How long has it been since someone you let in has given what I gave to you?

Basically, I epically failed at my attempt at daily updating. It's a combination of:

1) Lack of time

2) Supreme laziness

3) Lack of interesting things about which to write

But here I am. So we'll say this is a. . .monthly entry I'm making. That way, if I update more than once a month, I'll be exceedingly proud of myself.

There's actually been quite a bit going on and, of course, I don't remember half of it at this point. I was going to try to see if I could get the designer job that opened up at The Peak, because I do like designing, but the night I did the front page, I realized I like editing/writing/etc. more. Because I was more concerned with rewriting a poorly written story than I was with having a really awesome layout. It's the English major in me, I suppose. Plus, I get to stay at my desk out in the open area of the lobby instead of having to move to the newsroom. While I occasionally hate that I have no one to talk to when I'm at my desk, I'm also glad that I don't have to be in the newsroom to have to deal with all the drama that crops up every now and then.

We've got our big international festival here for the next week and a half, and from what I've seen so far, it's a prety huge deal. I had no idea this place could have something so huge and. . .well, international. We've got performing group here from Canada (Nova Scotia), Argentina, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Russia, France, Slovakia, Belarus and Trinidad. And, of course, the U.S.

CousinCasey and I went to the big dance preview thing the other night and it was amazing. The Trinidad people limboed to ridiculous lows under a flaming limbo pole.

That made it all the more. . .embarassing, for lack of a better word, that the U.S. was represented by cloggers. And banjo players.

Welcome to the South, y'all!!

But seriously. It went on entirely too long and, while they're good dancers and all, that's one of the reasons people all over the world think we're dumb and hickish. Because we choose banjos to represent us at an international festival. An international festival where people dance on stilts and limbo under flaming pieces of wood while wearing headdresses made of feathers. I understand that I'm in the South and that the festival is taking place in the South, but still. Flaming limbo poles > clogs and banjos.

I'm not knocking cloggers. I couldn't do it. I'm just saying I don't want to be represented by cloggers.

So after the preview, everyone went out behind the performance venue and partied. They had food (which I didn't eat. I was full from dinner.) and cups and cups of beer and a few kinds of wine. I didn't have a lot. CousinCasey got fairly inebriated and danced with both a Canadian and a Russian. The Russian (complete with big, tall, furry hat) pulled her from the crowd and danced with her. I took pictures, as I do.

It was an awesome party. I also talked to a French guy, and it was pretty cool. Because when he was kind of talking to himself, trying to figure out how to say what he was trying to say in English, I could understand what he was saying in French. So those 5 1/2 years of French were not for naught.

Friday, the big parade went down Main Street. I took a bazillion pictures during that, too.

I also knew starting out that I was going to get sunburned. Because I'm the whitest white girl in North America. I was wearing this three-quarter sleeved sweater over a tank top, and it was at this point, I had a decision to make. I could either leave the sweater on and have a really weirdly shaped sunburn and be ridiculously hot or I could remove the sweater, have a bigger but more symmetrical sunburn, and be less hot than if I were wearing a sweater.

I took the sweater off, and that may not be the smartest thing I've ever done. I was an interesting shade of purple yesterday. The lesson here is that, one, I'm whiter than holy hell, and two, I need to have sunscreen within 10 feet of me at all times.

And the last thing I have to mention before I go to work. . .the world is really, really small. This woman brought in a press release about her grandson getting a job. I recognized the city the guy lived in because it's where I went to college. Then, I realized I knew the guy's name. I've never met him, but we're facebook friends somehow. I looked him up on facebook and realized it was the same guy. Then, in an attempt to figure out how we knew each other, I looked at who we knew in common. He's friends with Derek (from work)'s brother. I asked Derek about it and, apparently, Derek's dad and this guy's mom used to date.

How weird is that?

Fin.

Shot me down as I flew by. Crash and burn; I think sometimes, you forget where the heart is.

Saturday Morning Survey Time

What year was it five years before you were born?
1979

What holiday is closest to your birthday?
Halloween. Does that count as a holiday?

If you named a band after your birth-month and your pet, what would it be?
I don't have a pet at the moment, but if you take the name of my first fish I got in college, it would be October Travesty, which I think is actually pretty cool.

What year is the oldest car you or your family owns?
1997.

Who is your 9th contact in your phone?
Carol

Have you had your birthday yet this year?
Not yet. I've got another. . .3 and a half months-ish

Why did you go to the doctor the last time?
I have no idea. I haven't been to the doctor forever.

How old will you be in 5 years?
5 years from today? 28

How about in 20 years?
From today, 43. It's interesting that question is asked, because I was just talking about that yesterday, and I told the person I was talking to that in 20 years, I'd be older than they are now, and they said they probably wouldn't last another 20 years, and that was a very depressing turn in the conversation.

Where was the last place you went?
To bed? Also, before that, to the grocery store.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
I don't really have a favorite. I'm fond of chocolate.

What was the last movie you watched?
Walk the Line

Are you afraid of shots?
No.

What color are the walls of the room you are in?
Dirty Off-White

How many letters are in your middle name?
9

Is your last name longer than 6 letters long?
Yes

Do you know your blood type?
I don't.

How many times have you donated blood?
None. I know people need it, and it's important, but the entire process is just creepy to me. Plus, I'm diabetic, and I know diabetics couldn't give blood back in the day, so I use that as my excuse.

What is the nearest yellow object to you?
I'm wearing a yellow shirt. Well. . .I guess, technically, it's gold. So the nearest yellow object would be. . .flowers on a lei on the doorknob.

Are you wearing anything blue?
No.

Have you ever dyed your hair an unnatural color?
Unnatural as in, blue or pink? No. Unnatural as in 'not my natural color'? Yes.

How many times did you have to take the driving test before you passed?
Twice, but that was because I was driving with a racist, sexist jerk who had it out for me from the minute I walked in. Seriously. He took me down this thin dirt road on whcih there was construction being done to do a 3-point turn, which I couldn't have done without driving into a ditch, and I found out later that they're not supposed to take people down there. Also, when I walked up to the front desk, he said, "How old are you?" and I said, "I'll be 17 in October." To that, he said, "You don't know that you'll live that long."

If a gorilla and a horse had a baby, what would the new creature be called?
A freak of nature

Does anyone call you baby?
People keep calling me A baby, because I'm younger than all of my co-workers.

Regular Cheetos or hot?
Regular

Favorite fruit?
I don't have a favorite, I don't think. I'm pretty much a fan of most fruits.

Are you scared of spiders?
Not unless they're huge and appear suddenly.

Do you have a piercing?
Ears.

If someone doesn't like you, its usually because...?
They're wrong? No, not really. Because I'm kind of abrasive at times.

Kissed someone in the last twenty-four hours?
No.

Do you like being around a large group of friends, or two best friends?
I'm not a fan of crowds, but I also don't like groups of three.

Ever bit someone else’s tongue?
HA! I have, actually. That's kind of a funny story. It wasn't entirely my fault, to be fair. . .

Whose birthday is coming up?
My cousin's is next month, and my brother's is two days after my cousin's.

Do you like roller coasters?
Yes.

Do you have a tattoo?
No. I'd get one, but I haven't come up with anything that I'd be willing to have permanently a part of my skin.

What is wrong with you right now?
I'm really hot. Also poor.

What was the last movie you went to?
Sex and the City, probably. I don't think I've been to the movies since then. But The Dark Knight comes out soon. Whooo!!

Do you care what others think about you?
To an extent, I guess.

Do think you'll be married in 10 years?
No.

Are you afraid of the dark?
I am.

Do you still talk to the person you fell hardest for?
Yes. Fairly frequently.

No one knows except the both of us. We'd best keep this to ourselves and not tell any members of our inner posse.

I am cranky today.

I say that as a kind of warning. I woke up in a pissy mood, so if you don't want to read something written by someone in a pissy mood, I'd recommend you stop reading.

The mood I woke up in was just foul. I'm glad that I'm physically unable to sleep past 8 without waking up, because my phone had turned itself off in the middle of the night, and, therefore, my alarm was off as well. I would have been screwed if it had been Monday, the day of the 8:30 meeting, but since it's Friday, it turned out OK.

Then I grabbed my last breakfast muffin off the top of my fridge, all excited because I'd deliberately saved the chocolate chip muffin for last. It was supposed to be a good combination, you know? Friday and a chocolate chip muffin. However, it turned out to be a blueberry muffin, and that made me mad.

I have nothing against blueberry muffins, mind you. I love blueberry muffins. But when you're in the mood for chocolate chip, blueberry just doesn't cut it.

Also, my mailbox is overrun with a huge ant colony and their gross-looking eggs. I need to Raid the thing.

I went for a shortened version of my "run" yesterday. It was shortened partially because I wasn't really in the mood for it and partially because I had something on my mind, and it's hard to concentrate on breathing so you don't die when you're thinking so hard about something.

Being vague isn't something of which I'm a huge fan, but in this case, I can't really explain the details. Partially because I don't want to and partially because I haven't gotten them figured out for myself.

The situation I find myself in is comparable to playing a board game with a 5-year-old. There is a specific set of rules by which you're supposed to play games. They're usually written down in booklet form within the box in which the game is sold. Whenever you play a game with a 5-year-old, there's a good chance that some of the rules will have to be altered, either to make it easier or to make it so the game doesn't last for three hours. OK, that's cool. You decide on how the rules will go (for example, if you get stuck on that square on the board, you only have to wait for the dice to go to everyone else playing one time, rather than the three times instructed by the official rules. Or if you're about to run out of money, you can take out a loan with someone else who's playing so you're not actually out of the game if you're out of funds. Things like that.)

I'm a fan of rules, so when they're changed like that, I'm not always entirely pleased, but I understand that sometimes in life, things have to deviate away from the norm in order to, one, keep people happy and two, make sure things are as fair as they can be. Life isn't black and white, despite what my high school Ex will tell you.

The problems, for me, begin when people start changing the rules midway through the game. It's like landing on a space that will cost you $500, and you'd originally agreed that you could take out a loan from someone else who's playing, but then, all of a sudden, you can still take out the loan, but along with it, you're being charged 6% interest for every turn during which you haven't paid back the entire sum.

Well, wait a minute. That's not what you said originally. But, you know, OK, I'll do it. Because I don't want to be out of the game. Because it's a fun game.

So I'm still playing the game, in debt $500 x .06 per turn, and I land on a space that sends me to jail if, upon rolling the dice 3 times, I don't rack up a collective 15 points. Since the game is being played with a 5-year-old, that number is moved from 3 to 5. I have 5 chances to roll 15 points. "But no, Liz," someone says. "The rules now dictate that if you don't get a 15 after the first three throws, you can have the extra two, but it'll cost you $10 per throw, on top of the $500 x .o6 per turn."

That's not what you initially said. When we started playing this game, you said you wanted me to play, we'd have to change the rules a little, but as long as everyone was on the same playing field, so to speak, everything would be cool.

So the question I'm sure you're asking at this point would have to be, "Elizabeth, why are you still playing the damn game?"

And to that, I'd have to say, because, for some reason, it seems worth it. To see that 5-year-old laugh when they hit the jackpot and clap their hands when they feel like they're going to win. It's those moments that keep you from overturning the board and scattering the pieces all over the living room and having everyone shake their heads and say, "What a poor sport!" when you walk out of the room.

I don't expect to win the game. When you start playing a game with a 5-year-old, you can't expect to win. But what I really want is to know that I played the game knowing all the rules.

So enough of being vague and pissed off. I should really put this entry in my Livejournal of Angst, but, for some reason, I feel it should go here.

What is my life going to be? Four years of college (and plenty of knowledge) have earned me this useless degree.

I'd like to know something.

How is it that I have gone almost 24 years without having ever experienced the joy of owning one of those things that straps your iPod to your arm when you go running? Honestly, it's changed my life. And I'm only exaggerating slightly.

I almost didn't go on my "run" this evening because I couldn't find my iPod headphones. That might sound like a really lame excuse to not exercise, but really? I'd get too bored to continue if I were trying to "run" sans music.

I'm a fan of the route I took this time. I decided to go a different way and check out some of the little side streets around where I live. I ran across (no pun intended. . .) the CUTEST little house. I aspire to live in that house, if I can ever find it again. I then found myself on the street that was the site of some kind of big altercation resulting in stabbings and shootings the other night, and I didn't realize exactly how close it was to my house. I heard the sirens and everything the other night, but I didn't realize it was right there.

I also have some people I know moving onto that street or somewhere thereabouts, and I'm not. . .altogether thrilled about that. So I hightailed it down that street and went home. I found that when I got home, I wanted to keep going, so I went back up and down the street. I decided that I could justify walking rather than running if I went up steep hills while I was going. I don't get out of breath, but my stomach starts to hurt, and I know you have to push yourself a little beyond what you're comfortable with if you want to improve or be able to have more endurance or whatever, but I'd rather not pass out in the middle of Main Street.

I made an observation today: it was a general observation and really only vaguely had anything to do with anything. It was brought on by a combination of things, one being a discussion about "illicit affairs" and the results thereof and the other being one of the women in the office calling the woman her husband cheated on her with and then subsequently married a whore, and pointing her out in pictures to me. Plus, I just finished reading The Other Boleyn Girl (a fabulous book I'd highly recommend to anyone who had the time to read a book just over 600 pages) which is all about sham marriages and infidelity and all that, told from the point of view of the Other Woman.

I guess this isn't so much an observation as a question. Why is it that women (and maybe men do it too, I don't know) blame the Other Woman almost solely in situations of infidelity? I mean, a wife can walk around saying, "Oh, I can never trust you again, I can't believe you'd do that, etc," but in my observations, it's always the Other Woman's fault. Why is that? I'm pretty sure it takes two to tango (so to speak) and, unless the Other Woman is married herself, shouldn't most of the blame be placed, at least in the eyes of the other spouse, on their lawfully wedded?

Obviously, I've never been married (as multiple people have been pointing out to me in the last month or so) but I just don't understand the rationale. For all the spouse knows, the Other Woman was seduced by the husband. Or maybe it was a mutual thing.

I mean, it's entirely possible the Other Woman was just a big old slut puppy homewrecker trying to break up a happy home, but surely, that can't be the case all the time.

Anyway, that's my question. I don't expect it to be answered (I have a feeling no one really knows the answer) but I just wondered.

In other news, going back to the Capital seriously made me question whether I wanted to live here for much longer. I thought about looking for a job back home, packing up and moving before the end of the year.

But I don't know that I could actually do that. I'm tied up in this place in a most peculiarly emotional sort of way, and I think if I left, I'd want to come back. I think it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of situation. I miss the big city. I really, really do. But everything's nice around here (save the occasional stabbing/shooting). The weather's nice, it's quaint, it's got great views.

I don't know. I'm afraid that I might settle here, and then I might become one of those people that are so set in their ways, they drive the local newspapers crazy when they write in complaints and comments.

I feel like this whole post has been kind of off-topic and here and there. . .but that's kind of how I'm feeling right now.

I'm also feeling incredibly hot. I feel like my body temperature is about 10 degrees higher than any normal person's should be. I'm always hot.

Surprise! It's time to feel what's real.

Happy. . .July 5th. I'm writing now from the Capital, and I'm thrilled. I was driving through downtown Capital yesterday, with jerk drivers weaving in and out of traffic, and I said, you know, I really miss it here. Nate was with me, and he said that most likely, I just missed aspects of living here, but you know? Much as I love where I'm living now, I really, really miss home. I don't know if it's the city itself or the fact that it's a big city or what, but I was so excited to come back, and I'm thrilled to be here.

It's also entirely possible that it's that I'm thrilled to have time off of work. I needed a break, since I rarely take them. This 4-day weekend I'm in the midst of is almost unheard of.

I've noticed that everything interesting happens when I'm either not at work on any given day, at lunch, or I haven't come in yet. Apparently, from what I understand, McHotpants (who, you'll recall, has worked at The Peak for all of two weeks) mouthed off to Vi while CousinCasey and I were at lunch Thursday.

He's from a place about 6 hours away, and he wanted to get home before dark. He'd said he wanted to leave early, and Vi said he could, with the stipulation all his work was completed before he left. Obviously.

Something happened with one of his stories (I'm still not entirely clear as to what happened exactly) and he got a quote that negated something he had already written or something to that effect, so he, in turn, had to re-write the story.

My sources tell me that sometime between the hours of 12:15 and 1:15 (my lunch hour that day) he straight up told her he was leaving, and that was it. She, surprised (wouldn't you be?) said, well, whatever you need to do. And he huffed out. Leaving her to finish the story. His story.

I've been there 8 months, and I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't have the sheer nerve. He's been there two weeks.

I mean, I would have liked to have been home before dark, too. As it stood, I arrived at Nate's (where I stayed Thursday night) at 10 p.m., and he lives 45 minutes from my hometown. So obviously, I didn't get home before dark.

But I bet McHotpants did.

And I'd be willing to bet that if Vi didn't hate the interviewing process so much, he'd be gone.

So the trip home.

I hate making that drive. I'm always glad to get here when I do (I've been here 3 times since I moved) but the drive. 4.5-5 hours, in the car by myself. Luckily, I had music and whatnot, but really. It's a pain.

It struck me as I approached the Capital that it's so very. . .flat. I've gotten used to living in the mountains, so I don't really think about my living area as being particularly hilly, but it is.

Also, I'm glad to be back in the land of 6-lane highways, jerk drivers, and minorities. I really, really miss home.

I went to fireworks last night with Nate, a friend of mine, her girlfriend, and their friend Jesse. We were at the fairgrounds for about an hour and a half, 2 hours when the clouds started forming and we could see lightening in the distance. Then the wind picked up. We decided to hightail it out of there, and sometime during the hour or so we were in traffic, it started pouring. I mean, I'm glad that the Capital is getting the rain it needs, but it really had very inopportune timing.

We all went to Krispy Kreme instead. It's not fireworks, but I've missed that, too.

Truth be told, I was really disappointed about the fireworks. I love them. Haven't seen any since. . .maybe last 4th? I don't know.

This morning, I woke up at 7, as per usual, and went to Target (TARGET!!! Another thing I've badly missed) and then to a class at the Y with my mom. I wasn't sure I'd survive it, but I did, and now I feel pretty awesome. Nothing like a good workout, I guess.

I'm also amazed at two things I've noticed since I've been here. One, it is humid. I will never again complain about how hot it is in the mountains (well, no. . .I probably will.) but it's ridiculous here. I'd forgotten how tragically awful the humidity is here during the summer. It's gross and it makes me want to constantly shower.

Speaking of.

It's also amazing how much less time it takes to wash your hair when the water pressure in the shower you're using gives more force than someone spitting at you. Seriously. I was out in, like, 5 minutes, as opposed to the 15 or so it usually takes me to try to get all the shampoo out of my hair with my sad little shower head.

I'm hanging out with my sister today, which is cool. I miss her, too.

We were both 16 and it felt so right; sleeping all day, staying up all night

I fail in an epic sort of manner when it comes to updating daily. Sometimes a week goes by, but you know, I figure it's OK, because if there's nothing to talk about, it means there's no drama happening.

Oh, but there is now. I'm sure you're so glad.

First, this woman comes in the other day, about a week ago, and I wasn't in yet. I can't stand dealing with this woman, because she's so demanding, and if something isn't done exactly her way, she calls and complains and is, in general, a giant pain.

So she comes in before I get to work, and demands of one of the employees, "WHERE is Liz?" Said employee didn't know (because, last time I checked, I didn't have to check in with people and let them know where I am at any given time) so she storms into the newsroom and demands it again, "Where is Liz?" No one knew, obviously, but they told her that she could leave her announcement on my desk. It was still June at this point, and the calender thing was for this coming weekend, so it's not like it was even vital.

I picked up the thing for the first time today and read it. I almost died when I read through it, because. . .well, this is how it read. Keep in mind, this is news. This is for a newspaper. Typically, news doesn't read like. . .well, like this:

(This is exactly how it appeared. I didn't add any spaces or punctuation or whatever. This is as is.)

July 4th . Activities at the FCCC

July 4th . 5 PM until

For one of the finest July 4th . Celebrations, you should come on out to the FCCC. There will be lots of food, and where can you get a good meal for $5 this day in time. There will be plenty of games for the children and adults alike. Prizes will be awarded in each of the age groups. There will be a band on stage providing good old mountain music. A huge display of fireworks will go off as soon as it is dark enough. Many people say this is one of the best displays of fireworks anywhere around. So come out and see for yourself. Parking will be at a Minimum, so carpool as much as possible. There will be men helping with the parking. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR AND BLANKETS. NONE CAN BE TAKEN FROM THE CAFETERIA.

Good times.