Melonade

Technically, the countdown is not over until tomorrow, but hey, who said that the technicals get to control the world?

I say that today is close enough, especially since this evening will be spent in total preparation for the weekend, and not at all in watching one of my favorites, The Office. Apparently political ramblings are more important than Must See TV.

I would say that 98.03% of you reading right now don't even know what the countdown is for.

Well, here's a not-so-subtle hint. You have plenty of time to write some jokes. I'll be back Monday night.

Enjoy your weekend!

I'm not a big believer in these blog quizzes, but it's been a long week, and this is easier than real thinking.

So have some fun, waste some time, and enjoy the rest of the week.

Your Brain is 60% Female, 40% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

I don't know anyone who could actually use this right now, but I really, really want one.

Hi, my name is Mel, and I'm a bookaholic.

According to bookpedia, I am the proud owner of 199 books (You thought it would be more? I did, too. I may have missed some.) Some of those I've had since grade school, when I used to keep my scratch-n-sniff homework stickers in the covers. (Trust me, it was cool at the time.) Some of them were brand new hardback releases when I bought them; others are second- or third- or fourth-hand books from garage sales and end of the semester fundraising book sales.

I still have all of my college lit books. I think it's wrong to sell them. I couldn't consider selling any of my books at my parents' garage sale this summer-- I even rescued a couple of books that my sister wanted to sell. When I was younger I relinquished all of my old Nancy Drew books to a garage sale. I still regret that, because I wish I could read them again. One day I will live in a house that has a room just for books. I read while waiting in traffic, standing in line, getting haircuts, taking baths, sitting in restaurants.

B & N has been sending out oodles of coupons lately, so I took them up on their offer and bought three new books last night. I think my total new purchases for the last month are around 10. And no, I haven't read them all. Not even close. I thought I would try to read a book a week, but that probably won't happen. I just can't seem to stop. And last night I realized how smart those book people are. They send out emails advertising a new book, and then set up a big display of said book right at the entrance. And you can bet that we see the emails, are intrigued, and dash off to the store ASAP. That coffee and new book smell that hits you at the front door-- that is my drug of choice.

So here I am, surrounded by all these books that I want to read, and I'm a bit conflicted.
I want to read, pretty much all the time. I think if I could trade sleep for reading, I'd do it.

And then I remember that there is a real world, and I should participate in it.

I think that I should stop buying any new books until I've read at least half of the new 10. If you see me at B & N, make sure I don't buy anything new.

Of course, there's always this...

Enjoy your day.

On Saturday I nearly drowned in a sea of crimson and cream. Am I the only one who finds it odd when the mall is full of families decked out in matching Soonerwear? I feel bad for these people who are so consumed by something so...trivial. There. I said it. Football is trivial.

I know why we call it Labor Day, but I wish it was called Non-Labor Day so we could all try to relax a bit more. This is probably true for a lot of people: every time you get a holiday or a vacation day, you try to cram as much work into it as possible-- all those things you think you never have time for on regular days. This just means that we are even more tired when we have to return to work, and dare I say it, probably a little grumpier than usual. Next time you have a holiday, try to do absolutely nothing. Think of it as your own personal Sabbath.

On Tuesday at B&N, a kid (I say kid, I mean college freshman, most likely) sat at the table next to mine, took out his massive textbook and calculator, opened the book, and was sound asleep within about 2 minutes. His head rolled to the side a couple of times, he would wake for a few seconds, and then be right back to sleep. Poor guy. This is why I don't do math in public.

This is the second week of no tennis, and I think it's starting to get to me. I had become accustomed to getting my weekly dose of therapy/aggression release on Wednesday nights, but now I have no such outlet. It's very different from the blog-therapy or Starbucks therapy. Instead, I went to IHOP with friends. I saw a creepy guy with a camera walk into the men's room and walk back out about 30 seconds later. I am wondering how many phone numbers he got off the wall.

I think we should implement a sick day for when you're just sick of work. I know some people could take advantage of this (like people who are suspiciously sick every Monday) but for the rest of us, it would be a nice respite during the week. If I were an employer, I would definitely have Sick-of-work Days.

I need a clean slate. I wonder if they sell those on eBay. Today is the start of a new phase of Mel, and it will be good.

For those of you keeping track, the official count is:

64 Days

and counting...

On the road trip to Dallas this weekend, the girls (in alphabetical order: Krista, Mandy, and Terra) decided that my car had to have a proper name. I'm not really a hardcore car namer, so the Honda's been nameless for a couple of years.

By the end of the trip, there were no real standout names. Nothing spectacular had happened in (or to) the car, so no names jumped out as major contenders. I'm just glad we didn't have to name her Stuck on the Side of the Road, or Big Charred Crisp, or That Car I Knew.

On Monday I got an email from Krista, and I've got to post part of it because the girl worked really hard, and research always impresses me:

Okay…so I've come up with a suggestion for the name of Mel's car. And, yes, the car has to be named so there's no getting around it...So here's my suggestion: Aurelia

I came up with this because we followed a butterfly all weekend. (Blogger's Note: One of the vehicles in our caravan had a big butterfly on the back of it, and we always managed to follow that car in traffic, hence the butterfly reference.) People who study butterflies are called either lepidopterists or aurelians (I looked it up to make sure that I was correct). Lepidopterist is kind of a mouthful but Aurelia is a pretty name. Mel's car is much better off than the rest of ours…the Purple Wonder, Sergeant and Killer.

So 50 gold stars go to Krista for coming up with a very creative and informative name.

Enjoy your day- it's about 20 degrees cooler than normal out there.

If I were a celebrity, I would endorse Pearls Before Swine. Other people may have their Dilbert, but I prefer Rat and Pig.

1. Poetry about science can be fun to read.

2. You can claim to be older than someone you aren't so a fortune cookie will make sense.

And finally,

You should not try to extract meaningful life lessons from watching Josie and the Pussycats.

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart, and I will be found by you." -Jeremiah 29:11-13

If you were at Gateway last night this verse probably sounds familiar. (Side note: last night's lesson also marked the only time I can recall an SNL sketch being used in Bible class.) This morning I tacked the verse on my faux cubicle wall right next to my monitor.

Here's my memo to self for the day: God has a plan. I shouldn't try to rush things. They will happen when and if they're supposed to, and the only thing I should focus on is seeking God with all my heart.


*If this post has been too introspective for you, come back tomorrow.

And for Pete's sake, enjoy your day.

I've worked for the same company for almost three years. As far as I can remember, this is the thing that has caused the most office-wide uproar.

Watch out, people. Seems that it's no longer acceptable to be funny on your blog.

I guess it was just a slow news day last week when someone decided that Ken Jennings took his blogging just a wee bit too far. If you've only read the news-bullies' excerpts and not the actual post, go ahead.

No really, I'll wait.

You thought it was funny, didn't you? I know you did. So did I. Even better, KJ posted both a correction and a follow-up after all the brou-ha-ha appeared.

Clearly, the guy is just having some fun. It's appalling, then, that people are posting angry comments and saying he's mean and ungrateful. I don't know who started it, but I'm inclined to blame all the papparazzi and Al Gore.

Dear Ken Jennings:

Bravo to you for bringing some good-natured humor to my daily browsings. You've made it acceptable, nay, even praiseworthy, to know lots and lots of random things. If not for folks like you, I would be afraid that the only things in this world are violence, astronomical gas prices, and cancer. I only hope that the stupidity of some brings you more devoted fans.

Sincerely,
Melonade

I'm just trying to remember why I ever picked this template for the blog reincarnation. Was it so yellow at the time? Maybe I was in a dingy mood that day.

Last week's softball game was a nice break from the usual tennis-themed Wednesday evening. I didn't participate as much as I had planned, but Tina persuaded me to bat for her once, and I got a nice hit past first on the first pitch (although I don't remember if she made it to the base or not; I was just relieved to not embarrass myself). We'll see if I can remain embarrassment-free for the rest of the week.

Does anyone else think it's insane that we've had triple-digit temps for the week? Mark this down. You know we'll try to use it to impress our grandchildren, and it give it some silly name. The Great Heat of '06. Run from the sun! Don't expose your skin! Hide your ice cubes! (Apparently Loraine will still be kickin' at 100+. And I totally believe it, too. I, on the other hand, cannont imagine myself at 50.) Of course, our grandchildren will probably be living in underground colonies when they're our age because we decimated the planet's surface. Take pictures now, people. Your offspring will want to know what a tree looks like.

Disclaimer: The author of this blog does not actually belive that your grandchildren will be living like ants. The brain-melting heat has merely caused her imagination to run far, far away.

Okay, so the nerd in me really wants (Wait. Scratch that. Who am I kidding here? I am about 90% nerd.)

Okay, so I really want to see Wordplay.

Yeah, it's true. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. I love crossword puzzles, and I like that we puzzlers have a documentary we can call our own. Take that, penguin lovers (No wait. I like those penguins, too. Scratch that.)




It looks like Wordplay is playing next week at AMC. Finally! Anyone who's interested is more than welcome to come along.

And the first person to tell me that they've read this post also gets his/her choice of 1) Free Movie Ticket (and it doesn't even have to be this movie), or 2)Free Dinner of Your Choice.*

*Only OKC-area residents are eligible for this free offer. Sorry, kids.

If soreness is any indication of improvement, I have advanced quite a bit this week. I find it a bit odd that after playing on Wednesday night, I never ache on Thursday. Is this delay normal for the sport, or is my body just slower than it used to be?

I'd hate to jinx it, but I think I'm getting a little better. That's not to say that I'm prepared for a real game (if anything, this week's episode should have proven that I am not anywhere close to ready). Even with good teachers, I was pretty frustrated with myself on Wednesday. I missed balls I should have hit. The backhand leaves much to be desired, too. And my flying attempts at some shots brought flashbacks of 1st grade softball practices. I still panic when a ball comes speeding at me. I guess after 20 years, my methods haven't really changed.

Enjoy your day.

Counting Crows has been getting more airplay from me recently, especially since the new live album was released. (Right now, Goodnight Elisabeth. I love that you can hear the audience singing along.) They're not always office-appropriate, but they are very traffic- appropriate. These guys like to put a lot of geography into their songs. Here are a few places referenced in CC songs:

Miami
New Orleans
Baton Rouge
Baltimore
Omaha
Reno
Utah
Hollywood
California
Spain

Maybe they're just fans of travel, or maybe this is what happens to you when you're on the road for too long. (Now Catapult, from Across the Wire)

I wish I had the time for some real travel (translated: anything in a state that touches Oklahoma doesn't count as real travel). Europe would be ideal. Especially London, since I didn't get to see enough of it the first time. Five years ago I was there-- before everything changed.

It's not surprising that I'm so fixated on travel right now. I've got to find some place to go for next year's 1000 in 2007 campaign.

Any suggestions?

Okay, so it's been two months since the last post. I'm okay with that. You should be, too. That is, you who live close and can just talk to me in person should be okay with that. You who are states, nay, even countries away from me...well, you have a right to be irrate.

I could make a list of reasons why the blog has suffered. Gateway, float trip, novel, life in general...but that gets old, I know. Or I could just suck it up and blog.

But before you say yes, I ask you this: do you really want to hear all about the skin-peeling aftermath of the float trip? It goes something like this: Week One: Live in absolute pain and slather myself with healing goo every few hours. Week Two: Lose top layer of dermis like so many snakes. Week Three (forthcoming): Hope that I can once again wear shorts/capris without looking like someone took a baseball bat to my shins. (P.S. - Yes, I used sunscreen.) I could tell you about the presumably drunken frat boy standing in the river wearing a bikini bottom and threatening to take it off as our raftload of girls shielded our eyes and paddled furiously by...eww.

On another drier front, I am learning how to play tennis. Every Wednesday after church, a few of us play until the lights shut off. I have not played a real game yet. Everyone else is actually good at the game, and so I am completely intimidated and even more clutzy than usual. But they have taken pity on me by giving informal lessons and telling me that I actually am improving. I should be investing in my own racket very soon.

I'm sure there's more to tell, but I should save it for another day if I'm going to make this reincarnation last.

Enjoy your day.

I don't know if this is true for you, but I find that there are some days that challenge me more than others. Not like "Mel vs. Tuesday" or something, but days that just make me figure out exactly what I'm made of. Take, for instance, the email from a past friend asking for advice. Or after-dinner conversation that's more about souls than pop culture. If I were nerdy enough to keep a big calendar (or Excel spreadsheet) to chart such moments, I hope these would be considered successful. But it's too soon to tell.

These are not the days that I come home from work and use the Gamecube to escape. As much as I love trying to take out the enemy without sacrificing my good mercenaries...well, I just had a moment there and forgot the point I was trying to make. I've had my fair share of isolation, intentional or otherwise. But I'm definitely on the upswing back into full socializing mode.

Anyway, I'm watching an old Frasier episode and listening to the storm winds rattle my miniblinds. Tornado season makes me a little more nervous than it used to since I'm in the thick of it now. And yes, when I hear the sirens cry, I grab my purse, laptop, and shoes. If you were me, you'd do the same.

Note To Self: When taping Scrubs for later viewing, always check the tape to make sure there's enough space. I only got halfway through tonight's episode, and even that was ruined by the storm warnings consuming most of my small tv screen. It's the only current network show that I really care about anymore. I'll have to wait 'til tomorrow and catch it on iTunes. I just realized that since it's May, it's almost time for the summer hiatus. I am pacified by the thought that Season 3 will be out on DVD next week. You can bet I will go on my lunch break to buy it.

I discovered a new favorite song on iTunes. Man, I love iTunes. And I love "Sunday Best" by Augustana. That's three minutes and 20 seconds of beauty. I think it's time to hit the repeat button.

Fear not, brave bloggers. Unlike many a video game bad guy, I have not perished just yet. I have taken what felt like a necessary hiatus. The last week has been giving me the blog itch again. (Don't worry, there's no cream required for blogger's itch.) There were a few weeks when I didn't want to think about blogging anymore, and I almost retired the blog. There would have been a big ceremony, too. It was going to be great.

I may have lost all former readers with my terribly long absence. Solution: one well-timed email. "Hey, my blog is back! Thanks for missing me." Or something like that.

I'll try to catch you up by answering the most frequent questions I am asked in real life:

1. What's going on? (AKA What are you up to, what's new, etc.)

Answer: Work. Lots of work.

For example, we had three bids today, which means that the next day I will have three sets of proposals to review and tabulate, three recommendation letters to write, and three times as many contractors calling to ask what the results were. If this is not your life, you probably don't get why this is such a stressful thing.

I have recently been able to add "Gateway shopping" to this answer. I get to decorate for the Gateway class this summer, and eBay has become my favorite place to shop.

2. How is the writing coming/going? (I don't know if one is better than the other. Apparently they mean the same thing to us.)

Answer: Not so good right now. (See answer #1.)

It may be hard to believe that writing reports every day about water treatment plants, sewer lines, sidewalk projects, and the like will suck out all my creative writing energy. My friends, it happens more often than I would like. That is not to say that I've stopped all work on the book. It is to say that the second draft is not quite finished, and a third draft looms over me.

3. Have you caught the snake yet?

Answer: No. At least, we don't think so.

The truth is that neither I nor my roommate is willing to crawl through the opening in my closet to find out if the snake is still coiled up in the attic. We are hoping one of these things is true: a) the last raccoon convinced the snake that he was not welcome in our attic, either by verbal or physical means; b) the warm weather drew the snake out of the attic for good; or c) the pest control elves carried him away in the middle of the night.

The problem is simple. When we caught the raccoons in the trap, they scratched all night. You see where I'm going, because you're pretty smart. Snakes don't scratch, so how am I supposed to know when we catch one? I know the pest control guy doesn't want to keep crawling up in our attic just to tell us that nothing's there. Or maybe he does, but we are not willing to pay him to do so.

4. What movies do you want to see?

Answer: X3, Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean, I'm on the fence about Superman Returns, The Breakup, and Friends with Money.

There you have it. To recap:

Work: Busy
Book: Slow, but not dead
Snake: MIA
Movies: I should start saving money now.

Enjoy your day.

When last we left our heroine, she was trying to get the raccoon smell out of the carpet. Since then, she has:

Seen Coldplay in concert (they rocked many times over).
Attempted to squeeze in 50 hours of editing in 30 days, with only mild success.
Made plans to see Nickel Creek in concert next week (we presume they will rock, too, only in a more bluegrassy way)
Just learned from her roommate that there may be a very large snake living in their attic. (yikes!)
Made the bi-annual trip to the big arts/crafts/antique show at the Fairgrounds, where many exciting purchases were made, including an old globe.
Played lots and lots of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, but is still able to go two or three days in a row without playing at all.
Rearranged her bedroom furniture. Twice.
Noticed a pair of dark blue underwear in the parking lot at Panera Bread (anyone missing a pair?).
Been shocked and slightly appalled at the results of Spring Sing.
Watched and smelled the stinky white blossoming trees start to bloom.
Discovered the wonders of the IKEA store in Dallas on a wild one day roadtrip with friends.
Watched more episodes of Friends than should be humanly possible.
Decided that NASCAR is more interesting than you might think.
Heard complaints from a few select folk on the lack of new posts.

My roommate and I set the trap Saturday afternoon, which was more difficult than we expected. By Saturday night, I knew that we had something trapped up there. He scratched all night long. Around 3 I finally gave up on a decent night's sleep and stuffed cotton balls in my ears to drown him out.

Sunday afternoon, I got back on the ladder to see how angry our visitor was. But it turns out it wasn't a squirrel after all. It was much bigger than a squirrel...more raccoon-sized.

Okay, it was a raccoon.

That's right. We had our very own raccoon in the attic! And let me say, I wasn't expecting to have a face-to-face encounter with a raccoon in my bedroom. Forest, maybe, but not bedroom.

Stacey's got some fun pics and a few more details on her blog.

At least the raccoon smell is finally gone. Thank you, Febreze! I couldn't have done it without you.

The Gold Star Award (and lots of cookies, I think) goes to Jay for removing our furry friend and taking him back to nature.

Enjoy your day.

You may have heard that Stacey and I have a squirrel in our attic. At least, we hope it's just a squirrel. Sometimes it sounds like a person is tromping around up there. Maybe the little guy's just practicing his acrobatic maneuvers.

I hadn't heard him scratching around in a couple of weeks, but last night he made it clear that he is still an attic-dweller. Stacey saw him in the backyard a few days ago and warned him to stay away, but he didn't listen. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep at 1 a.m., I heard the familiar rustling above my bed. Two things made me very irritated: 1) that I was still awake when all I wanted to do was sleep, and 2) that the rodent had the audacity to rustle directly above my bed instead of by the window where I heard him last time. C'mon buddy, give a girl a break. If you must hide out in the attic, at least respect other people's bedtimes. I was awake for another half hour trying to ignore his noises. Even if it was snowing last night, he could have been quieter.

No, I haven't disappeared.

With all the holidays and moving and visits from friends and whatnot, blogging hasn't been high on the priority list. In fact, for the last month it probably ranked just above scrubbing my bathroom. But that's okay. Most of the people who read this get to see me in person (if not on a regular basis, then at least on very special occasions), and so we're caught up.

I've been officially moved into the new place for about a week and a half. It feels really good to be out of my scary apartment-hood. I've traded noisy neighbors at all hours for a squirrel in the attic whose visits are rare. It's not a bad trade.

I'm also the proud new owner of a digital camera, which I plan to use to the fullest when I have a free Saturday.

As for New Year's resolutions, mine is a re-dedication to the novel, which was unfortunately put on hold while I was packing, moving, and unpacking. I'm giving myself until April 1st to finish the second draft. Two thoughtful friends gave me new journals for Christmas, so I have a lot of writing to do. Plus, the new bedroom has a perfect desk-sized nook with a window. That's where I'll be until the spring.