Princess Pattern

I'm realizing there is a pattern this year of "Princesses". Clare had a Princess Diaries birthday party with Princess party favors followed by a Princess tea. My co-worker keeps getting called "Princess" by her 4 year old son. My mother has befriended a woman with a dog named "Princess Kaylene." I befriended a girl who found out she was a Princess of Sierra Leone (while she was researching her adoption). My other friend just told me yesterday that she found out she was the "granddaughter of the second wife of the king of Thailand" which is a princess... we think. Also an adoption story. Well some of those items were a stretch for pattern but still!

dwindling...

I'm posting less because I'm no longer as fixated on the blog as I was... and it was Christmas and busy and stuff.

Meanwhile... yesterday I discovered the joys of Zazzle.com so that'll keep me occupied for a few days.

RE Comment

T - Under the pic of the lava lamp it says "lick to enlarge"

Miam - thank you for helping me.

Inappropriate for children

HAhahahhahaHA.... ha...

...breathe....

Superman Lava Lamp

(Look closely at the picture.)

(Quick before they fix it...)

What is this? Miriam's life?

4 days until Christmas.... *most* Christmas shopping is complete BUT not all! So of course I lost my wallet....

I'm now playing with this "Hello" program by Google. Seems fun. 

By the By

The everyday work stuff got moved to this new blog:

http://hellagoodloot.blogspot.com

Tonawanda

Tonawanda is not a town you hear of often but its familiar to me as I've been there quite a few times in my life. (And no, Leslie, its not because it sounds like "Towanda.") It's a little town off of Buffalo and near Niagra Falls - its where my Aunt (dad's sister) and Uncle lived. (Well my uncle still lives there.)

Anyway we've been receiving, and rather suddenly, a slew of orders from Tonawanda. I figure this is a message or a "hello" from my aunt or a "check on your uncle." Since I acknowledged this on Thanksgiving there's been one more order from Tonawanda. I think that was a "thanks for getting the message" order.

Wanted

Here's an e-mail from Hollywood Boss this morning:


"I write from Brazil. Got a hundred incidents here to remember. From Brazil to London to Paris and back home 8 December. All this accomplished without you but I am missing an Itinerary, updated everything. Erin, it ain´t the same without you, but you know that and I know you delight in knowing how much I want you and need you and that you don´´t care]! Woe is me.
xoxoxo
...........adrift"

The problem

The problem with making new friends is that there is a lot of conversation that has to take place before one can be labeled a "good friend" or even just "friend" (as opposed to acquaintance). Meanwhile the "good friends" you already have drift farther and farther away due to physical distance and life and personal growth and WHATEVER.

So I've got a few new friends this year... but since I'm starting out with "distance and life and personal growth" its taking a long time to "spend time." And whenever I get together with existing "good freinds" I start living in the past from when we used to spend time together.

In Erin's perfect world - we'd all live in a dorm so we could all be "just down the hall." (This may be why I've always found the thought of prison appealing.)

Wha?

Today I got my Emerson alumni magazine thingamajig. I turned to the "Class Notes" section as I usually do to find out who in my class is succeeding (so I can hate them).

The first thing I noticed was the big picture of Charles in front of a mountain...I expected a caption about him climbing the mountain but instead it was his update about getting hired at Microsoft. (No mention of his marriage of course...cuz he's weird about that stuff.)

Then I noticed the "In Memorium" section and saw someone from the class of 2000 had died. Not only was it "someone" but "someone" that I actually knew! That kinda blew me away. No mention of how or when or why... just a name.

This girl was one of the three people in the film group I was president of - me being the third. It was me, Kyra and Susanna. (Susanna is the one who died.) We are the three that did everything (well, I did everything and they showed up and helped sometimes). Its funny because I'd thought of Susanna earlier this year - someone I met "looked familiar" and I placed the familiarity after flipping through the year book and seeing Susanna's pic. I remember her briefly.. the way she smiled. That's about it. Damn my horrible memory - I'd forgotten she existed entirely until I saw that picture.

So I sat there thinking about all of this... and then I remembered hearing once that the dead can be with you "at the speed of thought." So I figured I should stop thinking about Susanna while on the toilet.

Bloggin' the Vote

So I had to vote before work (which begins at 7:30 in North Hollywood) and got to my polling place at 7:00 (in Monrovia) when it opened. Miriam followed shortly behind.

The line was only about 20 or so people deep. There was one panicked polling lady that couldn't seem to find the names when they were read to her (one person to take your signature, and two other people to verify you or something). Hopefully she's calmed by now.

I don't like InkaVote! I've done it once before but the fat barrel-width thing gets stuck in the hole when you punch it through. If they made it JUST a smidgen smaller it would be fine.

I actually did screw up my ballot when I didn't turn my sample ballot page and marked all "Yes"'s on an all "No" page.

Why is that voting in movies and on television seems so much more glamourous than my polling place? My "voting booth" was some corrugated plastic on some flimsy plastic blue legs...and NOT very private.

But I have submitted my votes!

Overall, I've been maddeningly cynical and though WANTING to get active in election protection and pro-Kerry stuff... I haven't. The most I've gotten out of my comfort zone (which is still a plus) is by putting a Kerry/Edwards sticker on my car (mind you, its taped to my inside window so I'm not the geek with the four year old bumper sticker years from now) and by sending a "Why I'm Voting For Kerry" snapfish album to people. Then I got a little e-mail "into it" when a "friend" responded that he was voting for Bush. That's about it. OH and actually I did do a whole bunch of e-mailing to senators and calling radio stations and whatnot on behalf of MoveOn.org and MarriageEquality. So I guess that's something.

Last night I watched the Eminem video - I hope that motivates some people.

Oh and I got to work by 8:10 where the bosses were eager to hear if I had any troubles or conflicts! Nope... just my own lack of attention problem. I'd say my biggest voting dilemma was over Stem Cell Research which kinda creeps me out but could benefit people I know. Oh and I couldn't figure out the 3 Strikes Proposition thing so I just voted No because Miriam's dad advised once, "If you don't know what to vote, just vote No on a proposition. They're all written bad anyway." Sounded wise.

Eventually Columbia House realized I was NEVER going to buy anything from them and they cancelled my account. I'm now trying to ride out BMG... I got my free CDs back in college and have since NEVER purchased anything...but I always decline my featured selection. I think they're just WAITING for the day that I miss the e-mail or forget....we'll see who falters first.

Today I got insight into one of our customers because she sent an e-mail with her Live Journal address on it. This chick is DETERMINED to buy some dolls but her credit card keeps declining and her checks keep bouncing. But she keeps trying. Her Live Journal revealed her to be a bi-polar cutter with a spending problem....

Fred

T said Fred was having some trouble with the font color.... so I changed it to something up Fred's alley.

Ouch

Miriam just gave me a dramatic lecture about how "YOU GET TO WORK LATE! AND WHY? BECAUSE YOU'RE TIRED IN THE MORNING! AND WHY? BECAUSE YOU STAY UP TOO LATE!"

And then she tweaked my ear. :(

Pictage.com

Pictage.com

Yet again it is midnight... which means that yet again it is two hours after my bedtime!
Damn you, concept of time!

Brushes with celebrity

Saturday night I almost met a celebrity. We were almost introduced. We were in close proximity and I was INVITED to the event personally by the woman who was friends with this "wild and crazy" celebrity. She walked him around introducing him to people...yet my group of chatting people missed out on the intros. Probably cuz we were all chatting about whether we'd get an intro. But still... I'm friends with a chick who is adored by a celebrity! And that's pretty neat. The next day she invited me to an "incense burning" with an "incense-burner to the stars"... which I ended up backing out of because it seemed weird. (I think she thought it was weird too but it was her new boyfriend's friend's thing...) She invited the celebrity too... I don't know if he went.

Rainy...

It was an autumn day and I was walking through the Boston Public Garden twirling my umbrella in the air and whistling a happy tune while enjoying the melancholy weather when I passed an older man in a trench coat (who looks, in my memory, like the man from Prelude to a Kiss who was possessed by Meg Ryan). The older man looked at me and said:

"Hey lady - it isn't raining."

Nothing like Maria...

Maria Menounos

There's nothing quite like Maria Menounos to make me feel like a failure in life thus far.... tonight I threw pizza at the television when I saw her on a One Tree Hill ad.

That explains it...

Yesterday I found out that one of my former bosses had done the Landmark Forum. That explains why she was always giving me those empowering speeches around making phone calls! She'd say, "Pretend you're Xena." And I'd think, "Idiot! Xena didn't like talking either. That's why she had Gabrielle! Gah!"

Further tails

So I just told Mario at work about my parrot bite...this led to her revealing that her monkey escaped and bit three people and was featured on the Spanish station's "Real TV" television show as the "Mad Monkey."

My story is now null.

Anklebiters

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later!

I was finally attacked by my Hollywood Boss's parrot. We've had a stand-off for quite some time now so I was hoping it just wouldn't happen but alas - tonight it did. (By "stand-off" I mean that if the bird was out of his cage... I would stand-off in a locked room somewhere.) I was hoping there was an unstated pact between us considering I'd once saved his life by snatching him out of the jaws of a Rottweiller. (Mind you...the Rottweiller is a sweetheart that was probably trying to be friendly when the small green one attacked him.) The pact only lasted for that one day apparently.

Today I was a silent threat as Hollywood Boss allowed him to wander around her current quarters while saying sweet things like "Oh look who's coming to visit. Oh isn't he so smart. How does a bird with a pea-brain know his momma is in this room." Then, the genius that she is - knowing FULL WELL that he attacks feet, says "Move your feet a little so that he notices you're in the room." I comply and then hear her shout "PULL 'EM UP!!" as he beelines to my moving feet.

Now I have the evil bugger clamped to my ankle while I try not to panic and say "Pull what up??" She meant the feet which she is now removing him from. Wearing a confused and slightly shocked smile - I head for the bathroom and close the door while she carries the flapping freak to his cage.

The nastiest thing that the stupid college-named bird managed to do was NOT break the skin so I don't get to show off my ankle bite. All I have is a beak-clamp bruise.

Now I'm showing off my fake bravado while going into the room he's in to get myself a drink. Meanwhile, he's making bully-jumps at the bird toys in his cage to scare me. ("You want a piece of me?! Yeah bitch - I'll do it again! You see this rubber ball with the bell - yeah that's your other foot!")

Find YOUR AQ

Yeah - I saw those commercials. The lady on the skateboard cracked me up so I did have to go to the website (http://www.findyourAQ.com).

Guess what - its a car commercial!!

But just the same - my "Adventure Quotient" is Active Investigative Explorer. My secondary AQ is Inward Inspirational Seeker. Essentially - I'm open-minded, curious and into novelty. I'm seeking personal growth. Yeah - that makes sense. The website said I was part of a select group as only 2% of the test-takers were in this group. Miriam says that's code for "Weird and Obscure."

Window to the Soul

http://www.goodhealthnyou.com/features/features1.php3?id=51

So another friggin' person asked me what was wrong with my eye! And here I thought it was unnoticable now. Really its still red but not irritated or anything. It doesn't itch. I haven't been one-eyed crying. Doesn't feel scratched.

The optometrist (who I'd luckily scheduled an appointment with last Saturday) said he saw no scratches on the eye so it must just be some allergic reaction. The thing is - its not irritated! So I'm still clueless. I need one of those doctors that look in your eye and tell you what's wrong with your body. One googled site suggests that I might need some citrus...guess I'll try that.

My Gift

The Strangers In Paradise Website: SIPStore

Sure enough - I got a gift! My mom IMed me this evening to say that my Dad was asking if I wanted my gift subscription to PC Photo renewed. I said no but I would appreciate a renewal of my SiP subscription instead. I was advised to bring the mailing info over!

--------

Remember in school when you used to try to outdo your friends by telling them how little sleep you got. (I.E. Girl 1: "Man - I studied until 1 in the morning!", Girl 2: "Oh yeah well I studied until 2 and then my stupid baby brother woke us all up puking at 3 and we had to stay up all night to make sure he didn't die.", Girl 3: "Yeah well at least you got an hour! I got no sleep AND I didn't get to study!") (Girl 3 was the winner.)

Taysha and I got in a similar one minute battle this evening over who was poorer than who. I had to cut the game short but I still think I'm the winner.

What the Bleep Do We Know!? - The Movie

What the Bleep Do We Know!? - The Movie

So after seeing this last night I'm feeling in a rather "AH HAH! I WAS RIGHT" kind of mood. (Thank "God" I had ten bucks in my wallet cuz the accounts got closed yesterday.)

Admittedly, the movie got a bit high school video boring in the beginning-middle but the points I liked were Wow! (And the dancing peptides were hilarious.)

Some things I got out of it:

1) I'm clearly addicted to the "obsession emotion" peptide.
2) Heaven is smaller than a mustard seed!!!! I GET IT!!! That's cool!
3) I'm getting a sharpie and writing some words on some water bottles!!
4) Miriam and I are a tad juvenile as we giggled at the some of the documentary segments (like the man who wouldn't open his teeth and said "past" with a nasal sound).
5) I wish I was smart enough to learn Quantum Physics. In fact... I AM THE POSSIBILITY OF QUANTUM PHYSICS UNDERSTOOD.
6) Again...I'm juvenile. Marlee Matlin saying "She'sh shush an ashhoe!" made me laugh.
7) Where the hell are those particles going??? (Erin in a parallel universe: "Why the hell do those particles keep appearing?")
8) I've created myself in such a way that people do tell me that I remind them of Winona Ryder when I look NOTHING LIKE HER! This must be some sort of physical reality altering so that people can see it. (This happened after the movie.)


I created my day today..... I created that my boss's would bring in donuts. And they came in without donuts... and then one of them left and came back with a platter of coffee cake and donuts and we all sang Happy Birthday to Mario .... but it wasn't Mario's birthday at all. Larry had gotten the date wrong. I'm very clear that time is happening ALL AT ONCE and the "past" aligned so that Larry misunderstood Mario in such a way that allowed donuts to manifest for me. ("Creating the day" is from the movie but this whole time all at once thing was actually something my cousin said to me once.)

Just think of the possibilites........

Yeah right!

Here's a few thoughts:

1) Ignore the "eh's" and whatnots... I finally got comments to show up and now they SHOW UP unlike other blogs I've seen where the comments take you to a separate page.

2) My New Zealand MySpace friend, Josiah, got himself a blog. He is now in the links list on the right.

3) Today's fixation is embedded video clips. I'm now playing Rob Dougan's "Furious Angels" video over at MySpace and posting random videos all around the place.

4) So today somebody requested coaching from me on "how to overcome an obsession". I laughed aloud. (Luckily she "wrote" this to me and did not hear my laughter.) I'm sending her to another coach on this one.

Skins

So I got me this "Template" for my blog... and now I can't figure out how the hell to put the Comments link back up.

Skinning is a brave brave thing... if you skin things....I commend you. Teach me though.

Fixation: Blog Templates

So my current fixation (for the evening anyway - but I predict a future in it) is the "blog template" or "skin." Or frankly just the blog! I've searched all night and found a cute one which I added my own picture to so it looks pretty cool.

But I get on these same surfing tangents and fixations with Fanlistings, fan art "blending" pages, Paint Shop Pro "dolls" and MySpace html page tweaks.... how did all these little bitches and assholes (and I mean that in an endearing way) get so graphically fancy? Can I borrow some little thirteen year old to help teach me "blending"?

...

I like ellipses..... and dashes - cuz they make you pause. Its my writing method for comedic timing.

Obsession...Fixation...what not

You need a blog for each set of readers... just like you can only send certain e-mails to certain people. Only certain people can read about certain things. Only certain people WANT to read about certain things.

This blog - this one I'm starting today - this one is for the things I get "fixated" on.

Oh and also for "Thoughts from the Warehouse"...because you need somewhere to deposit the thoughts and bitchings from work. Since I started at my new job I've found that there are funny things I want to share...cuz we sell funny things...and people are funny.