I attempted this last night, but el-jay thwarted me.  I am resilient, however, and sallied forth to persevere through that punk Frank eating my stuff.

(  Lots and lots and lots of words... )

 So I'm leaving today with my sweet family to spend some time on the east coast for a week.  

We'll be back on Monday the 24th, and due to my husband being a gigantic grinch, we won't have internet access after we leave my sister's house (Thursday).  So I'm going to miss the stories posted to the fic exchange this week (*pout*).  And caliga_rpg!  Oh, my goodness, I've done all of three scenes this week and I miss it already.  Eeek!  numbabyand seegrim, you can write me out of that last one if you want, or use that's already there. *sniff*

I might actually have to read a BOOK.  Wow.  What a concept.

I fell AGAIN last night, while putting flyers in the for sale thing in front of the house.  It's idiotic, is what it is.  Once is a mistake, twice is a klutziness epidemic.  I hurt.  *pout*

Had what seemed like hudreds of people over to the house last night, and it seemed to go well.  I love entertaining.

Also, I was in the grocery store this morning, and I had a realization.  

Muzak makes me want to poke out both eyes simultaneously.  

Because you know you know the song, but you can't place it because they've sucked out whatever awesomeness it had, butchering it by making it SOOTHING.  Or worse, you find yourself SINGING ALONG.  Not cool.  So then you must turn up Quiet Riot when you get back in the car so you get some of your coolness back that has been so heinously sucked out by the Muzak.

And I didn't kill my husband when he asked me to make 3 pies for his luncheon today, then changed his mind after I did all the shopping and started them.  He's still alive and EVERYTHING.  How many points is that worth?  

Off to work at the theatre this morning.  And this afternoon, as well.  WORK?  What the heck, right?  I don't WORK.

 LJ ate two posts yesterday.  Two LONG ones.  That brasses me off on a level previously only held by people who pull out in front of me in heavy traffic.

Anyway.  I thought Monday sucked out loud.  I can say that now, having perspective, and I know unequivocally and beyond a shadow of a doubt that yes, indeed, Monday did suck.

I got a raging headache from eating things I know that I shoudn't.  NO MORE DEVIATIONS.  NO sugar.  I don't care if people say I'm weird or not.  'Eff 'em and feed 'em fish heads,' my sweetly eloquent husband says.

BIL's father died.  He was a sweet man.  We're going to Denver on Sunday for the funeral.  It's a 16 hour drive round trip, or $1600 in airfare.  We drive.  Be back Tuesday.

And when did I get to the age that I go to more funerals than weddings?  Seriously.  I take it back.  I WANT to buy blenders and sit through wooden readings of 1 Cornthians 13.  Please.  

My week has been consumed with trying to sell this house or making decisions on the other one.  I swear if the flooring lady calls ONE MORE TIME, I will end her.  She's old, too.  I could totally take her.  BAM.  Just a clothesline and an elbow drop, and she's done.  (I'm kidding.  Sorta.  Mostly.)

I made videos of the interior rooms of the old house, more for me and the boys than for anyone else, but if I get ambitious, I might post them.  Gotta keep the stalkers happy.  *waves at the stalkers*

Playwrighting.  Arriving late and leaving early and not contibuting while you're there is not going to get a play written.  (It's a fabulous premise this semester, but I'm not writing it.  Completely fabulous, and could be flipping hysterical...  Still not writing it.  There was some action on Google docs yesterday, so that's encouraging.)

Caliga.  Still adore Caliga.  Still.  Though, Pansy's getting so very tired of being a captive.  I think she's going to make her move soon.  I hope she lives.  She wants to play with the new vampire friend!  And hug on Cormac.  What a sweetheart.  He doesn't even know it, which is, I think, the best part.  Lots of scenes going on right now.  Super fun.  *Huggles the people*

As for Michael, his life is so sweet and perfect that I find myself JEALOUS OF MY OWN FICTIONAL CHARACTER.  

Clearly, I need therapy.  Will I go?  No, for I am too busy freaking out about picking out cabinet pulls for the house.  Somebody shoot me, please.  Or maybe just come to Amarillo and help.  I'll buy you lunch and keep you entertained while you're here.

I was supposed to meet with Steph today.  It snowed three inches last night.  I hate driving on snow. (Celeste, Jessica, Mallory and Vicky can call me a wimp.  I'm not an excellent driver when there's NO white stuff all over.)  It was 65 earlier this week and now it's freezing.  That always makes my body freak out. Pick a temperature, y'all.  Either one.  I'm fine with either.

Gotta get the munchkins up for school.  Darn it.  I have a cute kid story, too.  Maybe later.

 

 I was busy having what I've come to call a "Pansy" day; I had a facial at Minka's Garden (very nice spa-thing), went shopping and bought myself two pair of pants (they were under $15 each - Old Navy ROCKS, even if I did have to come home and hem one of them) and a Green Cashmere Sweater that wasn't. (What's with the wide leg pants at Old Navy?  I'm 5'2".  I cannot pull off wide leg pants.  I look ridiculous.)  I'm sure that makes me a bad person, I don't care- it looked fabulous.  I had my nails done by my very sweet Vietnamese manucurist guy, who tries to chat with me, but I can't understand any of it - the only Vietnamese that I know comes from Dad, who was a ground interpreter for the Marine Corps during the War.  I think what I know translates to "Get out of here!" and "Mix packet of soup with water."

I digress.  

I was having a lovely day, doing some heavy thinking (About a caliga_rpg post that's unwritten as of yet, but is supposed to be posted soon), nodding and smiling (well- not scowling, perhaps), generally full of cheer (for me), and I seat myself at the nail dryer-thing (the UV light that you're stuck under for 8 minutes til your polish dries).  And this woman strikes up a conversation.  Which is fine.  (Question:  Do I have a face that says 'please dump all your problems on me?  Or unload heavy, life changing issues here, please?  I'd be interested to know.)  We talked Christmas shopping, pleasantries, are you from here? (Because NO ONE is at Christmas time; every po-dunk town from 200 miles around comes HERE to shop at Christmastime because we're stranded in the middle of a Godforsaken desert but THAT's a rant for another day.)  Anyway, in the 8 minutes I was under the dryer, she managed to tell me that she was in town for a funeral, a 15 year-old boy (Her best friend's son) had committed suicide.  She started crying, I got chillbumps and teary (SO not me), very nearly lost it completely, but somehow managed to say something vaguely encouraging to her.  She thanks me, tells me that she feels better having got all that out, and that she'll be stronger at the funeral now, gets up and leaves, and I'm left with the knowledge that we are put here, in the situations that we go in and out of every day for a purpose. I am so very grateful for my husband, my family, for their health, for my friends, (rl and online) my life, and I ought to thank God a whole lot more than I do for the blessings I have.

All because I'm shallow and vain, and missed my earlier nail appointment because I was trying on freakin' wide leg pants.  *nods*  It's all in the plan, y'all.

 So I've been thinking about hugs.

What's up with the half hearted, one armed hugs going around?  I got one of those at church Saturday and I had to work hard to not blanch.  Do I need a fake hug?  No I do not.  If you aren't going to expend the energy to hug me properly, then no, thank you.  You keep that faux affection to yourself.  A hug is both arms wrapped around a person, and involves squeezing.  I don't dole out the cyber hugs like candy, either, so if you've ever received one from me, you know it was sincere.

I'm evidently not a terribly affectionate person, I guess.  Compared to my little sister, who you practically have to sit on to hug, I think I'm a fuzzy teddy bear.    But when I was talking to Nolan yesterday, this conversation took place.
********
Carrie.  What?  I'm sweet.

Nolan.  (laughs)  Okay.

Carrie.  What do you mean by that?

Nolan.  My love, you are a LOT of things, but I wouldn't put you in the category of 'sweet.'
********
So I choose to find this freeing instead of anything more detrimental to my general fabulousness.  And If you are going to hug me, I expect both arms, and to not be able to breathe for a second or two.  Expect that back, too.  Just so you know.

I give you a list of products that I swear by, that make me happy, and that I use on a weekly, if not daily basis.  



That said, Hubs is off on his yearly Elk Expedition.  I'm husbandless for a week!  Anyone want to scene? (hee!)

 So, the reason behind all the garage sale posts of late is that Nolan and I are building a house. (Actually, some other very nice men are, but since we're paying for it, I totally feel justified in saying that.)  Anyhow, I've been trying to purge the house of the level of sheer, unadulterated volume of CRAP that we've accumuated in the 12 years since hubby's lived here and the 91/2 years that I have.  It's insane.  A never-ending, trash bag-filled nightmare, I tell you.  Anyway, when I was clearing out the crap, I ran across this:




It's a proof of my headshot from when I was eighteen.  (For those of you not familiar with the biz, a headshot is an 8x10 black and white glossy with your photo on one side and your resume on the other.  I cannot begin to imagine what my resume had on it at eighteen.  A bunch of lies, probably.)

Anyway, look!  There are absolutely no wrinkles, and that Carrie looks SO YOUNG!  She's innocent, and not yet sullied by all the horrors that life has to offer when you're an adult.  But in a kind of wordly way.  I've had a half dozen or so other headshots taken of me over the years for the various theatres I've worked for, but theis one's my favorite.  And by headshot standards, it's not even that good.  I found Nolan's too, (so droolworthy) but his was a copy of his actual headshot, and they wouldn't scan it.  Whatever.  I will find a way.

Conversely, here are Nolan and I today.  Actually yesterday, if you want to get technical.


And here's the house.  They say we'll be ready to move in by January 1, 2008.  

So that's what I've spent the vast majority of my time working on these past few months.  Well, that and caliga_rpg.  *looks around sheepishly*  Are we all keeping up with that?  I barely can...  Pansy's shaping up very nicely.  A little naughty, but you know, what are you going to do?  The girl has a mind of her own.  Very driven.  And I shudder to think about the volume of posts on Halloween.  YIKES. 

 I can tell the hormonal surge for the month has abated somewhat.  You know how I know?  Because I was able to resist the siren call of the tire iron begging me to beat down the idiot mother drivers in the boys' school parking lot this morning.  I told that silly tire iron, "No, you'll just have to catch me earlier next month," and gave it a blithe smile and a pat.  In addition, today I was able to smile and say hello to the shirtless, well-muscled, but Probably Gay Neighbor taking his dog for a run, instead of snarling.  (Why do I think he's gay?  He's way too pretty, his workout shoes match his shorts, no girl is ever with him, and his dog is a Pekinese.  It's just a feeling I get.)

Then there's the October podcast.  I'm trying to put music into it, and as most of you know, I am woefully deficient in the technical arena.  And by woefully deficient, I mean CRAP.  So, I'm working on it.  I have recorded three of the four fics, and I have only the 21 page monster left, as well as the editing.  *rolls eyes*  The editing.  *shivers*  My itunes freaked out yesterday and I spent most of the morning trying not to lose the kagillion songs I have on it.  The up side?  I fixed it (wonder of wonders) and now have Lil' Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham and The Pharohs.  I really do like that song.  It's a classic, and it's perfect for the fic I recorded.  It's actually part of the fic I recorded. (Little Red Riding Hood by StrangerWithMy Face) Anyway.

Playwrighting went well last night.  It appears as if we have a premise.  We'll finish the plot outline and cast of characters next week, hopefully, and then begin some actual dialogue.  Thank God.  caliga_rpg is all kinds of fun so far...  lots of ideas, lots of scening possibilities.  All I need is time, right?  Riiiiight. The fun starts October first, y'all.  Come and play.  There's caliga_fanif you want to comment and squee with the rest of us after the posts start.  Put it on your f-list.  You know you want to.

The boys had their first date last Friday night.  alittleredhoodtook them to the Amarillo High homecoming game. They had a blast. (She was actually babysitting on a night she had something else to do, so I owe her.)


Aaaand I've watched the first two seasons of Veronica Mars.  (I love Logan.  I can't help it.  It's the bad boy project 'fixer' in me.)  The 3rd comes out on DVD in late October, and I'm going to die before I get to see it.  Why was it cancelled?  Why do I watch cancelled TV series and torture myself?  First Dead Like Me & Firefly, now this.  

Okay.  That's all the news that's fit to type.  Have a lovely day, all.