The Big Decision.

Gene and I have been together for 5 years. We've lived together for two going on 3 of those 5 years, and we own a house together. So... we always get "the question." You know what question I'm talking about. "So... when are you going to finally get married?" It isn't that we aren't ready--we are. We're very ready. We wouldn't have bought a house together if we weren't ready. We joke about getting married, we faux plan things, but nothing is ever concrete. So last night we had "the big discussion" and I think we came to "the big decision."

My family life is a mess. becklette knows all of the dirty details... the main things you need to know are:
A. my parents are divorced...and have been separated for about three years now.
B. my father is remarried to a woman i begrudgingly don't hate.
C. my sister won't meet her, nor does she like (read: she loathes) my mom's boyfriend, whom I happen to like.
D. we also have a lot of "if you don't invite this person, then I'm not coming." and "if you do invite this person, I'm not coming."

So. We decided that screw everyone else. This is about us, so we're going to make it (here's the shocker) about us. I think we 85% decided that we're going to take a few people (like 20ish) and just do it. No extended family... my father's family is kind of snobby anyway and I'm pretty sure they don't like me very much. Today I decided that I'm going to research quaint little places I can elope at that aren't Vegas (where my father was remarried. He's classy.) that are fairly close to Delaware. The other reason we decided we're eloping besides the family drama.... Gene hates weddings. They make him really anxious. He doesn't like being around large groups of people (unless it's a sports event, but he doesn't have to touch people at sporting events, or talk to all of them). Gene just likes to be left on his own... he just wants to hang out... he doesn't like being the center of attention. I don't want to make him have a big huge wedding just because it's what you're supposed to do. I don't care that's what you were supposed to do. I want to do it my way. So. I'm researching. And compiling lists of things like possible guest-ness, and possible places, and things.

I hate the internet. Hate. Much much hate.

My job makes me want to rip out every single hair on my head one by one. And not because people are making unreasonable requests (well, they are... especially the ones who want me to just take the music out. Um. That's impossible. But thanks for playing). Because the internet makes me want to cry. For the past almost week, Comcast has decided to mess with our internets. We have no email access through outlook (aka my life) and have very VERY limited internet connectibility. I hate Comcast. I hate them. They do this to us all of the time. And we? use the internet every single day for work. I can't access my internet music library without, uh, the internet. I can't download spots from the websites they're on without, uh, the internet. I can't email airchecks to the many many people I send airchecks to without, guess what, the internet. I'm going out of my mind here! If someone wants to threaten Comcast with bodily harm on my behalf, I'd really appreciate it. I really wish we could switch to Verizon Fios. Stupid Fios not being in this area. Stupid Verizon. I hate the internet...it sucks.

On a side note...any one know any food items (i.e. cookies mayhaps?) that would survive a flight to Ireland and not be stale and/or gross? I'm thinking of being a super good friend. The scarf I've been working on for the girl who left me for Ireland (stupid Ireland) is almost halfway done (yay!) and I have some other things to put in the box as well... but I was thinking of maybe cookies. Good idea? Bad idea? I don't know. I never shipped food overseas before.

Absurd Theatre Trend

Just because Hairspray made a decent musical from a movie doesn't mean every other cult anything should follow suit. I don't understand this theatre trend whatsoever. I don't think Legally Blonde makes a good musical... I think it has terrible music that is really contrived and it attempts to be funny and tongue and cheek and fails miserably. And I love Laura Bell Bundy.

I don't understand why Crybaby happened... or why Grease was made into a stage musical. It was a bad movie. And now Dolly Parton is writing the music for the 9 to 5 musical!?? Seriously!?? Why? 9 to 5 is a shitty movie! And an even worse poker hand. Some people should just not try to be "artistic" and try their hand and stage writing, stage acting, stage anything. Julia Roberts, I'm talking to you. You may at one time have been America's Sweetheart, but you don't have the chops to carry a serious play.

This is just an example of the latest trend in musical theatre. It isn't avant garde. It isn't new (really). It isn't good either. It's kind of like the trend for bands to have their music be the soundtrack of a musical. It worked for The Who's Tommy... and it kind of works for Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! is at least a lot of fun. It's purely fluff, but it's a good time. Billy Joel on the other hand? I love Billy Joel... I think he's an incredibly talented pianist and a wonderful showman. He needs to stay away from the theatre. "Movin' Out" aka the Billy Joel Musical Revue... is terrible. Anthony, who works at that grocery store, should never ever be an actual character. It's bad enough we have stunt casting (Ashlee Simpson as Roxie in Chicago, anyone?) but now we have to have stunt composing as well? This is why Broadway sales are down, people. Because the quality of the theatre and the quality of the play itself sucks.

Also... no one wants to see Kate Holmesbot phone in Arthur Miller. That stunt casting? Epic. Fail.

Autumn Blues.

Thank God today is the primary. Thank God. The politicians will cool it for a bit. I gotta tell you, I hate the fall now. Autumn used to be my absoultely favorite month... filled with my favorite colors (deep orange, burgandy, brown, black, cream... all colors I love. And green. Can't forget fall green). And now autumn (every other year at least) makes me cringe because of demanding politicians who think they own my place of business. Politicians who call me late late late at night when I have either dinner plans, or my other job to get to, because they want to change their ad and run :30s instead of :60s, which PS is a bitch of a change. Politicians who aren't prepared to record their commercial, have never timed it, and are either 10 seconds to short or 15 seconds too long... and trying to explain to them that :30 means :30 and not :42 doesn't exactly work. But at least with today being the primary, things will slow down for maybe a week. And then we'll get the bloodbath again.

I'm trying to still be excited about autumn... and decorating. I'm redoing the garden outside of my house... because now it's just a weedy-weedy mess. I have to dig everything up basically and start from scratch. I went out last weekend (you know, during Hanna) and got some new window well covers. The homeowner before me had no desire to make the front of the house pretty... and she put black metal grates over the basement windows to keep out water. I also went to Michaels yesterday to get yarn and smaller knitting needles, and saw lots and lots of fun pretty fall decorations... which I think I'm going to make my house pretty for the fall. Possibly Halloween, I'm not sure. I have all kinds of things in my head. I don't know if I'm going to get any plants (i.e. mums) for fall... I'll probably plant stuff now for the spring. I'm definitely ordering tulips from www.tulipsagainsttumors.com which supports brain tumor awareness, research, and families affected by brain tumors. And I'll probably buy some other tulip bulbs elsewhere also. Anything else to plant I have no idea, so I'll probably go into Old Country Gardens (local nursery) and see what they say. Maybe I'll post pictures.

Friendship...just the perfect blendship

I may have some abandonment issues. And not because some parental trauma happened in my life (well, not when I was a child anyway) but mainly because I've had some seriously shitty friends who generally turn out to not be friends and repeatedly stab me in the back. And it mostly comes from those I considered "best" friends. There was my "twin" best friend (we played twins in a play) who lied to a bunch of people by telling them I was a lesbian, and then later slept with my high school boyfriend. After we broke up... but like a month after we broke up. And she called me a year later to tell me. I hadn't heard from her in about a year at that time. Then there was the other best friend who during our senior year, didn't name me her co-editor of the yearbook (which was valid, because I was president of one club, VP of another, and involved in two other clubs, plus voice lessons, plus dance lessons, plus a job), but then when I did all of the duties of the co-editor because the co-editor she did name was a big loser, she didn't recognize that. And then never told me when the club picture was, so I wasn't in it, nor as I listed in the back of the yearbook as a contributor (despite the fact I wrote 12 stories, did most of the cropping, and most of the captions). She also was supposed to get a limo with me for prom.. and then got it with someone else and never told me, hung up on me when me and the asshole ex (the one who slept with my twin friend) broke up because she had "more important things" to do (and that was an exact quote), and when I called her to visit during senior week, she wouldn't tell me where they were staying. I've had some really great friends.

Well, now the one person that hasn't stabbed me repeatedly in the back... is moving. Tomorrow. To Ireland. That's really far. And she's also one of the only friends that I have that's remotely close. It sucks. I have recently made a few new friends because of the play that I did. One of them, Sara, is having a knitting party this weekend. That's right. I knit. I'm ok at it. Sara's pretty darn good. She can knit with multiple needles, and in the round, and lots of crazy stuff that I'm no where near good enough to even try. But this weekend I'm making my friend a scarf since she said she didn't have one for when she moves to Ireland. It's going to be pink. And ribbed, I think. I hope it doesn't suck and that it doesn't take me a long time... because it's already cold over there. At least now I have an excuse to go to Ireland. And as she informed me, a round trip ticket is "only" $400. Good thing I keep that kind of money in my ass for just these occasions.

I know you think I'm made of magic, but...

Apparently some people I work with think that I can work miracles. This is not the case. There is no such thing as the production fairy, and I can't make magic happen just because you want it to.

For example:

* Copyrighted music is copyrighted music. Just because your client really likes the song "Bad to the Bone" doesn't mean they're allowed to put it in their commercial. That's illegal. They can buy the royalty rights to the song for thousands and thousands of dollars, but I'm not getting the station sued because your client is an idiot.

* Concerts are the only exception. An artist isn't going to get uppity about using their music when it's to promote them. But that doesn't mean that I have it. Therefore... get it from your client, or drive 4 miles to Borders and go buy it. I'm not illegally pirating it off of the internet. Because it's illegal. Sorry.

* Your spec commercial that hasn't bought advertising yet? Yeah. Bottom of my pile. Because the ones who gave us money already also have commercials that need to get done...and they're a priority. Tough cookies. Stop bugging me about it.

* No your client with no contract can't come in to record a commercial at 5:00 in the evening when I'm supposed to be walking out the door so that it can run tomorrow morning. That's not only rude and inconsiderate, but it's also a bit assinine.

* Just because you think you're a politician doesn't give yout he right to be a douchebag. Oh, wait....

* When you fail to tell me that something is approved, don't get all testy with me when I don't have the commercial produced. I wasn't given the ok by you. And when you tell me to produce one thing, and then expect me to give you something else entirely.. well, just remember that I'm not psychic. So if you wanted that other one done, you should have said so. Stop getting on my case every 5 minutes for not having something you never told me you wanted done to begin with. Pay attention to what you tell me.

* I cannot be responsible for the stupidity, idiocy, or forgetfulness of another person. I'm responsible for my own stupidity and forgetfulness... but rarely do those happen. Please stop yelling at me because you're an idiot.

* Don't blame your stupidity, idiocy, or forgetfulness on me to a manager. Try throwing me under any bus and see what happens. Because guess what. I keep track of everything. And I mean everything. So. I have a paper trail for your stupidity.

Not so much ideal...

I tried so hard to have a nice relaxing weekend. It didn't so much work. At all. But that's all right.


I did get to try out my new bubblebath from Lush called The Comforter. It turned my water pink, and I smelled like heaven all day! My bath was the best part of my weekend. It was a bit 'spensive, but it was wonderful. Lush uses sodium bicarbonate in their bubble bath... so the bubbles last longer and they aren't harmful to lady parts. And you only use a little piece of the bubble bar, and not the entire bar as some people thought. Because $15 is an expensive bubble bath for just one. But you get like 4 baths out of the bubble bar.. and it's wonderful. I love it. I also have two bath bombs that I have yet to try.

I have to go clothes shopping for lunch today because I have to ULTA this evening, and all of my black clothes except my pants are in the laundry... so... I couldn't wear them. So I need to get a black shirt to wear for today. I must must must do laundry tonight because I also have to ULTA tomorrow (I'm making up hours that I lost because of NYC.... so I'm working 3 days instead of one at ULTA). ULTA has been weird lately... because we're remodeling. And have no managers. Like none. At all. No AGM, no GM, and no DM. We have an RM... but I've never met her. Supposedly we're getting someone from Florida and someone from New York to supervise the store until we have new managers and we are finished the remodel. Things are so nuts there... everyone is on edge and cranky.