, non-important thing to bitch about, but come on. just do your job. they should send all southern dunkies workers to camp in new england to learn how it's done. there would be no lines. there would be no waiting. there would be no mistakes. there would only be delicious coffee to drink and love.