I sang at church today for the first time since high school.  It went well.  I even cantored the psalm (for the non-Catholics, that's where you stand at the pulpit and sing verses by yourself and lead the congregation in the chorus part).

I was shaking like a leaf.  I was clinging to the book ledge in front of me to keep my hands still.  I asked Mom, she said she couldn't tell.  But she said she hadn't realized how much my voice has matured since I used to do church choir.

It's been an Oscar Winner Weekend over here.  I watched Walk the Line (best actress), Crash (best picture), Capote (best actor), and Cinema Paradiso (best foreign language film '90).

ALL very, very good.  Capote motivated me to request "In Cold Blood" from the library.  Did you know he never finished another novel after he wrote that?

I've seen Cinema Paradiso before, I love it so much.  However, this was the first time I've seen the extended version that they did when they released it on DVD.  It changes the tone.  It's still very very good, but the original cut is very simple and beautiful, the longer version is more bittersweet.  And, it has the cutest child star in the history of Italian Film:

If you want to see it, let me know, I bought the DVD.  It has both versions.
 

Katie Connolly is a badass.  As you can see, she's about to go bust up some shit with the Imperial Storm Troopers.

And isn't she adorable?

Katie is my bestest Florida friend, and I love her to bits.  She claimed, and I concur, that she was portrayed in a negative light on this blog.  I have painted her as bitter, old, and drunk.  Not that she isn't all those things, but she's also WICKED AWESOME!!!

She came to visit me this summer--she's already demanding a return trip to Fitz's--and we had so much fun.  Plus, we had a little Florida reunion with Beth in September, because we are the awesomest of our little Florida crowd.

Also, she said that if I go to school in Boston, I can live with her, and she'll even get me a T pass--since there is no way in the world my St. Louis driving skillz will even get me out of the driveway in Boston.  If that isn't a devoted friend, I don't know what is.

On a related note, I love this Katie story:
 

Katie is my favorite "Slut with Skills" and number 3 on my speed dial.  Much love.  Oh, and the title of this post?  That's some The Click Five lyrics.

Muffin, are you happy now?

Happy Birthday, Dad!  You are WICKED old!  Although I think you're younger than me in this picture.  Born in '53, ARE 53.  Crazy.

Snow is gross.  Poor Nemo.  He looks like a snowcone.

I only hate snow when I have to go to work, because then the OCD kicks in and I have to clean ALL the snow off my car.  Hood, roof and trunk, too.  All of it.  I can't just brush off the loose snow, I have to get all the way down to the paint.

Took another quiz today:
You have the Vermeer girl look. A Vermeer girl appealed mostly to the old masters of the Dutch school, who painted pictures of everyday life as they knew it. With her fine, fair skin, she suited a light, natural, dewy make-up. The Vermeer Girl loved homely things, such as homemade soaps and candles. The following artists would have liked to paint you: Pieter de Hooch and Jan Vermeer.

You know why that's awesome?  Because COLIN FIRTH was Vermeer!  Heck, yes.

One more blog:  Stephen Silver:  He's the cartoonist who did the Clerks cartoon, and look at this awesomeness:

Chunk's even doing the Truffle Shuffle!  Sadly, Goonies the animated series is not going to happen.  But look how cool it would have been.  Stephen Silver, welcome to the sidebar.
 

Read CommentsLeave Comments  3/21/06

I finished reading my Greg Behrendt.Sad Girl Book today.  I'd read a couple chapters when I first got it, then put it aside for a while, and hadn't picked it up for a stretch, not feeling like I really needed it, but then I was like, "Damn.  I paid money for a flipping hardback book, I'm gonna read it."  So I got back into it.  It's a bit of a roller coaster to read--funny enough to make me laugh out loud one minute, and then making me tear up when I see myself in what it has to say.  Mostly it just confirmed what I was already doing and steeled my resolve to keep being strong.  Andrea and I counted on her calendar, I'm 31 days into my 60 day "he-tox" (aren't they cute?).  No contact of any kind, whatsoever.

What I've picked up is pretty basic.  Accept that you miss him and you will for a while.  Operate under the assumption that he does NOT miss you.  (Their actual wording is more like "he does miss you, but not enough to want to be with you and that's not enough for you to want him back" more or less.)  It is shallow and petty to try to torture someone else.  Love comes to you when you love yourself.

Oh, and it's way better to be remembered as "that really nice girl I used to date" than "that crazy chick."  But I knew that already.

So, as soon as I got back to my office (I've been reading in the comfy chairs at Bread Co), I went straight into Andrea's office and said, "Give this to your friend with the jerk ex-boyfriend and tell her that the reason he keeps calling is to make himself feel better.  It's just another example of him being selfish and caring more about himself than what he's doing to her.  She can borrow it, but I want it back."

How's that for empowered?

Since I got Val & the Sherrons reading the other's blog (and people read my blog because of them) I decided to spread the love.  Here is a complete list of all the blogs I read:

• Cracker and Cheese: because I love Jen & Bob and they crack me up.
• Val's Exciting World: because I'm one of the 13 people who care
• PostSecret: a "community art project" that I find strangely fascinating and check every Sunday as soon as I realize it's Sunday
• Anonymous Lawyer: very entertaining to read how soulless even a "fictional hiring partner" can be
• Rivers Cuomo:  I like this one, but don't check it much because it isn't updated much
• Makani: This is a girl who draws Harry Potter stuff like.these.pictures.here that crack me up.  She's a fricking nutcase, in the best possible sense of the word.  She finds the Malfoys hilarious. Her HP art site.  I do not know what the deal with the pineapples is.
• Jude Harrison's Tour Diary: Yay!  The Canadian Melodrama!  Fictional blog of the main character on Instant Star
• The Nurse's Station: from the point of view of a nurse at the Grey's Anatomy hospital.
• Barney's Blog: from the point of view of Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) on "How I Met Your Mother."  I'm new to this one, so it may not stay on the list.

And the little children know it.

I went to go see Kirsten & Mike's new house today with Nicole & Michelle (and Grant, Skylar & McKenna). The twins made me read them every single book in the car (8 or 9 all together I think), in addition to the 4 we read before leaving the house.  Then, while we were all playing downstairs, Skylar wanted me to take her back upstairs.  I tried to talk her out of needing me to come with her, but she wasn't taking no for an answer--and within a few minutes, ALL the kids were upstairs with me.

I did not know I had these toddler pied piper skillz.

Then I was repeatedly dying for Gavin's amusement (he's quick with that ray gun), and then reading even more books to him (the same one, four times).

I have never used the phrases, "Take turns, okay?" and "Let _____ have a turn" more in my life than I did today.  Poor moms.

I also broke two nails in the process, making another dilemma of mine moot.  (moo--it's like a cow's opinion)

I have been dreading cutting my nails for ceramics.  I knew I'd have to, because I've had to fix gouges in my pieces from jabbing them with my nails.  But they've been so nice and even.  They're not too long and they're nearly all the same length--that never happens for me.  So Art Boy and I were comparing fingernails in class yesterday, after I said I didn't want to cut them, and he told me I'd have to, that it would be even worse when we started using the wheel, even showing me the evidence on his nails.  But now that I broke a couple playing today, I'm not that attached to them.  Cut them all down to nothing.

Cheers to Katie for dropping the digits on a cute boy today.  So brave.  Way braver than me.
 

I had another ceramics class with Gretchen today.  This week we're making "slab pots," which is basically what it sounds like.  You roll out a big honking slab of clay, and use that to make something.

I drew some quick sketches of what I've done so far, so everybody can see.  Now remember, I'm taking a ceramics class, not a drawing class, so don't be too critical.  (Also, you can click the pictures to see them bigger.)

Week 1--Pinch Pots:

Week 2--Coil Pots:

Week 3--Slab Pots:

So, here's the weird thing.  Today in class, after we'd made it very (though subtly) clear that Gretchen was not only married, but pregnant, Eric the Instructor--let's call him Art Boy from here out--is TOTALLY all about Gretchen!  Asking her about her job and stuff.  Gretchen also tried to sneak in a variation of the "Wow, your girlfriend/wife must really love that" comment, but it was SO subtle, that he didn't acknowledge it, and she didn't even realize she'd said it.  Although I applaud her acceptance of her role as "married friend" in doing that investigation in my place, so I don't look obvious.

So we still don't know what to make of Art Boy.  Maybe he's just trying to get in with my friends.  Or how Tim thought I liked Mike at the beginning of Freshman year, when it was only because I thought of Mike as "off the market" and therefore, not intimidating.  Whatever.  We are befuddled by his behavior.

Gretchen also has check-minuses in class for the next three weeks for deriding KU's performance in the NCAA tournament.

When we got to class, the young girl was already there (should probably get her name, yeah?), and sitting at a different table.  I was concerned that we'd scared her and she didn't want to sit too close to us anymore.  But she came right over and sat at our end of the table, and talked more than I've heard her talk so far.

Art Boy's name is Eric Schmidt.  He does not come up on a Google search.  It does not help that the CEO of Google has the same name.  He comes up a LOT.

My living room smells like the broccoli I made with my dinner.  Yuck.  But I'm in the process of making it smell like Cherry Blossom, Lilac, Buttercreme, and Blueberry Crumble.  That's every smelly candle I could find.  I'm actually kinda starting to get a headache.
 

...SOOOOO Pretty!...

Almost nobody in my office was wearing green today.  I was disappointed in them!  I was nice, though; I didn't pinch anybody.

In an attempt to cheer up a VERY bitter Irish girl from Boston, I sent out the following email this morning (and subsequently sent it to many people):

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would share some absolutely beautiful Irish scenery:

Hope you enjoyed that.

I added the last two for the women at my office.  They're a little old for my taste.  Not to say that the women at my office are OLD, just OLDER than me.

And then, to cheer up Karen after I told her that Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood) doesn't sound Scottish in "Cashback" (which is a HUGE part of the reason we love him in Harry Potter), I had to send her a picture to show how adorable he looks, to somewhat make up for it:

All these boys are linked to their IMDb page in case you have no idea who they are and would like to.

Harry Potter Posts: 23 
Non-Potter Posts: 40
That's pretty good, right?

Jen & Bob get to be my favorite married couple because I hang out with both of them.  With all my other married friends, I really just hang out with the girl.

Tonight was my big night out on the Loop with the Sherrons.  Dinner at Fitz's, attempting to sell some old records at Vintage Vinyl and Jen & Bob bought some Yeah Yeah Yeahs tickets at the Pageant.  The only part that actually went smoothly was buying the concert tickets--that was a model of choreographed efficiency, we dropped Bob at the Pageant, circled the block, and found a parking spot right at the corner to pick Bob back up.

However, at Fitz's, our waitress (accidentally & obliviously) poured a good deal of Jen's Cream Soda float onto Jen's coat (and a little on my purse).  We tipped poorly.  Then at Vintage Vinyl the guy told me that he couldn't give me any money for any of the records I brought in--that they were not rare enough or in enough demand or good enough condition.  So we dragged them all back to the car.

And THEN Jen FORCED me to buy stuff at the Pier 1 outlet.  She was so demanding.  She was all, "Kim!  We are not leaving this store until you spend thirty dollars!  Do it!  Do it right now!  I insist that you buy things you don't need!!"  She was so forceful, I was afraid to say no.

More inappropriateness at work:  I was leaning over the counter at my desk to grab my breakfast plate before I went into the morning meeting.  One of the women at my office came up to me and said "Twenty Pounds!" (reference to the 20 pounds I have lost so far).  I showed her the candy bar & danish I was going to eat for breakfast.  She said, "I wasn't chastising you for cheating, I was looking at your butt.  I wish I had your butt."

Okay.

Tomorrow's St. Patrick's Day.  Gretchen tells me Burke gave St. Louisians the no meat reprieve so we can have our corned beef.  Good to know.
 

Read CommentsLeave Comments  3/16/06

Had girls night with Gretchen & Jen tonight.  We went to see "Failure to Launch."  It was cute enough, but the end scene is dumb and boring.  The movie did drag a synchronized "Ohhh!" from Jen & I.  Not an "Oh that's so sweet" sort of "awww" but an "Oh my god that poor guy" sound.  It was loud.  It couldn't have just been the two of us.  Every single one of the main characters in that movie had very pretty blue eyes: Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew McConaghey, both of his friends, Zooey Deschanel, even the parents, I think.  Plus, all that animal stuff they could have cut.

Then we went out to eat and chatter. About boys--current/future (current-them, future-me) and former boys for all.  I said that I just wish there was less edging around the issue.  Like, if I could just KNOW instead of having to guess if ceramics instructor likes me.  This was met by an "Are you freaking crazy?" look from Gretchen.  Apparently to her, it would only be more obvious if he actually grabbed me and kissed me in class.  I accidentally diverted the conversation at that point, so I'll have to find out what she means.  I don't know how to read boys.  It's all just guesswork for me.

And Jen got to touch Gretchen's belly.

Guess what FINALLY showed up?  Harry Potter and the Goblet of About Damned Time!  More than a week after it came out.  I'm so done with Columbia House.

Also, Truman found me.  I got my first piece of Truman State University mail that didn't go to my mom's address.  Somebody told, and when I find out who, they are in SERIOUS trouble.
 

Read CommentsLeave Comments  3/15/06

Don't be concerned about yesterday's post.  PMS mood swing, I'm fine, really.  Why is it that once you identify the fact that you're being crazy because you're about to have your period, suddenly the crazy gets better? 

I was walking into work this morning, and I was thinking "Wait.  When did I have my last period?  Okay, that explains the crazy freak out last night."  And then I didn't feel bad about it anymore.  I mean, I'm still in a bit of a grumpy mood, but nothing like last night.  Last night I wore myself out being emotional.  So it was a good thing I got to go into work 30 minutes later today--that's three more times hitting the snooze button.

Tonight I watched Y Tu Mamá También (the Spanish translation of the title of this post).  The title reference in the movie (is a spoiler, so I'll black it out) is basically [I had sex with your girlfriend,] and your mom, too.  It's a good movie.  Sadly poignant, especially at the end.  Although, what's a little weird is that the picture on the cover of the DVD isn't even from the movie.

So I've decided it wouldn't have been fair to hold it against the girl who played Fleur Delacoeur in Harry Potter that she had been naked in another movie, when the second guy to direct the series made a name for himself with this movie that begins with two teenagers having sex.

The Bi-State Area's Gateway Grizzlies made it onto national television.  Stephen Colbert gave them a Tip of the Hat for their new concession item, "Baseball's Best Burger"--a bacon cheeseburger with a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut for a bun. 

"With over 1,000 calories and 45 grams of fat, it could single-handedly save Social Security."  --Stephen Colbert

The Colbert Report was good last night, catch a rerun if you can: "For every older brother a man has, he is 1/3 more likely to be gay.  I have a problem with that theory, namely...my seven older brothers.  By their math, I'm 233% gay.  That's getting up there."

He also had a good line a few days ago about the US team losing to Canada recently.  The Canadian team even scored an inside the park home run.  "That only happens when the outfielders fall down!  And are CHILDREN!"

Tomorrow is March 15--the Ides of March.  Be on the lookout for people acting stabby in your vicinity.

An Ace from Bob:  PJ Harvey - Good Fortune

Bob, who decided for himself that he is no longer banned from my bathroom.  You take somebody for ice cream one time and suddenly you're unbanned?  I don't think so.  Although he did go back and put the toilet seat down.

This post was linky.
 

Read CommentsLeave Comments  3/14/06

I had ceramics again this weekend.  We're making "coil pots"  Mine came out pretty cool.  I'll put pictures of my stuff up when I finally get to take it home.  My hands are too covered in clay to use my camera phone during class.

So coil pots are basically when you make something out of coils of clay--like when you made play-doh snakes as a kid, but they have an "extruder" that you just pump, so you don't have to make your own snakes.  It's like an industrial Play-Doh Spaghetti Factory.

So, the younger girl in our class (I thought she was about 16 or so, but we saw her get picked up by a mom in a minivan, so Gretchen's thinking 13-14) was making a pot with a GIANT coil, and someone in our class said it looked like a snake she saw once in her yard, so I encouraged her to make a snake pot--because that would be badass.  She took it to a whole new level, there were two smaller snakes coming out of the mouth of the large snake, and two more snakes coming up the sides like handles.  Which prompted the following conversation: 

I'm going to have to cut my nails off entirely.  I keep gouging into my clay and my nails aren't even that long right now.

Then Gretchen & I met up with Kristin at Dave & Buster's.  I haven't seen Kris since Gretchen & Frank's wedding.  I'd never been before.  We won a total of 373 tickets--which purchased 6 jumbo pixy stix and a frog eraser.  That crap is expensive.

That night, Jen and Bob took me (and Kuma) to Fritz's.  I had a coke float, it was delicious.  Nobody cares if you go to Fritz's in your pajamas.  Even if your pajamas include pink pants with monkeys on them.

Did anybody watch SNL last night? I enjoyed the "Two Assholes at a Travel Agency" sketch:
 

On Notice:  The Channel 5 Weather Team

Dead to Me:  The Columbia House DVD Club

Meet the Conair Body Benefits Pedicure Massaging Foot Spa.  Love.

The Bed Bath & Beyond scam:  If you buy something expensive (like a foot spa), also buy something cheap (egg slicer, $2.99), that way you can use two coupons: a 20% off and a $5 off and at least some of the $5 will come off your expensive thing as well as the 20%.  Because BB&B will let you use as many coupons as you have items and they accept expired coupons.  After a gift card I got for Christmas, the $50 foot spa cost $16.
 

I was out at lunch with Jo Anne today, pointing out the cute boy in the suit, when suddenly, she just freezes for a second.  Then she turns to me and says, with certainty, "You're going to start dating someone soon.  And he suits you so well!  I can see it."

What the fuck?

Then she sent me this email once we were back in the office: 
 

How weird is that?  It's like she totally knows this guy in her head.

Not much going on today.  Pretended to have a breakup fight with Katie via email, just to keep her entertained at work.  I can't believe that hussy was cheating on me!

I deleted the old comments page entirely from my server space.  There were 340 junk comments from AFTER I DELETED THE SUBMIT FORM!!  I don't even know how that's possible.
 

I went to see Curious George with my mom (there is seriously NOTHING out right now).  The plot is weak at best, but George is adorable, and you can tap your foot to the Jack Johnson.  Plus, I liked seeing all those cute little moments that I remembered from the book.  I did NOT like the fact--while I see the necessity--that they gave the Man in the Yellow Hat a name.  Ted.  His NAME is the Man in the Yellow Hat!

The strap broke on my Snow White purse.  I am so sad!

Today's drive home song was Your Song, the Ewan McGregor version from Moulin Rouge.  Not really a rock out song, but I like hearing Ewan sing me love songs.
 

"So, excuse me forgetting, but these things I do.  You see, I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue.  Anyway the thing is, what I really mean is, yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen."

Also, I've made it to the gym 3 times in the last 6 days.  Go me!
 

Today was my first Ceramics class with Gretchen.  We decided we needed to take some kind of class and Gretchen picked this one out.  I think it'll be fun.  We made pinch pots today.  I made one that's a short but wide bowl with little round feet and a flower on the side, and one with little curls coming off the side under little openings.  That one has a matching lid.

The lid was giving me fits, because I wanted it to look like it belonged with the bottom part, and I was having trouble making something that seemed similar enough.  I was like, "Listen, I consider myself to be borderline OCD, and I'm trying REALLY hard to be okay with the fact that things aren't even."  But our instructor was like, "Well, I like it."  And Gretchen was like, "Borderline?"

Gretchen thinks he likes me.  She said I had him all flustered.  He's cute.  I may have to look into this.  But it's not like you can do the typical little pre-screen things.  I can't check to see if he's got a ring, because obviously he wouldn't wear it to teach a ceramics class.

Eileen met up with us after class and we went out for dinner at Max & Erma's.  Our waiter had a trainee with him.  He was too over the top.  I don't know if that's how he always is, or if that was him being "on" for the trainee.  I watched "Waiting..." last night (because I love Ryan Reynolds and the rental was free), so maybe I'm just extra in tune to waitstaff right now.  When the bill came I wrote our names next to what we were each going to pay for and he was like, "Wow, you guys must have been servers." and we were like, "No."   And he was like, "Then you're just awesome."

Which is true.

Back at Gretchen's I got to feel the Slug's foot through Gretchen's tummy.  It was cool and creepy at the same time.  I told her I want her to call me when her belly button flips out, so I can come over and look at it.  Although I do think she's come to peace with the fact that I will call her child Slug after she's born.  She also admitted that SHE has, in fact, been smoking the purple crack, because she's already thinking about how soon she could be pregnant again.

Also, all the comments links are fixed.
 

Read CommentsLeave Comments  3/4/06