ok, I'm now Atonal1 on LJ.

this account will revert to non-paid account status as of 1-18. I will not be updating here any more.

Current Mood: forward moving

my paid account is set to expire in a couple of days.

I think I'm going to LET it expire to a basic account and start a new journal. I've talked about this already. Just letting people know. This journal will still exist, but I won't be adding to it. It's just time that I symbolically (and also psychologically and emotionally) move past the events of the last year.

Current Mood: okay

Mom is gone. My house is much cleaner, like a white tornado came through and cleaned my kitchen and put away much of the stuff in the "living room", but Shaggy and I are both relieved to see her out the door. I love her, but there is a limit to my tolerance in my own space. I hope she misses most of the sleet today. Driving looks bad this evening.

The operas were very good this weekend. Fledermaus (really an operetta) is traditionally set and costumed. The voices were good, even though I would have prefered a bit more power from Rosalinde. The conductor for Fledermaus was immaculate. The production was perfectly timed, both theatrically and musically. Turandot's production looks like Dr Seuss was in charge. However, the story is a bit surreal and so it worked. The voices in Turandot were....ok. Turandot was cast as a lyric, when the part could really use the power of a spinto or even a dramatic. There were moments when she was COMPLETELY covered by orchestra, which was disconcerting. Liu was good. Calaf left something to be desired in his high register. His voice did not have the "ring" that part really needs up high. But PingPangandPong were fantastic, and the acting was good, and the chorus was REALLY good. So, overall, it's a good production.

Ben and Seana have had their baby. It's a girl, and she's 6 weeks early. So we still need good thoughts, cause Piper is going to need a lot of help getting strong and healthy over the next year.

Today is a good day to relax and watch the precipitation out the window.

Happy Birthday Dr. King.

Current Mood: tired

So mom turns to me tonight and says (obviously referring to Fiasco) "you should put a bullet...."

And where does my mind go? Of COURSE I'm horrified!

the actual sentence was supposed to be "you should put a bulletin board notice up to see if you can get someone to take him for the 4.5 months you'll be gone this summer."

no, apparently mom was not suggesting that I murder my cat in cold blood. But it's so something she WOULD do.

Current Mood: grumpy

so, my legacy characters have graduated from college. It took me a while to figure out how to get them to actually GRADUATE. (you have to throw them a party before they'll leave college-town) I got them married and moved in to a nice house with a cute kitty that looks like Kipling (seana's cat). One of them has a lifetime aspiration of getting 6 kids married off.


how the hell am I going to manage that!?!?!


oh, by the way, mom and I have an opera tonight and one tomorrow. I'm not available for socialization until at least Sunday.

I also find it rather amusing that I can tell whether I need to get up yet by what show is on either Disney Channel or HGTV. Either one, I know exactly what time it is according to what show is on. yes, I'm redundant and boring and predictable.

Current Mood: geeky

Seanaface (my friend through KTE who is VERY pregnant right now) has been told not to leave the house. Not "bed rest" but not good, either. Her blood pressure has skyrocketed and they cant seem to get it back down.

anyway, I went over with about 1/3 of my DVDs to keep her occupied, and I sat and chatted with her for a couple hours till the Ben came home. I also offered to loan her Fable (for PC) or Tropico2 (my new mac addiction). She is not so much the computer game geek, but she might take me up on it if she's still on lockdown in a couple weeks and totally bored with dvds.

anyway, the point is, she needs good thoughts.

Current Mood: thoughtful

ok, so my mom comes to visit every so often, and she brings instant coffee every time. this means that there's TONS of instant coffee in my house. More than mom will ever drink.

so. I experimented. if you put instant coffee in cold milk, it takes a second to dissolve, but it makes a TASTY treat! (and I use skim milk, so it's not even too many calories!)

YUM.

Current Mood: tasty

my days have been SIM-ful. I've never actually tried to PLAY the game, especially the University expansion. It's not hard, but it's TIME CONSUMING. It might be extra super time consuming because I'm trying to get 4 characters through college. I started out with 8, but only focusing on 2, then I realized that without my attention, people were flunking out. GAAAR! So now I'm focusing on the 4 I like best, but I can't ever bump it up to full speed, cause I'm always focusing on SOMEONE.

bah.

anyway, my two legacy characters are deeply in love and finishing their Junior year, Deans-List style. I thought about moving the two of them out to a small place by themselves, but then they'd have to cook for themselves and pay bills, and that'd just be a pain in the.....you know. So, I'm keeping them in the dorm.

Current Mood: out of touch with reality

HOORAY!!!

Sunday and Kelly came to town! We went with Amy to Heartland Cafe! I finally got around to giving Sunday the shirts that KTE and Ned gave me at thanksgiving. They fit! WONDERFUL! I tried to give Amy the third book in the Rhapsody trilogy. She'd already borrowed it out of the library. That reminds me. I have a library card. I never use it. I'm too lazy to use the library.

but Sunday, Kelly, Amy, and I played "I went on a camping trip and I took along with me...." the memory game.

by the end we had a good picture of exactly how surreal all of our minds work.


Amy, I miss the disassociation game.

Current Mood: amused

I'm playing SIMS all day.

Tropico2 was kicking my ass. I tried to play on a harder setting, and they threw me off the island.

so, I decided to try to start a SIMS2 Legacy. Does it count if I start with a Young Adult? Or do I have to start with a new Adult?

I had a dream last night that I was back at Olaf. Man, the last 8 years have gone by so fast.

Current Mood: lazy

I have a real desire to make the people around me happy. I think that's why I have so many really good friends. Sometimes I try to make other people happy at the expense of my own happiness. That's what got me in trouble with Phil. I put his happiness above my own, thinking that if I could just make him happy, then I could be happy.

I do want to date and "get back out there", and I know there are a couple people who'd be more than happy to date me right now, but they are not people who I feel I could be happy with in the long term. Also, I'm going to be traveling a lot this year, and I don't want to start a relationship just to satisfy someone else's desires, and then just up and leave them here in a couple months. That won't make anyone happy.

Bottom line: Yes, I'm halfheartedly looking for someone I feel truly connected with. No, I don't know anyone at the moment who fulfills that. No, I won't "give it a shot" for something I feel halfhearted about when I'm about to leave for 5 months.

no, I don't want comments on this. I'm going to lock this post no comments. I'm just putting my thoughts out there. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I think it's only fair to make this public.

Current Mood: thoughtful

ok....so.

Shaggy doesnt like strangers. Shaggy went to the vet this morning. We got Rabies, Bordatella, Distemper (which is bundled with a couple things), and a microchip. The vet also checked him over and thought he might have an eye infection and hip displasia. (the hip displasia could explain why he HATES it when people touch his butt.) Anyway, Shaggy doesn't like the vet. It's a strange room, strange people touching him and trying to give him treats that he's not sure he likes. So we muzzled him.

The vet gave me a new box of heartguard, eye drops for his eye, and glucosamine (yes, the stuff people take for arthritis) for his hips. My pocketbook is MUCH lighter now.

The vet asked me if he was better for the groomer than for the vet. I don't know, but he's never been rejected from a groomer, so I would think yes.

Next time we have to go to the vet, we'll bring pupperoni. He likes those, at least. and he doesnt get them very often.

anyway, he's supposed to be lethargic today.

Current Mood: tired

Katya looked absolutely HOT in my dress tonight.

that is all.

I got a bunch of christmas cards this year, and I will make a valiant attempt to reply to them before Valentine's Day.

amazing. My stress level shot through the roof as soon as I hit Bolingbrook coming north on 55 two days ago. I just feel overwhelmed when I'm in the city.

Current Mood: stressed

which is better?

Home Depot or Lowes?

Meijer or Target?

USBank or Wells Fargo?

(this is not a forum to talk about how small businesses are better. I know that. I'm wondering which mondo corporation is better.)

**please dont let your answer be affected by the comments. I want to know people's honest impressions, not biased by background or extra information.**

Current Mood: curious

Phil has been online on Yahoo Messenger for the past 2 evenings.

but has not messaged me, even when I allowed myself to appear online.

ok.

Current Mood: okay

what does this hand symbol mean to you?

Current Mood: curious

Does anyone know anything about Chambery, France?

that's where the program I think I'll go to study french is based.

also, I think I want this washer/dryer combo, but I dont know if it will fit in my space.

Current Mood: curious

"if no other creatures can withstand us [our progress], are we not monsters ourselves?"

Animal Planet

(I was flipping channels. I only caught the one phrase, and the program was ending.)

Current Mood: gluttonous