On the Radio

My XM was installed while I was gone over the weekend. Words cannot describe how much I love satellite radio. Words also cannot describe how unintelligible my stereo manual is - I might as well be reading it one of the other languages.

But. I have FRED! And LUCY! And ETHEL! And 100 other stations I've never listened to before. And I can control my iPod through the stereo!

I might move into my car.

I also might feel a little like Lileks.

Except I know that my satellite TV has all of the XM stations I want to listen to, and that I don't need the home receiver.

Um...Yeah.

This is the part where I'm supposed to be doing schoolwork. I certainly have plenty to do, and here I sit making my daily internet rounds.

Cataloging will not learn itself.

I just got the access code for Records Management, so I probably should catch up with that...but I don't have the books yet so maybe I can just remain blissfully ignorant for a few more days until they show up.

BUT.

I found out that I can apply with the county library system in May.

So I guess I'd better get to work, because I need these 6 credits to be eligible.

Under Water.

My ears, they are plugged.

I have to fly this afternoon...this should be fun. Maybe I can pretend I'm deaf so I don't have to talk to whomever is sitting next to me.

Have I ever mentioned that I cannot stand people that want to chat on airplanes? I just want to read my trashy magazine in peace...I don't want to make small talk for an hour with a stranger. Because really? I don't have much to say. Here's the crux of it:

Yes, I'm going to Vegas. To get my hair done.
It's cheaper.
Even with airfare.

That's about it. Because it's never a cute guy - it's some middle aged woman. Maybe I'd feel differently if my seatmate looked interesting.

Maybe I'm just an anti-social dick.

And That's the End of That

Hey guess what? Taking a class with an hour-and-a-half online component consisting of a chat lecture isn't for me.

So I dropped it. I also think I've already learned most everything that class is presenting.

And now? I'm scrambling to get another class. Worst case? I only take one and whatever - I can't worry about that. I'm not going to take a class that doesn't fit my needs just to have financial aid cover it.

Winter of my discontent continues...

T Minus 10 Minutes...

Until my first class session of the semester.

Hooray.

I'd rather join the dog in a nap on the couch. Because I was up for over two hours in the middle of the night after a dream about tornadoes.

I have no idea what that dream meant, but anxiety certainly dredges up fascinating images from my subconscious.

But!

24 episodes are available online!

Which is good because I fell asleep last night.

I even missed my dessert.

I hate exercise. And winter. And anxiety and sadness.

Oh Boy!

It's school time again.

I don't want to go anymore.

I Like Art.

It's another boring Wednesday afternoon. The last boring one until May. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorites from my art collection. Mind you, most of this collection still lives in tubes - framing is expensive.

First, what might be my favorite of ALL TIME:



This is Stacey. She is a Glenn Barr creation. This is my only framed piece, and it needs to be re-done because the asshats at Aaron Brothers jacked it up and the frame is crooked. Stacey is the representation of my alter ego, the bored 50's housewife.

Next, my newest Shag. This is Odalisque:



I had no idea what an odalisque was until I got this. This is the only Shag I have in these colors.

I have several more Shag pieces, most in the color palette of West Coast Jazz:



Shag is by far my favorite modern artist. I'm hoping to meet him next month in Palm Springs at this event, hosted by M Modern, which is where I got Stacey. They are extra cool, and that's where I met Syd Mead last year. Yes, that Syd Mead. Very nice man, likes to paint yachts nowadays. He lives here in town.

My newest, and by far most speculated about piece is Heart Aflame:



We're not sure what's going on here yet, but there are several theories. This is another Glenn Barr piece - while I don't love all of his stuff, this series of pieces are fantastic, especially in person.

That's my art lesson for today.

Today's Random Thought

How hard would it be to just drop everything and wander off? Every once in a while I think that maybe I could just pack up and go somewhere else and start a completely different life. Not that I have anything to run away from, I just want to do something new.

If I believed in horoscopes, this would make me a typical Sagittarius with the wanderlust and all that jazz. But really.

It's the dabbler in me, I guess. I've never done the same thing for this long. Even school was different every semester. But now I've been answering phones and doing the same 30 tasks for over four years. It's not like I'm burnt out or anything - my job is pretty easy most days and I count myself lucky that I'm not on the run for 8 hours every day. I also feel incredibly fortunate that I haven't HAD to look for work for over four years. The layoffs every 18 months were a total drag.

I'm just bored. And when I'm bored I start to think about what's out there that I might be missing out on. Most likely if I were to go looking, I'd realize that I'm not missing out on anything and the rest of the world is as boring as my own life is today.

I've also been looking for jobs for my other half, which makes me think that I could be making more money and maybe doing something more exciting with my time. But it could also take me in a different career direction and derail my Masters.

And that is the one thing I want more than anything else.

But still - the idea of completely starting over somewhere completely different sounds exciting. Somewhere that we could afford to buy a house.

*Sigh*

This Weeks' Boredom Cure?

VEGAS.

Where I will sit in front of the fire and work on the puzzle that's been in progress since November. There aren't any more chairs to burn, though, so we'll have to actually buy wood this time.

That's another story.

It's supposed to snow there today, so maybe I'm crazy. Somehow, that just seems wrong, since I usually think of Vegas as about eleventy billion degrees. But winter is also pretty extreme, I'm learning - just one more reason I wouldn't want to live there, jobs be damned.

But who can pass up a trip when you don't have to pay to stay? It's always nice to have friends who live in fun places.

Why doesn't anyone come visit ME?

Zzzzz...

It's the quietest time ever. I can't believe I ever filled 8 1/2 hours every day before I went back to school. Of course, work isn't always as dead as it is right now, either. But still. If I could sit and read books all day it would be great. However, that may be slightly frowned upon, even if it isn't much different than reading a screen all day.

I have been to the gym two days in a row. I've decided it's a good thing I don't have a membership, because I really dislike going there. I like to sweat in the privacy of my living room, where there aren't bulky men around me while I lift 8lb weights. Fortunately, next week I can sweat alone again. And not get up at 5:30. And although I loathe exercise, I do feel better if I'm doing it.

I'd like ALL of my clothes to fit again.

Also: a cheeseburger.

I've been brooding about the lack of full-time paraprofessional library jobs here in the Los Angeles area. There are three open positions in Las Vegas right now, and I know I could get one if I wanted to move there. But - I just don't. I'm not going to live out there alone anyway, which I'd have to do as my other half is not moving. Anywhere. Ever. It wouldn't be an issue if I could take a part-time job, as those are more available here, but that isn't happening anytime soon. Food does not buy itself.

Neither do cataloging books.

What's a girl to do?

Exercise her way into the little black dress she's never worn to go with those new shoes. Just in case she doesn't go see Bob Seger (yes, Bob Seger - that's another story) and she goes to the THEAs.

Yes, we have industry awards and it's a black-tie event. And I get to go for free. Every job has its perks. This is one of mine. That and all the time off I want.

You can see why I haven't had a raise in almost four years. Well, maybe not. But I could always use that as leverage if anyone questions what I do here.

I'm done now.

New. Shoes.

Ohhh...I got these today.



LOVE. THEM.

I totally clomped around in the office in them already.

My Favorite Neighbor

From all places, a Fark thread about Mr. Rogers.


Via: VideoSift

So few people in the world have had the impact that Fred Rogers had on children and adults alike. I wish I had his passion for reaching children.

But I'd never be him. No one will.

L.A. Culinary Adventures

For 2007, I've decided to broaden our restaurant rotation. Los Angeles is a big city, and there are thousands of places to eat. Yet, we always seem to end up at the same dozen or so places.

Then they close. (RIP, Yen Ching). Lately, we've been working on finding a new Chinese restaurant as the aforementioned mainstay of our diet went away. Last week's attempt was not as successful as we might have liked it to be - so we're still searching. I have another one on tap to try, as soon as I feed my husband's Mexican craving. That's another sticky one. There are two Mexican places we frequent: one not too far and one very far away. But, nothing in Pasadena.

You see where this is going. I have resolved that I will try one new place a week this year. And as soon as I find that stupid issue of Los Angeles magazine that has the best ethnic restaurants in the greater metropolitan area we'll be in business. I have a sneaking suspicion it ended up in a bag somewhere.

Perhaps? I'll just order another.

*But wait! Los Angeles magazine has an online archive! It's a good day.

The Familiar Feeling...

Boredom.

No school, nothing to do at work. I miss the days when no one was in the office and I could sit and read a book. But, those days are long gone. So here I sit at my desk, contemplating creating an image database.

But I'm also lacking motivation. Maybe I'll decide to do that next week - for now, I'll stare blankly at my screen and try to remember what I did before I started school.

Sigh.

Another Year.

Yeah, it's 2007. Will anything be different? Most likely, I'll have the same job, the same house, the same cars, the same husband, and the same dog in 364 days as I do right now.

There's nothing wrong with that at all. I'm not looking for a year of significant changes in my life. In others' lives? Absolutely. I'd like to see good things happen for a lot of people in my life who deserve it. So I'll bequeath my changes to them.

As for me, I'll spend the rest of my 29th year working toward that Masters degree, answering phones, and traveling as often as my schedule allows.

Including to Oktoberfest. In Munich.