What up?

Last night I drank white wine (with ice, of course) and beer (no ice. Ms. M got blood blisters opening the beer bottles with pliers, I owe her a bottle opener at the very very least). I also played Cranium. It was fun. I always forget how fun board games can be. Board games are the new black. I dub them cool. Sadly, my declaration does not have the force of law, or of actual coolness.

Cranium is fun because the categories are good for almost everybody, combining elements of Pictionary, trivia, charades and word games. It's simple but has variety. There's not much trickiness. The only strategy I can think of for this game is not to put the nerds on the same team. Nerd power multiplies.

Some games are way too fucking complicated. Like a lot of card games. Is it sad that I don't have the patience or concentration to learn the rules to pinochle? Phase Ten? Sometimes I get lost during Go Fish and forget who's turn it is.

This morning I watched QVC. It was delicious.

How may I correct your doll?

The new job is going well. I'm getting faster at my little tasks, so I'm glad to be learning more stuff so I don't just sit there bored. I press a lot of buttons and sometimes I get to walk around and go get stuff and bring stuff to places.

Also: The new hair is fine, not too crazy, not too boring. I love the way my hair feels right after it's colored. They got them good conditioners these days.

Hair color adventures!

CN went blonde! It looks awesome!

And I finally used the box of light auburn haircolor I've had around for a few weeks. In fact, it's soaking into my follicles as we speak. I got 23 minutes left. I probably shouldn't dye my hair at 11 on a Sunday night, huh? I won't see how it really looks til 7:30 tomorrow. Then it will be too late.

We're doing casual wear at work next week. That will be super fun, I guess. Everybody in HR/Admin seems excited, but a little nervous about what people will decide is suitable for casual, yet work appropriate clothes. Maybe when I've worked there longer I'll really get how novel and awesome it is to wear jeans and flip flops to work.

Oh, and there are no socks required. I'm so excited to see people look normal in sandals.

On a sock/sandal note: I thought I read something this weekend about the menswear fall fashion shows, but it must have been a fevered dream. I thought it said that big slouchy socks with sandals were all over the runways. Cripes. Here is the thing that I read.

Well, I have to go rinse out the color now. Wish me luck.

This is kind of cool.

The reporter guy didn't use any of his interview with me, but I forgive him. I wouldn't have either. I said 'um' and 'I dunno' a lot. He did quote Hon Bun, and that is AWESOME.

Here's the article.

And some quotes from various MN bloggers, including one from yours truly that didn't seem funny at the time but I guess it was, huh? Here's my favorite: "i want a jeep so bad it tears my soul apart. the older i get, the more i realize that i am not my honda civic and my honda civic is not me." - Christa, on Big Giant Tampon Commercial

Here's an interesting article.

Immigrant children's roles open to interpretation


I think anyone who has worked in customer service over the phone has dealt with this: A very young sounding kid interpreting for their parents. "My mom says this bill doesn't look right. What is this charge for?" We had a translation service at my last job but many times they didn't want to do that. And most of the time I worked there they had one Spanish speaking rep who was almost never available. And couldn't really help with our Somalian, Hmong, etc, customers. Most of the parents know some English but I guess they want to be sure they are getting everything right. I feel bad for some of these kids, it seems like too much responsibility. And it sucks to tell a kid who sounds like he's ten years old at most, "You should tell your dad that we can't turn the phone back on until the bill is paid."

A lot of kids have to take on some sort of grown-up responsibility in their homes -- babysitting, watching out for irresponisble parents, shopping, taking care of the house. Not just ordinary chores, but stuff that is typically the domain of an adult. Sometimes these kids totally rebel, sometimes they turn out to be super competent, capable adults.

I'm not one of those "Don't move here if ya cain't speak English" types. Just because you talk to someone who doesn't speak English on the day you happen to talk to them doesn't mean they aren't trying to learn. And I bet it's hard to find time to study when you have three kids and you are working 12 hour days at a crappy job.

Yeah well, good article.

Word verification

I had to turn on the word verification because there was a sudden influx of spam. Got along without it for a while. I don't like having it because I suck at it -- I always get the ones with two u's or a bunch of m's and l's that I can't make out.

Big night in: A big long post

I went to my friend's apartment tonight. She is in a crisis, a pivotal moment in her life. Another friend came over too, she is staying overnight and going back home in the morning. We talked and talked and talked. We baked cookies, watched tv. Talked some more. About what jail was like, stuff like that. It was a good night.

People have asked my why I even bother with this crisis-friend anymore, after all the shit that has gone down. I guess I was waiting for something like this to happen. I wish it hadn't, but as I posted before it could have been worse. Don't you believe in redemption? I do.

(By the way, the incident happened slightly different than they reported in the paper, let me know if you want details. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, if you're really curious e-mail me. It's not exactly a secret, but it's not what this post is really about.)

So, she is finally acknowledging her problem with alcohol. She is going for treatment. She is letting us tell her that she is neither perfect nor awful, she is just a human being. Right now, she is full of fear and humility and wants so bad to stay sober. She's paving hell with energy and good intentions. She thought everyone would hate her when her big secret came out. She knows she did a horrible thing and she will be paying for it for a long time. But, miraculously, her friends, family, boyfriend, even co-workers are standing behind her.

I am not trying to minimize her responsibility, her past bad behavior, all the fucked up things that have happened. There's no way I could or that I would even want to. She commited a very serious offense. We will not try to allay her guilt. We will not take her bullshit anymore. Those of us who didn't know everything that was going on are thinking back and wondering how they missed it. Those of us who knew way too much about it are torn between wishing we could have helped her and knowing we couldn't fix her. Maybe, she will learn that people (like me) who she thought abandoned her, were hating the way she was acting, not hating her. Well, sometimes I did hate her. I don't have the energy to hate her or be mad at her right now. It doesn't do anything for me.

I've complained about this friend a lot. I have cut her from my friends list a couple of times over the ten years we've known each other. I know that it may take a few tries for her to get off the sauce, and handle all the stuff that comes along with it. I'm willing to give being her friend a try.

I was going to write something about lessons to be learned, friendship and how it gets all fucked around. I don't know. I'm tired. I will say, how often do you get a chance to really help someone out? And hey, I won't stop being your friend even if you may be charged with a felony or two. Really.

Oh, no. I like my job.

The people are pretty ok. No, no, kids, they'll never replace you. But I think you'd like them too. Well, mostly.

The pay is low, like sad low. I think it may become boring in the next three to four weeks. But it keeps me busy.

It's been a fine weekend, hasn't it?

The Potter Barn catalog was a good read as always. Not as riveting as Garnet Hill or Levenger, but good. Tomorrow I go to my regular schedule at work.

Aridity

I've decided that 'aridity' is the word for today. Doesn't it seem to fit? Sure it's humid outside but whatever.

Today I've read many dozens of pages of The Island of the Day Before. Regular readers may recall that I've had this book for months and months. I have an excuse for my slowness: I haven't been reading much lately, haven't finished a magazine cover to cover, while I used to be a two-books-a-week kind of girl. I have begun to read more again.But I have a headache now and I'm going to read the Pottery Barn catalog instead. I'm going from, "Oh, god, what the hell is he talking about?", to "Oh, god, I really want that couch."

Happy Birthday, Dear Blog.

Yes, yes, one year ago today, Jerrry the Turtle (the blog, not the turtle) came into being. Ah, the halcyon days of youth. Here's some of my favorites... ah nah, I don't feel like going back and rereading all that stuff. It's too fucking hot.

Blogging has had its ups and downs, times when I took a break, other crap. I've met some really wonderful people and I'm glad to know you all. I hope I can also continue use this blog to keep in touch with my former co-workers, who are each wonderful in their respective wonderfulness.

I went walking this morning, thinking to enjoy the day before it became awful and sweltering. I only made it about half a mile. The geese were sitting in the shade and weren't happy to have me walk by; I was going to find another route, when I realized my water bottle was already empty. So home I went, then off for a couple of errands. I tried walking at the mall, too goddamn crowded. Fucking Saturdays.

So now, though I can see the sky is a pure blue and the sun is pure too and everything looks lovely through my window, gentle breeze and all, I will spend most of today inside with the AC on, watching TV, maybe even reading.

Something happened that was probably inevitable.

I've heard that addicts sometimes need to hit bottom before they can see that they need help. A friend of mine has been trying to find her lowest point for quite some time now. Hopefully this is it. I don't know how much worse it can get. No one is dead at least. And the commenters on our local paper's website find the incident quite humorous. So that's good.

Per G. Herbach e-mail, "Lit 6 Project Summer RAMPS UP"

Here's the bestest part:

August 11th! Steph Wilbur Ash's Lit Sixtitute Class (Women who Write about Women who do F-ed up Stuff) performs at the Ritz Theater Backroom. They have a whole incredibly wild reading getting shaped. Joined by the mega-girl-group Ear Candy. This show will blow your mind. All women. All pain. Incredible. YEAH!!!! 6 p.m.

Also, less me-intensive, but still potentially interesting...

July 23rd! Have you ever seen Project Runway? Whacked out designers get an assignment to make some crazy clothes, work with some guidance all day, show their creations at the end? How about Lit 6 Project Runway? On July 23rd we will meet with all comers at 9 a.m. at our offices (711 W. Lake, #307), give a prompt and let the writing begin.
This is a guerilla workshop. Together we will write themed pieces for performance (at the Nomad World Pub, 6 p.m.) that same day! We will go into character, dialogue, setting and performance. We will provide food, encouragement and libation. We will bring it that night! Have some music you want to do with it? Have some theme related clothes you want to make? Let's do it. The show will be recorded and broadcast. This will be an amazing day. $50 for the whole thing (includes food and drink and instruction). Go to lit6project.com/lit6store.htm to sign up. We cannot wait (if you can't make the class, come see what we've all done at the Nomad).


July 29th! The Lit 6 Project and Creative Electric Studios present the only brand new Electric Arc Radio Show of the summer! "A Midsummer's Night Sausage." Members of the Lit 6 house are feeling… inauthentic. After a harrowing game of "Hot Peas and Butter" (google it), we are launched into a heat related hallucination that ends with the most amazing breakfast ever. You must see it to believe it. BRYANT LAKE BOWL. LATE NIGHT. 10 P.M. Get your tickets now (612-825-8949 for advance) $8, $10 night of the show. God, we can't
wait.
........

SEPTEMBER 2ND ELECTRIC ARC FALL SEASON BEGINS! Special Musical Guests. Huge stories. Get your tickets now for THE RITZ!

We love you so much. We just miss you.

Aw, we miss you too. Anybody want to go to the July 29th show with me? Also, if you plan on attending the July 11th show, we need to set some ground rules regarding heckling.

Dress code, bless code, lovely lovely mess code

I was assessing the contents of my closet, because my new job has a "business casual, emphasis on business" dress code. I was pleasantly surprised by what I already have. To wit: 8 button-up shirts (various colors, fits, sleeve lengths), 7 cardigans (again, a variety. but clearly I am in a fashion rut), 4 pairs of dress pants, 5 skirts... fuck, do I own a dress?! No, I don't own a dress. I own three dresses. They are sort of old as you may have guessed from the fact that I forgot about them. Not quite the first stare of fashion, one might say, if one lived in England in the early 19th century.

Clearly it's time to embark on the next leg of the getting-rid-of-shit journey. But that will have to wait for the weekend. I have alarms to set, procedures to remember, scenes to rewrite... shit ...shit, monologue...

shit., shit.. How did I get that bruise? If you were named Harriet and could be described by the non-word "fridgmental", how would you have gotten that bruise? I think Harriet has a big bruise on her arm -- wait, did some psycho drunk girl bite her arm at a biker bar? No, I can come up with something better than that... although I can imagine just the kind of hissy fit she would have. I can imagine it quite well, actually. Hmm. Almost as though it really happened, like to someone I know. Or am.

One quirk of the new job's dress code -- or maybe it just seems weird compared to other places I've worked -- is that socks or hose are always required. What do you do with cropped pants? Skirts in spring or summer? Can't wear tights. Hose looks dumb, doesn't it? Well, today I saw a handful of women wearing knee-highs with sandals and capris. The tops of the knee highs were not visible, rest assured. It didn't look as horrible as I thought it would. I hope it's not one of those things you become accustomed to, and you start to think it's acceptable everywhere and you think it looks fine and wonder why people are snickering when you walk by. Maybe I should just buy a few pairs of argyle knee socks to wear with everything.

Time to let go of any pretensions I may have toward omniscience!

Like I didn't know that already. But it never hurts to be reminded. I'm not going to argue if you think astrology is a load of bunkum, or if you do believe in it but scorn these sort of generic forecasts. Sometimes I use them to sort of refocus, look at things in a new way.


Daily work (by Astrology.com)
Events are somewhat beyond your control right now, but they're not going anywhere you can't handle. Try to just relax and let go of any pretensions you may have toward omniscience. -
Daily flirt (by Astrology.com)
Life is good, even though you can't see everything that's happening or figure out how to deal with it all. Let it roll over you, and you'll be back on top of things in a few days.

My weekend: It was fine, thanks.

I went to my high school reunion. We basically went to O'Leary's Pub on Friday night, then the VFW Saturday night. We did a class picture across the street from the VFW, on a sort of grassy knoll. Then we adjourned to another bar. Actually, the organizers wanted us all to meet up at some place in WF, Border Town I think? We went to Playmaker's instead, a select group, the creme de la creme. A woman at the reunion said something really beautiful. I mentioned that people seemed willing and even happy to talk to people they didn't really know in high school, we weren't all trying to impress each other, it was a very nice vibe (although there were a couple of exceptions). I said we've all changed. She said "It's called humility." True that, Heather. True that.

Then I came back to St C today and had a little cookout with a few college friends. It was good too.

I was going to write a bunch more, about the nature of friendship and assorted other bullshit, but it's nothing you haven't heard. I hope you all have a good week.

Two quotes from Google's quote of the day:

"You've got to take the bitter with the sour."
- Samuel Goldwyn

"There is nobody so irritating as somebody with less intelligence and more sense than we have."
- Don Herold