NaNoWriMo is coming up in less than a week! Argh. I have competing story ideas in my head and am totally not sure what I want to focus on. I need to make a list of all the things I like to think about and pick just one or two (for instance, I am only allowed two of the following elements: time travel, spies, historical mysteries, Nick Hornby-esque music ramblings, ghosts, capers, 90s nostalgia). Actually, seeing that written out like that, I'm thinking that I could definitely write 50,000 words involving the badassery of all those things.

We had a really great weekend, suckiness of the HarvestFest in Salem aside (the company of friends was fabulous, it was just the crowds and the lack of enough proper food that was the problem). Salem is totally awesome right now, and not just because of the booths set up to give me delicious fried foods and hot apple cider. We are also in the home stretch of trying to get ready for an epic Halloween party. Or at least, it better be epic given the lengths I am going to on themed foods.

Finally, a brief tangent into tv: White Collar on USA is totally adorable. It does feel a bit like a show that's trying very hard for our approval, but that works ok for me. Funny, endearing, and caper-ific. I'm watching Skins from Netflix, and it is superb. British teenagers with loads of angst. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been striking out more than hitting these days, but I'm holding out hope they'll hit a mid-season stride.

Huh. Lewiston, Maine features prominently on this week's This American Life. Oh, L-town, it's so endearing that you can be a poster child for what's wrong with health care in America.

And oh hey, we had a 3 day weekend. Which was busy. Friday night we had a visit with A-Dot. Saturday I went to a lovely bridal shower, and got back just in time for our next-door neighbors' annual neighborhood party. I was pretty nervous about it, because I don't do super well in crowds full of new people, but being the new kids on the block (you see what I did there?!), we had built-in conversation talking about our house and all the crap we've had to do with it. I was surprised by how our-age-ish our neighborhood actually is. Lots of couples with little kids. So it went much better than I'd worried about, and we chatted it up with a bunch of people. It's nice to know who your neighbors are, and makes our little area feel more homey. Sunday we went to a bbq at starflow and cosmicserpent's place- always delightful! Yesterday I spent most of my day being hassled (where the hell am I living that I can't find chipotle peppers in adobo sauces at any Stop & Shops?) (also: planting tulips is hard work!), but was de-hasslefied for a short beer break. Yay, beer! Also, we ventured into an Irish bar in Salem that I'd never been in before, and it was quite enjoyable. So yay, new bar discovery!

We went to an amazingly fun wedding in Maine this weekend. Consequently, I lost my entire Sunday to the throes of a mighty Boones Farm hangover. I seriously need to get a better internal "you are done drinking now" monitor. But the wedding was a blast- you can't go wrong with beer, bbq, good friends, a red bus with a busdriver who let us drink on board, and a dj that complied with my excited request for Everything I Do (I Do It For You). Good times.

On Friday last week our local bank handed out free cider and donuts at the commuter rail station. I really love living in Salem. There was a parade last Thursday to kick off October, and we caught most of it from the comfort of the Lobster Shanty, where we have now attained regular status. I am going to be happy about being a regular without giving too much thought to the shambley state of most of the other regulars.

Finally, I give props to cosmicserpent for recommending The Bugle, because this podcast is a fine way to spend half a commute.

Alright, it's 9:30 am on Yom Kippur, I have the day off, and have already been somewhat productive.

Cleaned up a bit after the very fun Bates Ladies, Etc. get together at our place yesterday. I am still craving apple cider donuts, those things are tasty.

Did some MTV pilates, made up a pot of smoked sausage & beans for lunches for the rest of the week, and have a load of laundry in the washer and the dryer. That's pretty decently productive.

On the list for the rest of the day: do some writing, learn some quantum mechanics, take a nap (this is serious business given the next item on the list), go see Sunny Day Real Estate with my brother tonight at HoB. Boo to there being a Sox game at Fenway tonight, though, I think we'll have to park around Gov't Center.

Also this weekend, enjoyed some amazing drinks at Eastern Standard and had a great time hanging out with folks. Yay, drinks! I do wish I had more money to be able to enjoy that place more often, but I like that for $20, plus tax & tip, it's possible to drag out 2 delicious drinks for quite a while.

There is a word I am trying to think of, and it's driving me crazy that I can't remember it. It's right on the tip of my tongue, and it's a word I use often enough that my inability to come up with it is giving me a serious case of the Mondays. If you can think of a word that starts with "p" and means something to the effect that information in a book (or website) can only be found there because it is information created by that publisher or author (think something like expensive Standard & Poors analyst reports and stuff like that)... I will give you a cookie.

In other news, we had a weekend, and it feels like it went by way too quickly. Friday night we went to Christopher's for a Metafilter meet-up. It was a huge group and the space was really cramped, but it was good people, good conversations, and lots of fun. Saturday we went up to Portland (The Lost Bear Bar, I think, which has a great beer selection) for a second meetup, which was also a ton of fun. I really like meeting new people. Yesterday turned out to be a gorgeous day to do some walking for incandes_flower's work with the arthritis foundation.

This week's goal: get srzs bizness about writing. I do not want to get to NaNo time and be exactly where I am right now. Theoretically, if I can get enough of current story done before then, I can try to open up a whole new project for NaNo. But I have to get this story out of my head first. Of course, distracting me from this goal is shiny new television that's starting up now. Though I think only Thursday nights are really affected by this, as I have a full 2 hour block of brain cell killing tv to watch on Thursdays. And really, only one hour of it will actively kill brain cells (Vampire Diaries, I am looking at you). Yes, I will be watching Joel McHale on Community.

How is it September already?? I call shenanigans. Where did my summer of summerfun go?

So on Saturday for Drew's birthday celebrating we shuffled up through the rain to Portland to check out Novare Res, a belgian beer bar. That place is awesome. I can't wait to go back sometime, though I do wish I could pick it up and transport it down to Boston. It was so amazing that so many people braved the trek, we had a fantastic time and hope everyone else did, too!

So I'm currently reading this book and am so enthralled with it that I'll be sad when I've finished it (likely to be on the train ride home). Well written young adult dystopian future fiction. It feels so good to be reading a compelling book now, the last few I've read have been total duds. I need stuff that makes my time on the elliptical speed by!

Day 1 of this week's experiment in getting gym time over with before work went pretty well. Caught the 6:45 train to Boston, got into the gym around 7:25, easily got a half hour elliptical session done, showered, and managed to get into work about 10 minutes early. Yays! I think I can squeeze a 40 minute session in most days and get in just on time. Not really feeling super energized from the early morning workout, and am now ravenously hungry even though I ate breakfast before leaving home. But I think this could work as a habit! Which is good, because I'd much rather get home around 5:00 than 6:00, and this is the only way to make that happen.

This weekend was fabulous- engagement party for friends and an after-party that was low-key and very fun. Yesterday we hit the Winter Island beach with a few people, and it was totally awesome. Not super crowded, the ocean was only mildly scary, and there was much sun and relaxation. I was never a huge beach person, and tend to pack enough provisions and boredom fighting tools to last me a month in the wilderness, but I do enjoy sitting in sunshine whenever the sun deigns to show itself around here.

I can't say enough good things about this weekend. Yay! I spent most of my day off on Friday lazing around on the couch reading a a really good book. Then Drew and I went to Gulu-Gulu for a couple of beers, got a pizza, and lounged at home. Saturday was ms_ntropy's annual 4th of July pool party, and as a special bonus, we got to see the fabulous doplar all day! Sun! Fun! Yesterday Drew & I walked to Beverly, found some secret beaches that will definitely warrant repeat visits, and walked back to Salem to get lunch at a place on Pickering Wharf. It was a hale and hearty walk. By that I mean: my feet still kind of hurt from all that walking. But it was worth it to soak up some sunshine.

Ok, so getting into North Station an hour late was not the way I would have ideally started this day. My train had to push a disabled one most of the way. Also, the book I'm reading right now is scary and was totally freaking me out on the train ride.

This weekend was pretty amazing, though. I had a birthday and am now no longer a "fabulous 20 something." But lots of great company and good food makes that worthwhile. Yesterday I spent the day at Fenway with my dad. Of course, I got up to pee at exactly the start of the Red Sox's half of the 9th inning, and thus was in the ladies' when the game winning home run was hit. D'oh.

Now to start another week of work.

Is it just me, or does it feel like summer hasn't really started yet?

I need a new summery music album to usher in the season.

So last weekend Mr. & Mrs. thiswakingdream hosted an awesome murder mystery party. I am the worst actress and improviser ever, but I do love an excuse to wear a fancy dress and a wig. Fun times! I also take back most of my recent spate of Maine mocking, Maine is quite pretty when it's not raining.

Also, I can't believe my birthday is in less than a week. I will try to not whine about it too much. I'm a little disappointed because the one thing I really wanted to do for my birthday is not feasible due to the stupid Red Sox having a home game. Maybe later this summer I can drag people to Jake Ivories to get drunk and sing.

How are you all?

We had a pretty successfully awesome weekend.

Friday night we went to see Rob Riggle, Eugene Mirman, the Upright Citizen's Brigade, and a few others with starflow and cosmicserpent. Eugene Mirman never fails to entertain, and Rob Riggle was way funnier than I expected (I like to set my expectations low because otherwise I get a big Disappointment Face and get pouty).

Saturday I spent the day cleaning/running errands before the arrival of tenillypo and incandes_flower for Sparkletastic Twilight. Oh, Twilight, you never fail to entertain me. I did not have to set my expectations low for this because I knew it would be awesome.

Sunday had an awesome brunch with the aforementioned ladies and mrs_muffin and aquarianna6. Yay, brunch! Then Drew & I walked from our house to Marblehead, found a fun little bar in Marblehead where we had a couple beers, and then walked back to Salem. It was a lot of walking. It was too nice a day outside to not spend hours walking, though. I am getting excited to get out and do a lot of hiking this summer! I also want to explore interesting old timey stuff around New England. Summer fun! I insist on having summer fun this summer, last summer was lame.

I had a fabulous weekend. Finally! We are officially all moved in to the new place and officially totally out of Somerville. To celebrate, I just deleted all davis square related crap from my LiveJournal.

So Thursday night cayetana had the genius to set up some drinking at the Burren, and it was tons of fun. Just what we needed after an egregiously hard week of getting up at 4:30 am and doing lots of last minute moving/cleaning chores.

Friday Drew & I headed down to NYC on a late afternoon bus. We were not wowed by awesome on the Mega Bus this time, as the trip down took about 5.5 hours and involved lots of traffic and slowness. So we straggled into the city, checked into our hotel (a great find, too, on East Houston and much nicer than we'd expected from the price tag- the Gem Hotel), grabbed a couple slices of pizza, and went on our merry way to the Metafilter meet up. I maintained the perfect level of drunkenness, something I strive for on New York visits but rarely achieve (mostly I achieve "kill me now" hangovers that last the entire next day). Is it sad that this is an accomplishment? Anyway, we hung out with a ton of really interesting people, had lots of good conversation, and stayed out until 3 am. Woo!

Saturday we got up too early and obtained the cupcakes I have dreamt about for months from Sugar Sweet Sunshine. I actually now think the cupcakery in Beverly has cupcakes that are even better than the NY place. Trooped around the city in an exhausted haze, got lunch at Burgers & Cupcakes (I have a problem). B&C has changed ownership and changed both their burger recipes and their cupcakes recipes, and I sadly report that I'm not sure I'd recommend going back. Not as good as the last time we went there. After that we piled onto the bus and headed back to Beantown, where I arrived just in time to make it to dr_alycat's lovely and fantastic bridal shower. Fun times!

Yesterday we got a lot done on the unpacking front, and now have a living room cleared of boxes (not that the boxes are actually unpacked, mostly they've been shuffled up to the office and drawing room to be dealt with later). The kitchen is, like, half-unpacked at this point.

This weekend was so fantastic. Joss Whedon's talk on Friday was surprisingly illuminating and interesting. Saturday we threw a party that I hope was as much for everyone else as it was for me... despite the ill-advised drunken beer run in impractical shoes. Ow. Spilling a 30 pack of PBR on the street is embarrassing.

So the Kindle is making it really too easy to purchase crap books. I just tore through a fluffy chick lit mystery book (Janet Evanovich's One for the Money) and already bought the sequel because it was there and it took like a minute to download it. And now I think I've been sucked into a series that is going to turn my brain into mush. I need to figure out how to get Project Gutenberg books onto the Kindle so I can balance the candy books with actual literature.

Well well. To make up for the crappiness that has been February, today was actually a banner day. Got tickets to see The National in May. We went up to Salem to poke around and get a lay of the land, and while there three marvelous things happened. One: Went to a couple of bookstores with the vague hope of finding a book that I have been hotly anticipating for a year. Since it's not supposed to hit shelves until March 1, I was prepared for disappointment. But lo! One store had it on shelf early. Then we found a cupcakery in Beverly that has amazing cupcakes. Like, better than Lyndell's. And it was supposed to close at 2:00, but somehow was still open when we got there a bit past 3:00. These cupcakes are so good, seriously you guys. And then, on our way back to Somerville, the radio played a brand new My Chemical Romance song (shut up, I love them). Finally, we topped our day with a Metafilter meet-up and the Cinematic Titanic show at the Somerville Theater. Success!

Happy new year everyone! It's been a while since I've updated, let's see... we did Christmas in Maryland, which involved a super awesome ghost tour of Annapolis. Ghost tours are the best! Saw Joel McHale on New Years Eve, then made it to a very fun party afterwards. The rest of this weekend so far has been extremely lazy, which is a good thing. I'm pushing through my first edit of my crap NaNo story, and incubating an idea for a new story which will hopefully not suck as bad. Drew got me a thingy that will plug into the computer and convert my old tapes and minidiscs to digital, so that will be a project that will take me a while to get through. Grendel is acting very weird, she wasn't eating for a good portion of the day yesterday, but is nibbling a bit today, though not with her usual gusto. She is being a sullen bunny.

2008 was... weird. But it did involve the best vacation ever, and successes in my hobbies, so hey, that's something. Here's to 2009!

I knew there was a good reason to keep my zipcar membership! I need to pick up laundry and hit the grocery store today, but I don't want to lose my parking spot, considering the likelihood that they'll call a snow emergency for tomorrow. Solution: zipcar! And it's a car parked at gas station, so it should be relatively shoveled out when I get there. Sweet.

The snow filled streets were so quiet and creepy last night, it was like walking in a Steven King book. But we ventured out, and there was partying, and it was lots of fun. I am, however, totally done with winter already. And I'm still stressed about Christmas, I have a list of presents I need to get, but I think the bulk of that will be taken care of with gift cards I can get at the grocery store or CVS.

Alright, I am at 5,460 words for NaNoWriMo. Which is exactly where I'd aimed to be by the end of today, so I am pleased and proud. Yesterday it was easy, today it was a struggle. I spent most of today holed up in our back room at my little makeshift desk eeking out little bits, checking my word count, wondering how it took so long to just come up with a couple hundred words, repeating that process, wishing I didn't suck so hard. But I have decided that this is something that I really want to do, and when I really want something I usually find a way to make it happen. Being honest with myself about what I really want... that is sometimes a different story. Anyway. Sorry, I promise I won't be posting about the writing project that much this month, I'm sure it's not super interesting for everyone.

I'm reading a chick lit book right now, which I thought I'd never do because I do judge books by their covers, but I am surprised to report that I am completely loving it. It's written by a friend of a friend, or a cousin of a friend, I can't recall which, but it's set in Boston and it's about a librarian, and it involves romantic shenanigans. I am now going to reward my tired brain with last week's episode of Gossip Girl, finally, and then will try to not stay up too late to finish said chick lit book. Oh, and this weekend was awesome and tons of fun. I hope I won't have to become a total hermit for the rest of the month to get writing done.

Reminder to Book Clubbers: book club meeting tomorrow!

Bukowski’s, 12:30. Be There!

My latest song obsession: Geraldine, by Glasvegas. I love that guitar sound and want more of it! Why do Scots make such great music?

Tonight: seeing The Wedding Present at the Middle East. incandes_flower is my indie rock hero as usual for getting me out to more shows.

This weekend was perfectly fantastic. Friday night involved boxed sangria and silliness with the aforementioned incandes_flower and tenillypo. Saturday we saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which was absolutely adorable, and later went to an awesome birthday party. Yesterday we spent the day at the ren fair with dr_alycat and cook_ting, and it was tons of fun. I wish I could be a professional tiger handler.

So much indie rock in one weekend! Saw Dressy Bessy last night at TT's, it was a great show. The Built to Spill Don't Look Back show in NYC was also awesome.

Our New York trip: fun and exhausting.

Thursday we arrived in the city, dropped our bags off at our weird "b&b" (bed, no breakfast, surly owner), and headed over for our long, long wait for The Daily Show. They overbook their reserved tickets, so you're not guaranteed to get in even if you have tickets. We got there wicked early, waited in line for a looooooong time, but it was worth it because we did get in. The actual taping of the show is so fast, it really is just about the time it takes to watch the show without commercials. Jon Stewart is awesome and comes out before the show to take some audience questions. The show was conveniently about five blocks away from the venue for Built to Spill, so we left the taping and went over to the concert. I had been hoping to get there after the Meat Puppets finished their set, but we were early and had to sit through them. Dinosaur Jr. rocked out, and then Built to Spill played Perfect From Now On, and they were amazing, and it was all I hoped for. It's my favorite BtS album. After that we met up with the rest of our traveling group in Times Square, went to a really crappy bar, and headed back to Brooklyn to sleep.

Friday Drew & I went to the Central Park Zoo, it was raining so the giant bunnies were not outside and I felt a little cheated. Yes, the highlight of every zoo experience for me is seeing bunnies, even though I have three perfectly good bunnies at home to see all the time. But the polar bears were adorable. We then hit the Met, which I've been to a couple of times, so I hit my museum tolerance pretty quickly. Since it was raining, I think half the population of the city was hanging out inside the Met, making it kind of claustrophobic. We fled the museum to meet up with friends and commence to drinkin'. Continued drinkin' at Vol de Nuit. Got a tasty late dinner at a place called Acme, and by the time we got to Brooklyn our store of energy was spent. Why does it take so friggin' long to get anywhere in New York?

Saturday we had brunch in Carroll Gardens, waited forever for an F train to take us into Manhattan, scored The Best Cupcakes I Have Ever Had, Ever at Sugar Sweet Sunshine, and went to The Strand for some book action. By the time all this was done, it was pretty much time to catch our bus home. Ok, seriously, those cupcakes? They were divine. They were better than Lyndell's. I would take the 4 hour bus back down to New York just to get those cupcakes and then come right back. Nom nom nom.

So that's that. It was a ton of fun, but involved way too much public transportation. If it hadn't been raining I would have walked much more and probably wouldn't have burnt out so much on getting around town.

Had a super fun weekend involving a birthday party, a Rock Band 2 party, and a visit to an adorable new baby.

For those of you talking about going to NH to canvass for Obama: I am interested in doing so, but I feel weird doing it by myself. Is anyone organizing a group of some kind, or anyone going up and want an extra person tagging along with them?

Also, I really want to go hiking soon while the weather is nice and autumnal. Perhaps after we get back from NYC we can arrange something!

Well I spent most of my weekend consuming media in various ways. And driving to and from New Hampshire- I love driving, especially when no one else is in the car so I can turn my iPod up and caterwaul away to my "emo rock" playlist. Oh, Blink 182 and My Chemical Romance! *ahem*

Anyway, so I spent a good portion of the weekend reading the Twilight series, which I swear must be laced with crack because ohmygod it is so entertaining. I am on the last book in the series, and am kind of sad knowing there won't be more.

Also, finally saw Mamma Mia, which is a total cheese fest, but involved Colin Firth singing and dancing. We spent a good chunk of yesterday watching this British comedy show Black Books- so, so hilarious. I think I hurt myself laughing at some points. And Step Up 2 The Streets is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds like it would be.

Finally, I call shenanigans on the weather. What is up with the rain this summer? It is dreary and needs to cut it out. I'm also desperately in need of more time off, and am really looking forward to the fall when we at least get a few more long weekends. These long weeks are getting to me.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is hilarious. Seriously, folks, if you do Netflix you must watch this show.

This weekend went by too fast but involved hanging with the marvelous doplar, hiking in Northfield, dinner at People's Pint, watching tv with Miss tenillypo, and discovering that the Arsenal Mall has an Ann Taylor factory store, and subsequently purchasing some work clothes. I feel very old for enjoying Ann Taylor, but I'm hoping that the expensive clothes hold up better over time than my usual H&M stuff.

Whew. With Drew away for the weekend I wanted to keep myself busy, and I sure succeeded in that. Friday night grabbed dinner at Audobon Circle with some folks- that place has a great back patio and wasn't super crowded with sports types, even though it's near Fenway and there was a home game that night. Score! After that saw Hellboy 2, which was sufficiently entertaining.

Saturday was a lovely bridal shower, and then tasty Thai dinner at the new Thai Dish location. Then tenillypo and I had a totally awesome slumber party with movies and sangria and ice cream. It was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday night. Also, Definitely Maybe is, like, the most perfect movie. 90s nostalgia? Check. New York City depicted exactly as I always dreamed it would be for fabulous 20-somethings? Check. Heart warming love story? Check. I will be purchasing that movie for future re-viewing.

Today I've been getting a ton of chores done, and now that I'm finished what I wanted to get done today, I find myself still puttering around unable to sit still. It is time for reading now, not cleaning! But I managed to get groceries, do laundry (myself, not wash-dry-fold), get the car washed, cleaned the trash out of the inside of the car, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the buns' cages, semi-cleaned the bedroom, and picked up a bunch of miscellaneous crap that was lying around. Busy day! Also, I need to get off the internet and must stop reading about banks collapsing and the pile of crap our economy is in.

So Drew is gone for the weekend, but I have a mad hankering to see Hellboy 2, which he'll be seeing down in Maryland.

Would anyone be interested in joining me at the theater this evening?

Alternatively, I would be happy sitting around the new Charlies Kitchen beer garden drinking some brews outside, which would also be a good Friday night activity.

Yesterday we totally went hiking. In nature. We will be doing it again throughout the summer! When did we turn into hippies?? Drew got a great book of hikes within an hour's drive of Boston, so we have some great looking walks on beaches and through woods, and... in nature. I am not a naturey person, but I do enjoy a good vista and scenic scenery, and it turns out nature has a lot of that. Nature also has bugs, and I'm covered in bug bites.

After hiking we spent the evening in Greenfield for a little anniversary celebration. 3 years! Anyway, so we spent a while at the People's Pint, which is just my favorite restaurant/bar ever. And we can report that they are now open all day on Saturdays! That makes for an easier trip over there.

Hal Sparks is really, really funny. Having a Carmina Burana joke in your schtick is a good thing. Also, the Comedy Connection is a surprisingly good venue for comedy. And comedy on a Friday night = win.

First, Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay: I was kind of disappointed. Possibly only because I have been looking forward to this movie SO MUCH since a trailer first appeared on the internet. I felt like the humor was less clever and subtle. But then again, I am talking about Harold & Kumar, and I'm not sure how subtle the comedy really was in the first one. Christopher Meloni's cameo should have been longer. But it was funny. Not as funny as Strange Wilderness.

Second, Saturday was packed full with an amazing engagement party for two very lovely people, and a Metafilter meetup that was tons of fun. Meeting new people is fun! I spent some quality time with Miss T-Po yesterday watching Coupling (the British one), and it was entertaining.

And now, I have a librarian rant. But I'll cut it for you! ( librarian rant! )

Saturday afternoon I spent 2.5 hours at kung-fu, part of which was taken up by my level 2 test. I passed! I didn't do as awesome as I had hoped, but I passed, and am now officially Level 2. Yay!

Also, Michael Clayton was a freakin' awesome movie.

Today: dim sum and more kung-fu tonight.

So I spent a lot of this past weekend talking about these books, but I'm gonna do it one more time. Over the past week I devoured two books by Deanna Raybourn, Silent in the Grave and Silent in the Sanctuary. And they were so, so good. A little heavy handed with the thesaurus at times, but I was thoroughly charmed by the characters and absolutely compelled by the stories.

And now I really wish I had a modicum of talent for writing, because I'd love to write a thrilling historical novel. I truly lack any kind of creativity whatsoever, but it would be really fun. I'm now reading Raybourn's blog, and the idea of doing all kinds of research and then writing a book sounds so neat. You'd think that someone who spent her entire life with her nose in a book would have picked up some writing skills.

So that's that. This weekend was fun, even though I did imbibe a bit too much yesterday in boozeahol. Also, Drew is the bestest and I have a usb turntable coming to me! I'm super excited to get all my vinyl into mp3s. And then I can burn non-iTunes music onto cds for people! I know y'all want your very own copy of the 1998 Sub Pop Singles Club.

The New Kids on the Block are rumored to be getting back together. Hee. There is no way Joey MacIntire can sing Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time now that he has testosterone.

So, you know you had a good weekend when your voice is almost gone for two days because you talked too freakin' much all weekend. Good times, people, good times.

I've been meaning to post this link for a while but keep forgetting. Now I am remembering! Fantasy Congress! I haven't actually done anything on the site yet, but it looks like fun.

Also, did someone leave a white winter hat at our place a couple of weekends ago?

What a satisfying weekend experience. Friday night had people over for Rock Band, which was freakin' awesome, as usual. Saturday we spent the day shopping for presents, which was full of the hassle you'd expect from shopping a few weeks before Christmas, but it was pretty successful. We ended our shopping trip with a stop at Omaha Steaks. Obtained delicious steaks and set ourselves up with a tasty steak dinner of wilted spinach, steak, and roasted potatoes. Those steaks are totally worth the price.

I actually have recipes for another delicious steak dinner that we had last week, I'll be posting that and some cookie recipes over at jennie_cooks.

Today: errands, cookies and Christmas cartoons at tenillypo's, and now to wind down with the new issue of the Buffy comic.

Why yes, watching 8 hours of the BBC's A History of Britain is indeed a marvelous way to spend a Sunday.

Also, Rock Band is the greatest video game ever.

Weekend wrap-up:

Friday: MeFi meetup at Watch City in Waltham. Good folks, tasty food, good times! I had onion rings. They made me go NOM NOM NOM.

Saturday: After getting up for an 8 AM dentist appointment (no waiting! clean teeth!), I ran around making food and cleaning the house for aquarianna6's baby shower. Cute baby clothes! Tasty food! Good company! It was very fun. I was exhausted after, but ran down to Central Square to meet up for some dinner at a Chinese place. Mmmmm.... scallion pancake.

Sunday: Book Club meeting, then a visit with the lady counterpart of thiswakingdream. Afterward Drew & I finished watching season 1 of 30 Rock. *love* that show. I am Liz Lemon, minus the comedic genius but also minus the dreadful love life. So basically, I love food and say/do embarrassing things a lot.

Monday: To celebrate the day off, I: did groceries, did laundry, spent money at Costco and Target, and continued The Quest for something to wear to this weekend's nuptials. I finally found a reasonably cute dress at H&M and an awesome pair of shoes at Macy's. So I will be outfitted in a somewhat classy manner. Despite being completely wiped out at the end of all this, I managed to pull it together to hit kung-fu last night, and endured the twice-weekly peril of pick a partner. Let me share with you the dread that fills my heart at the end of every kung-fu class. First, we are told to pick a partner for self-defense (sometimes with the qualification of "about your height" which for me is "no one"), which makes me feel like an awkward chubby kid in fifth grade waiting to be picked for kickball. Second, it involves strangers touching me and invading my personal space. *shudder* I have not yet gotten over this. I also don't like strange guys coming too close to the girls, if you know what I mean. It's awkward. Finally, it also involves being admonished for not looking my partner in the eye. I have a major problem with making eye contact while being aggressive, and this is most difficult for me. So sometimes I deal with it and sometimes I duck out of class a few minutes early to avoid dealing with it. To be fair, sometimes I also duck out of class early because self-defense often doesn't start until 8:55, at which point I just want to go home (class supposedly ends at 8:40, but never does).

That's my story.

So it turns out that when I took a preliminary stab at this year's taxes last month I must have futzed up the math, because I finally got 'em completed last night, and we're actually getting a bit of cash back from both the feds and the state. Even though I understand the idea that it's better to owe than to get a refund, since the government basically gets to earn interest off your money all year, I'd still rather get something back than owe.

Yesterday was another round of komos's excellent Iron Chef Challenge. I made up a batch of Caribbean pork chili that I hear came out tasty. I couldn't stand the sight of it after working on it for hours on Saturday, but I'm really glad it was well-received. For all that I was excited to fry up some plantains to go with it, the end result of said fried plantains was that it was too much effort for not enough taste.

Kung-fu tonight! I've been a bad girl and for all of Feb. I only made it once a week, so this week I need to step it up again.

Just returned from an awesome Apples In Stereo show. I had lost track of them after Tone Soul Evolution was released way back when, and am really impressed with how far they've come since then. What a phenomenal performance! Back in the late 90s they were outshined by Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, but those bands are now long gone. Bill Doss of OTC was playing with the Apples tonight, though.

Indie rock shows make me really happy when they're spot on, but I have such a hard time getting myself out to shows. As always, major props to incandes_flower and J. for getting me out to a great show!

Friday night involved girly dancing time at the Common Ground for My So-Called 90s night. We'll have to do that again sometime, that was totally fantastic.

This weekend I... learned more mad numchucks skills... watched 9 hours of Supernatural with tenillypo... and got a wee bit Dunky McDrunk Drunk on what was not a lot of beer.

So, ok, I don't know why I even bother to balk and resist the fine television programming that Ms. tenillypo recommends to me, as it always turns out to be totally awesome (though I swear I am not going to turn on to Stargate Atlantis, I just can't go there). Supernatural is such a rockingly great show! Why did I resist for long?!

So anyone up for doing something tonight?

Dinner & drinks, something more exciting? Our place is always an option for cheapness.

I love long weekends! So I passed my first-level kung-fu test on Saturday, and after a 2.5 hour workout, I'm surprised I was able to stay awake for as long as I did Saturday night. I'd like to thank my good friend Pabst Blue Ribbon for its assitance with that. Saturday was the always fun annual Yankee Swap. The rest of the weekend I spent my time lolling about reading, organizing Drew's Magic cards, and doing chores. I am a barrell of fun!

Well that was drunker than I needed to be last night. I hope bushidokelt had an awesome time, because that was a terrific birthday bash, despite the mild hangover I had to deal with this morning. But Kelly's brunch cures all but the most recalcitrant of hangovers.

I'll be eating more food with my PBR from now on.

I belabored a few points unnecessarily, I think, sorry for my drunken harping if you were stuck in conversation with me for any of that.

I woke up this morning thinking it was Friday. I was mistaken. *sigh*

So, this weekend Drew & I watched "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," and it was immensely enjoyable. Fast-paced, bantery, and hilarious. Are there other movies out there that are similar in style? I have so many questions for you lately, my awesome friends-list!

Kung-fu tonight (Monday's class was all kicks, I'm hoping we go over some forms tonight). I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I've started dabbling in running/jogging on some non-kung-fu nights. It feels like it's getting a bit easier, or at least, yesterday I didn't feel like I was about to keel over at the end. I hate running so much, but I figure I need something aerobic to do a few times a week along with the yoga/pilates/weight training. You'd think I'd be in better shape than I am with all this working out. Someone needs to forcibly remove the peanut butter cups from our house! Save me from myself and my love of Reeses.

This weekend I got to see doplar and incandes_flower (and my other ladies, too!). Yay!

Yesterday was a fabulous edition of Book Club, as always. Drew & I walked all the way from home to Big City, and then... from Big City to Harvard Square because the stupid bus went by the bus stop. We then booked it to the bus stop on the bridge near N. Harvard Street, only to have the bus pass by the stop yet again. And it was clearly in service, as it clearly had people on it. Rawr.

So today, on account of not getting enough sleep last night and getting an ouchy headache right after calling out sick anyway, I decided to... call out sick. So I'm home, and I have a List Of Things To Do. Am halfway through cleaning the bedroom, and still have to clean the bathroom, clean bunny cages, and make chili. That is what today brings me. Oh, and then go to kung fu later.

So, I didn't get the totally awesome ghost tour in Dublin that I was dying to go on, but now I totally want to go to this awesome haunted house. It's in NH, and is mentioned in an article called 13 haunted houses that will make you wet your pants. That sounds like a good time to me! The only hitch being that the only days left this month that I can do it are the 28th or 29th, which may make it crazy-crowded. Would anyone be interested in a pants-peeing good time? If we end up going, we'd have room in the car for 2.

Speaking of Halloween, bushidokelt and his lady threw a fantastic Halloween shindig this weekend. Between that and the resurgence of the Friday Night Thing, the weekend was excellent.

So this weekend there was tasty sushi, a fun Metafilter meetup wherein I consumed too much delicious beer, and a lovely girls' brunch with folks I haven't seen in about 3 months. Note to self: don't let yourself slide on the girls' brunch attendance so much in the future!

Am now rather meh, as PMS and lack of sleep is making me cranky and imagining slights where none exist. But hey, at least I'm holding the leash on my inner drama queen. There will be kung-fu later to make it all better with endorphins and ass-kicking.

So, this coming weekend, I'm thinking Sunday, since Book Club is slated for Saturday, I simply have to have a trip to the People's Pint. Drew & I will be going come hell or high water, and we'll have 2 open seats in our car for ride-seekers. If anyone else wants in, that would be peachy, drop me a line sometime this week.

I have a confession. For the longest time after reading Beowulf in high school, I thought Grendel was a big old dragon. Then the dragon idea was deflated by "English majors" who apparently have better reading comprehension skills than I. So I then thought Grendel was a big old hairy monster. Imagine my disappointment when watching Beowulf and Grendel and finding out that Grendel was just a lame troll.

Man. My bunny's name isn't as badass anymore.

And, um, wow. That movie was a big old turd. In fact, it is on my list somewhere between the Star Wars prequels and The Mexican, though not winning the Worst Movie Ever award, as that is held by Unbreakable. Inappropriate colloquialisms, unmatching accents, Sarah Polley's wretched "performance," and Grendel peeing on a door for some reason. Ugh. I'd like those two hours of my life back, please.

Anyway, so that happened this weekend (sorry to the folks who saw it Friday, my logistics for seeing it couldn't work until later in the weekend).

But my weekend also involved ice cream filled cupcakes, so I can't complain. Science has proven that they are delicious. And the store has a variety of other pastries that can be injected with soft serve.

I'm sorry. I'm so horrified and amused by this video that I have to share. Britney Spears has some problems. I actually feel bad for Kevin Federline. No one should have to live with that.

ETA: the video is on a blog that has a lady in underwear as a background image, so it's probably NSFW.

And... I read too many celebrity blogs. I can't stop!

This weekend was loads of fun. Had some folks over Friday evening, went to Providence for dinner on Saturday, and yesterday was a great book club meeting (we talked about the book for longer than 10 minutes!) followed by a viewing of Talladega Nights. Not the best Will Ferrall movie ever, but it was still enjoyable and made me giggle. Plus it involved Sacha Cohen, and he rocks.

So we have no plans for the weekend, and are thinking about making a trip to somewhere interesting for some beer and food. It'll either be The People's Pint, or The British Beer Company (either the Pembroke or Plymouth location). For the uninitiated, People's Pint is an awesome microbrew pub that uses only locally-grown/raised food stuffs, and makes great beer. They even make their own sodas! It's great food, great beer, and is pretty cheap. Of course, it is out in Greenfield, but it's a pretty drive. The British Beer Company appears to have a bunch of, well, British beers, and also has pasties. And we all know how obsessed with pasties I am. That would also involve a bit of a haul to get to, but should also be a nice drive.

Anyone want in, and if so, any preferences? We'd have room in our car for 2 people in need of rideage.

Kung-fu update: Fourth class done. I didn't feel as graceful as a gazelle this time, but I think it's because I was just goofing up some steps in an intermediate longfist that I'm not supposed to know yet. I'm getting closer to nailing the very beginning series of moves that they've been having me do the most hardcore practice on. Though I think I need to start doing some yoga at home after I've done the gym thing, I need to be more bendy than I am now to really get my body to do what it should for the 'fu. But yay! It's fun.

So this weekend brought an awesomely fun time celebrating bacelor/bachelorette parties for thiswakingdream. I did not come home stinking of whiskey, but I did do a valiant job with a Jack & Coke that was all Jack, splash of Coke. And other drinkies. Boston Tank Top! This weekend also brought some excellent hanging out time with my girls and the world's cutest baby.

This weekend involved so many of my favorite things, it was totally a Jennie's Faves Weekend. First there was singing (and free dinner!) at Jake Ivory's, thanks to cayetana and her co-workers. Seriously, free food, cheesy songs, and huge bottles of Corona. That's a Friday night. There was Buffy watching with tenillypo. I just love that show so much. Am very tempted to buy the big box set, but I've got to get my iPod fixed before I go plunk down $150 or so for dvds.

Speaking of my crapped out iPod- has anyone sent in theirs to get the battery "replaced?" I'm under the impression that they just send you back a new one when you do that... is that true? My battery just won't hold a charge anymore, and I've been iPod-less for a couple of months now, so it's time to do something. I really don't want to have to buy a whole new one if I can avoid that.

Finally, yesterday we got tasty Indian food while discussing our first Book Club book, The Ground Beneath Her Feet. I'm very excited that Book Club is getting off the ground, though not thrilled that our first book (which was actually one of my suggestions) turned out to be so meh. Especially when it was my one of my all-time favorite books five years ago. I ended up finding it very shallow and pedantic this time around. And precious. And pretentious without enough substance to back up the claim to pretension. It wasn't all that bad, just very disappointing to re-read it and have such a totally different experience with it this time around. Anyway, after that we watched four straight hours of Season 6 of Oz. So wonderful! The show totally became a soap sometime in late Season 4, but I still love it.

This weekend was all I could hope for in a weekend. Full of weekend-ness. Watched some Oz with tenillypo (because we have a problem... an awesome problem), and watched some Battlestar with the second circle folks. BSG is starting to grow on me. I love that crazy guy with the imaginary girlfriend. Celebrated my friend Rebecca's birthday at the new and hipster-ific Middlesex Lounge. Fun, drinks, music. That's good times right there. Went over to thiswakingdream's place to watch Junebug (kinda meh, not bad, but not great) and gorge on barbeque (bbq burritos!). Finally, yesterday, thanks to jawalter's suggestion, saw Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. Which completely rocked my socks off. I'm going to have to re-read that book soon. Oh, and I finished reading The Ground Beneath Her Feet for upcoming book club-age. I have thoughts on it, but I'm holding off on sharing those thoughts until our meeting next week.

That's that.