Currently Listening MacArthur Park By Richard Harris see related

When I was waiting tables under the guise of a "job," often I suffered nightmares wherein I would be late for work and all the table numbers had changed and my section was already full of angry idiots demanding refills. The chaos would only continue as in the kitchen, instead of pop, acid rain would shoot out of the machine and oh yeah--I realize that I forgot to wear pants. These night terrors were quite too frequent.

Now, I have nightmares where, in a panic, I realize that catalog pages have been sent to the printer with the wrong page numbers on them so I have to literally run to fix this problem and along the way I realize all of the spelling errors I missed and that I'm woefully underqualified to speak Dutch. You know, rational fears like that.

I wish I could relax while sleeping. Then maybe I could stay awake at work.

At least Johnny Weekend: 2007 is but two days away! Swash swash, buckle buckle!

RIP, Gilmore Girls

Well played, fake Pallandinos. Well played.

Now, to the powers that be at Emmy headquarters, there is no excuse to not nominate the incomparable Lauren Graham for the Emmy she so deserves.

It's over and I am sad. But what a fantastic finale.

Currently Listening Betcha Bottom Dollar By Puppini Sisters see related

I really struggle with envy. Watching God bless the lives people around me just infuriates me at times. And I feel horrible about it. In some scenarios, God blesses the lives of my closest friends in amazing ways. Other times, I have to stand by and watch people who don't deserve to win, win. Sometimes the envy is so great that I can't see straight. But after I calm down and remember that whining about good things happening to bad people is so overdone, I always pull the same book off the shelf.

Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner is a fantastic memoir and one of all my all time favs. I highly recommend it. Don't let the title mislead you. I can only dream to be as polished a writer as Ms. Winner, but I think the title implies a very chick-lit, saccharine read. She also uses commas a bit liberally for my taste, but who am I to judge? Let's blame the publisher for the time being.

One of the essays in her book is titled "Sanctification School." Ms. Winner describes how when joyful, happy things happen to her friends, such as getting married or having babies, she slips into self-pity, not understanding why she can't be completely happy and joyful along with them, or why God doesn't bless her life in similar ways. She realizes eventually that this is all part of her sanctification and that God will use the insane jealousy and self-pity to grow her into the woman he wants her to be. And that God will grant her the grace to walk into the Baby Gap yet another time. It's a really calming essay.

Of course, it's amazingly difficult to remember this truth when attending yet another friend's wedding stag. I hate that I can't be 100 percent happy for the people I love. It's so hard not to slip into the "Why them and not me?" method of thinking. But then I stiffly walk over to my bookshelf and tear into the pages of the memoir, and every time (I must have read this essay a dozen times, including once this week) I feel at peace by the end. Or at least like Rachel Green, when she tries to figure out the ratio of her happiness to her jealousy for Monica and Chandler.

For something a tad lighter, Ms. Winner writes a hilarious essay about giving up books for Lent.

Currently Watching Coupling - The Complete Fourth Season By Coupling see related

Apparent-LY!

This past weekend, I returned to the black hole of Marion to watch the always beautiful Heather grasp freedom and sport the black boots like nobody's biznass. And it turns out, I knew many of the graduates and am proud of them all for sticking it out. It was an emotionally exhausting weekend for me. But, I can say in complete honesty that it was wonderful to see everybody I saw. I do mean everybody.

I feel like IWU has been transformed into a giant coffee shop. It's huge and full of post-modern architecture, deep colored paint, and angst. When I was a student, it was a simpler time with harsh lighting.

At least John Wesley the Pirate still stands guard (sans tightie-whities, unfortunately). That thing is never coming down. Argh.

Currently Listening Wreckless Eric By Wreckless Eric see related

Things I totally heart right now: Alban L'elephant (check it out, he's hilarious), Fugly people,  Emily's chair, Vermi-composting, Melinda Doolittle, the Pirates 3 countdown, That my bosses are in China for another week.  

Things that can eat it: The Kennedy Krawl, iTunes never having the song I'm looking for, Sporting events preempting my shows, Pretentious people, Bipolar weather patterns, The Chucks that gave me crazy blisters, That mysterious stank emitting from my fridge.