2003-08-29

 

You doing anything good for the holiday? Define good. Tomorrow, I get my hair done -- a multi-hour process... But after that, I'm relatively free. K&J have found a great place up in Kensington, and they might need some help moving at some point. But no other big plans. A big veggie-laden dinner tonight -- the Planet Organics order that came in today is supposed to be very heavy on the veggies. And we still have a few left over from last week! EEK!! Veg-i-fied.

posted by bethanye 4:14:00 PM   

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Welcome to the friday five:

1. Are you going to school this year? Nope. Just bassoon lessons. And tap class. But no real school.
2. If yes, where are you going (high school, college, etc.)? If no, when did you graduate? I didn't graduate from college.
3. What are/were your favorite school subjects? Well, theater was an easy class -- lots of hours, but if you knew how to operate flashlights and those little scarves... I liked band during concert season, which I guess is why I'm playing again. I really enjoyed my senior AP English class in high school, too, but it was hard.
4. What are/were your least favorite school subjects? Easy. I didn't like math. I was good at it, but it was tedious. I hated the classes that were full of idiots, too... my Economics class comes to mind. In college I took this ethics class, and the professor (Victor something...) was a total pompous ass.
5. Have you ever had a favorite teacher? Why was he/she a favorite? I know I had teachers who, at the time, I thought were my favorites. The were "cool" or lenient. They seemed more grounded than the others... But years later, looking back, they're not the ones who impress me. I really admire my English teacher from 12th grade -- Gay Dale. She was amazing, but very difficult to please. I still admire Jerry Thomas, who was my band teacher for all of high school. He was (and presumably still is) disciplined, dedicated, and would give praise in sparing enough amounts that it was still precious but could be earned. I also still admire Patti Tuck, who was my 8th grade science teacher. Not only was she genuinely dedicated, she didn't take any crap off of anyone (that I could see). I liked that.

That wraps it up for today!

posted by bethanye 9:18:00 AM   

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2003-08-28

 

Little known fact about me. When I was in high school -- before I got involved in theater, so 9th-10th grade timeframe -- I really really wanted to design fonts. I loved fonts. Loved them. I could sit and wade through a font book, picking precisely the right font. I fretted over the differences between Palatino and New Century Schoolbook. I loved the subtle ways that a typeface could change the feel of the text you have set. I considered what was the correct choice for that specific use -- a biology paper, a short story written for English, a history essay... Each had a correct font for the project, and I sought it out.
Probably one of the artsiest things about me, that love of the typeface. So expressive, yet clear and communicative. If it's done right, which it often is not.
Maybe I need a copy of Fontographer...

posted by bethanye 12:25:00 PM   

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A little bit better today. I got some okay work done yesterday, and I think that -- even though I felt like nothing I was working on at that moment (non-Evil stuff) was going to be useful -- it's valuable that I'm working on this side project. So, I feel a little bit better about it.

posted by bethanye 9:10:00 AM   

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2003-08-27

 

I need to stop being such a control freak. I have to accept that there are plenty of things in this world that are going to work out just fine, whether I do them personally or not. It will happen. It will be okay. Deep breaths -- chill out...
I can't help it. I personalize work stuff. I desperately want something to go the way I think is best, and I can't let go and just trust that it will be okay. It's not healthy.

posted by bethanye 12:07:00 PM   

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2003-08-26

 

I really do like the new bassoon. And Carla -- my teacher -- has also approved of it. Yay!! Now all it needs is a tune-up, and all is well!!

posted by bethanye 8:48:00 PM   

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No shit! I'm fucking older! This stung a little bit. I'm amazed that she didn't smack the bitch.

posted by bethanye 1:55:00 PM   

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2003-08-22

 

Posting into the past, it's last week's Friday Five.

1. When was the last time you laughed? That would have been at dinner. Stevie and I kept cracking each other up.
2. Who was the last person you had an argument with? Probably Tony at work, but it wasn't a full-on argument. Just a minor disagreement. If you want a full-on argument, you'll have to go back to when my father was here a few weeks ago.
3. Who was the last person you emailed? Maybe Judith? I had to turn in my vacation/sick information for last month.
4. When was the last time you bathed? Last night. Now I'm all stinky! I need a long shower...
5. What was the last thing you ate? A yummy piece of apple pie -- heated up with a scoop of ice cream. That's right! Envy me!!

And thus ends this edition of the Friday Five.

posted by bethanye 8:57:00 PM   

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Yawn!! Not much sleep last night -- not sure why. Tired. So tired. And coffee is putting nary a dent in it.

posted by bethanye 9:34:00 AM   

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2003-08-21

 

Man, I have been looking at this screen TOO long. For a moment, I thought that this article on Symbian phones was, in fact, about Sybians. "Sybian sales soar 1000%? Wow, there must be a lot more happy women out there... Oh, wait. Why would this be on The Register? Hmm... I'm losing it."
I need pancakes to clear my mind. Of terrifying Register-branded sybians.

posted by bethanye 12:14:00 PM   

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2003-08-20

 

I have the bassoon. I love it. It has a few tiny nicks, but nothing serious. It needs a new whisper key pad, too, but that's totally common. And it sounds monumentally better on the high notes. (high = above high F).

posted by bethanye 5:10:00 PM   

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I had to cancel my bassoon lesson today. Again. This time, because I managed to beat the shit out of my original bassoon (it's about impossible to take apart), and my new one hasn't made it here yet. I was hoping it would get here in time for the lesson, but alas this has not come to pass...

posted by bethanye 11:44:00 AM   

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2003-08-19

 

Heh-heh... Guess we don't need to get an XBox after all: "Splinter Cell, Raven Shield coming to Mac."

posted by bethanye 10:20:00 PM   

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From the "No shit!" department: USATODAY -- Most heart attacks caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. First ice cream is bad for you, now this indignation?

posted by bethanye 10:13:00 PM   

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Ahh... BlogThis! is back. And I'm going to go have some fish. Yum!

posted by bethanye 12:03:00 PM   

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Grr... BlogThis! is down. Right when you get hooked on something, there it goes screwing up on you. A few events of note.

• I did purchase that other bassoon. It should be here tomorrow. Yay!
• I'm almost definitely going to get a bike that I can use to commute. The granny bike just won't cut it on the hill. This will be my last purchase for a long while.
• Did I mention that I'm going to take tap dancing lessons? No shit. I already got the shoes and everything. Can you believe it? I keep thinking of that episode of The Simpsons.
• I heard from Iggy! He's going to UNM Law School, starting his second year there, buying a house. It's been good to catch up with mi cerdito.
• The Evil^TM has been kicking my butt, though. Eventually, I will vanquish it!!
• Jake started Kindergarten yesterday. I got to hear all about it last night. He's actually starting to carry on phone conversations, which is good for me. I don't have to do all the work.

That's about it on this side of the world. Back to work!!

posted by bethanye 11:08:00 AM   

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2003-08-17

 

For awhile, we will be poor. Well, cash-poor, anyway. It's not like real poverty. We still have our computers, internet access, Tivo, DDR (and plenty of other PS2 games), a car, our bikes, plenty of budget for food and even a little for entertainment... but we're going to have to be much more cautious with the discretionary income for some several months to come. Actually, we'll just have very little discretionary income to speak of for the next several months. I've already budgeted Christmas presents, so that will still be relatively lush... but that's it. No travel, no more goodies -- not that we need anymore goodies, see above.

posted by bethanye 9:58:00 PM   

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2003-08-15

 

It's today's friday five.
1. How much time do you spend online each day?
Oh man... a lot. On a workday, up to five or six hours. Probably a few hours everyday on the weekends. That's just sad. I need to get out of the house more!
2. What is your browser homepage set to?
Google. Has been for years.
3. Do you use any instant messaging programs? If so, which one(s)?
I have an AIM account, that has been getting more use in the past few months with the introduction of iChat. I also have an MSN and a Yahoo -- but those only are in use when I'm running Fire. Not much need for them anymore, honestly.
4. Where was your first webpage located? My first webpage... hell, what was my first webpage? I think that this blog is my first vanity page. We own several domains, but they don't have pages associated. I would love to set them up, but that would take me away from my goal of spending less time online inside!
5. How long have you had your current website?
We've had the domains for a long time, many many years. But they haven't done anything -- they just sit there.

posted by bethanye 10:51:00 AM   

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A few things on my mind. One: I think the new Friendster war on profiles is pretty damn funny, actually, even though it means that Monty the cat will probably have his profile pulled.
Two: I simply don't understand how this stupid parsing shit is supposed to work. I mean, I think I understand it in principle... but my brain is a little bit overloaded right now.
Three: My very kind bassoon teacher told me today that she doesn't think I'm ready to do principal bassoon on a Beethoven Symphony -- the 4th, if you're interested. I laughed out loud when I got the email. Of course I'm not ready to do that!! But it was very gentle in its delivery, which I sincerely appreciated. I don't think I'm going to even try to play with anyone else until after the first of the year.
Four: I am about to drop a wad of cash on another, better bassoon. So there goes our discretionary spending for the next ten months -- no shit, ten months. But I sincerely believe that it will make me happy to have a better horn, one that I can keep for many years and play and enjoy. And some day, after I've been playing for several years and have purchased a house, maybe then I'll upgrade to something even more fab. But maybe not. I mean, the 220 is probably all I'll ever really need.

posted by bethanye 10:46:00 AM   

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2003-08-12

 

I didn't get the bassoon on eBay. No big surprise. But it has made me realize that I truly want a better bassoon than the one I have. One that isn't such a "Toyota Tercel" bassoon -- more like a Camry. I'm chatting via email with a woman who has a fabulous one for sale, within the range that I'm willing to spend. Hopefully, it will work out with me getting a new horn.
I told Stevie that I wanted to get a new one, and sell the old one. He suggested donating it to a local school, because "it's hard enough playing bassoon without having to use a crappy plastic horn." We'll just have to see what happens with that.

posted by bethanye 10:57:00 AM   

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2003-08-11

 

I bid on a bassoon on eBay. Which is kind of stupid, because I already have a bassoon, but this one is so much nicer... I couldn't resist. I almost definitely won't get it, anyway.
And I'm kind of jonesing for a car now... some sort of sportscar. What's wrong with me, anyway?

posted by bethanye 10:13:00 AM   

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2003-08-08

 

Friday Five.

1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?
Does going back to Dallas count, since it's still kind of "home" but I don't live there anymore? Otherwise, probably Florida, just before I changed jobs.
2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?
Hmm... Maybe the time they tried to stripsearch me at the airport. Maybe.
3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?
Anywhere? Maybe Japan in the Fall. I don't think I could afford to go unless money was no object, and right now it's monsoon weather there.
4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?
Plane, historically. But I've never been on a really long train ride. That might be fun.
5. What's the next place on your list to visit?
With any luck, I'm not going much of anywhere for awhile. I'm all travelled out, and that's just from moving! I'd really like to go to Hawaii, though. That would be sweet.

posted by bethanye 10:53:00 AM   

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2003-08-07

 

Between the sushi lunch and after I got home, I had a lot of beer yesterday. Probably as many calories in beer as anything else I ate all day. That's not good, is it? I'll moderate that better in the future.
Major heat wave in Europe, too, not just Dallas. It's 98° or higher in London. WTF is up with that? Poor London. And the Munich office is suffering bigtime as well.
Everyone has an opinion on the whole Arnold thing. Personally, I think it's funny. If he wins, it makes Predator a two-governor film. Sonny Landham didn't win in Kentucky last fall, or it would be three. Maybe Bill Duke or Carl Weathers will run somewhere. That film should be filled with governors!!

posted by bethanye 9:35:00 AM   

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2003-08-06

 

Top five things to do when you get your house back:

(1) Play DDR.
(2) Strip naked and walk around the house.
(3) Have people over who have been afraid to meet your father because of their problems with authority figures, despite the fact that I have explained multiple times that he hardly qualifies as an authority figure. Probably ought to put clothes on for this one, though.
(4) Have a nice, quiet, civil dinner. On our own schedule.
(5) Catch up on all that Tivo!

posted by bethanye 10:18:00 AM   

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2003-08-05

 

They're staying for another day. He apologized. He asked if they could stay another day. I said, "I don't know. Are you going to be a total asshole anymore?" He promised he wouldn't. "Are you going to apologize for being such a monumental prick?" He said he had apologized. "You know, starting a sentence with the words 'I'm sorry, but...' is not an apology."
So I got my apology.
And I told him that he had never been such an asshole to me my entire life. And that he certainly had better not get the idea that it was okay to do it now. And that if he ever did it again, it could well be a relationship-ending conversation. If there was ever any question that I am MoMo's sister, it all completely disappeared that night. I could have killed him. And I told him that next time, I will not use any restraint.
He seemed to understand that (a) he had fucked up bigtime; and (b) that I meant business about him never doing it again ever.
Ironically, his stepkid went to bat for me, told him that he had completely misconstrued the circumstances that had set him off. So, not only was he an asshole, but he was an asshole for absolutely no good reason. Not that there was ever an excuse, but the one he tried to use was worthless as well.
Further, I told him that if he throws tantrums like that on any sort of regular basis, that he is damn lucky that his wife is putting up with it. That she deserves better than to have to tolerate that kind of crap. And that he is one lucky bastard that she hasn't walked away from him yet. That kind of behavior is inexcusable from a grown man.
"She's trying really hard, Michael. Don't you fuck it up."

posted by bethanye 10:32:00 AM   

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2003-08-04

 

Sometimes, you get the strangest google ads. I was curious about whatever happened to that Barco v. Artwork Systems lawsuit in France, so I googled it. The sidebar ad reads: "Men - Learn the 'Secret Psychology' you need to attract any woman". Now, maybe this is because I used the word "appeal" in my search, or maybe all searches for esoteric prepress stuff triggers this ad. Odd, either way.

posted by bethanye 4:15:00 PM   

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Slightly less puny, after a lunch of breakfast. There's something comforting about having pancakes for lunch.

posted by bethanye 1:37:00 PM   

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Feeling a little bit better after a 10 minute nap on the couch. Now, off to get some victuals!

posted by bethanye 11:55:00 AM   

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I don't feel so good. Could be the caffeine+no food+not enough sleep combination. Could be that soy milk I drank this morning -- it was a little too sweet. I need to drink lots of water to flush out this icky.

posted by bethanye 11:10:00 AM   

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I forgot to do the friday five on Friday. Oops. Here goes:

1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?
7ish. The radio's been going for an hour by then. But I lie in bed just listening to it for at least another half-hour.
2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late?
I love to sleep in. So, at least until 10 on the weekends.
3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?
Pee.
4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?
Depends on if I wash my hair. 45 minutes on those days, twenty when I don't wash-and-dry my hair. That's one of the problems with having "good hair" -- I have to blow it dry or it will leak red on everything I touch.
5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast?
I used to love La Madeline in Dallas, but since it's changed ownership the quality has gone downhill. Claremont Diner near our previous house was nice. Venus on Shattuck is one of our favorite dinner restaurants, and they serve a yummy breakfast as well. But for the moment, I crave the pumpkin pancakes at FatApple's down the street. Their breakfasts are better than their dinners, I have to say. The bacon there is really good, too.

posted by bethanye 10:20:00 AM   

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I've heard people say that they have two families. Their old family -- the biological one that you get stuck with -- and their new family -- the people you love and surround yourself with. Sometimes, there are intersections between these two sets, but not necessarily. I'm lucky -- I have my "new" family, which happens to include my biological sister, my aunts, my grandparents. But more even fortunately, it also includes Molly, who is as much my sister as MoMo. So, where am I going with this? The thing is, you're supposed to be stuck with the bio family, throughout it all, blood is thicker than water, all that crap. But it turns out that you're not stuck with them after all. If you love them, or have guilt or some other driving force locking you into it, and you choose to continue a relationship with them -- it's your option. No one is actually making you do it, short of the omnipresent guilt that comes with deciding that relationships -- long LONG term relationships -- should sometimes end.
I'm not saying that I'm not going to speak to them anymore; it's not that. But I'm not going to put out any effort in that direction anymore, either.
See, I love my sister(s), my nephew, my aunts, my grandparents... They love me, too. They treat me with respect, as though I am valued by them. Why should I continue to pursue relationships that are almost wholly defined by their absence of respect, support, and affection? What if they are only recently transformed into that sort of "relationship"? Do you hang on for old time's sake? I don't think I can. I'm not going to push anyone away, but in the case I'm referring to right now -- clearly NOT anyone mentioned thusfar in this post -- I'm not going to put out any more effort, either. I don't have the desire to waste my energy that way. I can put it to better use. Like "Dance, Dance, Revolution"!!

posted by bethanye 9:45:00 AM   

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2003-08-03

 

Soon. It will be over soon. It's not unbearable, but, still, I'm ready for it to end.

posted by bethanye 8:17:00 PM   

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2003-08-01

 

Bar Exam Update! MoMo thinks she did okay on the test overall. The first day she did well, the third day she did well, the second day she "crashed and burned". But maybe not. It's difficult to say. We'll see how it turned out in November.

posted by bethanye 11:49:00 AM   

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45.56213% - Super Geek. From The Geek Test, no big surprise to me or anyone else.

posted by bethanye 9:55:00 AM   

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