Life

General ramblings connected to my personal life and activities.

Then it hit me…

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I was reminded of this poster tonight when I ran across an interview with its creator (Update: the original link seems to have died, here’s the Internet Archive’s cached version).

Then it hit me..., Seattle, WA

When did “it” (the concept for the poster) hit you?

Marilyn: I can remember exactly when “it” hit me. It was late one night after serving tables all afternoon and evening. I got home and I just laid down on the floor. I was exhausted and staring at the ceiling of my room thinking “what the fuck?” knowing that I would have to be back at the restaurant the next day and the day after and the day after…it just starts wearing you out, especially when you’re not interested in the work. […] With a 9-5 your time is completely strangled and sucked up.

[…] You go from pre-school to elementary school to middle school to high school and then off to college. Everyone is telling you how great you are going to be along the way like “Keep up the good work!”

Suddenly college is over and you’re pushed out into the meat-grinder (workforce) with no work experience and often times you just get ground up by employers who aren’t interested in you as a human being. All they care about is that you wear your name tag, smile, and work for next to nothing. It’s tricky.

I go through times like this every so often — generally, right around my birthday, when I roll another year forward without feeling like I’ve actually progressed anywhere of note. It hasn’t been hitting me as strongly this year as it has in the past (something I’m incredibly grateful for), but — without getting into much detail at all — recent frustrations at work (nothing in particular, just the usual day-to-day frustrations that come with any job) have stirred it up a touch.

Knowing myself and the way I work, chances are that it’ll fade away again before too terribly long (not entirely coincidentally, probably about the time things settle down on the work front again). Still…better to recognize that it’s there and work my way through it than just try to shove it onto my mental back burner where it can sit and simmer unattended until it boils over.

Current plans have Prairie and I moving in together in a few months, and as soon as possible afterwards, I’ll be taking a break from the 40-hour, 9-5 work week and putting my skinny butt back in school. Right now, I’m really looking forward to being able to do that, and start finding a way to give my brain something more challenging than glorified trained monkey work.

It won’t happen overnight, of course…but it’s long past time that I finally started down on that path. It’ll be nice when it happens, and it’s getting closer every day….

iTunes “Overture (from West Side Story)” by Green, Johnny/Orchestra from the album Movie Music: The Definitive Performances (1961, 4:40).

Camp Tomato!

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So yesterday was Jason Webley‘s Camp Tomato. Prairie and I weren’t entirely sure just what the day would have in store, but we figured it would be fun, so after waking her up from a nap — she, unfortunately, has been battling off the last stages of the same nasty bug I was fighting last week — we hopped in the car and headed over to Woodland Park.

(This one’s long, folks — around 3200 words, 17 images, and one video — the rest is after the cut….)

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Weekend Plans

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  • Friday: Dinner (Chicken curry, yum!) and probably some birthday cake (homemade carrot cake, also yum!) with Prairie, then the 10pm showing of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy at the Cinerama (I so love going to geek-centric movies on opening night).

  • Saturday: Camp Tomato, followed by Jason Webley‘s spring concert at the Paradox.

  • Sunday: More birthday stuff at home (presents yay!), and probably watching Finding Neverland before Prairie has to head home in the afternoon. Right now, my evening is probably going to be seeing if I can sort/delete/backup enough stuff on my ‘puter to let me do a complete clean install (aka Nuke and Pave) when Tiger arrives.

Not a bad little lineup for the weekend, I’d say.

Nasty bug

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I’ve spent the majority of the last 31 hours or so either unconscious or in a very woozy half-conscious state, thanks to being hit with a nasty cold bug. Loads of fun, let me tell you. Ugh. Right now, I’m just hoping that since it hit me over the weekend and I could spend that much time resting, I’ve knocked the majority of it out of my system, and making it through the work day won’t be too much of a strain.

Before the bug took me out of commission, though, Prairie and I did spend some time on Saturday afternoon out at the Arboretum, and there’s a bunch of new flower shots added to my Arboretum photoset, starting with this fern.

And now, off to soak in a hot shower and hope that the workday isn’t too crazy. Posting may very well be light for the next few days — I’m thinking early bedtimes are going to be a good idea until I’m sure I’ve got this bug taken care of.

iTunes “Groove Radio pres. House (full mix)” by Various Artists from the album Groove Radio pres. House (full mix) (1997, 1:13:46).

April Seattle Weblogger’s Meetup

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I finally made it out to another Weblogger’s meetup! It was long past time, as the last time I’d made it out was back in November. While I don’t have much basis for comparison, it seemed to be a pretty good turnout again, 20-some people all told, I’d guess. People I know were there and can remember names or websites for include Anita Rowland, Chas, Chris Prillo, TDavid, Jake, Dayment, Jeannie, and Samantha, plus a bunch more people that my brain couldn’t hold onto names or URLs for. I’m sure Anita will have a full attendee list soon.

I’ve tossed some photos up into a photoset, named and tagged as much as possible. Of course, if anyone can identify any of the people I had to leave unnamed, comment and tag away!

(Photo courtesy of Chris Pirillo)

iTunes “Cornflake Girl” by Amos, Tori from the album Under the Pink (1994, 5:07).

Heteroflexible

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One of the mailing lists I belong to (though I don’t chime in terribly often) is that of the Utilikilts Yahoo! Group. For the past few days there’s been an interesting discussion of sexuality. Over the course of the discussion, I just stumbled across a new term that I’d not heard before, but that I like a lot.

My own experience has been a interesting adventure. I had always been devout hetero. I like men. I like the way they feel, the way they smell (most of the time). I like the masculineness (if that’s a word) of a man. I like to feel feminine in his big hands and strong arms. I like sex with a man. That being said, I discovered in the last couple of years that an occational romp with another woman is just plain fun. My husband says “For instant lesbian, just add taquilla”… that’s me, but does that make me gay or just a horny drunk?

yes. although the term i’ve heard bandied about is heteroflexible.

Heteroflexible. What a wonderful word — especially for someone who’s comfortable self-identifying as 85-90% straight. Apparently this isn’t a new word, either, though it’s the first time I’d run across it.

Here’s Word Spy’s definition:

heteroflexible (het.ur.oh.FLEKS.uh.bul) n. A heterosexual person who is open to relationships with people of the same sex. —adj. Also: hetero-flexible, heteroflex.
-—heteroflexibility n.

iTunes “Transitions” by Beastie Boys, The from the album Ill Communication (1994, 2:31).

Social Realist

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Some silly/fun astrology bits from #flickr tonight…

djwudi: what’re you doing, underbunny?
underbunny: …I’m reading from my favorite astrobooks, dj.
djwudi: aah, okies
platinum: UB, what was the title of that book again?
underbunny: …the Secret Language of Birthdays, & then there’s the Secret Language of Relationships.
underbunny: …gimme your birthday, dj!
djwudi: May 3
djwudi: ’bout two weeks ’til I hit 32
djwudi: whee!
platinum: Lord, May is that close? Wow!
underbunny: …May 3, the Day of the Social Realist.
underbunny: …strengths are insightful, clever & charming.
underbunny: …weaknesses are demanding, procrastinating & head-headed.
underbunny: …oops!
underbunny: …hard-headed. :)
djwudi: I am not stubborn!
djwudi: dammit
djwudi stomps his foot
underbunny: …hehe.
underbunny: …got someone to match with?
djwudi laughs
djwudi: Nov. 3
djwudi: my g/f
underbunny: …dj, you’re not going to like it.
djwudi laughs
underbunny: …May 3 & November 3.
djwudi: that’s encouraging
djwudi: gimme the bad news…
underbunny: …k.
underbunny: …it’s got a pretty title? :)
underbunny: …Crusading Spirit.
underbunny: …o wait!
underbunny: …read the wrong one!
underbunny: …which you’re not going to like either. :D
djwudi laughs!
djwudi: doomed!
djwudi: doomed, I tell you!
underbunny: …also pretty title.
djwudi: star cross’d lovers, and all that
underbunny: …Second Childhood.
underbunny: …strengths are entertaining, youthful & relaxed.
underbunny: …weaknesses are closed off, misdirected & stubborn.
underbunny: …best for friendship.
underbunny: …worst for love.
djwudi: hmmmmmmm…
djwudi: well, we seem to be doing well so far
djwudi: I’ll just keep my fingers crossed :D

Admittedly, I don’t put much stock in astrology or such things, but I’ll freely admit that they’re fun to play with. I think Prairie and I are doing better than this book seems to expect, though…

iTunes “Home (Air ‘Around the Golf’ Remix)” by Depeche Mode from the album Remixes 81-04 (Limited Edition) (2004, 3:55).

Pop!

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Argh!

There’s a sound effect in the song I’m listening to right now — “Useless (The Kruder + Dorfmeister Session)” by Depeche Mode, off of Remixes 81-04 (Limited Edition) — that sounds nearly exactly like the “pop” noise iChat makes when I get a new message from someone I’m not currently in a conversation with and a new window pops on screen.

I looked around my screen three times in a row before I figured out where the “pop” noises were coming from.

I’m a dork.

iTunes “Useless (The Kruder + Dorfmeister Session)” by Depeche Mode from the album Remixes 81-04 (Limited Edition) (2004, 9:07).