dork day parade

my full-steam-ahead day actually was pretty productive. i did some laundry, even going so far as to fold it and put it away; finished another book and went to the library to get some more. it's almost midnight and i am still awake, and all this without a nap or even a whole shitload of coffee! someone put a gold star next to my name, baby.

the library was a total dork-out extravaganza for me. i picked up a marjane satrapi book i didn't even know existed, the frank book by jim woodring that is blowing my mind, a philip k. dick anthology, a book by cory doctorow (i'm curious--i read a lot of boing boing, will i like the book?), another craig thompson*, and one more for the road by ray bradbury. i really, really don't want to go to sleep any time soon, i'm in one of those stay-up-all-night-with-a-book moods. when i was a kid i would spend all summer up late into the night/early into the morning reading. that was my favorite part of summer break; the endless hours spent in bed or on the couch or at the beach reading. sure, that might not make me the most svelte or athletic girl on earth, but there are a few sci-fi dork-boys out there who don't mind.

speaking of dork-boys, we got a new one at work and he is cute enough to put in your pocket. he clued me into the emerald city comicon and i'm trying to wrangle my favorite oregonians into coming on up for the festivities. i think tiernan will be old enough to have fun, and we'll get to see lots of grown-ups dressed like characters which is really fun for the whole family.

and last but not least; i don't do book reviews the same justice as spacebeer does but i have to recommend ray bradbury's cat's pajamas. there were stories in there i re-read before returning it to the library, stories with endings that were confusing and wonderful, sad and sometimes sweet. i am a huge fan of short stories and think they don't get enough credit. it's hard to put much into such a small space, and they have to get you where you're going in a quick and timely fashion, without feeling small and somehow short. his short stories suck you right in and are so beautifully written. my sister is into "serious" literature and makes fun of my love of sci-fi and fiction, but no matter how you slice it, ray bradbury is a damn good writer. which is why i'm so hesitant to give into sleep, thinking maybe just one more cup of tea and a story or two of his before bed...

*about blankets...i devoured in a few sitting thanks to it being beautiful and engrossing, although i didn't much care for the story. is that awful? i mean, i didn't hate it, obviously, but i wasn't brought up in a very religious household and therefore never had to deal with a lot of the issues he did. i knew a lot of my friends went through similar things, and to be honest i never got it much then either. plus, sometimes it felt a little "poor me." the overwhelming god-y ness of it was hard for me, though, i think because i wasn't expecting it. i assume my comics are secular, dammit! or at least, jewish.

obviously

the day after the day after recovering from stomach cramps, poop attacks and barf-a-thons one feels remarkably perky. why, i've already been up for over two hours and have already done the following; read a whole lot of internet papers, finished a book, had three cups of tea, washed my hair, and am seriously planning on attacking the bedroom and cleaning it up. i'm also planning on doing some laundry today, finishing up some letters, and hopefully making it to the library. i might not leave the house at all, and that would be fine by me. it's been too long since i had a day i could devote to sloth.

anacortes snow

anacortes snow, originally uploaded by pinprick.

8 a.m. and i'm not just awake, i'm awake with a cup of tea already brewed and some pictures already taken. someone started calling us at about 7:30 this morning. someone or something, i can't tell. the message it left was just a series of annoyingly high-pitched beeps. awesome! getting up to shut the damn thing off i saw that the snow that had come down last night stuck, and i had to get a picture of it. it will all be gone by this afternoon, or sooner, since the sun's already poking it's head out. that's actually okay with me; i don't have my boots or snow stuff to enjoy it with, and my little honda civic isn't the biggest fan of the snow. it is nice to watch, though, all cozy inside, with my tea.

my stomach has decided we can be friends again, but so far is only a fan of the blandest of bland foods. it's a good thing i like toast.

ewwww

too much information time. if you are squeamish about bodily functions, please move on. i went out friday night with some friends to sing a little kareoke and eat chinese food (there is a place in mt. vernon where you can do all that plus go bowling). i had a few beers, enough to feel nice and tipsy but not enough to be drunk. at about two a.m., though, i found myself in the bathroom puking my brains out. then the pooping starting. all that night i kept thinking "i know i didn't drink enough to be this sick" but in my sleepy-barf-addled state i never once thought "food poisoning." in retrospect i'm pretty sure that's what i got. i spent all day saturday sleeping and barfing and pooping, which sucked because that made two days of work i missed this week (they must hate me now), and also because i can think of more preferable things to do with a day off; things that don't involve stomach cramps and your intestines trying to escape. i woke up nervous this morning, not looking forward to another day of lower g.i. distress, but so far i've had half a cup of ginger ale and no puking. i don't work until 2 this afternoon so i'm going to move onto ramen and see if i don't die. cross your fingers!

duh

mom and gorilla, originally uploaded by pinprick.

i should have known! this is bobo, woodland park zoo's most famous gorilla! he was raised in anacortes as a baby but when he got too big the lowman's sent him to the zoo.

more about bobo here, and here in this excellent article from the stranger.

bite me

bite me, originally uploaded by pinprick.

i am very full of rage these days. like super angry, wanting to slam doors and not being able to stop rolling my eyes at the stupid jerkiness of people kind of angry. my head is also very hurty, so when someone asked what i was having for lunch today i said, "you know, aspirin." which is funny because i do not take aspirin as a general rule; mom forbade it for fear of rye's syndrome when we were kids so i was well into my twenties before i ever took one. i still joke around with her when i take one, promising not to die of crib death and she shoots me some stink eye and says, "make fun, you never died as a kid and you were clumsy."

i am hating work because they refuse to give any of us over 37 hours a week, and yet even though we're supposedly suffering an hours shortage, two new employees have been hired. both of them lovely people, but lovely people stealing my fucking hours. i am tired of being jerked around, and yet i have this new group of loyal customers who actually come to see me at my little cheese island and chit chat on a weekly basis. i LOVE these people; they are funny and silly and slightly embarrassed that they love cheese so much, and we swap recipes and ideas and they come back and try the most outrageous cheeses i have. the fact is, i will never have another chance to actually have a job where the title is "cheese specialist" and while i love that more than i realized i would, DUDE. bills are not getting paid. leaning on the fisherman as my financial support crutch sucks. there aren't enough cocktails in the world to cover that up, and as a result i am angrier than usual.

so selling cheese is good, getting paid to do it isn't and i'm forced to think about whether or not this job is worth it, and having to do some creative book-keeping. i'm hoping part of my angry streak is hormonally based, and not just that i'm becoming bitter because that is no fun at all (not for anyone involved). i spent a little time tonight at daiso with a co-worker and that helped some, and it is my friday night so the fisherman and i are playing video games, watching youtube* and having drinks like most happy couples, so i'd day 75% of my life is awesome, with that other 25% spent worrying myself over bills and shit. the math on this is promising though, so i promise not to complain any more this week!

*i have been obsessed with watching all things marilyn manson on the youtube. have you seen his interview with bill o'reilly? it made me love him even more.

when the cat's away...

the mice do mainly boring girly stuff. the fisherman is off in bellingham, spending the night with his buddies so they can get up early and go snowboarding tomorrow. i have to work tomorrow and to be honest, wasn't too upset at the idea of having the apartment to myself tonight. i was even invited out with them tonight, but i just dropped them off and said "bye! call tomorrow!" after spending some time at walgreen's (where i scored an awesome sparkly eye-liner, thanks wet 'n wild!), i did all the stuff that i've been meaning to do for weeks, like dye my hair. i also exfoliated my heels and deep conditioned my hair. throw a little arrested development in there, a ham and cheese sandwich, and some time spent on youtube and you have my friday night. of course, for me it's only tuesday so i don't feel too bummed having hung around the house instead of going out. good times!

anacortes weirdness

anacortes is not exactly a big city but not quite a small town; waterfront and historic, crazy rich and super working class. it is both artsy and totally uptight. it's a riddle wrapped in a palindrome, dipped in enigma and deep fried to a golden brown. there are weirdo murals like this all over town, bars full of salty fisherman, and a lot of organic produce. i wish i had more days off because i would just wander around and take photos, but ever since we moved in we've been crazy busy. first it was the holidays, then work, then trying to furnish the place, and now when i have a little time off it feels like it's over too quickly. if i could i would totally take a vacation, but i'm afraid i won't be able to afford anything even remotely like that for a while. thank goodness tax season is upon us! the only time being a broke-ass-motherfucker doesn't suck is when the government has to give you all your taxes back. take that, uncle sam.

you should really learn more about anacortes. we all should. here are a few fun links for us all to peruse!

jesus invented dsl

i mean, that's the only logical explanation right? something this awesome must have come from above. getting it set up last night was a bit of a pain in the ass, thanks to my fussy computer, and this morning we had to do the whole shut-it-all-down and start-it-all-up shit to get it working, but now that i am on line, in my home, i am a happy girl. i spent all morning reading papers and blogs and achewood; drinking coffee and half-assed watching a movie with the fisherman (when i do that i basically ignore it until i see something i don't get and then ask him a bunch of questions that annoy him!).

baby is sick with some sort of flu so i spent yesterday sitting her. she's over the puking part of it, thankfully, but still sick enough to be mildly annoyed and prone to fits. she spent all day being mad at me, throwing a fit, then running to me crying and miserable. her birthday is a week away--she will be two years old. just in time too; her newest favorite words are "mine" and no!" she's become a bit of a bossy dictator, but she's also developing quite the sense of humor. she's a sweet and sour baby right now, and while i don't love the tantrums and screaming i do love the cuddles and the way she says "i love boo" when she cozies up next to you. i do miss living with her, but i like leaving my knitting out without fear of her tearing it to pieces.

my little brother, the sweetest black cocker spaniel on earth, died this weekend. i was wrong about what he was sick with; it was end stage liver failure and not kidney. he was perky and sweet up to the very end. the last day i got to spend with him we spent a lot of time rubbing his chest and playing with his soccer ball, and aside from how skinny he'd gotten you wouldn't have known he was sick. i'm going to miss him. baby asks for him all the time, looking around the house for her uncle dog. she got to say goodbye to him, but when she went to kiss him and he didn't move i guess she burst into tears. poor kid. my dad seems bummed out, and he's decided no more dogs ever. he and mom packed everything up and said it's just too hard when they go. like we did with our first dog, cuddles, daggett will be cremated and later this week we'll get him back in a pretty ceramic urn. as far as little brothers go, he was awesome, and he will be missed.

chop, chop!

(is what the fisherman says when he is trying to hurry me up. little did he know when he met me that i might be a fast girl in a wink wink, nudge nudge sort of way, but in real life i am a pokey little puppy!)

ahem. so posting for me is as exciting for me as it is for you and it's only going to get better! we signed up for a home phone and internet yesterday. my information drought will soon be over and i am over the moon about it. we also got a tv and playstation 2 so while we can't watch actual television on it we can watch movies and the fisherman can play shoot 'em up games to his hearts content. good times.

i just finished persepolis and it was awesome. have you read it? you should. evidently it is also becoming a movie and that makes me happy. aline kominsky crumb's autobiography, need more love, was also seriously awesome. the anacortes library also has a whole section devoted to graphic novels. read that last sentence again only jump up and down while you do it and you are basically me when i discovered it.

okay, i have to go home now, the library closes in mere minutes. my super-belated christmas cards are almost done, so watch the mailbox!

notes from the library

first hat of 08, originally uploaded by pinprick.

i love the fisherman, but he does not love the library the way i do. he gets sort of fussy when i want to hang out here on my days off, but i like how quiet it is and i like looking for books and music and being able to go online for a while. i know it's dorky, but i can't help it. plus, the anacortes library is seriously awesome. it's lovely and comfyand they have a seriously amazing collection. at home right now i'm reading the newest graphic memoir by aline kominsky crumb (r. crumb's wife), listening to some sufjan stevens, and learning how to make dim sum. tell me that doesn't sound AWESOME to you.

i get the feeling that the fisherman is both bored of being here and antsy about not working. this was supposed to be his vacation time but i think he's not enjoying his copious amount of time alone. i can't help that i have to work, and i know he's not mad at me or anything, but it sucks that he hates it here so much. there isn't much i can do about it either, and that also sucks. i'm a little bit at a loss. on the one hand, he's a grown-up and he can amuse himself, on the other i feel guilty that he's not having a better time. i keep thinking once we get more settled he'll relax and get used to a nice slow pace, but i know him and he's not really happy unless he's working. if not at a job than at least on some sort of project.

shacking up is fun, but hard in some respects. we had our little fight, and for the most part we're over it, but it is difficult sometimes for me to balance out my need for some alone time with his need to hang out since he gets way too much alone time. i'm not complaining, just filling you in on what's going on. the good news is he's finally come around and likes metalacolypse as much as i do!

work is beyond stupid. i'm kicking ass at my new job but my boss still acts like i'm borderline retarded and is constantly fucking with my orders. they keep cutting hours and i can't live on 35 a week, so i'm looking for a new job. i got into a huge fight with my assistant manager the other day and then she actually resigned her position; meaning she still works there, but now as just a regular old employee. i feel like i should feel about that, but honestly she was one of the shittiest managers i have ever had so i'm kind of happy. i like the grocery business, and want to stay here so i'm just looking at other stores right now. i'll be sad to give up my "cheese specialist" title but i have to bills to pay and i'm having a hard time making ends meet not working 40 hours a week. at the rate we're going we'll never have internet at the house because we can't afford a land line thanks to my measly paychecks. awesome! i miss my blog, i miss my flickr, i miss your blogs and flickr and i miss the youtube and adultswim.com. dammit!

happy new years!

new years hand, originally uploaded by pinprick.

i love the anacortes public library. it's the only place in town where i can use the computer, and coming down here gives me an excuse to check out new movies and maybe stop by the knitting store as well. an afternoon at the library is an afternoon well spent!

i hope you all had an awesome new year's night and that 2008 kicks ass. i like the sound of 2008, it's a nice round number.

all i've been doing lately is working and doing holiday stuff; today is the first day i've had to just goof around a little and maybe get stuff done around the house. i might buy some hangers and organize my closet, i should do a little laundry, and maybe make something for dinner. i haven't been using the kitchen as much as i should be, and all this eating out is getting old.

i wish we were more settled at the apartment, but you can rush things like that, can you? the fisherman will be here a bit longer, but i'm not sure how long. to be perfectly honest, i think we're having our first big fight and it sucks. this is not how i thought i'd be spending the first few days of the new year, but there isn't much i can do about it. i'm taking a little time out today just for me, by myself, and i think that will help. at least, i'm hopeful.