How precious is it...

When every part of you is so much the same color that it's difficult to tell where exactly your face is?

witchie-poo

The trees are turning red and yellow in our yard. All of the buckeyes have fallen and the squirrels are looking fatter...

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Tonight we're going to the Connxtions Comedy Club. It's going to be a blast -- the reservations are made and we'll roll up in the cruiser ready to get our laugh on.

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Fall makes me have bad dreams. I had a dream recently that I was being chased up stairs by a bunch of witches who were trying to cast spells on me.

My new favorite thing:

Remington Wet 2 Straight.

I have very thick, coarse, naturally curly hair, not curlicue curls, but rather really heavy waves and frizz. I have, for years, been blow drying and flat-ironing my hair, and the results are always the same -- HUGE hair that has a milder wave to it. See Exhibit 1:















This process does straighten my hair somewhat - but it leaves it looking messy and huge! That is why any time you have seen me - I've probaby had my hair pulled back.

Recently I discovered the beauty of perfectly straight, smooth hair at my beautician. She painstakingly straightened the smallest pieces of hair, leaving it looking smooth and beautiful. But I could never recreate it at home... until now.

I stumbled upon Remington Wet 2 Straight at Meijer and thought it sounded like a great idea because it usually takes me so long to blowdry my thick hair and then straighten it all. It was fairly cheap (about $26), so I bought it. And I was not disappointed. See exhibit 2:

And now that I know my hair's potential -- I'm thinking about getting the long sweepy bangs. It's so nice to think that I have options now, when I really didn't before (short of going to the hairdresser every day).






This is really quite impressive to me, because if you have ever put your hands in my hair, you would understand just how thick and hard to maintain it is.

It used to take me an hour to dry my hair and another 45 minutes to straighten it. Now, it only takes me about 45 minutes to straighten my hair and it looks better than when I spent more time on it.

The only pitfall is that the steam that comes off the wet hair can sometimes burn your fingers a little bit... but not badly.

Seriously... Go buy this product.

"You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have..."

Sometimes I feel like I'm teetering on the edge. Today, I cried over a hamburger. Honestly, today was wonderful... I got so much accomplished. And yet, dropping a hamburger in the sink was enough to make me have a minor nervous breakdown.

Food is very important to me. It makes me happy - it tastes good, it feels good to be full, it smells good, it's pretty... it just has everything that something good should have. So, today I was going to make steaks for dinner, but when I opened them I noticed they had spoiled. This alone was enough to make me mildly upset - they were not very old and were fine yesterday, they should not have gone bad so quickly. I was forced to throw them away. My alternative was hamburgers.

I spent a long time seasoning them just right and patting them out into perfect little circles brushed with sauce and glistening in the pan. I was already salivating - and by that point, there is no turning back for me. When I spend that much time preparing and desiring the food -- that's what I want. But when I noticed a little bit too much grease and went to drain it out of the pan ... PLOP! One of my burgers fell into a bowl of dirty water.

I seriously lost all control of myself and just started crying. Poor Nick. He tried to console me, but to him it was all quite funny... and who can blame him. I mean, picture it... I'm crying because I dropped a burger.

But to me, it's like having that car that you've been wanting for a long time sitting in your driveway and just as you're about to take it for a spin, a semi hits it and renders it useless. A weird analogy I know, but so accurate for me.

Food should clearly not be this important to me... that's probably why I've been having trouble with my weight. But I can't seem to help myself.

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However, I did have a wonderful day otherwise. I mailed out my manuscript today, a thank you card and the rent check. I made it to the bank in time to make a deposit that was needed. I graded an entire two classes worth of papers (one class of final drafts and another class of small writing assignments) and I found a new television show that I like (Hello - HEROES is a great new show in my opinion... it's got the drama and the little bit of unbelievability that makes for good tv.)

And because I needed another reason to procrastinate

I created my own Flick'r album . Feel free to visit.

poetry -- now that's a novel idea.

I have the best idea for a poem title -- which is something I haven't been able to say in a really long time. My problem is, I have no ideas for the actual poem itself.

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I also thought I had nailed down my manuscript title and then I stopped feeling it. So I came up with a title I liked better and thought it was the one and now ... yeah... not feeling it either. So today, I came up with another -- and I'm really in like with it. But I'm afraid that I'm going to change my mind again and I just don't have time for that. I have to have this puppy in the mail this month.

I'm thinking of holing myself up this weekend and just working non-stop until I finish all of my additions and subtractions and revisions and blah and blah and blah. :)

Is that a PT Cruiser in your driveway, or are you just happy to see me?

That is a PT Cruiser in my driveway!!!!! Meet my new car!















I have wanted one of these since they were released.

I am currently picking a name -- please cast your votes!

1. Prince (because it is purple... you know... like "Purple Rain")
2. Petey (for almost painfully obvious reasons)
3. Extry (a long story...)

My new favorite sentence --

and yes, it is a grammatically correct sentence: Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

and coming in second place: "Wouldn't the sentence 'I want to put a hyphen between the words Fish and And and And and Chips in my Fish-And-Chips sign' have been clearer if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and Chips, as well as after Chips?"

:)

It's all in the delivery.

To do:

* Buy a car - and fast.

* Go grocery shopping - My cupboards are bare... and so my poor cat has none.

* Send my ms. out to several places - deadlines seem to be sneaking up on me.

* Buy glasses - I still haven't found the pair I lost several months ago... and night driving is no fun without them.

* Decide: Sofa slipcover or no? - I guess the real question is gold vs. gray-blue

* Bathe Kitsch - P.U.

* Grade Rough Drafts - Only nine to go.

* Figure out the upcoming Fall lineup - gonna have to buy some tapes to record on.

money won't buy happiness

but it will buy a new car... and I just don't have enough.

My current car is shot. I took it in to the mechanic today only to find out that it is going to cost over 800 dollars to fix my power steering problem. Not to mention I need to replace my tires. I would rather sink that much money into a new car... but even if I do, I still will not have enough money to buy a car any nicer than the one I have.

Last night I dreamed I was back in time and riding in a horse and buggy... maybe that's what I need -- a nice horse and buggy to take me to and from work.

The name's gecko, not...

A certain insurance company and green lizard mascot, whom shall remain nameless, are driving me CRAZY! I have never experienced this level of run-aroundery and bullcrappery from any other company.

White-marked tussock moth

Today my future hubby and I stumbled upon the strangest looking caterpillar we had ever seen. I snapped a picture and then we quickly started hunting for it on the internet.









We found out he is a white-marked tussock moth... Here is a better picture of one that I found at Auburn's website:








And who would've thought... this awesomely detailed little guy turns into this:















Moth photo from stephencresswell.com

I have decided...

I hate commuting. Okay, maybe hate is a really strong word to use, but what word is there to define the feeling that comes from riding 60ish miles every day, half of which are at night. And driving at night is not my forte, let me tell you. I am usually a little speedster on the roads -- but at night time, I tend to drive 5 - 10 miles under the speedlimit. I just can't see well at night. The lines aren't clear, and anything that is white, red or yellow pierces my eyeball and burns right into my retina.

...

I finished reading Lark Apprentice by Louise Mathias. Actually, I finished it quite a while ago... it was a book that I couldn't put down. Truth told, I read it in a day and a half. Seriously people, buy it. The book is brilliant.

...

There is a man coming to buy my old recliner today!!! YAY!!! It's such a good chair, and I just didn't have a place for it in the new house. I'm so glad that someone is going to take it. Now I just need to find a taker for my TV stand.

...

Mr. Bluejay keeps hopping across the deck, eyeing the feeder. He is pacing around like he's scared to step onto it, so cute.