Broken Thought Process Thursday already?

Traffic was weird after work today.  I was driving along on 95, and it was slow like normal at first, but it usually frees up around Rt. 9.  Well, today it was kind of slow all the way to Dedham.  Not painfully slow, just kind of slow.  I realize only Jenn will have any idea of the distance between the two points where it usually frees up and where it did free up...but oh well.  Anyway, then when I switched to 93, it was slow almost the whole way, and 93 is usually the best part of my drive.  Then I get off the highway and people IN Quincy are driving all weird and causing funky lockups at the intersections.  I realize this is the Boston area with the world-famous bad drivers, but it's usually not that bad.

Oh, oven timer beeped.  Gonna eat my dinner then get back to ya.

Mmm.  Salmon and brussels sprouts.  Two of my favorite things.

I’ve been under too much stress lately.  I can tell because I’m having lots of physical symptoms.  Headaches.   My acid reflux is back.  Yes, I said back.  I got diagnosed a few years ago, I had to take Pepcid twice a day for an indeterminate amount of time, and I was supposed to avoid caffeine and alcohol (yeah, right).  Eventually it went away, but apparently only temporarily.   Oddly, it doesn’t give me heartburn, just makes me constantly nauseous, especially in the morning.  No, I’m not pregnant.  Going by the last time that would have been possible…I’d be huge by now.  And I haven’t had a random angel show up telling me I’m carrying the next Jesus, so that’s out too.  Anyway, back to the Pepcid, I guess.

I know I just need to chill.  I’ve been trying.  But then something else will stress me out.  It’s just been one thing after another all summer and I’m really exhausted.  I’m generally a strong person and I usually handle stress well, but enough is enough.

I did have a good cry last night.  I don’t cry much, so letting it all out was really helpful.

The cat wants my salmon plate.  But I put all sorts of spices on it, I don't want him licking that stuff up.

There’s this random cat who comes to the pool to visit with people.  She looks healthy, her fur is soft, and she never asks for food, so I think she just lives in one of the apartments.  No collar so I have no idea…maybe she’s chipped, that’s a much better idea with cats because they get out of collars so easily.  Anyway, she really likes me.  Cats always do, actually…I have some sort of natural affinity with them.  The other day she hopped up in the chair with me and curled up in a ball.   According to the lifeguard, she’s never done that before.  Cute.

In other pool news, there are these two girls that have been coming who are from Paris.  They're visiting a family member.  I started trying to eavesdrop on their French.  Not easy because of course they’re speaking too fast for me most of the time.  Anyway, the family member they’re visiting (I think I heard him say to someone else that he’s their uncle) seemed to notice my attempts to eavesdrop so now they know that I quasi-speak French.  We eventually discussed how I’m trying to relearn to prepare for my trip to Paris (in just a little over a year!!!) and he suggested I practice with the girls.   That should be useful, what I really need is more immersion-type practice, I can look up vocab and verb conjugation on an as-needed basis but it’s so hard to practice real conversations.  Anyway, if I were to guess, I’d say the girls are 8 and 13.  The 8-year-old seems to need her older sister to translate for her a lot, but the 13-year-old is pretty good with English.  So we’ll see if I can get some practice with them this summer.

I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (depending on how you look at it).   It was good.  The only disappointing thing is that the best part of the book is how much of Voldemort’s back story you get, but it’s hard to put that in a movie PLUS all the other stuff they had to put in.  So a lot of that back story stuff is cut out.  But you get the parts that will be important in the next movie, which is about what I expected.  I do think it was better than most of the other movies.  Except maybe the third one, that one is just so well done.  At times I think this one was just too light, in comparison to how dark the book is.  There were certainly light moments in the book, but you still felt the underlying tension, like the lightness is there but it’s covered by a shadow.  I wish there’d been more of that.  I think Alfonso Cuarón (the director of the third movie) would have conveyed that better.  But, overall, it was a good movie.

I'm not really attached to any of the contestants on So You Think You Can Dance this season.  I mean, I like them, and there are a lot of FABULOUS dancers this time, but no one has really grabbed my attention as a favorite.  I don't know why.  A favorite has to have personality AND talent, maybe it's just that everyone seems to have a lot of one and not quite enough of the other.

On that note, the results show will be on soon.  I'm going to go throw my plate in the dishwasher and get settled in.

If you can't wait until next week for more broken thoughts, visit Jenn, Ginger, Kate, Bree, or my mom.

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Broken Thought Process...Tuesday?

Yep.  I moved it.  I could tell my thought process was going to be broken and I really couldn't wait for Thursday.

What do you call a break-up that's not really a break-up because you weren't in a relationship in the first place, you were just sort of seeing each other?  Yeah, whatever that's called.  Bleh.  I really liked him, but he was always busy, eventually I got frustrated, and we agreed that instead of trying to fight through the madness of being 3Ls we should just go our separate ways and maybe see where we both are after graduation.  It sucks.  But I know myself, I may not be "high maintenance" or anything but I do like to actually SEE the person I'm...well...seeing.  So it was going to keep frustrating me.

So, now that the alternator is fixed I'm very happy with the new car.  He still needs a name though.  I've gotten the sense that the car is definitely a "he", but I just don't have the right name yet.  Ginger, I thought about Prince, but it didn't feel right.  Thanks though!

I left work early today to go to the RMV and still almost didn't make it in time because it was SO stormy that at one point the cloud cover was so heavy it felt like I was driving at NIGHT in the pouring rain.  So people were slow...but for good reason.   But anyway, the car is registered now.  And Taxachusetts got some more of my money.  Just doing my part to help the state avoid bankruptcy.  =P

The cat is desperately trying to be in my lap even though my legs are crossed and I'm sitting kind of funky and sideways.

I was buying a bottle of wine yesterday, and I think the lady wasn't going to ask for my ID, but I had it out already so she just took it.  If this were any other state, that wouldn't surprise me, especially since I was still in my work clothes.  But Massachusetts is pretty firm about the whole ID checking thing...which is why I had it out.  So I thought it was weird.  I guess at least she didn't tell me she didn't need it and to put it away.

I'm hungry.  But I'm tired and don't want to cook.  I kind of want to just eat the pint of ice cream in my freezer.  I got it yesterday so I could eat it and mope and watch girly movies, but then I was too full when ice cream time came around.  I probably won't eat it for dinner.  But it's tempting.

I forgot how quickly I tan.  During the few spurts of sun we've had I've gone out by the pool.  And occasionally in, but the water is kind of cool so I only do it when I get too hot in the sun.  I have some very noticeable lines already.  I was even wearing sunscreen.  Only SPF 15, but still.

I'm going to dig around in the fridge for some food now.

As noted before, this whole BTPT thing was brought to you by Jenn. Everyone in my favorite writers list to the side does the BTPT thing too, except for Mraz Man. I think he should though, judging by some of his posts it would be right up his alley. ;)

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Broken Thought Process...hey, it's Thursday!

My state of residence may sometimes be less-than-affectionately called Taxachusetts, but at least the state isn't bankrupt. Hell, even Oregon isn't bankrupt and there's a whole chunk of revenue missing from the lack of sales tax!

I totally have the best internship ever. Not only is it a paid internship, but when I went into my e-timecard to fill it out for the week, I found that tomorrow was automatically put in for 8 hours of holiday time! Score!

It's still. F**king. Raining. The sun made a brief appearance over the weekend. Now it's gone again. I think it's supposed to make another appearance on Saturday, which would be nice considering it's the 4th of freaking July. But regardless, I'm tired of the occasional appearances. It's July.

My keyboard is funky. The w key suddenly has decided it wants to type when I just barely rest my finger on the key. I tend to rest my hands on the keyboard when I'm thinking...it is a laptop, where else are my hands going to go? So I end up typing a bunch of random Ws sometimes. It's irritating.

So I finally got a car...and then unfortunately yesterday something went funky with some kind of electrical thing. Completely out of the blue...it had been checked by a mechanic and they said everything was fine. And I could tell everything was fine. It was starting with NO hesitation, and all automatic-type stuff that uses any kind of electrical charge was working fine. Then yesterday, as I was leaving work, various electric things went haywire, then it died. Yay for AAA, at least. I'm gonna be cranky if it's the alternator. But I told the guy I bought it from that it died. He was genuinely shocked, and told me to tell him what the mechanic says. He's been a pretty awesome guy so far, so maybe he'll continue to be awesome about this whole mess. Especially if it's something that should have been found/fixed before. Oh well. Le sigh.

Anyway. With the rain and yet more time sans car I'm rather mopey today. Nothing more to say for now. I hope everyone has a good 4th. In fact, I hope I have a good 4th. I need it.

For more BTPT, see Jenn, Ginger, Kate, Bree, or ma chère maman.

Friday update: The sun made a brief appearance. I was downtown when it happened so I walked on the Common. It was good. =) I saw some dude playing I'm Yours who, from afar, looked and even SOUNDED so much like Mraz that I had to get pretty damn close before I was sure it wasn't. My heart was about ready to leap out of my chest, I swear. This guy was even wearing a Mraz-esque hat! But it definitely wasn't him. He's supposed to be in Belgium today anyway.

Also, I have my car back. It WAS the alternator. Dammit. Time to go all Lawyer Bridgete, do some research and figure out if I have any recourse. I had a paperwork issue at the RMV so I have to see the guy again anyway. He might be nice and just offer, but if not, and if there's something out there to back me up, I plan to find it. ;)

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Broken Thought Process...Day.

I really meant to post this yesterday.  But the death of the King of Pop really threw me for a loop.  Don't get me wrong, the man had issues.  Or, as my dear friend Amanda would say, he had a subscription.  Pause for you to get the issues/subscription connection...it took me a while.  But I still feel a little sad that the creator of the first mainstream music I ever listened to is gone from this earth.  Before MJ, I was all about the Disney soundtracks.  So...may he rest in peace.

I was reading the Boston Metro this morning, and happened across the following quote:

Boston is suffering through the cloudiest June since 1903.

Fabulous...not.  I thought I left the Pacific Northwest and its cloudiness behind.  Actually, I think even back home June was never so gloomy.  But there was sun today, yay!  There was a bit of mid-afternoon rain, but I was poking around some shops up in Harvard Square at the time so it didn't really interfere with my day.  By the time I got home it was sunny again.  I jumped in my swimsuit and hurried over to the pool before the sun left us again.  It was fabulous.

So there are some ginormous bumblebees around here.  I've never seen such fat bees!  One flew near my leg while I was by the pool.  Normally bumblebees don't bother me but I shied away from this guy because he was just HUGE.  He just continued on his merry way, as bumblebees always do.

Bend..........and snap!  Yes, you know what I'm watching.  ;)

Oh, NOW I'm hungry.  I had a huge lunch up in Cambridge.  So I didn't make dinner at dinnertime.  Now I don't feel like making dinner.  Eh, I think I have some stuff in the freezer that I can throw together quickly.

It surprises me that I don't own Bridget Jones's Diary.  Well, I have the book, and a movie poster, but not the movie.  It's odd that no one has ever decided it would be a great gift or something.

I'd better eat.  Until next week!  Or next time I have something to say.  ;)

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Happy Father's Day

My father's name is not on my birth certificate.  I've known this ever since it became my responsibility to hang onto my various identification documents and keep them safe.  I was recently reminded of this fact when applying for my first passport, since you have to submit your birth certificate as proof that you were born in the United States.

I asked my mother about it when I first saw it.  I don't remember the answer.  I remember it having something to do with my being born out of wedlock.  But it doesn't matter.  The reason I don't remember my mother's answer is because there has never been any room for a single shred of doubt that the man I know of as my father is, in fact, my father.

I have my father's temper.  Because of this, from the time I was a small child, I was one of the only people in the entire world that could, and would, stand up to him.  We're both extraordinarily stubborn when we think we're right.  When I was younger, I was probably wrong much more often.  But I would argue anyway.  As I grew, being right began to occur with more frequency.  Also as I grew, I learned what things to say that would more effectively prove my rightness...even if I ended up being wrong anyway.  Eventually our fights were more like loud, emotional debates.

These days, the most praise I get in law school is for my argumentation skills.  Legal argumentation is usually different from fighting with someone.  It's calmer and more rational.  But because I couldn't win with my dad if I couldn't prove I was right, and I couldn't be right if my argument was a logical failure, without even knowing it I prepared myself for the practice of law by simply arguing with my dad.

Another thing I got from my father is his financial sense.  These days, the only reason I have to call and ask for money is if something unexpected happens.  I would like to avoid doing even that, but unfortunately law school leaves me with a rather small budget so I can't maintain an emergency cushion.  But, emergencies aside, normal expenses are always comfortably within my budget.

The other aspect of my financial sense that I clearly share with him is the desire to have enough money to be happy and comfortable, with high-quality things.  We both know that it actually saves money in the end when you spend more initially -- it is like this with electronics, clothes, cars, anything.  When your stuff lasts forever, it easily makes up for the initial dollar figure.  We're both very unlike his father in this respect.  His father has the financial sense too, but all he does is stow the money away and sit on it.  My father and I do not see the sense in this.  We don't think it adds up to be sitting on thousands upon thousands of dollars and still buying cheap, shitty food at Winco.  I don't even buy cheap, shitty food, and I'm certainly not sitting on thousands upon thousands of dollars.

These are not the only reasons it is clear that I am my father's daughter.  I thankfully got his metabolism, his eyesight, his intelligence (got that from both sides, actually), his logic, and his mathematical abilities.  I'm sometimes thankful I got his OCD (at least things are organized!).  I'm often less than thankful that I got his baby-fine hair (my niece had thicker hair than I did when she was about 7).  I walk like him.  I lose patience like he does.  I drive like him.  We have the same silly (and sometimes immature) sense of humor.  I'm kindly honest, like him (except when mad, then I'm just blatantly honest...also like him).  I work hard and stay busy, like him, but when I need to relax I need to be alone, like him.  When I focus on something, the rest of the world does not exist, like him.

My birth certificate is just a piece of paper.  I don't need it to tell me what I know is true.

I love you, Dude.

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Another late Broken Thought Process Thursday

Yeah, yeah, I know.  But I work 9 hours a day (not counting 1/2 hour lunch in the middle there, so I'm actually at the office for 9.5 hours) until Friday when I only work 4.  With all the mess of dealing with trains instead of driving to work, my commute is about an hour and a half each way, or more.  So I'm out of the house for almost 13 hours every day.  When I get home, I eat, watch TV, and go to bed.  Without my iPhone you wouldn't be seeing me on Facebook or Twitter all week.

I'm looking for a car this weekend.  Finally.  Mostly Sunday.  I might go tomorrow to start the process, but I'd be alone, and I need my moral support (Vanessa and her dad) before I actually decide to take the car with me.  But anyway, hooray!  I'm mostly going to dealers, their prices are really low right now.  Only time a bad economy is good is when you're actually trying to buy something, right?

Severus just sprawled himself across my lap.  He's been fully normal all week.  Except while I was at work today I think he threw up his antibiotics.  I gave him food with it like I'm supposed to so that it doesn't upset his stomach, but maybe it wasn't enough.  Poor guy.  I'd be worried that it messed everything up but we're in the home stretch with the medicine now, he's supposed to be done tomorrow, so it's probably okay.  He also probably absorbed at least a little bit, I think he threw up shortly before I got home.  He was acting a little unhappy and didn't want to eat the food I gave him.  Unlike most cats he gets upset about throwing up, even if it's just a perfectly normal hairball or whatever.  Cats are built to throw up immediately when something doesn't feel right (anything from eating too fast to eating something wrong to having a hairball), so usually they just get on with their day, but Severus here is upset for a bit afterwards.  It's quite strange.

Aww.  He's resting his head on my hand.  Although typing is now quite difficult.

Ahh, he moved it.  Now it's on my arm.   Well, my wrist...but typing is at least easier.

Response to a commercial I just saw:  Gummy multivitamins for adults, huh?  Maybe that will make me take my vitamins.  Remember the Flintstone vitamins?  =)

So normally I'm really weird about the randomness of shuffle on my iPod, I'm very moody about music so the randomness usually brings up something I don't feel like listening to and I just end up spending all my time skipping tracks trying to find something I want.  But this week my mood was random, so shuffle worked.  Since I have a fairly wide range of music, I've had some interesting transitions.  I've also heard songs that I haven't intentionally listened to in years.  Like Garbage.  I'm pretty sure I haven't listened to them much since high school.

I have no idea what that show was.  Apparently 3 pm came and went without me noticing, which means the show changed.  Had to switch.  New background show is now The Sopranos on A&E.  Which means they cut out all the swearing, so it's hard to actually WATCH (Hellooooo, mobsters swear...a lot.  Someone should have thought of that before syndicating it to regular cable.), but using it for background noise should be fine.

Hmm, I'm hungry.  When I got home, I went to the pantry to think about lunch, but couldn't settle on  anything.  So I ended up eating some chips.  Not exactly lunch.  Although I had a ginormous breakfast because Friday is buffet day, so breakfast is the usual breakfast buffet fare.  Today they had chocolate chip pancakes.  Yummy!

Severus has moved, he's now curled up next to me with his paw curled around my arm.  So cute.  I'm still hungry but I don't want to ruin the adorableness.  He'll shift eventually.

I think that may be all.  Later!

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Shadow Shot Sunday - Yes, it's been a while

I know, I've missed a few SSS posts. But I've been a little crazy, and shadow shots weren't presenting themselves to me. Until...this one.


I noticed this when I was laying in bed the other night. Because the light is from a streetlight outside, I knew I'd need the fancy camera and a tripod, otherwise I was never going to get the exposure to come out. I also knew that by the time I got everything all set up, curiosity would have gotten the best of my dear Severus and he would have moved, thus ruining the shot. So I had to remember to set it up before bed another night. He always gets in that same window whenever I open it to let in the cool night air so I didn't think there would be an issue with the pose.

It took me a couple days to remember to set everything up, but I finally did, and then last night the window was open, the cat was perfectly positioned, I had the camera all set on the right shutter speed, f-stop, and "film" speed (for lack of a better term...it's a digital camera but there's a setting for what would be the film speed), so all I had to do was slowly creep out of bed, hit the button (without shaking the camera...I should have set up my cable release too but I didn't think of that) and hope the cat didn't move too much in reaction to the noise of the shutter going off.

Anyway, I'm off to bed now, but I wanted to post this while it was still Sunday. =)

Oh, by the way, go to Hey Harriet for more Shadow Shot Sunday fun.