Not gloating, really.

I think it's pretty clear that I am a Duck fan, and as such, I will not gloat. I told Angela that she could continue to visit TtheD just as freely as before despite our crushing win over the Beavers. I have class, and will not shove it in any Beaver faces that I see, but I do have a couple of observations about my weekend.

First of all, Thanksgiving was a really good day. We had it over at Shelia and Jim's and the company was great, the food was great, and general merriment was had by all. I am not a big fan of the holiday, but this year was good.

Clearly I was feeling my normal pre-Duck game nerves in anticipation of Saturday's game. What you have to remember is that the tradition of the Civil War game is such that it doesn't matter what kind of season either team is enjoying up to that point. All bets are off for this particular meetup. So after a day of doing nothing (and I do mean nothing) on Friday, and a little pre-game vomitting on Saturday, I holed up to watch my boys make me proud.

I make it pretty clear as well that I cannot watch this game with other people - I can barely watch the rest of the season at Barbie's. I guess texting and talking on the phone doesn't really constitute "watching the game with others" because it was a text-fest throughout. The Ducks had their issues defensively but frankly overall I was impressed. They played with heart, and even though Belotti said taking the Rose Bowl away from the Beavers was not the goal of this game for him or the team in general, SOMEthing made these boys keep pushing and pushing. Oh wait, I know what it was - the fact that we are the University of Oregon Ducks, and WE represent this state, not some agricultural college in the middle of nowhere.

I will be interested to see how many flags are flying on cars today when I hit the streets. How many people will be wearing their colors throughout the rest of the year, now that the Beavers' only hope for going to the Rose Bowl rests on UCLA beating USC (um, I don't even have to say it, do I? Go USC? No, I didn't think so). I think there were roughly 4 minutes left in regulation when the cameras showed the crowds emptying the stadium. What? The Beavers (at that point) were only 20 points down, and with 4 minutes remaining, come on, SOMETHING could have happened, right? I mean, why would you leave? Where is the support for your team down there on the field? How would you like to be a player on the field and look up and see the entire fan base collectively abandoning you? The Ducks played hard, but shit, with such fair-weather fans, the only thing left for OSU to draw from was their own strength, and that was clearly waning with so little time left.

And you know what? I think that is a big reason why I can't stand the Beavers. You rarely see a Beaver "fan" when they aren't doing well. Sure, there are probably some die hards here and there, but they stay in western Washington County where they belong. But the second they show any kind of talent, suddenly EVERYONE'S a Beaver "fan". And they try to shove it in your face and taunt and cajole and buy horrid bright orange tshirts and fly those flags and try to make us Duck fans think they are better than us. But when the chips are down, the "fans" go home. And you won't hear from them again, until the next time they have some kind of a winning season.

I'd much rather be what I am, a proud University of Oregon Fighting Duck, supporting my team no matter what, and brimming with pride and respect for a team that showed us what they are made of.

See, Angela? Not gloating. Just stating the truth. I'll be going back to my regularly scheduled blog of mindless drivel now.

Dear Oregon Ducks:

I hope you are all doing well tonight. It's surely been a stressful season for all of us, and I just want you to know that I am here for you. Always have been, always will be. But on this Thanksgiving Eve, 2008, I have just one wish.

My wish is that you all realize what's at stake this Saturday. Yes, it's the Civil War game, and yes it is a long standing tradition that pits coworker against coworker and neighbor against neighbor in good old-fashioned friendly rivalry. But this is more than just a football game against your Pac-10 rival. This year we have an opportunity not only to shove Oregon State out of the Rose Bowl, but also to prove everyone in the local media wrong.

You're a young team this year, Ducks, and I am proud of your accomplishments. But what I am hoping for this Saturday is that you show up strong, you show up proud, and you show up fired up to represent. It's never been a question about talent in this particular game, and this year is no exception. What has always been the crux of this game is just who wants it more.

My wish is that you want it more, Ducks. I am counting on you to want it more. I know deep down you do, because I do, and I don't want ME to want it more than YOU because there isn't a lot I can actually do about it. You have to remember that the Beavers are cocky and expecting to have this game in the bag, and I am counting on you to remind them why we are the Oregon Ducks, why we are more respected, more watched, more well known than they will ever hope to be.

Please know that all those "fans" out there will go back to their mundane existences as soon as the season is over and the Beavers are back in the toilet where they belong. Know that the only reason we keep seeing all those Beaver flags flying on car windows at totally inappropriate times is because our state is currently full of people that aren't from here and don't know the difference between the U of O and OSU. Don't let the fact that the Oregonian has lost all faith in you deter you from your ultimate goal.

I have had faith in you since the day I was born and will always support you. I am asking that you show me how right have always been. I am asking you to beat the smack out of those Beaver bastards and toss them back into mediocrity where they belong.

Come Sunday, and for the rest of my life, I will be a Duck fan. And thanks to your good genes and athletic ability, you will too. Let's make this a year to remember.

Yours,

TtheD

Oh and there's one more thing

Something happened a couple of days ago and I want to blog about it but right now I can't, because right NOW the only way I can do it is to just say exactly what happened, and that won't be good for a number of reasons. So for now I am feeling oppressed and it pisses me off when I think about it, so I think I will get a few days under my belt before I creatively explain the situation in a way that won't get me in trouble.

I guess I should change my most recent motto of "Everyone's out to get me" because it seems to really be happening. How about "It's always sunny in Beaverton"?

Oh yeah, and I meant to say this, too. I hate the Beavers. More than anything. But that's nothing new.

Filler

So I haven't blogged in a while and I really don't have much of an excuse beyond the usual nothing-ever-happens-in-my-life sort of drivel, but I'll recap my last few days simply by saying that I have basically been at work, home sleeping, or over at Becky H.'s taking care of her little kitty Bella. Bella is a love of a cat. I wish I could have taken her home (but Lava and Seca would never have forgiven me). Becky H. was in Mexico for roughly 2 weeks and before she left I wasn't very jealous of her but now I am, for I am not going to Cancun for my December vacations. Hell I probably won't even take the days off now. I'm not sure. Anyway I decided not to book because for the first time in years I actually noticed how expensive it is to flipping fly down there and stay somewhere, and I'm not really sure that right now is the right time to do it. So there you go. Pasty white for the holidays. Humbug.

I have been in Lincoln Tower for the last week (wow it seems like way longer than that) which has been great for my commute. Nicky and I watched the season (cycle, sorry) finale of ANTM and frankly I wasn't surprised and it was a stupid ending. I am getting to where I almost don't care. Almost. I DVR like 40 shows or something like that, and frankly, shows like "Life on Mars"* and "Sons of Anarchy" are way more appealing to me right now than some broad with enormous ears and a horrific hair cut. And while I am on the subject, WHEN IN THE HELL IS "BIG LOVE" STARTING UP AGAIN?

So I did the usual Saturday thing yesterday and completely forgot wet cat food so this morning when I got up and saw that the hair was serviceable enough for the Winco (and I am running low on that good coffee again), I decided to try to hit said Winco at church time. Which ended up not working because that Becky H. phoned me to tell me she got my messages yesterday and we chatted some about her trip. So off to the Winco I flew at 11am. NOT church time. I am impressed with myself, however. I managed to get in, get two cans of the coffee, some cotija cheese and bolillos, stand in line, realize that I forgot the cat food again, get out of line, race to the cat food section and select a variety of loaf style delicacies for the kitnesses, race BACK to the line, thank profusely the lady that held my place in said line (I wonder if she would have done that if I were Mexicana) (see what an assuming bitch I am?), pay, pack my own groceries and get the hell back to my car in UNDER 20 MINUTES. This is exceptional, folks, because seriously, the Winco on a Saturday or Sunday is an absolute zoo. It is packed. People meander. They block the aisles with their carts. They let their 3 year olds steer. It's like the tourist Walmart in Cancun. EXACTLY like it.

I am considering a mall run today just because I have no clothing, but it's doubtful I will actually do it. I am also considering Costco, but maybe around dinner time. I am supposed to bring pies for Thanksgiving at Shelia's, and though Nicky has offered to have her daughter make them for me, I think it will be way cheaper just to go to the Costco. But I wonder if I am really that crazy. Will I have this spirit and energy at dinner time today? Hm. Doubtful. I might be groggy from the inevitable nap.

So that's it, checking in. Not too much going on, as usual, and now no fun fabulous vacations to anticipate or report on. Until that dang LGRT (Paul) tells me when EXACTLY he plans to do his Baja run.
__________________
*On a "Life on Mars" sidebar, OH MY HELL the next NEW episode isn't til the end of January! Where am I, Mexico? That's like 2 months away! I'll totally forget (and God knows my DVR is about due to take a dump anyway, it appears to be an annual thing)! I'm pretty pissed off about it, what with the climactic ending and all. Bastards - finally something decent to watch on network TV and then THIS happens.

And so I bought it.

But not the one in the store. Angela approached me this morning and said, We should look on eBay! I thought to myself (outloud, though, I'm sure), Does this Angela's knitting knowledge know no bounds?! So in the midst of the absolute and utter calamity that the desk I am currently on is, we managed to find just the right sweater knitting machine on eBay, with 48 MINUTES LEFT TO BID!

It started out at $26, but my diligence and complete and total disregard of other people's needs paid off, because I managed to outbid whoever the hell K***l19 was, and they really fought for that sweater knitter. Total price, including shipping, was $60. I'm downright thrifty. It should arrive next week.

I sure hope Angela is resting up, because my demands are limitless. LIMITLESS.



BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAAAA!

Warm days ahead?

So I'm sitting at my desk yesterday morning, sipping green tea and wondering just what was in store for me on this second Monday of the week, staring out at the construction workers busily replacing all the siding and windows on our ten-year-old building, feeling my hair frizz into nappiness as a result of 1.8 seconds in the rain just 20 minutes earlier, when Angela walks in with a jaunty little snow hat. She had knitted it, and it was really cute. I mean really cute, like I would buy one if I saw one retail. She's a knitter, that Angela. So we started discussing knitting and the things she has knit and the things she CAN knit and I started thinking about my favorite J. Crew sweater that I bought about 12 years ago that has finally given up the ghost, riddled with holes that are probably cat-related, when it struck me - Angela knits. She could knit me some sweaters. She could probably recreate this favorite sweater, among other things. I asked her how long a sweater would take to knit, factoring in her full-time job, two kids and husband, and she said about a month, if it is simple. Oh I am all about simple. While I was devising my plan of just how many sweaters I wanted her to knit for me, while not taking into consideration that the holidays are upon us and she, being a knitter, had several projects already lined up, she suddenly brought up this machine she spotted at the craft store. A sweater knitting machine. What, ho? What is this sweater knitting machine madness you speak of?

Those of you who have known me up here, in the cold, know that I am Sweater Girl. I'm always cold, so it just makes sense. And I spend a lot of money on sweaters. A LOT. I had questions: what does it do? How does it do it? How long does it take to make a sweater? So what, you just slap a skein of yarn on it, turn it on, go out and have a cigarette, and voila! Let's throw on some jeans and this fun new sweater and hit the bar? Though it appears to be a bit more complex than this, it still is no month-in-waiting, and apparently someone has to actually sew the sleeves on and all that, but for my needs, this was quite an interesting proposition.

The machine she saw was $160. That's basically one sweater for me. A cheap one, at that. I'm devising a plan - sponser the machine for her and put her to work. I started dreaming up big, bulky, wooly sweaters in colors like loden and chocolate and deep deep gray. I fantasized about a warm winter, for once, my head spinning at the thought. I dreamed about never having to wear the same thing on casual day.

I checked the machine out online -
It doesn't LOOK all that complicated. I kind of don't understand it, the concept. But Angela The Knitter says it can be done, and I believe her.

I might just have to sponser her.

head injury emotional outburst airport

That was what somebody Googled and found my blog.

Sort of wraps it all up in a nice little package, doesn't it?

Doing my little bit

I saw this over on fourfour
- I read him because of his fantastic reviews of America's Next Top Model. Today he has this posted - he has maybe 19,000 times more readers than I do, but I thought I might further the effort to put this in front of a few more eyes.



That's pretty much all that needs to be said.

Sunday morning

This is how we hang on a Sunday morning waiting for church-time.

Nice. I sound drunk.

Gobama

Just so I can say it for everyone and perhaps be done with it, I don't give a shit who YOU voted for, quit giving me shit for who I voted for. And for the constant bitching I see that isn't directed at me, get over it. If it gets all fucked up (MORE fucked up, I mean) then woo hoo, you get the cookie. You can say I told you so in 8 years. Yay you.

I'm on a mission to find this dang Cafe Bustelo that I have been drinking for the last few weeks. I don't go to a huge variety of supermarkets. But I bought some of this Cuban (style?) coffee some weeks ago and now I am out and can't figure out where I bought it. I usually either go to the Fred Meyer, the Safeway, or the Haggens, and I am ruling out the Haggens because it was under $5 when I bought it and the Haggens doesn't have ANYTHING under $5 so it certainly wasn't there. At lunch yesterday I hit A Fred Meyer (not MY Fred Meyer) and A Safeway (not the closer Safeways) and neither had it, but don't they all have the same buyers? So I'm stumped. I am meeting Kim S. at Starbucks in a little while and will perhaps check out the Cost Plus and see if THEY have it. I am just stumped.

And bitter because the coffee I am drinking this morning is bleck now, weak and not Cuban (style). Which is just throwing this morning in to a tailspin.

I'm still employed. Five other people that I know of are not, as of Thursday. It sucks. But it's the environment I am living in and that's the way it goes.

I am not booked for Mexico as of this writing, not for December anyway, so I am not really sure where that is going. I am hoping I get some kind of sign.

Shit is happening in my world right now that I will not blog about because nobody understands it and it's a drag trying to explain it and trying to make people understand it when you know they never will. So the gloomy weather outside my window simply makes me turn inward, and apparently this is irritating (frustrating? better word?) some of my friends and I'm sorry about that but that's the way it is.

And on account of all the turning inward and lack of anything else going on, this is what you get - drivel. Blathering, empty, boring drivel. The dust will settle soon, I'm sure. Who will be left when it does? You know, besides the cats, who pretty much have to put up with it.

And speaking of the cats, it dawned on me on Thursday evening, after having spent an enormous amount of time on the phone, that when I am talking on the phone, the kitties have no idea that there is someone on the other side. They just think I am crazy. That I am just this crazy human talking away non-stop. No wonder they are so skittish. I've been pretty animated lately.

K103, a local radio station, has switched their format over to all-Christmas-music-all-the-time already, and it's just early November. I am not sure why that just bugs the CRAP out of me, but it does. My radio station selections are pretty limited in this market as it is.

Okay then, rambling done. Seriously, the coffee makes a big difference.

In with the in-crowd.

I bitched a little bit about it, but in the end I think it paid off, all that phonebanking (which, frankly, wasn't really THAT much, in retrospect). We have voted in a new POTUS, and I'm happy that so many chose the same one I did. It's a long row to hoe, no doubt, and I am sure the opposed will be super-critical, but hey, we live in the United States of America - support your president, that's just the way it has to be. Or, you know, move.

My election night elation was somewhat dampered by a pissing contest I got into with my sister-in-law on chat. Apparently she assumed I was Republican, since just about everyone in my family is. The ignorance and hate she spewed forth was disheartening. Pretty much a conglomeration of all of the anti-Obama emails I have received over the last year or so being used as fodder for argument. Even the crazy ones. I have supported my party, but really, up until maybe 6 months ago I could have gone either way, McCain or Obama (of course, the icing on the cake, the foot that shoved me right over the fence was that insult of a VP running mate selection), and truthfully, if McCain had won, though I would have been bummed a little bit, scared, sure, I still in the end would have supported him. He's my president for Pete's sake.

I guess in the end what makes me happiest is that I have heard from and about people from all over the world celebrating the win. Sure, it's probably because this just means Bozo is leaving the White House, but it will be nice to have other countries support our president. Or, you know, at least not laugh at him.

So I am sure that the 17 readers of my little blog come from both sides of the partisan fence, and that is great - we live in a land of choices. It's time to start looking toward the future, and getting to the (very difficult) task of cleaning up the mess.

Under attack.

Okay this is pissing me off.

Sunday is my day where I don't do much of anything if I am so inclined. I work all week, I run errands and clean on Saturday, Sunday is my day of rest. If I don't want to take a shower, I don't. Sometimes (usually) my hair looks like crap and I have sheet marks on my face from sleeping too hard Saturday night, I wear my house-iest of house clothes, I read, I have the TV on, I lounge. It's my flipping day and I will spend it the way I choose.

Today so far I have had THREE canvassers pound on my door, and it is only 2pm. One of them POUNDED on my door, scaring the shit out of me and literally causing me to fall off the couch. Another knocked loudly in that "shave-and-a-haircut" way and used my door knocker for the "two-bits" part. That guy wouldn't leave. He continued to knock on my door three more times and finally left after approximately 10 minutes. These last ones just left - two of them, knocking on my door and my neighbor's door at the same time.

Okay, I get it. I get that we need to get out the vote. I get that there are millions of people out there that need to be made aware of what will happen should the other guy win. I made the phone calls myself - of course, if someone didn't answer the phone or hung up on me I certainly didn't CALL THEM RIGHT BACK. But if someone doesn't answer the door, go to the next one. Jesus.

I feel like a prisoner in my own home right now, wondering when the next door pounding will come. I'm tempted to put a sign on my door that says "I already voted" but I don't have any tape. I have the sound way down on my TV and all the blinds drawn tight. I cannot swing the door open and yell at them because of the hair situation and I dribbled some soup down the front of my sweatshirt. Normally this wouldn't matter but apparently today it does.

It's time for me to consider a nap but who can relax after all this?

FUCK I can't wait for Wednesday.

Random Saturday morning thoughts before I convince myself that one more cup of coffee won't hurt me and I end up sick all day again

So it's been a busy week. Here are some thoughts.

I have never liked change but have always thrown myself in to it. This week is no exception. I only phonebanked twice this week, but both times it was on the east side and I live pretty far west (to me anyway) and by the time I got home both nights it was past 9pm and since 10pm is my bed time, I didn't get to do my normal routine things so it sent me into a tailspin. Even though Thursday night was a "me" night I still had a last minute color appointment change and ended up feeling gypped again. I really need to shake things up.

I allege I am going to Mexico in December and yet I haven't booked anything, and Hi November! It just seems like so much flipping money this time around! Is it? It drives me nuts to spend it considering everything, and yet I haven't been in so long and I really feel the need to lay down for 10 days. Laying down in a lounger by a pool or ocean is much different than laying on my couch. Plus I want to see my friends and shit.

Phonebanking and waxing political (kinda) on this blog and in real life aside, I just moments ago finished up my own ballot. Those ballot measures are a pain in the ass. They seem to be written in such a way that a smart girl like me can't figure them out. It's lucky there are websites that explain better. Or, you know, tell me how to vote. Like the sheep I am but claim not to be. But hey, it's all done now, and in a little while I'll drop it off and avoid the rush, right?

The rains are starting to set in again, and I know to expect it (a coworker yesterday assumed I was from California... uh, just because I was born and raised here and choose to live here again doesn't mean I can't hate the rain...), but it still brings me down.

I found out yesterday from Barbie that one of the neighbors from my old 'hood died. I used to play with one of his kids, Paul, when I was a kid. We went to the same grade school (Catholic). They (the parents, you know) never left the street. From time to time I drive by my old house and stuff, so it's kind of sad to know he died. Funeral on Tuesday, I'm thinking I should go.

I am going to watch the Ducks at Barbie's after what seems like a long time since I've done it. The game starts at 12:30 and it's almost 10 and I haven't even gone to the supermarket. What am I thinking?

I worked in the Main escrow branch downtown for the last two weeks. I really like it there. It has some quirks, but I love being in the thick of things.

I'm really getting into that "Life on Mars" show. That and "Sons of Anarchy". I DVR them and watch them on Friday nights. I probably should get some kind of life again.

I wonder if I am ever going to quit smoking. This is getting ridiculous.

What's next? I mean, really, is this it? Please tell me this isn't it.