i'm tired of fixing things for michael and the rest of them

location . white carpet
temp . 63
humidity . 94%
conditions . thanksGIVING tomorrow

i've been wondering: what makes a rat (or a mouse, even) so frightening? are they really that terrible? i mean, my friend luke used to "babysit" his gf's mouse in his dorm room, and the thing was almost cute (admitted, it was white, so maybe there was an idea that it was somehow "cleaner"). but for the most part, people really hate all animals of the genus rattus. i'm guilty of it myself; practically everyone who knows me knows about the story where i had a mouse run across my pillow when i was in third year (of architecture school). i still want to crawl into a really well lit corner and cringe when i think about that...
the only reason that i mention this is that i see lots of rats in dc. i don't look for them, but every-once-in-awhile i'll see a dark flash of something run between buildings or out of a garden in front of the white house (i walk about 100ft in front of the white house every single day, btw), and a chill will run down my spine. but yesterday, while i was walking to work, something crawled out from under a bench. i immediately jumped back, thinking it was a rat, but no, it was an innocent little bird. just a little bird, hiding under a sturdy concrete bench (who knows why...) and i thought, why are birds cute and rats repulsive? i still don't have an answer; i just ask the questions. happy thanksgiving!

belle and sebastian . my wandering days are over

michael you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore

location . home
temp . 54
humidity . 84%
conditions . haze and clouds

if you're sad, and like beer, i'm your lady - guy maddin's the saddest music in the world

i'm a little frustrated with my reading situation as of late. the fact that i even have a reading situation is problematic. you see, back when i was studying in italy (sigh), michael sent me a trio of books to keep my mind occupied (and my pocketbook full - english books are expensive in italy), and one of them was the eye of the world by robert jordan. anyone familiar with these books? if you aren't, RUN. stop reading this, and leave immediately. i wouldn't want you to get caught in this cult.
the eye of the world is the first book in the wheel of time series. there are currently 10 books plus a prequel, and all are over 1,000 pages. i started reading this series TWO YEARS AGO, and, as of today, i'm on page 350 of book 8. i don't read slowly; i just really don't care that much about these books. i've read a few books in between (some coupland stuff, some pratchett, some architecture stuff), but mostly, i've been drudging through these. sigh. i can't wait to be free of the wheel of time.

the wheel weaves as the wheel wills.

franz ferdinand . michael

E D E D E B D C A

location . on my orange comforter
temp . 54
humidity . 93%
conditions . mild headache . no caffeine today

earlier this summer, i was entranced by the film elephant. i'm not sure what i was expecting when i first watched it. i hadn't heard anything about it when i picked up the dvd and read the back at a blockbuster in ghetto, maryland. i assumed it was another high drama, columbine rip-off, but the fact that it won the palme d'or convinced me to rent it. in the world of michael moore political fodder, i wasn't expecting the film i watched over the next 81 short minutes.
i'm not going to write a review of the film. it's been done many times, and if you really want other people to form opinions for you, go ahead and seek them (isn't that just what i did by only renting it because of the palme d'or? i guess opinions are useful sometimes =). i'll just say this: i still think about it. it raised far more questions than it ever wanted to answer, and almost none of them were directly related to the columbine-style slayings that occur in the film.

beethoven . fur elise

gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth

location . on my ikea couch
temp . 57
humidity . 74%
conditions . it's going to rain all weekend

we may have made a major breakthrough with my headaches today. this morning, in the midst of an intense migrane with blurry vision, i decided that maybe it was time for an eye exam...
i took my lunch break to walk down to an eye clinic on 17th and F and had my first eye exam since... well, i don't think i've ever had an eye exam. i mean, except for those that you get for free while in elementary school (do they still do that?). about an hour later, with my pupils completely dialated, we decided that, yes virginia, trinity needs glasses. i've always (thought that i) had great vision, but apparently i'm near-sighted. while i can see exceptionally well at short distances, it looks as though my eyes have to work over-time up close, which causes them to spasm at distances, which could be contributing to my headaches. or not, since they mostly occur in the middle of the night and seem to have almost nothing to do with sight. a girl can dream, right? i'll keep (all three of) my readers updated on the situation.

as sam says, this song will change your life
the shins . new slang

the ashtray says you were up all night

location . home
temp . 59
humidity . 28%
conditions . thin, high clouds

book . the path of daggers . robert jordan

i've almost recovered from my trip, though i'm still incredibly groggy when i wake in the mornings. i took today off of work to further my "recovery" (still trying to fight those 'flu-like symptoms' - figured more sleep could help that), so everything should be back to normal tomorrow. ahhh "normality"
i'm pleased to report that our "enclosed sunroom" (ie our bedroom) has excellent insulative properties. we've fallen below freezing here in dc for the past few nights, and the temperature has remained at 67 with no heater. this is great news considering the price of gas around here. on a side note, our electric bill this month was only $17! i find this news wonderfully exciting. =)

wilco . in a future age (alternate take)

what a curious life we have found here tonight

location . 1a. 30,000ft. 737-700
temp . -54
humidity . 0%
conditions . trying not to watch IRobot

finally, i'm on my way home. i can't tell you how excited i've been all day. on top of the fact that i'm going home, i scored an upgrade on my flight from houston to dc (the flight from little rock to houston didn't have a first class cabin). of course, when i got on the plane, i discovered that the plane was almost empty and that every plat, gold, and silver got an upgrade, and they still had an empty seat in first. upgrades in and out of dc are nearly impossible to score - most everyone that flies is either paying for first class or is a frequent flyer (much more frequent than myself). i'll have to take thursday night flights more often. dinner on the flight was actually pretty good. we started with cold mixed nuts and cocktails, followed by a caesar salad with warm bread. the main course was lasagna, and we had double chocolate cake for dessert (i had mine with a little decaf and baileys). not too bad for airplane food.

neutral milk hotel . in the aeroplane over the sea

all the people that you’ve loved they’re all bound to leave some keepsakes

location . dfw
temp . 73
humidity . 59%
conditions . now boarding all rows, all passengers on delta flight 4140 with non-stop service to little rock

i'm in the middle of my 4-flights-in-3-days crazy routing. unfortunately, half of the flights are on delta, so i'll only be earning around 6500 miles (instead of what could be about 9000 if they were all with continental). oh well. i'm flying to little rock tonight, and i can't wait to see my family (and you too, murrye). i just wish i had time to visit with my mom, too. i guess there's always christmas.
i was actually scheduled to rent a car in lubbock (where i was yesterday), drive to dallas, ruston, then little rock (all in about 2.5 days). after realizing that the ruston portion was out of the question, i started to look into flying instead of renting a car. the result? i could purchase two one-way tickets (lbb-dfw, dfw-lit) for around $250 or rent the car and spend close to $400 with gas. i started looking into the flights on sunday and purchased them on monday (yes, the day before one of the flights and two days before the other). madness. needless to say, i got selected for "random" searches on both of my flights today (i guess it sends up a red flag when you buy one-way tickets only a few days in advance).

interpol . leif erikson

be the hand i hold at night

location . warwick
temp . 66
humidity . 60%
conditions . game over

oh well. ou won.

on a happier note, today is our (mine and michael's) 6 month wedding anniversary. i am, of course, in texas while he's in dc, but spending time apart is nothing new. i think we calculated that at the time we got married, we'd spent about 2.5 of our 5 years together apart. not that it gets easier; it's just something you accept. those of you who were at our wedding will recognize the song.

the reindeer section . if everything fell quiet

there's no design no flaws to find

location . houston, tx
temp . 76
humidity . 37%
conditions . maybe it's not the flu. but i feel terrible

book . choke . chuck palahniuk

every blog is riddled with sadness and anger about w being reelected president. i feel the same way, really, i'm just having a hard time getting worked up about it. maybe i'll become a pacifist. i think i'd rather just move to canada (or australia or rome or the netherlands). the canadian immigration website had three times as many hits as usual on wednesday (an ode to natalie and her nuggets).

i've been sleeping constantly. yesterday i woke up at 6am to prepare for my panel discussion. that was over by 10:30, when i promptly went back to sleep. i think i woke up for lunch and some afternoon sessions, followed those with a nap and dinner, then was asleep by 10:15. i woke up this morning around 9:00, in time to make it to the end of a session that i'd promised i would attend. i was asleep again by 10:30, woke up around 2:00 and have been lazing around watching college football since (not completely true, i went to an afternoon session for about 20 minutes before i started feeling really sick again). looks like a&m might beat ou. at the very least, they aren't going to get beat 77-0 again this year. you may be wondering why i care about the big 12. the truth is that, i don't, of course (pacifist, remember?). but being an sec kiddo, i have to secretly root for auburn (did i really just type that?). a loss for ou could equal an orange bowl birth for auburn. all i really hope, however, is that i begin to feel better soon (i should send myself greeting cards).

the shins . young pilgrims

it's been a bloody, stupid day

location . warwick hotel. houston, tx
temp . 63
humidity . 48%
conditions . flu like symptoms

it really hasn't been a bloody, stupid day. it hasn't been a great day, but it certainly hasn't been a bloody, stupid day (unlike monday and tuesday). since my last post in san marcos, texas, i've visited austin and college station. and, of course, w was reelected president. sad day, really.

i had to return to the shady car dealership today in order to return the rental car. in addition to the "50 miles radius" rule, i was not to drive the car more than 100 miles/day (3 day rental), lest i be charged a $.20/mile surcharge. i think i drove a total of 601 miles. luckily the shady guys didn't notice, so i wasn't charged the extra $$$. sweet.

i woke up this morning with a fever and sore throat. hoping it's not the flu... on a high note, the o.c. premier is tonight.

belle and sebastian . don't leave the light on baby

i'm thinking it's a sign

location . san marcos, tx
temp . 52
humidity . 62%
conditions . fair

this has been the trip from hell. and i still have 9 days left of it. have you ever tried to rent a car without a drivers license? it's really difficult. they don't like to give you keys to a car if you can't prove that you have a drivers license. instead, they pawn you over to a shady rental car/used car lot to wait two hours while the shady guy goes through his mail and makes personal phone calls. i felt positively dirty.
i finally got a rental car. supposedly, i can't take the car more than 50 miles outside of houston. uh huh. yea right.
in the midst of trying to get a rental car, i left my luggage on a bus and had to sprint after it. i also dropped my cell phone and it shattered. luckily i could piece it back together.
my car has a cd player. i never get a rental car with a cd player. so i bought a tape adaptor for my ipod before this trip. i can't use a tape adaptor if there isn't a tape deck. i've been listening to my ipod in my car with headphones.
and to top it all off, i woke up this morning sicker than i've been in years. i threw up twice, once while eating breakfast.
actually, i was wrong, to top it all off, i'm in texas on election day. god help us all.

the original
the postal service . such great heights