Thursday, December 27, 2007

Coming Soon: Sleep Comfort

I just bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress today, for the low low price of $2000, plus tax. It's coming on Saturday. I've been complaining about my uncomfortable mattress since right after I bought it, so I figured I'd just get a new one, finally, with my bonus. I tried a bunch of regular coil mattresses but nothing felt as good as the TempurPedic, except the one that cost $3000. Now, THAT's too much money for a mattress. It was some fancy mattress at Sleepy's. That company has a bed you lay on that calculates how you sleep and what the best type of mattress is for you.

More to come on Saturday! Now, I just need fancy new sheets to put on top. I did NOT buy thet $60 stainguard cover, since I haven't had to worry about that since the surgery. How embarrassing it will be for me, though, when they take out the old stained mattress. Gross. I'm going to leave an old sheet on it so I don't have to be too mortified.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Grouchy

I'm a little grouchy because it's Friday night and I don't have any plans for a date this weekend. It's okay, I have plenty to do. The house is a mess, I have Christmas and birthday shopping to do; I need to get to the gym at some point since I only got there once this week and the pounds are creeping on again. I'm just trying to not feel insecure about the whole dating thing. (I should stop complaining but I spent the day working from home by myself and I'm grumpy. To much alone time is not good for me.)

So, I'm on my way to Joann Fabric to get materials to make superhero capes for my nephews. What better way to fight the blues than to go to a fabric store on Friday night? I'll probably be in the company of several other cat** ladies, grandmas, and single girls without dates. Later, I'll be stepping up the excitement by writing out my Christmas cards! Thankfully, I have a little Three Buck Chuck to help me along. And also, disc 1, season 1 of The OC. As usual, I'm watching the dramas years after they've begun and often after they've been cancelled. Happy Friday!


*Dating: more than 5 dates; a record since I dated the stalker. So far, so good, I think.
**My cat cost me over $100 this week and he has fleas (well, flea dirt, so where there's dirt, there are probably fleas. Three treatments of Frontline for both cats and we should be good. Plus some tuna flavored pain relief for Sam; he was favoring his leg for a week or so.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Ears

Several months ago, I made the mistake of going into the back room at the Hotel Vernon, a dive bar in town, and watching the band play. The band was a really loud punk rock band. I don't like punk rock. Why did I go in there?! The next day, my hearing was muffled and it took at least a day for it to go away. This was the second time in maybe a year or 2 that I'd had that experience. The time before was at a dance club in Boston (Ned Devine's).

After this last experience, my hearing came back, but I had ringing (tinnitus). It's loud at times, and sometimes really annoying. When I'm tired it's louder. When I'm well rested and not stressed it seems to fade into the background. It's loudest when I'm in a quiet place, like when I'm in bed. I always listened to talk radio to get to sleep but now it seems almost imperative.

On Monday, I had an appointment at the Ear Nose and Throat department. I had a hearing test, which was really cool. They put me in an almost soundproof room and I had to raise my hand when I heard beeping. Sometimes, I had headphones over my ears, sometimes the headphones were outside and behind my ears. The doctor also used a tuning fork. As it turns out, I have perfect hearing, but the ringing probably won't go away. Over time, it might fade into the background. I need to be careful, and use ear plugs.

Last night, I went to see the Dan Kane Singers, a Christmas concert. I didn't bring ear plugs. I didn't realize it would be so loud. It was loud. It was good, but loud. I'm hoping I didn't do any further damage. I am in the Christmas spirit, though! :)

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The Slow Period is Over

I thought the end of the year was the time of year that people sort of slacked off at work. Apparently, in my profession, it's the time of year that you start a HUGE project with a Jan. 1 deliverable date. Happy December! I'm just glad I took a week off earlier this month.

In other news, I am returning at least one of the pocketbooks - the 22.99 one. I think I might also return the $80 one. It's too nice. And kind of big. Yup. Off to TJ Maxx to make a return. I'm keeping the cheesy 12.99 not-leather one. God. I am NOT fashionable.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Thanksgiving

Today I am giving thanks that Thanksgiving is over. It's not a holiday unless there's crying, right? I finally snapped at about 4:30 yesterday. The day started with a phone call at 9:10 am. On a holiday!!! I get to sleep late and the phone rings. Granted, the caller thought it was actually 10:10 am because the clock hadn't been adjusted for daylight savings time, but even 10 is early.

I spent the morning peeling and chopping carrots, then lugged the carrots, a dessert, 2 folding chairs, a giant bottle of pinot grigio, a book (in case I got bored. Ha! Bored? I was being given tasks to do all afternoon. No time for boredom.), a pair of sneakers (in case we went for a walk), and two trays of stuffed mushrooms. This took about four trips up and down the mountainous flight of stairs that I'm growing weary of.

I'm not going to go into great detail about the stress of Thanksgiving. I will say this. I drank probably more than half of the magnum size bottle of wine. Maybe that's why I cried, but I think I would have cried sooner if I had not been drinking.

Also, I've come up with a Christmas gift list for my parents.

  • Gates - so that we don't have to spend the entire day chasing after a very mobile 2 year old. This 2 year old has a 5 year old brother. You'd think that they'd have bought gates sooner.
  • A case of paper towels. Who doesn't have paper towels around, at least for a holiday?
  • A large cutting board that belongs in the upstairs kitchen.
  • A good chef's knife, or a santoku knife, also for the upstairs kitchen.
  • A larger size folding table
  • Folding chairs
  • An entire home remodel. (Wishful thinking. I'll start with a new cooktop in the kitchen.)
I'm also thankful that I can work from home on this day after a holiday.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Shopping Guilt

I went to TJ Maxx yesterday, all sweaty and gross from the gym, because I desperately needed a black pocketbook. Yes, it was a life or death situation. (Not really.) I ended up with three new bags, one for $12.99, one for $22.99, and one for $79.99. Did I really need three bags? Of course not. What the hell am I doing, buying 3 bags, and spending eighty dollars on just one? I justified it by telling myself that my sister bought a bag for way more recently. Of course, she hasn't been on the clothing shopping spree that I've been on for the past 2 months (or really, the past lifetime). I have new cords, new pants, sweaters, socks, it goes on and on. I did buy 2 skirts that I need to return, at least one of them, and I have held back on spending money on these. I'm waiting for them to go on sale.*

So, I felt so guilty that I called Amanda to tell her about my spending and she didn't get to the phone. Then I got stuck in the express lane at the grocery store in front of someone who had 2 purchases in one cart, and was OCD about how the cashier rung up the items. They had to be in a specific order because "everything is getting crushed!" and she didn't have enough money for everything. I was sighing about this with the woman in line behind me and so I told her I had to confess to someone that I'd spent almost $200 @ TJ Maxx when I really just needed one pocketbook. Oh, I also spent some $ on nailpolish. So, overall, yesterday was a pretty pricey day. On the plus side, I get a bonus in less than a month, and I have clothes that fit, so when I go to work I feel comfortable. Also, I have things to wear on dates other than the same pair of jeans.

*Read the description of the boots from the seller. She is ebaying them because she can't afford to keep them. Hilarious. A woman after my own heart. I have done mass returns because I need the money and overspent. A sign of a serious shopping problem. Maybe I should get some help.
Oh, and the reason I want these boots is because them come in "extended calf" sizes. Meaning, these calves that are so strong they can break a chicken's neck would actually fit inside of them. I bought some wide-calf boots from Eddie Bauer last year and apparently they think that wide calf also means wide ankle. It was all loose and bunchy at the ankle and looked terrible.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

It's Deval Patrick's Show

It just hit me. Deval Patrick and Garry Shandling have the exact same voice.

*Warning: I only watched the first 5 minutes of the video linked to above. I don't know if it's rude or whatever, but Ricky does say the F word in the first minute or so.