Yeah, that's about right....

My friend Kelly, who works at Bed Bath & Beyond with me, sent me this link, and I about died laughing when I saw it. Maybe you have to work there to understand...

Irrelevant

You know how sometimes you're reading a book, and something the author has written screams out at you, just hits you right between the eyes? That doesn't happen to me often, but it did yesterday. I'm reading "The Feast of Love" by Charles Baxter, a novel about an author who is writing a book about people's love stories, and he interviews his friends and his friend's friends. I picked it up a few years ago, and am just now getting around to reading it. It seemed like a sweet, innocuous choice after reading (1) a book about an abused child who makes up a sibling, and, before that one, (2) the Most Convoluted Book Ever Written. Anyway, the main character is interviewing his recently dumped/divorced friend, Bradley, who said this:

"You look up from reading the newspaper and realize that no one loves you, and no one burns for you. The workings of nature are mysterious, but they do account for a certain amount of despair among single persons, the irrelevance you sometimes feel."

That struck me because I feel that way every once in a while. I'll just be sitting there doing something, and I'll suddenly think, "No one is thinking of me. No one is wondering what I'm doing right now." Now, I'm not feeling sorry for myself; it's just a bit jarring. I don't know if it's because this is the first time since my junior year of high school that I haven't had a "significant other", and the whole "single" thing is still really new to me. And I know it shouldn't be that way, but it's a bit distressing.

I know I have other things to focus on, and I'm really not worried about finding a guy right now--either I'll find someone eventually, or I'll become the local Crazy Cat Lady--but I know how Bradley feels. To some extent, irrelevant.

Weekend/Mother's Day

This weekend was okay. On Friday at school, we had a little graduation party for the three girls who finished the court reporting program (two from machine, which I am taking, and one from voice). It was a nice little shindig, and a complete blow-off day :) They had a cake with a dark blue border, so there is, of course, a picture floating around of me with a blue tongue and teeth. If I can get my hands on it, I'll be sure to post it ;)

I worked on Saturday evening, so nothing much happened then. Except I had the most hateful customer--she was pure evil. I wonder why people don't realize that most people will be way more accommodating if they're not complete assholes to them? Boggles my mind. Anyway, I think she called me a snot as she was walking away, but I can't be sure. That's what it sounded like, anyway. All I have to say is karma can be a bitch.

On Sunday, Mother's Day, we gave Mom her gifts--a leaf blower (hey, she ASKED for that!) and some earrings Stephanie picked up for relatively cheap. Our TV went out on Friday night, so we went around looking for a new one. We were checking out the LCDs at Sears when the channel they had on started broadcasting a wet T-shirt contest (it was an extreme sports channel--it switched from some kind of weird surfing to that). It was so funny! The salesman (really cute younger guy) ran over and flipped the satellite box off, and an old guy working in appliances was giving him a hard time. I guess it's one of those things where you had to be there. No one seemed offended. Well, maybe the old guy. My sister was jealous of the participants, and I said if I looked like the chicks on the stage, I would be doing a wet T-shirt contest in the Publix parking lot down the street ;) Oh well, what can you do, right?

My dad was home this weekend, so there was lots of hollering. He said that when I graduate school and move out, he's going off the road and getting a local job where he's home every night. I predict either a divorce or a homicide. Anyway, we grilled steaks and baked potatoes for Mother's Day. I was in charge of the grill. Things were not going well. I managed to actually catch the meat on FIRE. I'm the queen of the grill pan (on the stovetop), and I'm not used to working with the propane grill outside. Amazingly, the "char" on it tasted quite good and the steaks were somehow still medium rare, so I guess it wasn't too bad. After dinner, we ate some cake. I ate so much frosting I was practically in a sugar coma. Between the sugar rushes yesterday and Friday, I'm surprised I haven't developed diabetes....No more cake!! Well, at least not until my birthday on the 26th, anyway :)

So that was my weekend. Oh, I also managed a five mile run Sunday evening. Super exciting, eh?

Stuff to do before I die

I'm bored and my fingers aren't working too well this morning, so I thought I'd take a break a bit early. I posted this list on a Yahoo group I'm on and thought I'd add it here. You know, for posterity and all :) It's mostly stuff I've been afraid to do for whatever reason.

1. Get my belly button pierced--I need less belly, though ;)
2. Get a tattoo--Something small and inconspicuous that not EVERYONE will get to see. (wink wink nudge nudge...)
3. Parasailing--I've already got two volunteers to do this with me this summer.
4. Snorkling--I love aquariums, but I'm terrified of open water swimming. Sharks and jellyfish are two of my biggest nightmares.
5. Surfing--Looks like soooo much fun, but see above.
6. Skydiving--I'm still chicken when it comes to this, so I would do it tandem only. Preferably hooked up to a smokin' hottie. I wonder if anyone's ever vomited at 30,000 feet?
7. Ice skating--It's weird that I grew up in the freakin' tundra and have never been ice skating.
8. Skiing--Bunny slope is fine. I'm mostly afraid of not being able to stop :)
9. Travel to a country outside of North America. ANY country.
10. Finish school, get a job, move somewhere else maybe. I have somewhere in mind, but I'll have to see how stuff goes before I make my final decision.