AddictedtoText

Summer 2008 September 24, 2008

I’m back! Did you miss me? Sorry for the hiatus, I moved in June and didn’t set up my computer until a few weeks ago. I have been blogging in my head, which is always a good sign!

A lot has gone on in the past few months some of it worth talking about some not. I moved into a great place with a great roommate, and recently acquired another great roommate, I had a good summer, even if I didn’t get out in the sun as much as I’d have liked to. Met a lot of great people through an Anime Convention here in Portland (http://www.kumoricon.org) My new roommate was the Vice Chair for the 2008 Conference so a lot of events were here at the house so I got to meet with a lot of people and experience something that I never would have had I not moved (I hadn’t watched any Anime before I was forced to so I had an vague idea of what was happening. I was afraid I’d like Anime and I was right. I think there is only one Geek Fandom I haven’t gotten attached to being video games, thank god I can’t play them to save my life! No really I enjoyed working the con, I worked registration so I saw a lot of people and it was great, I got to see a lot of people and talk while working at breakneck speeds, which I LOVE by the way. I made a lot of really great friends because of how hard we worked, it’s like being in the military, the people you are under pressure with you bind with the closest. Of course being Staff is totally different from attending, so I didn’t do anything that the attendees did, well besides swim in the pool, but mostly we went just before it closed so it was still just our little staff group, I did play one game of DDR and botched it badly, it was still fun! I always love meeting new people, especially the ones you’d never meet usually, that’s always the best.

I saw one of my favorite bands (www.boniver.org) one of the most amazing shows I’ve been to and one of two that I’ve gone to alone (Blonde Redhead being the other) some things are just to good to worry about having someone else there to talk to.

Oh! I also watched 3 seasons of Doctor Who (the new version) and I’m watching season 2 of the spin-off Torchwood. I’ve always been a fan but not as familiar with them all. Now I’m in love, but it’s sci-fi so what did you expect?

All in all it was a good summer, with the camping trips/family reunions and meeting new people. I became a bigger Geek and I’m not ashamed of it. I like manga and anime now and it’s exciting to find something new to love.

Movies and Movies and More Movies (I slacked) May 21, 2008

OK since I last posted movies I know i’ve seen several… Remembering them is the issue, let me consult my netflix for just one second… (insert hold music here )

and here we have it… the List of movies i’ve seen off netflix since i last blogged about movies. (it’s not good, it’s a lot of friggin movies to write about…) Ok here goes. It’s going to be a bit truncated, i really should be doing somethign else (but I really don’t want to)

28 Weeks Later - I watched maybe an hour of this. It was way gorier than the first and my DVD player was acting up, in fact it’s the last movie i saw in my DVD player, Oh did I mention it DIED? Yeah… That’s another story.

Stardust - First off I LOVE Neil Gaiman, and I remember liking the book. I really really loved this movie. I don’t remember the book being this good , but it’s been at least 10 years since I read it and I read a lot so… It was beautifully done and funny and just wonderful.

Stomp the Yard - Not to bad, it was a bit annoying at times, formulaic but it didn’t put me to sleep!

Ocean’s Thirteen - Can’t get enough of the Ocean team. I mean Come on WHO can resist Elliott Gould? But seriously it was a good movie, esp for a third movie. I wasn’t crazy about the whole thing they were doing (what were they doing?) but I loved everyone’s characters and how they played them. I think that’s what i like more, the individuals and their character development, it just makes me happy, and there are a few hotties to watch…

Lars and the Real Girl - Reviews I read sad this movie was creepy and lame, but I really liked it. It made sense to me in a psycological/analytical way, you work out what you need to work out how you need to work it out yeah? The town coming together made me happy and Ryan Gosling is hot even when he’s a little socially backwards!

Bridge to Terabithia - one of my favorite books as a kid and another movie that was great that I forgot what the book was like but I knew the basic plot points. It was well done and the 20 odd years between the last read and watching the movie made it just perfect.

Superman Returns - Not bad, not great but not bad. Again haven’t watched the Superman movies in a long time so it didn’t seem to off base. of course I “Know” he’s to young to be where the movies left off but I set it aside. He did a great job at being all awkward and what not as Clark Kent, As an adult though it bothers me that Lois CAN’T TELL IT’s THE SAME PERSON… Sigh, it’s ok. again he’s cute you get over it.

Catch and Release - Meh, I didn’t hate it but I wouldn’t be hurt if I never watched it again. it was entertaining just had to many “What?” moments in it.

August Rush - Probably the biggest disappointment. To many WTF’s and not enough happily ever after (before the movie ends)

Into the Wild - Yet another book I’ve read ages ago and now seeing the movie. Well done. I didn’t remember how it ended exactly so while i knew what to expect just not how. It was sad and beautiful and well done. It’s even moer exciting now that I’ve met the author’s sister and know that he’s and Oregonian!

28 Days Later - was trying to rent 28 weeks later so i didn’t watch it again. still 100% times better than the second. bleh.

Across the Universe - WOW. I was afraid when the opening credits started that it would be campy and annoying but it was WOW. I had the soundtrack for months and months so it was a little boring to listen to but after watching the movie it made it SO much better. The commentary was great too. It made it even better. Actually I watched every extra it had and I think it’s something i need to own.

Oh and I bought Stranger Than Fiction because it’s beautiful. i also bought the CD on iTunes, I will not go off on my iTunes tirade today i’ll leave that for another day

So yeah life has been crazy, just when you think you are back in a grove you get shoved back off. It’s been interesting and hopefully soon I’ll be able to really get into it. There is just to much to do before I can get to it!

Love you all! oh and a Photo from my weekend (Girls weekend at the Coast with my family, it was fantastic)

Personal Heroes April 10, 2008

I’ve got a lot in my head at the moment but I’m saving that for another post. I wanted to write about someone I used to work with and one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.

For her 60th birthday Ginny is hiking the pacific coast trail. Yes you heard me right, her 60th birthday. I can’t even fathom that. Especially when you take this in to consideration: [The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a 2,650-mile national scenic trail that runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. The PCT traverses 24 national forests, 37 wilderness areas and 7 national parks.]

So yes for many more reasons that that she is a personal hero of mine. I wish her nothing but luck and good times. She’s blogging about the trip on www.postholer.com/ginnyb and i’ve also put that on my blogroll.

The Odd Year(s) March 28, 2008

In less than a month I turn 33, I’m not sure why it seems so ominous. I haven’t had too much of an issue with any of my birthday’s in my thirties. I’m not freaking out like some women do; I’m just having a little trouble figuring out how I got here and what happened to all that time? To make matters worse a lot of people from the past have been popping up lately. This is good but it makes me think about life, where I could be and where I am.

Last night I dared to brave Classmates.com and found someone who meant something to me at one time. I’ve been going through my old cards and letters from childhood to now and I found a lot of the cards and letter from my best friend from HS and it made me remember how close we were. It made me cry a little and remember when she stopped talking to me, seeing her on that site last night made me a little sad but at the same time I realized we are very different people and I can’t imagine how we could be friends now. Too much time, to much pain and too far away.

Where I am at times makes me sad until I realize that it’s my life, I love it and I can’t imagine having any other.

I’ve been thinking a lot about loss lately, with my grandmother passing and the infiltration of friends from the past and it’s interesting to see how these things effect your life. Some days I forget that she’s gone and other days it hits me hard and I don’t realize it until later, it’s this hidden pain that has been causing me to push away a lot of people I see on a daily basis. I’m numb to it though, I’ve lost a lot of friends, I’ve gained a lot of friends and it’s a cycle that keeps going on. Sometimes they come back into your life and sometimes they don’t, but it happens and I accept that. Maybe I’m just cutting to the chase, separating people from my life so it doesn’t hurt when it happens for real, I can’t tell anymore.

One of the people from the past that contacted me lately was my best friend from middle school. I remember meeting her, her grandmother was our apartment manager in the apartment my mom and I lived in when we first moved to Oregon. We were roughly the same age so it was natural we start playing together when she was visiting. We wound up moving into their neighborhood the nest school year and we were 11/12 and she introduced me to all her friends and it was great. She was there through all those life changing events you have between 11 and 13. Our first boyfriend was the same person, I was there when she had her first kiss, we would watch horrible TV together on Friday nights (I won’t say what in order to not incriminate myself, it’s bad don’t ask). We had slumber parties and pulled pranks on people. Some things are hard to remember having 20 years between then and now, I can’t remember what she was there for and what she wasn’t, think it was because she was always there. I remember when she moved away and I went to stay the night (she didn’t move far) and killing a spider with a can of hairspray because she was afraid of them and I didn’t want to squish it, so I hairsprayed it to death. I remember that same time listening to Metallica for the first time (before they were popular and when they were good). All these memories keep flooding back and it’s so weird and so familiar.

I’m glad for having people I was once close with come back into my life, it’s comforting, it feels right.

Life and Death February 11, 2008

The last week has been a real whirlwind. I’m at home today after spending the weekend sitting by my grandmother’s bedside, talking to her, giving her water, making her comfortable, making sure the aids know what she’s done in the last two hours since they gave her the last medication, sleeping on the floor in her room and crying.

A week ago today I found out that it wasn’t looking good, took of Wednesday to spend the day with her and the weekend helping take care of her and make sure there were people with her all the time. It makes you realize how fragile life is and how the body works. She’s still alive at the moment and I thought it would take less time, just shows what a trouper she is. It’s so hard though. I’ve never dealt with anything so hard.

Staying home today feels like an indulgence, but as my body creaks and cracks every time i move and I slept till noon I think it was a good idea. Putting carpet directly on concrete doesn’t make it much softer. Why there is no padding in a facility that houses older people doesn’t make any sense to me at all. Neither does not having family rooms.

I miss her so much but I know it’s time for her to go, it’s time for her ending of this story. I’ve inherited a lot of great things from her, my inability to carry a tune, knowing how to give “grandma kisses” (you lick your lips rigt before you give a kiss), reading voraciously and it doesn’t matter what it is just reading, sleeping with one side of the bed covered in stuff (since no one is sleeping there, although she was much neater about it and doesn’t move around like I do), sleeping very soundly, being a pack rat. There is more to her than that and I could write for days without scratching the surface. She was the best person and she’s been my hero for years.

A pound of yarn is worth…. January 30, 2008

I’m not ready for a real entry but I did want to post a little something for all my Knitters out there. Some will drool and some will fall in love.

http://www.yarniapdx.com/contact.html

I can’t wait to get me a pound of yarn YO.

Goals for 2008 January 18, 2008

Everyone should have goals right? Instead of New Years resolutions I prefer to say goals since they are more apt to be followed through on.

So here goes:

1. Simplify my expressions – cut back on like, really, awesome, love. I want to use those expressions for the right moment and not for every moment.

2. take more time to think about things. Relax and don’t get so excited that I forget what I’m trying to say or things like my coat or my keys.

3. take time to de-stress

4. knit more – goal is to knit at least 2 pairs of socks, one article of clothing and katie’s hat. I’d like to knit another hat for me and a scarf that actually keeps me warm.

5. travel outside the NW

6. accept people for who they are and not what I expect them to be or who I think they are

7. start ArTshirts and research different ways to create them (set up Etsy account, buy blank t’s, get a broader range of paint, see what the market for something like that is)

8. remember I am worth the time people spend on me and the things they do for me.

9. spend more one on one time with my friends and really get to know them

10. spend less time taking care of everyone else

11. make friends with men with no other intentions than being friends

12. not to over think things aka don’t put meaning on everything

13. think about what I eat and how much

14. cook more at home

15. go to more shows

Another Addiction… January 17, 2008

I’m thinking this is going to be THE event of the year…

I’m thinking I need a date for this one…

Ramblings

I haven’t got any set idea for this so it might turn out to be a bit of a mishmash so bare (bear? which is it?) with me! So far 2008 has been great. It’s been full of everything good and not nearly as much bad as you’d think. Beautiful men with great kisses, kitty love, acknowledging good friends, starting exercise regimens, new knitting projects, seeing your most favorite of musical artists in concert!, sharing beautiful times with beautiful people, starting school, reconnecting with old friends. and forgiving not so old friends for their weaknesses and mine when it comes to them.

This is just a little of what’s happened in the first 17 days of the year. I can honestly say that I’m happy with life how it’s turning out so far. I have goals and way’s I’d like to see things in my life progress but I don’t want to get to far ahead of myself. Doing the “Living in the Moment” thing so many people have tried to teach me. It feels good when I can remember to do it!

I was talking to a former boyfriend recently about how we met and I realized how much I’ve changed. How bold I was then and how I’m not so bold now (with men I like) it’s kind of sad. I think that should be one of my goals this year, to not be afraid of rejection and what they think of me. I need to apply that to all areas of my life not just in dating.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Not the great post I set out to have it be, but it is what it is…

Movies!

Juno - I Went to the theater (I know it’s shocking) and saw Juno the week before last. It was beautiful. I’m still in awe of it. I’m buying the soundtrack tomorrow. (Or at least ordering it off Amazon tomorrow.) I really liked everything about the movie and I’m glad I saw it in a theater on my own.

Blood Diamond – I was at my grandparents last weekend and they have Satellite TV and I was flipping through trying to find a good movie. I settled on Blood Diamond and my grandma watched it with me. I’m sure it was more violence than she likes and it was for me as well but it was so good. It’s not an unfamiliar topic to me. I stopped wanting anything to do with diamonds (conflict free or not) in like 1998 or so. It’s so nice to see something else about it. My grandma and I talked about it during the movie and a little after. She kept saying “I had no idea” so it felt good to be able to share something like that with her.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – I’ve seen this one ages ago but it was on so I watched it again. Anything with Mos Def in it is good! Plus Hi I’m a geek! I read the book at 13 and was delighted to find out that my favorite number is THE number! It was really fun to watch the movie again and the scene where they are all knitted is my favorite. I really should get a copy for my library. It’s fantastic.

Once my netflix starts up again (new CC # kind of messed me up and then I over spent so it’ll be tomorrow before I get it paid and on to more movies.) you can look forward to my reviews of Dexter and other movies that I can’t remember at the moment.

Have a great day!!!