November 26

Thanksgiving went well. I drove up to my family's house the night before, and got up early to watch the parade. Sadly, it was raining and when that happens there's no reception so I only caught about half. I love my Grandparents more than anything else in this world but I have come to hate the house I grew up in, it's like a holding cell, after 48 hours it's like, either charge me with a crime or let me go already. I finished all my Christmas shopping today, didn't take 10 minutes, I didn't even have to wait in line at Target. On another note, I now have central heat in my condo. My friend Court sent a guy out to fix it, turns out it was just a bad thermostat. Nice to know I have central heat for back up this Winter.

October 30

I love October, it's my favorite time of year, even in Atlanta where the season change is less noticeable. Tonight I'll probably be going to see a Midnight showing of Rocky Horror in Marietta, it's been a few years since I've seen it. Glee's version Tuesday wasn't bad, I liked Mercedes as Dr. Frank'n'Furter. One thing I don't understand about that show is why nobody doesn't stand up to the bullies with the slushies. Why not start throwing them right back in their faces? That would make it stop. Thank goodness we didn't have a slushie machine in my high school.

Oct 9

Gay pride weekend is officially here in Atlanta! The lineup this year doesn't look all that exciting, but I'm really more interested in the parade & the vendors afterwards anyway. Antigone Rising is performing tomorrow night, and I think Kimberly Locke is perfoming tonight on the Coke Stage. Might be fun, if I can talk my uncle into coming with me. I sent a picture to the Domino's website on the "Send us your pic" campaign with the hopes of getting free gift certificates for pizza sent to me in the mail, I'm not sure if they'll like the picture I sent them. Couldn't be any worse than the one "Bryce" in Minnesota or whatever sent in.

September 25

It's Saturday and once again I have no plans, except maybe to watch some netflix. I really need to start planning better. All my new shows are back on, so I have something to look forward to almost every night after I get home from the gym. I spent part of the week dog-sitting for my uncle since he was out of town, I don't know how he deals with those two barking all night, I barely got any sleep while I was there. I am still considering getting a small dog, like a teacup chihuahua or a malti-poo, but I don't know for sure. I might foster to see if they can get along with Luci first. I'm glad I wasn't sitting next to Lady Gaga at the VMA's in that meat dress of hers, imagine how that must have smelled under those lights? I do appreciate her campaigning to have DADT repealed, so gays can serve openly in the military. I'm not surprised the Republicans shot it down in the Senate, probably just out of spite. I don't think the military even cares any more about gays serving openly, what with their numbers being down as it is.

September 15

The singer I've been rooting for all season won America's Got Talent! I'm pretty happy for him, since the grand prize is $1 million and his family lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. The new Fall season starts this week, so far I like Nikita and that's about it, none of the shows really look all that great except for maybe the reboot of Hawaii 5-0 I might give Undercovers & The Event a chance, but if I don't like the pilot I'm not sticking around. I'm not even watching the second season of Vampire Diaries. The acting is so lame I don't know why I watched it last season. At least I've got a new season of Hoarders to keep me entertained.

August 21

I can't believe the war in Iraq is finally over! It's taken them long enough. Thank the higher power Obama was elected over McCain, otherwise, I don't think our troops would have come home this week. I never thought they should have been sent in the first place. I'm getting over a nasty case of poison ivy, which I seem to have picked up second hand at the gym of all places, someone must have gotten it and left it on a machine, which I immediately used. From now on I'm wiping those leather areas down before I use them! I might be going to see a WNBA game Sunday with a friend of mine, there's a meet & greet with the player afterwards. I've been thinking a lot about my college days recently, wondering if I missed out by working weekends and living off campus instead of fully investing in campus life and not joining a sorority or something along those lines. I don't think they would have wanted me anyway, I never really fit in with those people and it seemed like High School all over again, but at the same time, I might not have drifted around in school as much as I did or taken as long to graduate if I had taken a different route.

July 29

I just read somewhere that Robert Pattinson launched his own line of undewear. I wonder how much money he added to his checking account just from posing in boxer briefs? I need to come up with a money making idea, there are so many things I need for my condo, new carpet, washer dryer, new oven, the list goes on & on. Not to mention my car. I'm watching season 2 of Jersey Shore, not really sure why.

July 24

I signed up for a Twitter account last night; not sure why really. I always thought Twitter was for conceited celebrities like Ashton Kutcher who want to keep their adoring public informed of their every movement, but my curiosity got the best of me. I'm just hanging out today, battling cramps and eating chocolate. About to go play cards.

July 22

Oh how I hate sunlight! It hurts my eyes, puts me in a foul mood and makes the inside of my car even hotter in the Summer. I need one of those car shades. Later this morning, our building's owners are throwing a little party for us, with a continental breakfast, I'm not really sure what to expect, bagels or donuts, I suppose. My boss is retiring in a few weeks and her replacement is in training around the office. She seems to like me. I just got my electric bill for the first time since installing my new window unit AC, just $41.00 so I'm pretty happy.

July 17

I forgot to mention in my last blog I got my car back last Friday morning, looks good as new. They even painted it to look just like it was. I was expecting a jigsaw puzzle of used parts. Anyway, Tuesday night at cards I mentioned how long it had been since I've been to the strip club and a few other people chimed in on how much they like the clubs, so a group of us made plans to go last night around 8:00 before the crowd waded in. To make a long story short I got stood up after putting on a nice outfit and driving up to the parking lot and waiting for 40 minutes. No call, no text, no nothing. If there's one thing I have no patience for it's people who stand me up and don't even have the courtesy to call back later and explain. So much for the strip club, I ended up leaving and going to Target. Since I didn't spend any money on strippers I decided to buy myself a cute outfit & RIOT t-shirt. I also discovered I had enough money left on my Home Depot gift card to buy crown moulding for my bedroom, I'm just waiting for the paint on the corner pieces to dry.

July 12

It's been a while since I posted. I just finished deleting my Facebook account. Facebook is a huge fucking waste of time and I really wish I never signed up for it in the first place. To make matters worse, today, someone I thought was a friend posed an embarrassing picture of me for the whole world to see. I sent a message letting her know I didn't appreciate it but the damage is done. Anyway, no more Facebook and no more obnoxious email notifications from people I went to high school with. On a happier note, both of my favorite singers went thru to Hollywood on America's got Talent, one of them was the actress from Precious's mom. She's really good, I would be surprised if she didn't make the top ten. There are a few too many dance teams for my taste, but there is still a pretty good mix. My little window unit AC is working like a charm, even in 99 degree heat. My condo rarely gets above 82 degrees. I also bought a cover for my fireplace since I never use it, and it looked ugly. Looks much better now. I put in an application for a part time job at Hollywood Tans to work weekends, haven't heard anything yet.

June 19

Tuesday night I am driving home from poker, driving slowly because the roads are wet and it's late at night. I'm coming up on the roundabout (very unsafe, by the way) and this teenager comes flying around the corner and crashes into my car. She starts crying and accusing me of hitting her, which was ridiculous, I was going straight and she hit the side of my car, which I hoped the cop would see, but of course Barbie starts crying to get sympathy. At the end of the night I'm given a citation for "failure to yield" and we have to wait to get the police report to see who was at fault. I like my car and I'm afraid it might be totalled. I would rather drive it as is then let State Farm total it. It is still driveable, I just don't have a left headlight any longer. Meanwhile, I will NEVER enter a roundabout again. I don't care if I have to drive 5 miles out of my way to use the interstate, those things just aren't safe. On a positive note, I have a new window unit AC, small and energy efficient, works much better than that bulky portable AC I was using for the past couple of weeks. It hardly sticks out the window at all, and it fits under the building overhang so I don't have to listen to the rain hitting it like the one I used last Summer, I just hope the HOA doesn't come down on me.

May 28

Wow. I just got two shocking bits of news: Gary Coleman died, which is very sad. He seemed like a tortured soul who faced obstacles his entire life.
Also Spencer and Heidi split up which is also sad. This means they'll be making two OTHER people miserable and I can't think of anyone who deserves that. What's funny is how they are referred to "by fans" as "Speidi" I didn't know they had fans. I love trashy reality tv shows as much as anyone else, but Spencer & Heidi are definitely a side effect. Sort of like offensive rap music in the freedom of speech debate. In order to allow people the access to great books like Slaughterhouse Five or Huck Finn, we must also allow access to garbage like the 2 Live Crew or Hustler Magazine. If there are great tv shows there must also be crap shows like The Hills or Flavor of Love.

May 17

I'm sitting in front of my computer drinking a McCafe Iced Mocha, not as good as Starbucks, but not as expensive either. I had a good weekend, drove out to pick up my Uncle from his trip to Hawaii Sunday morning, he took MARTA to Lindbergh Station and I drove up to pick him up since his roommate kind of bailed on him. Kind of bailed on watering the plants too, they were all shrivelled up and dead looking. He wasn't too happy. Personally, I think plants are a waste of money, unless you grow them from seeds or something. I was thinking about buying a plastic plant from Target for my condo, since I never let any sunlight in, and it would give the place a little color. Kenny also gave me first pick of souvenirs, I got a couple of fridge magnets that look pretty cool. He also saw George Clooney while he was down there, (George went to my Alma Mater, NKU) so I was excited for him. Definitely need to hit the treadmill tonight.

April 29

I'm ready for Summer, but Summer doesn't seem ready for Atlanta. It's been warm enough for shorts & t-shirts all month, then on Tuesday night it drops to 50 degrees the same night as the Jimmy Buffett concert which of course was outside at the Amplitheater. Needless to say it wasn't much fun. I ended up coming home early. The best part of the night was probably the ride back to MARTA in the heated shuttle. I knew I should have gone to see Nickelback instead. At least I'm set up and ready to go. I've got extra shades on my windows and my portable air conditioner appears to be working. It won't kick on if the temperature is below what it's programmed for. Perhaps I'll get that dog I've been wanting after all.

April 25

I just got home from Panama City Beach, what a long drive. I ended up getting lost on my way home as usual. Florida is pretty but it seems like everything is more expensive. Gasoline is .20 more per gallon, and touristy type stuff is always overpriced. At least I didn't pay very much for souvenirs. My tax refund finally came in, I used it all to pay off debt, just like I said I would, it feels great to have that out of my hair.

April 19

I finally saw Avatar this weekend, good movie, but now I remember why I don't like movie theaters. I ended up in front of this family with obnoxious little kids being loud and disruptive the whole time. I could have waited one more week to watch it at home, which is what I'll probably do from now on, unless I can go during school hours to avoid the little kids. Looks like I'm going to Florida this weekend, I haven't been in a while, I'm looking forward to walking along the beach and getting some new pictures on my cell phone to use as wallpaper. I'm almost done listening to my "New Moon" audiobook, which is good because I've got another audiobook downloaded that I'm looking forward to listening to. I think I found a way to get a Gwinnett County library card for free, even though I live in Dekalb county, since I work across the street, I'll see today after work.

April 12

I have finally finished sending in proof to the IRS that I bought a house last year so I can receive my home buyer's credit with my tax refund in a couple of weeks! I already know how I'm going to spend it: paying off a whole bunch of debt. In fact, after I pay off this damn credit card & my graduate loans, my only debt will be my house & my undergraduate student loans. I won't be free of that before retirement, but both are pretty low compared to most people, complaining about the amount I'm paying is like complaining about my $53 electric bill in the winter time; there are people who are paying much more. I'm thinking about going to see Jimmy Buffett later this month at Lakewood Amplitheater, I've never been to see him before. Ticket prices are reasonable, I just need to see if anyone is free to come with me. Concerts are always more fun with a group.

March 31

I've never been crazy about American Idol; I always considered it to be a highly glorified karaoke contest, but last night I caught a few performances while I was playing poker, it wasn't bad. Last night was R&B night, so they actually did some pretty good songs, like "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "Chain of Fools." I ended up coming in 3rd place and won $5.00 in bar cash which is always cool. No trivia tonight, since my friends are out of town, but I can use the opportunity to get an extra work out in at the gym. Let's see if I can burn off another 5 pounds before it's shorts weather.

March 21

What an exciting Saturday. After visiting the tanning booth I sat at home and watched a rerun of Cheaters. I haven't been to the tanning salon since they were beds that closed over you like an oyster shell. These booths are much better, I don't come out looking like a candy cane. You just stand in the middle and hold onto overhead straps so your tan is nice & uniform. Everyone preaches at me that they cause cancer, but I don't think once or twice for a base tan ever hurt anyone. It's not like I'm going every day like those people on Jersey Shore or anything. I just don't want to look pasty and sickly when I'm standing under the overhead lights at the gym. Some of my fellow gym rats are so dark they look like they own their own tanning booths and I think some of them do. Perhaps I'll buy one of those Gym, Tan, Laundry t-shirts now that I've subscribed to the narcissist lifestyle.

March 10

Sitting in front of my computer, listening to Celtic music, just found out that Corey Haim died, how sad. Lost Boys was one of my favorite movies in the 80's, when I was a teenager, I think I still have the soundtrack somewhere. I can't say I'm all that surprised, like when Heath Ledger passed a couple of years ago. Some celebrities' deaths are sad & shocking, but not that much of a surprise, if you've seen pictures of him recently. Sort of like Brad Renfro.

I saw the weirdest website earlier, Celeb4aday.com, where for a fee you can hire papparazzis to follow you around for 30 minutes to an hour, taking your picture and making it look like you're a celebrity walking down the street to the nightclub or out of Starbucks. For anywhere from $300 to $1500 you can have various levels of Star Treatment, with a tabloid magazine detailing your experiences as a souvenir. Crazy.

March 4

I finally got my sink fixed, no more washing dishes in the bathtub. There are two large areas that need to be sanded and painted, but that shouldn't take too long. Not only that but my HOA fees were taken over by a company that lets me set up automatic debit, no more mailing a check in every month like in the 1980's. I hate checks, I worry every month if it's going to get there on time. Tonight is the last night I dog sit for my Uncle Kenny & his roommate, since they're both out of town, I haven't slept in my own bed since Sunday. Had Domino's pizza last night for the first time in 20 years, it's not bad.

February 22

My birthday was great, first I headed over to my Uncle's house for snacks and opened presents, a new watch, a gift card to Best Buy & a wall decoration for my kitchen. Then we went to Red Lobster and stuffed ourselves. After coming home to let the dogs in we went bowling and I won 2 games in a row. Kenny had a chocolate birthday cake for me with a "4-0" on top, I thanked him for no tacky "over the hill" gag gifts, like dentures with little teeth attached or a sign that said "Lordy, lordy Michelle's turning forty" or any of that shit, then I go to blow my candles out and they're trick candles. Lovely! At least the cake was good, we sat around eating cake and watching videos on Youtube, like the Angry Grandpa, classic.

February 20

I can't believe I'm 40 years old. It's like I'm officially another middle-aged lesbian or something. Everyone tells me I don't look it, but it doesn't change what it says on my driver's license. I just keep telling myself, Jennifer Anniston is 41 and one of the most desirable women in the country. Anyway my Uncle is taking me out to dinner, and maybe going to see the most recent Twilight movie afterwards, I have the book which I'm waiting to read after I see the movie. Lately I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks as opposed to reading hard copies, you can do it on the treadmill or bike without getting a headache.
The Bloodmobile turned me down again. I don't think trying to donate at 6:00 in the evening when I haven't eaten since 12:00 is such a good idea. From now on, I'm going to try to donate on the weekend. Maybe tomorrow after my free Denny's Grand Slam.

February 12

It's a winter wonderland here in Atlanta, I took this picture on my cell phone today on my way home from work. It's funny, growing up in the Cincinnati area, a few inches of snow was no big deal, but here, we get to go home 2 hours early. Now I'm just sitting at home watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic games, so far they're better than the Summer Opening ceremonies in China 2 years ago. So sad to hear about that 21 year old that died during his practice run. What the hell is curling? It looks like shuffleboard on ice. I'm wondering who will light the cauldron, I thought it would be Wayne Gretsky, but it doesn't look that way now. Who's bigger than Wayne Gretsky in Canada?

February 11

Now that I don't spend 8 hours a day in front of the computer, my blogs don't come as quickly, but I'll try to keep up. I came in 2nd place at the poker tournament and won $60 in gift certificates to the Hookah lounge here in Atlanta, so that was pretty cool. A close friend of mine had emergency surgery to repair a hole in her stomach a few days ago, but she's in recovery and I'm going to visit her today. Looks like I can start my volunteer work at the Hospice this weekend, after my training.
Michael Vick is in the news again for some stupid reason, I wish he would just shut up and go away. Ditto for Sarah Palin. Maybe those two should hook up.

January 6

It's a new year, and things are definitely looking up. I went to a huge party at the Stagedoor, but since they closed their doors that night due to lack of business, sadly it will be the last. We're already setting up some new locations to play cards Tuesday & Sunday, hopefully it will work out. I finally have a new Dinette set & Ottoman, thanks to my Uncle Kenny's Christmas present, a gift certificate for the exact amount of the dinette set. Now I can invite people over to play cards or have dinner. I might wait until the weather's above freezing, my little space heater is working overtime as it is. I might need to rethink the whole central heating thing.