The temporary Hastings thread

I'm going to Hastings tonight...

(apropos of nothing)

Har Har

I hope this isn't going to be like that.

So be still, be still
For you know that I always will
Tonight and forever
Be watching over you.

For tonight and forever, be watching over you.
So sleep, little darling, sleep on through.

I will be watching over you.

http://www.chessvariants.com/d.chess/eternal.gif

http://www.check-check.jp/image/check_top.gif

WE CAN REBUILD IT. WE CAN MAKE IT STRONGER, MORE OBSCURE AND OBLIQUE, MORE NEEDLESSLY WORDY.

In retrospect, I kind of think we should have sent the package...

Also, that original 70s era Betamax is STILL in one of my parents' storage area. (The deer head that called "Wally" that freaked my sister out all the time is stored separately).

That can't be right...

Afterwards, the world is our oyster. Or clam. whatever.

WHERE IS EVERYONE ELSE, BTW, WTF?

Not that I'm complaining, but this could be retitled the "Sara and John chatroom" thread.

xpost: WAHT?

Everyone else: clearly off dressing for dinner. I might be, too, if I wasn't putting off my 5 miles on the treadmill...

(Also, I have revived the Old-ILX Hastings thread, without using ILX search. Go me!)

(You may thank me later with jewels, furs, etc.)

Always believe in your soul!

(And just when I had a new "Jane" story to relate, too!)

But I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who has come out of the requisite turkey-induced coma.

I'm cheating here by not actually having a job, aren't I. I'm going to make a Tollhouse Pie for tomorrow's Thanksgiving with friends. And we're all going to see the NAG production of Beauty and the Beast tonight, because our friend is in it.

Less fun: I am trying to gather up all the non-working electronics in the house and put them in a box in the garage. Blah.

That might be your answer.

I finally realized that Rev. Susie the Floozy is Susan Barrows, who used to be an OHMYGOD hottie back in the late 70s/early 80s and roughly forced hundreds of young boychildren to confront their own onrushing puberty at several Atlanta Fantasy Fairs, simply by wearing a Phoenix costume and telling dirty jokes.

A&M just sunk us (Texas) :(

I'm hard at work on xmas craft. no pajama pants still but finished a purse for my sis-in-law during the game. hurrah.

tonight, mavs and spurs, yay!

My pie is cooling; I'm done with walking on the treadmill. I'm not done watching Hitch. I realize I don't go to the movies often these days, but since when is a romantic comedy almost 3 hours long?!

I'd ask what you'd recommend, but I'm kind of afraid to hear the answer.

Romantic comedies are not the worst thing that can happen to you. You just have to be prepared for fluff. I realize this is an argument with you that I will not win.

(This is why, when I look at my Neflix friends page and see "John, 91% similarity to you," I get suspicious of somebody's math).

I also note here, for posterity, that no one I know has rated Boxing Helena.

Ned's full name contains all the letters that make up Hastings.

Didn't M@tt H3lg3s0n also live in Hastings, or did I hallucinate that?

Since the whole NANANANANA thread is non-existent at the moment, I just wanted you all to know that I just crossed 40000 and had to stop because I wasn't making any fucking sense whatsoever.

40K. Holy cats, that is amazing!!!!

So, when did you start making sense?

http://www.ci.hastings.mn.us/

Results 1 - 10 of about 152,000 for hastings meth MN. (0.19 seconds)

Results 1 - 10 of about 219,000 for hastings murder MN

today i feel sad b/c qtip isn't well and i have to go back to work on monday. :( why must vacation be so short?

any news on real ilx?

Sam, I am so sorry about Qtip :(

also, I'm obtaining some music by a band of that name.

There's also a book release party for Sleeping with the Fishes at the Mall of America Barnes and Noble at 7 pm Tuesday night; I'm going, despite realizing once again this morning that MOA is the most exhausting place on earth.

i'm exhausted this morning. being back at work sux0r!

John, have you seen "Six Degrees of Seperation" or "Ali"?

aren't he and jada scientologists?

Scientologists are creepy, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy what talents they have. (That being said, I do like to give my right wing guy friend a hard time for his crush on Greta van Susternen or whatever her name is.)

"Now Katie, hand me the baby, here's your pill... now let's just put this wedding dress on..."

WORKS ON SO MANY LEVELS.

(I understand what you're saying though.)

Also, yeah, I mostly find Scientologists funny. Of course, my views on religion are...odd.

I prefer to think of Flav as a strange dadaist experiment gone awry.

Of course, the reason for your hatred would be that you're a FUCKING NUTJOB who believes absurd, anti-scientific claptrap.

I think the Scientologists are idiotically entertaining. But that's because I don't take them seriously. (And after Tom Cruise's ass-hat-itude about post-mortem depression, it's easy to see why...)

"Independence Day" will get an eternal free pass from me for A) having Vivica A. Fox gyrate around a stripper pole in her first scene; and B) blowing up Harry Connick Jr.

Also, where are you getting your "Will is a Scientologist" info? This is the closest I can come up with:

Are you religious—and have you ever been approached by the Church of Scientology?
donicello, Vancouver, BC

I’ve probably read 95% of the words in the Bible. Probably 60% of the Torah. 70% of the Koran. And the thing that is so amazing to me is how everybody, in essence, believes the same thing. I just can’t understand how we get from such similar beliefs to murdering one another. My beliefs are that individuals have to create relationships with God. You can’t listen to what the preacher says—you have to read the Bible yourself and make your interpretation. I’m good friends with Tom Cruise and I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious.

Somehow I mixed up my AMERICA NUMBER ONE FUCK YOU SPACE epics.

xpost

*One of the few things I agree with my sister-in-law's husband on: tearing that movie apart.

WAY TO GO, DAD!

Er, I mean post-PARTUM depression... I think pretty much everyone agrees about post-mortem depression.

Just from that, that's why I asked, I wasn't sure. I just have heard Jada standing up for Tomkat alot.

I like Independance Day. I always cry.

Jeff Goldblum is hot in that weird "he's a loose cannon" kind of way.

But still I have to question anyone who's close friend with Tom Cruise (I really hate the guy in case you can't tell.)

Here's the link to the MST3K/Armageddon clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7uc00E4OME

Sara, by the logic you are presenting, women should REALLY be throwing their panties at HOWIE MANDEL. I really hope that is not the case.

WAHT

but not howie mandel. no way.

See also: my friend who loves teh super-old guys (the youngest star I remember her having a crush on was Martin Sheen. We had a Martin Sheen film festival once!). Also, my insane crush on the guy who plays Hurley on LOST (Jorge Garcia). Okay, I won't lie and say I don't think Naveen Andrews is hotter, but... still, I'm half in love with Hurley!

(Yeah, I said Rose is more attractive than Claire.)

Also, every time I see her, I hear "Maybe the dingoes stole your bahy-bee" in my head...

Copyright laws in Japan exist, they just don't HAVE to enforce them every time, because they have common sense, currently.

Just a tad. No offense.

http://www.myspace.com/uhfband

WE GOT PICTURE + NEW SONGZ

Also love "Personal Jesus."

Also, I just ordered a bunch of stuff for A. for Xmas. So at least I'll have something for St. Nicholas Day... one of the things I ordered is a c.d. that he's totally unfamiliar with (as am I, actually), but I thought it would be fun. (Actually, Dan, this is your fault since it is a band that you mentioned liking... and I dimly remembered the name - I listened to some clips at iTunes and think it will work.)

Seriously, Dan, why don't you smile in your UHF photo? I'm afraid of you now!

The band kind of spontaneously formed last year when a bunch of my coworkers realized that enough of us were musicians on the side that we could put together a credible band. We dicked around for about 6 months and then decided to pursue it as a serious side hobby. We actually just put out our initial feelers for opening gigs this week!

COUGH UP THE INFO ROBINSON, WE ARE CURIOUS.

Just a tad. No offense."
I'm playing that game because of the uncomfortable laugh.
Thing is, by the end of that series my uncomfortable laugh had grow into I full-on stomach-ache-inducing choking laugh.

Why? Because in the last scene, when there's this FUCKIGN ABOUT TIME love confession, A HUGE (like 10 feet tall, each one 3 feet wide) bouquet of white lilies bloom behind them, backlit, I think a stained glass window is involved in that imagery, and I DON'T think there was actually one in that room.
THAT is the moment I knew the show's makers either had the best, or NO sense of humour.

That's the one anime I'm making sure to buy. Might get the books if they have furigana.

I feel good.
First good night's sleep in 2 weeks.
Long story. You don't wanna hear about it.(I dooz that enoughs)
Suffice it to say I just bid on some used Juzu to hang in my room.

I chose a random Shriekback c.d. That should mystify him. (After 13 or 14 Christmases, it is hard to conjure up a total surprise.)

Honestly, I don't think I've heard them since John showed up with a tape about 100 years ago. I don't remember disliking it, though. Just thinking, "what the hell kind of name is that?!" But it's memorable.

HSTNGS: more like Wastings!

...i think that when i get home i am going to get lit and head to the island! which, btw, is where we had our 5 year reunion. discus.

What is up in MT? How's orgo? What is up?

I'm envying your wine. I am going to have some chocolate and a glass of milk. My intention is to go to bed early and get up early to lift weights and then study for my lab quiz. (My damn final isn't until Dec. 13). An exciting (but sadly sober) evening awaits me!

GUESS WHOSE BAND GOT BOOKED FOR TWO HEADLINING GIGS WITHIN TWO DAYS OF SENDING OUT PRESS KITS????

i'm sneezing my head off over here. either i've got a mad cold or have developed an allergy to mySQL databases.

One hour 'till home. .. the weatherman says I'll probably have to wear a coat tomorrow. madness!

Have to wear a coat tomorrow, huh. Terrible! ;)

Wait, wasn't it just really warm in L.A.?

boo cold.

I went to bed last night with wool socks on (that I knitted myself!), plus I took two of the cornbags (essentially fabric with feed corn sewn in that you heat in the microwave) with me.

Dan, I will not be sewing you and J031 cornbags because YOU DON'T NEED THEM.

Sam - you get a bit of sympathy because Texans shouldn't have to deal with that weather. It's the SOUTH.

also this guy:
ihttp://icons-aa.wunderground.com/graphics/conds/sleet.GIF

argh! what about my lunch? :(

Sure! Light freezing rain always earns a cornbag. (They sound like the dorkiest thing, but they are awesome. You can heat them up and stick them in your bed - or in your coat if you're going outside!)

it is ten degrees here. warmer than yesterday!

Hope you are staying warm, gbx. I am picturing you skiing down a mountain with frostbitten toes (and there's a thought balloon with the structure of benzene in this mental image, too...).

how's it going?

it's cold out.

i watched half of cars last night, seems pretty good.

slacker!

I went back to bed for awhile and am now drinking coffee. good.

ALSO I AM PUKING ;_;

I'm in my sewing room with a space heater and knee high socks. quite cozy.

now only if I could breathe. . .

John, I hope you kept the finger; perhaps it can be gently heated and then re-attached.

I'm warm because I took a shower. But now my hair is wet and I have to go pick J. back up. Maybe it's finally time to buy a hair dryer, huh.

Also, a friend just sent me this link with the message "for the geek in your life...." http://www.thinkgeek.com/ Check out the page with caffeine-related gifts. I don't know if A. would go for caffeine-infused soap, though...

Sorry.

Also I have obtained the new Y: The Last Man graphic novel.

AND the Will Smith talk from the past week reminded me of something: A. made a mix tape for me when we were first going out that includes, "Then She Bit Me" (DJ Jazzy Jeff, etc.) To this day, if I say anything like, "I'm going to run to the bathroom," A. will say, "Psyche! I was drafted!"

John - what's wrong with your car? (The mental image of you walking to work in a blizzard - like Michael Landon in Little House on the Prairie - is really hard to resist here, but I'm trying.)

(all-morning training session simultaneously suck and rule, btw)

J. has a cold and she seems to have croup. This is the conversation I woke up to, for your entertainment:

J: Mom! I had a waffle for breakfast and I sneezed and I coughed and goop came out of my NOSE.

Me: (sympathetically) Oh, yuck!

J: No, COOL!

Whiskey dick was good though.

they must've spammed like every band in the twin cities.

leroy smokes won i guess? they've been around for ever.

In any case, EVERYONE but Whiskey Dick was AWEFUL.
13th Step has a FOLLOWING?
ONE CHORD BULLSHIT with UGLY UGLY people.

The band oafter that was LITERALLY one chord bullshit with a plastic diggerydoo player.
That's when rahb and I left.

about to leave for three straight hours of meetings with my most favoritest clients in the world. (previous statement might be sarcastic)

please shoot me.

John - how's your car doing? Did you have your finger re-attached?

Suzy - YAY, you're coming HOME!!! (Christ, it's cold, though.)

Case in point: the year A. and I moved into an actual house, he switched jobs - and there was a month or so when we didn't have enough money to do anything but pay the mortgage payment. In December. Oh yeah, and we had a new baby, too! We still had Christmas, though - and I don't think we used credit cards, either... You just have to get a little more creative. And you can do that for sure, if anyone can. And that's the end of my pep talk.

1. West Side Story t-shirt (yes, from high school)
2. the ND t-shirt I brought home from Indiana with the legend "SEX KILLS" on the front and "...so come to Notre Dame and live forever" on the back
3. t-shirt from Lollapalooza... the first one.
4. a hideous pair of pajamas that A. says I "used to wear in college"

I'm actually afraid to go to the next shelf now.

THAT is why that city once had(still does have?) the highest per-capita murders.
45 minutes into that I was ready to kill anyone.
HATE.
On the streets of Minneapolis I slowly build a deep-seated hatred of all things around me until I'd prefer a multi-kiloton device to blast everything(FUCKING STREETS THAT FORCE YOU TO GO PLACES YOU DON'T WANT TO) into a fine mist than to spend other minute there.

St. Paul generally fills me with a soothing peaceful feeling, but Grand Ave. seems to want to be Minneapolis really bad. "Fuck you! You'll never park! HAHAHAHA! Another stop light!!! Want to do something here? TOO BAD! Some guy is stopping you from going to your favorite restaraunt!! AND IT'S HIS JOB!!!"
But it's still better than Minneapolis.
Why? Because YOU CAN LEAVE GRAND AVE.
I can't get out of Minneapolis(save the city center after midnight) in under 30 minutes.
"WANT TO GET TO THE HIGHWAY!?? TOO BAD! THIS ROAD SUDDENLY CURVES!! Now...3 ONE WAY STREETS THAT FORCE YOU TO GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME OR GO FURTHER AWAY FROM YOUR GOAL!!!"

In St. Paul, there are at least 2 ways to get anywhere.
In Minneapolis there's one.
Then you don't get to park.

DOOM.

I feel better now.

That's why I couldn't park.
or drive
or go 5 minutes without talking myself down from aother panic attack.

A goddamned parade.
"Come on, kids! I want to feel like I'm giving you special memories because I've long forgotten how uncomfortable I was at these events. Let's go look at christmas lights that aren't as well done as the guys down the street! The best part!? You don't have(get) to move!"

I'm gonna eat a roast beef sandwich and take some calcium.
Maybe my bloodlust will settle down.

I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL JAPANESE CHRISTMAS.
ONE WEEK OF SHOPPING.
1.5 DAYS OF CELEBRATION.
IT'S OK TO GET DRUNK AT THE PARTY...WITH YOUR FAMILY.
NO (serious) CHRISTIANS TO FUCK THINGS UP.

Joyous YULEtide, everyone.
I wish I had some fucking booze right about now.
(I'd think I was chemically imbalanced with the number of people that have been pissing me off, but none of my friends are annoying me, nor are the people I meet at asian restaraunts, homes, or parties. I think I hate Americans...and the swedish. Never met a swede I liked. Sorry. CUlture clash)

GUESS WHO'S PLAYING A HOUSE PARTY TONIGHT?

I think that trumps my evening plans of taking a lab practical test and then going out to dinner with D34n and R0bb13...

So Dan, we expect you to report back with how it went, okay?

OR

http://www.dominion.school.nz/photos/1/images/foam-party.jpg
?

Perhaps both.

maps o norway is playing tonight as well...i'll dedicate a pet shot boys cover to u!

I'm waiting with bated breath to hear about Dan's house party gig last night!

I am now on a mad mission to find that photo I told you about in my email. I can't find the album it's in. But I know it's here somewhere!

There's my problem with electronics, right there! Cuz I'm too clueless to figure out fixes.

Dan, I found the picture. It's... uh... contrast-y.

http://homepage.mac.com/arobinso/.Movies/xmas.mp4

http://homepage.mac.com/arobinso/.Pictures/sara_julia_sm1.jpg

Today's my birfday and I'm in a suprisingly good mood. I think it might just be the coffee though since I'm normally debbie downer about celebratory type things.

I can't wait to see your Christmas cactus!

I FOUND R4CH3L KL3FFM4N ON MYSPACE

That is all.

Tuesday is frustrating. You're right. Why isn't it Friday yet.

Tues. esp sux b/c yesterday was happy birthday funday and now it's back to regular programming. bah.

I've given up on both frustrations and am now playing bookworm.

Sam, does it help your post-birthday let-down to have the holidays coming up, or does that make it worse?

As for the hat, I meant to amaze A. by giving it to him as a Father's Day present, but that was the day I fell and broke my wrist and shattered my elbow, so he didn't get it until I was out of the hospital. I think that kind of ruined the impact of "what a cool present!"

Sara, my birthday generally gets lost in the xmas rush. but then I don't know any different really.

wed. be boring.

I'm sorry your birthday gets lost in the Xmas rush, Sam. I know several people with the same problem. My SIL's birthday is the 26th of this month, and we try to make a big deal of it, but...

My Wednesday will involve last minute studying for tonight's final; afterward my class is going out together. I have some crazy test anxiety going on; I've had some weird dreams the last two nights. (Including one where I was trying to get into the high school scene shop door and M1k3 H0pk1ns was there. He apologized to me for "carrots." No idea what that means. The rest of the dreams were even weirder.)

I used to own an iguana *sniff*. He ran away when we were moving into our house and G. won't let me get another b/c he shit everywhere.

I'm def. a cat person but love our doggies too.

I've also been having very vivid dreams lately too. Is it something cosmic going on?

I'm a cat person; although I like dogs, I find them kind of overwhelming. My husband is both, but he's also allergic to dogs. Plus just keeping up with the two cats and the kids is more than we can handle!

Hmmm, vivid dreams. Maybe it's the MOON.

They are a pain to own. High-maintence diet and special lighting needs. And mine hated me. Always scratching and biting. Liked G better. Little bastard.

His name was Chingy. When I first got him an Ilx0r made a good but frightening photoshop of his namesake with a lizard face. I think it got lost when my computer crashed.

Yes you have! L34h H3b3rt and N4t4l13 L0v3j0y, for starters!

I think everyone knows that my secret to appearing to have a great memory is that I write a lot of shit down. That combined with some degree of photographic memory.

My memories of L34h have nothing to do with iguanas at all. Probably because she was - of course - in dance with me.

(Also, that tarantula lived in your room, John. You can't deny that Muffin was yours!)

I knew I should have made the "jaymcdan" joke before John could.

Alex came home from the library last night with a book called Spiderology and now he wants a pet wolf spider. You can imagine my thoughts on that.

Sam - EW! (although alligator is pretty good... tastes like chicken).

L34h had a boa constrictor?! And a ferret?!!!! Wow.

http://www.csulb.edu/~scrass/Arden/Pics/2006/cat.jpg

Also, he offered my advanced bio class extra credit for beheading roadkill of various sorts, cleaning it up and bringing in the skull. I was willing to go pretty far for biology class, but even I had to draw the line there.

So John, who is that little girl? She looks kind of like you. Same expression on her face.

L34h and I were in classes together from preschool up until she moved up to Mpls with her mom, plus they lived out our way, so I knew the family well before taking H's class, too.

Mr. H put up with my increasingly snarky attitude through my senior year, which I appreciated, and I enjoyed his craziness. Like cooking morels for us while we were dissecting our pigs. Also, hiring me to help with ski club accounts. And he put up with my refusal to take a pass to the bathroom with me after I was 18, because I thought it was ridiculous and said so.

I'm simply subjecting you all to the finer birthday images I'm finding for Kali's myspace comments.

T0ny4 was more than okay! That little girl just reminded me of her.

On an unrelated note, Dan...was it mongrel, or mutt?

Dan... I only wish I remember that moment in bio class. Why does John remember it when he wasn't even in our class?! So unfair. Then again, John had his own biology-class related fun.

(I like this one, but I'm not sure you should call K4l1 "yak." She seems cool and all, but that might be pushing it. The image is pretty great, though.)

The really good part: tomorrow I get to start my baking and wrapping frenzy, and get started on the 90-100 Xmas cards I need to get out. YAY!

My cat is sitting across from, and staring at, my nephew.

I humbly as those here to listen to some things as they are put up, and recommend other do so as well if you enjoy it.

Also Dan, if you are reading this, thank you for being too polite to point out that none of the solutions to the proposed problem (on my blog) were correct. (Well, I'm pretty sure. Insomnia and exhaustion are still influencing my ability - or inability - to think. The sad part about it was that I was completely sober when I wrote it; since I had to make the hour drive home I didn't have the Bloody Mary I wanted. Probably a good thing!)

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=68759503&blogID=205338175&MyToken=83687a29-d6c5-438d-ab03-db7eb6b2356e

The one before it, where I relate my humorous mistake about penis anatomy, is more coherent. Which is a sad, sad statement.

Sam, not to worry about myspace. How long can you go?!

I am going to drive to Hastings today to get my hair cut (yeah, yeah, the same person has cut my hair since I was 12). I hope my brain is functioning enough to drive by now. Maybe I should let J. drive...

So yeah. It's on it's way. I shall put up more Waking Up Corky and possibly some Satanists In Love and Warm [Ph]{F}ilters.

I'm off to Hastings for the day... blah.

Oh, plus my Mom gave me a blow dryer for my hair, cuz you know, she needs me to look prettier.

I was just thinking yesterday about how you'd come home and it wouldn't be as cold as it was and how disappointed you'd probably be. ;)

Not too cross about the snow situ because I'd have to shovel for my mom otherwise. Also am sure we will have some while I'm here.

OH HOLY JESUS GOD my mom's alarm just went and it's OFFENSIVE - the Lone Ranger theme. WHY????

Lone Ranger theme alarm? Okay, well, I guess it would wake you up... My Dad's cell phone ring tone is the Mission Impossible theme, if that makes you feel any better.

I am lame and have never stolen anyone's broadband signal!

So, have you started your vintage shopping rampage yet?

APB: woman who goes to downtown Dayton's I mean Macy's to buy all the clearance YSL shoes to put on eBay, I HATE YOU. In fact I imagine you have podgy hands and a bad manicure.

*my mom hated the shoes, which is a GREAT sign in fashion terms, if you know what I mean.

I love that your mom hated your shoes; definitely a good sign. My mother kept complimenting me on Thursday, which I feel might not be a good sign.

Dayton's/Macy's - I swear my mother has gone to the Burnsville Dayton's to tithe every Thursday since forever. I'm concerned that the switch to Macy's is going to kill her.

I fear for the health of the YSL/eBay woman if you find her, too.

Hey, at least your mom isn't sat there trying to tell you that Halliburton is a nice company.

Al3x describes it with an MST3K quote. "GOD! She's Displaying like a mandril!"

Even if I like what I see I then think "Well, now that I've seen it, that leaves one less thing to look forward to later."

But then there are those who just look and drool and stumble forward(there are things that do that for me, namely girls in suits).

I realise most girls(and guys for that matter) don't buy clothes for other people, but that was really just me being reminded that the current trends leave me with alot of eye candy(though it's alot like Bernie Bott's Beans ;-_- ) I don't like feeling like I shouldn't talk to all these strippers around me, with their spray-on clothes.

But I do remember on like my second or third date with a girl about 3 years ago, she wore low-cuts, visible ruffled panties, not sure how long her shirt was(I love bellies...) but my brain turned off.
She walked up to my car(we met in the lot) and eye-level...blood...not...in...brain....

Knew she was a nice girl, though.
She was like, VERY feminist. Like, alot of paglia books in her room. Maybe she was demonstrating her ability to have equal power of a different nature...

Or maybe she got advice from her non-nerd sister.
She was nerdier than me....

Suzy, maybe I will try the Levis. I don't know; the one thing I do know is that NO ONE sees my belly, except my husband. I've seen a lot worse walking around our little college town, but that's an area that I've always hated.

Yeah. That was one of the very few real problems I had with dealing with her.

I met Camille Paglia once and was not terribly impressed. She struck me as a reactionary who would never have troubled the cultural firmament had she been given proper employment in the late-'60s feminist industry because that's what all her issues seem to stem from. This is not a good enough foundation on which to build an academic career - and she never studied at anyplace particularly thrilling, or with anyone particularly useful, which is GROOVY for her self-styled 'I, Athena, sprang from the head of Zeus" shit.

Also please be advised that I wouldn't wear skinny jeans if they gave me camel toe or muffin top, because that = jeans which do not fit.

Doors - suzy is exactly right. But it never hurts to be polite and try to open the door for any person - regardless of gender, in my opinion. I'm always a bit taken aback by the few men who won't go into a door before me, but whatever. I've got bigger fish to fry.

Like the fact that my kids seriously asked for Chia pets for Christmas. That is so SO wrong.

Suzy, I have no idea if I'd wind up with muffin top, but I'm afraid to find out. Maybe I should devote my life to Pilates.

Basically I had no way of knowing what was expected of me, or when.

GZeus, your commentary is making me so happy to be an old married lady. Those issues don't even cross my mind anymore!

Also, everyone can be proud of me since I drove in both St. Paul and in Mpls tonight. Downtown Mpls even.

I'll be willing to conform to a degree to the Japanese Mr Right Rides a White Horse kinda thing.
I mean, basically it seems to be like the 1950s without the christian repression, societal arterial blockage, or as much alcoholism.
As much...

Parts of Northfield just recovered from a mysterious power outage. So I'm now happy to have heat. And light so I can work on my holiday cards.

You know, I've never read the hardcore versions of the fairy tales, but I've been meaning to do so. For some reason I really want to read the real "Little Mermaid" one...

As for the current education system, it is totally geared toward measuring basics and standardized tests. Don't even get me started. Sounds good that at least your cousins had some kind of creativity score...

I just got finished chatting with my mom, who told me to throw all comparisons between me and those kids out le fenetre because I was reading at three. The story is that we had gone to lunch and I was after a corned-beef sandwich (Lincoln Del, RIP) and she lied and said it wasn't on the menu. I asked her to let me see the menu again and apparenly I hit her with, 'look, there's corned beef and Reuben!' I'd had a really stonking case of meningitis before my first birthday so my mom did work with me a bit due to brain damage paranoia; nevertheless they were quite shocked.

Other cool books I was given: my grandmother's friend worked for Houghton Mifflin or something and I was given box sets of everything from a child-friendly biography of Cesar Chavez to collections of folk tales eg. Anansi the Spider but the real piece of cake was the box set of Judy Blume novels when I was eight or so. Other box sets include Little House (obviously; it was on television) and anything horsey or animalish by Marguerite Henry. I really hated Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew though - pure allergy there.

I think your story about reading at 3 is hilarious! I wish J. could read; she'd entertain herself a lot better, that is for sure.

Meningitis = SCARY. I know a kid who had it as a baby and he has so many problems...

Nancy Drew/Cherry Ames - what can I say, I worked with what I had access to... my kids are a lot luckier in this regard. (I re-read a Nancy Drew a couple of years ago and found it mortifyingly bad, wow. Were they all that bad? Entirely possible!)

Judy Blume, yay! My Mom once bought a copy of Are You There, God; It's Me, Margaret for a friend of mine without reading the back of it first. When she did, she was so shocked that we wound up keeping the book. (Which was a bonus for me...)

Oh! In a related Hastings, story, my mother introduced me to some woman who literally whispered that her daughter had gotten her "girl thing" when she was only 10 years old. It took me a minute to realize that she couldn't say that her daughter got her period when she was a bit young.

Meningitis: I had the *worst* kind, meningococcal meningitis. Streptococcal is the one that causes deafness but mine is named after the meninges, the lining of the brain that becomes affected, hence brain damage paranoia. We think now that I had a massively impacted immune system; three years later it came to light that I had kidney cancer which had probably been with me undetected since birth. It meant that I caught every disease going from routine vaccinations and it wasn't found until the neighbour's dog bit me, emergency room doctor felt for infection related swelling and was all of a sudden HOLY SHIT, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Answer: total killer cancer that leaves most kids' renal systems obliterated and in 98 per cent of cases back then, muerte. Not me, however - and I still have all my kidneys. My mom told me I'd been very sick with a Lump until I was six and came into her room with a medical book open to TUMORS and she had to 'fess up.

Suzy - yes, this woman was very concerned that early menarche was becoming more common (some medical person said it was). Okay, increased childhood obesity is likely a factor, but it seemed impolite to say that. (And correlation doesn't necessarily equal causation, but still, some if it is likely that.)

Meningitis - yours was the viral kind, correct? I think that is what this kid had as well, although I never asked. My god, you are lucky wrt both the meningitis and kidney cancer. (I so want to read your medical records.) Your mother sounds like she had a hard time keeping up with you.

Also, it is clear that I have yet to be de-programmed from anatomy class, because the first thing I think of when I see the word "meninges" is "pia mater, arachnoid mater, dura mater." Knowing the layers doesn't tell me much; physiology is going to be so much more interesting. (And where I will faaaaaaiiiiillll....).

I must report that I am up to the "P" section of my address book for Christmas carsd. Only 20 or so more to go! After which I will pass out cold.

I suppose I shouldn't be laughing at "moobs." If anything could scare old school corporate types (who would normally care less about what is in food; where is the money*!?), it is the idea of their grandsons with moobs...

*I'm basing this stereotype entirely on a friend of my Dad's.

Or maybe it's my mind losing its mind again.

Because it's being sung by an antire party of people from Taiwan.

Also, it's an amalgamation of like 20 terrible songs.

They seem a lot more worried about the boys. (Warning: that article is beyond ridiculous.)

GZeus, twenty terrible songs could be good in Chinese. But if it's in your head and you don't want it there, I'm sorry.

As for me, I seem to have re-broken my left pinky toe somehow. I guess on the treadmill...? WTF.

SRC, I got to the banner and that was enough. Soy makes you gay? BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

Just went into my mom's kitchen and there are too many food items that bear no relation to necessity there. Cinnamon dipping pretzels? Why THANK YOU. I had no idea I needed them!

Suzy, just admit it, tofu will be the end of our civilization!!!

Mmmm food items that you don't need. YUM. I will make more cookies today. I just took out another pound of butter to thaw! But cinnamon dipping pretzels... wow that sounds yummy right now.

My sewing/knitting room is a disaster right now. the floor is littered with scraps of fabric, bits of yarn and thread, pins and scissors. Post xmas, massive clean-up is in order.

My office is suffering from the same fate as your sewing/knitting room. A. cleaned half of it, but he doesn't dare go near the left hand closet, out of which is spilling bags of yarn, Xmas wrap, and god knows what else. I have his Xmas presents hidden back there. It seems like one gets lost every year in there and I find it in mid-April... I should consider that cleaning thing, too.

I've also gotten him three games and a stupidly expensive H0ward St3rn t-shirt. I know he's gotten nothing for me yet b/c he keeps moaning 'what do you want for xmas?' and all I say is "all you have to do is look around the house to see what I like." This is killing him as he knows I'm done shopping for him.

He's normally fantastic at picking out gifts for me but I know he's been distracted lately with renovating the kitchen and Q-Tip dying. I don't really care what he gives me this year but watching him writhe is fun.

A. has some brilliant gift all plotted out, which will make mine look dull. I can tell this because he told me that he doesn't trust my mother not to tell me (with good reason), and also, he's being all smug.

gah! this is no fun! that makes me just feel like i'm greedy and going shopping for myself. why is he being such a dud this year? is this what marriage is like?

also why are my clients sucking here in the week before xmas. long story itemized:

-our vp office runs an employee recognition program which is now over and therfore time to post winners.
-I receive huge crappy photos on Friday, put together page and send to communications dir. for approval.
-She then calls my co-worker and tells him to tell me that her sec. will be sending me quotes to add for each winner. grr. will have to change page layout and why isn't she calling me directly, wtf?
-this morning she calls and asks where is page. I tell her I haven't gotten quotes.
-Secretary tells me she sent them last week through campus mail. Campus mail?!? that shit's notoriously slow and we're building a web page here people, wtf.
-Get package of dozens of long applications for the winners.??? Tell them I thought I was going to get a list of quotes to include, what do they want me to do, pick them out myself??
-An hour ago am told by communications dir. 'I trust your judgment, please select the quotes."

Again I say WTF?!?!?

Not only do I have to choose content for her but I have to TYPE IT IN. What makes it worse is this woman employs a full-time writer who generates content for us.

I'm tempted to put in something like "y'all n*ggas need to kook up some cokane wif baking soda. ba-caa!"

As for gifts and marriage; I don't know, I'm the one who never comes up with a brilliant gift plan, not the other way around. On the other hand, we always have to make wish lists for A's family or otherwise they send really weird stuff (they'll do so anyway, but if you tell them what you want, they have less to spend on crazy stuff). I should also say that some years are harder than others - some years even I get the lightning bolt idea of brilliance. Just not this year, seemingly.

re work: I can't be gone right now. I missed a lot of time b/c of qtip and it's the holidays. my other coworkers are taking vacation time so I need to stick around. But the university closes on friday until after new year's so that's why I think people are being asses, just hurrying to get things done.

I'm really not sweating g. I honestly don't care what he gives me. I'm one of those dorks who truly enjoys giving more than getting. (I can always buy for myself.)

But I do know his mother, a compulsive shopper/bargain hunter, bought a pair of earrings for him to give me only b/c they were marked down from $500 to $300. I only know this b/c he told me how pissed he was b/c he told her he didn't have that much to spend on one gift b/c of the kitchen redo. I don't even wear earrings and certainly don't want some that are more than he wanted to spend and which he didn't even pick out. I have told him so and I better not open up any fucking earrings on xmas.

haha, can you tell I have a lot of work to do?

I hope you don't get any earrings - that sounds sticky! But it sounds like you have warned him away sufficiently.

I am making cookies today that will require rolling out. I hate that part. And I'm doing it again on Friday, only with small children. At least the ones I'm doing today wind up with a tasty filling. The kind for Friday are basically a vehicle for the kids to frost and decorate. Also, I don't want to call my Mom, but I have to do so to get some addresses. BLAH.

our server's are down so much for getting that page up today.

shit I need to leave to catch the bus. back to therapy today after a month off, hurray!

(oh and to make you minnesotans jealous, the high has been 80 for the past couple of days here in Austin.)

And I don't know if it's so much a maternal thing; I'm just compressing my usual Christmas panic and mania into a lot shorter period than normal. Two sets of roll cookies in one week is probably a direct route to the asylum, but I hear they have padded rooms there and that does sound comfortable.

Have fun at your therapy... and stay warm. Ha.

sorry for such a posting frenzy yesterday afternoon. I was late for therapy. :(

I gave in and rattled a list of *general* items I would like for Xmas to G. and re-emphazied no earrings. My top items were knitting/sewing books and new boots. I can't imagine him shopping for any of those things so bet I will get gift cards. (my other item was a mavs jersey but he said 'they don't sell dallas stuff down here.' liar.)

Sara, today the high will only be 71! but it is humid out and I broke a sweat walking to the office. unnatural.

alright, I have a ton of work to do.

I'm going to need the booze because I know I'm going to do those cookies again. They are the cream cheese sugar sort that you fold up and put jam in the middle. In the middle of making them, I thought I'd just add a few chocolate chips to the jam. End result = awesome.

I hope you get what you want for Xmas Sam... and no need to apologize for posting frenzy. I need distraction from the other stuff going on around me.

GZeus - do I need Cinnamon Dipping Pretzels and I just don't know it yet?

So do you want snow for Xmas day or would it be too weird? I'd be happy to have it, but it should go away by the end of January.

It's been two or three years since we've had a really good (by our standards) snow. I'd like to take the dogs out in it. I bet they've never seen any.

I'm clueless about leaning tower (although I've driven past it) - It's possible that John, FB, gbx, or M@tt H. might know...

BTW, if I disappear for some amount of time from computer-land, that will be due to the impending death of my hard drive.

Also, A. just magically produced a used iBook for me to use. Always marry someone with computer skillz and mysterious computer hardware sources. There's my advice for you all.

Dammit I thought today was Thurs. and therefor my last day at work for the year. but it isn't. it's Wed. I'm so bummed.

wrt names for my sister's baby, "Four" would make more sense.

I'm waiting to hear if FB, subgenius and John conquered trivia last night.

Wrapping was fine, except I suck at wrapping.

I was just thinking that if ILX/HSTNGS thread are going to meet up at Bunny's before you go, we should pick a date; I need to find a sitter if I'm going to get teh husband out of the house.

I pointed out to sis' fiancé that all the men in Bunny's over 50 looked like Bud Grant. 'Cosby'-style sweaters were also a feature. Our party spent at least $100 on pull tabs last night, which was SICK.

You should have called me!

Q: Who was the native american actor who played the famous "One single tear" character in the 70's anti-littering campaign?

A: Iron Eyes Cody. Problem with the question is that he was ITALIAN YOU FUCKING MORANS. HSTNGS doesn't truck with misinformation.

Also, I don't give a fuck what rachel leigh cook looks like, so I couldn't ID her in the picture round.

And while I'm asking questions, who the hell is the "Nicole" on the front of People magazine and the tabloids? A. and I were at Target this morning, feeling really out of it. (We did know who "Angelina," "Jen," "Brad," and "Beyonce" were, though.)

xpost

She also got a DUI in the past week after driving the WRONG WAY ON THE FREEWAY. She claims to have been on vicodin and weed.

I don't understand people like her and Paris (and Mel for that sake) getting DUIs. You're rich! If you're going to party hire a driver for fuck's sake!

a_p - sorry to hear you didn't smash the trivia people either. Interesting that Rachel Leigh Cook went to your high school. WHOEVER SHE IS!

(See, if you dye your hair, I'll never recognize you!)

This thread is getting v. long.

Why are you still there? Hope you can go home soon and knit/do whatever you want. I'm going to go lie down because the kids are safely home from school and it is very cold and rainy outside. Very cold plus rain means get the hell into bed in my book.

It is also cold/rainy here. The temp's been dropping steadily all day. brr, winter!

I'm waiting for G. to decide to come to get me as the shuttles aren't running and I don't feel like taking two city buses home in the rain. We're going out for margaritas later. yumm.

dammit, can't believe it's not thursday. I better have more focus tomorrow b/c I do have quite a bit of work to do.

John - you dyed your hair white blonde?! NO, I did not see that. (Please tell me you have a photo, preferably with dark roots showing, sort of as if you were some really screwed up version of Madonna.)

Margaritas YUM. WANT. Instead all I have is a bunch of cookies and fudge that I made... too much. Neighbors are getting treats tonight.

Stay warm Sam! (Er, and everyone else, of course.)

I'm reconsidering the nap, now that Blonde Zombie high school friends have been conjured in my imagination. I live in front of a cemetery, remember.

Drive carefully if you're around the T.C. area this morning guys. Yikes.

???

Is it snowing there? It was cold here when I woke up and I wore a sweatshirt to work. But I was sweating by the time I made it to my office.

last day of "work" for the year, woo-hoo!

No snow - just really REALLY cold rain. The temperature is hovering right around the freezing point, I think, so the roads could get slippery. Nasty.

But yay for the last work day of the year for you!!!! A. has to go in next week Wed.-Friday, but it will be scary quiet with all the students and most of the faculty and staff gone. I almost envy that.

there should be an ilx union of university workers.

The ice storm I remember best was the nice of the final test of my first semester at St. Kate's (library school) - in 1995 this was. Scariest drive home to Northfield ever.

Working in academia = pretty awesome, unless the college you're working at has financial troubles (I did that once; it sucked). ILX union... I'd like to see the meetings for that organization.

I want SNOWBLOBS, too!!!!

I'd forgotten how pretty snow is though.

(But good luck with the headlight - it's cold out there.)

I hate driving.

Shrieking snow, now there's a thought...

We should be hibernating, not wrapping presents. (I loathe wrapping; I do not have the knack.)

I'm sitting down here in my office, A. isn't home so I could be wrapping stuff for him, but no, I'm procrastinating. Because I'm terrible at it!

suzy, I need your help!

No liqour store I went to had Connnemara Whiskey.
Sad.
I refuse to drive to Big Top today.

suzy, you could be the non-robotic Martha Stewart. In a good way.

I did get inspired and wrap several things, and I helped J. wrap a present. If there's anything that makes me appreciate doing something I'm bad at by myself, it's when I have to try to herd a 4 year old through the process... Still, I fear you wouldn't approve of the job I've done, suzy.

ICS Vortex.... Icy S. Vortex...
Fiery G. Maelstrom...

I will check out the last.fm thing, thanks GZeus.

Actually, that is part of the beauty of selling liquor. Very few kids, almost no returns, and everyone is happy when they leave.

All that being said, I wouldn't take J. into your store on a bet. Some parents are nuts.

Martinis with your manager = HAPPY HOLIDAYS, INDEED

This afternoon I am doing roll out cookies with FOUR kids (and, thankfully, two other adults). Maybe I should stick the bottle of vodka I bought into the freezer for emergency rations...

MERRY CHIRSTMAS, FLY OUT TO BOSTON TO SEE MY SHOW TONIGHT

I WILL BE THE ONE WEARING THE CLOAKING DEVICE AND I WILL BE EXTREMELY QUIET

I think I made up a new word to describe the shit the Donald threw yesterday: man-trum.

LIKE THE WORD GOOD COINAGE

Merry Xmas to all of you!

Hmmmm, maybe I'll come to Boston tonight, too. I haven't teleported in years... but then who would make the cookies?!

Dan, that is FB, obv. He's changed a bit since Sept.

...and also a few days before I flew home I had to catch a cab and competition for these was fierce at Baker Street. I got to cab before these two blonde ninnies who clearly felt entitled to my ride and called me an ugly bitch for getting there .5 seconds before them. My reply? "you forgot 'faster and smarter than you' and I'M IN UR FACE, TAKING UR CAB!" Then kissed my swear finger at them as I rode off, apologising to driver for said antics.

megalolz

However, it's not perfect, so I'll sell something else and keep the thing.

Whatever.
Who wants what omiage(souveniers)?
It'll be mid April at the soonest when I return.

Plz to recommend musical experiences for my sis and I. And curry.

I've decided to eat some kind of curry each and every day that I'm in the UK. My GI tract is less excited than my mouth, but whatever, he's a bit of a low man on the totem pole, you know?

?! Story here?

(Also, how was your semester and are you done with orgo? Important questions must be answered!)

For curry I always send people to Shampan on Brick Lane, Diwana (veg, Sunday = paneer day) on Drummond Street, Kastoori (vegetarian) in Tooting or you should just amble on down to Southall for the Asian Suburb experience and choose any restaurant - although I prefer the Punjabee. They have a good Sri Lankan on tghe way from train station to the Broadway there.

suzy: sweet. i'll have to cut and paste that. i'm definitely into cheap. we'll be staying in W2 (i think??), if that means anything.

Argh on your prof, that sucks about the full grade thing. When will you be doing your med school applications? (I have an ex who is doing it now - at age 38 or 39. I'm pretty sure your orgo grade is better than his was, too. Plus he took that class in, like, 1988 or something. Not much doubt in my mind that both of you will get in, actually.)

Help, everyone: my mom has a headcold and is getting mean! I brought her the best matzoh ball soup in the Cities and she is being a total fucking bitch, still. Not even a thank you, which is a hanging offence when she doesn't get one. She accused me of not speaking English and I was this close to telling her to get fucked, and was that English too difficult for her etc. KILLKILLKILL.

However also from this deli: proper corned beef and black-as-night pumpernickel.

I once many years ago considred that as a profession. Very briefly.
Like, 10 minutes.

Ugh suzy, so sorry about your mother. Slip her some kind of cold medicine that will knock her out for many hours. Also, where did you get the matzoh ball soup? That sounds awesome.

suzy: heard the lebanese stuff up there was the jam. will have to cross-reference w/our friends that live in the hood for optimum eating efficiency

Sarah, it's Crossroads Deli at the Minnetonka/Hopkins border. My mother now in Sinutab coma of her own devisement so reprieve for another few hours. Next: wrapping declassé presents for my little cousins like pink or purple clothing and EZ Bake Oven and utter crap I would never give on 'turns you into a total cracker, pregnant at 12' grounds. I love wrapping when it's not all my sister's stuff that she's just dumped and said 'wrap this'.

Wrapping: only one thing left; the 285 piece Magnetix set I bought for my husband. Contemplating pain of going to store to buy a gift bag and fighting crowds vs. pain of attempting to wrap something really awkward. Hmmmmmm.

If your sister makes you wrap things, you should do it badly so that she doesn't dump things on you anymore...

John's is my first choice, because while no employer cares if you have one, the Visa people do, and on the off chance someone asks me what my favorite philosopher is, I can just say Wittgestein and then BS my way though the conversation(No one understands him, and a big part of his thing is philosophy is a big waste of energy, so if I side with that...).
However, I'll take anything.

They don't call the schools or anything, which is hilarious, but convenient. People do it all the time.

I will find the irony delicious when my USA 1.24 high school GPA ass is teaching in Japan and doing a good job. Yeah.
Putting spite to good use for the good of mankind...orsomething.

He's since thrown it away, because it had nothing to do with any of the money he's made.
If only I'd known I'd have had use for it... but then does a degree from River Falls count anywhere in the world? ;)