Dear Santa: Please send boy, or keys to Australia. XOXO, Karen

Well well well...so we meet again, Mr. Blog. I've been MIA for a few weeks, but it's totally not my fault. Well, unless you count being a total slacker as being my fault, in which case, yeah; my fault. I've sat at my computer every night since my last blog update, and have I even tried to post an entry?? Ok, so maybe I did start to update like 4 times in the past couple of weeks, but be thankful I didn't go through with it... some things about male gymnasts and pudding should never leave my mind. Seriously.

Anywho, it's Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope that everyone has a good holiday and that any travel that must be done is safe and fun for you all! As for myself, today started my 5 day weekend and it was pretty fantastic! The J-man and I lazed around all day, for the most part. We played in the snow, which was pretty fun! Although, he did lose part of his Dr. Horrible costume in the process. He was being Dr. Horrible as he played in the snow and wore his goggles outside...and decided to bury them...and now he can't remember where he buried them. Hopefully we get the warmer weather/rain that we're supposed to get this weekend and they surface. Otherwise, he will be a goggleless Dr. Horrible until spring. Actually, I can fix this: he'll just be Billy instead. The alter-egos never get any attention! Whoever says "man, I wanna be Clark Kent!" The only alter-ego that actually has people adoring him is probably Tony Stark. /swoon

...thinking of Robert Downey Jr. now and lost my train of thought... Oh, yes. Christmas Eve! After we had our fill of snowy-goodness, we came inside and started watching Christmas movies: Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman, and The Year Without a Santa Claus. We also played Go Fish, ate some Italian take out, and then finished the night with some Mario Kart Wii action. Oh, and we did watch Dr. Horrible again this morning. Crystal got the DVD, so we are borrowing it while she's in Illinois for the holidays. I have to say, this is a must buy for anyone who enjoyed Dr. Horrible. The commentary...is...AWESOME. They did a musical commentary. It was...it's just magicalness. So great!!
So, overall: Best. Christmas Eve. Ever.

I'm still fuzzy on the details for my Christmas Day, but I know that Jackson will be going to his dad's for most of the day. I will spend part of the day at home, being lazy and listening to music, and then head to my parents' for dinner. I'm not doing my formal Christmas festivities with my family until the 27th, so this weekend I will be ZOMG busy; I'm going to take every opportunity to be loungey and lazy until Saturday, though!

It's kind of sad, though, how much my attitude towards Christmas has changed over the years. I'd always been such a huge goober about Christmas and had such enthusiasm and awe for the holiday. However, in recent years, I've noticed my adoration for the holiday waning and that depresses me. The only thing keeping Christmas exciting for me now is Jackson, but even that excitement only goes so far. He spends Christmas Day with his father, so that day will be just another day this year; no different for me than any other Thursday. *sigh* C'est la vie.
It probably doesn't help that this is my 3rd Christmas in a row being single. I won't say that I hate being single, since I've come to terms with it and am content in my spinsterhood, but it does make me sad thinking how nice it would be to have someone to share Christmas snuggles and mistletoe kisses with. Plus, this weekend I will be around my family and all of their happy suburbia happiness and will put on my happy face... and then I will eat too much pie as I sit in envy of their happy coupleness... blerg!
Ok. Happy thoughts...happy thoughts. Ewan McGregor in a kilt...naked Robbie Williams... 2008 male Olympic diving team (like, all of the teams...so much rawr) in pools of jello...
Ok. All better now!

Hmmm...trying to think if anything exciting or notable has happened lately, but I'm pretty sure not. Alas, the life of the Karen is still unexciting and boringish. I am working on a list of goals for 2009, though, which I'm hoping will help make it not so boring (from my perspective, anyhow). I'm not going to call them resolutions, since if I coin them as such, I will most likely have the Defiant Karen come out and she's too rebellious and care-free to abide by resolutions. She scoffs at them.
/scoff
However, my list of goals for 2008 went over pretty well, so we'll see if I can up my game and come up with some great things for me to accomplish in 2009. At the top of my list: take more chances. And, I've kind of already sort of started that one...ish. Still a work in progress, but it's in progress!! That's all that matters!

Ok. I think I've rambled enough for now. Time to go be Santa and finish wrapping gifts! Again, Merry Christmas and I will try to update before the new year!
No promises, though...

^_^


Music Pick for the Day: "Whistle for the Choir" by The Fratellis
Beverage Pick for the Day: lemonade!
Socks for the Day: red and green Christmas socks that say "naughty or nice" all over (both. Equally. FYI.)

You can't survive on ice cream...

Happy "Take it in the Ear" Day! Why yes, that is a rather obscure and weird holiday, and no, I have no idea where it's from, but it is rather intriguing, isn't it? I've been thinking about it for about 10 minutes now, trying to figure out the intent of this day and have come to a few conclusions:
1. It's a rough way of saying "dude, just listen", so instead of talking, try being the one who sits back and listens? Sometimes, people need to be told to just listen, so really, this is a great day to have. Too many people hear what they want to hear, or don't really listen at all, so it's nice to have a day to remind us to actually listen to what people say at face value; not everyone talks in code.
2. A less offensive way of saying "take it in the rear". So, a day to be humble and take your lumps? Don't be outspoken and learn to shut up? Same kind of vein as #1, but with a different intent.
3. Sexual experimentation day? Who knows, some people have weird ear fetishes...I'm just saying.
Aside from the impending ear raping which may or may not occur today, my Monday is turning out to be a pretty good day, considering how I was feeling yesterday and this morning. I got a free lunch, and I'm no longer feeling like poo, which are two very important things that can turn most days into good days!

I woke up yesterday morning, though, sick as a...something really sick, and wanting to do nothing but drink my weight in NyQuil and sleep the day away. But, I had my geeking out to do with my geeks and was supposed to be at Crystal and Adam's for D&D at 9am. However, since I wasn't feeling sick Saturday night, I was all "I'm not setting my alarm, cuz there's no way I'm sleeping past 7:30". Little did I know that my body was all "Yes, go to sleep, and as you slumber, I am totally going to give you a headache and fill your nose with goo and make your head feel like it will implode at any moment! *maniacal laugh*". So, needless to say, my inner alarm was all gunked up by the yuckies and made me sleep until 9:30...and trust me, that is a very rare occurence, indeed, and just shows how sick I was that I actually slept for over 5 hours.
So, I climb out of bed, message Crystal that I was rolling out of bed and that I'd be there in a few. I threw on some clothes and headed over there at about 10am. We didn't start the game until almost 11, and by 1, I was ready for some quality nappage. We called game before 2 and I headed home, intending to finish baking the cookies for my WoW boys, but with my sickies and general state of blerg, I wasn't up for anything more involved than sitting on my couch, watching Robert Downey Jr. being sexy. So, that's what I did; I watched Iron Man, then chilled with my J-man once he got home at about 4...and then watched Iron Man again after dinner.

I felt like poo all day/night, so I watched another movie after Jackson went to bed, and it made me a bit blergified: PS, I Love You. Damn you, Gerard Butler and your sexy manliness! I wants one of you! It's never a good idea for me to watch romantic comedies if I'm in a less than good mood, since I'm quite likely to fall into a "I'm so lonely and will die a crazy spinster cat lady" type of mood... which is where I was for about 3 hours last night. However, after the movie was over, I headed to my 'puter to do some blipping and that helped cheer me up a bit, although I still felt like my head was going to melt. Then at about 11, I headed to bed and decided to start rewatching Friends, and that always cheers me up!

To keep with the weird backward narration for my weekend, Saturday, I totally went shopping in Milwaukee with the Amie and Angel and had a blast! I heart Angel and wish that we got to see her more often. My goal for the day was to buy a cute dress and some boots, but since I'd just bought 2 new dresses Friday night, I was on the look out for boots. But, the boots I loved were out of my budget for this time of year, so after the holidays, I'm totally going to buy me some totally sexy knee high boots! Very /rawr, indeed. However, eventhough I didn't meet my objective for shopping, I did get some cute arm warmers and some cute knit tights to go with my dresses! I'm going to be so adorably cute in my dress, I may squeee and have the ^_^ face when I wear it! Mission- Fancy Karen: In progress!!

So, after I got home, I decided to be fancy and wear my dress and tights...with my bright blue "It's not my fault I was born awesome" fuzzy slippers and my WoW hoodie, and decorated my tree and living room! Crystal and Amie then came over that night to bake cookies for our WoW boys and to watch a movie. And, eventhough I was in my cute dress and baking, I was already getting a bit blergy (which, in retrospect, was probably due to my upcoming illness...blerg to that I say!) All in all, though, Saturday was a great day!

Friday was a great day, too! After work, I went out for a martini with Crystal, Amie and Myrt and then we headed to Target, where I bought my two cute dresses on CLEARANCE! I had also bought a new coat there earlier in the week (tan corduroy trench for $25! Love clearance sales!), so I am totally /cheer about my new cheap-ass clothes!

So, I'm pretty content with everything in my life at the moment and happy with all things in Karenland. Plus, it doesn't hurt that today there are boys wandering in and out of the department. And really, how can you have a bad day when you look up from your desk to see the bottom halves of men sticking out of the ceiling, while the Shins play in the background? It's like the setting for a Utopia...or at least a very weird, awkward porno.
Dammit... now I'm trying to figure out a good plot for an electrician/painter-man porn and I'm afraid my productivity for the afternoon is going to be quite poor.
Oh well...totally worth it.

^_^



Music pick for the Day: "Cheap and Cheerful" by the Kills (my new favorite!)
Beverage pick for the Day: water
Socks for the Day: blue and white whale socks!

Hearing the whir of the servos inside...

So, I had a pretty great weekend, filled with family and fun. I also got a snazzy new phone which I will marry as soon as they allow people to marry inanimate objects...or as soon as the robot overlords take over and it's no longer taboo to love something made of metal and circuits.
*cue Future Soon by JoCo*
I also got my 1st real Christmas tree in 3 years! I'd used a fake tree while I was in my apartment, since real trees were not allowed, and I'm thrilled to be able to have a real one again. Check out my brightkite for pics of the pretties! I've been too busy to decorate it, but hopefully tonight Jackson and I will have some time to at least get lights on.

My Monday was pretty good, too. There were some good moments, so I shall let you in on the good stuff:

- Mike was late getting to work, because he stopped to rescue a poor little kitten from the cold and snow on his way in. He brought it to the vet where his girlfriend works, and found out that the kitten had been shot in the shoulder and is now having its leg amputated today. So much horribliness should never happen to something so little. But, on the happy side, Mike and Marina now have a new kitty! Mike has also dubbed himself the Kitten Whisperer, and I think I may need to make him a plaque with that etched on it. "Mike the Kitten Whisperer"...although, I foresee that being dirrtied up at some point.

- If you ever hear of an album by the band Fountains of Poop, buy a copy immediately, since it means that Mike and I have started a band and are trying to make our living as musicians. Also, if you should ever hear of the band Velvet Hammer, buy two copies, because it will mean that being mediocre at Rock Band drumming has become a socially accepted form of artisitc expression and I started a solo tour IRL.

- Jackson and I were discussing names for our eventual puppy and he said that he wants to name it Moose II, after our friends Crystal and Adam's dog Moose. I said "no, buddy. It's going to be Monkey". He said that Monkey wasn't a good name, and that Moose II was better. I then suggested Bananaface as an alternative, and he again said that Moose II was better. I then said "How about Bananaface Monkey Moose II?", to which he again said no, this time sounding a bit exasperated with me. So I said "Bananaface Monkey Moose, Jr?" And, his response was "I don't think that would be very appropriate, Mom." So, apparently December 1st, 2008 is the day in which being a 26 year old makes you exponentially more silly than a 6 year old. Kind of a like a Freaky Monday instance. Isn't the kid supposed to be goofier than his mommy?? Such is my life, I suppose.

I think there were more good things, but I'm having a hard time remembering. I've been awake since 2 am, since I went to sleep at 10 pm last night, after a pretty crappy evening. My body got its alloted 4 hours of sleep and wouldn't let me have any more. My mind was also unable to be stopped, so I'm pretty sure that my mind was in cahoots with my body, therefore making it impossible for more sleepy for teh Karen this morning.

But, if my brain de-mushifies as the day progresses and I remember more goodness, I'll update again.

For now, I'm off. Happy Tuesday and I'll check back soon.

Music Pick for the Day: "You Don't Know Me" by Ben Folds and Regina Spektor
Beverage Pick for the Day: tea
Socks for the Day: blue and red Superman socks

Cake or blerg... Um, cake, please!

Well, that weekend did not go at all like I planned! And, not in a good way, either.

Friday was great; I got done with work, and headed to Fusion with the Amie and Myrt for a drink. I had a She Devil martini and it was delicious! We then headed to Country Kitchen for foodage and I attempted to eat my weight in pancakes and failed miserably. Crsytal joined us for foodage and we had a great time! After I was stuffed, we went back to Crystal and Adam's and played Little Big Planet until about 10:30 and that was a blast! I totally need to get a PS3 so that I can play this game all of the time. Seriously, most fun I've had in a long time with a console video game; its funness rivals that of Mario Kart in my book, and I love me some Mario Kart action. So, after that, I headed home, played some WoW, then went to bed.

Saturday, I woke up in a great mood and was ready for a day of gaming goodness. I left my house at 1pm, to head to Crystal's...and my car wouldn't start. Like, really super wouldn't start. So, I didn't freak out yet; I went and asked Tanya if she had jumper cables, which she did not, so I then called Amie to come over with hers to see if we could get my car to make a noise beyond clicking. Myrt and Amie arrive with jumper cables...and still my car just clicks. This is the part of the story where Karen starts to really freak out. I called my sister Suzie to see if I could come and get her Grand Am to use, since I wasn't sure what was wrong with my car and didn't want to be carless Monday morning, so Amie drove me to Beaver Dam so I could pick up the car. I hung out at Suzie's for a bit that afternoon, and that helped to calm my nerves, and then I headed to Waupun to visit the parents since I was in the area. I got home at about 5pm and spent the rest of the night moping, playing WoW and watching movies. So, not at all the Saturday I had anticipated. /sad

Sunday morning, I was still feeling down about it all, but forced myself to be optimistic. Myrt had thought that eventhough the jump didn't help, it could still be a dead battery; just a really super dead one. So, Amie and Myrt once again came over, this time with battery chargers, to try my luck with that before I called someone to tow it and look at it on Monday. I started my car charging at about 3pm and hung out with Jackson/played WoW the rest of the day. I kept myself in pretty good spirits for the day, trying to remain optimistic about my poor, dead car. At about 6pm, I went to check the charger and it still read dead. However, they did tell me that it can take a long time to charge, so I left it plugged in and went back to hanging with the J-man. We watched Alvin and the Chipmunks and snuggled. Then he took a bath, we read a story and he headed to bed at 9. After I tucked him in, I went to check the meter again, not expecting it to say anything other than it had before...but what's this? The gauge moved??? Could it be working??????

So, I pranced back inside and told Tanya the news. I wasn't getting my hopes up, but my optimism seemed to be paying off! I decided to let it go until I was ready for bed, and then try to start it. I keep myself preoccupied with the season finale of True Blood and the Colbert Christmas special (both of which were fantastic, btw. I need to get the soundtrack to the Colbert Christmas! Too funny, it was!!), and I got my death knight to about 1/2 way through level 62. I was starting to think that sleep would be good at about midnight, so I went back out again to check the meter. It hadn't moved since the last time I'd come out, but I figured I might as well try it, just to see. I unplug the charger, shut the hood, and get in the car. I take out my key, put it in the ignition...turn the key...and....IT STARTED!!!! I was so happy. Beyond happy. Ecstatic! I ran into the house to freak out to Tanya that my car was alive again! I then told her that I was going to sit outside for a bit, just to listen to it run. It was almost as magical as a baby's laugh. Best. Sound. EVER!

Needless to say, I had a hard time falling asleep last night. I was so full of WOOOOOHOOOOOness that I just couldn't fall asleep. I didn't fall asleep until after 2, and almost got myself out of bed at 6:15, but decided to press snooze a bit this morning instead. Had I known that it snowed last night after I went to sleep, I would have gotten up right away. While I was unprepared for the snow, I welcome the prettiness!

So, while my weekend was pretty crappy and although I have been in an overly meh and blerg mood lately, today I am pretty content and happy with everything in my life. I still feel a bit...off, as though something is missing, but I'm working on a few new changes that I hope will help me be me again. First of which is kind of a frivilous thing (fancy new cell phone with web access..../rawr), but it's going to make me all ^_^, so it may just be enough to kick my butt out of Glumville. I'll update once I have my shinies this weekend!

Ok. That's all for now. I'm getting better at this updating thing again, so hopefully I keep up with it this time!

Toodles!

^_^


Music Pick for the Day: "My Moon My Man" by Feist (my new favorite vocalist..I have to look into getting more music by her)
Beverage for the Day: water
Socks for the Day: black with tourquoise polka dots

Promises, promises

Mmmmm...promises. And, by promises, I mean the Dove chocolate ones. I had a stash of them in my drawer at work, so I eated them all. And they were goooooood. Aside from their numminess, I like the Promises because they also have little notes inside, which makes them kind of like chocolate fortune cookies. So, my chocolate fortunes are:

"A special moment deserves a special chocolate"- I got this one twice, so I'll use this as the reason behind my having 6 promises this afternoon...don't judge me! /delicious

"Buy flowers for yourself"- I may do this, but not in a 'oh, look! Someone totally sent me flowers; I wonder who they're from' kind of way, but rather in a 'my kitchen needs some cheering up. I shall do that with pretty flowers!' kind of way. But, we'll see if I'm ambitious enough to go and buy some. This one will be a maybe.

"Think without limits"- This one I do quite often already, which always gets me in trouble with myself. My mind, or rather my imagination, knows no limits, so I can day dream like you wouldn't believe. However, many day dreams are often not within the grasps of reality, so I tend to set myself up for disappointment when my fantasty life is vastly more appealing than my reality. /le sigh

"Try something new this weekend"- This one I fully intend on fulfilling, not just once, but twice (two promise fortunes for this one, as well!). I have plans for tonight and Saturday, so I'll have to fit something new into my schedule somehow. Perhaps I will try new foods or a new drink tonight, or maybe just do something out of the ordinary. We shall see what adventures the weekend may hold! But, chances are, I'll order french toast instead of waffles and that will count as my "try something new". How boring am I? If I do end up trying something wholey new, I will be sure to try to update again with details, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you...

"Think lovingly, speak lovingly, act lovingly"- Again, I'm pretty good at doing this on a regular basis. I'm a pretty lovey-dovey person and let people know how I feel, even if it's not the best idea. I'm kind of a goober that way and just have to speak my mind sometimes, but on the plus side, I don't hide emotions and typically am very up front about things with people. So, speak and think lovingly, check! Act lovingly is also one that I do often, and generally in the form of hugs. I'm kind of a hug-bot. Hug-slut. Hug-a-holic. Hugs FTW. And, after a few drinks tonight, I may once again display my thinking/speaking/acting lovingly, so Amie and Crystal, watch out! :P

Wish me luck on having a great weekend and I'll update again soonish, I hope!
*huggles*

^_^


Music Pick for the Day: "Green-Eyed Lady" by Sugarloaf (I was on a "eye" song kick this morning, and this one is one of my favs. There are no good songs about my name, so I appreciate a song about green eyed people)
Beverage Pick for the Day: Water
Socks for the Day: pink, green and brown argyle knee highs (best. socks. EVER!)

Bluebells and sleighbells and something with mittens...

/snuggles her blanket
It's attempting to snow outside, and this is the most I've seen it snow yet this year. Nothing is sticking to the ground yet, but just the flurries whizzing around outside are enough to get me into my wintery goodness spirit. A lot of people dislike snow, or rather, a lot of people dislike driving in snow. However, I love so much about snow that I'm willing to forgive the poor driving conditions it brings. And now, my favorite things about snow:

1.) It's fun! Building snowmen, making snow angels, sledding... what's not to love??
2.) It's winter! And what happens in winter? Christmas. And what's great about Christmas? EVERYTHING! Decorations, lights, trees, eggnog, cookies, music, 24 hours of A Christmas Story...I could go on, but I won't.
3.) It's pretty! Imagine a Thomas Kinkade snowytime picture and that's basically my perfect setting. Snowy, peaceful, and beautiful. It just makes me happy on the inside to think about it. Add that with some hot cocoa, blankets, and a good movie, and you have every Friday night during the winter months for me. Well, except that I don't actually live on a peaceful street...I just imagine that's what it looks like outside.
4.) It's cold! Well, I'm always cold, but that doesn't mean that I don't like the cold. On the contrary, I love the cold, since it allows me to wear fun mittens and scarves and hats and coats. Yay, winter clothes!

Ok. Off to daydream some more about wonderful winter.

^_^

I shall conquer this, I shall.

If I could sum up my past month or two in one word, that word would be "blerg". I have had more blerg in the past few months than I'd had in a long time. What caused this blerg? Where did it come from? And how can I get rid of it!?! For starters, I don't think that any one thing has caused the blerg, but rather a few smaller blergific things, such as moving situation changing and just being in a perpetual state of "...what now?" I feel as though I'm anticipating or dreading something, but can't seem to pin point what that something is. I'm anxious without anywhere to direct said anxiousness.

I've also had some very upsetting situations arise in the past month, such as an old friend unexpectedly dying last month. 26 years old, mother of 2, who I hadn't seen or spoken to in nearly 5 years. Growing up, she was an honorary member of my family, and was treated and loved like a sister to me and my siblings, and as a daughter to my parents. To get the news that she had died was jarring, to say the least, and it took me a few days to really have the news sink in. It just seemed so surreal; it still seems surreal. Her wake was by far the hardest thing I've had to deal with in a long time, and just seeing her family was too much to bear. Not only had I not seen them all in many years, but I also could not be glad to see them, due to circumstances. It was the worst reunion, in the worst situation.

Ok. I need to be on happier topics, to try to mellow myself out again.

Happy topics...happy topics...hmmm... OH! So, speaking of anticipating things, last week was the release of the newest WoW expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. I have to say, I'm enjoying it more than The Burning Crusade, and I've barely even touched on the quests in Northrend. I will say that Death Knight is super badass and the story line for it is is pretty amazing. I was almost brought to tears by some of the story, which I guess isn't that much of a feat considering how often I cry, but still: amazing. I'm debating making my DK my main for a bit, and then work on leveling Alukin once Cat is 80 and has time to focus on leveling Squik with me. Decisions, decisions.

Last night, I was feeling pretty meh and restless, so I decided to do some more unpacking and arranging to occupy my mind. Since Jackson fell asleep on the couch again, I focused my energies on my bedroom and unpacked some of my books. While doing this, I wanted to watch a DVD, so I picked out Pride and Prejudice... /swoon. And no, not the one that came out a few years ago with Keira Knightly. I'm talking about the 5 hour BBC mini series, with Colin Firth as the dreamboat Mr. Darcy. Mmmmm, Mr. Darcy. If I could find a real life Mr. Darcy, my life would be complete. And, speaking of Mr. Darcy, I watched Bridget Jones' Diary last weekend...and I've realized that I am more like the character Bridget Jones than I would care to admit. Her crazy, her verbal diarrhea, her horrendous love life. But, she did get her Mr. Darcy in the end. His whole speech to Bridget just makes me smile, every time I hear it:
"I don't think you're an idiot at all. I mean, there are elements of the ridiculous about you. Your mother's pretty interesting. And you really are an appallingly bad public speaker. And, um, you tend to let whatever's in your head come out of your mouth without much consideration of the consequences... But the thing is, um, what I'm trying to say, very inarticulately, is that, um, in fact, perhaps despite appearances, I like you, very much. Just as you are."
/rawr
/swoon
Mr. Darcy...Mark Darcy... mmmmmmm

Although, I am 1 up on Ms. Jones. As of today, it has been 1 year since I last smoked. 1 year since I smoked my last cheat cigarette, even. One whole entire year, smoke free. I am pretty darn proud of myself for that! I need to get back into the mindset that got me to quit smoking, and perhaps life can start to make sense again. Get out of my head and back in the now and just go with the flow. I need to flow. I've hit some flow-blocks in the past few months, so it's time to get happy again. To do this, I may /shun the world for a bit, to get back into the right mindset, but even if I do /shun everyone, I promise to come back out, less crazy-crazy and more fun-crazy! That's worth some Karenless time, right? I think so!

Ok. I'm off now. Time to go and be all zen and not so blergy. Blerg = teh suck.

Laters!

^_^



Music Pick for the Day: "Handsome Man", by Robbie WIlliams
Beverage Pick for the Day: coffeeeeeeeeeee
Socks for the Day: Maroon, tan and black argyle knee highs