Floating Leaf

OMG I let the weekend go by without posting. O_O ;) A horrible offense, I know. I'm sure everyone is very upset... *snort*

I've been rather distracted, you see. There's a ton of fandom activity over on Dreamwidth (not to mention Tumblr!), and there's even more texting activity on my phone... LOL. Since burnadette_dpdl's return from her London trip last Monday night, we've texted back and forth every day... except for last Wednesday, which was when she was busy putting up a discussion post on vc_media. I'm afraid it's turning into a compulsion... sometimes one of us would send a random burst of messages even when the other one isn't able to respond at the moment, and then, a few hours later, the replies would start flying in.:) If we both happen to be available at the same time, we tend to pursue several conversation threads simultaneously, running off on tangents and generally having a hard time figuring out how to stop.;) Which leads to massive absent-mindedness and sleep deprivation... among other things.:P Btw, I thought maybe we should take a break tonight... but as it turns out, we aren't.:D

I other news, yesterday was my mom's 70th birthday party.:) We managed to surprise her, because her actual birthday is on the 5th... so she was expecting us the NEXT weekend. My sister made delicious food, and my brother-in-law put up a ton of balloons with funny faces painted on them with colored markers.;) Perfect party décor for a 70-year-old lady, LOL (but she was delighted, so no harm done...;D). They also brought an absolutely heavenly cake from a new European bakery they had recently discovered. So, the day was a big success. I am also quite pleased to say that my period was already over by then... LOL. It had started on Thursday night, which was a bit early - but I had been "feeling it coming" since the beginning of the week. I don't know why the PMS was so bad this time... might have to increase the daily dose of Vitamin B, or something. But anyway... that's all for now, because I've been TEXTING, and now I need to go to bed, pronto. *sigh* :)

Well... guess what? My workplace was also closed today. TWO DAYS in a row due to extreme weather. That probably hasn't happened in the entire history of the company... LOL. Anyway... the other shocking piece of news is that I WAS supposed to report for jury duty. Actually, I found that out first, and was in the process of majorly angsting about it, when I received the message from the office saying that we're still closed. That just put me in a state of massive righteous indignation. I mean, everyone else is getting another bonus day off, and I am supposed to ride halfway across town in "dangerous windchill" conditions? NO FUCKING WAY. I was almost ready to burst into tears about it... so I picked up the phone and called the number provided for "more information", to see if I could somehow get myself out of this. And, as it turns out, the automated message system includes the option to reschedule. All you need to do is input the "juror number" from the summons they sent you, and press a button to "request an extension". Whereupon a recorded voice message informs you that your request has been approved, and you will receive another summons in "approximately 3 months" (or 6, if you happened to choose that particular option). That's it. *blinks in amazement* I am SO GLAD I found the guts to make that call (it was pure desperation more than actual guts, but anyway).

Nevertheless, I had been in so much anxious anticipation for most of the day that I couldn't quite shake it off, despite the sudden relief. In fact, the weirdest thing happened. My mood took an unexpected plunge. It seemed to come out of nowhere, making no sense under the circumstances... which only made it worse, somehow. ( Read more... )

There's a "winter weather advisory" in effect for Chicago right now, according to the Yahoo weather page. "Near blizzard conditions" until tomorrow morning. Good thing I managed to get home before the wind picked up. Yesterday our office actually closed at noon due to heavy snowfall. And it's supposed to get even worse; on Monday, the temperature is supposed to drop down to -16F (-27C). No fucking kidding. Only during the night, I hope, but still... Anyway, today our department head sent out an email saying that whoever makes it to the office on Monday gets free pizza.:)

I am expecting my period to hit any minute... PLEASE PLEASE let it be tomorrow, or Sunday at the latest. I really want the worst of it to be over by next week. Arctic weather is bad enough to deal with by itself... not to mention the fucking jury duty.:/ I just... there's only so much I can handle. *bites nails*

Which only makes me realize how profoundly beneficial it is to interact with people who radiate positive energy. To invite such people into my life and keep them in it. ( Read more... )

I'm still not quite caught up on LJ after the Christmas break. A large part of the blame for that can be safely laid on Tumblr.:) The thing with Tumblr is that it SEEMS easier & faster to scroll through, because there are more images than text... but some people post A LOT. As in, dozens of images per hour. I don't know how on earth they find time for that, but somehow they do, and being the hopeless anal-retentive nerd that I am, I can't help but want to at least glance briefly at everything posted on each blog I follow... and that can take FOREVER. *sigh* (and I only follow 13 blogs, in case you're wondering; I know people who follow hundreds, and I do worry about their sanity, honestly I do... LOL) I admit this may be turning into an addiction problem. Not even kidding, really... *shifty eyes*

Also, I've been texting my usual texting partner.:D Another addiction we share, LOL. We do share quite a few, btw. We should probably go to rehab together. Though that might actually make matters worse. As in, our craziness seems to increase in direct proportion to the amount of time spent discussing it. Or something.

Btw, my sister & brother-in-law are having a small New Year's Eve party at their art studio tomorrow, just like last year, and I am invited - so I will probably pop on over there for a few hours (not too many, since it's f&%#ing FREEZING outside again, and their studio doesn't have central heat; there's just a bunch of small electric heaters scattered here and there over enormous space, and people just tend to huddle around them without taking their coats off...:). I don't anticipate lasting long past midnight, though. Severe winter weather makes me a very sleepy, lethargic, antisocial creature... (unless we're talking about THE INTERNET, of course...:D).

Also, I'm trying not to dwell on that, but work might be stressful again, starting in January... AND, to make matters more interesting, I have jury duty on the 7th.:/ It's standby service, which means I have to call on the day before to see if I actually need to report - so please keep your fingers crossed that I don't. It's a criminal court this time, halfway across town, which I find a little terrifying. I mean, just to get there by public transport might take me up to 2 hours, depending on traffic; and what if they put me on a jury, and I have to go there EVERY DAY for God knows how long?... Ugh. Please no. I've done pretty well so far at not letting it ruin my holidays... but it does hang at the back of my mind like a shroud. *humorless smirk*

OK, that's it for tonight. I'm severely multitasking right now; as in, texting and simultaneously reading stuff on Dreamwidth, LJ AND Tumblr. God have mercy. Something's gotta give, and unfortunately it's this entry. I'll go back through the flist and leave some comments at SOME point in the unspecified near future. Or so I hope... *weary sigh*

The weather is officially bipolar. Rain today, snow tomorrow, Arctic freeze again by Christmas Eve. How exciting. Also, my sister just talked me into spending TWO nights at my parents' house this year, instead of one. She & her husband are heading over there on Monday, and they are bringing The Hobbit DVD. Yes, the first one, which I STILL haven't seen. So we can watch it together. And then, on Christmas Eve, we can sneak out to the local theater to see the second one. If mom goes to bed early, that is - otherwise she might not be willing to let us out of her sight... LOL.

I'm not sure if this is the best idea - staying there for so long, I mean (not The Hobbit - I am rather excited about THAT part, to be honest... though probably not as excited as I SHOULD be, for obvious reasons). I might get moody/irritable due to lack of privacy and easy internet access.:P But then again, maybe not. And if I do, then I will know not to repeat this experiment again... LOL. Besides, I can always text burnadette_dpdl and bitch to her about my family and/or about how miserable I am... which will, of course, make everything better.:P Hey, it totally worked on Thanksgiving (she was the one doing most of the bitching at the time, btw - which would make us even...:D).

Anyway... my eloquence is deserting me. Tumblr has eaten my brain, I think. Yes, it is addicting, and SO damn easy, just scrolling down the page, ogling the pretty, laughing at the silly, nodding at the smart/insightful, shaking your head at the weird etc. Sometimes a picture says a thousand words, and sometimes looking at pictures is so soothing/relaxing when you're too tired to string words together. I know I've always said I prefer text-oriented blogs to image-oriented ones - and I guess I still do, when my mind feels fresh and capable of intellectual interaction. But that isn't always so - and it is hardly ever so on a Friday night, LOL. So I shall leave you now with a link to my Tumblr account - which contains mostly the pretty, plus a little bit of the silly once in a while...

http://somnambulisticdecay.tumblr.com/

Feel free to check it out and/or follow if you happen to be on there. I don't post very often, but it is quite possible I might be spending more time on there in the future than I do on here. Just saying...

FINALLY got my acupuncture today. GODS, what a relief! I was ready to curl up in a ball and whimper in sheer misery. I also had a massive premenstrual tension headache, which didn't help. But it's all better now. Or at least, my upper body feels fine. The misery has gravitated southward...:/

At least I don't have to go anywhere or do anything tomorrow if I'm not up to it. The groceries were bought yesterday, since I left work early after our annual holiday lunch. I am also off Monday AND Tuesday, which leaves plenty of time for cooking, laundry and such.

Ugh. I had thought to make a more interesting post, but apparently that is beyond my capacity at the moment. I am using up all my devastating wit and stunning insights in conversations with my evil VC twin.;P ( Read more... )

I was off work today, since the office closed early before the long holiday weekend. I am also off on Friday, because we're always closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving. So I have a VERY long weekend... LOL.

Btw, yesterday was another Day of Much Texting. It started on my way home from work (around 6 p.m.), and went on until my phone died around 9 p.m. (I'm pretty sure it would have lasted longer otherwise, too) Much fun was shared - along with a little bit of amazement at how this crazy THING we have seems to be gaining momentum. ( It's just... incredible on so many levels. )

The weather has been positively hormonal this weekend. One violent rainstorm after another, with brief periods of eerie, gray stillness in between. There was even a tiny bit of sunlight this afternoon - right after a vicious storm that rattled my windows. And then, a half-hour later, another bank of heavy rainclouds rolled in. So I haven't been out-and-about much, except for grocery shopping. Btw, my timing of said shopping trips totally sucked, since I managed to get rained on every time. Also, my total at the checkout of the local supermarket came up to exactly $66.66. Good thing I'm not superstitious... LOL.

That was yesterday. Today I went to Whole Foods, for some cosmetics and a few food items I don't usually find at the local stores. I wasn't raining when I left, so I thought I was going to be fine. You know, at Whole Foods they give you paper bags at the checkout instead of plastic. I could have brought my own canvas shopping bags... but I didn't. So I walk out of there with a huge paper bag full of stuff... and of course it's raining. And by the time I reach the bus stop, the bag is starting to tear.:/ I managed to hold it all together until the point where I need to transfer to another bus... but then the bottom of the bag gave out and I dropped a few items. Luckily, nothing was ruined. The jar of organic honey lost a part of the lid... but, amazingly enough, didn't spill a drop.:) I picked up what I could and just held it all in my arms the rest of the way home. And only then did I realize that the bottle of agave nectar didn't make it.:/ I didn't even notice when it fell out. It was plastic, so most likely didn't break, and perhaps someone else has found it by now. At least it won't go to waste... LOL.

Yeah... exciting weekend adventures, you have to admit.;) I'm off tomorrow, but I don't feel like going anywhere unless the weather changes (and it doesn't seem likely at the moment). I have to make some calls for work, anyway.:/

I'm not in a bad mood, though. ( Read more... )

Just spent almost an hour and a half on the phone, discussing fic ideas and other fandom-related stuff. And internet craziness in general. And how being passionate about something makes people more attractive than mere looks ever could. And how you don't choose your family, but the friends who are crazy about the same stuff you are crazy about become the "chosen" family, and suddenly you can't imagine life without them. So no, apparently it's not just me who feels that way. *breathes*

At that rate, I'm gonna have to buy more prepaid minutes soon. Or switch to a monthly plan, probably, with some sort of automatic reload. Life's so funny - a few weeks ago, I thought I was never ever going to use all those minutes, and I'd just have to keep buying the lowest possible amount before each deadline, so that my service doesn't expire. Me? Chat on the phone for hours?... More than once a month (let alone a week!)?... Which alternate universe are we in?... LOL.

Well... a strange but exciting one, it seems. Anyway... that was random, but it just sort of typed itself. Need to recharge now, so good night.

First of all, I haven't forgotten whose birthday it is today.:)



FIFTY-FIVE already. Time flies, doesn't it? *headshake* BUT. He is still utterly awesome, and I am very much looking forward to his future cinematic endeavors. Two Faces of January should be out soon, if memory serves right... (I am not getting younger either... LOL)

But speaking of cinematic endeavors... I have seen two more festival movies since my previous post. ( Read more... )