Merry Christmas

I know this has been a thin month for blog entries. I can only plead stress and irritation brought on by the season, which, thankfully is pretty much over as of...well, right now. I hope everyone had a great holiday, though, whether you celebrate Christmas or Hannukah or the solstice, or somewhere out there, a Roman re-enactor who celebrates Saturnalia (which, I gotta tell you, sounds like my kind of holiday). It was rainy and foggy here in DC for the holiday, but not too cold, which was nice. So since I don't have a lot to say, here's a picture of Max, who was sadly negelged to day because she was home alone, and is now acting like a freak.



How could a face like that not make you happy?

What the Hell Happened to December?

Seriously. I feel like, two days ago, it was Thanksgiving, and now, suddenly, I'm being confronted by the fact that Christmas is next week. How did that happen? What has happened to the last two weeks? I'm on top of stuff, in terms of my shopping and stuff like that, but I'm feeling extremely pressed for some reason. Probably this has something to do with the gym and me not going to it for two days in a row. But, on the up side, my stupid ceiling is finally finished. Now I can do things like...paint my wall! Move my furniture back! Whooo!

I wonder if I stress myself out by watching things like The Apprentice? So stressful, watching these people possibly failing.

Anyway...I've also accumulated a rather large list of films out in the theatres I want to see right now. King Kong. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Brokeback Mountain. Syrinia (okay, I will admit that I don't want see the torture scene particularly. I still haven't recovered from a viewing of the Marathon Man from when I was twelve. Plus, Geroge Clooney looks disturbingly like Sadaam Huessein, and, ew.).

However, the end of November does mean I've had some chances to actually read. Unheard of, I know. I don't know that I love what I'm reading, but it's entertaining.

Well, I think that's enough stream of conciousness with no point from me. I mean, rambling is all well and good, but I doubt anyone wants read it for ages.

Return of Project Runway

Oh my. Can I just tell you how happy, excited, pleased I am at the return of Projct Runway? The personalities are definitely coming out, of course. But I love the judges, Nina Garcia and Michael Kors. I mean, I know they're very intimidating and all, but I think they're ultimately fair. But I think the thing I love about this show is how collaborative the designers are. One designer was having problems with his design, and one of the other designers helps him do the sewing so he can get it done. I just really like that spirit of helping out and working together that this show fosters. I love Tim Gunn, who is the guy from Parsons. He's so helpful, saying, "I'm worried about this. Do you need it? You'll have to defend this to the judges." But it's not mean or judgemental, just, hey, I'm concerned.

I'm not sure that ANY of these people are going to replace Jay McCarrol in my heart. None of them have displayed that unique sort of thing he had going for him, which was fun and quirky and feeling solid in his talent, but also funny as hell. But some of them are emerging as great personalities (early favorites are Nick and Emmet), and villains (Zulema and Guadalupe). And huge egos, like Santino. And the one guy, Daniel Franco, who came back from Season One and is trying again. I actually sort of like him, because he's so humbled from his experience, and he's trying so hard to impress them and not get eliminated early. I almost think he'd be happy to stay through half the show. But honestly, I think he'll gain confidence and get better as the show goes on.

I think it will be a very very interesting season on Project Runway.

Damn you world! ::shakes fist::

Actually, I'm not really in that bad a mood. I mean, I was earlier, but now I've been to yoga and gotten some exercise, so I feel better. I don't know what it is, I just feel this sort of general malaise. I think I can track it pretty accurately to a couple of things. In November I was all full of purpose because I was doing the book, and I was very driven. Stressed, but with purpose.

And then the month ended. And the project was done. And I had my birthday, which is always a time for me to reassess my life. And this past Monday it snowed, which is just...ugh. I start to feel all closed in and trapped and tight when it gets cold, and I just have to sit at my desk and do my pointless job, and I start dreaming that I had enough guts to just sell my condo and flee to Fiji and...I don't know...teach scuba diving. I don't know what it is. I just get this itch at this time of the year, and I find myself sort of dissatsified with everything.

So I have to list the good things in my life. And I'm not talking big things like my family and friends. I'm talking about the little things that help me get through the week.

1. Comfort food. I'm talkin' risotto, mac and cheese, pizza, sushi, thai food.
2. The return of Project Runway. Yes, today. (But please, what is Daniel Franco doing back?) Tim Gunn makes me happy.
3. Good books. Thank god for the library, and for the fact that I have a lot of stuff on my shelves, both things that I've read before that could take a re-reading, and things that I haven't read yet. I feel like with the cold weather setting in, I should tackle something really imposing and long.
4. Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me and This American Life. Must hear radio on Saturdays. I feel incomplete when I don't get to hear these shows.
5. Rediscovering old music. Finding my Gin Blossoms CD, They Might Be Giants, and hey, is that my copy of Pink Floyd The Wall? Bring it on! Sometimes I forget how music can make me feel. It can take me back to a time in my life that was different, or I find new siginificance in the music. It's not secret that I love cheesy, trashy Europop. Usually it's a no-brainer for lifting my spirits, but for some reason I'm not going for it right now. Maybe I should, though.
7. The gym. A must have. I remember in high school having a friend who elected not to take gym his junior year (since it wasn't required), and he regretted it because he got hyper and nervous during the day, and having gym class helped him blow it off an focus. I have become that sort of person. I get short tempered and annoyed when I don't get enough exercise. And then I go to the gym and I magically feel better. It's like natural crack or something.
8. Diet Coke. My lifeline.
9. Netflix. It's like I don't have to keep my list of things that I want to see in my head anymore, because Netflix has yet to not have what I want. Not only have I been able to catch up on shows that I wasn't able to see due to lack of cable, or scheduling conflicts, but also get to see movies that I missed in the theatre.
10. Seeing movies in the theatre. I know, I could rent it, but there's something about the big screen and the group experience that has a huge attraction for me. Plus the colors are more vibrant, images are more striking, and action is more exciting on the big screen.
11. Live theatre. Ditto to the movie experience, except I can't see it on netflix. You snooze, you lose.
12. Speaking of snoozing, sleep. I'm disgracefully low on it.
13. Yoga. Though I miss my old teacher terribly. I don't like doing fourteen sun salutations, speeding through balance poses, and holding stretches for only three seconds. I end up not feeling relaxed and stretched, which is sort of what I'm after. The answer, of course, is home practice.

Man. I need a lot in my life to get by.