Hedonistic Relaxation

If it were possible to ooze relaxation, I would be a a big melted mess. I have been doing a whole lot of Nothing since Dec 22nd, and loving it. It feels scandalous to NOT want to do something...anything! Nope. I was in my PJs at noon on Dec 23rd, and I am in PJs at noon on Dec 31. And there are still 2.5 more quiet relaxed days to go. I love this time of the year!

Christmas was lovely, and New Years should be a quiet affair this year. In fact, I am hoping for a relatively quiet 2006- meaning less running around. For this coming year, I hope to keep things simple: less work, more fun, better self-care (e.g., eat better, sleep more, continue the not-smoking). How hard is that?

Have fun tonight, blogosphere. Catch up with you in the New Year.

Redneck Holiday

Getting ready to return to the Wilds of Pennslyvania, into the Land of Dial-Up.

Local blogger Cosmic Shambles has inspired me, by his ode to the hometown beer, Natty Boh, to post some haiku in honor of my Rural upbrining. Alas, these are old and not my originals. Feel free to check out the link and read up on our great American Mullet Heritage. Makes me sentimental to go drink with the Natives back home...

Mullet Haiku

I.
O! SQUIRREL brother,
Your tail, my hair We are one
Yet I must eat you

II.
Dogs urinate where
they so choose And so do I
Red and blue lights flash

III.
Short like your schooling
Long like your prison sentence
The penal haircut

IV.
My hair: slammin like
Stone Cold Can I get a Hell
yeah? Hell yeah Hell yeah

V
Brown edged tank top sticks
to my white clumpy armpits
Somehow I get laid

Aw yeah, definately time to get back to the old rural homestead...

Football In December

December rocks: winter officially begins; there are Christmas trees and holiday lights, gifts to give and receive, lots of good food, good drinks, and good holiday time to be spent with friends and family; Christmas, my birthday, and New Years all occur within the very best week of the year. It's a fast, short month that opens up into a brand-spankin' new year.

December has had an added bonus this year: excellent football. The Steelers have had heart-stopping, gut-wrenching losses and glorious victories in the snow. Meanwhile, San Diego does the impossible and tops the Colts- and seriously damages my Steelers' shot at the playoffs this year. And tonight, legendary Brett Favre comes into town.

AirForceD has come through and procured us tickets for tonight's game. It will be cold and windy and loud and wonderful football weather. The temperature is expected to be between 15 and 20 degrees...ikes! I'll be wearing two pairs of wool socks, a huge old wool Stadium coat, layers and layers...and if I can figure out a way to do it, I'll have a small bottle of whiskey for warming moments.

We decided that we will be pretty inconspicuous. Definately no Steelers gear, and no obnoxious cheering against the home team. I'm not a Ravens hater- I live here, I currently know more about and hear more about the Ravens players then I do my own team (although that might change when/if I pick up Satellite radio). I love the rivalry, and I love being able to go to live games. All teams go through slumps- I'm just glad to be able to take advantage of the Ravens' slump this year. (Of course, I might wonder what the hell I was thinking around 11 pm or so tonight, frozen stuck to my seat in the 500s section of M&T Stadium).

Only 1.5 hours to go to game time: time to head off to the game. Brrr! In honor of killer QBs, here's a pic of the hottest Holiday Gift in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh chicks flip over Ben! (Ain't that right, Drella Coil?)

Brisk

I learned from my travels that, at heart, I am a Northern East Coast chick. I'm a four-seasons kind of girl. Don't get me wrong- I really enjoyed spending a winter in the desert, wearing a short sleeved shirt and a light jacket in 60 degree weather in the dead of January, and taking a short 15 minute drive into the mountains if I wanted to play in the snow. That one "winter" in New Mexico nearly wiped out 20 years of Cold Weather love. But even then, I missed the changing seasons.

I love days like today. It is bitter cold outside. We brave the weather bundled in woolen scarfs, hats, and socks, leather gloves, long coats. We wear short sleeved t-shirts under turtlenecks, under sweaters for easy temperature control. We are frequently in different stages of undress, in order to cope with 20 degree air outside and 80 degree air inside. Our lab coats cover a multitude of fashion sins made in the name of comfort. We drink coffee and hot chocolate after each excursion outside. The cold weather is still new enough to be enjoyable.

The NP received her annual Christmas gift from a foreign VIP patient she saw once as a consult. Each year she receives a huge box from overseas, filled with Christmas goodies. She gives nearly all of it away (it would take her a year to eat everything!). This year I received "clotted fudge" and Scottish tea, and Whiskey Marmalade. YUM!! She is keeping shortbread cookies in the office. Tis the season for gaining pounds. But then again, your body has to work harder to maintain its warmth, so maybe a few brisk walks outside will help with that.

Every Day is Like Sunday (I Wish!)

You know, it's really amazing how influential these little boxes of wires and microchips that hook me up to the internet have become in my life. The internet has brought such bloggy goodness my way! I've met new and interesting people, and solidified existing relationships, via the internet and blog. This weekend started off at the Dirt Church, meeting another very cool Baltimore blogger. A very good night. Later, I was in contact with two excellent Baltimore Blogging chicks, who hopefully I'll meet up with soon. The weekend has ended after a day of football with a non-blogger friend who I met in via the internet. I have this Queen Cat who rocks, thanks to a super cool Baltimore blogger chick. And I've been in with electronic conversation with my dear Sister and the Artist for most of this weekend as well. It's all mind-boggling to someone who only met the Internet in college. I take it for granted most days, but sometimes I just have to shake my head in appreciation over it.

This was a magnificent Sunday. The kind where you wake up early but spend hours reading in bed before properly getting up. Queen Cat acted as a biological bottle warmer on my belly while I read Anais Nin- lazy and glorious and lovely way to spend the early hours of a day.

It got better: the Artist and I met AirForceD at the Steelers bar. (I should mention that AirForceD was a Match.com date who ended up as a sports friend. All good, and thanks again internet!) At long last, the Steelers showed up. We got to watch smash mouth football in a snow storm- Jerome Bettis ran for 100 yards in the 2nd half- and the Steelers got a solid win. Our QB didn't receive an additional injury (at least not one that was reported). The Steelers remained in the playoff hunt with the victory. The playoffs are not a sure thing, but the Steelers are one step closer.

The Artist and I then went to Cloverhill Yarn Shop. I bought yarn. I know it doesn't translate for non-crafters, but let me tell you, for knitters, more yarn=happiness. Since I occasionally work for the yarn shop in Fells Point, I rarely buy yarn (e.g. I work for yarn, basically. I work for a few hours and walk out with that many hours worth of $$ in wool and alpaca and cashmere. It's luxurious). But today I went into a different yarn shop and put out some $$ on some nice soft fibers for gifts. Gotta spread the love around the different yarn shops, keep 'em all in business, right? (Thank god the Queen Cat doesn't seem interested in the yarn that's lying all around my apartment. Here's hoping she remains disinterested.)

Well, after spending hours yelling and shouting (Steelers) then abruptly making the switch to going all soft and checking out lots of yarn, the Artist and I were hungry beings. Plus, it was Sunday and we wanted to watch more football. So off we headed to Fells Point. We went in for good Irish fare at Slainte (their Shepherds Pie is fantastic!).

Imagine the shock to find that the Ravens were hanging in tough with the Broncos! I didn't see that coming. Apparently the Ravens CAN play good football against teams other than the Steelers. I feel badly for Kyle Boller. I doubt he sleeps much tonight. The team overall- including the QB- had some remarkable plays! But those few bad ones (in the 2nd half, I missed the first half)... they almost had a win. Jeez.

Then, the Chiefs-Cowboys game came on. The Steelers need the Chiefs to lose 2 of the remaining games. It was a white knuckle ending, but the Kansas City kicker missed a field goal and the otherwise Cowboys won. San Diego lost. The playoff picture for Pittsburgh is still uncertain, but less so than it was on Saturday.

Back home to the Hobbit Hole and an insanely curious cat. Knitting and blogging and browsing with the I-Tunes going, nice chats online...and the weekend draws to a close.

Looking ahead: lots of work, deadlines, possibly a talk to give...classes....but there's a Sunday coming up in there, too. I'll go to sleep and look forward to it.

Low-Grade

It's been quiet but busy around these parts. Apparently I have a bad habit of leaving the scene before things get interesting on fun and wild weekends, although I must state up front that one of the Baltimore Blogging Bitches has Molly Ringwald beat by a long shot. Not only can our girl put on lip gloss using only her bountious boobage, she's able to drink a long neck bottle of beer, no hands needed. (Yeah, that should bring in the google hits!)

I did manage to run off with Fool's pussy, though. Molly the Cat has a new Queendom to rule over. She has settled in really well, and now feels comfortable enough to wake me up at 3 am for a mid-night petting session. It was unsettling the first time to wake up with a curious cat staring at you, tilting her head as if ask, "What are you doing? It's not sleep time! I need some attention here!" I guess Karma really does exist. I think Molly still misses her mum Fool, but she has found several lounging places and is eating well, and now sits on the bar stool next to me in the evening as I peruse the internet. All is well.

Work work work work work. That's all that's left. I am so boring anymore. I think it's time to shake things up for the holidays. Can't wait until class ends and I can be just a little less responsible. Only two more weeks to go...

Hi, My Name is Jennifer

and I'm an internet addict. LOL! It's a good thing my internet addiction has also led to good times, good friends, and increased socializing, as I don't know what meds are available to cure one of the irresistible lure of the web.

From the article: "[T]he Internet's omnipresent offer of escape from reality, affordability, accessibility and opportunity for anonymity can also lure otherwise healthy people into an addiction.

Dr. Cash's patient Mike, who was granted anonymity to protect his privacy, was at high risk for an Internet addiction, having battled alcohol and drug abuse and depression. On a list of 15 symptoms of Internet addiction used for diagnosis by Internet/Computer Addiction Services, Mike, who is unemployed and living with his mother, checked off 13, including intense cravings for the computer, lying about how much time he spends online, withdrawing from hobbies and social interactions, back pain and weight gain.

A growing number of therapists and inpatient rehabilitation centers are often treating Web addicts with the same approaches, including 12-step programs, used to treat chemical addictions."

Too much. I'm sure that some people are turning their lives into one big online event, but my guess is that there are other factors driving that behavior. I mean, I know I spend a lot of time online! I *hate* to be somewhere for long periods of time without the internet. I'll even suffer a dial-up connection if I have to! (Come on now, wouldn't you?) But you've gotta have a life to blog about too! (Hmm. Not blogging much lately. Direct correlation)?

Oh yeah, and there's this thing called work that frequently cuts into my online time. Better get back to it...