Not a very good Christmas for me. I like Christmas, and I always get really excited about it, but every since Wednesday, I've been feeling bad. On Christmas Eve, I got very little sleep and I went to the store for some last minute things with my uncle, then I came home and took a nap, and got up to talk to the few people who came over. Today, I slept all day long, only getting up to unwrap my presents and move them out of the living room, because people would soon be coming over. I slept the rest of the day or tried my best to sleep. I did not get up for Christmas dinner, nor did I eat at all today.
posted by Beth at 5:06:00 AM
Friday, December 24, 2004
Check this, I'm going to be like Nathan and LPS and fill out this end-of-year survey.
1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before? Taken a business class and loved it.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't even make resolutions.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes! After a baby-drought in my family, this year Marji had a baby in June and my Aunt Tina had a baby in August.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Sadly, yes. My Uncle Bud and also Gypsy and Molly. :(
5. What countries did you visit? Oy, I haven't been out of the country since I went to Canada in 2000.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004? A million opportunities? Or an ipod and a new kitten and puppy?
7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Election Day, because it was horribly bad. But also the weekend of the Monster Mania Con, because it was amazingly good.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Let's see, I learned to knit, and I got my ass back into school.
9. What was your biggest failure? Well, I never got a rad job, but I kind of stopped looking, once I had my mind set on school. I hardly touched my clarinet, and I made no real effort to work on the piano or accordion.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Only minor things, as far as I can remember.
11. What was the best thing you bought? There's gotta be something, but I can't think of what it would be. I'm inclined to say my Nintendo DS, but I've hardly touched it.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? I'm going to echo LPS and say, "Everyone who voted for Kerry." Also Nathan's, for putting up with me.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? Blah blah, political stuff.
14. Where did most of your money go? Hmm, I guess all my money goes to food and various toys and books and things that amuse me.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Probably the MonsterMania Con, because seeing Robert Englund was the best and I loved all the panel discussions and hearing all of Gunnar Hansen's stories about making The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were greater than I would have ever expected them to be.
16. What song will always remind you of 2004? "Now Is Strange" That's kind of a lie, but what're you gonna do about it?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? I think I'd say happier, because I'm glad to be back in school
b) thinner or fatter? The usual fatness
c) richer or poorer? Poorer, since I had to take out student loans.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? I should have done more volunteerwork, and I should have practiced the clarinet/piano/accordion more.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Hmm, I'm pretty okay with the extent to which I do things.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? At home as usual. Normally, family come over to exchange gifts on the Eve and to have dinner on the Day. I hope this year is no different.
21. How will you be spending New Years? I'll probbaly sit around at home, unless I get the notion to go to Atlantic City in the middle of the night.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004? The usual.
23. How many one-night stands? Nine?
24. What was your favorite TV program? My favorite NEW program was definitely Wonderfalls. My favorite new program that hasn't been squashed yet would probably be Arrested Development. Quintuplets is surprisingly cute.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I think I hate some political figures more, but otherwise, I think my hatred levels are much the same.
26. What was the best book you read? Maybe Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them or Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot both by Al Franken. I liked Abarat a lot, too. Did I read that this year? I can't remember.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? I can't remember whom I discovered this year. I liked Nora O'Connor a lot. I like Corn Mo a great deal, too.
28. What did you want and get? I wanted to learn to knit, and I did.
29. What did you want and not get? A new President?
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Spider-Man 2 followed by Harry Potter
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I spent a very long day at school, and then I came home and ate, and it was really boring. I turned 25.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A different outcome on Election Day. Maybe having gotten scholarships for school, winning the lottery. Oh wait, I did do that.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? Much of the same old sneakers, jeans, and t-shirts, but I did start wearing skirts.
34. What kept you sane? Knitting helps. So does Nick@Nite
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? That one professor um, no one new this year, so I'll just recycle my 2003 answer and say the Queer Eye guys.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? All of them.
37. Who did you miss? Most of all, I think I miss Colleen and sarah.
38. Who was the best new person you met? Well, the only new people I met this year were John and Amy, but it was a lot of fun for me.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004: Each method of valuing inventory has its advantages and flaws.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "Some crazy bastard wants to hit me"
posted by Beth at 2:31:00 AM
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
I have other things that I want to mention, but it would somehow seem jerky to me to tack the previous entry onto a long list of less important stuff, so I start over with a fresh one.
My first semester back at school is now over. I think I got all A's, but I want to see for sure, and the grades aren't posted yet. Five semesters to go. I'm thinking way too far ahead here, but I'm already thinking about grad school. I've been thinking an awful lot about it lately, but it'll be a moot point for a couple more years. At least by then Alyssa will be out of grad school and I can ask her a million questions about it.
We took David to the vet last week for his check-up, and they said he looks fine. I had the option of having some $80 bloodwork done just to make sure. I decided to forego it, because she said he seemed alright. When he gets a little older, I may well spring for it.
Since I didn't have my economics exam on Monday, I went to the Christmas social thing at one of Nathan's workplaces. For me, it was kind of awkward. The place was so crowded. I think I would have liked it pretty well, if there were a third as many people, but it was difficult to get to and from our seats. What little of the food I had was good. And thank goodness there was booze. {g} I had eggnog and two glasses of wine. The eggnog was pretty great. I wish I had some more right now, actually. Since it was kind of a formal event, we had to get dressed up. I wore a black velvet dress that had been in the closet for years, and I don't know where it came from, and I wore some cute maryjanes that I got a few weeks ago. Cute shoes will be the death of me. I'm really terrible in heels. Not so much because of the height, but because they're hard as hell, and I must have abnormally dainty feet or something. I was at this thing for less than two hours and I was sitting down more than half the time, yet I come home to find blisters and that one of my feet is bleeding. Yeah, gross I know. TMI, I know. But ew, I've never had that happen before. We were going to stop at the King of Prussia Mall afterward, but Nathan is senile so he missed the exit. I guess it's for the better, because I didn't need to spend anymore money on Sanrio objects, and even once I put my sneakers back on, it still hurt like hell to walk.
So that Arrested Development show is really starting to grow on me. Between the Afternoon Delight karaoke, and "I could put it in her brownie," and Buster using the crane, I laughed my face off.
I've been all done with my shopping for about a week now, but I'm still waiting for two things to come in the mail. Last weekend FedEx decided to freak me out big time. I kept checking the status of the thing I bought for my uncle. On Thursday, the tracking info said it'd probably arrive by Friday, so I believed it. It never came on Friday, so I checked again on Saturday, where it said that it had been dropped off at the front door on Friday, which it had not. I called up the customer service and the lady said she'd look into it and call the terminal and see what the deal was. I was totally upset, because really what's to stop someone else from taking my box (they didn't even have to sign for it) or for the driver to insist that he did bring it here? On Sunday morning, Harry brought the box in to me. Overnight, as if by magic, the box appeared on the picnic table in the front yard. I am relieved. I'm still waiting on the junk for my mom and Harry, and the former should already be here. {grumble} Shopping was relatively easy this year, since I'm buying for hardly anybody and I already knew what I wanted to get for them.
I bought the Elf DVD almost a month ago, and I still haven't watched it yet. I should go do that while I finish knitting that which I am knitting.
posted by Beth at 1:18:00 AM
Last week my great uncle Bud died. He was the older brother of my grandfather who died twenty years ago, and he was also Craig's grandfather and my neighbor. He was 88. The funeral was Saturday morning. It was sad and weird as funerals always are. I find it especially sad that he died a week before Christmas.
posted by Beth at 1:07:00 AM
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
I am totally out of knitting projects. The next project in my book involves learning to knit in the round, and while I have no fear, I also haven't the right size needles nor some yarn I like enough to want to make a backpack out of. I was looking at this page again, and I'd really like to make one of those Hogwarts scarves. I like that the maker of the pattern really tried hard to pay attention and get the scarves as true as she could. I also like that she mentions all of the houses, and not just Gryffindor. If I were to start this, I'm not even sure which house scarf I should make. Gryffindor is the one people would recognize, but I think the (book) Ravenclaw one is prettiest, but Hufflepuff is the house I know I'd be in, if I attended Hogwarts. I don't know what to do, so I do nothing, as usual.
posted by Beth at 11:55:00 PM
Only one more class to go. That's the accounting exam on Friday. We're allowed to bring a 4x6 index card full of notes, but I don't even have an index card that size, so I might just go without. Yesterday I handed in my paper for that business ethics class (which isn't even called "business ethics," but that's what it is), returned the book I used to the library, picked up a workstudy check ("I thought you weren't coming in today!" Don't sound so happy to see me, and never mind that I told you last week I was stopping by for my check. I do not sit here and feel useless for eight hours a week because I like it. Grr), filled out an application to become a tutor (I bet I don't get it, even though I am sure I deserve it and would be good at it), and attended my last regular class of accounting and economics. In the economics class she was supposed to give us a take-home final to be brought in next week, but she said the secretary messed it up, so we don't have to take it at all. That means I get the average of my three grades and am finished for good with it. Hoo-ray. Today I had my last Computing Environments class, and I finished my web stuff up at the last minute and somewhat after the last minute, but it's okay. I like that class, and the teacher is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. So one exam Friday and that wraps up my first semester back at school. Five more to go. {grumble}
I can't sleep as long as I like tomorrow, because David goes to the vet for his annual checkup and shots.
It's already the 14th, and I've hardly done anything Christmas-y. Last year, when I had all the free time, I dragged out my holiday CDs right after my birthday, and I haven't done that at all so far this year. I actually enjoy Christmas music very much, aside from the list below. The fake pencil tree, which looks more like a Christmas evergreen obelisk to me, went up Sunday, and it remains undecorated. Nathan and I finally watched part of one holiday tape last night. We saw Rudolph and Charlie Brown and a Christmas Everybody Loves Raymond, Just Shoot Me and New Year's 3rd Rock. We stopped the tape right before a holiday Jessie (remember Jessie?! I do!). Tonight I taped all of and watched the last 15 minutes of I Want a Dog For Christmas Charlie Brown. I have to say that I was really dissatisfied with the ending. Who wrote that? I was going to continue my tradition of taping weird holiday sitcoms that many people will never remember by taping the episode of According to Jim that came on after the Peanuts special, but something stopped me. I kind of regret it somehow, even though I never watched that show in my life. Oh well, it surely could not stand up to that episode of Madman of the People that I have. TV is the greatest thing ever. I am thankful for TV. I love TV.
posted by Beth at 11:08:00 PM
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Whoahey. Tonight I went shopping with my mom and uncle, and then I met Dorothea and Alyssa for snacks (snax?), which is something that always puts me in a good mood. I still haven't started my paper. That is uninteresting.
I will give you a holiday present! The following is a picture I made for Nathan, when he was making mix CDs. He didn't know what to put on the cover, so I whipped this up. He rejected it, though. AOL is a jerk, so if that doesn't work, then click here or here.
Feel free to print it out and paste it into your Hanukkah/Christmas/Solstice/Kwanzaa/Ramadan/Voodoo Day cards.
Tonight I thought of another Christmas song that I hate that I could add to my list, but of course now that I'm in a position where I can mention it, I've plum forgotten it. Somebody name some bad Christmas songs to help me try to remember.
posted by Beth at 1:20:00 AM
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Oh ho. I'm glad it's the weekend and nearly the end of the semester. For Monday I have to write a crummy paper, and I do *not* feel like doing that. I am a bad person for not having started earlier. That class is otherwise finished; the exam was yesterday. My statistics class is finished for me and two other people, because we got A's and are exempt from the final. Woo. This weekend I also have to do a take-home test on Access, but I'm kind of looking forward to that somehow. I've warmed up to Access, oddly enough. And I need to keep reminding myself that I need to do a web portfolio for that class. Grug, this has to be painfully boring for anyone else to read. Someone please write about the great Al Dunlap for me, okay?
I started this out thinking I actually had something significant to say, but now I can't remember it.
At some point, I'm going to have to write a great big entry about the tiny turtle. Later, though.
I will leave you with a list of my least favorite Christmas songs.
1. That song about the kid who needs to buy shoes for his dying mom (because heaven has a dresscode)
2. Mary Did You Know? (Bleck!)
3. Dominic the Donkey (WTF?)
4. That stupid song that goes, "woop dee doo and dickory dock, and don't forget to hang up your sock"
5. The version of Jingle Bells by Barbra Streisand (this should not count, because it's the version, not the song, that I have a problem with. Maybe I should bump it to first place, though)
posted by Beth at 10:45:00 PM
Sunday, December 05, 2004
I guess I should update. I never mentioned Thanksgiving. It was pretty nice. Surprisingly, as many people showed up as possible. All my aunts, uncles, and cousins, that is. Well, aside from the ones who are neighbors. About 33 people in all, but not everyone ate. Some people ate at home beforehand, and two others were tiny babies. The rest of the evening was uneventful, as far as I can remember.
I probably had a lot of stuff to say in between then and now, but I can’t remember any of it. I bet a lot of it was along the lines of, “I sure am tired lately” and “I have work to do.”
The other noteworthy thing is that last night, Nathan and I went to a Pixies concert. I admit that I know very little about the Pixies. I liked what little I know, though. I have two albums, and I never listened to one of them. I’m a jerk. Anyway, the show was good, particularly during the songs I knew. Also, I heard Frank Black say, “buttcrack,” and that was pretty great, too. I was super surprised to see Matt there. You know Matt. Matt, Matt. Matt of Jordan and erin. The Tweeter Center is pretty big, so it was really unlikely that we’d see each other, but it turned out that he was in our row. Craziness. I’d like to have talked more, but there wasn’t much time, really. I probably also came off badly. I suck eggs.
I should work on my Access project, but first, I will take a shower.
posted by Beth at 9:10:00 PM
