I need to be grounded. No, really. Everything I touch shocks me. This static electricity thing is getting really annoying - and painful. I find myself cringing every time I have to reach for something metal. Cars, handles, faucets, zippers, it's all the same: *ZAP!* I'm afraid I'm going to destroy some electrical equipment. Is there some sort of permanent thingy or something I could wear to prevent this?

I had a rather jingly Christmas, and probably the nicest one in years.

This year my family fully embraced amazon.com's convenient wish list - everybody had created one! However, it also seemed that everyone felt that one DVD movie was not enough of a gift. I ended up receiving 10 movies altogether! That in itself was a bit shocking - all these movies, and not one repeat! I also ended up with 8 books and a CD. When I commented on the excessiveness, mom pointed out that it was mostly what I had on my wish list. True enough, but what else can I put up? I don't have a house, so I can't list household goods. Clothes are a bear to fit right now, so that's kind of out, so what else is there, besides cash donations to my upcoming graft surgery? And food? Lots of food?

I did receive a tool bag from my aunt, so now I can add tools to my list. Good tools. Tools that are mine, and I'll know where they are so I don't have to hunt for half an hour in a grungy garage. *dreams a bit*

Of course, then there was Harvey's gift. It was the reason I had a jingly Christmas. He gave me a black Egyptian belly dance type scarf, covered in beads and little metal discs that, well, jingled when you moved. a LOT. As he had left it on my desk at work and gone home, I waited til Christmas morning to open it. My family just kind of stopped dead when I pulled it out of the box. Then mom started to laugh. I stood up and tied it around my waist. Mom started laughing harder. I wiggled a bit. Then a bit more. Then a lot. Mom nearly started crying, she was laughing so hard.

I wore the damned thing all day. It was worth it for the looks on people's faces.

Merry Christmas!

Fifteen Things to do at Walmart while Christmas shopping (as submitted to my non-mini chat list)
1. Get 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in peoples carts when they aren't looking.
2. Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3 Make a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the rest rooms.
4 Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone, 'Code 3'in housewares .... and see what happens.
5 Go the Service Desk and ask to put a bag of M&M's on lay away.
6 Move a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7 Set up a tent in the camping department and tell other shoppers you'll invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.
8 When a clerk asks if they can help you, begin to cry and ask 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
9 Look right into the security camera; use it as a mirror, and pick your nose.
10 While handling guns in the hunting department, ask the clerk if he knows where the anti- depressants are.
11 Dart around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.
12 In the auto department, practice your "Madonna look" using different size funnels.
13 Hide in a clothing rack and when people browse through, say "PICK ME!"
14 When an announcement comes over the loud speaker, assume the fetal position and scream "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"
15 Go into a fitting room and shut the door and wait a while; and,then, yell, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

*Creeps in, places a bowl on the blog floor, and begins singing for tips*

My dentist sent me to a periodontist over concerns of gum recession of one of my lower teeth. Well, guess what the periodonist wants to do!

I'm rather proud of myself - I didn't pass out this time. Either I'm getting used to dental work or he didn't go into great detail concerning the aspects of this upcoming surgery.

Yes, that's right. I'm not sure I can describe it without thinking, "EW!!" He plans to remove some gum tissue from the top of my mouth and place it over the over-exposed tooth. A few stitches and in a few weeks, good as new. EW! EW! ICK! *waves hands frantically*

I really don't want to do this. I'm not sure I can AFFORD to do this. The surgery itself is nearly $900, and if I want to be sedated, it comes out to around $1,300. Guess what my insurance doesn't cover? However, I also don't want to lose another tooth, and that's a possibility if I keep losing tissue the way I have been. I could always change my mind about being put under and save a few hundred dollars, but I would really like to be sedated for this. There's no way I want to be awake while someone's slowly cutting away skin from the roof of my mouth and then sewing it to the front of my teeth. (EW! ick! *claps hand over mouth*) Even if I have been numbed.

And of course, to add to everything, my mom is really upset about the whole thing. "Why do they have to do this? Can't they wait? You're going to starve to death!" and so on.

So in the next two months I need to gain 10 pounds and $1,000. Joy to the World.

Odinist.com -> Yule - An Expose

Welcome to a history of where modern Christmas traditions originated. Makes you think twice about, as Dave Barry so eloquently put it, placing a dead tree in your living room and eating candy out of your socks.

Spent yesterday evening at work, assisting at an interview shoot. Or, a least, trying to assist. The only thing I could do was prove that the equipment wasn't working and we would have to resort to a Plan B in order to get the interviews on tape. Earlier I had discovered that for some reason, the audio was running through the VCR and the video was running through the DVD recorder. At the time I wasn't too concerned as the only thing I needed was the audio. Now it turned out to be a problem, because we needed both together. I was not a bit pleased, and we tried everything we could think of to get it to work.

I'm of the opinion that one of the cables went bad, and it's simply a matter of figuring out which one. It's a giant mess of cables behind the equipment, and all of that needs to be cleaned up. Guess who gets to do it?

Gilbert wants the show to air around January 10 - it's a behind-the-scenes preview for a shakespeare play that will be performed in late January. He told me he needed to get a few more interviews (on location, thankfully) and then we could edit it the week after Christmas. I told him the office was closed that week. He didn't take the hint. I haven't had any sort of vacation in two years. I was really looking forward to ignoring the office til January 3. Now I don't even get that. Dammit.

And the latest accessory for my braces is . . . *drum roll*

Power chains!

I always try to take it as a good sign when she installs something new in my mouth. It implies progress. Basically it's a rubber band with holes in it that go over my brackets. They're stretched across my bottom teeth and will move my teeth to fill the gaps left by the teeth I had extracted. They're also black - I was told this was the strongest. Every time I look at it, I can't help but think that it looks like my teeth are wearing tiny Zorro-like (or The Incredibles') masks. I'm just grateful that my lower lip covers them unless I deliberately bare my teeth. It looks ugly. and now my teeth hurt again.

I never made it to work today. I barely made it to work yesterday. I'll definitely be late tomorrow. It must be nice to work in a place where you'll actually be missed if you don't show up. Or at least scolded. Sometimes, I wish someone would pay attention to what I do at my job. Does anyone there even KNOW what I do? Or care? The way I've been feeling, I think that airing that fishtank tape is sounding better and better. The worst they can do is fire me. That's not bad . . .

Instead, I went to get a haircut and then went Christmas shopping with my mother at the Dulles mall. I managed to get nearly all of it done, although I cheated and generalized the uncles. Someday I'll do better.

In the food court, while we were wandering and trying to figure out what Mom could eat, she suddenly noticed, at the far end, a full sized carousel. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, how darling! I want to ride on it!" So I bought two tickets, and we went in circles for a bit, sitting inside a grand carriage that rocked back and forth. We weren't sure if there was a weight limit on the horses, so we played it safe. I have no idea when they installed an entire carousel there, but it was fun.

Completely Useless, Yet Interesting, Facts Collection

I found This pendant while browsing web site after web site for chandeliers. I'd like to see a room designed around it. I picture gothic architecture, nooks and dormer windows, a lot of walnut shelving stuffed with books, and dark walls, possibly a deep burgundy. Sometimes it's a piece that inspires you (like that Kohler Commercial, where the woman wants a house designed around one of their faucets). At other times, it's an idea or a color that inspires you. The bedroom I designed was based on the many palm trees I see everywhere in stores. It seems to be a popular item.

The troublesome dining room is slowly coming together. I had two ideas, and discovered I could combine them. It's now going to be a Georgian dining room, with Chinese Chippendale inspired furniture. The colors will be red, gold and white, with, hopefully hints of green thrown in. I can use oriental vases and possibly scrolls to add oriental influences to the room, but now I realize I don't have to. The colors I wanted to use were the colors of apples - red, green and yellow. It might be better suited to a kitchen or a plain breakfast room. It's an idea I'll keep tucked away for later. I have to figure out the evil lighting and find two display type tables, or pedestals, or possibly niches inset into the wall, if I get desperate.

Coudal Partners

I feel that this site is an incredibly wonderful and amusing revenge to get back at those stupid people who spend all their time talking on the cell phone in public places. just print off the PDF file and start handing them out!

I made this a day devoted to finishing my class. I didn't get a lot done. I DID discover that the table I had picked out was a Chippendale style. A lot of oriental influences went into several of his furniture lines, so I'm right on track with what I've invisioned for this dining room project. It also means that if I get hung up on oriental, I can always move more into English 18th century styles and it will work out.

I found some beautiful golden Daiponi silk at G Street Fabrics, and a magnificent floral piece full of reds and golds. Now that I have colors to work off of, I can try to come up with something for the walls. Something that will match, anyway.

The most frustrating thing about this project is having to do THREE rooms. That's a lot of running around work and can cause quite a bit of confusion. To add to the confusion, I'm also looking for ideas for the basement, which is an actual project, and the 'real' redesign for the living room. Mom told me quite plainly that I could design whatever I wanted for the course, but she was going to actually redo the living room on her own. Yup, there's some real motivation for me to finish the living room project. She LIKES her living room. She just wants to replace the ancient couch, deteriorating chair, and some of the lighting. I have a hard time arguing with that. She has a keen sense for interior design, and knows what she likes and what works well together. Except, of course, for the wallpaper in the dining room . . .

I went to the Giant pharmacy today to pick up my prescription. (probably about the only productive thing I did today.) I'm a bit relieved that my insurance company is finally picking up part of the tab. I'm now paying $15 instead of $40 a month, and that's quite a savings, particularly for me and my tiny income. Apparently I have to spend a certain amount before they'll start chipping in . Part of me protests. I have to send them money every month, and yet pay doctor's bills until I hit their rather high deductable limit. I think it's $600, which is most likely around 7 doctor visits a year. I figure by that time, it'll be a new year and they'll start all over again. Who goes to see doctors that often? I visit the dentist twice a year, which they don't cover, the eye doctor, which they don't cover, the gynecologist, which they cover if they feel like it, and a family physician if I do get sick or need allergy medicine. I feel like I'm gambling with them about getting sick, and I'll only win if I DO get sick. And that just doesn't sit quite right with me. Surely there's a better way to do this?


Back at the pharmacy, I had a funny experience. The man behind the counter smiles and says, "Hello! How's your mother?" I've never seen him before, that I can recall, and have certainly never discussed my mother with pharmacists. He recognized me because I look like her! My mom has that impact in stores she visits regularly. The workers in the Food Lion argue about who gets to work on Thursdays, when she and my grandmother shop. One of the women in the dry cleaners gave her a pecan pie. It's really very amusing, because if I'm out with my mom, at a social event, she tends to hide herself in a corner, smile, and hold very still. When she's in her element she's a queen. People like her because she knows how to listen. She can get anyone to talk just by smiling and asking questions. The CIA should hire her. She certainly practices on me.

I have a dilemma.

The promo I made for downtown Herndon needs to be submitted to the cable company in Beta SP format. A format we don't use, and is too expensive to acquire - at least, for just one 30 second video. So! There's bound to be someplace that will transfer it for me, right? RIGHT??? The question is, where do I go, and how much will it cost me?

Sad to say, Sylvanas in Herndon has closed its doors. Rumors run wild and are quite entertaining to hear, but since they're rumors, I won't share them here.

I'm disappointed. They had the best souvlaki - it was something I could always eat, even when I wasn't hungry for anything. And they were right across the street. I understand, however, that one of the former chefs opened up a restaurant in Ashburn. I'm gonna have to trek out there one day and compare.

At times, I've wished my life was as interesting as my dreams. But not always. The past couple of nights, I've dreamt I was shot. Five times, each dream. And I survive. I don't get it. I generally assume my dreams are affected by stuff I've been exposed to during the day, movies, books, and so forth, but all I've seen lately are a few kung fu movies, and they don't bother with guns. I miss my flying dreams. I haven't had one of those in ages. I guess I just haven't felt like soaring. Now I'm reduced to halfway dead. Bang.

Maybe tonight I'll find out who's holding the gun.

*Pulls out her overly long To Do List*

Yay! I can take stuff off!

Work Related:

*Have had Dan and Jeff from the cable company messing with the equipment, trying to track the problem. Or at least, a problem with our broadcast. Any problem. At least somebody else is looking into it.
*Finished the Holiday Lighting Show
*Finished the 30 second ad

Of course, I've discovered that I have controller errors in the D drive, not the E drive as I previously suspected. As soon as I get the ad off the computer I'm going to try loading drivers for the D drive. (apparently the RAID drive claims that it doesn't need drivers?)

Home Related:

*Tiled my grandparent's kitchen island.

Hmm. In spite of my miserable mornings and ending up going in late, I've managed to get more done at work than at home. I also have more things to add to the list. It just won't stop!

Source: www.dictionary.com

Busy

1. Engaged in activity, as work; occupied.
2. Sustaining much activity: a busy morning; a busy street.
3. Meddlesome; prying.
4. Being in use, as a telephone line.
5. Cluttered with detail to the point of being distracting: a busy design.
6. A useful, unarguable excuse to get out of doing unwanted work or meeting with unwelcome company: "No, I can't, I'm *cough* busy." (See also, "Sorry, I'm Sick.")

Uh huh. Like I've never had to play this game before. Is it some sort of ancient, time-honored tradition that I'm unaware of? If it is, then it SUCKS.