2008, what it was

So I started 2008 with a bad head cold and spent the evening indoors.  I didn’t mind missing the parties and the crowds, it was actually pretty nice just hanging with Oliver and going to bed early.  Then I returned to work to find i had accidentally been termed and couldn’t get into the building without calling my manager and no longer had a login.  I’ll admit, this seemed a bad omen, but it was all sorted within a week or so.

In February my arthritis came back with a vengeance (boo) and that left me feeling grumpy, so grumpy in fact that I nearly killed Jeremy when he asked me not to leave the wooden kitchen utensils soaking in the sink.  It was not a good scene. I began to feel sad that I wasn’t more directly involved in American politics.  We also refinished the wooden floors on the ground floor of our house and painted the living room, thus making a huge difference in the amount of heat retained in our home and the grouchiness of my husband.

In March we sold my old green chair on ebay, it was sad parting after 15 years, 3 states, and 2 countries together but it was time.  March was otherwise fairly mellow (if still abit painful due to the old lady joints).

In April I turned 31 to a well intentioned but neurosis inducing lecture from my GP about making babies and started acupuncture for the first time as a means to try and help with the arthritis and found the whole thing vaguely surreal yet very helpful.  Drama in my family began to accelerate and I chose a DJ name for the first ever My Awesome Mixtape night.  DJ Zbornak.  Because it’s all about Dorothy, except when it’s all about Sophia.

In May, we had our first My Awesome Mixtape night, and the acupuncture made my arthitis pain go away.  I saw Sebadoh for the first time ever. We had the first ever My Awesome Mixtape night to much success (and dancing!).  And our bathroom remodel started (after three weeks of housing the new tub in the dining room).

In June, the bathroom remodel completed after much pulling of hair, lack of toilet and some tears in front of the builder.   I also had a showdown with the head builder where I totally used the force and was all like “No, you will return my keys by Wednesday,” and he was all like, “But I can’t get the job done until Thursday because the people who are richer than you want me to do their job first,” and I was all like “Well I’m leaving the country so you can evither pay to make new keys or finish the job and return them on Wednesday,” and he was all like,  “But I can’t do it till Thursday,” and I was all like, “But I need them by Wednesday.” And we went on like that for about ten minutes until he said, “You’ll have your keys back by Wednesday.” And I did.  And I felt like the toughest bastard in the world! And then we went to the Dominican Republic and I was happy.

In July we returned from the Dominican Republic and I was sad. We went to the Mighty Boosh festival and then I began my current battle with Costochondritis.  Jeremy got in a bicycle accident and ended up with a mild concussion and we began the stressful planning for our stressful (but fun!) trip home in August.

In August, we (sort of) flew back to Michigan standby for a weeklong trip and 2 weddings.  It was the longest short trip home I’ve ever taken, but it was good to see everyone (and it did feel like we saw EVERYONE). 

I September I made the momentous move to WordPress, and notched up my anxiety over the elections to about an 8.  The second My Awesome Mixtape occurred and I learned an important lesson about mixing pain pills and white wine (DON’T).  I also became acquainted with Russell the sadistic physion therapist, which wasn’t that much fun.

In October my election related anxiety moved up to a solid 11, where it stayed until the day after the elections.  The leaves on the trees started to change and we saw lots of art in and around London.

In November Barack Obama won the election and I was happy.  Also a lot of people in my office got laid off and that was sad.  But I was not laid off, so that was good.  We went to Prague, which was awesome, and my friend Lori visited, which was especially awesome.

And now it is December, possibly the fastest December ever.  I’ve been working a lot (except for this last week), Jeremy’s been traveling a lot for work.  There was another My Awesom Mixtape night, and Jeremy and Harvey have picked up a monthly residency at the Gowlett.  Our fireplace is finally getting some use.  An old friend found me.  And I appear to have beaten 50 page syndrome with my current novel in progress.

Overall it’s been a good year.  There’s been some general crap, there always is.  But we are both still employed, generally healthy and plenty happy. Now we see what next year brings.

Don’t you get fresh with me

Yesterday, at the charity shop, I found Neneh Cherry’s Raw Like Sushi on vinyl!!  Then Jeremy was all like, who the hel is Neneh Cherry and I was all like, you idiot!  How can you not know Buffalo Stance?

He also did not know that Give Up the Funk was by Parliament.  I told him that I could divorce him right then and there and no one would ever wonder why or second guess my decision.  I told him, it’s like we’ve been living a lie all these years, you’re supposed to be the superstar music snob and you don’t even know Parliament’s most famous song?  Who are you?  I cried, Who are you?

Despite these grave misteps, we had a really awesome Christmakuh.  I gave Jeremy a cocktail recipe book and am about 60% finished with his sweater.  He gave me a pair of earrings, a ring, medal of honor and a journal.  Every morning we woke up and had bagels with creamchees capers and tomatos, and bloody marys.  We roasted lots of vegetables and made a nut roast and sherry gravy, and he got the fireplace in the living room running so we watched movies and drank cocktails and worked on our puzzle.  My new favorite cocktail is the Vodka Collins.

And now I am back at work.  No fair.

Found out!

Stuff White People Like isn’t so far off the mark on this count

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/12/14/118-ugly-sweater-parties/

I’ll be going to one of these for New Year’s Eve.  But instead of a sweater I found a Christmas blazer.  Green velvet with bows!  I may add some extra ornamentation as well.

In other news I got found on Facebook today by someone I’ve been hoping to find myself for awhile now.  After a minor spaz I wrote her back and am feeling really hopeful and pleased. 

And in other, other news, our friend who got beat up the other week, you know, with the bricks?  He goes in for reconstructive surgery today.  He’ll get a plate in his cheek and I think a screw or two in the jaw.  So far he’s been healing quickly and well.  He’s also got a remarkable attitude about the whole situation, we saw him on Saturday and despite being on medication that made him paranoid, confused and nauseous, he was actually upbeat and positive and determined not to let the whole thing bring him down.  If it was me who took a brick to the head I don’t know if I could manage a healthy outlook so soon after it all, but then, I am prone to moping and whining.  Maybe I should work on that.

But anyhow, if you can spare some good thoughts, prayers, whatever, send them on to South East London today please as I’m sure he could use extra.

It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . December, actually

So, here’s the thing, I’m not really big on Christmas spirit.  I mean I like Elf and mulled wine and the open bar at my office party was great last year, but the whole rah rah go Santa thing is sort of lost on me.  Maybe it’ because we don’t go back to the states for Christmas (too many dollars and or pounds!), maybe it’s because we don’t ave kids, I don’t know, I just know I’m not feeling it so much this year, and haven’t for awhile.  Although, I did get a tree two Christmases ago, it was really cheap and plastic and broke while I was setting it up.

I am planning on putting decorations up around the house.  Mom gave me all my Angel bells that my Grandma K bought for me every year, so I have those.  But mostly i’m looking forward to the two long weekends that Christmas provides.

I get the 25th and 26th off as official holidays and then have taken the 29th as well.  The I get the 1st of january off and have chosen to take off the 2nd too.  And if you’re wondering how a humbug like me is planning on celebrating those gorgeus long weekends, well I’m happy to tell you how.

1. doing jigsaw puzzles
2. drinking bloody marys
3. watching crappy movies
4. making delicious foods
5. sleeping in
6. hanging out with jeremy and cousin oliver the cat
7. maybe a gin and tonic or three
8. going to harvey and paula’s NYE party (ugly jumper theme)
9. going for walks
10. maybe a trip or two to the pub
11. writing my great expatriate american novel
12. jigsaw puzzles
13. and more sleeping

Trust me it’s a totally good way to spend some time.

What the hell?

Found out on my lunch break that last week a friend of ours was attacked on his way home from the pub in our old neighbourhood (about a mile from our house) on what most people would say is the safest part of the area.

Two guys beat him with bricks and may have caused brain damage.  He will need to have reconstructive surgery starting next week.

Who does this kind of shit?  Seriously, who?

Holy nuts! or Danger on the 343

Last night my bus ride home turned unexpectedly violent.

I think the bus I was on almost hit a bicycle rider who then tarted to kick the bus and shout a lot when it stopped at an intersection.  Then When the cyclist was riding next to the bus the bus driver attempted to run him off the road (I saw this from my window seaton the top deck).  Following this the cyclist did more shouting and banging into the bus itself, causing many murmurs of ‘Oh my days!’ and ‘What the hell?’ from passengers.  Also causing the little boy sitting in front of me to say ‘Mummy that man was yelling fuck you, fuck you.’

So when I got off at my stop there was the irate cyclist.  He had thrown his bike down and was storming towards the bus as I hopped to the kerb.  He proceeded to kick in the front door of the bus and began shouting some more.  The bus driver shouted back and closed the doors.  The cyclist kicked them in again and shouted some more.  I called 999.  The bus driver left his little driving cubicle and assumed an old fashioned pugilist’s stance, legs spread, arms up, fists poised, and punched the cyclist square in the face.  The cyclist fell over, bleeding, and then popped back up as the driver got back onto the bus and closed the doors back up.  The angry cyclist kicked the doors in once more and grabbed something from the floor before the driver shut the doors again and drove off.

I told the police what I saw but the bus was already gone and I don’t know that they will do anything.  i just figured no matter what that it needed to be reported.  I’ve never ever witnessed anything like that in my life.  From the eerily old fashioned boxing stance to the full on rage exhibited by both men.

London is weird.

O Monday!

O Monday, you are a heartbreaking day when I look back on Weekend and realize I have completed only a fraction of what I intended to do.

Maybe I should set a lower bar for the weekends.  Maybe my goals should be things like: wake up before noon, bathe, brush teeth, watch Hollyoaks omnibus.

That’s probably considerably more realistic.

O Weekend!

Welcome back weekend, I promise not to waste you on sneezes and coughs this time round.  I promise you, Weekend, that I will do all my Christmas shopping and not yell at Jeremy and I will work on my novel and I will do laundry and dishes and even make dinner on Sunday.

O Weekend, I will not spend you in bed moaning and grumping and reading pulpy novels of ill repute.  I will finish Spring Snow and develop my own characters.  I will raise the stakes, both internal and external, of my semiautobigraphical work of sorta fiction, I will be true to my creative self, I will trust my friend Lori who promises me that my voice is worth hear.

O Weekend, I will use you wisely.  I will not squander you worrying about work or spreadsheets or legal records or having too much to do on the weekdays.  No Weekend, I will use you to get shit done so that on Monday rather than feeling downtrodden as I return to the financial epicentre I will know that I have a secret life away from the boxes and boxes of records.

O Weekend, could you maybe be three days long instead of just two?  I think I’ve maybe planned too much for you already and it’s only Friday.

back

So Prague was good.  It snowed on all but one of the days we were there.  I felt as if I was in an art nouveau snow globe.  The food was okay and the beer was great and cheap (pints for less than a £ are always okay in my book!)  We walked the entire city a couple times over, saw the castle, St Vitus Cathedral, the Vltava River, an old monastary with an amazing library (so much taxidermy!), and all of the Jewish Quarter. 

Jeremy even went to services on Friday night while I went to a cafe and drank coffee and did some writing.  I’m not 100% opposed to attending services with him but I take issue with attending when the women are separated from the men.  Yes, I know that this is part of the Orthodox way of practicing, and yes I know it is not a religion designed to welcome me, but it’s not cool that the women are relegated back to a tiny room with tiny windows that essentially only allow them to hear and maybe see a sliver of the services.  I’m not down with that.  I had a hard time in Rome when the women were separated by a screen so my discomfort in Prague was a given. 

That said the synagogues of Prague are beautiful and it’s only the New-Old Synagogue that had such severe separation of men and women.  Still, I probably would be reluctant to attend services in any of the other temples as well, perhaps I am too much a child of my time but I insist on being allowed to worship in the same space as the men.  Just one of those feminist “things” I have, I guess.  All this is moot for the time being anyhow as it’s unlikely I’ll be checking out any places of worship any time soon.  But that’s another post for another time.

So Prague was good, we also went to the Kemper Museum on our last day and it was amazing even if the balcony at the top where you can look straight down four flights of stairs to the floor of the main level was terrifying.  I’d like to go back in the springtime when the city is green and less slippery.

When we got back to London my old friend Lori was waiting at our house for us.  She was here through the week and it was really great to see her.  I’m still finding little notes hidden around the house and in my bags and pockets (one was behind the eggs in the fridge!).  We went to the Tower of London, Stonehenge, and a variety of pubs and shops around London before she left Friday morning.  Unfortunately, on Thursday night I was attacked by demon germs and am just starting to recover now after a weekend spent sleeping and coughing and sleeping and coughing.

There’s more, but my head’s not much for details at the moment, so those will have to wait.