Man, you know it's going to be a pretty good year when 3 of your top 6 favorite bands/artists (yes, I have a top 6 all thought out, sadly) are releasing new albums. Ben Folds, Idlewild, and Lifehouse all have new albums soon. The annoying bit? My birthday's in February, but I can't ask for any of them, because they're all supposed to (unless they get pushed back) come out in March or April. I guess it is nice to be so well off that for your birthday, you can't think of much to ask for, but on the other hand, it annoys the family, and it would be so much simpler if those three bands just released their albums before my birthday. So I think everyone who reads this should petition them. What are you waiting for?? You lazy bastard, sitting on your ass reading this instead of pestering bands for me! I can't believe you!

The albums (which, honestly, I hardly ever am inventive enough to ask for non-music items) I'm thinking of filling this void out with are:

Fountains of Wayne--whatever album that Stacy's Mom song is on. No, I have no enduring love for the Stacy's Mom song, but it IS catchy and I've been told by more than one source that I would just love them, and all their songs are that catchy, only even better because they've not been played to death on the radio.

Idlewild--some crazy old album of theirs. I've never gotten it because I've heard they changed a whole lot between that album and the ones I have, but I figure what the hell.

Creedence Clearwater Revival, greatest hits--I've gotten oldies greatest hits before and then am disappointed to find that the only one I ever listen to is my Simon & Garfunkel greatest hits, but I think it'll be different with CCR. ....I have no real basis for that decision, but we'll see.

And that's about it. If anyone has ideas for an album they think I should get, you should totally tell me, because I'm coming up dry. Oh, also I'm thinking of a couple books.

I've seen some old friends kinda die
or just turn into whatever must've been inside them
whatever all of us had then in common
grew up and left home

--"Video," Ben Folds Five

There's this comic, College Roomies From Hell. I started reading it a long time ago, being intrigued by the name as I currently WAS living with the college roomie from hell. The story moves so slow that I tend to let a week or two go by so that I can read a whole bunch at once. Anyway, I'd stopped reading it since I stopped living in the dorms about 9 months ago, because it takes so long to load on dialup. But the station has broadband..... so yep, I read an entire 9 months of webcomics at work today. And doodled enough of my famous doodling that one of my massively witty colleagues said, "You must have a Picasso there by now!" And still had time enough to sit around doing nothing. I did bring a book, but decided not to read it after all, because I think it makes me look like a jerk who just assumes I won't have to do anything.

And I almost showed up too late for the one thing I DID do, cover an interview with this one lady about booking travel plans through the internet. Apparently I'm supposed to check the Friday before to see if I'm doing anything on Sunday, which everyone assumed I knew but didn't tell me. I also got to get gas in one of the station's vans.

I swear, gas station people must think I've had a lobotomy. The other day I was in Morton and I got gas at a place I'm not used to (which--part of my stupidity at gas pumps is at home, I only go to one place for my gas, and I just assume they all work the same, which apparently they don't). When I had problems with it, I came in and the snotty little teenager behind the counter was neither helpful nor courteous, and all but called me a moron to my face. So when I started having problems with the gas today at this place, I decided to stick it out (which, I admit I AM a moron, if I'd just read the instructions, I probably could've avoided this). So I was there like, 5 minutes trying to get the gas pump to work and having no luck. So then, the lady behind the counter turns on the loud speakers, and I hear, "Attention: *station's name* Van! You must pull the lever under the pump to make it work!" I'm not even kidding! I got called out by someone on a loudspeaker! It was the most embarassing/hilarious thing ever. Anyway, I still couldn't figure it out, because the lever does not look like a lever, and I was looking at the bottom of the pump, and at the actual lever only I didn't know what it was, for a few more minutes, then I had to go in and ask the lady again, and then finally I found the lever, and then I got my gas. And she was really nice to me even though I'm a moron who can't figure out a gas pump.

So that was my day.

A sense of humor, can there be any doubt?
Yeah, well natural selection just weeded it out.

"Video," Ben Folds Five

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(I've added leet links on the right. I hope you enjoy them and appreciate them and fear my leet skills, and appreciate the time it took to type this out.) Also, I know K's in leet, but they involve an angle bracket, which of course the browser wants to interpret as html.

1 7h1nk my n3rd f4c70r ju57 w3n7 up 300%.

So I've got two more comics, "Non Aisian Movies" and "Khan's Classy Ladies."

Talia: I was watching Queer eye for the Straight Guy once and the cooking queer had this guy use foie gras on something and the queer had a fit when they caught one of the party guests spitting it out after tasting... ehehe
Talia: I might be ticked too if I was forced to buy a tiny tub of something for 30 bucks and people were hacking it up afterwards
Phoemeister: LOL
Phoemeister: I like how you refer to him as "the cooking queer"
Phoemeister: but I'd be ticked too. But I would understand, because liver is gross.
Talia: his name is Tom but I couldn't decide if it was more loser-ish to know his name or call him cooking queer
Talia: there's cooking queer, grooming queer, clothes queer, decorating queer, and dancing queer
Phoemeister: ROFLMAO
Phoemeister: I love that you debate this in your head
Phoemeister: there's a dancing queer? I didn't know that
Phoemeister: I thought he was the "culture" queer
Talia: culture queer but mainly he ends up teaching the dud straight guys to dance
Phoemeister: LOL
Phoemeister: that's great
Phoemeister: I've only ever seen a few episodes, I don't get bravo
Phoemeister: but for some reason NBC showed a couple last summer and then never again
Talia: Carson, Tom, Jay and the other two's names I can't remember
Talia: Ky? something like that for the grooming queer
Phoemeister: lol
Phoemeister: This is totally cracking me up
Phoemeister: "Uh oh, I can't remember the grooming queer's name!"
Talia: the grooming queer is totally hot though, which is annoying I can't remember his name... but culture queer is cuter... except I know for sure I could beat him up and make him squeal like a bitch

I wish that I hadn't bought you dinner
right before you dumped me on your front porch

--"Song For The Dumped," Ben Folds Five

Well, the internship was AWESOME today. Or... at least less crappy.

And less crappy is about all it needs for me to call it awesome, after the last two days I had.

Actually, the first half really was awesome. I went out all by myself! In a big-ass news van! And I found the place without getting lost! It was the retirement party for this guy who's been a chef at this hospital's cafeteria for 48 years. He's made over 100 thousand pounds of macaroni over the years, according to my VO. And you know TV wouldn't steer you wrong.

The second half: less so. I went out to cover some basketball with another photog (I'd done this same thing with another guy last friday, I shoot but my footage isn't used). But instead of going in the same van like sensible people, like the guy last time, he all thought I should take a separate news van. And that instead of giving me directions, I should just follow him.

On top of that: some other guy took HIS van to do something, and it had some of his gear in it, so we had to wait for the other guy to come back, so we were late. So when I was following him around, I don't know if he's naturally like this, or if it was because we were late, but it was like trying to follow a coked up weasel driving a news van. I had a death grip on the steering wheel the whole time, I was seriously afraid. I never drive at those speeds, and it was my second time driving a van at all, and only about my 10th solo interstate drive (though of course there were plenty non-interstate roads, we went all over). And, since he was seriously pissed at the guy who took his van, I really didn't want to irritate him further by driving too slow or losing him.And the place we went to was like a half hour away, at least. So after an hour of grand theft auto-style driving my nerves were shot. AND, since he was seriously pissed at the guy who took his van, I really didn't want to irritate him further by driving too slow or losing him.

But, the upside was that at one of the schools, they were doing this arm band sales drive to raise money for injured marines, and they wanted some footage of it, and I got to shoot it all by myself while the other guy did the basketball game. So I had TWO VO's today. On NETWORK TV!

Except I'm going to be sore as hell tomorrow, I carried way more around than I did last friday when I was complaining about being sore the next day. So I knows it's not going to be pretty.

I don't care what they say about us anyway
I don't care 'bout that

--"Buddy Holly," Weezer

I have another one now, called Can I Eat Vicks Vaporub? That's not a search I've had recently (though I still get various vicks related searches) but I swear, like 80 people got this blog wanting to know if they could eat vicks back in the day. And I think the comic offers a pretty good answer.

Oh, btw: here's the index, if you want to look over the archives. Old on top, new on bottom.

For future reference, I want to file away a couple I found today in case I want to use them for comics, and I thought I'd put them here in case they got pushed off my log:

Khan's Classy Ladies
Midget Ponr
how do i masturbate im a girl
non aisian movies
white girl volleyball

So I have another comic in the same vein (illustrates a weird search request I've gotten on the blog): Canadian Slang Words of the 1940's

Man.... once in awhile a bit from a movie just sticks in my head, and it's not the most moving line of the movie, or the funniest, but anyway, there's this part of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind where he's knocked out, and we see what's going through his head, and he's talking to the chick he's having erased from his mind, and he is having second thoughts about doing it so she tells him he should try and wake up and stop it. So he lays down on the ground and holds his eyelids open and is sarcastically like, "Yeah, this is working like gangbusters!"

So now, I keep wanting to slip that line into conversation, and I don't even know why. I keep hoping someone tells me to try something and I do and it doesn't work, and I can say that. Or even just get gangbusters into a conversation somehow. Maybe that's why I remembered it, words I like the sound of stick in my head.

So.... that was pointless. But I had nothing better to blog about.

Well, I haven't come up with any comics in a really long while. Because I hadn't had any good ideas. But like any great artist, I finally realized the true way was to steal ideas from other people. So if any of you have ever visited Spamusement, where the guy illustrates titles from spam e-mails he's gotten, this concept will seem vaguely familiar:

I'm going to start illustrating disturbing search requests that have given referrals to this blog. So ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I give you "Hermaphrodite Porn". Enjoy.

Sui: these dreams all look boring though
Phoemeister: lol.... that would suck, to be all bored and then fall asleep and have horribly boieng dreams
Sui: some guy was coming out of a door in the parking structure talking about how he liked mexican food
Phoemeister: boeing dreams. That would be funny. 'I'm dreaming of an airplane!"
Sui: hahah
Sui you're a dork : )
Phoemeister: you should write these down just so you can look at them later and be like, "What the hell?"
Sui: haha
Sui: I thin ktaht's what you're for
Sui: to look at me and go "what the hell?"
Phoemeister: LOL
Phoemeister: okay
Phoemeister: What the hell? I mean.... WHAT THE HELL, MAN? Seriously: What the hell?
Sui: haha
Sui: thanks you're abig help

So today I did nothing. The kind of less painful nothing of doing nothing at home than doing nothing at work.

My dad and I rented a couple movies, Friday Night Lights and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Friday Night Lights is pretty much a typical sports movie, I have to say I like sports movies way better than actual sports. And Eternal Sunshine was way good. I was actually surprised, because I've not been impressed by Charlie Kaufman in the past. In my opinion, Being John Malkovich was kind of mediocre and I actively hated Adaptation. But I'd heard so much good stuff about this one, I couldn't resist.

It's kind of funny, my Dad and I used to like all the same movies, and maybe this is because I'm a girl, and maybe this is because I was a cinema studies minor, but our tastes have totally diverged. Well... not totally. I still like most of the movies he likes (action blockbusters) but I like a wider variety. I like comedy (which he hardly likes any), I like drama (ditto), and though I don't like a lot of arty films (I've told you my opinion on the 2 prior Charlie Kaufman flicks, which most fans of arty just LOVE) I do like a certain percentage of arty films that aren't totally inaccessable. Also, he doesn't like all action movies, I have to really work to get him to go to any superhero movies. We both hate Vin Diesel movies. So that narrows it a bit more, even. And I rarely see a movie with anyone else. So I found Eternal Sunshine quite refreshing.

One movie I want to watch sometime without him is Anchorman. I mentioned it to dad, and he said something like, "Will Ferrell is not my cup of tea." Which he says about Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler and Jack Black and everyone else who makes comedies, which is why I don't think he likes very many comedies. Anyway, I don't find Will Ferrell to be the holy grail of funny like some people, but I really think I'd get a kick out of the concept. I'm not particularly interested in the 70's, but otherwise it's pretty much in my milieu, TV news. Yes, I successfully slipped milieu into this post! Go me. And on that note....... I'm done.

Today was the suck. I mean.... yesterday at the station was boring, but I thought maybe it was just because it was the weekend and things are slower. But today was actually worse.

On the upside, I actually did get to edit a few VO's. But all of them, all together, maybe took up an hour of my time. Tops. How long was I there for? 8 hours. What did I do the rest of the time? Abso-smegging-lutely nothing. I read a few Dilberts and e-mailed 1 friend. I felt guilty even doing that. I visited the toilet 80 times. Twice to cry (okay, I know it's a dumb thing to cry about, but I couldn't help it), once to call my parents, and 7 or 8 times to actually use the toilet as it's meant to be used because it was something to friggin' do!

What I don't understand is if I got to do stuff, learn stuff, and have fun the first day, why am I doing nothing now? I could understand if it just sucked from the very begining, but after that awesome first day, it just sucks even more. Supposedly I'm going to be able to just go out and shoot on my own at some point, but I don't understand how I'm ever going to be "good enough" for that to happen if they don't teach me stuff or let me do stuff under supervision again except for that first day?

Oh, and also I look like an ass because 3 of those VO's were too short. I don't even know why, except that I'm stupid and misestimated somehow. And honestly, it's a bad mistake. Because then black pops up on the TV screen, and it's a big no no. I learned better than to make things too short like, my first day at TV-10. And all the sudden, when it really counts, I do it wrong and look incredibly incompetant, probably making them even more reluctant to let me do things.

Searches that have given me hits:

hermaphrodite porn
canadian slang words of the 1940's
niggas appreciate honkeys (my personal favorite)
how to make an angry woman giggle
poop eater

So basically, I need to write a dirty story about a canadian hermaprodite nigga who makes an angry honkey giggle, and she appreciates it, and then they both eat poop. And it's set in the 40's!

So.... I did absolutely nothing when I went to the station today. Just watched this one guy edit stuff for like 7 hours. Crushingly boring. I wanted to hurt myself with office supplies.

At least it was a guy I know (he's a TV-10 alum), so we had some conversation, though I was still hugely bored and not learning things like I wanted to learn things which is the point of going there even though they don't pay me. Anyway, I was mentioning how I don't have a job and how people never hire me because I'm "crack addicty" at job interviews, and he was all, "Apply at K-mart and use my brother as a reference! They loved him there!"

and I was like, "Won't he get mad? I barely know him."

and he was like, "No, he wouldn't."

True story.

Anyway, I need the money. The sweet, sweet K-mart scratch.

Lastly, here is a conversation about bastards:

Phoemeister: oooh. Bookstores are cool. At least I imagine working at one would be nice. If you get a discount on merch.
Phoemeister: Plus, people who read are generally more educated, and hence slightly less obnoxious than the general public
Phoemeister: when you deal with them
Kin: Hopefully.
Phoemeister: true
Phoemeister: I was pretty much talking out my ass right then
Phoemeister: I've never worked in a bookstore
Kin: lol...That's okay.
Kin: They say the same thing about musicians, but it just isn't true. Sure, most are pretty cool, but man...There are some who are just annoying as hell.
Kin: And stupid, to boot.
Phoemeister: hunh.
Phoemeister: that's too bad.
Phoemeister: I guess there's no sure way to decide that people aren't bastards before you meet them
Kin: Yep. There's really not. Unless there was some sort of activity that only bastards could partake in.
Phoemeister: true. Like.... bastard three legged races, or bastard eating contests.
Kin: Or only non-bastards for that matter. But then, if there were something that only bastards could do, someone could arrange for there to be an "accident" during it, and then the world would be a little less bastardful.
Kin: Mm....Bastard eating contests. I love me a nice, juicy bastard.

Phoemeister: and he's convinced that stacy the hitman used to be on Boston Public, which I think is not true. I mean, he looks similar to the boston public guy, but similar is not the same
Phoemeister: my dad's totally obsessed about finding actors he knows in things. So if someone that has been on a tv show he likes is in something, halfway through he'll finally realize, and poke me and be like, "That's (whoever it is)" in this loud stage whisper. It drives me nuts. Especially since I usually realize who whoever it is is from the beginning
Sui: haha parents are fun like that
Sui: actually.. it is the guy from boston public
Phoemeister: dammit
Sui: he's been in a lot of movies and tv shows
Phoemeister: that makes him right
Phoemeister: you should've just kept that info to yourself!
Sui: haha
Phoemeister: I never watched boston public that much anyhow
Phoemeister: that's half the reason it bugs me when he does that. The actor/actress is always from the most inane tv show possible
Phoemeister: "didn't he used to be on hee haw?"
Sui: haha
Sui: people actually watched heehaw?
Phoemeister: that was a joke, he doesn't usually bring up heehaw
Sui: haha well that's good
Phoemeister: I don't even think the people who did watch it (yes, there were a few) could recognize them anymore. Especially since no one from hee haw probably ever got another acting job afterwards
Sui: haha yeah they were blacklisted for benig on heehaw
Phoemeister: LOL "Only a communist would be on hee haw. Well, okay, no. Even communists have better standards."
Sui: hahah
Phoemeister: the sad thing is I actually did watch hee haw. But I was a little kid. I swear I didn't know any better.
Sui: haha
Sui: you've been brainwashed!
Phoemeister: I'm programmed to take out the president? Wait.... he's probably the kind of president hee haw likes. I'm programmed to take out someone else?
Sui: hahah
Sui: hmm maybe you were programmed to take out kerry?
Phoemeister: ah
Phoemeister: cool
Phoemeister: It's just like the manchurian candidate! Only with hee haw!
Sui: haha exactly
Phoemeister: I'm going to pitch my story to those people who make made for TV movies
Phoemeister: maybe someone from hee haw can be in it!
Sui: nice that'd be a good story
Phoemeister: man..... I giggle a little out loud every time I type "hee haw" My parents must think I'm insane
Sui: haha
Sui: maybe just a little


Phoemeister: I wish I had a friend named Argentina
Sui: haha so you could tell her not to cry for you?
Phoemeister: then if they started crying for me, I could be like, "Don't cry for me, Argentina."
Phoemeister: dammit
Phoemeister: now I'm the predictable one
Sui: hahah
Phoemeister: I just think that would be awesome
Sui: she'd probably get tired of it really quick
Phoemeister: well I'd only do it when she cried
Phoemeister: so unless she's a huge crybaby
Phoemeister: then she should just get over it
Sui: haha it's funny that we're already making up personality issues for your imaginary friend

Man. I am SO sore all over from yesterday. I guess that's what happens when you start carrying around 40 lb cameras all day after a month of doing absolutely nothing. Not only that, but I'm a huge klutz, so I'm also sore in a couple places where I whacked myself with the tripod. Good times.

The soreness makes me a bit worried about going in tomorrow again already to do more of the same. But hey, I'm building up strength, so in the end it's better to get back on the horse right away, right? I'm hoping so.

So I messed with that guy's head again. He really deserves it. I mean, he could end this conversation at any point, by just blocking me like he said he was going to, but he never did. In fact, I ended up blocking HIM at the end of this, because I found it hard to maintain my pose of being freaked out by him without doing that. I'm thinking of going on in one or more of my other sn's as a friend of mine who's all, "phoemeister told us about you, I/we think you're a total bastard!"


Phoemeister: sups?
NArg: who is this?
Phoemeister: I'm still trying to find out who you are, buddy
NArg: why did u IM me
Phoemeister: because you IMed me the other night and I still don't know who you are and it bugs me
NArg: ok again, u IMed me
NArg: like tonight, u IMed me
Phoemeister: I know I IMed you tonight, I'm not stupid
Phoemeister: but you totally Imed me the other night and I don't know why you don't just admit it
NArg: heh.
NArg: Okay, I didn't. How can I IM someone who I don't even have their SN?
Phoemeister: you must be lying about not having my SN
NArg: how can I be lying about NOT having your SN!??!
Phoemeister: It's easy. Step 1: you get my SN from some source you refuse to tell me
Step 2: You then deny having my SN even though you clearly do
NArg: I have a lot of people on my buddy list, k , and I know everyone on there. Anyone else who IMs me I take with a grain of salt and usually judge them with my IM Catcher
NArg: like last night. You IMed me, my IM Cather caught it, so i figured, oookay...
NArg: and you start mid-conversation about a donkey or some shit
Phoemeister: okay, you are sick
NArg: Honest, you annoy me with you 'let's play mind games' shit.
Phoemeister: you shouldn't mess with people's minds like this
NArg: And you try it again tonight too
Phoemeister: I just want to know how you have my SN
NArg: I DON'T HAVE YOUR FUCKING SCREEN NAME
Phoemeister: well OBVIOUSLY YOU DO
Phoemeister: how the hell else did you IM me?
NArg: I DIDN'T!~!!!!!!!!
NArg: I also contacted AOL TOS about the ordeal and pasted our conversation to them.
Phoemeister: Suuuuuure you did. And I'm sure they're going to break down my door and arrest me for having your SN. Tell me another.
Phoemeister: geez, just tell me how you got my SN
Phoemeister: that's all I want to know
NArg: I DON'T HAVE IT!!!`
NArg: ::sighs::
NArg: i really don't know who you are, k? I really didn't IM you.
NArg: the only people I were talking to last night was an ex g/f from Cinci and my best friend over the phone
NArg: i wasn't even websurfing when you IMedme
NArg: i really don't know who you are. If you used to know me, I'm sorry, but I don't remember you
NArg: if you got my name from someone else, please stop playing mind games with me
Phoemeister: ......okay. I believe you. But if I find out later you've been shitting me, I'll be really pissed
NArg: but honestly, trully, i did not im you last night
Phoemeister: I'm kind of weirded out as it is
NArg: thank you. so who are you?
NArg: And speaking of which, if i Imed you last night, what did "I" say?
Phoemeister: You said, "Who is this?" or somesuch
Phoemeister: Lindsay
NArg: I'm Nick.
Phoemeister: that's all I'm willing to tell you at that point, seeing as how you may or may not be messing with my brain
Phoemeister: nice to meet you, I guess
NArg: now see, before I said that, you sent me this IM saying "...and that's when the donkey jump up, and I laughed and laughed."
Phoemeister: I totally didn't
Phoemeister: I told you I didn't
NArg: Im sorry, I can't believe that
NArg: its the only reason i said "who is this?"
Phoemeister: dammit
Phoemeister: I thought you were being honest
Phoemeister: but now you're all back to screwing with me again
NArg: i was. I still am
Phoemeister: I've never seen a donkey in my life
NArg: I got an IM from you, and I responded
NArg: ok whatever. Well I've never seen a dolphin in person but I can see one on TV
NArg: come on, now thats common sense
Phoemeister: dude, I just meant I wouldn't be sending some random guy donkey stories
NArg: See, I'm thinking now that you used to know me or your friend and i did something that pissed you off
Phoemeister: and I think that's sad you've never seen a dolphin. I mean, you've never been to an aquarium before?
Phoemeister: I'm thinking that you're full of it!
NArg: u know what, i really don't care, ok? Because when I die, I'll be comfortable in the fact that I have not lied once to you since you IMED ME FIRST.
Phoemeister: dude, I'm freaked out as hell but I'm doubting I'm going to take it to the grave or anything. Is that a threat?
Phoemeister: Because if you're threatening me, I'm going to call the cops
NArg: Please do
NArg: Because it is a threat
NArg: I am tired of you IMing me, harrasing me
NArg: and telling me I'm a liar
Phoemeister: leave me alone, psycho!

then I blocked him

Here's an e-mail I sent to my news director from TV-10 who helped me get the internship, and I feel it pretty much sums up everything I did today, and I don't feel like typing it out again:

Hi! I thought you might like to know how my first "official" day at the station went.

IT WAS AWESOME! For the first half of the day, they did pair me with (ISU alum who is a friend of the person I'm sending this to), like you hoped. He was really nice and mellow and learning-friendly, and taught me lots of stuff. We went to the "Gone Fishin' Gun and Knife Show." So now knives, guns, and fishing will always remind me of my first time working at a network affiliate. We both shot some stuff, and mostly his footage went on the newscast, but I got 2 shots on the air! An old guy looking at a rack of guns, and a low angle shot of a rack of fishing poles! I called my parents up so they could watch for both of those, and they said they actually saw it. Very exciting.

The rest of the day, I spent with So and So, who is both a sports photog and a sports reporter depending on what's needed at the time. We went to shoot a basketball game at Pekin and another one at Tremont. I admitted to him I wasn't very good at shooting sports and didn't have a whole lot of experience, but he was cool about it and says that we can work on it together and I'll probably be decent by the time the high school basketball playoffs get started. He actually mentioned working on it with (a guy from TV-10 I knew who used to have an internship with the station) too back in the day. My biggest problem right now is probably that I need to beef up my shoulder so I can handle one of the cameras up there for as long as I'm going to need to get a couple of highlights.

I'm still a little scared because of the various stories I've heard about people, but by in large everyone I've met has been incredibly nice. Thanks again for helping me get this internship, I really think I'm going to learn a lot.

The bits not included in the e-mail:

1) I did feel really stupid when I met a guy and he asked where I was from and I was like, "From here! ...the station you work at!" and the answer he actually wanted was "ISU." Especially bad: apparently this particular guy is a perfectionist and kind of a jerk about it, and is already negatively inclined towards me anyway because he doesn't think females can shoot sports as good as guys. So I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of him right from the beginning.

2) I got free dinner! The second guy I hung out with apparently knows where all the freebies are (he mentioned some others in conversation) and we ended up getting free dinner from the press area at the local hockey game even though the guy in 1) was the guy actually covering the game, we were just in there to eat for free.

3) I went home early because my supervisor guy (who is technically my boss, but I've only seen for 2 minutes or less each time I come in there) heard the roads were getting icy and came and told me I could go home. This worries me a little, in that I don't want to be thought of as the lightweight who leaves when the weather's a little bit crappy, but also makes me a little happy because I secretly AM the lightweight who wants to leave when the weather's moderately crappy, and if they're okay with me leaving, it makes it a whole lot easier on both my nerves and those of my mother.

That's about it.

So.... I haven't screwed with anyone's head on AIM in a long time. Mostly because I haven't met anyone dumb enough in awhile, it's certainly not maturity. I'm as juvenile as ever!

Anyway, there was this guy on my AIM list from like, forever ago. He actually used to read this blog, and linked me for awhile, but then we didn't talk anymore for a long time. So on a whim I IM'ed him to see if he has any idea whatsoever who I am. And he didn't. So I consider him dumb enough to torture. This time, I used the "hey, YOU IMed me FIRST!" gambit. Which.... even dumb people see through, I don't know why I like it so much. Most of them don't even get mad, they're just like, "Um, you can't believe I would fall for that, and you're incredibly lame to even try," (which I am) and stop talking to me. But this guy totally got all angry at me. Really, this isn't all that much worth reading, but I feel obligated to document all my AIM mindscrewing, no matter how lame.


Phoemeister: ......and then, the monkey said, "Rectum? Damn near killed 'im!"
NArg: what?
Phoemeister: what?
NArg: who is this
Phoemeister: who is what?
NArg: what do you want
NArg: who are you
NArg: why did you im me
Phoemeister: hey
Phoemeister: I think it's YOU who has to do some explaining here, mister!
NArg: Who the hell ARE YOU
NArg: seriously
Phoemeister: I'm the PERSON you IMED just now
NArg: no, i didn't. You imed me at 12:15 and u said "......and then, the monkey said, "Rectum? Damn near killed 'im!"
Phoemeister: I did not! You just made it up!
NArg: ok, im blocking you now
Phoemeister: Fine. I'm blocking you too!
NArg: well i don't know WHO YOU ARE
NArg: i don't have you on my IM how can I IM you???
Phoemeister: well I don't know WHO YOU ARE EITHER.
Phoemeister: well I don't have you on my IM
NArg: then why did you IM ME??
Phoemeister: you IMed ME!
NArg: no.. i did not
Phoemeister: yes you did!
NArg: yes you did, and im not sure why, but screw you for trying to play mind games with me.

I think I would quickly become a pathological liar if I were any good at it in person.

I am the root of all that's evil
yeah, but you can call me cookie.

--"Fire Water Burn," Bloodhound Gang

I'm a weird, nerdy, loser. But what did I expect if I'm taking online quizzes about it?

I visited the TV station today. I officially start on friday, but today was my "tour." Only instead of touring, I followed a crew out, which basically means I still don't know where anything is.

It was alright, they were nice to me. Though I have to worry even more about watching my back now. Because it seems like one of those places where office politics get played out to the extreme. Already, I've heard people talking shit about other photographers, or instances in which photographers got a total chewing out by people for something that wasn't even his/her fault. And the photographer I shadowed pretty much told me I better cover my ass at all times. And all the really experienced photographers I could learn a lot from sound like they're hugely testy, angry people, that you bother with questions at your own risk.

Good times. On the other hand... I won't know until I've been there for awhile how bad it actually is. And I really do want to learn and get a real job in video production someday. So I'm going to keep at it, and try to avoid the angry people as much as possible.

Me: *bowls using left hand* Hunh, what do you know? I'm an ambidexterous bowler. Equally crappy with either hand!
Friend: Why were you bowling with your left hand?
Me: I had a candy bar I was eating in my right hand. DUH.

Such are my awesome bowling stories. And as the bowling was preceded by dinner at taco bell: a pretty good night.

We're so c-c-c-controversial
we are entirely smooth
we admit to the truth
we are the best at what we do

--"I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't," Brand New

Man, I am slow. And/or forgetful. Last night I was playing the game again, and I'm like, "What is up with all the dutch people on tonight?" to my friend. And she was like, "you're kidding, right?" and I'm like, "No..." and she's like, "We're on the Amsterdam server, you doink!"

Okay, I added doink in because I think it's a funny word, but the rest pretty much happened.

Jump out the window cause it's way to far to go out the door

--"Jaws Theme Swimming," Brand New

Man.... the 12 year olds playing the online game I'm into are driving me NUTS. I really hope I wasn't like that when I was 12.

But here's something about them I found less annoying and more amusing: last night a friend and I were playing it together, and we were doing this repetative cycle where we'd catch fish, cook one type of fish but not the other, sell the raw fish to the fish store, and sell the cooked fish to the general store, and go back to the fishing spot. Then, this random guy starts following my friend around and giving her tons of free fish. We found it creepy that he was following us, but kind of funny at the same time. So I tried to creep him out back, by pretending I all liked him. Except instead of giving him fish, I kept trying to give him burnt fish. Burnt fish, though not harmful to have, is utterly useless for any purpose in the game. So I just spent a hugely long time trying to make this guy take my burnt fish for no other reason than annoying him. And I think it did annoy him, because he wouldn't take it. Then I started asking him typical 12 year old questions like, "How old r u?" "Are u a boy?" etc. and I'd have to ask him 8 times before he'd answer me.

THEN, another random guy joined us. We turned into this string of four people walking around together. This guy WOULD take my burnt fish. And he was nicer to me in general than the other guy, especially when, as an experiment, I took the armor off of my character to make her look girly to see how the guys would react. Man... I almost WISH I were a sick guy pretending to be a girl character, just to show them how weird it is to glom onto a random character with a skirt on. And guys have started following my character around before, I just found this instance particularly hilarious because we had two, and my friend's stalker was particularly persistant.

In other news amusing only to me, my mom's been sorting this huge pile of photos that needed to be put in an album. How backed up is she? Some of them are from New Years Eve 1990. I actually remember that New Years because I was so excited that it was the first time I'd seen a new decade. Much more excited, in fact, than I was 10 years later when the new millenium started. It's sad how much growing up sucks the magic out of things.

Anyway: onto the amusing part. She had doubles that she let me look through to see if I wanted, and I found the BEST picture EVER. My sister graduated college the same year I graduated high school, so there's a couple of pictures of us together in our caps and gowns. One of them, my mom apparently didn't warn us we were on camera, because my sister's looking off into the distance with this lobotomized look, and I'm scratching my head and looking somewhere random. I love the irony of us being all smart and graduated, but looking like morons. Honorable mention goes to a picture I found where my sister is literally picking her teeth, and a picture of my mom with sunglasses where one side is much darker than the other and it looks like she's wearing a pirate eyepatch. I wish I had a scanner to show them to you. But I do not. So you'll have to live with my overly complicated explanations.

A picture my mom loves of me, is where I'm laying somewhere and giving the thumbs up sign. I told her I knew exactly why I was giving the thumbs up. There used to be a funny series of Kodak ads, where all these people were explaining that you have to have a pose ready for whenever someone turns a camera on you. And there was this one guy that his pose was thumbs up. And he goes through his different variations on thumbs up, while showing them. "There's the classic thumbs up, the double thumbs up, *pause* ...the sexy thumbs up." And back then, I was obsessed with that ad, and I would as a joke give people the "sexy" thumbs up all the time (first making sure they knew about the ad as to not freak them out). And even now, I probably give the thumbs up sign more than most people, but I'd forgotten why I started until I saw that picture. True story.

Oh, and just to make this entry even more bloated, I have a piano story. Well, a piano observation, anyway. I've been learning from a child's piano book* and I've started actually reading the words to the songs and I've decided whoever wrote it was subtly trying to warp children. There's this one song, "Money can't by Ever'thing." And it starts out being like, money can't buy you this, money can't buy you that, which you would expect, given the title. But the last bit is, "But of one thing I am sure/money doesn't make you poor/money doesn't make you sad/money can't be all that bad." Which totally undercuts the rest of the song, and is the opposite of what most people would tell their kids. Which, okay, if you're dead poor maybe you'd have a different philosophy, but if you're that poor you're probably not someone who has the extra cash to be buying a piano/keyboard and books on learning it.

The other song is called "The Clown." Which, I wasn't looking at the words at first, but this song has a lot of minor notes and is really sad sounding, so I'm like, "Why is a song about a clown so sad?" And again, most of the words to the song are happy, being all, see the funny clown do this, or that. But the last bit is, "Always be a glad clown/always steal the show/when you are a sad clown/never let us know." Which gives me this truly disturbing image in my head of legions of clowns out there that are secretly dying inside. And again, is a bad model for kids. The message is basically, "Repress everything or people won't like you!" Which, again, I think is a bad message for kids.

________
* We do have an adult piano book, but after I'd been playing it awhile, I complained to my mom that I still didn't know how to READ the music, I just guess until it sounds right, and then I memorize it. So she was like, "Okay, we'll start even more at the beginning" so I've been stuck with this kid's book since then. And I still don't know how to read music.

Today was my tour of the TV station. But I didn't go.

I haven't started the internship proper, but I had scheduled a visit for today so I could look around and know where things are, etc. The problem: snow.

My mom has a crazy irrational fear of driving in bad weather. Hey, I'm not downing her for that. I have crazy irrational fears about serial kilers, needles, and killer bees, none of which are common enough to kill very many people (well, needles are common, but getting your blood taken isn't liable to kill you unless it's something stupid like a dirty one). But people die in car accidents every day, so hers is actually a bit justified. Except, the nice thing about being afraid of killer bees, is killer bees don't come along very often to fuck up your plans for that day. Whereas bad weather: all too common.

Anyway.... I think I could've driven there despite the snow(it's an 45 minute-1 hour commute on the interstate), but she kept ranting and raving about how I shouldn't go, and just pumped me up FULL of fears. I'm not hugely confident on the interstate anyway, and she just keeps repeating over and over how horrible it is and how I'll end up dying in a ditch somewhere. She wouldn't let up. I did start to go, but I chickened out before I got on the interstate. I really feel horrible about wimping out on this, because I don't want them to think, "Oh, she'll be a crappy photographer, one sign of bad weather and she bails." Anyway, we called them and they said I could re schedule. And since this was a day where I was just touring the place, it's not like they NEEDED me there and I copped out. But I still feel awful about it.

Is this the way a toy feels when its batteries run dry?

--"Guernica," Brand New

So the colonoscopy: awful as ever. The doubly awful part was when I got there, they wouldn't do it right away. Which, I was miserable and wanted it over with. But, among other reasons, they wanted a bloodtest to make sure I'm not pregnant. I guess it's a new law. But it pissed me off. And I was so mean to them. I actually called them all bastards. I'm not excusing this behavior, but I think 90% of it was sleep deprivation, I go NUTS when I don't get enough sleep. Anyway, I still don't know that much, we're waiting on a biopsy or something. But basically they said, "Less colitis in there than two years ago (which, I could tell them that) but still some in there (which I could also tell them that)."

I've not been on much because a friend of mine got me addicted to this online game called Runescape, and I sadly spend way too much time on it, so there's not that much to blog. Other than that my parents dragged me out coat shopping again yesterday. Before we left, my dad was like, "If you don't see one you like, you don't HAVE to get one." Except he's wrong. If I didn't get one, they'd drag me to 10 more stores and eventually make me get a coat. So it was just less painful for all involved when I just broke down and picked one yesterday. It's not a bad coat, but I wish they'd just leave me alone and let me wear the coat I want to wear. Honestly, I'm probably going to irritate them, and continue to wear the old one as long as I can.

Good times.

On Halls Fruit Breezers:

Phoemeister: they just put in the mint taste so that you think they're medicine, but they're not really
Sui: yeah it's the menthol
Phoemeister: I don't think they even put in menthol. At least in the ones I ate. They literally put in mint flavoring.
Sui: hmm actually you're right
Sui: I thought it said "with menthol"
Sui: but the little lable actually says "no menthol"
Sui: well non-mentholated
Phoemeister: lol
Phoemeister: ha! You're just eating mint flavored candy!
Phoemeister: though I think they have vitamin C
Phoemeister: but everything has vitamin C
Sui: They do have Pectin in them
Sui: and yeah, vitamin c
Phoemeister: pectin doesn't do anything
Phoemeister: they put pectin in jam
Phoemeister: it's that waxy stuff on the outside of an apple
Sui: it's an "oral demulcent" as they say on the bag ; )
Phoemeister: psh. Your Mom's an oral demulcent

the only thing that's real
are the kids that kid themselves
and the demise
of the beautiful

--"In Other Words," Ben Kweller

I read this on Phoe from Elsewhere's livejournal.

"January 27th is the birthday of Lewis Carrol, author of ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. Alice fell down a rabbit hole into a place where everything had changed and none of the rules could be counted on to apply anymore.

I say, let's do the same: January 27th, 2005 should be the First Annual LiveJournal Rabbit Hole Day. When you post on that Thursday, instead of the normal daily life and work and news and politics, write about the strange new world you have found yourself in for the day, with its strange new life and work and news and politics.

Are your pets talking back at you now? Has your child suddenly grown to full adulthood? Does everyone at work think you're someone else now? Did Bush step down from the White House to become a pro-circuit tap-dancer? Did Zoroastrian missionaries show up on your doorstep with literature in 3-D? Have you been placed under house arrest by bizarre insectoid women wielding clubs made of lunchmeat?

Let's have a day where nobody's life makes sense anymore, where any random LJ you click on will bring you some strange new tale. Let's all fall down the Rabbit Hole for 24 hours and see what's there. It will be beautiful.

This only works if you spread the word, so get it out there!"

And I'm all, "Man, I have to do that." Except I'm not creative enough to even come up with half of the above scenarios. And I'm horrible with dates, there is no reason why I wouldn't forget about it by then, or if I remembered, do it on the wrong day. But anyhow, I had to mention it on the off chance I did actually remember to do something on a particular day.

In other news, this happened to me ages ago (the same day where I'm nattering on about Garden State and Napoleon Dynamite and my sweet rebate) but it just popped into my head and I thought, "Hey, I'll make this entry longer and more boringer." I totally saw this guy I know from the study abroad trip in England a few years ago. No... no one cool. This old guy (part of an old couple) that was friends with the prof, so would come along on many of these trips, though they're apparently rich enough to go alone, and why would you want to hang out with a bunch of stupid college students if you're all old? But I digress. This couple totally has Christmas parties where, along with their real friends, they invite people they've been to trips on with. And I am totally nerdy enough to go to them, which is the only time I ever see them, which is why this was a big event. Except the last one, that I didn't go to cause I graduated that day. It was late enough I could've gone, but I was all depressed, and didn't want to make myself more so by going to a party full of old strangers.

Anyway, apparently he got a kareoke machine not that long ago, which I applaud for dedication to weirdness. Anyway, he was all trying to entice me to come over to their next party, in February, to bust a move on the thing because we'd all done kareoke in England. And I'm thinking, "I don't think even I'm lame enough to go to more than one of their parties per year. But on the other hand, I did miss their last one..." Anyway, I approve of kareoke in that I I think if more people would sing in public places the world would be a much more beautiful and whimsical place. But disprove of it, because people who do a lot of kareoke are invariably pathetic, even apart from the kareoke, and very rarely do people who actually sing well do it, so you're forced to listen to people's out of tune version of some Whitney Houston song that Whitney Houston probably doesn't even like. So a whole night of it at a house full of old strangers? I don't think I can handle it.

This guy loves talking too, I didn't mind talking/listening to him for awhile, but there's a certain point in the conversation of a chance encounter with someone you don't know very well, that you begin to feel trapped and want to get away very badly. You begin to understand those animals that gnaw off their ankle to get out of a trap. Only you know you don't even have that option, it wouldn't be polite at all to start gnawing on your own leg. I was very greatful when my Dad (I was at Best Buy with my parents, and we all tend to range freely in our various favorite sections and then check in with each other every once in awhile) came along and broke it up for me.

Maybe on the 27th, I can write a version of that encounter where we both turn into japanese fighting fish and go at it with nunchucks while badly singing Whitney Houston tunes.

everybody's talking about blowing up the neighborhood
everybody's gonna break it up today
everybody's talking about blowing up the neighborhood
all I ever wanted was to get away

--"Stuck in America," Sugarcult

Weirdness, I went to my blog to check if any of you people who hang on my every word commented, and I typed in the address wrong: http://phoemeister.blogpsot.com/, and it's totally this weird bible site. And I was like, "What the hell?" True story.

I fucked it up
I let you go
I saw my hand not dialing the phone

--"Jesse and My Whetstone," Saves the Day

In other news, I have decided to write a letter to U2, to freak them out. Because a friend and I use their names as curse word substitutes. Only, I'm too lazy to look up how to e-mail them or send them a letter, so I'll post it here. Because you KNOW my blog's the first place political irish rockers somewhat past their prime trying to revive their careers using Ipod commercials go when they want the latest up to date news on everything that political irish rockers somewhat past their prime trying to revive their careers using Ipod commercials need to know.

"Dear U2:

We decided one night that all of your names make great curse words. Well.... that's not true. We use "The Edge" as more of a general pun, though occaisionally for something dirty.

Bono, your name generally means "fuck." Like, "I got really Bono'ed up at the bar last night."

Larry Mullen Jr, we changed your name to Harry. And your name means penis. Enjoy!

Adam Clayton, you'll be pleased to know that your name is our favorite, because it is an all-purpose code for any number of sick and depraved things we like to talk about.

We also added another member to your band, an imaginary man named Tom Stevenson (see attached picture). We only generally use his name in the sentence: Put that in your Tom Stevenson and smoke it!

Have a Bloody Sunday,
Phoemeister & Suibrom"


Phoemeister: I should add a PS (PS, we also use Zwan as a curse word. But we heard you were on the outs with Billy Corgan, so we didn't want to mention it at first)
Suibrom: haha
Suibrom: niiice
Suibrom: I think they'd love that
Phoemeister: yeah. Except Bono would say (imagine this in a heavy lucky charms irish accent, because you know that's how he really talks when the media's not around) "What the hell? Billy said we were cool! And now he's talking shit behind our backs again! What a Harry Mullen Jr!"
Suibrom: hahah

I worked on the avid today. I really have been putting it off, meant to do it about a thousand times before now. But actually, it turned out fairly easy. This time I actually had a pseudo manual, which helped immensely. It's pseudo, because not only is it not an official manual (written by another student as an assignment, though I consider this a plus because it's written in language regular people can understand) but it's not for the version of the Avid we have (a minus). But it was helpful as a jumping off point for many procedures. I actually know the basics now, probably won't even have to go back... though I probably will a couple times just so I memorize how to do things, instead of having to figure them out all over again at the TV station.

I also finished two moderately classy books today, and am feeling smart. Go me!

And I'm mentally gearing myself up for a colonoscopy I'm having this week. Honestly... they suck so much. You'd think the actual trauma of someone sticking a foreign object up your pooper would be the bad part, but it's not, really. They knock you out first, so they might as well do anything to you, you don't care. The bad part is drinking down laxatives for 24 hours beforehand. First off--the laxative makes me gag, but fortunately I'm getting this stuff in pill form this time. They try to keep the pills secret from you, because apparently they don't do quite as good of a job, but we found out about them, and I'm making them let me take them.

Secondly--the fact that you're taking a ton of high powered laxatives in the first place. It's the worst diahrea possible. And this is coming from someone who deals with diahrea (and/or constipation) on a multiple times daily basis. So you know it's not for the faint of heart.

Worst of all, I'm not even entirely sure why I'm doing this. My specialist isn't really pushing for it very hard. He's just kind of like, "Well, I don't have any more ideas, we might as well scope you again." Which, normally I'd be like, "Hey, you're not sticking anything up there without good reason, buddy!" but the thing is he didn't push very hard for the last one I had. And so I didn't do it. Until I was so sick that I would do absolutely anything. And as a consequence, we didn't catch my colitis until it had done serious, irreprable damage to my intestines that will in all likelihood cause me horrible pain and embarrassing/disgusting other problems for the rest of my entire life. So... I decided to hedge my bets and do it again, despite the enormous possibility that the whole endeavor is pointless.

So today, I blew.... way too much on books. Still Christmas money/cards, though.

I hate the fact that they sell so many books ONLY in the big paperback format that's 3X as expensive as a regular paperback. So what was not that many books... cost a lot. And what's the point? It's a paperback. It's not like a hardcover edition of something I can give to my grandkids. Honestly.

Anyway, I picked up a couple of Vonnegut books I totally didn't know existed. I was looking at the rack because I'm thinking of buying some books I read at the library once (I like to reread things) and I notice all these ones I don't know of, and I had to have them.

Then, I had to pick up Catch 22 (Joseph Heller), which again, I have read at the library once, but I wanted to re-read, and knew I'd want to again and again, and it's just more conveniant to buy the thing.

I also picked Rabbit, Run by John Updike because I've always wanted to try reading his stuff (I mean, how cool is the name Updike? I would marry the guy, if he's still alive, so I could have that last name) and the Rabbit series is his best known, so.

Also got a pulpy fantasy novel by Mercedes Lackey. She's going kind of downhill in my opinion, and was never HUGELY original in the first place, but I can't help it, I always buy her books. And she was the only cheap, small paperback in the lot, for which I thank her.

My mom got Scene it: TV edition. Which... I actually pointed out to her, because she watches a hella lot of TV but never any movies, which makes her not so fond of the original version, but perfect for this one. I kind of wish I didn't, though, because now everyone loves that version better than the other, and I'm the opposite. I mean, I watch some TV, but not as much as the rest in the family. And honestly, I can't be expected to know that much from the gazillion shows they have in there from before I was born. So now everyone will only want to play that one, I suppose. But I'm so awesome at the Movie version. 80% of the time I don't even have to have seen the movie to get the question right. I swear, I won a game of it by answering three questions involving Michael Douglas, and I almost never watch a movie with him if I can help it. There's only two movies of his I like, and neither were ones in the questions.

and then you say hey I bought you flowers
and then you say wait a minute Sally
I think I got something in my teeth
could you get it out for me?
that's fucking teamwork!

--"Fuck Her Gently," Tenacious D

In the year 2005 I resolve to: Read less. Get your resolution here

Oh shit, there's a bear!
could you hand me that shotgun, buddy
also that chair?
we're fighting a bear
now your life's in great danger
and you don't even care

--"Friendship," Tenacious D

Okay, how awesome am I at predicting things?

This awesome: remember the conver I posted up here about how I guessed Ryan Seacrest would host Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, but it turned out to be Regis? Well my mom TOTALLY had us on FOX for the countdown, and guess who hosted FOX's countdown..... Ryan Seacrest! Do I have my finger on the throbbing pulse of popular culture or what?

Mostly we celebrated by going out to dinner. Though we did do some shopping, I picked up Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State like I wanted to. My dad has seen the former, and does not agree that it is the funniest movie of all time, which makes me sad, because it IS the funniest movie of all time, and I fell sad for him that he does not get the glee from it that I do. I'm also pathetically excited about the five dollar mail-in rebate I get from buying the both of them. I never qualify for rebates! I love rebates, because you send the stuff in, and then you totally forget about it, and then bam! one day, you get five dollars in the mail, and you're like, "Yay. Five dollars!" I wonder if they do stuff like that to get more info on you, though. So they can track people who like indie comedies, in case we're terrorists. Or market other things to us. My receipt tells them that I like to buy Tenacious D and Breaking Benjamin at discounted prices. So if the next big indie comedy has the D and the BB on the soundtrack, you can call me up and blame me.

We also went out coat shopping. My mom has been trying to make me get a new coat for some time. I would think this would be common sense, but I guess it's not, because no one in my family is this way: but if I like something I have, I don't really go out looking for something else. If it's doing fine, I don't bother. And if it's broken or ripped, I do my damndest to fix or mend it instead of just going out and buying a new version, because I get attached to things. Anyway: I love the coat I've had for about 6 years ago. It's got microfiber, and some space age stuffing in it that makes it really warm, but really light at the same time. And I hate heavy coats. And it's not ripped or anything. But my mom really is trying to make me get another coat. Her first reason was what I have isn't warm enough because it's so light, and she argues that space age stuff has improved in the last 6 years, so I could get something new equally light that would be warmer. But even if a new coat was warmer, it's kind of overkill. If I could find a way to make my face warmer, or my legs warmer, I would jump at it. But my torso's never cold when I'm out. The coat does it's job. Unless I plan to go hiking in Alaska, I think I'm good. Her second reason is that the one I have now is "grungey," which both proves to me that she's insane and that she knows nothing about grunge. It's bright red, and as I said, has no holes or fraying as far as I can tell. Why does it bother her that I like a six year old coat? So that's my rant about my mom and her mission to buy me a new coat.

Happy new year!