Thursday, February 28, 2008

Spring

I'm calling it, you guys. Today, February 28th, at 2:51 p.m., I do hereby declare that winter is over and it is SPRING.

Because of the weather, you ask? Nope, not really, although Seattle has been unseasonbly sunny and mild (for February) for most of the past couple of weeks.

But the declaration is not really about that. I'm just done with winter in general and my big black heavy winter coat in particular. (It's missing a button and I haven't been in the mood to sew it back on.) However, if you insist on evidence of spring's actual arrival, I present to you the following two science facts: 1.) the bulbs are coming up in our yard and 2.) there are a lot more chirpy birds around.

So. Carry on. Enjoy your spring.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Even better than a leg lamp

Sorry about that last post, you guys. Honestly, I'm usually fine, but I've had a cold the last couple of weeks and it hasn't helped my outlook. Really, what am I complaining about? I am getting married to a 100% awesome person.* Lots of people care enough about me to shlep all the way out to Washington state to witness this event. Boo hoo! Poor me!

Anyway. The super awesome Lass has awarded this blog with this prize:



Which I don't deserve; certainly not for any recent efforts. However! I am honored by the E and will strive to be worthy of it.

As I understand it, the deal with the E is that it is to be passed on to some worthy blogs. I suggest that you look to the Army of Awesome, to the right there. I promise that they all contain really good writing and/or adorable baby photos. But here, in no particular order whatsoever, are a few highlights from the Army.

1.Kaymess
Kayemess' blog has always been interesting--honest, articulate observations of every day life. Now that she's got a brand new adorable baby, it's especially fascinating (at least to me), because Kayemess gives it to you straight. No bullshit here about every single second being a miracle. Also, I know her and can vouch that she is even awesomer in person.

2.Lass
The Lass is also bullshit-free, and provides me with my required daily dose of snark. Also, she lives in Austin, where it has been really hot lately. I almost feel warm just reading about it.

3.Myra-Lee
Myra-Lee is funny and pithy and awesome, and I got to meet her and her charming husband one time when I went to L.A., and it was good times.

4. Pop Culture Librarian
As her legions of fans are well aware, the Pop Culture Librarian delivers the goods, pop culture and otherwise. Right now at PCL headquarters, the fascinating and hilarious story of the first meeting between PCL and her partner, Nordic Boy, is in full swing. Highly recommended.

5. Librarisaurus Rex
Librarisaurus Rex is the kind of person who goes to other countries and takes pictures of signs related to dog poo. 'Nuff said.


Edited to add: Do you, dear reader, have a blog? If so, I would love to read it and to add you to the Army. Please leave me a comment in the commentery and I will enlist you.




*Have you seen that movie King of Kong? We watched it last night (and I cried like a baby over it, but that's not the point), and now I'm thinking of nicknaming R "Mr. Awesome" for the purposes of this blog.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The Wonderful World of Weddinghood

I want to write stuff here. Really, I do. But when I sit down to do it, all I can think is, "I'm tired. Wedding wedding wedding. Soooo tired."

Mainly for the sake of writing about something else, I just composed a whole post about some minor recent medical issues I've been having, which I was going to share with you. What am I, your grandmother, that I tell you about all my various levels and supplements? Sheesh.

So: more wedding talk it is! You are so lucky.

Our current guest list for the wedding? TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE. Holy. Crap. That is a lot of guests. I feel like a whole big bundle of wedding cliches when I say this, but seriously--how did this happen?* What's really nuts is that I feel like there are still a decent number of people that I'd like to invite, and whose feelings might be hurt if they are not invited.

I know that many--probably most--of the out-of-towners who are invited to this crazy shindig won't come. My brother pointed out over Christmas that it was great I was having a destination wedding in such a crazy, far-flung locale. Because let's face it, no one wants to go to Seattle! It's madness! (Let it be known that my brother lives in Alabama.) Many of my relatives have already told me that they consider the fly-over states impossible to fly over, and that they therefore will be staying in Alabama where the good Lord intended them to stay. But still. Two hundred and twenty one?

When I entered into the Wonderful World of Weddinghood, I thought that somehow, I would be different. Not for me, all the stress and worrying and trying to please everyone! Heck no! I am a LIBERATED LADY (I told myself), and therefore magically immune to such nonsense. I would plan my wedding with grace, poise, and humor, and perhaps the tiniest ironic twinkle in my eye.

Um. Yeah. Did I tell you about how a couple of weeks ago, I decided I hated my wedding dress (maybe), so I had to dig it out of the back of the closet and try it on (again) for R** and have him tell me that it wasn't hideous, and that I would not look like a freakishly large cotton ball or some such at my wedding? No?

And I won't even get started on the Transportation Problem, over which I have lost much sleep and possibly even some hair. Believe me, you don't want to hear about it.

I want to get married. At a wedding, even (although I can't really remember what was so wrong with eloping). But when I look at the to-do list for the wedding, I just want to take a nap.



*Answer: Everyone I am remotely related to is invited to this wedding.

**Still haven't come up with that nickname yet. I am leaning towards Rambo, as suggested by Pop Culture Librarian. Mainly because R really likes to smash things.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Oscar wrap-up

Did you watch the Oscars last night? Was it not (despite the bad writing and clunky jokes) the most heartwarming Oscars of all time?

The best was those two kids who won for that song from Once. I really liked that movie, and I hoped they would win. But then! What with him talking about how they made the movie with a couple of HandiCams for $100,000, and then her speech getting cut off, and Jon Stewart bringing her back after the commercial break, and her making a really sweet, articulate speech, and everything. I mean, come on.

And she was only 17 when they made that movie! And now she is still only 19! And I hear that they are actually dating! Maybe! I don't really know! But still!

I am not made of stone, people.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Interesting Things That Happened at the 46th District Caucus

1. It got crowded.


The boyfriend took this one from a balcony. Can you see me? Look for the very pale blob near the middle. No, not that bald guy's head. The orange/blue/white blob.

2. Our cat-sitter went nuts.
Actually, she was already nuts. We just didn't quite realize the full extent of the nuttiness.

We've had several cat-sitters, and in my experience, they tend to be a little wacky. Nice people, but REALLY into cats. I mean, I like cats, but wow. These people are INTO them.

Betti, this particular cat-sitter, is definitely ahead of the pack with her fondness for the felines. But she's also just . . . strange.

She is one of those women who is probably only in her 40's, but looks and acts like she is in her 60's at least. She's not particularly overweight, but she has trouble with stairs. She doesn't smile. When she came over for the intitial where's-the-cat-litter visit before we hired her for the first time, she stayed for over an hour, insisted on going over every inch of the house, and had me fill out about fifteen forms.

So anyway, it turned out that Betti was not only in our district, she was also in our precinct (about 80 people showed up for our precinct alone, a huge turnout). This means that unbeknownst to us, she basically lives on our block.

We took the initial vote for candidates, and Obama was way ahead. Then, various members of our precinct stood up and said things like, "It's an embarrassment of riches this year, but I think Obama is far more electable," or "Obama is inspiring, but Hillary has already proved graceful under fire."

Then Betti stood up and hissed,

"FIRST of all, Hillary is out of the question.* She is a CORPORATIST, and anyone else who would vote for her is a CORPORATIST too. Second of all, I DO NOT LIKE ROCK STAR CANDIDATES. All of these Obama supporters are just STUPID FOLLOWERS who are jumping on the bandwagon just because they think he can win. He is an IDIOT and his followers are IDIOTS, too."

And on it went, for like ten minutes. The woman who was running our caucus kept saying, "Speak up, Letty! People can't hear you!" and Betti would flash her a look that clearly said she would like nothing better than to eat that caucus leader's eyeballs.

3. Two of our 6 delegates were only seventeen years old.
Both of them gave speeches for Obama, too. One of them, our alley neighbor Phoebe, came with her mom, who was a pretty impassioned Clinton supporter. Just seeing the kids all excited about the politics made me tear up.

4. I had to open my big mouth.
A lot of my neighbors had made speeches suggesting (or saying flat out) that the kids today may be excited about politics, but they are dumb and lazy and don't know anything about the issues. In the end I made a speech that started, "I'm a Teen Librarian, and as someone who works with young people all the time, I strongly disagree that they don't know what's going on."

The boyfriend** was like, "You never stop advocating for those teens."

I was a little embarrassed, but it's true.

4. Obama won.
Of our district's 6 delegates, 5 went to Obama, and 1 to Clinton.



*Even so, Betti was on Team Hillary in the end. I guess corporatists are still better than rock stars.

**I need a handy nickname for the boyfriend. Suggestions?

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Subtle Butt

Our hometown paper did a spot on this product today. And now my 2008 Christmas shopping is complete!

Seriously, I think "Subtle Butt" is the funniest combination of words possible in the English language. And the product to match! Oh my. It's almost too much. God bless capitalism.

**
**

My parents voted in Alabama on Tuesday. They got to the polling place, signed in, were given their ballots, and headed into their booths, when my mom said, "Wait. I wanted a Democratic ballot!"

Well, apparently you could have knocked over the poll worker with a feather. A nice middle class white lady like that, voting for a Democrat! And for Obama, too (though the pollworker wasn't privy to that information), after a lifetime of Republicanism. A proud day for the Soggy family.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Super Fat

Happy Mardi Gras, y'all. Mardi Gras, as you may know, is the one day of the year when New Orleans is less violent than Seattle. Seattle is a nice town, but we don't do hedonism very well. And I could sure do with some king cake and some worthless plastic beads! There is no purer joy on earth than that of catching worthless plastic beads. Honestly.

And of course, happy Super Duper Tuesday. I am so on the edge of my seat about this election. (Did that come off as sarcasm? I'm completely sincere.) I'm a bit panicky about it, even. The Democrats are like my abusive--or possibly just negligent--boyfriend. They promise me the moon, they beat me up, they break my heart, and I just keep coming back for more.

I never would have thought there could be a Democratic woman candidate that I would be as little excited about as I am excited about Hillary Clinton, but here I am. Once the Clinton campaign started pulling pages directly out of Karl Rove's playbook, the glory of potentially having a woman president dimmed quite a bit.

So if you live in a Super State, I urge you to go out and cast your vote for Obama--or, failing that, how about Romney? Because I think McCain could win.

Monday, February 4, 2008

And the winner is . . .

Wow, you guys are so helpful! Thank you. Maybe I should ask you before I make any decisions from now on. I could certainly use a new haircut.

I went ahead and ordered the orange one and the blue one, which seemed to be the most popular. The fruity one and the skirt are still possibilities, though. Maybe with my next paycheck, or if I look terrible in the orange and blue ones.

My problem with clothes is that I generally balk at high prices and refuse to buy anything that's not on sale. So I end up with several things that I kind of like, instead of one or two things I really like. I'm trying to break that habit, though, and buy a few nice things instead.

Isn't it great when self-improvement means splurging? It's the best kind of self help.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Fashion Dilemma

Hello fashionista*!

Which of these do you think is most crucial to my honeymoon wardrobe?

This fruity one

This orangey one, which I would have thought would look terrible on me, but I tried it on in the store and it wasn't bad.

This blue one, or

This green skirt, with stuff on it.

I realize you probably have better things to do than pick out my clothes, but in case you don't, I'm all ears.


*Is this a strictly feminine term, and if so, what would be the male equivalent? This point might be moot, because I think the male readership of this blog is pretty much nil.