Oh My God Girl

Going With the Flow

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 03:32:00 +0000

Our very first snow of the 2010 winter came this morning. It wasn't really a decent snow...just a few hours of flurries that didn't amount to much. It was pretty, though, when it stuck in the evergreens.

I've decided to take a different approach to winter this year. Two years ago, we had an INSANE amount of snow. It paralyzed the area and made me crazy. I was too stressed out and worried to enjoy it.

This year? I am going to just relax and go with the flow. I can't control the weather, and--even though I am not a snow fan--I better just accept that fact. Hell, maybe I'll get to the point where I can enjoy snow and look forward to snow days. I doubt that will ever happen, but for now, I am going to stay in the moment and admire how pretty it can be at times.

I need to take the same approach with the holidays, politics, work, life, etc. Getting all freaked out about things won't do any good, so why bother? Going with the flow is preferable...if I can allow myself to do so. Man, it sucks to be a neurotic ball of stress! I need to change my ways.

My New Favorite Gift Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I guess I haven't had much to say. I'm not NaNoWriMo-ing this year and I have no idea how I would have squeezed in the time to work on 50,000 words this November. It's been a crazy month for no real good reason.

Anyhow...like you, I am starting to get tons of holiday emails and catalogs. Yesterday I stumbled on this little gem from one of my favorite places, Think Geek:

It's a freaking awesome gag gift. Here's the description (below). Read it and think of all the people you'd like to buy this gift for...to annoy them in a special holiday way. I tell ya, this is my favorite gift of the season hands down. But don't worry--I'm not actually buying it for anyone (sadly!).

Our world-famous Annoy-a-tron gets a festive makeover
This year, take it easy on yourself (and your wallet) and give the gift that keeps on giving - annoyance! Gift your friend/loved one/enemy with this Trojan Horse style present... it looks just like a standard innocent Christamas ornament. But when your victim hangs it on the tree the weight triggers a switch that causes the ornament to power-up and periodically emit beeps, mosquito tones, Christmas crickets, and elf giggles at random intervals. Merry Christmas insanity!

Based on our popular Annoy-a-tron prank device, the TannenBomb is sure to drive your giftee (victim) totally bonkers as they search in vain for the source of the intermittent noises. Little do they know it's coming from their own Christmas tree! Since the batteries inside the TannenBomb last for months and the device silently turns off when removed from the tree you'll be sure of many happy returns for your loved ones. Yep. Pat yourself on the back for another successful gifting season conquered.

Product Features

* A tree ornament with a special annoying surprise
* The weight of the ornament when hanging on the tree silently triggers the on switch
* Emits random annoying sounds at random intervals:
Beep

Mosquito tone (ultra high frequency nerve grating sound)

Christmas cricket

Elf giggle
* Comes in a double box: an outer box with prank directions, and a festive stealth inner gift box which gives no indication of its prank nature.
* Perfect gift for your boss, annoying coworkers, and "friends"
* Stylish Zombie Robot motif is always festive
* Fits any standard Christmas tree

Happy Anniversary to Me and the Mister!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0000

This post is a bit out of date, but so what! As I've mentioned, Halloween is our wedding anniversary. We try to take some time off to be together around Halloween, and this year we were able to spend a blissful week together, away from work. We didn't go on a fancy trip or anything, but we did do a lot of day trips around the Seattle area.

Here are some highlights:

We visited a couple of local flight museums. The Mister is an airplane buff, so he's lucky to live in an area where aviation is very important (he's also lucky to have a patient wife who will happily walk around old hangars with him!).

We wandered all around Seattle and made a stop at the International District. It's always interesting to see what's going on down there...and what we'll find.

We went to one of our favorite places, Pt. Townsend, WA for the day. We shopped, ate, visited a kick-ass bakery and cheese maker, and even found an awesome old church for sale. It has a killer view and we both would LOVE to buy it and convert it into a home. Our kitties would love the windows. Too bad the place costs $850,000 and we aren't made of money.

We visited the Woodland Park Zoo (along with a zillion school kids, but that's ok). The zoo was lovely and the animals were cute. We got to see some naughty orangutan behavior which was both disgusting AND hilarious.

We went to Langley, WA for the first time with my mom. We ate at the most amazing restaurant and had fun wandering around the shops. We also stopped by a hippy-dippy "earth sanctuary". It was a 75-acre piece of land with trails, a maze, and all sorts of Buddhist stuff. People left behind prayers, flowers, photos, money, and all sorts of trinkets. On our way back to our car, we crossed paths with a bunch of beautiful chickens! Random.

For our anniversary, we had dinner at a seafood place overlooking the water. We ate yummy food while we watched ferries travel to and fro.

All in all it was a great week and a great anniversary. Now it's time to think about Thanksgiving, Christmas, the end of 2010 and the start of 2011. Fun times ahead!

November Randomness

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 23:25:00 +0000

A random photo for a random post: the sky over Pt. Townsend, WA.

I should be doing a million other things, but I feel the need for a distraction. I think I'll do a quick blog update to avoid my other responsibilities. I haven't done an update here for ages, but that's just tough. I've come to the realization that I'm an off and on blogger when it comes to my personal blog and that's just fine. This blog doesn't have a substantial number of readers, so I have less pressure.

Ok...so here's what's happening in my little world right now. WARNING: Much to my displeasure, this post has become a bit self-indulgent. Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine, thank you very much!

NaNoWriMo
Holy crap! How in the world is it already time for NaNoWriMo? If it's November, that means I should be slaving away at my (dying) laptop, trying to crank out 1,666 words a day. I've managed to do it two years in a row, and I have (had?) every intention of doing it again in 2010. But today's November 6th and you know what my word count is? 1,583. Yup. I am a zillion words off where I am supposed to be.

I could blame my lack of production on a number of things: I had to work late on Monday (day #1), I had to make an airport pick up on Tuesday (day #2), I had appointments (and had to miss work) all day on Wednesday (day #3), I was exhausted and worn down by Thursday and Friday (days #4 and #5). All of this is a factor. The other major contributor to the lack of my productivity? That pesky little thing called a plot. I have a loose one in mind (kinda sorta), but I'm feeling stuck.

So yeah. I may or may not be doing NaNo this year. No matter what I decide, I'll live. It's a nice little personal challenge, but ultimately, does it really matter? I'm on the verge of beating myself up, of telling myself (publically) that I'll never make it. I'll never be a writer...I'll never be more than what I am, a stupid Admin Assistant. Eek. I need to hit the brakes on that kind of talk and move on to something else.

MONEY!
Blech! Another crappy topic, but one that is very much on my mind at the moment. The hubs and I are trying to put money away for something I can't get into here on the blogosphere (don't worry: we don't owe money to the mafia, we're not planning on engaging in illegal activity, and we're not having any health problems--we just need some money, that's all!). We have a firm deadline for when we need the cash, and we're not that far from having enough. I have every confidence that we'll get as much as we need in time. But to get there, we're going to have to watch every penny for the next few months which should make for an interesting Christmas.

I guess you could say we're on a money diet at the moment. I don't mind too much--I think it's kind of fun to see how far we can stretch a buck. But oh, how I wish I had some old, unknown relative who lived a nice, full life who just fell asleep never to wake up, and that this unknown now dead relative left me his (substantial) fortune. I've been working full time since I left college in 1998 (or was it 1997? I can never remember when I graduated!). I've had to make my way on my own for the most part. Ultimately, I am grateful for this--for my financial independence--but sometimes I wish I could mooch off someone else for a change.

OTHER JUNK ON MY MIND, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

Politics: being the ultra-liberal that I am, I'm more than a little disappointed by the recent election results. I wish Obama was a more inspiring leader. When he came into power, he rode a tide of enthusiasm with a promise of change. I know he's supposedly done "a lot", but it seems like he's been so damn scared of the Republicans the whole time. He's never going to win over the Republicans, and in all his bending over backwards to work with them, he seems to has forgotten the base. Liberal is not a 4-letter word. The uber-righties never apologize for their fascist beliefs, and yet, those with left-leaning tendencies are so apologetic over their thoughts. Give me a break! Stand up for what you believe in, and if "they" won't work with you, fuck 'em. (I guess I'll never have a career in politics!)
Halloween: Yes, Halloween has come and gone, but my hubby and I celebrated our 7th year of marriage on 10/31/10. I'm so glad we picked each other. I married my best friend and have no regrets except that we should have done it sooner. We've been married for 7, together for 14. I can't imagine my life without him, and I am looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for us.
Winter: I know, I know...it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but here in the Pacific NW, the stupid weathermen are building the winter weather hype already. They're telling us that we're COULD have one of the worst winters in years (or EVER if you judge by the way they're talking!). Every damn day they're hyping up the POTENTIAL for cold and snow. I hope they're wrong...they're always wrong. As long as the snow stays in the mountains, I'm a-ok!

Ok--that's it for now. See? That was a totally random and useless post (hey! random and useless....kinda like this blog!). I better stop procrastinating and get on with all my chores.

Later!

Getting Through It

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:00:00 +0000

I'm currently (still?) feeling less than satisfied with my professional life. I'm an assistant. Everything I do is for the benefit of others. I'm like a computer. I'm supposed to switch on, do my job (and do it damn well) and then go away. If I am working well, I am completely and totally ignored. But if one little thing goes wrong, I suck. You know how it goes.

The other day I tweeted the following:

It's a good thing my boss doesn't pay me in gratitude. Otherwise I'd be flat broke!

That sums up my work feelings. But there are a few things that have helped get me through this little week of shit:

Boys for Pele, Tori Amos: I love, love, love this album. It came out when I was in college and it's always been one of my favorites by Ms. Amos. I've been listening to it a lot at work lately and I'm falling in love with her breakup songs and strong feminist vibe. Best line (from Professional Widow): "Give me peace, love, and a hard cock." Enough said!

Exercise. I had to work late Monday (see my early gratitude comment to sum up THAT experience) and missed getting a workout in. I try to get five hours of exercise a week (preferably one hour a day) and knowing I wouldn't be able to workout put me in a mental funk. Thankfully I got over an hour on Tuesday and felt like a normal human being again. I picked up a kettlebell over the weekend and tried it out for the first time--Wow! That sucker is heavy! It's going to take some time to get my form right, but it seems pretty darn effective.

I snagged this photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/33765166@N03/4196511168/

Trader Joe's Almond Biscotti. I love almond. It's my favorite nut and it has the best flavor. Almond cake, almond pastries, almond cookies...they all rock. The almond biscotti from Trader Joe's are insane. They're small, crunchy, super satisfying, ultra-almondy, and addictive. I like having them with tea at the end of the night as my final snack before bed. It puts me in the right mood for ending the day.

What gets you through your week?

Just Shut Up Already!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:00:00 +0000

OMG. It's only the start of October, but for weeks now, I've been bombarded with horrible, awful political ads--on tv, the radio...everywhere.

Here's the deal: I work for a teachers' union, so politics are a HUGE part of my job. We endorse candidates, recruit members to make phone calls, doorbell, etc. for candidates and causes. Thankfully, I'm a good leftist and agree with the candidates and causes I support in the workplace. It would be really difficult to be a Republican in my position (though my fabulous and amazing co-worker is...and she does her job with grace). Because politics is such a big deal at work, I already know how I am voting very early on in an election cycle. And, because of all of this, I get so sick and tired of hearing from either side in the political ads.

It's vile. The lies, namecalling and mudslinging during political campaigns is nauseating--from both sides of the spectrum. What's even worse is that groups like the Tea Party are so disgusting that they're hoping to exhaust the "normal" people. They want to fire up their base and the extremists. They raise the volume of the conversation knowing they'll inflame the people they hate, boost those who they agree with, and to hell with anyone in the middle. I wonder how many people won't participate in this election simply because they are so exhausted by all the rhetoric. A lot, I'd guess.

So despite the bad taste a lot of political campaigning leaves in my mouth, I can't allow myself to become apathetic. If I do, "they" win. And I just can't let them do that, now can I?

Happy Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 21:36:00 +0000

This is where I've been spending weekends lately...not bad!

I sorta suck as a blogger. I say I'm coming back to writing here, on my personal blog, and then? Yeah...I space out and forget to write. I guess I'm just not as interesting as I'd like to think I am.

It's supposed to be really nice here in the Puget Sound region this weekend, so I'm thinking we'll have to get out of the house and do some day trips. Lately we've been going down to the beach whenever we get a chance...something that we'll probably be doing more and more of in the coming months and years.

What are your plans for the weekend? Get out and live! There's so much to explore and do!

Being an Adult...

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:30:00 +0000

A random photo for a random post!

Every year it seems like I learn more and more about being an adult. Part of me hates it. I don't want to have to know about mortgages, retirement plans, or how to turn off the water in my house. That part of me wants to shut my eyes, cover my ears, and chant "la, la, la...I can't hear you" when anyone brings up a boringly mature subject like credit scores.

But there is another part of me, the realistic part of me, that knows that I have to tackle this stuff...and I might as well do it sooner rather than later. So tonight, I am getting oh-so adult and am heading to a meeting with a financial advisor to start taking baby steps.

I have no life insurance, except for an accidental death policy. My work doesn't provide any kind of insurance, and until now, I've ignored this fact. I have no intentions of dying anytime soon, but it's going to happen one day, and I want to make sure the Mister is taken care of when it does. So tonight, while most of you are blissfully making dinner or are sweating off some calories at the gym, I'll be learning about term vs. whole life insurance.

Aren't you jealous?

Who knows where this discussion might lead. Once I get the life insurance tackled, there are other areas of my financial life that need to be reviewed. I recently likened my finances to the extra room everyone has in their house...you know the room--it's the place where you dump all your junk that you'll deal with later. When guests come over, you just close the door and hope no one cracks it open. Well, I think it may be time for me to open up that door, to clean out that room...and it's not going to be pretty.

But that's a subject for another day. Like I said: I'm all about baby steps at the moment. And I'm really, really tempted to revert back to my "la, la, la...I can't hear you" ways.

Things I Learned Over the Weekend...

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was nice...nothing super exciting, but still....nice. Nevertheless, here are some things I learned this weekend:

If you want/need to go to Ikea on the weekend, make sure you get there early. Bonus points for showing up before they open. You can still get into the cafe where you can snag a .99 cent breakfast while avoiding parking issues and dealing with crowds. Nice!
Keeping in this line of thought...if you need to go to Trader Joe's on a Sunday, get there early too! They open at 8:00 am and if you're able to drag yourself out of bed and into your local TJs before 10:00 am or so, you'll be rewarded with an almost empty store and fully stocked shelves. It's TJ shopping perfection.
Looking for a good movie to see in the theater? Check out The Town. It was pretty good, though I love Boston crime movies for some reason. I am not normally a huge fan of Ben Affleck, but he did a really great job of directing and he was oddly appealing in the lead role.
Looking for a good movie (or three) to see at home? Check out the Red Riding Trilogy on Netflix. It's three movies that take place in Northern England (the Yorkshire area) and deal with crime and corruption. They're not peppy, upbeat movies, but they're thought provoking, interesting to watch, and very, very well done (good acting, directing, etc.)

That's all I know for now...what did you learn this weekend?

Money's a Bitch

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0000

I'm a nerd. That's nothing new to anyone. I like spreadsheets and databases. I like lists and organized thoughts, even though I may not be the most outwardly organized person in the world.

So the other day, I was thinking about all the "stuff" I may or may not need to spend money on between now and the end of 2010. A lot of things came to mind, so I decided to create a lovely spreadsheet to help organize my list and (hopefully) prioritize my thoughts.

I was SHOCKED when I saw the final total of that spreadsheet. Now granted, the spreadsheet includes some big ticket items, but it's kind overwhelming when you see it all totaled up. I HATE that I need/want so much crap, but I guess that's life.

I'm too embarrassed to throw down the final total, but you'll get an idea how much $$$ I need to get everything on my list when I tell you a few items I included:

New laptop (I've used my current laptop almost daily since 2007. Keys are starting to pop off and it's not functioning well, but I hate to buy a new one. It seems like a huge waste of money.)
New desktop computer (for the Mister. His current computer is old and dying--it sounds like a jet plane is taking off in the basement when he boots up!)
A treadmill and weight bench (I want to start running, but with colder, wetter months coming, I want to run indoors and don't want to join a stupid gym. The hubs really wants the weights, but I would probably use them, too.)
New clothes for me & the Mister for the fall/winter.
A possible trip in October (this may not happen)
Christmas gifts for friends/family (it's so scary how fast THAT adds up!)

What's on your wish list? Man, I need to win the lottery!

Life's a Funny Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Orchid from the Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle

Lately, I've been having crazy thoughts. I've been wondering about my life, my decisions, and if I am still wanting to go in the direction I'm headed.

There are some things about my life I absolutely don't want to change: I'm completely happy and secure in my marriage, for example, and don't ever think about making changes there. But there are other things--things like work--that could stand some improvement. Maybe improvement isn't the right word. Maybe it's just change I'm looking for. Something new. I'm not sure. And it's not just my work choice that I'm reevaluating.

I think I'm too young for a mid-life crisis, but I also know that I'm never too old to make changes if things aren't working out. I don't know what direction I want to go, but I'm curious at checking out a few detours along the way.

Life's a funny thing: You say "yes" to things and later wish you said no. You say "no, never" only to realize that's too harsh a stance.

I'm being cryptic and vague because I am not really allowing myself to embrace the thoughts that keep popping up. I may clear up my veiled references soon...when I have a better grasp on things. For now, though, I'm playing the "what if" game in my mind. I'm scheming and dreaming, unsure where these thoughts might take me.

Is there ever a way to know what to do? If a decision is 100% right or not? If only I had a crystal ball and unlimited resources. If only!

Happy New Year All Over Again

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Outside our motel in Ogunquit, ME (Oct. 2008)

I work in the wonderful world of education. I bitch about my job a lot...way too much, in fact (and I need to stop complaining so much--I'm growing sick of myself), but the one thing I like is that I get the chance to start the year all over again each and every September.

On September 1st, my new fiscal year begins. Kids and teachers go back to school, my meeting schedule picks up again, and everything goes from the warm, laid back days of summer to the slightly more frantic pace of routines and autumn.

I love getting that chance to hit the "restart" button. I love getting my new academic calendar and filling it up with all the important dates I need to remember. And, unlike the REAL start of the year, I feel energized to make changes and revamp things.

Here are some of the projects I'm putting on my new year to do list. We'll see how many of these things actually happen, but it's always nice to have a list:

Clean out and organize my garage (yikes! There are boxes in my garage that haven't been touched in over five years.)
Get rid of some items (like two old bikes we never use) during the fall garage sale. I don't care if I get any money for my stuff--I just want them gone.
Figure out if I'm going to participate in NaNoWriMo again this year. My hubby and I have been working on a few story ideas together, so if I'm smart I'll be able to have decent outline to work with...if I decide to write in November.
If money and time allow, the Mister and I may take a long weekend together later in September. Then in October, we might (and the emphasis is on might) take a week's vacation somewhere awesome...like Maine.
Continue to work on my healthier ways. And ride my beloved Trixie as much as I can. Fall bike rides rock!
Amp up my photo taking and overall creativity.
Once the garage is done: start tackling other areas of my house. I need to get rid of all the excess crap we have lying around. It's taking over and I hate it.

That's all I can think of for the time being. That's a do-able list. What are your plans for the fall?

Cooling

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Japanese Garden, Portland, OR (Fall 2007)

Friday was a lovely day in the Seattle. It was bright and sunny, but by the end of the day, the temperature shot up to about 80 (that's warm for this part of the world). By the evening, a cool breeze kicked up and dropped the mercury down to the upper 50s.

The breeze brought with it a flutter of fall. The air had that slight crispness and the whisper of autumnal promises: changing leaves, orange sunbeams, the smell of hay and pumpkins.

I know it's only early September, but I'm so excited for fall to arrive. It's my favorite season of the year. Everything's dying out, but in doing so there's so much beauty. When I was in college, I learned about mono no aware, which according to Wikipedia is a Japanese term used to describe the awareness of mujo or the transience of things and a bittersweet sadness at their passing. To me, autumn is the embodiment of mono no aware.

Enjoy the (unofficial) last weekend of summer! I'm hoping for the fall.

Pondering

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:12:00 +0000

Me, Looking oh-so serious at work.

Hello, world!

Is anyone out there?

It's been ages since I wrote on this stupid little blog, but lately I've been thinking about bringing it back. Sure, I yammer on and on about makeup and food, but I've been missing this space--my personal blog.

We'll see if I launch it up again or not. I don't know if I'll have the time to devote to it, but I do like the idea of being back here, journaling online. I've made a few changes to the look of this place. Part of me wants to archive (or dump!) all my old posts, but I think that sounds a bit too time consuming at the moment.

Right now, I'm dipping my toe into the waters and am testing things out. Time will tell if I relaunch this site or let it go dormant yet again. Hopefully I'll be back (soon) with more exciting posts.

Check It Out....

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:46:00 +0000

Since this poor little blog is currently in a "retired" state, I want to do a quick update and let you know that along with my makeup blog, I'm also co-writing a food blog (Deliciousness of Yum) with my sister. I am also taking a photo a day every day in 2010 and am posting my shots every week over at Lydia-365.

I hope you take a moment to check out my stuff!

Permanent Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:34:00 +0000

Ok, everyone. I've been really, really bad about keeping Oh My God Girl updated. So, for now, I am going to retire my little space. But that doesn't mean I'm off the interwebs. Far from it.

Here's how to stay connected with me:

Kiss and Makeup: The blog that started it all! I update my makeup blog regularly, so be sure to swing by often.

Deliciousness of Yum: My sister and I decided to start a food blog together. Yes, I know--there are a million food blogs out there, but that's ok. We're just getting this rolling so swing by and see what's up. We'll be getting yummy recipes and food news posted there on a regular basis.

I'm also on Facebook and Twitter. Yes, I am everywhere.

Thanks for reading my blog! I started this in February 2008, so I almost made it to the two year mark. And who knows, I could be back. I get online ADD. Later!

I Rock!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:24:00 +0000

I've been writing like a maniac all weekend and just now validated my novel's word count over at NaNoWriMo. And when I did, the lovely image above popped up on my laptop's screen.

I did it. I hit 50,000 words in a month (I'm currently at 51,185, but who's counting?)

I'm pooped!

And I have so much left to write. My novel is only half-finished. I guess December will be UnONoWriMo (UNOfficial NOvel WRiting MOnth) for me.

Yay me. Now? Time to turn off this damn computer.

Holy Cow!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:35:00 +0000

I started my day very behind in my NaNoWriMo word count courtesy of the Thanksgiving Break. I gave up my daily writing habit for three days and ended up about 5K behind. I have spent my entire day writing and trying to get caught up. 4K+ words later, I am only a tiny bit behind and am confident that I'll get to my 50K goal by Monday. Go me.

Even when I hit 50K and win my second NaNoWriMo, I will have a lot of story left to write. But hey, last month I had 0 words written and no story, so November's been productive. And, since I'm visual, I added a Wordle summary of my novel to the sidebar (on the right). (Wordle is fun to play with. Check it out for yourself, word nerds).

So, how was your Turkey Day? Mine was great--we had tacos, margaritas, pumpkin bars and snickerdoodles. You got that right: no stinking turkey. Yay! I also spent the day getting the Christmas tree up and decorated. I feel like the house is ready for the holidays even if I'm not.

I don't have much to say at the moment except that I'm tired and all written out at the moment. I also have some stuff looming on the horizon, but I'll get to that later. For now, I just want to nom on some leftover tacos and enjoy some time away from the house at a hockey game.

Later!

What's Up, World?

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:53:00 +0000

I am just now sitting down to write on this stupid little blog. I don't really know what's kept me away.

Oh wait, yes I do!

I'm smack in the middle of doing National Novel Writing Month! My story is chugging along and I'm right on track. It's so different from last year. Last year--my first NaNoWriMo attempt--was intense in a different way. I was way ahead of my daily word counts and my story took over my life.

This year, I'm approaching this whole thing in a more mellow way. I'm calmer about things. I have my story's path more mapped out, though there are times when I'm not really writing much of substance.

So, what else have I been up to? Let's see. So far this month I've:

Started my Christmas shopping (yes, I know...I suck!)
Chopped off almost all of my hair (and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it)
Spent tons of time with my family
Wished I could run away from my office job in favor of becoming a full time writer

The story I'm writing takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas (so far), so I'm completely confused. I feel like it should be later in the month that it really is. I guess my story is taking over my thinking after all. Ok--time to get ready for bed. It's going to be a busy week. Again.

Going Down the Rabbit Hole?

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:19:00 +0000

So I was at work today and was checking through my spam filter to see if any non-spam was caught by mistake. I love spam (the email not the "food" product). It amazes me that people who are intelligent enough to turn on a computer and set up an email account fall for phony pharmacies and sob-story scams. But reading the subject lines and bullshit cons makes me laugh.

Anyway...in my spam filter list, I saw an email with this subject line:

Use Your Carrot Better.

Hmmm....that brings up so many questions and bad jokes. But it made me laugh on an otherwise gray, blah day and I had to share.

Happy Weekend.

WTF, Maine?

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:40:00 +0000

So election night has come and gone, and it looks like a slim majority of the voters in Maine have decided to take away the rights of their gay and lesbian neighbors.

How insanely fucking horrible.

Here in Washington, voters are narrowly supporting R-71, a measure that expands rights (but not marriage) to same sex and non-married "opposite" sex partners. It's dubbed the "everything but marriage law." I'm watching the returns cautiously and am hoping that the people of my state do the right thing and reject homophobia and hate.

I hate to recycle posts, but in light of all this "referendum on marriage" crap, here are my thoughts from 2008. I said it then and I'll say it now, again: gay rights ARE human rights.

*****

Some people say that homosexuality is a choice. Take a moment and think about this...Would you, if you had a choice, make the conscious decision to:

be looked down upon by large populations of people around the world?
feel ashamed for loving someone?
face a possible severing of your relationship with your parents and family?
join a minority group that has virtually no rights?
make it very difficult to conceive a child naturally?
enter into a relationship based on love, but one in which you can never legally marry your partner?

I think the majority of people would say NO: there's no way I would choose to make my life that difficult.

Here's one more thing to consider: gay women are at a much higher risk of developing Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, an endocrine disorder that affects women across races and nationalities.

I offer up these morsels of information because many people believe that homosexuality is a choice. I say, eloquently, bullshit. No one would choose to live a life as difficult as a life of a homosexual. And if homosexuality really is a choice, why is it that lesbians have an increased chance of developing a non-communicable disease like PCOS? What's more: if it's a choice to be gay, than it must also be a choice to be straight. And again, I say: bullshit.

I grew up knowing full well that I was sexually and emotionally attracted to men. I have always wanted to have a husband. And I would bet you that the millions of gays and lesbians all over this world grew up also knowing without a fraction of a doubt what type of human they were attracted to.

Regardless of whether you can choose to be gay or if sexuality is, as I believe, something you are born with, gay rights are ESSENTIAL to our human rights. We cannot live in a truly free country if we deny basic rights, like marriage, health care, adoption rights, etc. to a portion of the adult population.

Honestly, I cannot, for the life of me, understand how gay marriage could negatively impact my straight marriage. Sure, some say it all goes against what "god" intended, but since when does "god" get to write laws? As I've said in the past on this blog: who would Jesus discriminate against?

Here's how I would fix the whole gay marriage mess: I would make all "marriages" be civil unions: a legal joining of two people into one family. If people want this union to be recognized by their church, they can have a religious ceremony and be seen as united in the eyes of "god." But legally, unions between two consenting adults over the age of 18 would be considered civil unions. What's wrong with that? It takes the religious angle out of the legal considerations, and grants the same rights to all people.

The danger in discriminating against gay people is that it makes it much easier to discriminate against other groups. Where does the discrimination end? And when will people start seeing that real life in America is more like Animal Farm: all are created equal, but some are more equal? This is not something we should embrace. Until basic rights are universal, amongst all groups, we are not a free nation.

Take this famous poem from World War II as a warning:

First they came for the Communists,
- but I was not a communist so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists,
- but I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews,
- but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.

And remember: gay rights are human rights.

Here's To Another Week

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Sunday was wicked busy...as usual. And to make matters worse, it was the day Daylight Saving Time ended. I woke up too early. I had to go to the grocery store. I started NaNo-ing. I even wrote my makeup blog for the majority of the week. And I ended the day with 2885 words under my belt....ahead of the 1,667 word a day requirement. Yay me!

This week's going to be tough. For one, it's my first full work week in ages (I took off one day to be at the beach a couple of weeks ago, and then took off on Friday to hang out with my hubby the day before our anniversary). I have to work late tonight, so that's going to cut into my writing time (stupid damn work!). And have you noticed that it's super dark way too early? Ugh. I hate the whole time change thing. I say we should just leave Daylight Saving Time year-round. To hell with this "spring ahead, fall back" crap.

I have no intention of doing NaNoBloPoMo (like NaNoWriMo, but you have to blog ever single day for a month--yikes!) since that might just push me over the edge. But I just wanted to report my NaNo progress thus far. I'm not entirely sure where I'm headed and what will happen on the way to 50K, but it should be interesting.

Hope you all have a good week. I'll write when I can!

Woefully Unprepared

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Holy mother of god. It's November 1st, the start of NaNoWriMo. I'm set to embark on the 50,000 words in a month journey, and I'm feeling terribly unready for this mania to start. Last year was so different. I had characters fleshed out in my mind. I had plot lines and scenes dancing through my head before my fingers even touched the keys.

This year?

Let's just say: what a difference a year makes.

I have a vague idea of bigger themes I want to address. I have a general idea of my two main characters. I sorta kinda not really know what I want, but I don't know how it's all going to start, develop, or end. It's all a great big mystery.

But like I said earlier, I need to absolve myself of strict adherence to the crazy 50K-in-a-month word count. I just need to take time to explore, to meet my characters, figure out their reality, and get a good, coherent story down in how ever long it takes.

It's a hell of a lot of work.

If any of you are NaNo-ing this year and want to buddy up, click here for my user info. Off to type my brains out!

NaNo MoFo!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Even though I'm a lame ass blogger, I think I am going to take the plunge once again this year and participate in National Novel Writing Month in November. Yup. 30 days of panicked, crazed, word count driven writing. 50,000 words, 30 days. Woo-hoo.

I did well last year. I blew past the 50K word count well before the end of the month. But I was left with a mess on my hands, and even now...almost a year later...I have not gone back to edit the damn thing.

This year I may not worry so much about word count and hitting 50K. I think I'll focus more on being organized, getting things down clearer and better, and doing what I used to do: write every day. I miss that old habit of mine.

So here I go again. November = NaNoWriMo. But really it just means a time to make writing a priority...and that's a good thing!

Monday, Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:40:00 +0000

Today is a gray, gruesome rainy day in the Seattle area. Living here, you get used to the rain as soon as September slips away, taking with it the sun and the false promises of summer's ease. October ushers in the rain. November? More rain, but with the added pleasure of wind. And by winter, all we know is dark, dreary days and dark, dreary nights.

Normally, I'm fine with the gray. I like it. Hell, at times I love it. A few years back we were in store for something like 30+ consecutive days of rain, and I couldn't have been happier. It reminds me of England, with the short days and long nights in the fall/winter. And rain is almost always better than snow.

But today? I'm not feeling the love. I'm preoccupied with other things that I don't have the energy to blog about, and the bleakness of a brutal, rainy Monday only adds to my confusion, speculation, and overall uneasy pensiveness. All this water....it makes me want to go back home so I can curl up by the fire and forget all about Mondays.

Photo above: low clouds over the Olympic Mountains, near Lake Quinault (taken by me 10/18/09).