Music & Memories

For lack of anything real to blog about, I've been thinking recently about songs or artists that I tend to associate with a particular person or time in my life. Some examples:

• Bob Marley & The Tragically Hip - the summer of Seth, after my sophomore year of college
• Pearl Jam & Soundgarden - Matt from high school. I had the biggest crush ever on him. We went to see the movie Singles together, and he was my first kiss.
• Blink 182 & Nine Inch Nails - Anthony, a Navy boy from my time in Florida. He was the exact reason why people warned me to stay away from the Navy boys. Bad news.
• Moxy Fruvous - Jenny, she introduced them to me. And took me to see a bunch of their shows. So much fun.
• Barenaked Ladies, Gordon - Brian, the life guard captain I dated in Florida. I was listening to that CD obsessively during the time we dated. I was also warned away from the lifeguards, but he was a really good guy.
• Garth Brooks - all my college pals. Imagine drinking and singing along. One of the bars we went to every week would even play one of his songs every week just for us. Good times. Bad dancers.
• Jimmy Buffett - Amy, my best friend from high school. She owned every CD he ever released. We went to one of his concerts together where I had my picture taken with some random guy in a coconut bikini.

I haven't gotten hooked on the ipod craze yet, but sometimes I can definitely see the appeal.

What are the odds?

I stopped for gas last night and as I pulled back onto the road, I thought the guy in the car in front of me looked familiar. Like a friend of mine from high school that I keep in touch with via the afore mentioned My Space. I knew he was due to visit the area, although I thought not until next week.

But this morning I found a message from him asking if it was me or my doppelganger he'd seen driving to Hometown yesterday.

Last time we got together was six years ago when we had a nice dinner at a local middle eastern restaurant and talked for hours. He's one of those people that seems like he's changed a lot since high school (the tattoos and singing for a heavy metal band, etc.), but is really the same Eagle scout at heart.

Guess I should have waved.

Supportive

I managed to snag a few minutes of my boss' time first thing this morning. As expected, she was very supportive and promised a glowing reference. Needless to say, that is a huge relief. Knowing how things work around here, they probably already had someone in mind for the position but had to list it anyway. The good thing is that now she knows that I am open to advancement and taking on more responsibility.

On a totally unrelated note, my bloggy-friend Nicole is pregnant! I am so excited and thrilled for her. I can't wait to read all the gory details.

More Assvice Needed

This is getting old.

Now the boss is out of town for two days.

Do I continue to wait so that I can talk to her first?

Or do I submit the application materials and catch her when she gets back on Wednesday? I have my cover letter and resume ready to submit. On that subject, can I just say that I find cover letters to be tiresome.

So whatcha think?

Windows

I know some of you have been anxiously awaiting a return to the home improvement-oriented posts. Don't worry, there is still plenty to be done around the house. I was just taking a (much deserved) break.

Today while my fiance was off shoveling snow from a roof, I decided it was time to be productive again. I applied the second coat of paint to the trim around the window in the smallest bedroom. That leaves only one more window to be painted (in the kitchen). I still have to do the baseboard trim in the bathroom and the smallest bedroom (ugh, I should probably be doing that right now).

After I finished painting the window frame, I went shopping for curtains and hardware. We've been living in a fishbowl for over a month and while I like the look of naked windows, come summertime I will not want to be visible to the masses out enjoying the fine weather. Plus, the windows in this house are of a very poor quality, so I've been hunting for insulated or lined curtains to help cut down on drafts. I had no idea how not fun curtain shopping really is. I ended up with the hardware for three windows and curtains for one.

Won't my fiance be thrilled to get out his tools after a hard day of shoveling? 

Another Snow Day

As I mentioned here, I have decided not to go to work today. I can't face another driving experience like the one I had on Wednesday.

It's hard not to think about trading in my trusty Ion for something with four wheel drive (like a Subaru!). I hate being so at the mercy of the weather.

This is also not how I envisioned using my vacation days: stuck in a freezing cold house. At least it's warm at work.

I'd been hoping to talk to my boss about possibly applying for the job, so I could work on that this weekend. I couldn't corner her yesterday because of how busy she was trying to take care of two days worth of work after the weather fiasco on Wednesday. She isn't making the drive into the office today either since she has an even longer commute than I do. So now, do I apply for the job over the weekend and talk to her on Monday after the fact? Or do I wait and hope that the job continues to be listed (it's an open until filled listing) and talk to her first?

Well that was not fun

This was me: blah, blah, Nor'easter, blah, blah. We're pretty used to snow in these parts; what's the big deal?

This was reality biting me in the ass: Big, freakin' deal.

So I get up and get on the road on time, no big deal. I steadily and safely crawl towards the city at 30-40 mph, no big deal. I am running only about 15 minutes late by the time I approach my office. No big deal. And then traffic comes to a halt on the hill up towards where I work. Now, I'm in trouble. I knew this at the bottom; I'd already been chanting "don't stop, don't stop" over and over (out loud and not quietly). Alas, they stopped. And there was no going forward at that point for me. Try as I might I just couldn't do it. It took about 20 minutes and a very nice man in full-body Carheart to get me turned around and headed back down the hill.

I try back-tracking and heading through a local neighborhood. But as I approach that left hand turn, I see two buses and several cars stopped in both directions. Next, I try the road our local German restaurant sits on. I didn't have high hopes since it is not a main thoroughfare. I made it all the way to the end when some bleepity, bleep, bleep actually stopped at the freakin' stop sign. Um, hello?! WTF?

So I reverse it yet again and head back the way I came. By this time, I'm shaking, sweating, and occasionally crying. I'd made it to within half a mile of my damn job and couldn't get the rest of the way there. I finally give up and head back into the city to look for a flattish on-ramp to get back on the highway and go home.

You're wondering why I even tried to go to work in the first place, aren't you? Because I had a French exam in class tonight and Hometown University NEVER cancels classes. EVER.

Anyway, back to me and my lovely morning. After running three stoplights and countless stopsigns, I finally make it home and bam! I got stuck trying to pull back in the driveway (yes, another slight hill). I called my fiance and started shoveling. It took him about 10 minutes just to get my fool car out of the road and more or less in the driveway.

So two hours after I left home, I was back inside, covered in sweat and snow and with muscles aching from the stress and tension. But all in one piece. I saw many cars in much worse predicaments.

I was picturing my fiance having to drive me back into the city tonight for my exam, but not that long ago came the surprising announcement that HU had actually cancelled all afternoon and evening classes. Phew. Of course, now I have to worrying about this exam all weekend until Monday night. Just can't win.

I hope everyone is safe and warm. Please stay home if you can!