Demystified: In Bullet Points

My last post was sort of cryptic. I feel like I owe the Internets an explanation.

Life has handed us some lemons in the past few weeks, though only one major one thankfully. [That particular story is not really mine to tell. Very short version: Abe was closely involved in that situation. We had a lot of difficult Life Conversations we'd been putting off, and dealt with some Very Sad Things.]

***

We sold the condo. Then the sale fell through at the very last possible moment, due to some new government regulations that our HOA had (unbeknownst to us) completely ignored. We were disappointed.

***

Then we (almost) bought a house. It was a wonderful house, in a neighborhood I've dreamed of living in since I was old enough to have those kind of dreams. Unfortunately, it turned out that the reason we could afford the house was because it had such severe structural damage that it needed to be torn down and rebuilt. We could not afford to do that. We had to back out.

***

We found two more (nearly) perfect houses. They were sold minutes before we put in offers, for more than we could afford to pay.

***

My best friend at work (and sort of in life right now) found a new job. I'm happy for her, of course, but sad for me.

***

I got (what I thought was) a promotion at work. Then it turned out the position I had been offered didn't exist. My supervisor had offered me a new position in order to get me to step down from my current position, so that she could give my job to a friend of a friend.

I sobbed at Abe, updated my LinkedIn, and considered quitting. Instead, I wrote a carefully worded letter that got me transferred to another team, and documented the situation just in case. (I have a record of Very Shady Things my supervisor has done, such as changing time cards so we wouldn't get overtime and encouraging us to work off the clock.) Most days, I feel like Tom Smykowski.


Weirdly enough, though, things are basically going well. A few weeks ago, we sold the condo again, hopefully for good this time. (We'll know for sure by the end of the month.) My new schedule is much closer to Abe's, so we have more time to spend together. We found a contractor who is going to help us find an affordable home and remodel it. I started a new workout regimen. Parks & Recreation and Community had new episodes on the same night.

Nothing's gonna stop me now.

Chickens and bullet points

Howdy Internets!

What's been going on? I have had a busy few months (if we can mutually decide that "busy" means I got a new job that involves working from home 100% of the time, and the resulting lack of structure and pajama-wear-as-workwear has led to my transformation into a complete sloth).

We have had some interesting new adventures at the Distractible household:

• We've settled into the house, and are fixing the condo up so that we can rent it out.
• Abe started the police academy.
• These little guys joined our family:

• ...and quickly grew into gangly teenagers...

• ...who are now very lovely ladies who will (hopefully) soon be laying delicious eggs.
• I watched an excessive amount of Netflix.
• Random other things that seemed important at the time also occurred.

So what's new Internets? Have you too been watching an excessive amount of recorded television? Or have you been extremely productive in a way that will make me feel guilty and slightly jealous? Do you have new pets? New boyfriends? New children?

I missed you!

Random Thoughts Wednesday

I guess I've been reading Kim and Hillary's blogs for too long, because feel sort of weird posting random thoughts on a Wednesday instead of a Tuesday or a Friday. However, it's my first day back at work and I'm in a bullet points-y kind of mood today, so random thoughts/Wednesday faff is what you're gonna get.

• I haven't seen my neighbor's crazy boyfriend since the poo incident. I'm hoping everything will blow over, and we will be able to move away without any more problems. I really do feel sorry for the girl -- she doesn't seem to be particularly crazy, just young. I also keep reminding myself that you should never argue with idiots, because they will just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. (I think the same rule applies to arguing with crazy people.)
• Abe was kind of grumpy with me last night. I tossed and turned until he finally got up and slept on the couch. However, I think he sort of shares the blame for the debacle; I had fallen asleep for about 30 minutes when he came upstairs and woke me up to tell me goodnight. While I realize he was being sweet, my right side was sore from my stitches and vaccine and I was running a slight fever, so I could never really get comfortable again. Fortunately, we had both gotten over our grumpiness by this morning.
• One of my friends just became a backyard dog breeder. She asked me if I thought she was a bad person, and I didn't know what to say. (I thought I was going to get away with making this a random thought, but my feelings on the subject are complex enough that I think they are going to turn into a post.)
• My cubicle mate just announced that she's pregnant. I'm so freaking jealous. I keep telling myself that well-meaning family and friends would smother me with affection/questions/advice if I got pregnant right now, and that it would drive me crazy, but I keep landing back on jealous.
• I think Depeche Mode should create their own line of individually wrapped cheddar products: Your Own... Personal... Cheeses

And now for something completely different...

• Turning 30 was not so bad after all. As I told Kim on Twitter, it really just means that my next major birthday is 33 (when I celebrate the end of Prohibition). The actual celebration was very low-key: my friends all left town, my coworkers forgot (they normally decorate cubicles for office birthdays), and Abe and my parents decided my birthday was too close to Christmas and Thanksgiving to think of creative gift ideas. It was kind of perfect.
• My main job life in general is making me insane in the membrane. It seems like every time I think I finish a project or goal, said project/goal sprouts two more heads. (Too bad it was Hercules, not Achilles, who slayed the Hydra. Hardy har.)
• I have an unhealthy obsession with Raising Hope. Watching the show is usually the high point of my week. Abe loves it too. I don't think we've had this much mutual appreciation for a TV show since Arrested Development (or maybe earlier seasons of The Office).
• Speaking of television, for the past two weeks, almost every TV show I watch (I only watch comedies/dramedies for the most part) has made me cry. Is that normal?

Things that have happened

Employment bullet points!

• I got a job. I started Tuesday. I think I like it. So far, I'm just very busy. Also, since I had picked up a lot of hours at job #2 in anticipation of not having a primary job, I'll be even a little busier than normal for the next few weeks. But hopefully I'll survive.
• In related news, my new coworkers discovered my comedy video. The (pretty much) highest-ranking person I've ever talked to at my job sent me an email that said
  "I'm glad I finally know someone who can help me find things at Home Depot."
• I quickly ruined my good-ish first impression by accidentally breaking a security system.
• Fortunately, my new direct supervisor-type bosses imediately decided that it wasn't my fault.
• Either I got really spoiled by partial telecommuting and an easy project schedule at my last job, or I'm getting old. Eight (and sometimes eleven) hour work days seem ridiculously long. And traffic..? Ugh.
• Achilles and I were offered a really good deal on a rental house that is significantly closer to both of our jobs and cheaper than our condo. However, we'd have to try to sell our condo (likely for a loss) if we decided to move. We're not sure what to do.
• My niece says my name now, and cries when I leave. She has me wrapped around her little finger. I'm looking into buying her a pony.
• I have to go run now. Literally. Blah. Training for a half marathon seemed like a good idea when I wasn't going to have anything else to do. Next time I get bored, I'm just going to convince Achilles we should have a baby.
• Just kidding.

Small Uninteresting Post

Dear Internets,

I've been avoiding my blog this week, because I felt this weird internal pressure to write a Big Interesting Post.

I'm not sure why I feel this pressing need to say something important here; I'm sure I could make something up from [what I remember from] Psych 101 about my lack of certainty about my job situation, or my tendency to avoid certain problems by focusing on other less important problems. But really, that just sounds boring and exhausting for both you and me. Instead, I think I'll go old school and get back into posting with a bullet points-y letter to the Internets.

• I just got this email:

  Tomorrow is [redacted]'s last day! We are "honoring" him with cake at the coffee bar at 3:45. Come join us!!

  Hmmm... Sounds fishy. I don't know if I trust that what they are "honoring" him with is actually "cake." I think I'll pass.
• Kim, who I have decided is my sister from another mister, is nearing her 500th post. I am in awe of her tenacity. I was looking through the list of blogs I follow (which I haven't really updated much since I started blogging)(I should do that) and I'd say at least 80% of those bloggers are no longer blogging. Getting up to 500 posts pretty much makes Kim one of the rulers of the Internets.
• Two of my favorite non-U.S. bloggers are coming to visit the U.S. in August, and even though the U.S. is like, really big, and they are both coming here to visit family and friends and you know, not me, it reminds me how much I would like to meet most of the Internets in real life. (We would definitely need margaritas, though, because although I may seem relaxed and funny-ish onstage, I'm actually really socially awkward in person.)
• I am not going to BlogHer. Poor little me.
• My half marathon training is (dare I say it?) sort of... fun so far. I think it helps that I've been super stressed by both my employment situation and the extra work I've picked up at my second job. Exercising really does help me feel less stressed. (Less tired/grumpy/irritable? Not so much...)

I think that's all my brain has room for today. Love your face, Internets!

Love,
Jane

Miscellany

Random bullet points from the past week that likely won't make it into their own blog posts:

• Achilles cut his thumb on the mandoline. I didn't say I told you so, but I did suggest that we start referring to it as the cornballer.
• I may (or may not) have found a job. It was supposed to be a sure thing, but I was supposed to hear something about this so-called "sure thing" today. So who knows.
• I have seven half-written blog posts that I can't muster the energy to finish. It is amazing how quickly I become apathetic when I spend most of my time with my Netflix queue.

I've been enjoying my time between jobs, but I'm beginning to realize that I really need a little more structure (or structured procrastination) in my days if I'm going to stay productive, at least when it comes to blogging.

Biting the bullets

Yes, it is that time again. I have let myself get so discombobulated (love that word) through lack of blog posting that my only hope for ever moving forward is to attempt to re-combobulate myself through the use of bullet points and bad pun blog titles.

This is the current status of various aspects of my life:

• Job situation - If you are annoying even yourself with your self-absorption, chances are, you're probably beginning to alienate some of your readers. At any rate, I don't want to turn this into an unemployment blog, so after this update, I'm going to put a lid on this subject for a while. Since my last post, I took a test to see if I qualify for a teaching program, interviewed for a job, and signed up for a mandatory "transitions workshop" for the group of people who were laid off by my employer. The test went pretty well (I think). I thought the interview went badly. It reminded me of getting dressed up for a date with a guy that you're not that interested in, and then getting rejected because the guy is still hung up on his ex-girlfriend. (Oddly, that made me more interested in the job than I initially thought I was. Old habits?) I am sure the transitions workshop will be magical.
• Achilles - He is still nice. I don't know why he puts up with me. Perhaps it is because I don't complain when he heads to the video store to pick up a movie we both agreed on and instead returns with something he thinks we might like better. (I sent him this article and went upstairs to reread my Anastasia books.)
  
• Stand up - I'm performing again on July 11th. Email me if you'll be in the Austin area and would like tickets.
  
• Hurricane Alex - I am normally not a fan of hurricanes, but I am enjoying the rain and cooler weather Alex has brought to Austin. I hope this doesn't cause too much trouble in the Gulf, though. (Side note - how is it possible that we've never had a hurricane Alex before? Isn't Alex a really common name?)
• Birthdays - My niece and my sister's birthday was yesterday. In some ways, I can't believe little Ellie is already a year old. In others, I can't believe how much has happened in the past year. My nephew's fourth birthday is in two weeks. I definitely can't believe how much has happened in the past four years.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend Internets!

Headaches

Today's random thoughts:

I want an iPhone. But I've been with my cell phone company for 9 years, which is like 50 years in people years. I can't just end our relationship because some tarty young phone decides to flaunt itself in front of me.

***

Even though I'm over my cold, I have been waking up with horrendous sinus headaches every morning for the past week. I've tried so many things - more pillows to raise my head, nightly neti pot use, Sudafed - nothing seems to help. I even read (on the Internets, of course) that standing on your head can help. As counterintuitive as that sounded, I was desperate enough to try it. I ended up dizzy, with a worse headache than I started with.

***

I tend to be a person who shops a lot before I go on vacation. I am trying to avoid this before we go to Greece. These are the things I feel that I "need" (but probably don't).

• New digital point-and-shoot camera. I have a camera that's several years old, but the lens cap doesn't always open all the way anymore. You can't tell there's a problem when you take the pictures - you just end up with a lot of blurry photos. The thing is, I could have probably send it to be repaired, if I hadn't waited until the last minute. Also, I could just share Achilles' camera. It has a date stamp setting that can't be turned off, though, which drives me crazy.
• A larger carry on bag. I really want one of those convertible backpack type suitcases. I hate checking bags. I could probably use a gym bag or something, though, and get by just fine. I'm actually pretty good at packing light.
• A step down voltage converter. I'm sort of afraid of these, but the last time I was in Europe, my rechargeable items all died in the first few days. Do these work? Do they fry your electronics?
• New clothes/purse/shoes. There's not really anything wrong with what I have; I really just haven't bought any new spring or summer clothes (and didn't buy new winter clothes either, for that matter), and am kind of bored with my current stuff.
• Miscellaneous things to keep me entertained/comfortable while traveling. Books, magazines, episodes of 30 Rock, fancy sleep mask/ear plugs sets. I could normally get most of these things for free (or not need them at all) at home. (I feel guilty taking library books out of town, like I'm breaking some sort of law or something.)

Any advice?

Spring has sprung!

One of my main goals in life is to try to have a positive outlook. This goes against my natural tendency to always see - or at the very least, anticipate - the worst in a situation.

For the past couple of weeks, though, I've been having a much easier time seeing the bright side of life. Maybe it's newlywed bliss. At any rate, these are the things that are currently making me almost (dare I say it?) giddy:

• Austin has an oldies station again. We haven't had one for about a decade. I'm ridiculously excited - I was raised on a musical diet of oldies and oldies country. My time spent dancing in my car has increased by at least 417% in the past week. (The only downside is that the station seems to consider Debbie Gibson and Prince "oldies." Don't get me wrong; I love 80's music as much as the next girl, but c'mon. I was alive in the 80's. I'm not old enough to be an oldie yet, am I?)
• The weather has been fantastic. On top of that, it's a banner season for wildflowers in Texas. There are blue skies and flowers everywhere you look. The grass is green, the birds are singing... I feel like I've stumbled into a Disney cartoon. Take a look at these pictures of my niece and nephew in the bluebonnets. ADORABLE!
• As I mentioned yesterday, we booked our honeymoon. There's not much in life I enjoy as much as I enjoy vacation planning. The fact that Achilles and I are both art history buffs and we're going to Greece makes the planning even more fun.
• It's Friday! I don't work this weekend! I have no wedding or comedy performance to plan! Tonight, a few friends and I are hanging out by the pool and barbecuing. Achilles and I are also going to hang out with two of our best friends from childhood/high school - one who just got engaged (congrats David!) and one who's in town from San Francisco with her husband (who, incidentally, is one of the most laid-back people I've ever met). I'm hoping for lots of trivia, board games, and silly conversation.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend Internets!

Misc

• We booked our honeymoon last night: three nights in Athens, four nights in Santorini, and one night spent in London to avoid sleeping in an airport. We're excited, although traveling abroad always feels sort of surreal. Is that true for everyone, or just Achilles and me (since neither of us ever went on overseas vacations as kids)?
• There is a ridiculous amount of pollen in the air in Austin right now. When the wind blows, you can see clouds of grass and tree pollen blowing in the air. Bailey's coat even turns green when we take him outside. It's a shame, because the weather is fantastic right now.
• I still haven't gotten my video of the comedy class performance. I emailed the teacher once to ask about it, but he never replied. Should I email him again? How many times can I email him without seeming psychotic? He did cash my check...
• The temperature dropped 15 degrees last night, which puts a damper on the outdoor barbecue we're attending tomorrow evening. The weather should still be fairly warm (65-70F/18-21C), but I doubt anyone will want to swim. However, condsidering that it will soon be at least 30 degrees hotter outside, I'm not complaining.
• Is there anything new with you? I feel like the Internets has been quiet lately, but perhaps you're all just enjoying the spring (or fall!) weather. (Or getting married!)

Day after tomorrow

Dear Internets,

Please keep your fingers crossed that the weather really is like this on Friday:


(76 degrees Fahrenheit = 24.4 degrees Celsius)

In other news, bullet points!

• I am up before the sun this morning. I think I've stumbled into a parallel universe or something.
• One of my dearest friends had surgery yesterday to remove a tumor on his spine. He's doing really well, which is a huge, huge relief.
• My friends threw me a surprise shower last night, which was awesome (It was supposed to happen a couple of weeks ago, but I guessed the surprise, so they lied and said they hadn't planned anything. They successfully tricked me last night!) I have the nicest friends both online and off - I am so very lucky.
• I have been running around like a crazy lady this week, but it has been fun. I wish I had this much nervous energy more often - I'm like a machine!
• I can't wait for the wedding. People keep asking me if I'm nervous, but I think I'm just excited. Achilles is terrified of being the center of attention, so he's nervous enough for both of us.

Rereading this blog post, it's clear that I probably need to burn off some extra energy. I'm going to go for a run . (Who is this person who has taken over my body, and how do I get her to stick around??)

Love you all bunches, and can't wait to show you wedding pictures,
Jane

Apologies

Dear Internets,

I'm going to apologize in advance for the likely lack of quality posts and comments from the Jane-iverse the rest of this month. Between last-minute wedding details, comedy class, dance class, funerals, work, second work, and the sunshine and warm weather, it's been somewhat hard for me to find time to sit in front of a computer and be thoughtful.

Here are a few random thoughts:

• I baked a half batch of peanut butter cookies last night and ate them all (minus one or two eaten by Achilles) at one sitting. Just what I need to do two weeks before the wedding. But mmmm.... The texture was perfect. It really does help to get the butter to the perfect temperature when you're baking.
• I should totally invent something that makes sure the butter is the perfect temperature for baking
• Probably that is beyond my capabilities. Or someone has already invented it. Oh well.
• Celebrities: crack is whack, but mixing pills kills. Just because a drug isn't illegal doesn't mean it won't go midieval (on you). Hugs not prescription drugs, people. (I will keep coming up with stupid rhymes and puns until you young, talented, beautiful, rich people either stop killing yourselves or start sending me your money instead of blowing it swallowing it with a chaser of vodka. Consider this your warning.)

Clearly, thinking is not my strong suit right now. I still love you Internets!

Love,
Jane

Wednesday Bullet Point Weecap

Dear Internets,

I slept through my alarm clock (I think*) this morning. It's always weird to get that extra hour or two of sleep. On one hand, I feel fantastic - yay sleep! On the other, I feel incredibly guilty for being late to work, life, etc. Anyway, I have been leaving a lot of loose ends on this blog lately, so I figured I'd do a quick recap/update.

*My alarm clock is 20 years old. I also "slept through" it a couple of weekends ago. I'm a little worried it might be about to kick the bucket.

• Wedding dress - I think I finally decided on a dress. While it isn't particularly stunning or unique, it's a cute dress, and I think I'll be happy with it. I think I made the mistake of letting too many people have opinions on my dress, which just ended up being stressful.
• My pen pal asked me if I've ever had a crush on a teacher. Short answer: um, yes. I will explain further in the next few days.
• I quit drinking caffeine as part of my last minute diet/exercise plan before the wedding. I don't think my brain really works anymore without caffeine.
  
• Achilles bought us dance lessons as a surprise. We start today. I'm very excited, as this will allow me 1.) not to look quite as foolish at the wedding as I expected to look, and 2.) allow me to cross #21 off my 30 Before 30 list.
• My last comedy class was horrible. I was shaking so much they could actually see me shaking in the back row. I also said "Umm..." 36 times. Don't worry, Internets. I'm still planning to perform and post the video.

I hope your week is flying by, Internets!

Love,
Jane

Wednesday Weecap! With bullet points!

Dear Internets,

It has been a while since I've done a bullet point update. I think we're overdue.

• Even though Informal Classes got canceled, the currently scheduled classes will still run. This means my stand up comedy class is still on. Yay?
• I think I'm getting too old for Facebook. Every time they change the interface, I get more confused.
• We had a baby shower at work. My boss told me she hoped I wasn't getting any ideas about having babies myself. I told her Achilles and I want to go to Europe again before we have kids. Then everyone looked at me like I was the devil. Am I the devil? I thought saying "IwantkidslikeOMGrightnow!" would make me seem crazy.
• After I politely explained our situation, the guest who added his son's girlfriend apologized profusely and removed her from his RSVP. I felt sort of guilty, but I would feel worse if one of our other guests (who aren't bringing kids or dates) got their feelings hurt.
• Other wedding news: I made some little bird sculptures to use as cupcake stand toppers. I will post pictures and let you guys vote on which ones you think we should use.
• Our wedding is turning out to be very traditional. This is not what I originally wanted, but it seemed to take that direction on its own. I think I'm OK with that.
• I'm going to make my nephew some Hulk/Valentine's cupcakes. We'll see how those turn out.
• I love Valentine's Day. It has the best color scheme of any holiday. It's like pink and purple and lavender and red got together and exploded into heart-shaped everything. If Halloween had a Valentine's color scheme? My life would be complete.

How are you this week, Internets?

Love,
Jane

Happy Monday, etc.

Dear Internets,

Happy MLK Day! Since I have the day off, I thought I'd list the top things I've been procrastinating about, despite having enough time to do most of them.

1. Wedding invitations. I'm not even hand addressing most of them (gasp!). I'm just that lazy.
2. Filing my income taxes. I usually try to get them done before the end of January so that I don't misplace all my paperwork. I'm about 50% done, though, so I guess this one isn't so bad.
3. Looking at work stuff so that I can figure out what I should do when I go back to work tomorrow. But that's what tomorrow morning is for, right?
4. Finishing up the painting/touch-up in the bathroom and living room. I really don't want to put on my painting clothes and/or get messy.
5. 30 Day Shred. I'd rather not get sweaty either.

The top things I've accomplished?

1. Perusal of unused vintage postage stamps on eBay.
2. Setting the DVR to record various bad television show marathons.
3. The rounding up of several friends for dinner.

I think I did rather well, actually.

Love,
Jane

P.S. Anyone know of a good, relatively inexpensive wedding photographer who will be in or around Austin in late March? I have had two cancel on me in the past two weeks.

Sometimes I do things

Dear Internets,

I decided that instead of whining about all the things I didn't accomplish over the holiday break, I'd list some of the things I did:

• Catch up on all the episodes of this season of Hoarders
• Patch several holes in the drywall in the bathroom (and one in the kitchen)
• With Achilles, repainted and redid the flooring in the living room
• Invented awesome 3D cookie cutters (well, technically they'd been invented before, but I came up with the idea on my own. More on the cookie cutters later.)
• Watch an entire season of Dexter and two seasons of 30 Rock
• Finish knitting a scarf for my mom for Christmas

Um. That's about it. Unfortunately, while it (maybe?) sounds like a lot, I only accomplished these things because I was procrastinating about things I should have been doing instead, including updating this blog.

Which brings me to this: I know I've left a lot of holes in my blogging recently, but I'm not sure which (if any) of those holes anyone is actually curious to hear about. Wedding plans? 30 before 30? Remodeling? Something else that has slipped my mind?

Let me know, and I'll do my best to update you guys.

XOXO,
Jane

Dear Internets,

Bullet points of awesomeness:

• Last night, I composed 87 blog posts in my head. This morning, I had forgotten them all. Hate.
• In other news, one of my coworkers left me religious-themed chocolate as a Christmas present. Note to pushy coworker: chocolate that needs Jesus to market itself is not generally the world's most delicious chocolate.
• Achilles and I have been watching the first season of Dexter on Netflix (you can watch a lot of movies and television series instantly on your TV now. I predicted this day would come nine years ago. Take note, people who might want to hire me: I am a visionary). Dexter is great, but I do not recommend watching it before bed unless you want to have some wild dreams.
• I am still bummed about the chocolate.

Hope your holiday week is off to a great start Internets!

Love,
Jane

Thursday I've got bullet points

Dear Internets,

It's Thursday afternoon. Do you know where your bullet points are? Mine are right here.

• You know what the world needs? Another wedding planning blog. This one's mine and Achilles'.
  
• I had to go to the lady doctor for my annual exam this morning. As usual, I got referred to get a mammogram/breast ultrasound. Even though this is becoming pretty standard for me, it still freaks me out a little. I'm sure it'll be fine, though.
• I took one of those online career aptitude tests yesterday. After clicking through eleven hundred and ninety million advertisements, it told me I should be an undertaker/funeral director. Say what?? I think the result was due to all the ambiguous questions the test asked like, "T/F: I am a person who follows the rules." I mean, what rules did they mean? "No white after Labor Day" is a little different than "Do unto others." But maybe they are right and I would love being an undertaker. At least the test results were a little more interesting than most other online tests' results. Usually I just get something along the lines of "you would enjoy a helping occupation."
• My friend's Queen tribute band is hosting a costume party on a boat tomorrow night. That should be fun. I sort of feel like Halloween is already over, though.
  
• Another of my friends is hosting a Clue (aka Cluedo) costume party this Saturday. I'm going to be Mrs. White. ("Flames... Flames on the side of my face...") At first the plan was just to watch the movie and eat cupcakes, but I convinced them we should play a miniature game of Assassin using fake Clue weapons. This may end up either being very fun or very dangerous.
  

Any bullet points you'd like to add Internets?

Love ya,
Jane

It's Fridaaaay!

Dear Internets,

I am sorry for all the bullet post-y posts lately, but I have been distracted. Go figure. This is what has been on my mind:

• I had a nightmare last night about health care reform. I didn't even think I *thought* much about health care reform, but in my dream, I was positive that if I could just get Hillary Clinton and Kay Bailey Hutchison together, they could fix everything. And I was *really* worried about it. SO WEIRD. Must be the zeitgeist or something.
• I kind of want to buy some clothes from Old Navy. However, I just went through all my stuff and donated about two file boxes worth of clothes, movies, etc. to Goodwill. I also threw out a bunch of old socks and underoosies. Should I let myself become accustomed to the empty space, or should I buy myself a couple of new things?
• I got some new rain boots. Overly optimistic? Perhaps, but I had been eying these boots for over a year, and finally found them on sale for 60% off. And El Nino's coming this fall, which should hopefully make it rain a lot. But now I have no idea how to wear them! I have fairly scary wide calves, so I'm pretty sure the whole "skinny jeans tucked into the boots" look won't work for me. Halp!
• Is it normal to have extreme anxiety about mailing packages? I have no anxiety about receiving packages, but something about mailing them makes me very antsy.
• I just picked up a bunch more hours at job #2. Which... I know! I was so happy to have a break. I'm ridiculous. But they are very manipulative.
  

I hope you have a nice weekend Internets!

Love,
Jane