FML

This morning I read this.

Tonight, I get an email from my mom regarding my Facebook profile picture that says:
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't like that photo of you in those big glasses. It really creeps me out for some reason. It's not cute or flattering. Sorry but I had to tell you."

Not flattering applies to me in turtlenecks at age (almost) 24, not a picture of me at age 4 that she probably took!

I'm changing my picture anyway now just because I don't want to think about her every time I look at my profile, which is at least 17 times a day. Back to tallying minigolf scores for Carlton and the chubies!

Random addendum:
I would like to thank Mr. Kanye West and his latest album for adding genre variety to the sort of music that suits my mood this week.

Oh Moon, Oh Man [edited]

This is the first time I have really felt the influence of lunar events on my life. It could be coincidental, I may be going crazy, but everything seems to be really oddly in synch right now. I am seeing symmetry and circles in everything. Things are happening so quickly. And most of these things aren't great. Yet I am feeling strangely grounded. I have a renewed sense of purpose and clarity even though I'm also confused as all hell. I read my horoscope for the month today, too, and was pretty amazed by its accuracy.

Note to Ally, the second the moon gets a little thinner, I won't be talking, or at least not blogging, about these things anymore. It will be your realm and you'll be the only author on the subject in the whole entire blogger world.

Here's to another feelings-filled blog post!

February

At the end of January, I decided I was going to try to like February this year. I have hated this month the past few years because winter seems to be at its worst and it felt even worse (worse than worst?) because I had usually just returned from a trip to some place warm (SF was the case all through school, last year it was the business trip to Phoenix). And then hello, hellish February.

My end of January forecast for February this year was bright and filled with happiness and sunshine. While the weather forecasts are proving to be true (apparently it's nearing 50 degrees outside today), my happiness forecast is proving to be false.

I think I'll be okay, but this was maybe the shittiest week of all weeks I've had since I moved here. I'm feeling a little better now because it's Saturday and I have plans tonight that I've been looking forward to for quite awhile. But this week was just bad. Weirdly bad. I received bad news about my mom's dad on Tuesday, stepmom's dad on Wednesday. And their illnesses are semi-related.

Last night while cooking dinner, I burned my wrist pretty badly and now have a suspicious mark there. My week wasn't that bad! I swear it's just a burn!

I apologize, readers. I don't normally blog about my feelings (or maybe I do?), but it was necessary. Thanks.

February, you have three weeks to redeem yourself.

Hibernation

I watched a lot more Heroes this weekend. And Benjamin Button. And at least 5 hours of cooking-related shows: Top Chef, Iron Chef, other Food Network stuff. That's a lot of viewing for one weekend, but I had nice company through it all. I think all those shows inspired me to cook, so that's what I've been doing this evening.

I just made a banging chili (and cornbread!). This is my recipe and you should follow it because it rules and it's pretty healthy, too:
Ground turkey meat (I used like 1.25 lbs)
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tbs chili powder
3 tbs cumin
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Secret ingredient: 1 bottle of dark beer (not Guinness dark, a brown ale will do the trick)
Salt and peppa

Saute meat + onion (approx 10 min)
Add spices and garlic
Cook for 5 more
Add canned veggies + beer
Cover, not fully
Cook for 1 hour
Stir occasionally
Add water if chili gets dry
Drink the rest of the 6-pack for maximum warming effects

"You were nothing but a vanity project to me"

I found this t-shirt today. A WSPN t-shirt that was made my sophomore year, I believe. I haven't worn it ages. In fact, I had it in a pile of clothes I wanted to give to my friend Sara cuz she always liked them better than I did, but I never made it back to Brooklyn before moving to Chi, so that didn't happen.

Wearing this shirt has got me thinking about some of my favorite WSPN memories and thought I'd blog about it. How about reverse chronological order:

1. The last week of our senior year finding "WSPN, you were nothing but a vanity project to me," signed Alissa DeVogel on the whiteboard.
2. Alissa discovering 2+ year-old milk in the WSPN office fridge. I wasn't there. TG.
3. Finding "biddies" for Myles on Facebook instead of performing our music director duties. Other distractions included Shannon's giggle fits and marveling at Sam's height.
4. When Ike told me and Alissa that we were the upper crust of Skidmore society -- clearly because of our power held at WSPN.
5. Crying because moronic sophomores who called the station "wispin" were gaining power and we were getting old.
6. Having the school sponsor our passes to CMJ two years in a row. Which meant the school sponsored our attending open bar concerts and minimal conferences. RJD2 and Gang of Four show sponsored by Sauza Tequila being the true highlight. Also stopping at Mantee's in Westchester and eating ribs and rice his grandma made for us.
7. Discovering Rhonda. Watching Kelly Clarkson performing whiskey wasted on YouTube. Plunger bowling. All the things Mantonio showed me... Soulm8 4ever.
8. Breaking unwanted LPs by throwing them against the lockers with Laura and Nick in the middle of one drunken Saturday night.
9. Getting calls during an early morning show by a guy who told me he felt like 50 Cent without a G-Unit whenever he went to Wilton Mall and asked me if he went to college, if he would find his G-Unit. Did I have a G-Unit, he wondered?... I learned years later this dude was Charlie McC.
10. Gettin' mono.

Also, the free music and having first crack at it. Yeah, that was pretty great.

A Week of Firsts

The monumental:


President (No-Longer-Elect) Obama. Sounds so great.

I had a lovely Inauguration Day. About 30 people in our office sat around the big TV in the lobby and watched the coverage. To celebrate that night, I cooked a delicious dinner, and we drank Proseco to toast a new era!

The mundane, at least in comparison to the above:

I started watching Heroes for the first time. I watched the first and second disc of the first season and am already hooked. This is a show I have been meaning to watch for years. Dear friend Drew was the first one to recommend, and since Drew and I love a lot of the same things and are birthday buddies, I don't know why I didn't listen earlier.

I ate my first Jimmy John's sandwich. All I can say is I didn't have to pay for it.

The smell of famous Garrett's popcorn disgusted me so much, I changed a walking route I used to take to work. Today, my boss brought some in. I had my first taste of the famous cheese and caramel mix. If you don't think about how disgusting it is, it's pretty tasty. Otherwise, woof.

I changed my route to work and for the first time since I moved here I have been happy with my morning commute. What a good idea to have the Purple line run the opposite direction than the Brown around the Loop! I'm so over the Blue Line. At least until it's warm enough again for me to walk and ice doesn't line the sidewalks.

I noticed birds chirping when I left my house. I felt pretty happy go lucky for even noticing this and more so for being happy about it. Apparently I was not alone in this appreciation. Two coworkers commented on the same thing.

I have had two diet Cokes this week. I never drink soda. I blame this on popcorn. I think this is the first week since maybe freshmen year of college that I've had more than one soda in a week. Probably even a month.

This is the first week I have kept my New Year's resolution of not going on WebMd. I am trying really hard to stop being such a fucking hypochondriac. Not visiting that site is definitely helping.

Corporate Me Schmoozin and Boozin with the Art Kids

I went to a Skidmore Young Alumni happy hour the other night and was quite amused by the event. I wouldn't have gone if I didn't know people were going, but thanks to Facebook, I knew exactly who was (and who was just a maybe). What was funny about this little soiree is that the radio (me & Cliff)/Art (Clea & people I didn't know)/English (me & people I didn't know)/gays (Ryan & Craig) clumped together and the business/jocks/probably lived at Alpine stayed on the other side of the area we were occupying. I know this isn't that crazy because people know others through the classes they take and the activities they do and the bars they frequent (it was definitely a DA's vs TNL situation), but I actually knew the same amount of people on both sides, but didn't break their circle until my way out when a friendly volleyball player from San Francisco who was in my Sex and Power class my last semester stopped me for a hug. What was also funny about this is that the "others," if female, drank white wine, and if male, vodka. Our group was a mix of beer, red wine, and whiskey, crossing all gender lines. Just an observation.

When I came home from the event my only piece of mail was a letter from Skidmore asking me for money. I get these a lot, but this time it had a bottle opener in it! I already notified Ally of this synchronicity.

I am going to see Revolutionary Road tonight. My obsession with Mad Men makes me think I will like this movie (same era, similar themes). I wonder if anyone will yell "I'm the king of the world" if Leo does anything triumphant or "Never let go" when something (Probably not an iceberg - I don't think there are icebergs in Westchester county - I was just there last week) shakes their marriage.