Being Happy

I think I've come to realize that the secret to being happy is to have lowered expectations. That way, if something good happens, I'm happy, and if nothing good happens, I'm not unhappy because I didn't expect anything good to happen in the first place.

I think after a while it will get a little depressing.

3 and 4 Sentence Movie Reviews: Juno and Enchanted

I saw Juno; it was great! I love that Michael Cera, what a cutie, and Ellen Page was also great. Witty dialogue, great soundtrack. I think they did the singing.

Enchanted was awesome. It's nice to know that Disney can poke fun at themselves. Great humor and costumes.

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.

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.

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! :)

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.

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.