In today's news...

The Senate has confirmed Alito as the 110th Supreme Court Justice and Coretta Scott King passed away. Does anyone else feel a shift in the universe?

Calling All Rabbits and Goats

Nice. I'm a pig.

Contrary to its rather negative reputation in the West, the Pig of Chinese Astrology may be the most generous and honorable Sign of the Zodiac. Pigs are nice to a fault and possess impeccable manners and taste. They have so much of the perfectionist in them that others may be inclined to perceive them as snobs, but this is a misconception. Pigs are simply possessed of a truly luxurious nature, one that delights in finery and riches (in surroundings, food, lovemaking and otherwise). This Sign believes in the best qualities of mankind and certainly doesn't consider itself to be superior. Pigs also care a great deal about friends and family and work hard to keep everyone in their life happy. Helping others is a true pleasure for the Pig, who feels best when everyone else is smiling.

A Pig with no one around to appreciate its giving nature is a sad sight. Pigs are so magnanimous they can appear almost saintly; this can lead some less-than-well-intentioned souls to stomp all over this Sign, and the bad news is, the Pig will take the blows! Pigs make great companions in part because of their refusal to see the more negative or base qualities in a partner, but that rose-colored view can lead to this Sign's allowing itself to be taken advantage of. Contrary to their seemingly benign dispositions, however, Pigs can be quite venomous in response to being crossed by a lover, friend or business partner.

Pigs are highly intelligent creatures, forever studying, playing and probing in their quest for greater knowledge. They can be misinterpreted as being lazy, however, due to their love of reveling in the good stuff; this Sign could happily spend hours on end making love, napping, taking a long bubble bath or dallying over an incredible spread of rich foods. Pigs tend to make wonderful life partners due to their hearts of gold and their love of family. Even so, Pigs can be rather exclusive, choosing to spend time with those who will appreciate them most and ignore the rest of the populace. Pigs would do well to realize that there's more to life than being needed. When they open up their world to a diverse group of people, they will truly bloom.

The most compatible match for a Pig is the Rabbit or the Goat.

[Apologies to Jill for totally jacking this from her blog.]

So Inadequate

I was thinking about a conversation I had with the chubby, balding, desperately-needs-to-whiten-his-teeth guy who had the nerve to ask me out on a pity date. Jake Gyllenhaal can ask me out on a pity date and I will happily go, but CBDNTWHT guy? I'm just not that desperate. Anyway, totally digressed. So in this conversation we were talking about food and I said that I don't eat a lot of meat. He said, "I'm a vegetarian for moral reasons." OK, that's cool. Quite frankly, I don't eat meat because I don't like to witness the cooking of bloody flesh. Turns my stomach. But if someone else cooks it, that's a different story. I'll eat meat in restaurants. I just don't eat out that often. Hence, I rarely eat meat. But don't you think it's pompous to say, "I'm a vegetarian for moral reasons?" Not just "I'm a vegetarian." He said the full version several times. Was I supposed to stand up and applaud his moral superiority?

I think I'm just altogether annoyed with self-righteousness. Here's my public service announcement for the day: Self-righteousness is nothing more than a manifestation of your insecurity. So next time someone is being self-righteous around you, think to yourself, "I wonder what they are feeling inadequate about?"

Last week I worked many more hours than what I was paid for. I have to remember not to do that this week. Plus I went to my first day of class last week. Class is going to be harrrrrrrd this semester. OK, not hard, but much, much work. Much work. April 25 is the last day of class. Just keep reminding me of that.

Project More Fun 2006 has been slightly derailed. I'm hoping to get her back on track during the next week.

And, finally, there is only one more game left in my beloved football season. The Super Bowl is February 5th. As a lifelong Steelers fan, I am thrilled they made it to the big game. And a little nervous. The Seahawks completely manhandled the Panthers yesterday. They are going to be some tough cookies to beat.

God Bless the Canadians

Crush of the day: Jake Plummer. His crazy mountain man look is strangely sexy. I've been living in Chapel Hill for too long.

Boo to my sixth straight day of crudiness. I started the antibiotics yesterday. Hopefully I'll be able to breathe by the end of the weekend.

Yay for having my very first blog fan! [Sorry, Dave, ex-boyfriends - or whatever you are - don't count.] Please patronize Jill's blog. She's cute. She's Canadian. She's obviously brilliant.

The Seahawks won today. I'm happy with that. I'm sticking my neck out for a pre-halftime prediction that the Broncos will beat the Patriots and their Evil Pretty Boy, Tom Brady.

a kid needs a social life

Boo to having strep throat. Project More Fun 2006 is on medical leave. The Project will resume this weekend.

The spring semester officially started today. It was just a regular internship day for me though. I went to work, set up a few computers, went to lunch, went to the doctor and came home. I'm in for the night [after being briefly tempted to take myself to the movies]. I don't actually start class until next Tuesday. Four more months and I'm a free woman. Then I can work a lot and get paid a little for the rest of my life. Can't wait.

I set up a Frappr map for my blog. To add your map pin, just click the link on the navigation bar. What fun!

I have to type fast.

I just took a mega-dose of Nyquil. I have to finish this post before I slip into a coma.

Today was a little, um, ungood. I woke up this morning with a devil of a sore throat. To ward off any further sickness, I vowed to fully hydrate myself today. [Hydration is the key for so many of life's inconveniences.] I broke out my favorite water bottle - the one with the straw that folds into the top - and filled it with 32 oz of Diet Sprite and grapefruit juice. I put my butt in the car and headed to work. While trucking [Civicing, actually] through Chapel Hill, I heard on the radio that I-40W was blocked with a nasty wreck and traffic was backed up for miles. Grrr. I'm a generally nice girl, but put me in the driver's seat on I-40 and my inner demon takes over. So I'm almost to the 40 on-ramp and decide I need to wet my throat with a bit of DS/GJ. I flip open the cap of my bottle to expose the straw and liquid shot like a geyser through my car. For several seconds. And several ounces. It was running down the windshield and dripping from the ceiling of my car. I was drenched. Fabulous. I decided to turn around and change clothes and clean up my car. So I fought my way back through Chapel Hill to my apartment. I changed into a rather unflattering outfit. [I forgot the morning also included finding five extra pounds hiding on my butt.] I took the Windex and sprayed down my car the best I could. There is still stickiness everywhere. So 45 minutes after the eruption of my juice bottle, I'm back on the road to work. Again, the radio announcers warn that 40W is blocked and to take an alternate route. Crap. I decided to make a Target run along the way in hopes that traffic would at least start moving. Good plan. So I'm in Target trying to decide if I need the $7 bike pump or the $12 version with the foot peddle when I realize: I drive 40 EAST to work. Dear God, I'm an idiot. So I'm once again off to work [with very little traffic to contend with] and arrive an hour and 45 minutes after I first left home. And did I mention that my throat hurt?

I soothed my pain with a cute t-shirt purchase. That's Rocketbird, in case you are wondering.

Hey, you, get off of my cloud!

I'm already up because Mike the Cat insists on having breakfast before 7 am on weekends [6:30 on weekdays]. The one advantage to being up early on a Sunday morning is Hangover Cafe on 96Rock. I'm poised to add a long forgotten song to my iPod at any moment. Latest addition: Three Little Birds by Bob Marley.

Oh. Oh. Oh. I think I need more sleep. More later.

Bak! Bak! I'm a chicken.

I opted out of watching The Exorcism of Emily Rose to watch the A&E Biography of Tommy Lee. Yeah, I really need to get rid of cable. [Actually, my cable was supposed to be disconnected on the 4th, but alas, I'm watching the biography of a crazy man on the 6th.] I'll watch Emily Rose tomorrow while the sun is up.

Project More Fun 2006 is off to a decent start. Had dinner with a classmate last night and got sufficiently tipsy. We're resting up tonight and tomorrow to have the proper amount of stamina to watch the NFL Playoffs on Sunday. Go Steelers! Go Panthers! [I don't have to make a decision yet because they aren't playing each other.]

Go Irish!

Bummer.

On to other games, does anyone else think they should have found a more appropriate sponsor for the Sugar Bowl? Nokia isn't even a food, for pete's sake. [Hmmm... refer to Resolution #1.]

Christmas Vibes

We went to my sister's house for Christmas dinner this year. After a very nice meal, we hunkered down in the living room to open presents. My sister started out by playing Santa Claus. She handed me a present from my niece, who is 17. This is the first year that my niece chose and bought the presents she gave. I opened the present and did a double take. I mean I literally shook my head. Did I mistakingly open the present that I wrapped for my niece?! No! It's mine - and it's the exact same present that I got for her. Funny, huh? My mother always says that my niece is just like me. Screwy minds think alike. ;)

I'm banging my head!

Here's a little audio clip I use when I need a little jolt of giddiness. Go to Big Shed and then click on August 2005 under Archives on the left-hand navigation. Scroll down and click on Paul's Rockin Promo. It's so incredibly funny. Paul was one of our instructors at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University this summer [AKA Radio Camp]. Big Shed was created by Shea and Jennifer, who were also our instructors.

Bonus clip! Click on Mitchell the Christmas Moose's video. It cracks me up when he pauses at why-hy-hy.

Cat Calls 911

What I love about this article is that the cat apparently hung up the phone after calling 911. They are very tidy creatures.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Well, today is both... rainy and Monday, that is. So I'm still in my pj's [never-you-mind that I'm always in my pj's], taking the day to organize and read. I contemplated going to a movie, but pushed the idea to later in the week.

I actually wrote a posting in my head yesterday, but it never made it to type. I always write much better in my head because I'm inspired by the moment. Here's the half-priced [post holiday] version:

I read an article yesterday about 10 ways to be happy in 2006. It was authored by one of the new age guru scary people. I don't have anything against any religion or philoshophy, but I gotta give the new age terminology and syntax a hearty eyeroll. Two of the 10 ways actually stuck in my stubborn little brain. Way to Happiness #1 [and I paraphrase]: Stop judging. Period. People, places, situations, everything. I do think I judge less than others, but definitely more than I should. Way to Happiness #2: Find your worth from within and screw everyone else's opinion of you [again, I paraphrase]. I like both points very much and will keep them.

When I think of everything that happened in 2005, I gotta believe that 2006 will be much calmer [but I think I said that about 2004/2005 too]. OK, the next four months until graduation will be intense, but I'm prepared [mentally, physically, organizationally - people, I even cleaned out my t-shirt drawer].

So my resolutions for 2006:
1. Stop judging.
2. Find worth from within.
3. Eat healthier [translation: avoid the toxic beast that is partially hydrogenated oil].
4. Have more fun.

I think that's about all I can do for this year. In the meantime, I'll have to earn a graduate degree, find a job and probably move to another town.

I'm putting a moratorium on dating until graduation. I know, I know. It's like a person who has never smoked saying they are giving it up cold turkey. It's called reframing, people. But here is Resolution #5 for when dating does resume [in homage to Bridget Jones]: I will not fall for any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, men with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, megalomaniacs, chauvinists, emotional fuckwits or freeloaders, perverts. [In other words, avoid all ex-boyfriends.]