So long, Ollie, and thanks for all the fish. And bears. And rabbits. And dogs. And squirrels. And pirates. And cats. And engineers.

It's the end of the day and I do not in fact have a real entry in me. Oh well. But I do have a meme and some other non-original yet AWESOME content. First, the awesomeness.

I've talked about Defective Yeti before, namely my attempt to ape his AFI 100 challenge (which ended in heartbreak and defeat and technically isn't ended yet, but more on that possibly tomorrow.) He is still the best ever with this, the coolest quiz ever. He's taken the lyrics to 50 great rock songs, and arranged each word in them alphabetically. Can you tell what they are? I only knew 23. I fail at rock music. But this does not mean I will listen to more Springsteen or Marley. This bird you cannot change.

And now, the meme! Stolen from my roommate Liz!

Y'know, this is going to take a lot of searching and saving and converting and saving again and I get off work in 15 minutes and plan to be in my pajamas within 30. That's right. You heard me. Tomorrow, good people. Have patience with me for another night. Besides, the rock quiz should keep y'all occupied for a bit.

PS-- Hey everybody, try to get your first hangover out of your system before you're 28 and it's Thursday and most responsible people are waiting until at least tonight to begin their wasteland weekends and you have to be at work and coherent and such. I do not recommend this. Though I do recommend bingo at Hamburger Mary's. That I am fully in favor of.

Oh, I was happy this morning. The sun was bright, the birds were singing, I was getting my new car today!

And then Enterprise screwed everything up.

Yesterday as soon as I got the loan I called Enterprise and said hi, I want this car specifically, have it transferred up from Long Beach, I already have a loan and everything. I called them and handed them a free sale. The guy called me back and said they had one on the lot, green instead of the red I requested.

"Does it also have a moon roof, mp3 jack, and Onstar (three features unique to the car I found in LB)?"

Long pause.

"Um. Let me check.... Oh, it doesn't have a moon roof."

"How much is it?"

Same amount as the red one I found. Well if I'm paying that anyway, I'd like all the features. He said he understood and they'd get the red one for me. He called me later last night and said they had it. Yay! We agreed that he'd pick me up at noon at the other rental place I'd gotten a car from so he could drive me to the Van Nuys office and I could sign the papers and get the car on my lunch break. From here on out, bullet points are probably best. Other wise this might disintegrate into hysterics.

1. He was 45 minutes late picking me up. And I was on my lunch hour.

2. They didn't have my car. It was the other green one he tried to get me to buy last night. And they thought I wouldn't notice.

3. I was gone for three hours for absolutely no reason. And I was on my lunch hour.

4. The car they put me in for the night has no gas in it. Low fuel light on and everything.

5. I'm supposed to go back tomorrow, driving in an hour of traffic to exchange the cars and sign the papers.

I am so mad right now I can hardly see straight. But a gratitude list of sorts, since I still owe two:

1. I am thankful that I did not lose my cool on those incompetent jerks.

2. I am thankful that I had a job to come back to.

3. I am thankful that I am able to buy a car and get into this whole mess in the first place.

4. I am thankful that I am literate and independent enough to stand up for myself and demand an apology or compensation. They will not get away with this.

5. I am thankful that we stock instant mac n' cheese in the back so I could have something for lunch after I got back since everything closed.

I am thankful for:

1. Extra steak at lunch today. Thanks Commissary Dude!

2. I GOT THE CAR LOAN!

Oh, I didn't tell you Cesar Jose Lima died? Yes. It was sad. And not a little scary. Three hours of non-fun at a 76 just off the 5. But! I got a loan! For a new car! The one that I want is pretty! With features! I would say 'mit funktionen' but I think the only person who would get it no longer reads this. Still! I got the loan!

3. NEW CAR. I KNOW I ALREADY MENTIONED IT, BUT IT DESERVES ITS OWN LINE.

4. I now like "Chinatown." That makes two Polanski movies that don't bore me to tears. But don't worry, I didn't drink all the kool aid, "Rosemary's Baby" still sucks.

5. The mere fact that this exists:



Seriously, is it not awesome? Also the toothpick holder. I would enjoy looking at him on my table while I eat dinner.



PS-- I really really like Chinatown. It's beautiful. What can I say? Sometimes you just grow up.

Urgent Care Co-Pay - $20.

Parking at the Medical Center - $2.55.

Antibiotics, Pain Medication, and Decongestants - $17.

My doctor drawing pictures of what my eardrums look like with my raging double ear infection (Quote: I'm surprised the right is hurting you more, cause that's just your garden variety infection, but the left one is really cool.) - Priceless.

At least it came out to three hours off in the middle of the day and quick trip to Target where I bought Christmas decorations while the prescription was filled. Also, I am so so thankful that this happened now, when I have a car to get me around town, a boss who doesn't begrudge me the time, and health insurance to make it all affordable. This story could end a lot worse, and I am very aware of that.

Yes, I feel like crap.

I had a migraine this morning so came into work late and they were marching across the employee entrance. I honked as I drove in, but had I seen this beforehand, I might not have come in at all.

Pertinent paragrah:

While our members are contractually bound to continue to work active productions if the WGA does go out on strike, each and every Local 399 Teamster has the right to honor any picket line if it is raised at their place of employment without fear of reprisal from the studios. If there is one thing that can be said about the 1.4 million Teamsters across this country, it is that our union is one that believes in strength through solidarity.

Craaaaaaaaap.

I've been running at half steam since Friday night. Went home early with a headache, woke up sick on Saturday, spent all day in bed (instead of meeting an awesome new baby,) and ended that super-fun day with a migraine, then spent all of Sunday in bed as well. Stayed in Monday night, last night, tonight, tomorrow night. Between general feeling like poo, the dreary weather, and the time change-up that now makes most of my outside hours dark ones it's a bleh week here. And my head hurts and I feel awful and I just want to go home, but if I leave now I'll run into the picketers on Riverside. And I cannot deal with crossing a picket line to leave work right now. I am not able to hang at this time, yo. So I'll stay at my desk like a good little coward and wait for 5pm when they all go home. Bleh.

This week blows.

Yesterday was a Monday in Tuesday's clothing. Today that sneaky no-good day has dressed up as Wednesday. I am done with this day. Done. And it's barely 11am.

My head is killing me. Apparently some muck-up with timesheets or vacation days (I operate on a different system as the rest of the office, so for once it's not the Teamsters, but the regular people who are fubared) has brought the wrath of HR down upon us. Spent some of the afternoon sorting a 3" stack of loose papers into a timeline... tomorrow I'll begin going through them and marking every vacation day taken by the other six people in the department since 2003.

Yippee Skippee.

My head hurts. I'm frustrated. A loud voice on the phone just now almost brought me to tears. The battle of TiVo will have to wait until tomorrow (I want to be on the phone with them while I'm online at their site and my computer still can't see the the internet since the last whatever happened.) So tomorrow. For now, there is grocery shopping. And chicken tacos. And Sims.

I spent over an hour last night taking Sims 2 and every expansion off my computer and reinstalling just the basic game. All families lost. Starting over. Was this a wise thing to do four days before Kevin arrives when I really should be spending every evening minute cleaning and preparing my room to be seen by another human? For this Sim-addict (seriously, when I'm on a kick I go really anti-social,) probably not.

Also, hurting sucks.

Am home sick. Tried some of the Meiji hard candies I got at the last Din Tai Fung outing, the coffee are more like a strong cup of joe than any other candy I've ever had. If I were drinking them I'd definitely add sugar. The white were disgusting, sort of citrusy at first, then just BLARGH GET THIS OUT OF MY MOUTH. I'm not sure if the third are their butterscotch due to the light mocha or coffee or chocolate notes.

Lunchtime sandwich of ciabatta, prosciutto di Parma, and olive oil is helping, though. A little.

Finished off the SevenUp series last night with 49Up. Fairly interesting. I still like the same kids I did at the beginning. Watched the Battlestar Galactica miniseries this morning. Was just about to send it back without watching it today after it sitting ignored on my table for a month or two. I am so glad I didn't. I kind of love it. liebewanze, trade?! You still interested in my S1 VM for your S1 BG? Am now half paying attention to Tea and Sympathy only because Deborah Kerr is in it, but um, I'm just not feeling it. In other not at all interesting yet slightly embarrassing news, I watched John Tucker Must Die last night. What? My 10 year old cousin highly recommended it. I have to say my favorite part was Tim Riggins dropping off a plate of brownies in the first five minutes. After that it went way downhill.

Like I said, the apartment is mighty boring in the middle of day. So am I.

I am so pissed I missed this. Yes, I spent this weekend being extremely broke, but I would have mustered what I could for this. An Estate Sale at the home of my favorite of the Nine Old Men? A chance to actually have something of his to remember him by? A chance that I just barely missed? Ow. I'm almost in tears. That'll learn me to skim MousePlanet.

**What kind of grown woman says "Effing?" The kind with a kid... or the kind whose mom has found their lj. HI MOM.**

This morning pretty thoroughly sucked. First a school bus tried to run me off the road. You heard me. The light turned green for my lane on the freeway entrance ramp, so I went and saw a yellow bus entering the carpool lane... speeding up... bearing down on me... OHGODPLEASEDONTKILLME. I swerved into the shoulder and hit my brakes and let the bastard blow through. Then I caught up to him, took down all the info and spent considerable time tracking down the contact info to report him. HA HA.

Then I get to work (where it's supposed to be nicer than school buses with death on their minds) and I don't exist. My corporate email disappeared, I couldn't get to the files, I couldn't upload anything, in short, I could not do my job. I called everyone I was directed to for a couple hours. Then I used small enough words to communicate that I COULD NOT DO MY JOB and wow! within about two minutes everything was turned back on with a 24 hour extension! One day for HR to get on the ball and do what they didn't quite manage to accomplish in the previous seven months. Who here thinks they'll make it? Yeah, me neither.

And then the chicken salad I got downstairs was actually kindergarten paste mixed with celery, so I ended up having a lettuce and cheese on toast sandwich for lunch. With Baked Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles, of course.

Bah.

Nothing like a little meme action to cheer a person up! Courtesy of mondaysabitch:

Red

1. What makes you blush? Just about everything. I've got the most sensitive sensibilities (and skin) that it's ridiculous.

2. What was your worst sunburn? Freshman year of college we celebrated the first warm day of spring by declaring a mental health day and reading on the roof all day. The white painted roof. On white metal lawn furniture. Everything reflected light. I ended up so badly burnt I spent the next three days in my dorm room, so wrecked that my roommate even had to bring me my meals.

3. If you had to wear a vial of someone else's blood around your neck, whose would you choose? EW, NO.

4. What's your favourite Red Hot Chili Peppers song? Scar Tissue.

5. Where (other than home, cause that's not inventive) would your ruby slippers take you? Disneyland!

Maybe. I'll do my best to stay awake. I'm so tired I just answered the phone with "Hello?" instead of "____ ____'s office."* So tired. It just hit me all of a sudden. Woof.

Wouldn't be so much of a worry but I have impromptu dinner plans tonight with a friend I worked with in SF when I first moved back to Cali after college five years ago. I haven't seen her in forever so I'm excited to catch up with her. I just hope I don't faceplant into my salad.

Brendon's totally right about Pandora, the supersweet online radio service that creates your own personal station for free when you tell it what music you like. I've been loving it all morning day** and may never bring my ipod into work again.





*I also just picked up R's line, thinking it was C's, then immediately hung up on whoever was there when I realized my mistake. They called right back. I'm hoping R and the caller (whose name on the ID I recognized) will just think it's a tech hiccup.

**Seriously, it's after 4pm already? What's the past tense for "sleepwalk?" Sleepwalked doesn't seem right. But that's pretty much what I did all day.

Ugh. Head hurts. Tummy hurts. It's probably a good thing I was going to fly solo tonight to the Noir double feature so I won't have to bail on either GHII bar or LCG. I see a couch in my future. And some tea. But I really wanted to see Abandoned!

"No name for her baby, only a price!"

How am I pissy? Let me count the ways.

- Urban Outfitters screwed up AGAIN and I got to deal with it AGAIN. I'll cut this cause it's a ( long frustrating story. )

- One of my earrings lost its little circle of wood and I already had to get in touch with the artist who made them once cause the first pair she sent arrived cracked, so I don't really feel like writing again and saying "Hi! The replacement earrings you sent just broke AGAIN. Do I have the worst luck in LA or is this stuff just badly made?"

- It's really fucking cold at my desk. I mean ridiculously. I routinely wear gloves at work. The joints in my fingers are now beginning to feel stiff and sore. If my hands are permanently fucked just because the maintenance staff here can't fix the temperature I expect some sweet worker's comp to come my way.

- I got to write a $510 check to Teamsters Local #399 yesterday because the brilliant personnel folks I dealt with when I hired on (that's right, the ones that took over a month to get me my own log-on and ID numbers, who still haven't fixed my email address so I can stop being ND (Not Disney) in the system, who haven't reset the phone so I can check the messages on my number and take the old secretary's greetings off, those efficient and hard-working people) NEVER NOTIFIED THE UNION WHEN I STARTED WORK. They told me they would take care of it, they were supposed to take care of it, but whoops. The Union never got called. So I never paid the initiation fees and they never started deducting the monthly dues from my checks. The woman at the Local office said yesterday that they've been looking for me for months. I received a letter yesterday that said if I didn't come to the office and pay the initiation and the back dues within 10 days that I could lose my job. So I paid them $510 and I got a nice little DVD about the history of Hollywood Local #399. I'm now even more officially a Teamster. With the mood I'm in I'm more than receptive to getting rid of any bodies y'all need taken care of. There's got to be a freeway overpass being built somewhere in LA.

- I keep letting rude people and condescension get to me. Usually I'm pretty secure in my abilities and my mind, but every once in a while some people can make me feel like the biggest idiot in the world. I know that no one makes you feel a certain way unless you let them, and I hate that I still let them. That I still care. That I care so much that someone I've known for a while can know me so little as to take me seriously and roll their eyes when I make a joke that's completely ridiculous. That I let people make me feel frivolous and silly and flighty and dumb and uneducated and unattractive. It's something that I've got to work on by myself, both by learning to ignore and not believe those things, and just plain not hanging out with those people. I'm over it. Or trying to be, at least.

- Grandma died a year ago today.

I'm going to have some lunch now, hope that eating something improves my mood, and work on a gratitude post. I certainly don't want to be in such a mood any longer than I have to (and really, I don't have to at all.)

I've taken to marking emails in my inbox that I still need to answer with gold stars, that way they catch my attention when I go to gmail. I was thinking this would help me answer them quickly. All they really do is remind and nag me when I open my email. Seven emails, seven people convinced I suck because I've taken so long in answering their emails. Like I said, crappile day.

Yes, self, I hate to break it to you, but Mr. Big, oops, I mean, Chris Noth (cause apparently he hates being known for playing one of the most beloved romantic characters of the last twenty years,) is kind of a jerk. Sigh.

From New York Magazine (yes, I think it's the one that put Carrie on the cover looking haggard and trashed with the headline "Single and Fabulous?")

Big Regrets From Former Mr. Big
Sex and the City star Chris Noth and the city.

By Justin Ravitz

Chris Noth, who’s still best known for playing Mr. Big on Sex and the City, is ready to repent for all the harm that series did to New York. At the opening-night party for Talk Radio, he lamented, “What makes me really sick is how New York now looks like a bad imitation of Sex and the City. Meatpacking is a good example of just how fucked up it is. You can’t have a city that’s interesting where the only people living in it are rich. When I came here as a kid, as a young adult, you could get lost—many different worlds collided. You cannot say that today.” And his success has done the same thing to him. “As an actor, you can maybe move someone, make them laugh, make them think,” he says. “As a celebrity, you’re nothing but a snapshot for somebody to put above their urinal.” So don’t go and call him Mr. Big, okay? “It’s rude! When people call me ‘Mr. Big,’ I can’t help feeling a kind of contempt.”

Yes, contempt for fans is what being recognized and loved by loyal viewers is all about. Well done, you pompous fool. Well done.

It's official. Today is most definitely an Alexander day. songlian, you thought I was cranky yesterday? Cranky + on the verge of tears today. Bleh. Just bleh.

Today is not my day.