Friday, June 10, 2005

ADD me

So, I have all these notes floating about on my desk, but of course I've never written them here. I have to get some discipline about writing - I mean, I'm sitting at the computer anyway. Maybe Sunday I'll type up my notes and back-date them.

Work is still feast or famine. Until Wednesday, I was feasting. Yesterday, I was fasting, which led to a lot of calling photographers, who may or may not have called me back, and I won't know until Monday because I managed to leave my phone at work. My mom will not be pleased. She's been passive-aggressively telling me to make appointments for this weekend. I do have a confirmed appt. for Monday, though. And I never made one to get my oil changed. Maybe I can do that from work today? In happier news, the reason I won't have it until Monday is because I'm working out of the Princeton office today. That might be a little lonley, but my commute is a walk across the street, so I think I can make friends.

Roommate Neil is still not home. I have the place to myself, which I'm starting to hate and enjoy concomitantly. (Do you like that word? I see it a lot at work.) Unfortunately, there's no one to blame for the mess. Fortunately, there's a lot less hair about.

And, finally, in wedding planning news, I hope to have a site (and therefore a date) by the end of next week, if not this weekend. I also tried to ask one of my former roommates to be in the bridal party, but I had to do it over AIM because I was without phone, and she never answered...and I asked her twice...and I had previously asked her and got no answer...so, the question is, do I call her next week or do I find another bridesmaid?

Monday, May 30, 2005

weak ends

My parents and sister/brother-in-law got home this weekend. I've been in Fanwood since Friday with little to no internet access, which made keeping in touch difficult at best. Also, I had to entertain my grandmother all weekend, which didn't help. At least I convinced her that I needed to sleep at my parents' house. And I had to drive to the airport twice, but now it is over and everyone is home, so all is right in the world...right? Matt is set up in his new apartment. He starts work tomorrow, so I hope that goes well. I go back to work tomorrow, but I get to work out of the Princeton office Wednesday, and that's only a block away, so I'm really looking forward to it. I did nothing at work on Friday. I sat around and talked to various people and got exactly one thing done. Oh, no, wait, I emailed someone, so I guess I got two things done. Twice as productive! I'm glad to be back in this apartment. Already, it's like home. Or maybe my parents' house is just not-home. Is it weird that I feel fine being here by myself, but I freak out being in the home I grew up in by myself?

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Ain't no sunshine

I found C-vans, thanks to some creative Google-stalking. And then I got to orientation and they hand me this really helpful packet that tells you to use this address if you want to get directions online because the address on all their stationery will send you to the wrong address. Excellent advice to have before I found my way to orientation. They put me to work right away, though. So far, I've been assigned to 4 proposals (the average turn-around time is 10 days) and I've mostly been writing bios, but I also edited a few short sections, and soon I'll get to write a case study. I can't decide if they're still planning to hire me. I have this odd vibe that it might not happen, but they keep signing me up for training sessions that I just don't need...unless I'm a more permanent fixture. I'll try to keep track. Anyway, I meant to provide my continuing adventures - but Matt was here, so I was distracted. He left yesterday. Actually, he left yesterday at 5 am. He left at 5 am, and he doesn't trust my clock, so he set a second alarm on his cell phone. He set 2 alarms, and then he got up before either of them went off.

Ask me if he turned either of them off.

Anyway, le Matthew is now in OK, where it is raining profusely. It also rained here. Coincidence? Probably not, but probably not related to me, either. Roommate Neil gets home around 10, so I pretty much have the place to myself, which leads to blasting random music in an effort to make myself feel at home in what is obviously not my place. I reorganized the room yesterday, so it sort of looks like a girl lives here now, but I still had to sleep with the tv on - a true sign that I'm not home yet. Last night when Matt called, he asked if I had seen "hide or hair" of Neil. I told him Neil's hide was not home from work yet, but his hair is all over the apartment. This is disgusting, yet true. Actually, some of the hair is almost certainly Matt's. I can't decide if it's the season for them to be dropping their winter coats or if they enjoy marking their territory (and if it's the latter, I should be eternally grateful that they chose to mark it with hair). I cleaned the floor once, but I haven't been brave enough for a repeat performance, which is too bad for my [mental?] health.

Finally, in wedding-related news, there was nothing for me to eat at the seafood place except a side salad. The waiter actually commented on me not ordering anything, so I commented on there not being any vegetarian-friendly food on the menu, and he apologetically offered to bring me an extra side of vegetables. So, I ate a side salad and 4 asparagus spears for dinner. Matt's mom agreed to pay for the photographer, although she seemed to have some sticker shock and (not totally unexpectedly) tried to suggest we try to get Matt's uncle to take our pictures. Matt pointed out that he didn't take the pictures for his own step-daughter's wedding, and I think she's dropped that. I don't mean to sound like a brat about that, but I don't feel right asking a family member to travel half-way across the country to work at our wedding. This is just an expensive item that we don't really care about, so if she didn't pay for it, I'm not sure what we would have done. My parents get back next week, so the actual wedding drama won't be starting for a good 2 weeks. I'm enjoying the last of my care-free weekends.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Well, here I am. Back in P-town for the summer. Of course, half my stuff's still in the 'burgh until my parents get back from Alaska. I knew my furniture would have to stay there, but then I couldn't fit everything else into Buiey, so Matt started throwing things in the attic. There really was no more room. My trunk was pretty much scraping bottom with all the junk in it. I still can't find my moisturizer or teapot. Of course, Matt has no clue where they are. If you know anyone in the 'burgh who needs a twin-sized bed, let me know. Otherwise, it's getting kicked to the curb as soon as I can convince my former roommate to throw it out for me.

I'm sort of moved in here. Matt gave me two drawers, which is really all he can spare, but I'm already eyeing the other 3. I also have most of a closet, and my computer is hooked up to Matt's spare monitor. The monitor, btw, is bigger than my tv. I made Matt watch Veronica Mars on it. He was unimpressed. Roommate Neil is gone for the weekend, which leaves me with Matt. I tried to tell him to sleep in Neil's room, but he wasn't buying it, and he's bigger than me, so he got his way. So, about 3/4 of my stuff is unpacked, due to spatial limitations.

(Matt just woke up and asked me to be nice to him in my blog and say how wonderful he is.)

I went on a massive cleaning spree Friday. Those boys shed like a couple of house cats. Matt made a big show of walking into each room and exclaiming on its cleanliness. We watched the OC (which I had never seen because, um...I have standards sort of) on one of the big projector screens in the CS building. Apparently, this is a lab ritual. A couple of people opened the door, and then closed it quickly. Maybe they thought they were missing a class? Or maybe they just wanted to watch CSI on the big screen. The guy who instigated the whole OC ritual apparently also watches the Gilmore Girls. I'm not going to comment on that. You can all infer the obvious.

I start work on Monday, if I can find the place. Matt and I tried to take a test run yesterday, but no dice. We were fine until we got to Radnor, but the short game was notsomuch with the good. We're going to try again today. Don't ask what I'm going to do if we don't find the place today because there is no plan C. In other job-threatening news, I got a call from HR Thursday telling me that I need to come up with more references so they can complete my background check. I thought I resolved this last week. SO, I called back and left a message, and they haven't gotten back to me, so I hope that doesn't turn into something really bad for me. Things are not boding well for this internship, people.

And, finally, in wedding-related news, we're going to visit Matt's parents today. We went yesterday so Matt could plan his trip with his mom, but I had to go stand outside because I'm allergic to their 40 cats. So, even though his mom asked if we've made a budget (which we have) and if there's anything we want her to pay for (which there is) Matt told her we hadn't made any progress, and we'd tell her later. It will come up today. I am determined, even though I can't be the one to bring it up, because it's awkward. It will be easier today because we're going to a restaurant (more on this later) so I won't be allergic to the surroundings. It will be worse because one of his mom's friends will be there, and we can't really discuss money in front of her. We'll see how this plays out. Matt thinks we're going out to dinner to celebrate the engagement. The friend taking us out requested either Houlihan's or this seafood place. Matt's mom hates Houlihan's, so she picked the seafood place. I heard this over Matt's cellphone because the speaker is up so loud that I could hear the whole conversation from the other side of the car. So, Matt tells his mom that he's never heard of the place, and she says she's never been there, either, but she's sure they'll have something I (Marisa) can eat. Matt tells her that he hopes there's something he can eat because...wait for it...NEITHER of us eats seafood. Nevertheless, Matt is now planning on ordering lobster. I haven't gotten to the root of the logic, there. I have to learn to be nice, now. After all, Matt is commuting with me all weekend, and these seafood-eaters are going to be family soon.

Monday, April 14, 2003

My arch-nemesis has issues. 7/24/2002
Matt: quite a quandry
Matt: (like my use of 'q' :-)

Me: :-)

Me: yes

Me: it was very cute

Me: is it the letter of the day?

Me: like on sesame street?

Matt: it can be

Matt: :-)

Matt: would you like to use it, to show our audience

Matt: the proper use of the letter q

Me: I would love to

Me: this is a big "Q"

Me: this is a little "q"

Me: the letter Q is found in lots of fun words

Me: like Queen (which means me)

Me: and Quint (which means 5)

Me: and Quickie

Matt: :-)

Matt: your fav

Matt: :-)

Me: which is my favorite Q word of all

Me: except maybe Qusex, but you didn't hear that from me

Me: ;-)

Matt: :-)

Matt: is qusex really a word?

Me: shut up

Me: I thought it was funny

Matt: it is

Matt: just wondering if it really was a word

Me: no

Matt: I don't have the english major vocab

Matt: :-)

Matt: it is a wonderful word :0

Matt: :-)

Matt: so what should tomorrows letter be?

Me: oh

Me: you have to do the lesson tomorrow

Me: I will pick the letter

Me: ...

Me: umm...

Matt: :-)

Matt: be careful

Matt: this could spell disaster

Me: It's a difficult decision

Me: I know

Matt: for the entire world

Matt: one wrong move

Me: I don't want to pick a really obvious

Me: shut up

Matt: and KABLAMMM

Matt: :-)

Me: I hate you

Me: ok

Me: K

Me: I choose

Me: K

Me: (I was going to choose m, for monkey, or c, for cookie...but then I chose k, for I dunno what)

Matt: :-)

Matt: okay

Matt: I think the worlds going KABLAMM even as we speak

Matt: :

Matt: :-)

Matt: get it

Me: NOOOO

Matt: K for KABLAMM

Me: that is a crappy sesame street lesson, matty

Matt: well, its tomorrows lesson

Matt: I just had to take advantage of your lapse in letter choice

Matt: to blow up the wrold

Matt: :-)

Me: *whimper*

Matt: (making it your fault)

Matt: :-)

makin copies 4/19/2002
Making copies, when you're a temp, is a lot like using a urinal. You don't know anyone else who might walk into the copy room, so you all stare blankly at the copiers or your originals. There's only one copier in the office I'm in now, so we all stare at the walls and read the guidelines for opening potentially hazardous mail. I suppose that sign's there to make us feel like we work someplace exciting. It can't be there to protect us from the mail. I mean, who opens their mail in the copy room? Or maybe Administration is aware of the urinal effect.
I have lots of time to think about this because, being a temp, I make lots of copies. As I write this, I've been making copies for 2 hours, and I think I have at least another half-hour to go. I'm trying to keep a tally, but now I don't remember if I've made 200 or 225 copies. (It's a 15 page packet, hence the 2 hours.) QED, I dunno if I have 25 or 50 to go. I've been making the copies in sets of 25 because otherwise I have to keep interrupting the job when other people walk in and have to use the copier.

Dude, if that ever happens with urinals, I don't want to know about it. Anyway, this one guy has walked into the copy room twice, and he keeps talking to me. He probably talks to other guys when he's peeing, too.

I hate that guy.

Anyway, the first time he came in, he was telling me how tired he gets when he has to make a lot of copies. I won't bother to apply that to my urinal analogy because that's just disgusting. The second time, he suggested I bring a book in the copy room to keep myself amused. I will apply this advice to the urinal analogy. I can just picture it at the end of one of those teen movies where everyone actually cares about the school paper so there are all these shots of the main characters reading "the big important, career-making article" at the end.

Scene: Johnny walks through the hall, reading The Review. He passes Blane, Mack, Amaya, and Karlene, also reading the paper. Devon's voice is heard, reading her article)

Devon: I have learned, in my undercover assignment as a slut, [Johnny walks into the boys room, still reading the paper and approaches a urinal.] that we all have feelings. [Johnny unzips fly, refolds paper so he can hold it up with his free hand, and continues reading as he pees.] Two months ago, I never would have talked to any of the sluts I befriended [Johnny jiggles] but now I realize how little that matters, and I am proud to say that some of my best friends are total sluts. [At this point, Johnny should zip up. Since one hand is occupied, I'm tempted to say he gets caught in his fly, but, since it's so late in the movie, he should probably just exit the boys room and walk out into the sunshine, where we switch to a wide shot so we can see everyone in the school reading the paper at the same time.]
Why I love Matt 12/2/2001
Reason #I've-lost-count why I love Matt. We started out talking about my senior send-off tonight.
Matt: sounds like you had a good time

Me: yeah

Me: it was good

Me: but sad

Matt: yeah, really brings the last semester thing home

Matt: doesn't it

Me: yeah, it does

Me: when I made my senior speech for marching band

Me: it was sad

Me: but I knew I still had some time left

Me: and I would still see these people again

Me: now, this was the last meeting, and we have our writing fellows final party on thursday

Matt: unfortunately time keeps ticking away

Me: and then I'll be done

Me: I know

Me: I wish it would just give me a little break

Me: just a little one

Me: so I can get myself together

Matt: that's what Christmas is for I guess

Me: yeah

Me: this semester just flew by

Me: and since we've been together, things have been going double-speed

Matt: true

Me: I feel like I'm going to blink, and this will all be over

Matt: I'll still be here when you open your eyes :-)
If I were a turkey buzzard... 10/22/2001
My parents and Grandma Marguerite were here this weekend. That's always amusing. We went for a ride yesterday, and I dragged Ben along. He and my father talked about networks for a while. Very animated conversation, especially for Ben. Ben doesn't talk much.
Anyway, we went to have a picnic by a river, so of course my mom whips out the binoculars. She's obsessed with binoculars. Anyway, this group of turkey buzzards started circling about over a cliff behind us. We all had to look at them through the binoculars, although Ben wasn't too good at looking through the binoculars. He could never see anything. I decided that, if I were a turkey buzzard, I'd circle around a few times to attract other turkey buzzards. Then I'd be like "Haha! Suckers!" and I'd fly off.

There were all these yellowjackets about. My grandma just couldn't handle that. I notice, as she gets older, everything annoys her. Anyway, we were trying to get these yellowjackets. My mom was smashing them with a bag of pretzels. Ben and I trapped them in empty snapple bottles. Ben liked mine better because it was diet. He says the bees fly in looking for iced tea, and then they think, "eww, it's diet!" Then they would realize they were trapped...with diet snapple. Then they'd be really pissed. I don't quite understand why you want them to be pissed, especially since Ben insists on unscrewing the caps before he throws out the bottles because the bugs have "learned their lesson" and deserve to be free. It's cute, though.

Wednesday, April 09, 2003

the job that wouldn't die... 6/20/2001
So, two years ago, I was a camp counselor. It sucked. Not that I didn't like the kids. I did. They were cool. Well, they were as cool as one can be in middle school. They amused me. We'll put it that way. Anyway, they got ahold of my screen name (2 of them are related to the people who ran the camp, who have my email address...) and for a while they were all messaging me all the time. It was a little frustrating. None of them seemed to understand the concept of an away message. Anyway, 2 years later, only 2 of them ever message me, and it's pretty infrequent. One of them is now drunk, so he comes to me for advice.
Kiddie: oh guess what

Me: what?

Me: chicken butt?

Kiddie: i had to much to drink hehe that ryhmes

Me: hmm

Me: where were you drinking?

Kiddie: well i had 2 kahula skrews and 3 tequilas

Me: 3 shots?

Kiddie: yeah hehe

Me: oh dear

Kiddie: im so happy haha thats fubnny

Me: you sound happy

Kiddie: ppphhhh this is to cool

Me: are you at a party?

Kiddie: i was yeah haha

Kiddie: is there anything that gets rid of the effect that im feeling now other than mroe drink

Me: what effect?

Me: are you not feeling well?

Kiddie: the sudden blackouts and the stomach aches and headache

Me: oh dear

Me: yes

Me: drink water

Me: lots of water

Me: and eat bread

Kiddie: why?

Me: Because it will make you feel better. (hopefully)

Kiddie: good good i like thta

Kiddie: good idea

Me: otherwise, you just have to wait until (if) you throw up

Kiddie: oh thats not good

Me: no

Kiddie: wait new problem

Kiddie: why is everything like spinning

Me: umm...you're drunk

Me: that's why

Kiddie: oh got it

Me: the spinning is what makes you throw up, dear

Kiddie: oh i see now uh oh

Me: you ok?

Kiddie: kinda

Me: drink some water

Kiddie: okay

*sigh*

In better news, I got some freelance work today. *yay* I get $25/hr, which is pretty exciting.


you're a nice guy? I doubt it... 2/19/2001
I am getting just a bit tired of all these guys bitching to me that they can't find a girl when this campus is, what, 70% female. They all say the same damn thing, too. "Girls just don't go for nice guys like me."
Let me tell you a little something about nice guys. Nice guys do not ask you about your boyfriend and then ask you to come over and "see what happens." Nice guys do not try to pick girls up at parties by telling them about the time they almost died of alcohol poisoning. Nice guys do not write obsessive love sonnets about girls they've never talked to. Nice guys don't ask you to come over to pose nude. Nice guys do not tell you that you should feel free to explore your emotions with them after you tell them you're not interested. Nice guys can take no for an answer, and, yes, they frequently do. EVERYONE gets rejected once in a while, even that perfect girl you've had on a pedestal for the last 3 months.

Yes, girls want nice guys who love to cuddle and appreciate the beauty of a woman in jeans and an old teeshirt, but they don't want guys who think this is their best character trait. They don't want to be the focal point of your life, especially if they don't know you. Yes, they want someone who listens, but not someone who expects credit for listening. They appreciate someone who can make them feel pretty more than someone who tells them they are. They don't want to be put on a pedestal. They want to be appreciated for who they are. This is (admittedly) very different from your inflated view of her, but that is how she wants to be loved. She will not save you from your desperation. In fact, it's driving her away...

*sigh*