random sass & musing™

today feels like a friday, perhaps because it technically is my friday. friday & monday off will be good times. i'm blessed to have my coworkers for comic relief.

earlier today, my boss, chad (who hates being called my boss ... he thinks it sounds pretentious) called me. here's our convo:

me: (answering the phone with a modicum of sass) no, sir!
chad: (missing a beat) um, sharon, i need you to pick up some halloween candy for me.(disconnects)
me: !

i redial his extension.

chad: (employing bad acting skills)hello?
me: you wanna repeat what you had the nerve to say to me?
chad: i said, after you pick up my drycleaning i need that halloween candy pronto!
me: virginia is down there, isn't she?!
chad: (bad liar that he is) erm, no.
me: (disconnects & stomps down to his office)

3 minutes later i leave his office with both him & virginia crying hysterically. except not. i just gave my evil staredown. hey, whatever works!

in addition, if my evil staredown ensures i win some raffle prizes from our united way campaign, then i'm a happy camper. 6 tickets is my magic number. i have yet to win any prizes since i've been over a year. hmph.

tonight, community group. and me marinating in my jealousy that sarah & darryl get to go see JEKYLL & HYDE, starring SEBASTIAN BACH of skid row!

with politics reaching their screaming climax on the way toward the apex of it all ... voting day, november 2, 2004 ... i'm consistently ready for it to end. you might not expect that from a political science, pre-law concentration major. in all actuality, i find it difficult to get to the real heart of the issues for all the muck that is being tossed about. i suspect that many americans are the same. indifference & apathy will be the american downfall.

i recall when i first registered for voting, i was glad to be a part of the process in shaping policy. in all my poli sci courses, i always gravitated toward the study of the american political system, moreso than other systems. it fascinates me that we all have a voice. the problem is that many of us believe our only voice is in the voting booth. negative, einsteins. our voice is effecting change in the here & now, in our daily lives, in how we treat others, & in how we invest in others.

if you're not a part of a community, & by "a part of" i mean actually actively engaged in that community, it is a difficult task to begin making changes at any level. i always visualize changes more as a ripple result of one small stone (or change) on the supposedly smooth waters of reality. since our communities consist of those who are given the choice to vote, effecting change at that level means we control what issues must be addressed. investing means we accept a personal responsibility in the community around us.

sure, vulnerability is a requirement. but the things that really matter usually come at a cost.

since i had so many comments i wanted to respond to on the last entry, i decided a new entry was in order. so, for you, my loyal readers, an entry:

welcome, end_user! how did you find my lil piece of the web? as for the 33 comment, i mentioned to some blasphemer earlier that even though i'll be 33 to his 30, 33 is a good year. apex of Jesus? something about superman's age? see?!

aaron, this next firework is for you, buddy. may i not blast off into space with these huuuuuuuuuuge-like-sputnik ones that looked like sticks of dynomite but were touted as "sparklers".

jen, thanks for the well wishes! by the way, a few years ago i'd prefer the coy & flirty attitude. the diference being that now i recognize men really don't get that. seriously, they don't pick up on nuances or inferences. or if they do, they typically discard them as (1) not meant for them, (2) you being friendly with them just like any other guy, or (3) accepted but hoping you'll go away because they don't feel the same. at this stage in the game, i'im okay with telling someone if they even spike my fancy because there's really nothing to lose, eh?

in the past i swore to myself that no longer would i allow myself to invest emotionally in a big way until i'm sure about where things are going. better to be up front & put it out there & deal with it now then when my tender emotions are involved. hope that doesn't sound heartless or cruel, but it's true.

nano, there's more to the story. since i've already started down that road, perhaps i shall elaborate. i had the opportunity because he was asking me about another girl (one with whom i'd noted he seemed to have some interest & he was too timid to approach because he wasn't sure if she had that interest). obviously, he was talking to me about it, which could indicate he either (a) hasn't put two & two together with me or (b) he wanted to let me know (rather, confirm) his interest elsewhere. as such, what was there for me to lose? nothing. thus, the statement. i believe i used the word "hott" twice with him. both times he got flustered. hee. i'm of the belief now that even if nothing happens, i made the effort & that is that. i have no concern things will be weird, no matter the outcome. i'd recommend it for a high to anyone. put away the crackpipes!

and there you have it, my little munchkins. all tips are appreciated (of the monetary & relational variety). have at it ...

i spent the majority of this past weekend organizing & finally tackling some house plans that have been in the works for sometime. i finally bought the paint for my $18.99 thrift store coffee table. RAPTURE RED never looked so good. now to find the time (& weather) capability to paint it.

saturday evening was a pirate-themed party in celebration of bliss's birthday. i found these adorable tiny, sparkly photo holders at my favorite neighbourhood haunt for gifts, ZEST CAFÉ & HOME ART. i wanted to keep them but alas, i was nice & gave them to her. in return i got a barrel of laughs, a gain in my pirate's vocab (kiss the gunner's daughter, eh!), & exposure to fireworks & sparklers. good thing i'm a pyro at heart as there was the flammable ribbon from my gift which caught fire & then the fear of burning down neighborhood trees when one of the fireworks went awry. had we burned down the nearby RALEIGH ROSE GARDEN we might have been in trouble. i made away plenty o' pirate's booty, including a nosering & eyepatch. argh, mateys, i'll make ye walk the plank.

sunday was resplendent with gorgeous weather that i had to forego enjoying in favor of band practice & a nap before heading out for more sushi at sushi blues. save & except for the waitress throwing garnishes at me & violating my soy sauce, 'twas a lovely evening. even more priceless? crushboy's face when i confessed my compelling belief that he is teh hottness & intrigue right now. i'm wondering if he's recovered from the speechlessness yet.

in other news, i am approaching the big 3-0 at the end of this week. i think it's upping the sassfactor & hence the willingness to quit making excuses & put more things out there. what's the worst that can happen? he says "no". i've heard that before, i'm sure i'll hear it again. so be it.

now, if you'll excuse me, i have some sass to cultivate ...

the fair happened last night. in honor of our farm! fresh! fun! time, i gave a listing of the top ten reasons why people who weren't there were lacking a good time. for your perusal & reading enjoyment:

Top Ten Reasons You Missed Good Times:

10 | The Mountain Goats are Against Pollution.

09 | Rain & stupid people on the road to the fair are good preparation for rain & stupid people in the midway at the fair.

08 | Cows have curly tongues & they like to flash them.

07 | Deep fried cheeseburgers abound. Sadly nobody tried them.

06 | Mulletman had a major party in the back, which was documented by the illustrious Mr. Beauchaine.

05 | We spotted local celebrities like Bliss & Thurston.

04 | Some of us were set in space by the Orbiter, unzipped by the Zipper, & danced with the devil on the Tango.

03 | We visited the jerks, Stacy & Andy. Or rather, we had jerk chicken or pork with them & benefitted The Healing Place.

02 | We met Faddi, not to be confused with Phatty or Fatty.

&

01 | We survived the blackout of 2004 at the NC State Fair of Farm! Fresh! Fun!. As evidenced by the following article from WRAL news:

Ride At Fair Loses Power, Strands Several

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A ride lost power Thursday night at the North Carolina State Fair leaving riders dangling, in some cases, upside down.

Workers managed to fix the problem quickly, but not before dozens of people had to be rescued off The Tango.

Everyone got off safely.

Officials said a generator powering the ride apparently overheated and shut down.

The Tango was in operation Friday.

According to Saferparks, Reithoffer, the carnival operator, has listed 31 ride-related injuries since 1993. Of those 31 injuries, four were because of abrupt stops caused by either a ride or power failure. Reithoffer reported one death during the time when someone fell out of the Giant Gondola.

i was on both the tango & the zipper. the whole park probably heard me. had either of those stopped while i was dangling precariously above the park, i am certain there would be a scream heard around the world.

also, since i mentioned the goats (which incidentally is one man, many goats, don't ask), THIS ARTICLE is rather interesting. even if it is by a canadian.

going out to my car this morning before work, i saw two flight formations of geese flying in tandem above me, one to my left, one to my right. they were cute lil honkers but more importantly i liked watching them change formation. the lead in one of the formations began his drop back to end, which i think (if i'm up on my ecology lessons) means that he has done his duty in flying against the harder winds, forging a path for the flock. moving to the back of the line allows him some freedom to "rest" (as much as one can rest while flying) by coasting some in the draft of the flock.

what a lesson on life.

tonight: the STATE FAIR for "farm. fresh. fun." hey, that's what the website says, not me. i can't imagine i'd use "farm", "fresh" & "fun" all in the same sentence.

carnies! food! rides! animules! exhibits! farm! fresh! fun!

blogger ate my previous post. stupid blogger. it was enchanting, too, reflecting on friendships that mean lots. perhaps it was meant to stay in my head & heart only.

but i will rave about having spicy vegetable rolls, edamame & red bean ice cream at SUSHI BLUES. tastetacular. but even that doesn't top the company as i got to visit with my long lost friends CHEWIE & NATALIE & jen (since we haven't spent any time since prior to her part in RAGTIME THE MUSICAL, it was obviously divine intervention that chewie & natalie called her).

there is something to be said for those friends with whom you simply pick right up where you last left off, even if that was a year ago. i love the contagious excitement that they display as they are adventuresome in every aspect of life. not to mention that chewie is still one of the girls (albeit one of the hairiest).

so now i raise my glass to good friendships & time well spent.
but definitely not to blogger eating my posts!

when i was about 5 years old, we organized a neighborhood circus in my best friend's back yard. i was the trapeze artist.

that is all.

i made homemade brownies last night. how domestic of me. who knew they had that many different versions of bittersweet, unsweetened & semi-sweet chocolate? me, that's who. i was rather impressed with myself, but the true test will be tonight when others try them at our first home group meeting tonight.

we have such a vision for this home group, that i'm excited to see what happens. our initial question is "are we shaping culture or is culture shaping us?". we just finalized some topics we'll be tackling & discussing, issues like:

= why there are paper dots in my keyboard (kidding, bygones);
= consumerism in the christian market (are those 40 days of purpose underwear really worth it?);
= pharmecueticals & medicine (are certain drugs, which could be termed "unnecessary to physical survival", a tool of man or a tool of God through man ... examining things like anti-depressants, birth control, acne medications, & ADD controls, etc.);
= gender roles (are the biblical roles archaic or is society simply wanting to redefine God's intentions?)
= technological advances (the good, the bad & the ugly: do they really save time?);
= american ideology & how we are perceived internationally; &
= the entirety of God's character (does our postmodern society desire to change the perception/depiction of God's attributes?, which includes touching on the gender issue & the GENDER-NEUTRAL BIBLE controversy).

never a dull moment.

as a reminder, the PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES are tonight. 9:00 PM, EST, domestic issues are the topic at hand, of which i look forward to hearing more about these issues. watch 'em & weep!

i am returned from the beach trip. frankly, it wasn't long enough. i could have stayed down there until next year or the next big hurricane, whichever comes first.

i am still stunned that since they opened all the new bridges traveling over to THE OUTER BANKS, what used to be a 4.5 hour trip from raleigh is now lessened by an hour. an hour! that's like getting extra sleep time or something!

i arrived in manteo to OUR HOTEL sometime around 6:30 PM. you will note that this hotel's website lays claim to a "... friendly atmosphere, superb food and exceptional spa facilities ...". i ask, what was their PR person smoking at the time of the inception of said statement?

i can promise that "the friendly atmosphere" was nowhere to be found. instead, rude staff who couldn't speak english, yet were stationed at the front desk, refused to "take a message" for room 336 (my parents' reserved room, where i was staying, when it appeared my parents left for dinner before i got there). never mind the fact that i didn't want to leave a message, but rather would like to know if room 336 left a message for me. yet again i got a stock answer of refusing to take messages. never mind the fact that when my parents did return to the hotel, they informed me that not only did they leave a key for me at the front desk, but said key was supposedly left in an envelope with my name on it. duh. i will rant about this momentarily & some may be offended, but seriously, it should be a requirement to speak coherent english when you will be doing customer service interaction-oriented jobs. regardless of whether you are from this country or another, a good grasp of conversational english is required. no ifs, ands or buts. next!

as for the "superb food" claim, i can only snicker quietly to myself. the continental breakfast was in a room the size of a walk-in closet, with only two tiny tables with two chairs apiece respectively. the breakfast wasn't awful, but certainly not superb. cereal was offered, bagels & packaged muffins. at least they were supposedly offered .... we wouldn't know for sure because most of it was gone, save for 2 dried out bagels & a package of OTIS SPUNKMEYER™ BANANA NUT MUFFINS. i took stale cereal & called it a day. but i admit, i'm a cranky person without breakfast. i submit that said food was not "superb" by any stretch of the imagination.

finally, the "exceptional spa facilities"? those make me laugh long time. 'nuff said. so now that i've bored even myself with the recount of our accomodations, on to the good stuff ...

since the wedding wasn't until 2 PM, my parents & i set off to amuse ourselves in exploration. it's been over ten years since we last vacationed as a family there (despite my trip to nags head two years ago to see the ROANOKE ISLAND OUTSIDE DRAMA OF "THE LOST COLONY" and kayaking through the PEA ISLAND, NC WILDLIFE REFUGE). we ended up at FORT RALEIGH, "THE LOST COLONY'S" SETTLEMENT where my dad (ever the historian) engaged the park director in various conversations about weaponry & the lost colony & the latter civil war ties of fort raleigh. the gentleman was fascinating, obviously a honed skill which descended from his days as a professor, assistant dean & dean at WEST POINT after serving 20+ years in the military. he retired to nags head about four years ago to open his own parasailing business & works at the museum on weekends in an effort to stay in touch with acadamia.

after leaving fort raleigh, we headed to the quaint charm of DOWNTOWN MANTEO, which included the MANTEO LIGHTHOUSE & waterside shopping. most of it was the same of all small beachtowns -- overpriced beach shops, tasty local cafés, & overpriced antique/junk shop(pe)s. before we knew it, it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding & to greet out of town family members who were changing at our hotel.

i have pictures from the blessed event that afternoon, as soon as my dad emails them to me from his digital camera. the ceremony was right on the beach, just behind the beach house they rented for the week. there were easily 100+ people in attendance, (excellent considering the families are mostly in VA & NY) all in the seabreeze, under clear carolina blue skies with puffy clouds. the weather was phenomenal, despite the way the wind jinxed the sound system. the groomsmen all wore their tuxes with bare feet, bridesmaids were attired in tea length, a-line sea green strapless dresses with cute flounces on the bottom, & joanna was stunning in a strapless ivory a-line dress with her hair down in ringlets & bare feet.

as we arrived on the beach, we were given a choice of removing our shoes & adding flip-flops provided by the bride & groom. score one pair of cutesy flops for me, bearing one small pink tulle rosette each. i also scored big laughs when joanna's aunt (on her dad's side) kept using "thongs" to refer to flip-flops. i can't tell you how many times she made remarks like, "i think it's just darling that all the young people exchanged their flip flops for thongs" & "if i had great toes like yours, honey, i'd be wearing thongs, too!".

hello, how old am i again? don't answer that!

this is my 102nd post. i missed my 100th post anniversary. dang skippy.

heading out to NAGS HEAD, NC for my cousin's wedding on the beach tomorrow. praying for excellent weather. but if i don't return, i'm swept out to sea so have a drink & remember me.

my dad just sent this email to our family email list, as he's always trying to recruit more family members for geneaological research & attendance of related family events. with the advent of his RECENTLY RELEASED BOOK, my dad has been privy to even more family info. i find his email both intriguing & amusing. i've also added links for things that may require further information:

Nancy and I are planning to participate in the Heritage Day celebration being held Sunday Oct 17 in Brevard. The national Allison family reunion is being held the same weekend and a part of that reunion is the private screening of the 2004 Academy Award winning film "Two Soldiers" which won "Best Short Film". One of the Allison & Glazener family members (I am unsure of how he ties to our family but he lists them as being one of his NC families), Ben Allison, stars in this film. Ben also played in the movie "Cold Mountain". One of the roles he played in that film was Rourke, the boy from Cold Mountain that was shown being killed while chasing a rabbit in the Battle of the Crater. He was in many other scenes in this film.

Some of the Allison family members that had signed up to view the film are not able to attend so the vacant seats were offered to members of the TransylvaniaCountyGenList that I belong to. So I was able to get two seats to see this film. I am looking forward to seeing it and to hopefully be able to talk with Ben Allison. I understand he is very interested in the Gillespie rifles and you know I am always glad to talk about those!

The screening film "Two Soldiers" is based on a short story by William Faulkner.

Kind regards,
Dennis

that's my daddy!

i have a coworker who constantly talks with her mouth full. & when i say full, i mean spewing chunks of food. even when she is in her cube & i am in my cube next to her, i can tell that chunks of food are flying & adhering to her computer. at least those chunks that don't vault across the wall into my cube. whatever happened to manners, i ask?! you'd think that even a 40-something year old woman would know better. there is simply nothing important enough that you have to speak loudly while spewing food particles at your audience. nothing.

good thing random is a keyword on this blog because i'm all over the map today. buckle up for safety.

i missed the vice presidential debates last night & even forgot to tape them. sadly, i was pondering on the way to work the sheer number of kerry/edwards stickers in a town that 99.9999999% of the time votes republican. not that i think straight party voting is smart, mind you, but the fact remains that there are seriously many people who want to vote kerry/edwards simply to claim that a north carolinian (& a raleigh native, at that) is in the white house, albeit in a second-in-command position. edwards hasn't done raleigh a favor. he hasn't done north carolina a favor. frankly, i'll be surprised if he does the USA a favor. i imagine that if not elected this campaign, he will be back. sadly, we will have more john edwards.

speaking of politics, crushboy & i had a discussion sunday night about our political stances & the polarization thereof. it ended with me telling him to please tell me if/when i'm stepping on his toes (everyone has different thresholds) & him wearing a somewhat bemused/deer-in-headlights expression. election year politics ... gotta love 'em. except not.

on another note, we attempted to go to SUSHI BLUES after community night at vintage. half-price sushi rolls! forty-five minute wait! at 10:15! at night! not acceptable! on thursdays, it is half-price sushi from 11PM - 1AM. who in their right mind eats sushi at that time of night?!

my boss & coworker & company are all headed to asheville tonight for the PEARL JAM SHOW. they still have two tickets but i still have a million things to do this week, something every night. since i missed out on my company's free box seats for the INCUBUS & BEN KWELLER SHOW at alltel pavilion tonight, i think God has a reason for me not to be seeing live music. besides, dinner with dawn tonight (who i haven't seen in close to six months) & dinner tomorrow with old-school pal holly (who has known me since i was but a babe in the woods) will trump both of these anyhow.

THIS ARTICLE makes me alternately laugh & frown. the sheer stupidity of not one, but three parents, is awesome (& i mean that as in causing awe, certainly not in a positive & popular, albeit stupid, declaration).

This is Crossroads South Middle School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. On Thursday, there was a back-to-school night for parents of students. Veteran English teacher Shiba Pillai-Diaz says she was shocked when three parents confronted her. The three, insisting the teacher either add John Kerry's photo to the montage of presidents or remove the Bush photo. When Pillai-Diaz refused, she says the school's vice-principal threatened her job which is an act that has parents here fuming.

wait, it gets better!

Pillai-Diaz ultimately removed the entire bulletin board and says School Principal Jim Warfel told her she disrupted the school with her "inflammatory politics".

what the hell?

seriously, in a land that preaches supposed tolerance & cries "intolerance!" at the drop of a hat, now we have someone claiming a politically correct choice to include presidential photos is in fact not politically correct because they refuse to add a presidential candidateNOTpresident to the line-up of presidents.

eh?

i'm thinking that i need to recruit these parents to picket for my name to be added to the ROCK 'N ROLL HALL OF FAME because we all know i'll be there one day. you can say you knew me back in the day.

i forgot to mention my i heart huckabees pin procurement! two of the lil suckers because i was nice.

i'm not so sure what appeals to my senses on the design & film of i heart huckabees but i have, for some strange reason, coveted the bumper stickers & these pins are but miniature bumper stickers with a pin affixed to attach them to my bosom. or various asundry other pinnable places, like my cube walls at work ...

mondays were made for ... getting what you want! heh, don't we wish?

my weekend was a blur of activity & this morning i am moving lethargically. friday night's dinner party/going away party was a smash hit. food, conversation, drinks & laughs were had by all until we kicked out the last person around 3 AM. the guest of honor was quite a dashing fellow (i hadn't met him before friday night), but of course he left for marine training yesterday. story of my life .... intangible men!

saturday was a fest of british humour with a viewing of BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS & VANITY FAIR.

bright young things was a splendid film focusing on the trendy london social scene of the 1930s. i still find the 20s & 30s decades to be of such splendour i almost want a time travel machine to revert back. unfortuantely, i'll just have to adopt a sense of nostalgia for those days of lore. the movie was an adaptation of evelyn waugh's vile bodies novel, of which i must read now. funny how the very same social issues of that time are quite prevalant now.

vanity fair was just breathtaking costuming & elegance amidst the shabbiness of dirty streets in 19th century england. the india settings alone made me long for the bright indian fabrics & saris. go just for the colors of this movie. can one describe a movie as about colors? my peepers were full up with happy colors when i left, that is a definite. the movie dragged a bit in places, but overall i was impressed. reese witherspoon did a phenomenal job & if i look that good when i'm prego, i'll rejoice greatly.

on another note, thought-provoking conversations both friday night & last night lead me to believe that men truly are quite oblivious creatures. it's a wonder sometimes that the human species has continued. but i suppose we can factor in that lust thing ...

in the spirit of not working today in between bouts of putting out fires due to stupid & incompetent judges & attorneys in the state of tennessee, i give you BOYS ARE STUPID, GIRLS HAVE COOTIES™. it made me giggle which was therapeutic to my weary soul.

to be fair, i must give props to MOTIVEMAYEHM for providing said linkage. coincidentally i just had this convo with someone of the male persuasion last night. you know the one, where he states how he doesn't "get" women, period. & the one where i say, "that's the allure". & he says, "not always". & i say, "it's that certain quality of je ne sais quois that brings all the boys to the yard". or maybe that was my milkshake, shaken not stirred.

yes, ladies & gents, i'm selling tickets for my next show. you too can be a pawn, i mean, audience member.

i missed the debates last night since i had band practice. but i did tape them, so don't worry your pretty lil head that i won't be commenting on it. from all i hear in the media & from my many kerry-supporter coworkers, kerry undoubtedly prevailed. i wasn't surprised though, given bush's lack of debate prowess.

in a 180 degree turn of subjects, this article on DISABLED PERSONS & SEXUAL RELIEF both befuddles & amuses me. the article states that "The organisation behind the scheme says the sexual rights of disabled people are currently being overlooked". it occurs to me that they'll start organizations for anybody & everybody now. i have to say it's an issue i've never really considered.

i suppose it begs the question: should special exceptions be made for physically handicapped to experience portions of life like the rest of the so-called whole body population? which further begs the question that if i believe God intended sex in marriage for our benefit, why would we suggest making special exceptions for those who (supposedly) can't marry? if that's the case, why not make special loopholes for the so-called nerds & geeks, a geek-clause if you will. "since it's obvious that those sorts will never marry, we'll provide sex services to make you feel lik more of a contributor to society!" i mean, if we think of it logically, we've all got disabilities, some just more prevalant than others. special exceptions for all our hang-ups could get messy.

tonight? time for a hoity-toity dinner party affair at my house. i'm not sure about some of the cats coming to din-din, but we'll have a grand time. south american food, homemade by my colombian flatmate. i feel so latin i could lambada.