this is payback, isn't it?

Last week I took a sick day when I probably shouldn't have. Yes, I felt sick (my stomach was giving me all sorts of problems), but probably not *too* sick to work if I had just bitten the bullet and gone in. But NOW, I have this tremendously sore throat, which has succeeded in waking me up in the middle of the night several times, and since it started, on Sunday morning, it has only gotten worse. I caved in and made a doctor's appointment - always a last resort for me - when I read that strep can cause other more serious problems if left untreated. I don't know if it is strep or not, but with my luck, it's some sort of crazy infection, and now I will have to take a sick day because I'm ACTUALLY sick, and I'll have everyone I work with thinking I'm some ninny who stays in bed at the slightest hint of pain or discomfort. Which is SO not true, by the way. I remember a day in high school where I went to school with a fever, and was repeatedly putting on and removing my hoodie all day, depending on whether I was having a hot flash or the chills - all because that was the day I was supposed to find out if I made call-backs for a play I'd auditioned for. Which I had. And I got the part. Though it only had one line. Still, I should have learned that it pays to be tough, and taking "mental health days," unless you really do have poor mental health, only makes you look like a ninny and miss your call-backs.

Ha!

One of the features of my hit counter on this thing is that I can see where my visitors were referred from. I think I've mentioned before how it's fun to see what Google queries land people on my page, but nothing beats the most recent one. The other day, some poor sap got to my page when s/he had to ask Google: "'I eat mop who?' meaning" I can just imagine this unfortunate soul having to go through life laughing at that dumb joke, but never really getting it. Having to resort to the Internet to save themselves the embarrassment of asking a friend what was so funny about eating a mop. Maybe I should write up a post explaining all of the dumb jokes that kids tell so that ANYONE who finds themselves in this predicament has a place to go to safely and anonymously get the answers to their most ridiculous, "ask the audience," I-should-get-this-but-I-don't, questions.

"New message from ??? on MySpace ..."

Ok, I really need to get my own computer for my home, because it is SO FRUSTRATING when you're at work and you get an e-mail saying that somebody has sent you a message on MySpace, and you're DYING to know what it says, except MySpace is blocked on your work computer and the only time you ever get to check it is when you're visiting your parents, but you just visited them yesterday so you won't be over there for at least another week! Grrr!!

save your pennies

I can't remember where I read this, but here are a few badly summarized tips for buying gas that will supposedly save you some money in these oh-so-pricey days:

~ Buy early in the morning while it's still cool outside. Supposedly there's less vapor, or something like that.

~ Fill up while you still have half or a quarter tank left. Again, something to do with vapor.

~ Use the pump at the medium or low speed. Honestly, I didn't know there were speeds, but hey, give it a shot. And again, this has something to do with less vapor.

~ Don't fill up while the truck is there filling the tanks. I think this has to do with kicking up sediment. But other than not wanting the sediment in your car in the first place, I'm not sure how this is specifically beneficial while prices are high.

This has been a public service announcement sponsored by Rebelmeyer, Inc.

a post about hair

If you live in my neck of the woods, you know that it has been mighty hot and humid over the past few days (in the down-time between thunder storms and tornadoes, that is). And silly me, I have not yet put in my window A/C, so my top floor apartment is about 500 degrees hotter than it is outside. Even with all the windows open and all the fans going, it just will not cool down. So anyway, I have been forced to modify my habits a little in order to maintain a bit of comfort in the excessive hotness of my house. I would usually take a hot shower in the morning, and get dressed and do my hair before going to work. I've never been much for evening showers because after sleeping, my (curly) hair just never recovers. However, in an attempt to cool off, the last few days I have been taking a cool shower in the evening, and then, without any product in it at all, pulling my wet hair into a high ponytail and going to bed. And it's totally great! First and foremost, it cools me off before bed, so I sleep better. Score. And also, even though my hairstyle options are more limited in the morning, washing it in cold water makes my hair so much shinier and softer! (And maybe the product I was using was making it dull and it's really liking being naked?) So yay! I found a way to cool off my body and make my hair happy at the same time!

... but I still intend to put in that A/C ASAP.

food flop

So, I discovered this weekend that my friends are not so much into food. I had a little party on Saturday, which was lots of fun (for me, and I would like to think for the other guests as well), however, one aspect of this party was a complete and utter flop. It was SUPPOSED to be a potluck to which everyone would bring a dish that they had never made before, and it was SUPPOSED to start at 7:00, early enough so that people could make it their dinner. However, out of the 15 or so guests, only 2 brought food (3 if you count both halves of a couple), and every single person had eaten before arriving. And even taking into consideration the one-hour cushion of time I usually leave for guests to arrive, only one couple arrived on time. Everyone else was at least 2-3 hours late. Most people brought beer or wine, which was very much appreciated (thanks to anyone who I may not have thanked, and who may be reading this - I'm very excited to partake in the party leftovers, especially a couple bottles of wine that have been calling out my name since Saturday). The party was fun regardless, but I felt like a dope for having spent literally all day cooking, and then not even putting all that food out because nobody was going to eat it. And I am no cook, so this was a huge undertaking for me. My fingers still smell like garlic. I guess people just assumed it was going to be a party like all my others, starting later and being mostly alcohol-centric, even though the invitation stated otherwise. Well, shame on me for trying something different. But really, I'm not complaining. I did have a good time, and like I said, I think everyone else did as well. And they brought all kinds of fun new beer and wine, for which I am extremely grateful. And now I've got great leftovers to last me all week. Conclusion: I love my friends, but I'm never cooking for them again. ;)

what's wrong with my computer?

Here's a pop quiz for all you techies out there. My work computer for one reason or another does not show the little arrows, or what have you, that are supposed to show up on mapping sites such as Mapquest, to indicate the exact location of the place you are looking for. So I get a map of the general area of the address I just typed in, and have to assume that the exact location is ... somewhere in the middle. And this happens with every mapping site I've tried. Many times the zooming buttons don't show up either. Is this a setting that I can fix on my own? Or is it something an administrator would have to do? Is it a subtle method my place of business has concocted to discourage employees from visiting such sites, even on breaks? Any ideas?

MOVE

WELL!! I'm all moved in to the new apartment. Aren't you so proud of me? Yeah, whatever. I'm just hoping that this one doesn't suck as much as the last one did, and I don't end up moving again a year from now. But I think it will be just fine. Aside from a few little things, most of which are just normal hazards of living in an old building, I am crazy about the new place. Did I say the exact same thing about the last place right after I'd moved in? Perhaps. But when I put it all out in front of me, the new apartment is so obviously superior I almost can't handle it.


THE OLD APARTMENT
Pros:
Location - right around the corner from Brown Line
Vintage - I loved the built-in cabinets in the kitchen
Large living room
Radiator heat - the pro being the fact that it's free
Closet space - tons!

Cons:
Tiny useless kitchen - one square of counter space, not enough cabinets, and a midget fridge
Tiny useless "eat-in" area - my table didn't even fit and had to be put in living room
Vintage - the bathroom hadn't been updated since the Civil War (What is up with separate faucets for hot and cold water?)
Bathroom - no storage, no towel bars, no room to turn around, and a temperamental shower
Tiny bedroom
Radiator heat - the con being the fact that there wasn't one in the bedroom (!!) and I had to rely on a space heater, which drove up my electric bill
Bugs - they had an exterminator come once a month, and when he inexplicably didn't come for a few months, I discovered why he was needed
Smell - there was a weird smell when I moved in, which I eventually just got used to, but for a while I was buying all manner of air freshener to try to get rid of it
Price - yes, it was within my price range, but I never felt I was getting my money's worth - and I happen to know that the new tenant is paying $150 a month more than I would have been, had I stayed - shady...


THE NEW APARTMENT
Pros:
The courtyard building is really pretty.
Location - still very much in the neighborhood I want to live in
Size - it matters
Closet space - I lucked out again in that department
Bigger, better kitchen - granted, the kitchen is still rather small, but it's still such an improvement, and you would not BELIEVE the amount of cabinet space! And counter tops! And a bigger fridge!
Dining room - one that my table actually fits in, with room to spare
Vintage - it has the same built-in cabinets I loved about the old apartment, PLUS a built-in bookcase in the living room, and very pretty arched doorways
Radiator heat - again, free, and this time in every room!
Smell - there's a nice sweet smell in the stairwell and the apartment that I can't place, but I'm actually quite fond of - and they do say that a pleasant smell is a sign of compatibility. :)
Price - only $25 a month more than the old one

Cons:
Old windows - we'll have to see how they fare in the dead of winter - I think the living/dining rooms will be fine, but there are no storm windows in the bedroom, and cold air (and sound) already come through, so that is a potential problem
Hot water pressure - for some reason, the hot water only comes out of the faucets in barely more than a trickle, whereas the cold water is just fine - but oddly enough, the shower pressure is still satisfactory
There's a yucky light switch/outlet in the kitchen that I'm afraid to plug anything into


So that's the long and short of it right there. So far, I'm really happy with the place. Now, the biggest obstacle is finding the time and energy to get everything unpacked and put away! I got a great deal of it done last weekend, especially since I was off Friday as well. But on the weekdays, I just find it so hard to do anything! I still don't have a car, so I take public transportation to and from work, which adds an extra hour or so to my day. By the time I finally get home (I leave the apartment at 5:30 in the morning and return around 6 p.m.), I am so exhausted, all I want to do is eat dinner and crash. I literally have to force myself to do anything productive in the evenings - even just putting a couple things into a closet - just so I know I've accomplished something. And all the kinks I've had to work out due to the move have been overwhelming. Nothing ever goes as smoothly as you'd like it to. For example, I needed to hook up the telephone, so I called AT&T to get the line set up. They said they'd come out last Friday. Well, I got an e-mail from someone last week saying there was already working service at my address, but they'd come and hook mine up on Friday, provided the current service had been disconnected. Well, no one showed up on Friday and yet I have no dial tone when I pick up the phone. Not sure what happened there. Another example, I wanted to transfer my cable service from the old address to the new one. Well, apparently the new address was not in their system, so it was going to take them a day (?!?) to add it. When the lady called me the next day to tell me I'd been added, I missed the call and she left a message. She said she'd sign me up for the next available service date, but neglected to tell me when that was, or who to call to reschedule if need be. So now I have to call the main number again and go through all the rigmarole AGAIN. And that's not even the half of it. Suffice it to say that moving is a bitch.

Which brings me to the movers. I have said that hiring movers was one of the best decisions I have ever made. But this is really only partly true. Hiring movers was indeed one of the best decisions I have made, however, the particular movers I decided to hire was actually a very poor choice. I am a victim of "you get what you pay for." I was all proud of myself for finding a moving company that was charging about half of what the other companies were quoting me, but after all was said and done, I discovered why. First off, they broke a few things, dinged some furniture, and were generally very rough with my belongings. Sure, they wrapped up my couch up tight with cellophane like a Thanksgiving leftover, but I would have preferred they pay that much attention to my fragile (paper) Japanese folding screen instead, which came back to me with the paper separated from the wood frame in two spots. The kicker, though, and the reason I'd never hire this company again, nor recommend it to any of my friends, is that I am missing one of my air conditioners. And when I called the company to ask about it, they were rude to me! They said, "We don't have it. If we had it, you would have gotten a call from the foreman the next morning. I suggest you look through your things again." And that was all the help I got from them. Nice, huh? Well, at least it was the smaller, slightly defective one that I lost. :)