Odd and Ends

Thought I'd end this week with a little wrap-up.

Songs I can't stop listening to:

1. Boys with Girlfriends -- Meiko

2. Madly -- Tristan Prettyman

3. Gray or Blue -- Jaymay

4. Come On Get Higher -- Matt Nathanson

Things that I can't help but smile at:

1. I have my first paying freelance gig! Smiles at you, flagship client.  I also think I got another one today at work.  I finally got all my software unlocked tonight, so I'm ready to rock!  I can't wait to get started on this, and that's such a good feeling...coming home from work, ready to work still!

2. Slim Charles.  That's the name of my iMac.  When Oh Beehive and I were in high school we had so much fun naming the Macs.  This one was a no-brainer.  As most of you know all of our fish are named after characters from The Wire (love love loved that show) and Slim Charles was my favorite from the last season.  And HELLO, this baby is SLIM.  Perfect fit. J and I had fun playing around in Photo Booth the other night.  I decided I'm going to pull an MTV and make all my friends have a round in it when they visit.  Here's J's first go at it.

3. The fish had more babies.  Yeah.  Pretty sure we have 1 female and like 7 males.  Sorry, Avon! I keep joking (maybe not joking?) that we're going to start giving baby fish away as gifts to our friends.  "Oh thanks for coming over, lovely time, now don't forget to take your fish with you!"

Things I've been meaning to blog about:

1. Our trip to see J's sis and her hubs and baby.  So fun...seriously such a wonderful couple. They are such amazing people/parents/family.

2.  That's all.

It's a Jeep thing

Two years ago I bought a Jeep.  A lovely blue Liberty.  With four working windows and a glorious sunroof.  As of today, my lovely little two year old car has been into the shop enough times to make my bosses question if I might actually be some sort of female Clark Kent.  I can't count how many times I've called my boss on a Sunday evening to tell them I've got such and such wrong with my car and I won't be in until noon. I've gotten to know the staff at the Jeep dealership so intimately that I just call up and they say, "Oh...hi, Stacy."  No formalities now, I'm old news now.  They know I'm a disgruntled and very unhappy customer so they just do their best to get rid of me as soon as they can.  And don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm unreasonable.  I require very little of a car.  Just that it have 4 wheels, that it drive, oh, and one teensy detail: that it have FOUR WORKING WINDOWS.  And perhaps a WORKING SUNROOF if I can be really picky.  

That's right, friends.  Yesterday my last factory-installed window regulator broke...totaling four broken windows and one broken sunroof all in 24 months' time.  Having just returned from a lovely weekend in Richmond with J's sis & fam, I picked Leo up from the kennel and I'm thinking hmmm I'd just love to get home to that big shiny new Mac on my desk when--WHAMMO.  My back right window slides down into the doorframe, like it was never there to begin with, and it won't be coaxed back up for anything in the world.  Just like its 3 predecessors. And that's when I lost it.  I broke down.  I cried like a baby driving down the highway.  I'm sure the backseated dogs were more frightened of me than the noise the window made when it creeeeeeaked and slid down into the doorframe.

So after a day of explaining why yes, having a window down overnight in my neighborhood is in fact a safety hazard, and yes, I feel that for making a monstrous car payment each month that I should at least be rewarded with NOT having to have a personal relationship with the girl at the Enterprise counter...here I sit.  Angry?  Perhaps.  Frustrated?  Oh yes.  Beaten down?  Maybe yesterday. Because that was before I realized I can sell that piece of crap and get a lovely gently used Jetta.

Peace out, Jeep.  You can keep your "Jeep thing."  I never figured out what it was other than, "We don't have working windows.  It's a Jeep thing."

Head Hunter

Now that we have a fishtank on a stand that sits eye-level with the dogs, I find that they seem to rather enjoy watching the fish, which is great because of course they need as much stimulation as possible. And the tank stand has a cubby underneath with a door to conceal all the fish stuff like extra food. And the skull.

J bought the first tank setup off Craigslist and it came complete with a few tank decorations...most of which were tragically broken in an event we only refer to as "The Great Fall" during the move. Except for the skull. We're not really skull people. But he kept it, since he apparently shares my love of packing things away. So when we set up the tank in the new place, the skull was tucked inside the cubby for safe keeping. Occasionally one of the dogs (LEO) will poke his nose inside the door and sniff around in there since it's all, you know, mysterious. And if we don't swat him away fast enough, he'll steal the skull and lick it until we scold him and take it away again. Tonight as I was reading some of my favorite websites I noticed a little odd behavior from Leo...like he was hiding something from me. I went to check it out. This is what I found.

Total Panic in Level Four

One of my favorite authors is Richard Preston. My senior year of college I had to take a science class and I opted for Medical Geography. Its exotic title fit in well with some of my other college courses like floral arranging (1 and 2), pistol and rifle marksmanship, Alfred Hitchcock films, and Italian Cuisine. Before you judge or accuse me from graduating from Bob's Clown College, I happened to take enough AP classes in high school that I needed hours, not the actual credits. Medical Geography happened to be one of my most favorite class of all. The way we learned about how people working in this field track viruses to their original source...it left me dumbfounded. There I was, mere months before graduation wondering if I should drop my journalism major and become a virus hunter in Africa. Spending my summers in khaki shorts and rugged work boots with my hair in a knotty bun, winters in level four biohazard space suit probing the next likely source of Ebola. We read The Hot Zone and I was pretty much sure I was graduating into the wrong career field. I was born to work at the CDC. Right? I purchased every biology-related book Preston's written and I've pored over them multiple times. When I found out that he had a new book coming out I couldn't wait to buy it and my recent plane ride seemed the perfect occasion to indulge my inner unfulfilled virus hunter.

Well, I guess I can say now that I'm glad I didn't up and quit on journalism. Not that I'm using my major so much now -- however, I did find it necessary to point out a coworker's faux pas as he once again mispronounced nuclear as "nuc-u-lar" -- but I found out this past weekend that I made the right choice. Not only is Richard Preston an amazing writer, particularly amazing when he writes about biological terrorism (my not-so-secret guilty pleasure), but he is also quite graphic. While reading the much-anticipated "Panic in Level Four" (a collection of short non-fiction stories, seriously, it's amazing), I realized I'm firmly where I need to be...behind a computer monitor dilly-dallying about with bezier curves and clipping paths.

The last story is about a disease which causes its victims to self-cannibalize. At first my inner nerd said, "Stacy, this is a chance to learn about a strange new subject, keep going, and read with an open mind." All the while my inner girl voice is saying, "Stacy, proceed with caution, this will get gross." And I was right. Sooo right. I read. I read some more. I was fine. UNTIL--I read a line that said something to the effect of sometimes this disease causes its victims to remove their own eyeball--and I don't know what it said after that, because I gagged. Firmly shut the book. Put the book in my carry-on bag. And haven't touched it since. Honestly, I'm a little scared to put it on my shelf where it might infect a neighboring Augusten Burroughs book with it's awful eyeball horror.

Sorry, CDC. I totally feel like I let you down.

On meeting Ryan James Winstead

I have a new love. His name is Ryan James. This is my first time holding him.
He's wearing the shark onesie I bought him before he was born.
This is a kid with a killer wardrobe.
The nannies loved picking out his tiny adorable ensembles.

He has the tiniest of wee tiny hands and fingers.
It amazed me to see how he was built "ready to go."
I couldn't get over how his palms looked just like mine do, and he's only 3 weeks old.
Babies are such a miracle.

His Nanny Jamie fell in love with him too. She has such a way with babies and children. Although she didn't like the sight of his umbilical cord, Nanny Jamie was a natural with Ryan.

We took some time out to play some wicked Guitar Hero, as well as singing on PopStar.
The Winsteads have an amazing basement theater
(please say it with a British accent... thee-uhh-tuhh).
We thought we rocked...the game did not.
Rowdy Dog fell in love with Nanny Jamie. He was her bestest furry friend.
Rowdy was grateful to have 2 animated dog lovers to pet him and love on him all weekend.
My college roomie and the first girl I met at SMSU.
I happen to think we're amazing.
I had to explain to him that although I can't see him every day, I will always think about him, and pray for him to grow healthy and strong and smart and sweet and good. I don't think he'll have a problem with any of those things. He was blessed with amazing parents. I can't wait to see you again, Baby Ryan, but when I do, prepare yourself for tons of kisses.

Pure Excitement

The top 2 reasons I haven't concentrated all day:

1. This time tomorrow I'll be in Springfield! I can't wait! I'll have driven down with Jamie...having chatted about all sorts of things. We'll probably have eaten a late lunch at Mr. Yen's (Laura, you're totally invited to join! I actually require Springfield-style cashew chicken...and you do know they call it "Springfield-style" because it truly only exists there, right?) And after that, it's all about Ryan and Laura. I cannot wait to see him and hug her and then see her and hug him. I'm bringing J's camera so I can get better shots. See you tomorrow, girlfriends!

2. My biznass. At this point, I've done some serious business planning (on my own and with one LEMonade) and I'm ready. I'm not going to start operating under said business name, to be shared at a later date, because of financial, legal, and tax purposes. Soon, friends, soon. Until then, I'll be buying my future web domain, learning myself up on how to run your own business, and teaching myself Flash all hours of the night. Oh, and I'll be doing business as myself, which is legal. Prepare yourselves, this is going to consume a LOT of my free brain time.

Hello, Lover

iMac,
24-inch
Part Number: Z0FH
3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM -2x1 GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS w/512MB GDDR3
Accessory kit**

**I'm not sure what comes in that accessory kit, but I hope hope hope it's $2500.

After giving it some serious thought, I've decided to take the plunge. I'm going to buy a Mac. I'm going to officially start freelancing. I'm going to officially embrace my title as graphic designer. Especially when you consider how once I leave my current job I'll have no legal rights to use any of the images/logos/publications I've designed and created over the past 2.5 years. They belong to the government. I cannot "profit from government property."

I'm excited for all the possibilities this will bring. I've really become a fan of a few design websites where the artist blogs about their design process, sharing what they're working on, etc. I seriously hope to do this one day.

Topics for discussion: What I'll call my business. In the coming months I'll have to apply for a sole proprietorship and I'd love to hear what you guys think before I share my thoughts. :) Let's discuss. Go!

Monkey brains

One of Leo's most favorite toys is a small (formerly squeaky) monkey. "Monkey," as he's known around these parts, is featured with Leo in the wallpaper picture on my phone. You can usually find Monkey on the bed, as that's where Leo naps and the two are almost inseparable. The past week or so I've noticed little white polyfil cloud puffs near the places Monkey likes to haunt. I thought, "Could Leo be...destroying...him?" Nooooo...he loves him too much...he's not a destructive dog...

So you can imagine my surprise to find Monkey's face yesterday. That's right, Leo gnawed just his face off. He left Monkey's face on top of a pile of J's dirty socks. I'm not sure quite what it meant, but I'm sure it was some sort of cryptic message. Like the doggy version of "I'm watching you." A warning perhaps. As I will probably stitch Monkey's face back to his body, I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Lord only knows where the body may be at this time, but I might warn J to check the insides of his shoes before putting them on.

Why I love my relationship

Today marks the 11 months J and I have been together. We decided to go to Magnolia's, which is a really nice steak house in Ghent. But we don't order steak, no, that's not our style. We ordered nachos. :)

About halfway through the nachos and a third of the way through a very interesting conversation my hackles go up. My bug-sensory alarm goes off and I scan the area, knowing I'm going to see something small, scaly and scurrying--perhaps this is the right time to mention we're sitting outside on the patio?--and yep, there it is, a COCKROACH. If you know me, you know la cuckaracha is nearly at the top of a short (ok, not short) list of critters I detest. After I freak out for a moment or ten, Justin lets me put my feet on his feet so if it comes for us, he'll take the brunt of it. That's *all* I ask.

NKOTB

My friends and I are having a painting party on Sunday afternoon...just getting together to paint a girlfriend's laundry room. I was asked to bring my iPod full of creative "indy folk" music, as they called it. I said, "Fo shizzle." So as I was buying my new fave Tristan Prettyman song so as not to let them down, I noticed that, hello, New Kids on the Block are #47 on the top 100 songs on iTunes right now. Seriously? I mean, they did hold the keys to my 11-year-old heart (and then again at 18 when both Joey and Jordan tried to make a comeback), but still, guys. But there they are. Listed right after Bow Wow. Personally, I liked him when he still had the "Lil" in front.

Dog Vomit

We got up early this morning to walk the dogs (part of our attempt to Get Fit For the Rest of 08) and it was fantastic. J in his new kicks, happy a kid (a kid complaining about getting up at 6:15), and then I see it. The dog vomit.

I swear these dogs are bulimic. Remind me why I only joked about buying stock in OxiClean?

Birthdays and birth-days

Two special shout-outs:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOANNA! Joanna and I used to have joint birthdays because they're like what, 3 seconds apart? I wish I could be there to give you a red velvet cupcake my dear. Happy 27th to my favorite type 2 in the whole wide world. Joanna and I have known each other for 10 years. That officially makes me love her a little more if possible. Hope you have a wonderful weekend in Kansas City, Joj! If you read this, call me on your way home on Sunday, peach.

And...

I'M GOING TO SEE BABY RYAN AND HIS MAMA IN 15 DAYS. That being said, the all-caps part of it is pure excitement. Getting to kiss his sweet head, getting to hug his mama, getting to pat Rowdy on the head, and oh, forcing J-Dub to hug me = all things that excite me about going to Springfield. PLUS, and this is a huge plus, Jamie has agreed to drive me down. So we'll have a total of 6+ hours in the car to chit chat and think back on the first few times we took that trip together. I can't wait for that! Old memories and new memories, and boy have I been flooded with memories this past week. The first time I got to talk to Laura after she had Ryan, I couldn't help but think, "Wow, Laura's a mommy now," and also thinking about how we met**. And how she and John had their first "date" (it wasn't really a date) on our couch. And now they're married. With a baby. I think it means so much to me because she's my first friend who I've seen all the way through it. And soon, that'll be everyone I know. Laura's the first though, and for that, she'll always have an asterisk by her name. I just hope Nanny Jamie and Nanny Stacy (I'm totally thinking Nanny 911 here) can help out by cleaning, cooking, whatevering so that Laura can have a little nap and maybe a shower.

**The time we decided to up and drive to Kansas after a bad frat party and you played me a CD you'd burned and you said, "This dedicate this song to you," and all of a sudden at top-volume "BOMBS OVER BAGHDAD" came on and we laughed so hard we almost peed. (It wasn't the right song) Sewing a denim star patch on another pair of your bleach-stained jeans. What goes with juice, Snoop? The red pleather skirt that looked amazing on us. The Magic Bean...especially the night that crazy old many played us Bonnie Raitt and I truly discovered how much I loved every one of her songs. Swinging on the front porch of Jefferson House. Apparently doing The Robot at your wedding (as pictured above). Crying like a fool when you called me to tell me you'd gotten engaged. Crying like a fool when I had to say goodbye to you at your wedding. Crying like a fool looking at pictures of Ryan. Me love you long time, Laura. -the little redhead**