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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Film studies


To Live & Die in L.A. had a really really really really REALLY stupidbadawfulimpossible ending, but Gil Grisom was pretty hot and I enjoyed the wardrobes, cars, hairstyles, the "evil artist" as played by Willem Dafoe, and even the music by Wang Chung.

In other words: 1985.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

OK, enough


The "mundane" project has run it's course.

Probably you were not actually reading all that.

It's hard to stay strictly "action-oriented"--and difficult not to embellish or edit for effect, etc. These are literary habits. Eh, so I'm a writer. Knew that.

But I really shouldn't complain about my job so much. I've been doing it too long to find it challenging, true, but that's sort of the benefit of it. I can leave it at the office. I almost never think of the office when I am not there. And the people in my department are creative and easy to get along with. It's flexible, yet steady, and the pay is fine. I actually do enjoy it too. Describing things is a pretty decent job for a poet.

I sound grumpier than I really am in these, which is sort of funny. I think because I tried to intentionally cut myself off from writing much about how I was feeling/thinking and focus on what I was doing. Somehow that was easier with more contented thoughts and observations. The grumpiness, in other words, seemed more remarkable. I suppose that's lucky.

On the other hand a few "sweet" moments with S came through too. So I guess the middle-register stayed mostly out and the highs/lows snuck in. OK.

I'm going to work on being more organized (especially on commuting days--there's lots of "wasted" time, even if I feel like I'm always going going going). And that procrastination habit--alas, lifelong--well, I'll work on that too.

Hi blog.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Dailies


Decided not to record any activities unless they are sufficiently different from previous days; so insert "morning routine"
Except: checked election results while drinking coffee. OMG Maine, you suck! But OK, Washington, we'll take it; and NY-23 too, I guess. VA not surprised, and I knew that last night.
Morning routine continued
Breakfast: S had bowls of rolled outs with dried fruit set out when I came downstairs, so I finished them with frozen strawberries, cashews, soy milk & zapped them while making lunches
Morning routine continued; S grumpy about elections too, but also because he's going to miss the 8:57 train
Morning routine/train commute/etc. Nothing of note, except that I am once again not in the mood to work on the train, especially with that raucous 12-man party on their way to the World Series a few seats ahead, spanning both sides of the aisle
Walked from Penn to office, stopping for coffee cuz I guess I need extra today
Arrived at work; hit by too-high heat the moment I entered the floor, ugh
Finished "status updates" for yesterday, quickly
Decided not to call these "status updates" anymore, & thought about how difficult it's turning out to be to be strictly "action-oriented" and "purposefully mundane"
[Worked (that blouse from yesterday is still UGLY); hours passed]
Had trouble concentrating; frittered away time with poetry blogs via Google reader, vegan blogs, not really interested in anything, news, etc.
Emailed with Jen
Ate lunch at desk: big green salad of arugula and butter lettuce, with tomatoes, carrots, and smoked tofu, with lemon; 1/2 red pepper stuffed with hummus; should have put in some cucumber, forgot
Then went out to park to read, setting timer for remaining 20 minutes; too cold to really be enjoyable, and they're putting those "holiday shopping" kiosks up in the park
Back to work 3 minutes before alarm; sun behind cloud = too cold
Emailed with S; again with the vacation stuff; frustrated he won't make a decision but also glad we habitually decide things together, so opt not to be annoyed
Worked through afternoon, mostly [hours passed]
Forgot to say what outfit I picked: short/wide-sleeve mulberry cowl-neck sweater with buttons on the shoulder (liked it so much I also got black), with chocolate cords & chocolate ankle boots (all footwear is vegan unless otherwise mentioned--i still have a few pregan pairs i wear to work sometimes); felt the need to be a little tough today because of my pouty mood
RE: this MOOD the past couple of days...hormones don't play. Can I get a secular equivalent to "amen"?
Starting to spend parts of my day mentally listing things for this "mundane project;" which is *almost* like living in the moment, except sort of stupid & self-conscious
Already fantasizing about how to spend my next two "free" days, when I "work from home"--alternating between determination to be productive to romantic thoughts of lounging, reading, writing and cooking; interesting that I consider writing a leisure activity, but when I start thinking of it as work I'll probably procrastinate; deep mental sigh
As it stands now, I procrastinate on work and practical shit, and leisure time, i.e. writing time, gets frittered away in stall tactics; hmm, yes, this *is* illuminating but I am breaking my project rules
Because my habit is to try/hope to be interesting, even here, which is supposedly not the point of this project; I CAN'T STOP PERFORMING
Worked some more; thought how silly very tall models over 30 look in frilly dresses, i.e. this is how I feel in them and I am projecting? No, they really seem too girly for grown women; I do not like this trend.
Considered sponsoring a turkey from Farm Sanctuary; cue "running a sanctuary" fantasy, briefly
Worked some more; shit it's 3:15, get busy! Must demonstrate productivity in status update at end of day.
Stopped working at 6:00, status update sent; walked to Penn
Caught train; read news/emails on the train, read some more Why They Kill
Rode home in car
Changed; watched news, half-assedly
Made dinner: artichoke hearts, arugula, tomato, black olives w/ ww spirals
S cleaned up; Michael Musto's Palin gag was dumb; Dan Savage on Obama re: gay rights: "not a fierce advocate...not doing squat"--gotta agree there
Turned down heat, washed, brushed, etc.
Read in bed; lights out at 10:30ish

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Status updates


Woke after only one snooze, because we had to make time to vote
Chilly, dressed in robe
Went downstairs for coffee; not ready yet
Saw unopened package from poet on table; eek! reminded me I needed to send her something back
Opened package and looked through chapbook while waiting for coffee; received coffee
Drank coffee while reading chap, checking email (deleting, not answering), checking weather, & looking over sample ballot
Campaign-worker friend texted to remind us to vote; joked with her about opponent & wished her good luck at her site today
Read candidates' statements on back of ballot by previously unheard-of candidates: libertarian likes pot legalization and gay marriage but also wants to abolish public schools and all taxes; one of the independents bills himself as "one man on the Internet" and spends part of his 500 words recommending his favorite you-tube videos, ooooookay; finished coffee :(
Jumped up to go shower; washed hair (roots only), conditioned, combed, etc.
More grooming; moisturizing
Dressed in outfit chosen during shower; not pleased; changed into alternative outfit; still not pleased; added belt. That's better: short-sleeve turtleneck sweater in "Prince Purple" (remembered the tag), black ponte knit trousers (admired fit), black flats with trouser socks, wide black faux reptile belt (yay Betsey Johnson) over sweater; considered; judged uninspired but serviceable for work & I gotta get movin
Downstairs to make breakfast x 2: half grapefruit, half banana, watermelon chunks, whole grain toast with peanut butter, carrot juice
Ate breakfast with S; took multivitamin, D2, and vegan DHA; discussed grapefruit's weird interaction with some drugs, none of which we take, and some other estrogen-related effect I can't remember but am not worried about
Cleaned up breakfast things, sort of; no time to empty & reload dishwasher
Brushed teeth
Repacked bag with book (from bedside), all other things still in bag from yesterday
Put on coat
While waiting for S, went to front porch and used ladder to finish removing skull banners from Halloween
Folded ladder; no time to put back in closet on back porch
S came out; grabbed my bag and two packages for post office
Walked to post office on the way to our polling place
Walked to polling place; damn, we could have driven and saved a few minutes--plenty of parking
Chatted with elderly election day volunteers, one of which asked about my accent
Voted, #157
Waited for S to vote
Walked back to house; got in car
Rode in car to train station; applied makeup in car; listening/discussing Atlas Sound CD
Parked, waited for train
Caught train; read news on phone; checked political blogs, mildly fretting re: election in NJ and gay rights initiatives in ME and WA
Stared out window, enjoying sun on my side of train
Listed to S laugh; noticed his ears turned red he was laughing to so hard and his book; adorable, said so, receiving embarrassed mock scowl
Messed around on phone some more; didn't feel like pulling out book or Bloof MS with only 15 minutes left
Arrived at Penn Station
Walked to office--warmer today! Sunny!
Worked
[Hours passed, uneventfully]
Thought about where to get lunch, and wondered if it were warm enough to sit outside
Decided, left building; answer to warm enough question: not really
Realized that right now is best time to be walking though Times Square; summer/fall tourism seems slack, Xmas madness not yet begun
Smiled at a family posing for pics with Spongebob Squarepants (with cute pedicab driver looking on, laughing)
Got lunch; scored a small table by window
Ate lunch: steamed collards, kale salad with pumpkin seeds, marinated mushrooms, hummus & small carrot-ginger soup
Browsed Facebook accounts, made a couple comments; looked through high-school friend's retro photos
Browsed news; no election updates
Finished lunch; walked back to office without zipping coat; the sun was awesome today
Washed hands, primped, etc.
Made green matcha tea (thought how sweet it was for S to pack tea box for me last week because I always forget--this experiment is making him look good! :))
Got back to work, enjoying tea
Boredom soon set in
Problems with photo server
Browsed recipes for cabbage on Vegetarian Times (great free database and you can click vegan)
Worked some more; not many emails today (to go unanwered, ha ha)
S emailed re: possible vacation spot; I agreed, but we decided to wait for more replies
Worked some more
Hit the proverbial wall upon seeing a top and thinking "Wow, that's hideous" and deciding I should stop writing for the day
Texted S to see if he could leave yet
Walked to Penn Station
Waited for & caught train
Checked for election results on phone; nothing yet
Read on the train: Savage Season (almost finished); too brain dead to work on Bloof stuff; My attention span for anything technical is pretty short after a full day of describing garment details, them's the breaks

--
[Finished Weds. morning:]
Rode in car from station
Arrived home; changed
Snacked on hummus & flax crackers because I didn't feel like making dinner yet
Turned on MSNBC to check election news; watched part of Keith; watched part of Rachel; fretted Christie was ahead; no news on ME or WA yet
Made dinner: quickie stir-fry (without the fry) of napa cabbage, red pepper, carrot & tofu with leftover brown rice; ate watching Rachel
Three truffles to ease election fretting
Cried out in pain when MSNBC called NJ for that asshole; retreated to bed in dismay
Washed, brushed, read until Savage Season was finished; started Why They Kill; too grumpy to get into it; went to sleep surprisingly quickly

Monday, November 2, 2009

Status Updates


Woke, oh shit a little late, when husband came upstairs to say coffee was ready
Sleepily hated Mondays
Brrrrrr, dressed in robe
Went downstairs, found coffee waiting by my chair :)
Drank coffee, checking weather and deleting email
Realized again how bad I've become at *answering* emails
Thought about what to wear to work while finishing coffee
Showered, washed & combed hair; twisted up in a bun to let down to dry on the train
Dressed, changing twice: teal cowl neck dress with black buttons, sheer black pointelle tights, black boots
Back downstairs to make breakfast: rolled oats in a bowl, with dried fruit, frozen raspberries, frozen mango chunks, soy milk & cashews (microwaved on reheat) x 2
While microwaving, made 2 lunches: green salads with tomatoes, carrots, steamed broc & cauliflower, lemon + then heated black eyed peas for 2 thermoses
Ate breakfast with husband
Brushed teeth, applied makeup
Packed bag with lunch; packed purse with Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale (because I finished The Princess of Burundi last night), Bloof project, etc.
Cleaned up kitchen
Drove to train station with husband riding shotgun
Waited for train, laughing at a guy rocking out on his headphones
Caught train, secured good triple seat; spread out and began reading while husband worked on the laptop
[an hour goes by]
Arrived at Penn Station
Walked from Penn Station to office (brrrrr! colder than I thought! glad I have gloves in my pocket.)
Arrived at work; sifted through off-day emails, addressing in order of urgency
Checked email; worked
Wandered around the floor, bored
Noticed a new water cooler had replaced old shitty one; got a drink, reusing the paper cup I keep in my desk
Worked
Emailed with Sandra
[hours pass]
Pouted because it was too cold to take my lunch outside; decided to go downstairs to 6th floor's kitchen since 13th's is loud, small & centrally located
Read more Savage Season while eating lunch. Mmmm, beans were still hot. Mmm, I was the only person in kitchen.
Washed & dried lunch things; washed hands; primped in restroom, etc.
Returned to desk
Clocked lunch for timesheets
Peeked at a few blogs and Facebook; nothing much happening
Skimmed news headlines; ditto
Reminded myself to vote in the morning; briefly indulged in negative fantasy re: outcome; mentally threatened the state of Maine & Washington but allowed myself to feel somewhat hopeful on those
Got back to work
[hours pass]
Emailed with husband about possible vacation plans for Thanksgiving
[hours pass]
Bored to the point of sleepy by "official Olympic-themed wear" by designer brand (ugly + expensive)
Everyone seemed to be in a meeting; appreciated not having to be there too
Completed today's work
Bored (work is the only place I am ever bored)
Deleted some emails; again, answered none (too busy to spend sufficient time on them)
Left 10 minutes early
Walked to Penn Station; seemed warmer
Met husband in station; caught train
Made short grocery list; out of everything but not in mood to do full trip
Read Huffington Post on my phone; found everything irritating
Rejected reality for fiction, again; more Savage Season
[a hour passed]
Rode in car to library so husband could return a book; rode to grocery store
Shopped, including dinner fixins
Rode home, watching for deer or foxes; saw neither
Changed
Husband brought in groceries & put most away, while I got dinner together
Ate dinner: 4-grain veggie burgers with fixins, green chile seitan & Mexican squash (all from prepared foods at grocery store since the cupboards were barish)
Husband comes back from clearing dishes with 2 truffles and a bar of dark chocolate (he's psychic!)
Ohhmmmm, sharing chocolate; the bar had dried cherries in it, slightly tangy with the dark bitter 70% cocoa (swooning)
Watched part of Keith Olbermann & part of Rachel Maddow; became irritated but also laughed a few times
Gathered mailing supplies & books for package going out tomorrow
Emailed Sandra
Blogged
---
Washing, brushing & in-bed reading (Savage Season) shall commence...now

Sunday, November 1, 2009

2 unrelated facts


1. Gathering is harder than hunting

2. Dust has a scent

Status Updates


Hit snooze
Hit snooze
Woke
Peed
Redressed in PJs
Downstairs, cat trailing
Realized only enough coffee for one, plotted against husband
Made coffee
Husband concedes, has tea
Felt loved
Warmed soy milk for coffee
Drank coffee, reading The Princess of Burundi and checking email on phone
Took down most of Halloween decorations on the front porch, but left top skull banner up, not feeling like climbing the ladder
Read
Thought again that The Princess of Burundi is not as good as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but realized it was not fair to compare them just because they are both Swedish
Made breakfast: Polenta with Smart Ground, red bell pepper, onions, garlic, mushroom, fresh sage + watermelon
Ate breakfast, reading & watching husband read unknown book
Cleaned up, emptied & reloaded dishwasher
Soaked a bowl of black eyed peas; soaked a jar of mung beans for sprouts
Washed, dressed for gym, brushed teeth
Paid bills while waiting for husband to dress, wrote rent check while thinking complaining thoughts about landlord
Rode in car to post office to mail rent & Netflix, husband driving
Gym: warm up, stretching, lower body, treadmill running, steamroom, shower, ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, dressed
Rode home
Made lunch: Roots & gourds soup with kale (leftovers), green salad with marinated daikon & red radish, whole wheat tortilla with Field Roast veggie sausage (chipotle)
Printed fresh copy of current Bloof project
Rode in car to coffee shop, husband sure is driving a lot lately, automatically
Abandoned coffee shop, coffeeless, when it proved too crowded
Wandered around grumpy, discussing where else we could go
Arrived at alternative coffee location, secured table, drank coffee, worked & watched husband work
Watched 40s couple on awkward public-place first date in corner; ignored less interesting college customers
Watched 40s man behind husband write in one of approx. 6 small Moleskin notebooks
Worked some more
Startled by beauty of yellow-leaved tree across the street, hit by late-afternoon sun in such a way it seemed lit from the inside--so bright!
Coffee buzz
Became annoyed at college-student girls turning up music & banging furniture to indicate nearing closing time (20 minutes)
Looked up Sunday hours for library
Packed up project
Walked toward library
Stopped at brew pub
Drank one pint Pumpkin Ale to counterbalance coffee buzz; husband had cask-conditioned Nut Brown Ale
Browsed bookstore while husband browsed record store; bought True Crime: An American Anthology (Library of America), a sociological study/collection of interviews Why They Kill, & Chester Himes The Real Cool Killers
Walked to car in parking garage, noticing awesome moon
Rode in car home (again) along back roads, watching for deer; no deer
Ew! Something in the garbage can stunk; took out trash; left kitchen door open to screen
Chopped onion, garlic, peppers, carrots to saute (mmm, much better odor) while rinsing and picking through black eyed peas
Put beans on to cook; watched for boil
Peeled remaining bundle of carrots, rinsed and refrigerated
Cleaned and trimmed 1 head each cauliflower & broccoli; turned beans to simmer & set timer
Steamed 1 head each cauliflower & broccoli
Thought "I haven't blogged in like a month; I am out of practice. I should write a status update."
Thought of George Perec's obsessively detailed food diary; Tom Beckett & Allen Bramhall's days projects
Husband poured two glassed of wine; we both briefly bitched about work tomorrow
Blogged

[to be continued]