I will no longer do the Devil's Dishes

Today at work, while sending off a last minute super urgent need this yesterday document to a client, I marveled at my impressive work ethic. You see, it was quite late, and, though tempted by the chance to go home, I stuck it out and made some magic happen. (this was after I found out I lost both of the two biggest accounts I've seen since August). The brief moment spent 'in the zone' made up for the late hours.

Until I realized that it was only 15 minutes later than I usual stay. Since it was dark by 4:15 I lost track of things. I wonder if I should go into work earlier during the winter? It's weird, now I've been getting up around 7:45 and getting to the office at 8:50; at my previous job I got up at 6:30 and to work by 8 on the dot. I rarely stay up past 11, so that means way too much sleep. Granted, some of that sleep is spent hitting the snooze bar 8 times before M finally leaves, I'm not sure how much of that counts.

Last weekend sucked. I should have been getting tear-gassed on State St, instead I ended up staying home and did nothing. I had a party invite, but it was on the north side and I didn't have a clear transportation plan for the way home. As promised, Saturday morning I did shave my 40 day beard into the most hideous moustache ever. M came home around 5 pm. I think if she would have found me in bed with 2 girls and a guy she would have been less pissed off. Despite protest, it stayed attached until the next day, and was showed off for all the neighborhood to see. Now I look 8 years younger and have a spring in my step.

I just finished the "Veronica Mars" season 1 dvd. Highly recommended. Once I catch up on the new episodes I've taped it will join AD as the only shows worth watching. But I doubt it will ever live up to the first season.

The novel writing starts tomorrow, and as of now I am serious about it. I just looked at something I wrote in a week a few years ago (while unemployed, granted) and it was 12,000 words. So I had the pace right, at least. Please leave any random elements or characters you'd like featured in my first novel in the comments section. I will include them in my story, and email you the section in which it occurs. If it turns out semi-non-horrible, I may find a way to post the whole thing. We'll see what happens. I figure once my November is over, I'll be able to devote December to the best of 2k5. Lots of tough choices to make already.

Believing is Art

The recent 'SWOMF' had its moments, and seemed to be sufficiently magical enough. I did get to watch both of the baseball games, plus go to the Art Institute, but also had to endure migraine-inducing shopping and foot the dinner bill. I am semi-shocked to say that M and I have vaguely similar tastes in art (nothing made before 1900, as a rule). We seemed to spend the most time in the 'contemporary' section. One exhibit was simply a large rectangle filled with brightly wrapped candies. The small card, hidden out of most views, said we were free to take pieces of candy and eat them. So, naturally, I'd repeatedly wait until the room was full of people, then loudly walk over and take a piece of candy, while everyone else waited in horror for security to come and drag me away.

Bonus: The candy was delicious, I had both orange and grape.

Last night: "I'll be to bed soon, the game is in the bottom of the eighth inning..." yawn...

So now that M is finally working harder and longer hours again, I'm going to have a lot more free time on my hands. It just so happens that November is National Novel Writing Month. I've signed up on the website, the deal is you have to write 50,000 words in 30 days. 1,667 words per day. That really didn't sound too tough, except it seems that this blog has only been 18,000 words in the last 8 months. Plus, I haven't written a word of fiction in a million years. But, I signed up, and with you as my witness, will attempt to succeed while documenting my progress here. Just think, someday soon you get to read about my writing something else that will inevitably be too horrible for you to ever read. It's blogger sweeps month!

For some reason I'm having an itch to go bowling. No idea.

I may shave my beard into a mustache just for the weekend. I need to get rid of it so I can get passport photos taken next week. Are there any halloween costumes that involve 5-week mustaches?

A Punch in the Swomf

Because this is M's last completely free weekend until sometime in January, I have dubbed this weekend as her Swomf. That stands for Special Weekend Of Magical Fun. Believe it or not, I thought of that off the top of my head! (ok, just kidding, it took a 75 minute brainstorming session and an impromptu focus group.)

Here is what the Swomf entails: M gets to decide what we'll do the entire weekend, and I will pretend to like it. She wants to go see a cheap musical? OK, I'm down with that. She wants to go shopping? Um, sure, we just went last week, but OK. She wants to cuddle and talk about marriage? Awesome, I'd much rather do that than watch the White Sox game and drink a dozen beers. If I make it through this alive I'm officially retiring with my 'Best Boyfriend Ever' title intact. Next weekend: Lots of booze and whores. No, scratch that. Every weekend for the rest of the year: lots of booze and whores.

Last weekend was great, save for the four hour block of shopping in the middle. Otherwise, free hotel meant fancy expensive dinners two nights in a row. Plus, the hotel even had a basketball hoop. I won a 45 minute game of horse (barely).

In 27 years, I've drank 50,000 beers

So the big top 100 list wasn't quite the big hit I envisioned. A modest success, maybe, but no 'punch in the face game' for sure. Oh well.

A couple weeks ago I saw SLGTM play at an ultra-hip bar. We went with a coworker of mine and his girlfriend. It was a solid show as always, sax player was replaced by second guitarist, heard some new songs plus a encore cover of 'Purple Rain' that was surprisingly good for being improvised.

Last week we saw Mates of State, time number 9 for me. Another good show and more new songs. Only problem was, and I feel incredibly old for complaining, that there were a few girls, I'm not sure how old (it was 18+, but I think they had drinks) who were next to us that were dancing with each other so excitedly that I would get bumped by someone's ass at least 90 times per song. Now, I'm not one to discourage ass-bumping, but there is a time and place for it. We weren't even up near the front of the room, more like the middle, and everyone around us was relatively sedate. At first I was glad that they were so excited, they obviously knew all the songs and were having the time of their lives. But then they bumped M. a few times, which instantly made her so angry that I thought I was going to be forced to break up a FITE! We changed positions a little, and I withstood most of their abuse with M stood with her sharp elbow pointed towards them. After a while I said something to one of them, but that didn't help at all. In fact, I may have been elbowed intentionally and hit with a purse. After the next song they calmed down, but they had done their damage. Thanks a lot, bitches!

I officially have cable. As of yesterday afternoon. Cable people visit #4 finally paid off. After two and a half weeks and about 800 calls to the cable company. Good news: they are waiving the installation charge. Isn't that nice? However, I can see this causing some domestic problems down the road with only one TV. My goal is to avoid watching TLC and the food network as much as possible, while getting M. to appreciate South Park. Pretty underwhelming stuff so far.

I last shaved 21 days ago. I woke up and thought, eh, so tired, for about three days in a row, and then it was on. Now some of my coworkers are starting a 'beard contest'. This is fine with me, except the contest is based on length of time not shaving, not quality of beard. Plus it just started yesterday, so my 'head-start' is worthless. I'm also worried by the fact that when three people (out of six) are left with beards, this turns into a moustache contest. That is going to be horrifying.

Hey, Arrested Development Season 2 is out on DVD! I hear it's a pretty decent show.

This weekend we're going to some hotel in the suburbs. The room is free, and fancy-nice, but the weekend might involve outlet malls. I am cautious.

Additions to iPod in last two days:

The Flaming Lips - 'Zaireeka' mixed down to single tracks; Clouds taste metallic; priest driven ambulance
V.A. - Growin' up too fast: the Girl-Group anthology
Common - 'Be'
Smoosh - 'She Like Electric'
The Ronettes - best of
De La Soul - '3 ft high and rising'
Big Star - 'Third/Sister Lovers'
Blackalicious - 'The Craft'
Handsome Boy Modeling School - 'White People'
The Kinks - various singles