Oopsie

Looks like I let this poor little blog atrophy for over a month. Poor little guy. I promise to care for and feed it with deliciously crappy tidbits over the next couple of weeks as work dies down and I find that I'm actually able to take a break for lunch again. Whee!

Awwwww

I had a great weekend, heading home to Philadelphia for a couple of days with a long day trip to New York to visit Amy tucked in between (I'm still dreaming happy dreams about the pumpkin dumplings). But here's the best part: when I arrived on Saturday, not only did my sister's two dogs, Oscar and Lily, recognize my car when I pulled up to the house (I never thought they were that clever, but there you go), but Lily got herself in such an excited tailspin over Aunt PSK's arrival that she actually projectile vomited across the living room.

The thing is, Lily's reaction was rather charming and sweet--mostly because I didn't have to clean up the end result. Don't get me wrong: Oscar and Lily are a collective 150 lb pain in my ass, but I'm just saying that everyone deserves that kind of heartfelt welcome every once in a while.

Aren't they darling? Lily's the one on the left. Oscar, on the right, usually has his lip stuck on his tooth, so the fact that he looks semi-normal is something of a bonus.

Congratulations!

A big ol' shout-out to Addled Writer and the new Mr. Addled Writer--I was thrilled (and honored) to see you two get married, and I had a wonderful time at the wedding and reception! Kick-ass job with the music, btw--"Bust a Move" was inspired.

Big kisses from DC!

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Autumn is my favorite season, so I'm really happy to see it finally arrive, calendar-wise (even if it's supposed to climb to 80 degrees again today). It's been an okay weekend so far: I went for a three-hour evening drive through the back roads of Virginia and Maryland (a much-needed drive to clear my head), I saw a coyote, I saw George Stephanopoulos (not quite as exciting as seeing the coyote), I said hello to a squirrel, I went for a long run around the National Mall, I saw my favorite pharmacist ever when I picked up my prescription this morning (he's so cute, it's criminal... and of course I was covered in sweat and dust from my run), and the Phillies came within a half-game of the San Diego Padres for the NL wild card spot. And the best part is that it's not even noon--there's a lot of weekend left to enjoy. So enjoy it I will.

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

Blah

This week (barring Sunday) is all of 39 hours old, and it's been nothing but sucky. A good barometer of my mood is my mp3 player. (For an idea of what I'm talking about, note that for just about all of November 2004, I listened to nothing but Public Enemy.) And, as expected, pretty much all morning I've been listening to angry punk and rap. Grr.

It's too nice a day to be in such a foul mood. I'd bite off my own arm for the chance to play hooky and just get the hell out of here.

Try this at home!

Here's a little bit of fun that I stole from a friend's Myspace page:

The deal is you're supposed to grab your mp3 player (iPod or otherwise), set it for random shuffle, and flip through it to see what turns up in response to the categories below. No cheating and no flipping ahead until you get to a song that "fits" better. And the result is... The Soundtrack to the Movie of Your Life. Wow!

If this is true, my life is really messed up. Read on....

Opening credits:
Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) - The Monkees [Yeah, that's how I want the Movie of PSK to begin. Awesome.]

Waking up:
Early Morning Cold Taxi - The Who [Well, I'd be shocked if the Who didn't appear somewhere on this list, occupying the amount of real estate on my player that they do.]

First day of school:
I've Got a Feeling - The Beatles ["I've got a feeling that school will suck the life out of me as an adult."]

Falling in love:
Obvious - Jane's Addiction [Well, sure--because that's a happy/sweet falling-in-love sort of song. Whatever.]

First Song:
Wild Country - Thunderclap Newman [Honestly, I'm not sure I could even recognize this song if asked to select it from an aural lineup.]

Fight Song:
Cello Suite No. 1, 5, Menuett - Bach (Yo Yo Ma) [Hah! I love that my fight song is a Bach piece for the cello! I am so bad-ass!]

Breaking Up:
All Singing, All dancing - The Simpsons ["Gonna paint your wagon, gonna paint it fine. Gonna use oil-based paint, because the wood is piiiine." "Ponderosa pine! Ooo-oo!" This alone would make it worth it to get together with someone and then break up with him--just to hear this song.]

Prom:
Like It Like That - A Tribe Called Quest [Actually, a prom that featured a Tribe song would be pretty cool.]

Life:
Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lennon [Beautiful song. "And so this is Christmas... and what have you done?" A pretty good selection for this entry.]

Mental Breakdown:
Gunshy - Liz Phair [Yeah, this has just the right moody, ethereal feel for it to make it fit.]

Driving:
Gone Daddy Gone - Violent Femmes [Meh. I have so many better, actual driving songs on my driving playlists! Where's "Radar Love"? Where's "Thunder Road"?]

Flashback:
Don't Tell Me You Love Me - Night Ranger [Yes, I own a Night Ranger cd. Bite me.]

Getting back together:
The World's Address - They Might Be Giants ["I know you deceived me. Couldn't sleep at night." Not exactly what I'm looking to hear when reconciling.]

Wedding:
Shake Your Rump - Beastie Boys [Oh, totally! Were I to marry, this is on the reception playlist!]

Birth of child:
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye - Annie Lennox [No--that's just weird.]

Death Scene
Busy Bodies - Elvis Costello [Eh, nothing to say about this. It really is too random to fit.]

Funeral Song
When Doves Cry - Prince [Awesome!]

End Credits
Reason to Believe - Bruce Springsteen [A beautiful, haunting album. Still, it's a wee bit darker than I would have hoped.]

So there you go. Have fun with your own soundtracks!

I really should just stick to the gym

I did it again. I went biking this morning and wiped out in Rock Creek Park when my front wheel caught the edge of the trail where the pavement meets the dirt. The scar on my knee from my skating drama hasn't even healed, and now I have road rash on my left shin and a weird series of scratches on my right calf. Looky here:



The first image is obviously of my left shin (taken with my camera phone about an hour after the accident--I made a point of cropping out of the photo the IR theory book on my lap); the second is my right calf. It's nothing serious, clearly, except that I look super pale--which, okay, I am--and like a rabid ferret attacked my right leg. This is getting ridiculous. I'm really not that clumsy, but you'd never guess it.

AddledWriter, I shall do my best to avoid all outdoor activities between now and the end of September, lest I show up at your wedding in a full body cast.