Men suck.

With the possible exception of Brad Pitt.

But the rest of them suck.

"Wherever You Will Go" is my new favorite song on the radio, even though The Calling sounds just like Lifehouse. I'm just a sucker for gravelly-voiced guys singing power ballads. They make me pine.

Yup, Kelly's life is badly in need of some romance.

My, I'm the active little blogger today...

Hey, single ladies....go check out Justin. He's a nice guy. E-mail him.

I saw howler monkeys at the aquarium in Dallas. Those are the freakiest things ever. They sound like they're belching through megaphones. Suzanne, you would have been so amused. I also saw penguins. It was almost more excitement than I could handle.

Bad things about today:
1. Astrid Lindgren died.
2. They're changing our health insurance and I have to find *another* new gyno.
3. I have a huge zit on the side of my nose.
4. Everyone else keeps trying to do my job, damn it! (And they're not very good at it.)

Good things about today:
1. The weather is beeeee-yooo-tiful!
2. I'm going to the gym tonight.
3. I'm eating my yummy mahi-mahi leftovers from last night first.
4. I will probably have a very lovely chat session tonight. Such is the pattern lately.
5. Only two more days & then vacation! Woo!

More good than bad. I feel better now.

He writes poetry. Old-fashioned love poetry. That's it; I'm smitten.

So I just got back from meeting Matt, the guy I've been chatting with. It was really nice; we talked, laughed. He's even cuter in person. :) We're going to hang out again sometime soon. And he smells nice.

So I chatted for an hour & a half last night with that guy. We seem to have a similar sense of humor; he cracks me up. (I'm telling you, ladies, if you learn to love "Airplane!", you score points with the guys!) He teaches high school English, which I think is very cool, and he just bought a house, which shows a certain comfort level with commitment. Not that I'm trying to get ahead of myself here. Anyway, we'll see where this goes. I'd really like to meet him. It's easier to be a witty conversationalist online than in person. And yes, meet in public, don't give too much personal info, yadda yadda...don't worry; I'll be safe & stuff. :)

So I bit the proverbial bullet and decided to give online personal ads a try. I'm not quite gutsy enough to post an ad, so I answered a couple that sounded like my speed last night. One's already responded & we'll hopefully be chatting tonight. Here goes nothing!

This is the most ridiculously easy & yummy recipe: Beer Bread! 2 2/3 c. self rising flour, 12 oz. beer. Mix it up until it's moist, bake in a loaf pan at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Tastes nothing like beer, I promise. Yummy with blackberry preserves.

This edition of Ghetto Martha Stewart was brought to you by the letter W & P and the number 7.

Thanks to all who came last night -- it was a great party! Though as Brooke points out, we hang out with a cocktail crowd & don't need to buy more beer next time. If anyone wants a brewski, come on over. We have lots. We also have lots of red wine. I think I'm going to make a bathtub o' sangria. :)

Excited about the party Saturday. Not so excited about the mad cleaning that must precede it. Suzanne gave it a great plug on the Phi Mu message board. I look forward to seeing her because she amuses me so. Of course, she'll probably have had more sleep.

I got a package from my mom today containing a package from one of my Japanese friends, Hiroe, that had come to my parents' house. She sent me a Xmas card, Japanese candy & a teddy bear key chain. I was most pleased. I love getting letters/e-mails from people whose native language is not English. The phrasing makes me smile. Mom also sent fleece scarves for me & Brooke. She's on a fleece kick, apparently.

I'm at a point where I'm trying to figure out what the next step should be in my life. I'm in a lease for a year, and I really don't want to deal with moving again any time soon. Twice within a year is plenty for now. Not that I think I'll stay in Atlanta forever. I've toyed with taking some classes and expanding my skills in graphic design, but after this week's horrors (file screwed up, have to do twice as much work in half the time to get caught back up), I don't know. Not sure I want to stare at a computer all my life. I'm also toying with going to grad school, maybe to study applied linguistics/ESL. I need to do some volunteering in this area & see how it goes. I wanted to go to a training this Saturday, but I don't know if I'll have time, and I'll be in Texas during the next one.

OK, ramble over. As you were.

Thanks for all the support....I have wonderful friends.

Paca's gone. She was staying at Steph's b/c my landlord was going to come by the look at our dysfunctional oven. I went to pick Paca up, and as I was walking to my car, the cage fell off of it top (it wasn't completly secured), and she flew off and around a building. Stephanie (who is a wonderful friend) and I spent 2 hours walking around her complex, along the street, and around the shopping center across the street, whistling and calling her. I left the cage open on Steph's porch, put a sign up, and am calling the leasing office tomorrow. Best case scenario, she flew to someone's porch to get out of the snow, made some noise, and they let her in. I'm trying not to think about the worst case scenario. Slighly better than worse case scenario, a cat got her or something so that she can at least go quickly. I'm feeling like the worst pet owner ever b/c the cage top should have been on better, or at least I shouldn't have been carrying it by the handle, and Paca's wings should have been clipped (I'd been meaing to have that done soon. The road to hell & so forth...)

It's been snowing all day! Woo hoo! And we might not have to come in tomorrow if the roads ice...I have to call & find out when I wake up tomorrow. Here's hoping that I can roll over and go back to sleep. And then take one of my many empty boxes and go sledding on the golf course!

I just turned in my keys/swipe card/remote to the Post Valley office. I am no longer a Smyrnian. (Hee hee, sounds like I used to live in some obscure Middle Eastern country.) I'm so glad to be done with the move and settling into the new place. Big thanks & hugs to Mom, Dad, Matthew, Justin & Daniel for their invaluable assistance Saturday. A note about trucks: if you have as much stuff as I do, you cannot move in a 10' truck. Save yourself a trip back to the Ryder place and get the 15' to start with. And don't buy huge couches. They're a pain in the ass to move, though Matthew is getting really good at taking doors off their hinges. This is a skill that will surely serve him well in life. Anyway, Paca & I are very happy in our new home. Brooke's happy too, but she & Scott went to Mississippi for the week so he can meet her parents.

If you haven't been here yet, you should visit soon. You can sit on the wall around the front porch and heckle the golfers across the street (not that I've tried yet.) Or, since it's really cold out there, you can sit in front of the fireplace, and I'll even make you a nice cup of hot chocolate. Or I'll mix you a drink with Brooke's copious supply of liquor, and then maybe you'll be up for golfer-heckling.

Packing sucks. Lots. But being almost done sucks less. I had a nice dinner break, but that means I have to go into overdrive to get done & get a reasonable night's sleep. Many fabulous people are helping me move, so many that I had to start turning away assistance. I shout them all out. :)

...but I'm going to have digital cable w/ HBO & Showtime shortly! Woo!

This...afternoon...is...passing...very...slowly...

Last day of work until January 2, and I couldn't be happier to leave this afternoon. :) Much insanity and drama surrounding various work projects, and it makes my head hurt. I'm going to Florida w/ my parents & brother to see my grandparents, and then coming back to Atlanta the 27th to finish packing & move. As hellish as moving is, I prefer it over work at this moment.