Flashback to 1992

I haven't had my eyes checked since 2002, and even then...it was one of those "is the dot in the box, or out of the box" things. Not a full blown exam. I couldn't even tell you the last time I had a full blown eye exam. Probably 1995. That was the last time I wore glasses. I has glasses from 1992-1995. All of this stems back to being Gene's fault, again.

Gene was asking his friend about when he knew that he needed glasses. And his friend told Gene that it was when he told someone that when he drives, headlights look like stars. Now, this scared me a bit...because headlights have ALWAYS looked like stars to me at night. I thought that's how they were supposed to look since it was nighttime. Apparently not. Apparently they are supposed to be circles not fuzzy starbursty shapes. Oops. Also, since I'm at the computer for 40+ hours a week, after a while, I get really bad headaches from being at the computer for too long. Finally I decided I just needed to suck it up and get them checked.

So I go to my eye doctor... they take all these weird pictures with these machines and stuff, and when the exam starts with the doctor, he tells me that he has to NUMB MY EYE. Have you ever had anethesia on your eye? It's weird. It feels like there's a little tiny person holding onto your eyeball and they're trying to pull your eyes shut. So after my eyes are nice and numb, he sticks this bright light in my face and tells me to keep my eyes open. My eyes start freaking out... I'm trying my hardest to keep them open, but they're fluttering all over the place. Finally, he tells me not to blink, and he sticks this blue light ON MY EYEBALL. Weird. I didn't feel it. Apparently he was checking for glaucoma, which in a 24 yr old girl I would think is incredibly unusual, but because of the color of my eyes (new to me) he needed to check. My eyes are a very weird color... they're blue, brown, green, violet, with flecks of gold. I literally have every eye color in my iris...which is one of the first signs of glaucoma. No worries, I'm fine. I just have freakishly colored eyes.

After this, he tells me that he needs to dilate my eyes. "BUT I NEED TO DRIVE HOME!" Apparently, he says I'll be fine to drive. Luckily I only had to drive about 4 blocks, but I was still really paranoid. The worst part of the ordeal? When they used the word BIFOCALS. Yup. I go from no glasses to BIFOCALS. And in case you're wondering, "bifocals" isn't in Verizon's Word texting library. Because I sent my mother a text message that said "I need agencals." Since my eyes were dilated and I couldn't see a damn thing, I had no idea what I was typing. Also a bad idea? Having me pick out frames while my eyes are dilated. I'm pretty sure I look like a hot librarian. I could look like a big ol' nerd. We'll find out in 7-10 days when I get my glasses back.

It's all Gene's fault.

On Saturday... Gene woke up with his glands so swollen that they touched his ears. It looked like he swallowed two golf balls and were keeping them in his neck for later. Three hours of medical aid unit fun later, we find out that my darling boyfriend and roommate has strep throat. As a child, I got strep throat at LEAST once a year for about 12 consecutive years. Usually on Christmas. I haven't had strep throat in a very long time (maybe 8 years?) but I know that if someone with strep looks at me, I'll get sick.

The next morning, I wake up to a scratchy throat. Great. So I go to the medical aid unit (beacuse it's Sunday and my doctor doesn't have hours) tell them my throat hurts and my boyfriend has strep, and they just hand me a prescription for an antibiotic. No throat culture (thank goodness) just drugs.

After a few days, I look at the side effects of the drugs. One of the side effects... eczema. What did I have as a child? Eczema. What's on my hands and all over my face right now? Eczema. My face is red and itchy and it bothers the crap out of me. I also have little patches of it at the base of my thumbs. I really hate having eczema, and loved when I was finally over this condition.

My best friend has eczema really badly... so bad that her hands literally just feel like sandpaper. At least she doesn't have it as bad as her poor youngest sister who has it all over her body, including her face. But one of our college friends felt my friend's sandpapery hands and when Colleen explained that it was eczema, our friend jerked her hand back saying, "Oh my god! Is it contagious?!" No. Eczema isn't contagious. It's super dry skin, ya weirdo.

It just sucks because it feels like everytime I put moisturizer on my face and on my hands, it just sucks it all up and my skin is drier than before. Boo to eczema and it's dry, itchy ways.

Premios Dardo

Joanie over at Joanie's Random Ramblings tagged me on this Premios Dardo award! And it's a cool typewriter. Cool typewriters...always fun times. Here's how it goes:

Step 1: respond and rework -- answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.


Step 2: tag - eight other un-tagged people


1) What are you wearing right now?
Teal sweater that I need to darn, ATL jeans, sneakers, and my Christmas present (read: diamond pendant necklace) from Gene.


2) What is your biggest fear?
Being alone.


3) What is the one thing you're really nerdy about? And don't say you aren't nerdy, because let's face it... everyone is a little nerdy about at least one thing.
Okay. I was always a big X-Men fan. Collected the cards (until someone threw them away...), watched the cartoon, hated the movies... but never read the comics. I don't know that there was a comic store in my hometown, and if there was I don't think my mother would have bought me a bunch of comic books. But now I collect them. Only X-Men, and I'm way behind in my reading, but I can out-X-Men-trivia most people I know. I think this is why Gene and I have been together for so long... he finally found a girl who is nerdier than he is (I also remember the most obscure crap about LOST and have to go rewatch episodes after they've aired..because of a reference it may have possibly made. Gene's friends all mock me. But they loved me when I made the field of 64 of LOST. Man I need a life.)


4) Who is the last person you hugged?
Gene.


5) What websites to you visit when you go online?
blogger, facebook, and ctrl-alt-del which is my favorite web-comic. It's nerdy like me.


6) What was the last item you bought?
Pictures. I went to Happy Harrys and had pictures developed from when I met OAR a few months ago with my cousin. I'm going to put the pictures with the authographed concert ticket and make a shadow box.


7) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Ireland to see Colleen...and Hawaii. But be warned that if i'm going to Hawaii, I'm coming back married. Just sayin'


8) If you woke up tomorrow and were a boy, what is the first thing you would do and why?
First, I'd call becklette and say "i'm a real boy" then I'd go to Atlantic City and get respected as a poker player. People like to think I'm weak because I'm female. Then I take their money.


9) Has a celebrity's hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle?
Not really? I mean, I never had "The Rachel" or anything. I was more influenced by people in my life. And it usually leads to bad haircuts. Like when I convinced my mother to cut my hair to my earlobes and shave the back of my head because that's how
my cousin Patty and my friend Whitney had their hair. It was a REALLY bad idea, and took 2 years to grow out.


10) What is your most embarassing moment?
This really isn't all that embarassing, but I think I've managed to avoid severe public humiliation pretty well so far. My junior year of high school, i had my first lead in a play... I was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. And you know that line that Dorothy has when she gets into Oz? Probably the most quoted line from that movie? "Toto, we must be over the rainbow!" Well opening night I was not "over the rainbow." No. Not this Dorothy. This Dorothy was "INSIDE the rainbow!" Dorothy took a bit too much acid during the tornado.


11) What was the last movie you watched?
Frost/Nixon. it was wonderful. Frank Langella amazes me.


12) If you had a whole day to yourself with no work, commitments, or interruptions what would you do?
I would knit a lot. And catch up on my X-Men reading.


13) If you were to win the Powerball, what would you do with the money (besides invest it)?
I'd pay off my mortgage and my exorbatent student loans, and Gene's loans... buy my mom's house... and get married. And renovate my house to get rid of the ugly blue bathroom.


14) If you could convince everyone you knew to read one book... what book would it be, and why?
"It's Always Something" by Gilda Radner. It's one of my favorite books, and it completely changed my life even though I don't have cancer. And it isn't all sad, I promise. Don't get me wrong, some of it is totally heartwrenching, but Gilda is, well, Gilda... so there are parts that are hilarious. Only she could make cancer funny. And the love story between her and Gene Wilder really warms my heart.


Okay. tag time! I'm tagging:

1. becklette at how the beck...
2. Ali at Kitchy Shop News
3. Melissa at Put Me In Your Suitcase
4. Al at Because It's The Same Backwards and Forwards...
5. Jorge at Dispatches From the Island (he probably won't, but, he's awesome and hilarious so you should check out his blog)
6. Ben at No Ordinary Rollercoaster
7. Cake Wrecks because funny cake pictures make every day better
8. Di at DiSpace

So. Thar ya go.

The Joys of Homeownership

Gene and I have this Home Warranty...which so far has been WONDERFUL. Shortly after we moved into the house, we were seeing water damage under the tub. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious at all... just a bit of caulk that was loose. But the plumber snaked our drain for us since he was out there already, which normally would have cost $300+ but instead only cost us $55. So when we started having strange water-heater issues, we're thinking "Oh good... if our water heater goes, we can just get a new one for $55."

The same company that snaked our drain came out to look at the water heater. I took a half work-from-home day and worked on some PSA stuff at home so I wouldn't lose the day. And I got to listen to my friend who's on a soap opera while doing my job, so that's always fun. The plumber, whose name I think was Chad, came up from my basement with a very pained look on his face. And he tells me that I need a new water heater, but it's because of a calcification, which is not covered under the warranty. So I need to shell out $1000 for a new water heater (that includes installation) Luckily... I have that much saved, so I don't have to take this out of pocket. Unfortunately...that's all I have in my savings, so...

The only good part of yesterday, and really what made everything all right, was that I could lick the World Series Trophy. The station I work for was sponsoring an appearance of the World Series Trophy, so Gene and I headed over the the mall to see the trophy. We ended up going into the restaurant that the station was having dinner at beforehand, and we didn't have to wait in line to get our picture taken at all! We showed up just in time... in 2 minutes they were taking the trophy to the center court of the mall where there was a line almost the length of the mall. There were easily 1000 people in line. Sometimes, working in radio has its perks.

Here's the trophy in all it's glory:

By popular demand

Not so much popular. Just my mom. But she's my mom, so I have to do what she says.

I had to do a bit of digging to find this... I blogged about the almost theatre fist fight shortly after it happened on my myspace blog (which I've been neglecting entirely since starting this one, but no one goes on myspace anymore anyway)

Originally titled "Flintstones...I'm obnoxious..." which is a take from the Flintstones theme song that my friends rewrote to be: Flintstones... I'm obnoxious... I have no social tact at all. And they'd sing it really loud in hallways.

Friday night I had a lovely evening planned. I was going to leave work on time, go to becklette's, go to the train station, enjoy a lovely play about Italy and British people, and just have a grand 'ole time. Simple, right?? It started off as planned... we got the train on time, found the Walnut, had a drink before the play (like you do), found our seats, and started enjoying this lovely little play.

Then it started. The obnoxious Main Line lush and her snooty lush friends started running commentary on the play. It wasn't even well thought out, or intellectual at all. It was blatant obvious comments such as, "Look he's eating. And he has his Times," or "Oh! She's a drinker!" Really? Because I have eyes and can see for myself, you wench!! Captain Obvious and her sidekicks Redundency, Repetitive, and No Shit, Sherlock were in full force. THEN they took out the box of candy. Not a bag.... not little wrappers... BOX of candy. Like a box of lemondrops or jujubees, or something that would sound like maracas when you shake them. And they shook them. For about 4 minutes. We glared, we sighed, we did the grunt that shows we're annoyed... all of the little things that you do to signal quietly to the people behind you that they are annoying you.

At intermission, I went to the house manager, and politely asked her to deal with the people in house Right row O seats 303-306 (oh that's right... I found out their seats... not that it was difficult, it was the seats directly behind me). After intermission, they were quieter. They talked, but only during scene changes. THEN they started doing things like laughing when they shouldn't be.. and I'm all for having fun, but when you're having fun A. at the actors expense and B. to the annoyance of EVERYONE around you... there's a problem. That's when I said something. I wasn't rude. I was never rude. Here's the conversation:

Me: "Excuse me, could you refrain from the running commentary throughout the entire play? It's distracting."

Obnoxious Lush: "What the f*** is your problem?"

becklette: "Our problem is that you've been unbearably obnoxious throughout the entire play!"

Obnoxious Lush: "Well just turn around... just turn around!" (while shoving her hand in becklette's face)

Then... she called one of us a stupid bitch (I say one of us because she was too drunk to use plural. She probably meant both of us). I almost decked her then... but I didn't. Instead I just flipped her off for five minutes. If she touched my finger, I would have elbowed her in the nose, causing her to get even more plastic surgery. Stupid mainline snob.

I may also have called her my favorite curse word at the end of the play. It rhymes with "hunt." It's my favorite word because it pisses off so many people... and I very rarely use it directed at someone. Only two people. This woman and a second who shall remain nameless. I don't know that I've ever been so angry at a play before. My heart was thumping so loud that I was sure everyone around me could hear it. Later on, I had told my friend who was doing costumes for the Walnut at the time what had happened, and found out that the actors on stage could hear this woman... and they told my friend to thank me and becklette for sticking up for them. The play was very good... and if you are a fan of theatre and get a chance to see Enchanted April, do it. Just hope that you don't have the peanut gallery behind you.

Wait, Tennessee Williams is funny?

Over the weekend, I saw A Streetcar Named Desire at the Walnut Street Theatre... and it was WONDERFUL! Streetcar is one of my favorite plays (not my favorite... Vieux Carre is my favorite... it's okay that you've never heard of it. It's not a well-known Tennessee Williams play. One of his first.) and my college did it while I was there. When my college did it...I was amazed by the acting abilities of my peers and thought it was so incredibly well done, and such a heart-wrenching serious piece of theatre.

And then I saw it at the Walnut...and laughed. A lot. I never laughed at this play in college. I never laughed at it when I read it a dozen times. I never saw this play as funny...but it is. It's really really funny. The actor who played Stanley is unbelievable and I've seen him in probably a dozen plays in Philly. Most recently (besides Streetcar) I saw him at the Arden Theatre in Assassins as John Wilkes Booth. The range of this guy is incredible. If someone had told me that Jeff Coons was in Streetcar, I would have said "Oh, is he playing Steve?" not "Oh, is he playing Stanley?" But he was amazing as Stanley.

The only downfall of the evening was the box office. I've never really had a bad experience at The Walnut, except that time that I almost got into a fist fight with this woman, but she was a patron not someone who worked there. So that's different. I am a season ticket holder and had my tickets switched from Saturday matinee (because I had a knitting class that day) to Friday evening. I was told that i needed to pick them up at the theatre, because it was too late to mail them. Which was fine by me since my father's address is the address listed on the subscription and he lives in Jersey. I went to will call to get my tickets, and he curmedgeon in the box office said "What makes you think that your tickets are here?" To which I responded with, "The person I spoke with on Tuesday told me that it was too late to mail them and that I had to pick them up at the box office prior to the show. I have my original tickets with me, would you like them?" I just couldn't believe that someone who worked for the Walnut would be so rude to a person that they know is a subscriber! A little hint... you want to keep your season ticket holders since not a lot of people are going to the theatre anymore. It's probably not a good idea to be very rude to your subscribers, because they might not be subscribers any more.

Luckily, the rude box office guy wasn't enough to ruin my evening. My friend Deb and I had a lovely dinner in a little Chinese restaurant on Walnut that looks a little strange on the outside, but has very good food. And we had a lovely time at the play itself. And I got to see my friend Megan who works at the Walnut. All in all, a nice date night with my friend. She really needed a night out, anyway.

Just a little courtesy, please.

Since I'm a "prestige girl" at ULTA, I get to play with makeup like Urban Decay, Smashbox, Benefit, and the like. Occasionally, we'll have make up artists who represent certain lines come in and do training. I've been trained on Bare Escentuals, Smashbox, Clarins, Dermalogica, Lorac, Urban Decay, and Bourjois. Today, I was supposed to have training with Paula Dorf. Oh, I'm sorry... yesterday I was supposed to have training with Paula Dorf. Yesterday, the barely an inch of snow was too much for her and she was "iced in." My mother lives in the next town over. We had more snow in Delaware. And it wasn't that much. Today, she calls out sick.

Yesterday... I took the day off at the station so I could take my time at the training, run some errands, etc. It turned out to be not too bad because I did get a lot of stuff done. And I went into LUSH and didn't buy ANYTHING for myself! I'm so proud. Anyway, I decided today to just take my lunch break by going over to ULTA. It's about half a mile away from the station, so it's not a big deal. But someone could have called me. Or this woman could have not cancelled training two days in a row. If she was sick yesterday, which she probably was, she could have rescheduled it for next week. Now it's rescheduled for next Wednesday. We'll see if it happens. I'm always whoring out Paula Dorf's concealer because it's one of my favorites, but now I'm rethinking that. I hold grudges. Gratis or not, these Paula Dorf people have to be pretty darn nice to me to get back on my good side.

And of course we're having a "visit" today at ULTA. And by "visit" I mean our District Manager (whom I LOVE LOVE LOVE) and the VICE PRESIDENT OF ULTA JODI (who is a lovely woman b slightly intimidating because she's, um the VP of the company and very particular) is in the store. They were coming in when I was leaving. Our DM was also there yesterday when training was scheduled the FIRST time...so when he sees me leaving again, he gives me this "question mark?" look... so I have to explain that training was cancelled again because of sickness. Not something I wanted to spill to Jodi, but whatever. It happens. I was very careful not to be angry or disappointed or anything. I was very "Meh, it's all right... I'm only right around the corner. It's no big deal."

My gypsy days

Every Monday is knitting night. I mean, I knit every day almost... but on Mondays I go to this coffee shop downtown and knit with a bunch of other women. Yesterday there were 10 of us (including me) and another 4 or 5 that couldn't make it. We've started trying to do special evenings. And the girls found out that I read tarot cards. I have since I was about 12. My best friend growing up's father was (probably still is) Wiccan, and this company he worked for manufactured tarot cards. He gave me my first deck. I've since had two others, but the deck I have now is by far my favorite. I got it in this Wiccan store in New Hope, PA that no longer exists. I used to go to New Hope once a year while I was in high school for a drama competition. Won Best Actress in a musical. I'm pretty sure I no longer have the trophy.

Anyway. I tend to not tell people that I read tarot because A. they expect me to have every card memorized. It's a lot of cards people, and I do have them memorized but I like to have the book so that I'm not wrong. and B. they expect me to do their reading and for them to immediately understand what I'm talking about. A lot of time I'm crazy dead on, but sometimes it won't make sense for about a month or so. The play that I did over the summer when the cast lived with me? I read their cards. Well, the girls anyway. One of them did something really crazy because of what the reading told her...she just up and moved to Chicago. I didn't tell her to do it, but that's what she took it as.

I miss reading tarot cards a lot. I used to do it more often in college and in high school than I do now. I was actually offered a job reading tarot for one of those 1-800 numbers when I was 15, but I would have had to work between 10pm and 6am. My parents claimed that they were okay with it and that it was my decision, but I'm pretty sure they were freaked out. My extended family has no idea about the tarot. My aunt the nun would probably have a heart attack. Good Catholics don't like tarot.

I didn't get much knitting done yesterday. I did 8 readings, which is a lot and it's very draining. It was also very loud... and I like to have quiet when I do readings. If I do them again for the girls I'm going to suggest we don't do it at the coffee shop. Plus some weird guy (who we think words in some kind of wedding planning something or other because he was meeting with a new bride and her mom) came up to me and asked me to do a reading. I didn't. Is that bad? I thought it was weird that he just came up and asked me... but I really wanted to get some actual knitting done on my sweater and also I was tired. Readings take a little bit out of you. Maybe I should apply for one of those 1-800 tarot reading jobs again.