It's done

The wisdom teeth are gone. The pain was much like everyone said it would be, especially towards the end when the novocaine wore off before they were finished. I believe the tears were what prompted the dentist to upgrade my prescription from Tylenol w/ codeine to Vicodin, so at least there was a benefit to it all. Although so far, Vicodin? Not the cure-all everyone said it was. I feel cheated. Sure, the edge is gone, but there's more to pain than the pointy edge.

Eh. But now I'm just whining. The procedure is over, ice is my friend, and A and K are the bestest real friends a person could have, so all is good. Now if only I could open my mouth enough to actually partake of the yummy dulce de leche ice cream K brought me.
Polgara on 07.31.04 @ 03:08 PM PST [link]

Finally Woken

Last night I went to see Jem perform at The Roxy. It was my first time at The Roxy, and it was way smaller than I thought it would be - cozier, a lot like the Viper Room if the Viper Room was three times bigger and had a better sound system. The drinks were He-Man strong, and the music was great. Could've done without the opening act, although it must be noted that it was the first time I've ever seen a curtain go up and the audience immediately start laughing. A good thing? Probably not, but when you're expecting Jem, and instead see an aging stoner with enough hair to rival Cousin It, well, some people might find that funny. Hell, *I* thought it was funny.

Anyway, tiny Welsh Jem rocked hard, and it was a good time. The sushi we had beforehand could've been better, but at least I found out that Hawaiian rolls aren't nearly as bad as they sound.

In other news, check out these links.
Cat Humor - and don't forget to click on the video links at the bottom.
Bush's new jobs plan

And finally, wish me luck, for tomorrow I'm getting three wisdom teeth removed. Oh the joy.
Polgara on 07.29.04 @ 01:56 PM PST [link]

The Convention

For anyone who hasn't been watching the convention, or has seen bits and pieces but has missed some of the better speeches, most of them can be found on the Democratic National Convention's official website.

My personal recommendations would be President Clinton, Vice-President Gore, and President Carter from Monday night, and Teresa Heinz Kerry, and most especially, State Senator Barack Obama, from Tuesday night. If you still have time after that, check out Governor Dean and Ron Reagan (Jr.) from Tuesday.

And if anyone knows where I can find audio or video of Maya Angelou from Tuesday night (not counting the full convention videos from C-SPAN), please let me know.
Polgara on 07.28.04 @ 11:30 AM PST [link]

I PASSED!

Yesirree, Bobbo, I be a fancy schmancy yellow belt now, with black and blue accessories. Go Team Me!
Polgara on 07.26.04 @ 02:03 PM PST [link]

So sad.

British Air is having a mondo sweet sale today, with fares to London as low as $89 each way from the East Coast, and a roundtrip fare from the West Coast lower than $500, even after the insane taxes. Unfortunately all my spare cash is being reserved for a new (used) car that everyone keeps hounding me to get. (Seems my current vehicle makes more than a few people a bit nervous.)

In other news, my first belt test for Krav Maga is this Saturday. I'm trying not to think about it, 'cause I'm actually scared to death, and yet I have to think about it, 'cause I need to work on my weak points such as choke releases and, oddly enough, jumping jacks. My ankles really hate the jumping jacks. Mostly I just want it to be over already.
Polgara on 07.22.04 @ 12:40 PM PST [link]

Got some time to kill?

Check out this list of quizzes. If you're like me and competitive to a fault, at least watch the clock, time will pass a lot faster than you think once you jump in.
Polgara on 07.19.04 @ 03:34 PM PST [link]

Sooooo tired.

This cold is never ever ever going to go away. Coughing woke me up at 8am and congestion forced me out of bed at 9am. But at least 80% of my dishes are washed, I'm fed, and I even had time to consider buying a car. I decided to wait, though, maybe for labor day.

Yesterday was way too busy, and could explain my overall tiredness today. There was kickboxing - my first workout in two whole weeks. It kicked my ass and almost made me throw up, but it was still good, and I like to believe that at least some of the evil nasty germs that have been making me miserable were ejected in all that sweat. (Pretty image, that.) Then there was yummy lunch at Downtown Disney with people I don't get to see very often. We had some time to kill, so we wandered in the sun, since we missed all the convenient movie times. But then we got to go to the RED SOX game at Angel stadium, so, sweet! The game was... Well, it would've been better if my boys had won, but except for that it wasn't too bad. At least there were three home runs (thank you Johnny and David!). We had Red Sox fans to the left and right of us, and Angel fans above and below. Unfortunately there were two Angel fans of the more obnoxious variety, one in front of us and one behind, that made it necessary for me to chug some Alleve in the 7th, but they were just loud more than anything, so it could've been worse. (I've sat in the bleachers at Fenway - I know worse.)

The next seven days are going to be hell, with a brief party intermission towards the end. Given that I still have my cold, I have serious doubts that I'll make it through in one piece, or with all accomplished that I have planned.

Also, it's damned hot here. I might have to seek refuge in a movie theater.
Polgara on 07.18.04 @ 01:20 PM PST [link]

In other news...

The current state of me:
+I've been sick for awhile with a very annoying cold, so I haven't been to krav in two weeks (soon three). This is not good, as my first belt test is a week from Saturday.
+I'm currently reading Bitten, by Kelley Armstrong. It started out ho-hum, but has since gotten better. The protaganist is strong and quirky, like early Anita Blake, but is missing the snappy constantly moving plot. But it's also not the all-sex/no-plot drivel that the Anita Blake books have since become, so that's a huge plus.
+I'm about halfway through the Dead Like Me season one dvds from Netflix. It's quirky and darkly funny, and the main character is slowly growing on me, but I hear it all falls apart soon, as the series creator left after about five episodes. Fingers are crossed for continued good episodes.
+The blanket I've been working on for months for my nephew is nearly complete - I just need to finish weaving the ends, and crochet a border on the whole thing. I always drag my feet when finishing large projects, but hopefully I can get it done this weekend. I've also finished a hat in rainbow colors, and I'm working on another, since they're quick and easy, so there's an instant gratification factor that makes them very appealing.
+A and I are going to the Red Sox/Angels game this weekend. Please oh please let them do better than the last time they were in Anaheim!
Polgara on 07.15.04 @ 03:13 PM PST [link]

Reading Is Fundamental

Mom probably thought I was nuts yesterday when I called her to ask how old I was when I learned how to read. I have no recollection of actually learning, it seems like I've always just known, but apparently Mom doesn't remember either. She only recalls that I knew before I hit elementary school, since she was always reading to us constantly. I took this as good news, although there were some people on one of my posting boards who have stories about reading newspapers to their parents when they were three. (Three?!) I *think* my first non-picture books were probably Bobbsey Twins books, which Mom says I was reading by the time I was seven (which means six for the sis, since we read them at the same time). When I think Bobbsey Twins, I remember Grandma taking the sis and I to Jordan Marsh in Malden Square, which was the only store (that I know of) that sold them, and letting us pick out a book each. I think we gave the not quite complete set to our cousins, but I'm not sure.

I remember reading the Chronicles of Narnia when I was around ten or eleven. I can still see myself sitting in sixth grade - dammit, what was my teacher's name? Miss Canniff maybe? Anyway, I'd be sitting there in the first row with a book in my lap under the desk, completely not paying attention to the lesson. I was at the head of the class that year (which was weird, since I was near the bottom of the class the year before - maybe Ms. Train just really didn't like me), so she usually just ignored me, although I think she did call me on it once.

My two favorite books back then were Swiss Family Robinson and The Black Stallion, both of which I would reread every summer until sometime in high school. I tried rereading SFR a few months ago and was turned off by the religion and the family's willingness to hit the dogs. Weird. I'm reluctant to try again, and risk tainting my fond memories of the story.

This post doesn't really have any purpose, I'm just putting it in writing for the next time I try to remember this stuff. :-)
Polgara on 07.15.04 @ 03:02 PM PST [link]

The Federal Marriage Amendment

The Federal Marriage Amendment failed to even make it to the floor for discussion in the Senate today, thanks to a complete lack of a majority vote to get it there. Go Senate! (Not you 48 that voted for it, just the other 50.) I think the FMA is complete bullshit, and while I believe wholeheartedly that any two people who love each other deserve the right to be married, regardless of gender, I think it's the wrong issue for our elected officials to be handling right now, when there are 900 dead American soldiers, thousands of permanently wounded American soldiers, and tens of thousands of American soldiers that won't be coming home anytime soon, that should be on the tip of everyone's tongue and the top of every newspapers' front page. The only reason the Republican politicians are bringing it to the federal table right now is because they're trying to distract the religious conservative voters from the 900 dead, thousands of wounded, and tens of thousands of constantly-in-danger Americans, all courtesy of King George.

However, in the interest of levity, I wish to share with you the views of my good friend K with regards to the FMA:

You know, if lawmakers really wanted to promote the sanctity of marriage, perhaps they should have structured their amendment differently.

For example, instead of defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, they should have defined as it a union between two mature, sane, sober and rational people who actually plan to spend the rest of their lives together.

Also, why not do a Three Strikes and You're Out thing? They seem rather fond of those of baseball-based laws. You get three shots at marriage. If they don't work out…well, sorry, thanks for playing. Better luck next life. And it should have had some special clauses too:

The J.Lo Clause

Following a divorce or annulment, both parties are put on a two-year marriage probation and will be unable to get married again until that period of time is up. No more of this remarrying before the ink is dry on your divorce papers.

The Britney Clause

Any marriage that ends in divorce or annulment within 30 days of the date of the marriage will result in both parties being put on a five-year marriage probation. Neither party will be unable to get married again until that period of time is up or they can provide certified documentation from a mental healthcare professional that they are no longer a brainless twit.

The Elizabeth Taylor Clause

Any two persons who choose to marry each other, divorce or annul and then remarry each other are stuck together for the rest of their flipping lives. Apparently, you people don't learn from your mistakes and we feel it important that you not be able to inflict your stupidity on any unsuspecting potential partners in the future.

I'm just saying.
Polgara on 07.14.04 @ 02:35 PM PST [link]

Puppies!

Ok, just one puppy. I got to work this morning, and there was a little one-eyed dog in the hallway, surrounded by quite a few of my coworkers cooing at her. Coworker AL volunteers at a local shelter, and had stopped at the office on her way to drop Twink back there (Twink was too aggressive with her cats, so she couldn't keep her anymore.) So!incredibly!cute! She was curled up in this little fleecy pad that AL was carrying around, but when she saw me, she got up and came right to me. I dropped my stuff and got down on the floor with her, doing my own cooing as I rubbed her little tummy. She made me wish I could have a dog (not an easy feat), she was just that cute.

AL took her back to the shelter already, but if there's anyone here in L.A. that's interested in a sweet little one-eyed dog (someone said she was a chihuahua, but she didn't look like any chihuahua I'd ever seen) that looks to be a smidge smaller than my Trouble, lemme know.
Polgara on 07.14.04 @ 12:07 PM PST [link]

Life, or something like it

I went quiet again, didn't I? Sorry about that. Let's see, my life in a nutshell for the past two weeks....

Got a big ol' check from the IRS 'cause I screwed up my taxes. It's sitting in my savings account, waiting for the state of California to realize that since I made a mistake in my 2001 taxes, I probably also made the same mistake in 2002. That'll be a pretty little bill.

I said goodbye to two of my favorite coworkers—one is moving to San Diego, and the other is going to Yale grad school. While I'm happy for both of them, I'm selfishly sad for myself, as they were two of the funnest and funniest people in the office, and I've always enjoyed their company. Plus Yale Boy was our best player at Pub Trivia, so that's gonna hurt.

Saw Shrek 2. Loved it, especially Puss in Boots, and if you've ever shared your life with a cat, you must go see this movie.

I've been spending far too much time at the dentist lately, and I'm going again tomorrow. Cleanings and fillings and wisdom teeth, oh my!

My cable is officially gone, but I haven't been home enough to fully appreciate the difference. This weekend should be the real test. I did, however, get myself hooked on Six Feet Under. How did I ever live before Netflix?

I finally got my oil leak checked out. According to my mechanic, he can take my car for a week, dismantle the engine, plug all of the many leaks that he can find, put it back together, bill me $1200, and still not guarantee that a) he would've gotten them all, or b) that it wouldn't start leaking again in a month. Apparently Subaru's are notorious for leaking, but as long as I keep filling the oil, it won't hurt the engine, just my parking space. So, I'm saving the $1200, and I've put a little carpet in the space. Although, I think I'm gonna need a bigger carpet

That's the it for now. Perhaps I'll think of more for later. :-)
Polgara on 07.08.04 @ 10:42 AM PST [link]