friends archive at Evilsciencechick’s

Archive for the 'friends' Category

the art of BS and goodnews/badnews

Published Monday, February 5, 2007 in relationship/sex, misc, ask ESC and friends. 14 Comments

The art of science writing: taking something very simple and writing very complicated sounding things about it.

I think this is why I am sucking at writing. At my base, I am a very plainspoken writer

no, really? go ON, ESC? you? plainspoken? blunt? honest? tactless?

shut up.

I am not so good at the flowerly language. And similarly, I am not so good at the BS science writing. You can just come out and SAY “Next, we did X to proove Y, see figure Z”. You have to figure out how to say that one thing in three statements, using 4 figures, and using language that makes the whole process so much more complicated that it really was.

Can you tell I’m spending a lot of time banging my head on my laptop? I have dents in my forehead.

bad news: one of our wedding gift wine glasses committed suicide from the wine glass rack yesterday

good news: I sold a set of stitch markers. the profits of which will be spent replacing the wine glass

bad news: it’s not really profit, as I spent $50 on beading supplies in a “this will cheer me up” crafty shopping spree at Michael’s on Saturday

good news: I had no real stake in the super bowl on Sunday, so I cheered for both teams. Consequently, my team won! Go us!

bad news: my friend Elizabeth’s son has just been diagnosed with some neurological issues that are affecting his development

good news: it’s not life threatening, and especially since they caught it so early, it’s completely overcomable

bad news: I am cold all. the. time

good news: i am surrounded by things that are warm - Sadie at my feet, hot coffee in my mug, and a down blanket on my lap.

good news: I am apparently a relationship genius. you all should consult me before making any relationship decisions. this is incredibly ironic considering how long I was single and relationshipless before meeting Kev. And considering the lack of drama in our relationship. Anyway, write to me with your relationship problems! And I will SOLVE THEM FREE OF CHARGE!!

happy monday. hope your good news outweighs the bad news this week!

blog action friends!!!!

Published Monday, January 29, 2007 in ask blogland and friends. 5 Comments

first! go over and read Nanner’s post.

If you are lazy, allow me to sum up:

Nanner is a dear blog friend of mine who lives in West Virginia with her son and many cats. Her house just went UP IN FLAMES, destroying most if not all of her belongings, and sadly, killing her cats. Fortunately, she and her son were not at home when it happened, and are both OK.

She has not asked for assistance, but that has never stopped us before, right? So it’s time to help Nanner Peach REBUILD! We can’t replace the loss of her dear pets, but we can replace “stuff.” Either with money or donations. I am going to talk to her SOON (she’s a little busy right now, you can imagine) and try to get something set up with paypal and maybe an address to accept clothing/furniture/computer equipment donations. So look to this space VERY SOON for information on how to help out.

tweaking the blog nipples

Published Thursday, January 25, 2007 in blogging, photos and friends. 8 Comments

Yeah, I don’t know what that title means, either.

So I THINK I’ve got everything up and operating with the K2 template and the latest version of wordpress. there is one buggy thing that’s driving me nuts, and means I have to manually load my header image using ftp instead of the handy uploader on my wordpress dashboard, because IT DOESN’T WORK. I don’t know why.

Anyway, enough of the bitching. Here is a fun picture of me and my friend elizabeth drunk off our asses, not realizing how much we were going to pay for it in the morning.

me and elizabeth

drunk!

Published Sunday, January 14, 2007 in friends. 4 Comments

WARNING: DRUNK BLOGGING AHEAD!!!

HEY! did you KNOW???? raging burrito has this margarita called the HORNEY MARGARITA!!! it is SOOOOO GOOD! and our waiter was 23 and sooo young but cute and this girl in our group asked to see his “thing” but really she wanted to see the check but it sounded like she was totally coming on to him and it was sooooooo funny!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY ELIZABETH!!!! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I HOPE THE PANTA HEADBAND FITS YOOOOOOU! I HOPE YOUR CAR DOESN’T CATCH ON FIRE AGAIN! I STOPPED AT WENDY’S AND GOT A COKE ZERO ON THE WAY HOME, SO I AM FINE!

and then! after the margaritas! and then we went to a LESBIAN BAR! and there were these two girls MAKING OUT IN FRONT! IT WAS AWESOME! but it took a long time for all of us to get served drinks, and we thought maybe we were too straight to get drinks. So we thought we maybe should all make out, and then we’d get drinks but GUESS WHAT we got drinks anyway so NO PSEUDO LESBIAN EXPERIENCES FOR US!

and I met another cool girl who was in our group (part of the “mommy” side of the group) who used to be a DOMINATRIX before she got married! HOW COOL IS THAT??? TOTALLY COOL! WE SHOP AT THE SAME CHICK SEX TOY SHOP!

it was an awesome night. I am drunk. I totally needed this. yes yes yes yes. horney margaritas…mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……

WHERE IS KEVIN?????????????????????????/

everything but the countdown

Published Sunday, December 31, 2006 in daily and friends. 6 Comments

This post is for Julie, so she’ll stop bitching.

So last night was our big night out for new year’s weekend. We went out with our good friends, Elizabeth and Micheal, and then another couple they knew (we knew the girl, but this was my first time meeting her fiance’) We met at a Japanese steakhouse and had yummy fried rice and appletinis (ok, that was just me) and various meats and veggies and got the usual show involving flames and fancy knifework.

Then back to E and M’s house for more drinking and games. We played Cranium TURBO edition, which is just like regular cranium, except instead of a boring old hourglass timer and dice, there’s a cool “simon says”-esque gadget that does all the work for you. Also, new fun tasks added. like team spelling a word backwards. which is very hard. And a ‘puppet’ game, where one team member has to move another team member in a puppet like fashion to make them guess the clue. Most difficult one: sauna. Seriously, how do you make someone mime a sauna? You just sit and…steam. We actually won that one, though. Kev and I ended up winning the whole game, which is amazing considering he’s a lousy guesser, and I was quite tipsy. We had picked up a bottle of my new favorite drink: Amarula. mmmmmm….I had three glasses of it.

Much laughter and hilarity ensued. It was good to see our friends again - we hadn’t seen them since the wedding. They have two kids, so scheduling get-togethers is difficult. And I miss hanging out with friends - everyone has moved away or gone and spawned some youngin’s. So we don’t get to go out with friends much. And I miss that.
As for tonight, we’re keeping it low key. We’ll probably go out somewhere casual for dinner (last night’s bill for the two of us: a little over $50. whoops!) and then come back and toast the new year with some champagne.

And Amarula. Mmmmm….

shout outs

Published Tuesday, November 14, 2006 in friends and politics. 5 Comments

I’ve been so busy doing boring sciencey things lately (writing, trying to convince my adviser that my data is valid, uhh…weeping) that I’ve neglected posting.

Specifically, posting a SHOUT OUT THANKS to world-famous and beloved Dave Dink of Chub Creek podcast (which can normally be found here, but thanks to massive downloading, has temporarily been moved here). Who, thanks to my vigilant stalking in his frappr chat room, gave me a shout out on his latest podcast. So everyone go download and listen to his latest podcast and “sqeeeee!” with delight when he mentions me. TWICE.

I have to say, though, that this most recent episode is not necessarily representative of most of his (and Gary’s) podcasts. usually, it’s original music and hilarious skits, but the latest one is a little more dark and somber, as delves a little into a Canadian’s perspective on America, the war, and the elections. So if you want the laughs and chuckles, download some of their older stuff. And try to ignore your co-workers stares when you burst out laughing for apparently no reason.

if you’ll notice on my links page (YOU KNOW YOU LOVE THE LITTLE BUTTONS! YOU KNOW YOU DO!), I have a section devoted to the podcasts I listen to. Chub Creek is there (if you are a knitting podcast listener, you are probably already familiar with Chub Creek. not that knitting is discussed, but it’s a favorite podcast of other knitting podcasters - Dave has some serious knitting fans.), along with some knitting podcasts, a foodie podcast, and…alot of npr (”wait…wait…don’t tell me” IN THE HIZZOOOUS!). Also sciencey podcasts that annoyingly don’t really have their own websites.

So! Go listen to Chub Creek, and then download some more podcasts, and then buy an iPod so that you can listen to the podcasts without being tied to your computer and then BECOME STEVE JOBS’ SLAVE LIKE THE REST OF US! JOOOOIN US! JOOOOOIN US!

*hugging my PC laptop for protection*

OK, better now.

To make a total left turn of a transition here, I thought I’d post the email Michael Moore just sent out to his email subscribers. It’s pretty interesting and entirely optimistic, but we can always dream, right?

To My Conservative Brothers and Sisters,

I know you are dismayed and disheartened at the results of last week’s election. You’re worried that the country is heading toward a very bad place you don’t want it to go. Your 12-year Republican Revolution has ended with so much yet to do, so many promises left unfulfilled. You are in a funk, and I understand.

Well, cheer up, my friends! Do not despair. I have good news for you. I, and the millions of others who are now in charge with our Democratic Congress, have a pledge we would like to make to you, a list of promises that we offer you because we value you as our fellow Americans. You deserve to know what we plan to do with our newfound power — and, to be specific, what we will do to you and for you.

Thus, here is our Liberal’s Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives:

Dear Conservatives and Republicans,

I, and my fellow signatories, hereby make these promises to you:

1. We will always respect you for your conservative beliefs. We will never, ever, call you “unpatriotic” simply because you disagree with us. In fact, we encourage you to dissent and disagree with us.

2. We will let you marry whomever you want, even when some of us consider your behavior to be “different” or “immoral.” Who you marry is none of our business. Love and be in love — it’s a wonderful gift.

3. We will not spend your grandchildren’s money on our personal whims or to enrich our friends. It’s your checkbook, too, and we will balance it for you.

4. When we soon bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq, we will bring your sons and daughters home, too. They deserve to live. We promise never to send your kids off to war based on either a mistake or a lie.

5. When we make America the last Western democracy to have universal health coverage, and all Americans are able to get help when they fall ill, we promise that you, too, will be able to see a doctor, regardless of your ability to pay. And when stem cell research delivers treatments and cures for diseases that affect you and your loved ones, we’ll make sure those advances are available to you and your family, too.

6. Even though you have opposed environmental regulation, when we clean up our air and water, we, the Democratic majority, will let you, too, breathe the cleaner air and drink the purer water.

7. Should a mass murderer ever kill 3,000 people on our soil, we will devote every single resource to tracking him down and bringing him to justice. Immediately. We will protect you.

8. We will never stick our nose in your bedroom or your womb. What you do there as consenting adults is your business. We will continue to count your age from the moment you were born, not the moment you were conceived.

9. We will not take away your hunting guns. If you need an automatic weapon or a handgun to kill a bird or a deer, then you really aren’t much of a hunter and you should, perhaps, pick up another sport. We will make our streets and schools as free as we can from these weapons and we will protect your children just as we would protect ours.

10. When we raise the minimum wage, we will pay you — and your employees — that new wage, too. When women are finally paid what men make, we will pay conservative women that wage, too.

11. We will respect your religious beliefs, even when you don’t put those beliefs into practice. In fact, we will actively seek to promote your most radical religious beliefs (”Blessed are the poor,” “Blessed are the peacemakers,” “Love your enemies,” “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” and “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”). We will let people in other countries know that God doesn’t just bless America, he blesses everyone. We will discourage religious intolerance and fanaticism — starting with the fanaticism here at home, thus setting a good example for the rest of the world.

12. We will not tolerate politicians who are corrupt and who are bought and paid for by the rich. We will go after any elected leader who puts him or herself ahead of the people. And we promise you we will go after the corrupt politicians on our side FIRST. If we fail to do this, we need you to call us on it. Simply because we are in power does not give us the right to turn our heads the other way when our party goes astray. Please perform this important duty as the loyal opposition.

I promise all of the above to you because this is your country, too. You are every bit as American as we are. We are all in this together. We sink or swim as one. Thank you for your years of service to this country and for giving us the opportunity to see if we can make things a bit better for our 300 million fellow Americans — and for the rest of the world.

Signed,

Michael Moore
[email protected]
(Click here to sign the pledge)
www.michaelmoore.com

P.S. Please feel free to pass this on.

Sadie commands you to just “chill,” OK?

how to torture my dog

                

yeah, about the blogging

Published Monday, November 6, 2006 in family, photos, wedding and friends. 17 Comments

Long and picture heavy!

The blogging didn’t happen over the weekend. There was just NOT THE TIME!

The frantic pace started thursday. We decided to try one of those off airport parking lots, with the shuttle that takes you to the airport. Found one for $6 a day. Sweet. We set off for the airport a little later than planned, but make great time. Until we get two lights away from the parking lot. Where we find traffic backed up. Because of an accident. At the intersection where the lot was located.

RUSH RUSH RUSH. We made it to the airport, to discover that our flight is delayed a half hour. Sweet - we have time to grab some cheese fries. And then mosey on over to the gate. Where they’ve already boarded everyone and are about to close up. Because apparently that time they post on the tv screens? That’s just a loose estimate. Fuckers.

But we got on the plane and got to pittsburgh without further incident. Thursday night, we relax. Friday, we shop. Tax free clothing, w00t! Fucking georgia and it’s taxes. Anyway, I got two new pair of shoes, Kev gets one pair and an ivory dress shirt and tie to match to wear to the reception (his shirt and tie that he already had for his suit were grey/blue. (”YOU WON’T MATCH!” “So?” “YOU WILL MATCH!!!”)

We get home and wait for my parents to come back from dropping off decorations at the reception location. While we wait, a call comes in. The family is in. And they’re on their way.

*cue menacing Jaws-like music*

It’s the Italian side of the family. Three of my mom’s cousins and two of their husbands, plus my Aunt Rose. My great Aunt Rose.

They are all Italian.

They are loud.

They are uhhh….AGGRESSIVELY friendly.

And I have already prepared Kev for this.

My parents get back. The family arrives. And there is not another quiet second for the rest of our time in pittsburgh. Kev and I are still married. This is a miracle.

They fight. They laugh. They eat. They love Kevin. They discuss medical issues.

It’s home and family and I am very relaxed

Until my mom runs over to the cleaners to pick up our dresses. Oh yes, they have her dress. My dress? Oh, they send wedding dresses OUT to be cleaned. And this “out” place usually waits until they have 6 or 7 dresses, and then clean them all at once. Don’t worry, it only takes a few months.

HAHAHAHAHAFUCKYOUWHEREISMYDRESS!!!!!!!??????!!!!!!!!!!!

Somehow, the dumbass 15 year old girl they had working the counter when my mom dropped the dresses off failed to mention this.

They inform my mother that the manager will be in later and will call her. Mom reports this back to my father, who is waiting in the car. Dad turns into…DADZILLA! Go DAD! He storms into the cleaners. He informs them that we will not be waiting for the manager to call. They will get the manager on the phone RIGHT NOW, and she and my father will have a little chat.

The chat is effective. The dress will appear cleaned, steamed and ready to go Saturday morning.

So we all eat too much ziti and drink too much wine, and then Kev and I go to Quaker Steak and Lube to eat wings and drink with Julie and Rick…and the entire student population of my old high school. Apparently, they won the playoff game by a lot, and the kids enjoy celebrating with wings. And yelling. Lots of the yelling.

I see you! mmmmmm....beeeeeeer.... that's a lot of onion rings

They gave us an AWESOME wedding gift of matching stainless steel lunch buckets (possibly bento-esque?) and chopsticks. Yay chinatown!Saturday morning was a flurry of activity. I had an appointment to get my hair done, so I left Kev in the ~~clutches~~ company of my relatives and got my hair all dooded up (ah yes, pittsburgh stylists love their hairspray) and got my nails done.

I returned home to a frantic cookie organization in progress:

are we done with the cookies?? cookies

I will tell you right now that there ended up being at LEAST 15 trays of cookies at the reception, yet I don’t have a picture of that yet.

For those who were not born and raised in western PA, here is an explanation of the cookie table.

I stayed out of everyone’s way. You don’t get in the way of my relatives and cookie tray organization.

My dresses was finally in, and it looked clean. My dad was not forced to go all terminator on their asses. But the drama was not over quite yet…more later.
The relatives finished their preparations, the cookies were dropped off, and we were informed that not ONLY were there these cookies, but that another great aunt had come through with TEN ADDITIONAL TRAYS. Oh my. that’s alot of cookies.

Everyone got dressed and I put on my makeup - I’d put on my dress in the “bride room” at the reception hall. Where there would be munchies for the bridal party - yay!

Then we arrived and I decided to check to make sure my dress was bustled before I put it on.

Fuckers.

ABSOLUTE FUCKERS!!!!

During the cleaning process, the cleaners had ripped off the center button of the bustle. I freaked. My mom was calm. My parents only lived a few minutes away from the hall. She left, went home, found a button that amazingly almost matched (not that it mattered, you don’t see the buttons) and a needle and thread. There is a picture, with reception guests arriving in the next room over and my family and MoH standing around in their fancy clothes - all watching me sew a button on my wedding dress. When I get that picture from my mom’s cousin, I will post it.

An employee showed up and asked if we wanted anything from the bar while we waited. yes, a rum and coke STAT! And the band leader came in and wrote down all our names for our big entrance.

He still screwed up Kev’s and mine last name. *sigh*

But it was a lovely time - the room was beautiful. there were many people there, most I knew, some I didn’t. The music was awesome. The food was…OK, I think. The cheesey potatoes were good. We actually didn’t get to eat much…we had to mingle a lot.

My brother did indeed give a toast worthy of the ages. Sadly, no one got it on video. Dammit. He did mention the word nipples (his, not mine or Kev’s). And my parents were suitably embarrassed, as they had never heard that story (thankfully, he only ELUDED to the story, he didn’t actually tell it), and ended with a memorable “may you live every day as if it is your last, and every night as if it is your first.” and received thunderous applause and laughter.

some pics - click to make them bigger and maybe get more of an explanation.
The maid of honor

MoH

view from the head table
view from head table

the band

Julie and Rick
tearing up the dance floor

tearing up the dance floor
dancing in my dress

MoH and her fiance’
they've taken lessons

the party went late. the alcohol was flowing, and the dancing only got better as the night went on (at least it seemed that way…I had alot to drink). My bustle made it all the way through until 10 minutes before it was time to shut down - Kev stepped on it. Oh well.

My dad was feeling no pain (again with the Manhattans) and my mom was going out to the tables, grabbing people, and dragging them to the dance floor.

My parents dancing.

my parents boogie down

In the end, Kev drove us all home. My dad only thought about it for a second and then handed over the keys. Wise move.

Somehow, we changed and managed to drag our tired asses over to the hotel to see Julie, Aimee, and Nanner. There was some knitting. Some Braveheart. There was a discussion about penises. There was beer and vodka and gingerale. And then it was time to leave and let the early-leavers get to sleep.

It was all just lovely and perfect. And the envelope box was stuffed generously. All in all a FANTASTIC reception. Even Kev, who was nervous about meeting that many people, had a good time. He even managed to dance our “first dance” without stepping on my feet (it was “a kiss to build a dream on”).

*sigh*

and it’s all over.

all the pictures that I have can be found here. I’ll get more as they’re sent to me.

Oh, Sunday was interesting, too. I’ll blog more about that day later. In the meantime, you can get a pretty good idea of what I did here .

how ’bout them apples?

Published Saturday, October 28, 2006 in blogging and friends. 12 Comments

I am back from my fabulous fun weekend of hanging with the choir peeps. We had raunchy dinner conversations, drank too much wine, I bonded even more with the gay tenor (because gay men love me, even though I don’t know why) and played a fun card game called “apples to apples” (which is the most fun card game EVER and I told Kevin tonight that if we ever have friends again who live in the same city and don’t have children that keep them chained to their house, we NEED to buy this game*).

The game which was made EVER MORE entertaining by the fact that one of the women was COMPLETELY drunk. I love it when “adults” are drunk. It’s so fun! You are a mom! And older than I am! And I am flashing back to college when I had to make sure my 2-beer-queer friend crystal didn’t take off her top at the party or punch the girl who was flirting with the guy she had a crush on! Except there was no nudity or violence. It was just her forgetting how to play the game EVERY SINGLE TIME it was her turn, and insist that we had never explained it to her. And that she wasn’t drunk.

It was like playing with an Alzheimers patient. And all of us had a little too much wine and chocolate (I made the flourless chocolate truffle cake again) and laughed to the point of tears until 1:30am.

Anyway, it was awesome fun. I have the best choir ever.

*or receive it as a wedding gift. just sayin’.

********insert brilliant transition here*************

So our little corner of blogville here can sometimes seem like high school - there is gossip and fighting and rumors and hook-ups and it’s all so very deliciously dramatic and I love it. I have made some very good friends here in blogville - some I’ve met, some I’ve not. And I’m very protective of my friends, even if I have never met them. I follow their lives through their blogs and I want good things to happen to them and for them to be happy…though drama is also interesting to read….I’m just sayin’….anyway…
(I’m going somewhere with this, I swear)

So when I find out that someone in my circle of blogfriends is dating someone, but they don’t really talk about it on their blogs much, I’m curious, but I’m too polite to probe. (and I am NOTHING if not polite and non-nosey *snort*)
But then…let’s say…HYPOTHETICALLY…that I find out that this person they are dating ALSO happens to have a blog!

Now all of a sudden…I am protective. WHO IS THIS PERSON MY FRIEND WHOM I’VE NEVER MET YET AM ODDLY PROTECTIVE OF IS DATING??? IS SHE/HE GOOD ENOUGH? IMPOSSIBLE! I need more data. Now I can pry! Hypothetically.

So maybe it is a little obsessive, but because this NEW person has a blog…I can compulsively scan through her…err…or HIS archives and find out 1. what kind of person is this blogger and is he/she good enough for my friend whom I’ve never met? and 2. get more details about their relationship like how they met and all the dirty details of their relationship and does it seem like a good relationship or one that is terribly dysfunctional and doomed to failure?

And a small, catty part of me was (HYPOTHETICALLY!) thinking, upon initial review “this person seems ALL WRONG and can totally NOT be good enough for my friend whom I’ve never met yet am oddly protective of anyway. I am not proud of this part of me. Hypothetically.

But then upon reading (obessively) through many months of archives, I find that she (OR HE) is actually kind of cool, and that hey, they have a pretty awesome relationship (even though my friend whom…OK, MFWINMYAOPO….wait…that’s not any easier to type…) has talked about how awesome their relationship is in his (OR HER) blog but YOU CAN’T TRUST GUYS (or..er..girls) to give you enough details to form an appropriate opinion.

Because blogville is high school, remember? I must snoop and develop an opinion.

Soooo….anyway. I guess what I’m trying to say is that this person checks out, and I am totally happy for my blog friend (HYPOTHETICAL BLOG FRIEND) and his (OR HER) blogger relationship and HOORAY for people I care about (despite never meeting) being happy! And HOORAY for finding another (HYPOTHETICAL) cool blogger to read!

God, that was weird and is WAY too demonstrative of my obsessiveness and insanity. I swear the pills are working.

I need a drink.

one week and counting

Published Saturday, September 30, 2006 in photos, wedding and friends. 10 Comments

one week to go. here are more things to check off my list

1. reception centerpieces.

I had to make another Michael’s run, but they’re done!

a table of centerpieces

a closeup of one

centerpieces

you can’t really see, but nestled in the middle is a glass votive candle holder.

2. necklace for wedding.

Nanner said she’d make me a wedding necklace a while back. I have been SO EXCITED TO SEE IT!

AND…she dropped it off IN PERSON! I’d like to think I’m the reason she drove all the way down here, but it was really to see her new fav band. But anyway, I got to see Nanner again, she got to meet Kev and Sadie, and she enjoyed some good Mexican food. Then she stressed out completely about getting her BSC necklace ready for the concert. STRESS!

But anyway..here’s the necklace:

the nanner necklace

want a closer look?

TOUGH! Wait until the wedding. There will be many pictures, I assure you. But it is GORGEOUS and so incredibly detailed. THANK YOU NANNER!!!!

3. wedding programs. Done and DONE! Printed out on the departmental color printer. Here is the pic I put on the back:

picture for program

I love you, photoshop!

4. cleaned! well, the living room and dining room are clean. So far, the guest bedroom is still a disaster. That is Kev’s domain, and he’d better get cracking, or my maid of honor will have to sleep on the couch thursday night.

But all the furniture is back in place, the rugs are back, and while it’s not “mom” clean, it is CLEANED ENOUGH!

so many mental hugs

Published Friday, September 29, 2006 in friends. 0 Comments

…sent to Jen. I’m glad your mom is finally at peace. I am so very very sorry for your loss.

Mean, clean, dancing queen

Published Thursday, September 21, 2006 in daily, misc and friends. 12 Comments

Mental note: the people in the hallway cannot hear the ABBA on my iPod, and therefore will greet my groovin’ and boppin’ to “Take a chance on me” with raised eyebrows and strange looks.

**************

Yesterday, I got GOODIES in the mail! SOAP! From our own Scented Serra! Four bars of Peachy Green Tea goodness for me, and two bars of manly Sweetgrass Cedarwood Sage for Kev. They all smell yummy. I’m happy to report that I used my peachy green tea soap last night, and NOT ONLY was the result a very squeaky clean ESC, but a very sweet smelling and soft-skinned ESC as well.

I recommend…no…no…what’s the word…demand! I DEMAND you all go to her site and request lots of soap. Her prices are reasonable, and she discounts if you buy 3 at a time.

So a big SHOUT OUT THANK YOU to Serra for the soap - it was a long time coming but the wait was totally worth it!

**************

OHMYGODI’MGETTINGMARRIEDINTWOWEEKSHOLYSHITI’MNOTREADY

ANDMYCONDOISAMESSANDMYPARENTSAREGOINGTOYELLATMEEEE!!

too funny not to post

Published Friday, September 1, 2006 in conversations, wedding and friends. 13 Comments

Emailing with Julie and Aimee keeps me sane during the week.

We’re discussing the upcoming wedding reception in Pittsburgh.

Julie: Hey, what’s the dress code for this shindig? I need to start looking for a new dress. Perhaps this weekend in the monsoon.

ESC: I will be wearing my wedding dress, thus, I demand everyone wear their fancy clothes.

FANCY CLOTHES ARE REQUIRED!

Maybe we’ll keep some extra ugly sportsjackets and ties around in case a guy shows up in innappropriate attire.

Julie: See, here’s the deal - the only fancy dresses I have are black and suitable for theater galas. Up here, no one would think twice about wearing a little black dress to a wedding, but is it cool for home?

Rick wants to know do you want him to wear a tux? He also has gala-appropriate clothes.

ESC: OK, no tuxes. a nice suit is fine.

I see no problem with wearing a little black dress. If any of my relatives slide over and ask me “who is that girl and why is she wearing that dress???” I will just say “That is Julie and she is from New York City.” and they will nod knowingly and say no more of it.I will do the same if Aimee shows up in hippie clothes. “She’s from California.” “ohhh..yeah, that makes sense.”heehee!

Aimee: Oh thank god, because my dress has been soaked in patchouli oil.

ESC: HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

melting the grouchiest of hearts

Published Tuesday, August 22, 2006 in photos and friends. 11 Comments

Lil' L

Lil’ L, my friend Elizabeth’s baby bugaboo. Just a few weeks old and smiling away.

Go ahead. Try to be grumpy and mean right now. YOU CAN’T DO IT, CAN YOU?

ohhhhhh yeahhh…friday quickie!

Published Friday, August 18, 2006 in blogging, food, wedding and friends. 5 Comments

First, oooo look! I enabled rolling archives. You can scroll around that little bar up there to go back into my archives and view older posts…WITHOUT RELOADING THE WHOLE PAGE!

amazing.

Second, OK, yes. The cheesecake did not turn out exactly as planned. But it’s delicious. It’s lighter than most cheesecakes, so you can eat a big piece without feeling you’d just ingested a brick. A delicious, cheesey brick. And the flavor of the lemon and the blackberries is almost magical: tangy and sweet. Almost sorbet-esque. In cheesecake form. And shut up with your “cheesecake should be pure and not messed around with” bullshit. If that were true, The Cheesecake Factory would not have a two hour wait every damn night. Cheesecake is a way of combing two of the most perfect foods known to mankind: cheese and chocolate. If someone ever find a way of adding bacon to that equation in a way that would be equally delicious, that person will be instantly taken up to heaven and given a place of honor among the angels.

I am determined to keep experimenting. I can add more cream cheese, or I can try baking it longer. This one baked for an hour 15 minutes. Any food chemists out there want to chime in? (right, like alton brown reads my blog. ohh…wouldn’t that be awesome, though?)

as far as the REST of Kev’s birthday celebration…welll….rest assured, he was well taken care of

Third…OH MY GOD!

We got our FIRST OFFICIAL WEDDING GIFT FROM A BLOGGER!!! From Nicole! She of the un-updated blog! It came yesterday, and when I saw the box at the front door when I got home, I thought it was a birthday gift for Kev. But it had MY NAME ON IT! A gift for MEEE!

OK….us. BUT it was the pie plate from the registry, and seriously, how many pies will Kev be making in our marriage? Zero. That’s how many.

(I’m hoping he will take offense at that statement and maybe make me a pie. Mmmm….pie)
So THANK YOU, NICOLE! You need to email me your address so I can send you a proper thank you card. And for everyone else, NICOLE is officially now my favorite blogger friend.

UH UHHH! NO BITCHING!! Did I get a pie plate from YOU? No. You are not favored.

request for good voodoo

Published Friday, July 28, 2006 in photos, ask blogland and friends. 9 Comments

Please send prayers, good vibes, happy thoughts, chants, good voodoo, and variously scented incense smoke out to my friend Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is one of my bridesmaids, and one of my best friends. Last week she gave birth via C-section to her second child - the beautiful and healthy lil’ L. However, the docs screwed up BIG time stitching her back up after the C-section, and the incision came open. They had to rush to the doctor, who cleaned it out and stuffed it with gauze. She’ll have to go back in for surgery on Monday to reclose it.

Needless to say, she’s in pain and very pissed. The docs are falling all over themselves to fix things - they know they screwed up. But regardless, she’s got a newborn baby and 1 and a half year old little boy who need their mommy, and she can’t do anything about it because she’s got a HUGE GAPING WOUND across her belly!!!! ‘

*shudder*

I feel like punching some doctors. But that won’t do any good.

So please keep Elizabeth, her husband, and their babies in your prayers!! Hopefully, the doctors will get it right the second time and all will be well.

Here is lil’ L, at one day old:

Lily

get me out of the lab, please!!

Published Thursday, July 20, 2006 in rants, science! and friends. 5 Comments

With one nice exception, this was just one of those days I really just should have stayed in bed.

It actually started last night on my drive home from the lab. Huh. That’s weird, this road is rarely backed up this much, this late…in the summer. Must be an accident, I shall turn around and go another way home.
I never bothered to look up what exactly happened, which is why on my drive in this morning, I was taken completely by surprise when I got almost all the way to campus to find my road completely closed off due to a water main break. Swell. That explained the backup yesterday. Everyone was diverted to alternate routes. I had to drive all the way around around to the other side of campus and come in that way…fighting traffic and crazed “OH SHIT I’M GOING TO BE LATE” commuters the whole time. The end result being that a 15 minute commute took me an hour and 45 minutes. There are other people in the lab who live north of the city, and while traffic is bad for them normally, there was some kind of accident this morning that made it extra bad. They stumbled in after me, bitching about their 2 hour commute.

I don’t wanna fucking hear it. It took me almost 2 hours, and I live 3 miles away. Today, I fucking win.

So no writing was accomplished today, either. Fanfuckingtastic.

The highlight of my day was meeting a fellow blogger! Nicole flew in to town today to attend a conference being held on my campus. WHAT ARE THE ODDS??? And she’s staying in the dorms right across the street where I work. AGAIN, WHAT ARE THE ODDS???

So we enjoyed a late lunch together where we ate entirely too much, and talked entirely too long, because on the drive back to campus, we hit rush hour traffic…compounded by the fact that they are STILL working on that water main, because it was WAY more nuts than usual.

But lunch was so nice! We really do have a lot in common: graduate student bloggers planning their weddings. Though we said we wouldn’t talk about science, of course we did for the first half hour. Because that’s what geek scientists do: bitch about how their research is sucking, their advisors are crazy, and undergrads should be sacrificed to the lab gods. Then on to limited blogland gossip, and then inevitably to wedding planning. Because get two brides-to-be in a room together, and they’ll talk about nothing but dresses and how stupidly expensive wedding veils are.

It was a nice almost-two-hour lunch that was JUST the break I needed. Means I’ll be late in the lab tonight (almost 7 now), but it was worth it. So THANKS NICOLE! IT WAS COOL MEETING YOU!!! I PROMISE I WON’T BLOG ABOUT HOW YOU SHOT THAT LEMON UNDER THE TABLE, AND THEN LATER ALMOST DRENCHED YOURSELF WITH SWEET TEA! THAT WOULD TOTALLY BE EMBARSSING! I hope you are now not traumatized by the south, our sweet tea, and po boys.

fun with email

Published Monday, July 17, 2006 in conversations and friends. 4 Comments

Julie and I have been emailing to help lift the boredom of the work day. She posted part of the conversation today.

Here’s a recent quote, from me, which Julie demanded I blog. We were talking about (drumroll…) the WEATHER!

“It’s stinky hot everywhere. The temperature map of the country this morning on the today show looked like a republican’s wet dream.”

unmarked

Published Monday, June 26, 2006 in family, wedding and friends. 8 Comments

No tattoo. My brother can’t find the sketch he made. He’s going to keep looking, but I’m not holding my breath. It will take time for him to recreate the sketch, but he’s got a lot going on right now, and I leave tuesday.

Oh well. It will happen. Just not this trip.

Shower was good - many gifts, many generous friends. Many funny shower games. It was fun.

Posts expected to be slightly less boring and wedding stuffed some time later this week.

jumpin’ jitters

Published Thursday, June 15, 2006 in daily, food, geeking out and friends. 12 Comments

The previously mentioned N was present at my shower last weekend, and gifted us (errr…me, as I’m the only one who will get use out of it) with a french coffee press and a pound of Starbucks coffee - Brazil Ipanema Bourbon. This is “a rare Brazilian coffee” that is described on the bag as being “nutty & soft.”

*snort* I laugh every time I read that.

So this week has been my introduction to french press coffee.

to quote…

UH

MUH

GUH!

Now, it could just be that the coffee itself is a wonder of wonders, that I am particular fond of all things nutty & soft *snort *. But coffee made this way is DELICIOUS. And WHOA I think that french press extracts EVERY LAST BIT of caffeine from the beans, because after I drink my two cups, I’m pretty much like this for the next two hours:

heyohmygodyouguysIwaspullingoutofmystreetthismorningandtherewasthisI
sweartogodHUGEtractortrailer18wheelerOVERTURNEDblockinghalftheroadand
OHMYGODitwassocoolbutIdontknowifhegothurtthatwouldn’tbecoolbutyeahit
wascoolandIcalledKevinandwaslikeOHMYGODyouhavetocomeoutandseethisCOOL
TRUCKoverturnandtherearepoliceandfiretrucksandblockingtrafficanditwas
coolandheydoesanyoneknowifwehaveanymoreminiprepcolumnsleftandIreally
hopeIgottransformantstopicktodayandheythisisreallygoodcoffeedoesanyone
wantsomecoffeethisisreallygoodcoffeedidImentionaboutthetruckthismornin g?

Damn.

Speaking of coffee, if anyone from Boca Java is reading this I SWEAR I am also drinking your coffees which are EXCELLENT so far. It’s just that my kitchen is still not completely my own (the flooring! it never ends!) and my coffee maker is not so easily accessible in the mornings. I think what I’ll do is rough grind some of the beans in the morning and bring them into work to use in my FRENCH PRESS!

ohmygoditmakesthebestcoffeeitisSOGOODOVERTURNED18WHEELERISAWESOME!

thank you so much for…

Published Wednesday, June 14, 2006 in family, wedding and friends. 16 Comments

It’s very weird writing thank you notes for gifts from a bridal shower. It’s not like birthday or christmas gifts, where most of the gifts were delightful surprises. With shower gifts, you’re thanking people for gifts that, with few exceptions, you yourself picked out. And not in a “mom, I’d like a new coat for christmas” kind of picked-out. It’s a “kitchen aid red 9inch round silicone cake pan from target for $12.99″ super specific kind of picked out.

Dear X, Thank you for correctly reading my registry.

Probably not in the etiquette book. So I write my thank you’s:

Dear X,

Thank you so much for X and Y. We will get so much use out of them (not lying, I made sure everything on that registry was useful AND needed).

Thanks again for your thoughtfulness.

Love, ESC

I got through my whole list…and now I’m stuck on my mother. She couldn’t come to this past shower, but she bought me some of the good china from the registry, which she’s keeping in the ‘burgh until after we move, and mailed me a couple of little things so she would be well represented at the shower. I need to send her a thank you note.

And yet…how do I send a thank you note to my mother for just those small things? I feel like when I say thank you to my mom, it has to be so much MORE than that.

Dear Mom,

thank you for EVERYTHING. Thank you for my universe. For making me the person that I am. For putting up with me. For giving me so many gifts. For supporting me emotionally and financially for so many years. For helping me plan this wedding and making it not so overwhelming on me. For knowing who I am, and knowing what I like, and not pushing me to be something I’m not. Thank you for everything. As big a thank you as I can throw out there, thank you. And oh yes, thank you for the china, and the beautiful watch and wristlet. Which are great but are so small in comparison to everything else you’ve given me.

Thank you.

But I will write in my little pink thank you note that I really appreciate her shower gifts, and that I’m looking forward to seeing her and Dad in a couple of weeks.

But she knows. I hope she knows.

showered!

Published Saturday, June 10, 2006 in daily, food, wedding and friends. 10 Comments

Warning: a very much unlike me, non-evil, non-science, uncool, extreme girly post. Proceed with caution

What a lovely shower! My bridesmaids did such a great job - everything was perfect. Yummy food - more than I thought there would be…I kind of regret that mcD’s double cheese burger I snagged on the way, thinking there would just be snacks. But there were croissant sammiches, SO many mini quiches, a delicious broccoli salad (E, I need that recipe!), and other great munchies. And a super sweet cake. And WINE! Yes! Pour me some wine!

The whole thing felt very surreal to me. I described it as a planned surprise party. Because while I was aware of the shower, I could do nothing to help. I’m not used to that - I just had to sit and eat and look pretty (and oh I did! lots of compliments on my outfit. Target, baby!) and open PRESENTS!

I have generous, wonderful friends. Many things from the registries, of course, but some very pleasant surprises! One was a recipe for a “wedding cake martini” tucked into a card, and then the gift was a set of martini glasses, and ALL the ingredients for the drink! Good booze, too. Not the cheap shit I usually buy.

Booze! for my bridal shower!

It’s….it’s….just….*sniff* beautiful.

I just got off the phone with my mother, and we had a debate as to whether or not we are allowed to start using any of the stuff we’ve gotten. All my friends who have been recently married started using their gifts before the wedding. While there are things I don’t really need to use now (bedding, dishes), there are things that can definately come in useful (utensils, silicone bakeware….booze!). I spun spun SPUN it for my mom with this: my current kitchen utensils are mismatched and beat up, yet hang visible off little rods and hooks next to the kitchen (ikea!), completely visible. When the condo goes on the market, and people come to look at it, wouldn’t it be nice to have MATCHING, fabulous kitchen aid untensils hanging on display?

Yep. That’s what I thought.

*happy dance!*

My mom sent me a little gift to open at the shower, since she couldn’t be there herself. She got me a GORGEOUS bulova watch, with little crystals around the face and on the band - it looks like an antique watch - that will match the crystals on my wedding dress! So I can wear a watch on my wedding day and not feel naked. She also got me a beaded wristlet bag to match my dress - she got burgandy ones for me to give the bridesmaids, too.

After the shower, Kev’s family took us out to dinner at a nearby seafood restaurant (mmmm…tuna steak, rare…mmmm…) and then were on their way home. A lot of driving for one day. But the IMPORTANT thing is…they still don’t know we live together. Whew! Kev had ridden up with me, and then had the job of entertaining his nephew and brother in law during the shower. They went to a gun shop, and then a ATV/motorcycle/scooter dealership. Men and their toys!

When we got home, after a quick stop off at…hehehe…Target, and unloading the car and showing Kev all the great gifts, I PASSED OUT on the couch. Good lord, being perky and conversational is exhausting.

OK, girly post over. Men, go fix a car or kill something now.

Hey, remember when I used to knit?

Published Tuesday, June 6, 2006 in craftiness, photos and friends. 13 Comments

Seriously, once the weather gets warm, the needles go DOWN. I don’t know why. Same thing happened last year. I’m just not in the MOOD to right now.

However, real life stepped in to remind me that my good friend and bridesmaid is 8 months pregnant, and oh yeah, isn’t her baby shower coming up? So saturday I stayed up utnil 3 in the morning to finish the lace border, after the project lay dormant in my bag for a few months.

baby blanket DONE!

Big thanks to Aimee for the lace pattern, which works BEAUTIFULLY with the pinwheel baby blanket. It’s made with Caron simply soft - my first real attempt at knitting with pure acrylic. It’s not as nice to work with as natural fibers - no stretch to it - but’s it’s SUPER soft, won’t give the little one allergies, and MOST importantly, machine washable.

Isn’t so girly girly? I used to be so set against pinky frilly things for baby girls. Now my friend is pregnant with one, and I went all pink overboard with it - 4 SHADES OF PINK! STOP ME NOW! And I have so much extra yarn leftover. Maybe I’ll make a stuffed animal of some sort.

Anyway, the shower was Sunday, and after everyone shoved their faces full of Italian food and the most sinfully delicious, buttery, garlicky rolls ever, everyone got to “oooo” and “ahhh” over all the cutsey girly clothes. My gift was last to open, and I’m happy to report that it was VERY well received.

I was feeling a little guilty, because so many people brought bags full of multiple gifts - outfits and bottles and washcloths and the tiniest pink bathing suit with matching sunglasses! oh my god…my uterus!!!

uhhh…anyway…

so many people brought multiple gifts I started to feel uncomfortable that I only brought one. I had to mentally kick myself a few times. JUST one? Yeah, just one that I spent hours and hours working on! Plus, that blanket is kind of huge - I should have included something to indicate scale in the picture - but it’s about 34 inches across. If it doesn’t fall apart in the washing machine, she should be able to get many years of warm blankie snuggling out of it.

Maybe I’ll pick up some cotton yarn and work on washcloths and things this summer. I don’t want to get out of practice!

each not enough for a full post on their own

Published Tuesday, May 16, 2006 in rants, daily, photos and friends. 11 Comments

Doesn’t anyone watch CSI: Miami? Anyone? I reeally want to sit and talk about last night. But no one here watches it. Stupid Grey’s Anatomy. But OMG! They killed off Horatio’s wife! Just when I thought he’d never be moody and brooding again! Fuckers!
********************************

I read this and laughed my ass off.

HEY STUPID MIDDLE AMERICA! YEAH, YOU. THE ONES WHO THINK WIRETAPPING IS OK AS LONG AS IT STOPS THE “TERRSTS” AND “FOR-NERS.” NOW THEY’LL HAVE YOUR ASS ON RECORD. HOW LONG BEFORE THEY DECIDE YOU SHOULDN’T OWN GUNS AT ALL? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IF THEY MAKE GUNS ILLEGAL, THE “TERRSTS” WILL TURN THEIRS IN.

SUCK IT, ASSHOLES. you’re reaping what you sowed. die in a fire.

********************************

and in happier news, my Maid of Honor, Jenni, just got engaged!

which one is the penguin?

We’ve been friends since 5th grade. Her and her fiance, Dave, have been together for NINE YEARS! HOLY SHIT! And scarier, we all went to high school together. Scarier STILL…we all played trombone. Our trombone section ROCKED. So not only have they dated 9 years, they’ve known each other since…uhhh…I guess freshman year, so…1991? That’s a long time.

Anyway CONGRATULATIONS, you guys!

Breeders

Published Friday, May 28, 2004 in rants and friends. 0 Comments

EA is pregnant. She announced it when we had lunch today (with the other EA, who is now married, and should be referred to from now on as EB, I suppose). This is the same EA who just had her bachelorette weekend at Tybee island. So if you’ve been keeping track: 1. she’s not married yet (the wedding is next weekend) and 2. she spent most of that weekend at Tybee drunk as a skunk. She’s not worried. She figures a lot of women end up drinking during the first few weeks of pregnancy, simply because they didn’t know. They’re thrilled, of course. They wanted to have kids right away, but thought it would take longer to conceive because of her endometriosis. So they stopped using condoms a few weeks ago, and that’s all it took.

(aside rant: am I the only woman left in the world who is on the pill???? I just can’t believe that you can be in a serious monogamous relationship for over a year, and still have to whip out the ole’ rubbers every time you want to have sex! EA had never in her life had sex without a condom before. And the first time she doesn’t use one, she gets pregnant. That blows my mind. The only time K and I have used condoms is when I’ve been on antibiotics. I just feel like I’m better in control with the pill, and it definitely feels better, for both of us! OK, back to original rant.)

EA is the second one of my friends to get pregnant. This is really weird for me. It’s hard enough coming to terms with all my friends getting married. That I can at least compete with (though K says every time I bring up engagement, I push it back three months. At this rate he won’t propose until 2027) But kids? Ew!

It’s not that I object to babies. They’re a necessary evil. I just have a hard time seeing myself with one. I lack the “baby gene” that most girls seem to have. When I’m with a group of people, and someone whips out a baby, all the women go nuts with the “cutesy coos” and “wook at her wittle fingews.” When it’s my turn, I usually mutter something like “hey there…kid. I like your…um…binky…whoa are ya crying? Time to go back to mommy!” I’m the same way with little kids. Now DOGS on the other hand, I go nuts with. That’s when I bring out the cutesy talk. I’m wired weird, that’s all.

Babies are nature’s way of spreading germs. Little kids are ALWAYS sick. And I’m always stuck behind some kid with the sniffles on an airplane.

K and I have talked about kids. The only thing we’ve managed to come up with is that neither of us are ready for a kid any time soon. Maybe one. Eventually. It is the ultimate genetics experiment, and I am a geneticist. Everyone tells me “it’s different when it’s your own.” Right.

First of all, if I have a girl, I’m going to turn her into a lesbian, I know it. (not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course!). I was shopping with my mom about 2 years ago when she was looking for a baby shower gift for the daughter of a friend. The daughter already had two boys, and she was pregnant again, this time with a girl. So she needed girly clothes. Every outfit I like turned out to be for boys. Why? Because of unfair baby clothing discrimination. Boy babies can wear any color: blue, yellow, green, purple. Girl babies can wear one color: pink. That’s it. Maybe white, as long as it has pink trim, or pink hearts, or kittens. That’s it. It’s discrimination, I tell you! I like the boy baby clothes much better. So if I ever have a baby girl, I’ll probably dress her like a boy. She’ll develop gender identity issues, resent me, grow a mullet, and become one of those mean lesbians that pick fights with biker guys. (my sincerest apologies to the lesbian community)

Any kid I have, whether it be boy or girl, is going to have problems. I just know it. I just have to look at the way I treat my dog. I love Sadie – she is the best dog ever. But I torture her every day. I’m a horrible mother. I tell her she’s a bad dog all the time, just because I love her response: her eyes get really big, her ears go down, her tail starts wagging furiously, and she tried to crawl up into my lap, as if to apologize for the nonexistent thing that she did wrong. Poor thing. But she loves me unconditionally. No matter how much I psychologically torture her, she will always love me. Because she’s a dog, and I’m the one with the can opener. She’s smart enough to know where the meals are coming from.

How much would I screw a kid of with that crap? And kids’ll hate you for it. They’ll get therapists and take you on Moury Povich and tell the whole world that you’re the reason they’ve turned into crack whores. And then they’ll make you get a makeover.

I’ve seen it happen.

So, I guess the point of this rant is that reproduction scares me. I am way too selfish right now to deal with a baby. But kudos to my friends who are breeding. I hope they have lots of kids, because they’re bright people. I once heard someone say that the reason that they have lots of kids is because they’re intelligent people. Intelligent people tend to not have that many kids, whereas stupid people breed like crazy. So unless intelligent people get with it, we’re going to be outbred by stupid people. And I guess that’s reason enough for me to pop a kid out…someday.

Great weekend!!!

Published Monday, May 17, 2004 in food and friends. 0 Comments

Well – I survived the three day bachelorette weekend. Barely. Three of us went up on Thursday night, and the other three came up Friday. We got in to the house on Tybee around 9:30 pm. We were pretty tired, and were pleased to discover that EA’s aunt had the place fully stocked with food, beer, and wine. So we decided to keep it relaxed, play cards, drink, and chat. So we opened one of the two bottles…no…not bottles…MAGNUMS of cheap wine in the fridge and filled our plastic cups full while we played gin. Yes, not a very exciting start to a bachelorette weekend, I know. We’re a pretty tame group, what can I say? So it wasn’t too long before the first bottle (magnum) of wine is gone, so EA opens up the second. The first clue to our state of drunkenness came when the conversation turned to things that would make the “sex in the city” girls blush.

Blow job techniques, sex positions, size, who was best, who was worst…nothing was sacred. It wasn’t too long before the second bottle (magnum) was dry. EA cracked out the beers, and the conversations continued. A small voice in the back of my head was saying “beer? I don’t drink beer!” Card game long forgotten, we downed seven beers between the three of us (remember, this is after the wine)

Don’t want to get the boys excited here. Nothing of a video store porno nature happened here. We stumble to our SEPARATE beds around 3am, woke up surprisingly alert the next morning, and lounged on the beach sipping mimosas and vodka tonics and waited for the remaining 3 girls to show up.

That night we ate dinner at a local seafood place, and then really started the evening in a bar called “scandals,” which sounds like a gay bar, but which was instead inhabited by little old ladies in pantsuits sitting at the bar drinking god knows what, and some assorted locals. The “cover band” consisted of a husband and wife team, who serenaded us with some standard southern classics, as well as some more modern hits (weird). We kept downing drinks and shots to get a pleasant buzz on, while we cheered on the 74 year old woman who was tearing up the dance floor.

We stumbled on over to a nearby hotel which proudly boasted the “dolphin lounge,” a karaoke bar. We were a hit. There was a bunch of 22 year old guys there who claimed they were in the army at the local base, and were going to ship out to iraq in a month. Could be true, could be a line, who knows. In between performances, the DJ was playing your standard booty bumping tunes. Then our names were called for the first song. Two of the previously mentioned guys cheered us on and stated that they would dance to whatever we sang. Well, we sang “dancing queen.” The look on their faces was priceless, but to their credit, they danced through the whole song. We stumbled back to the house after last call, drank for another hour, then passed out.

The next morning, again, surprisingly alert, we continued drinking and laying on the beach. That night we drove into Savannah and had dinner at a pretty expensive steakhouse. Then we wandered around trying to find this piano bar called “savannah smiles” to meet up with EA’s cousin and his wife. The piano bar was a little disappointing, so we were going to leave and head to river street. But EA spotted the dance club “déjà vu” next door, and wanted to dance. Groan. It was a cheesy, skeezy dance club, with skanky girls and loser boys, black lights and fluorescent paint, and booty music. The kind of club you went to in college. Not my scene. Not any of our scenes, but EA was adamant, and it was her party. KW kept the liquor pouring down her throat, in the hopes that she would get drunk enough to want to leave. Nope, we were there until 1:30 – with four of us leaning against the back wall, people watching and desperately trying to avoid scary drunk guys.

So I didn’t get to walk around savannah much. Oh well, I want to go again this summer with K. Stay at a cheap hotel on tybee, and just relax while he fishes on the beach. Nice.

So aside from being really really really tired Sunday night, and most of today, I am surprisingly unscathed. Just some UV damaged, and a skinned knee – a souvenir from Friday night, when we were walking to the karaoke bar, drunk, and I got distracted by a building that had paintings of hanging flower baskets on the side, and I tripped on the curb. Did I mention I was drunk?

Beach weekend o’ fun!

Published Thursday, May 13, 2004 in friends. 0 Comments

Well, I managed to get everything done I needed to get done - amazingly enough. So I’m off to savannah! Not sure if I’ll have access to internet - or if I’ll be sober enough to use it! So it may be a few days before I can post anything - sorry loyal readers. I mean reader (nod to dr. dave).

Fake tan - check
New Bathing suit - check (a two piece tankini! I’m shocked - so will be good beachgoes of eastern GA)
sunscreen and other beachgear - check
cool new flip flops - check
books to read on beach - check (finishing off two that I’m almost done with - a terry pratchet, and Prodigal Summer, and will be starting Angels and Demons)
alcohol - not yet, will pick up on the way
naughty bachelorette supplies - check

I’m set - savannah here I come! Hope it doesn’t rain…

Naughty stuff…

Published Monday, May 10, 2004 in friends. 0 Comments

Very much looking forward to the big bachelorette shindig in savannah this weekend. Haven’t been to a beach since…1999? Can’t wait! Went with another girl to buy appropriate bachelorette party supplies guarenteed to embarass the bride-to-be. You know, penis shaped this, penis shaped that. Got big penis shaped cookie cutters to make fun cookies with, too Also in charge of “suck for a buck” necklace. S will make standard bridal veil covered with condoms.

3 more days!

Whew!

Published Sunday, May 9, 2004 in relationship/sex, family and friends. 0 Comments

Cool! New format - I like it!

Whew! I need another weekend, to recover from this weekend. Friday was crazy. The next time someone invites us to a party that is OTP during rush hour, I’m going to say…NO! I know that some people choose to live a life in the idyllic suburbs, but I don’t see why I should have to suffer because of this. If they want to have a party on a Friday night, they should rent a room in a restaurant inside the perimeter – where all the civilized people live. That was nuts.

And Saturday was my good friends’ V and E’s wedding. K drove, so I helped myself to much wine (as you can tell by my previous post). All my friends are getting married, it seems. Got another wedding to attend in June. Poor K. We’re getting enough comments as it is: “so when are you guys getting engaged?” and “I know a good jewelry store, if you’re interested…” And that was when they were all busy wedding planning. Now when they’re all married, they will have nothing else better to do then bug us. And I’m just as guilty myself. I’ve spent most of my life believing that I would never get married. Now all of a sudden I’ve gone ring crazy. Doesn’t help that amazon.com’s got that new jewelry site. I like the blue safire and diamond combos with the white gold base. Pretty reasonably priced, I might add.

Sigh…it will happen when it happens. K and I have only been together for a little over a year. And he’s only technically been divorced for a little longer. (though they were separated way before - she was a nut case, sounds like!) Plus he just got a job (yay!) after a long bout of unemployment. But I’m happy with our situation. “Living in blissful sin,” as I call it. Hate to mess it up by complicating the matter. We both know where we’re headed, and I’m comfortable with that.

Where was I? Oh yeah, busy weekend. Today we drove 3 hours to Gadston, AL to meet his mother, sister and her kids for lunch. It’s a nice halfway point for us. They live in BFE Alabama (aka Red Bay). So lunch, a walk around the mall, and a 3 hour drive back…my ass is sore from being in the car so long! Now some almost homemade pizza (Publix made the fresh dough) and…SLEEP! I’m really exhausted!

Drunk drunk drunk

Published Saturday, May 8, 2004 in friends. 0 Comments

Mmmmmm - pleasantly drunk after a great party/wedding. Love my friends. So happy they’re married. V and E are such a great couple. Love them

Good wine, too.

Evilsciencechick’s