chapel hill

the research triangle is called, simply, the triangle. i learned that during our long weekend trip to durham, raleigh and chapel hill. i looked into attending UNC's MPH program. i hardly ever say this, but thank god i went to tulane. that place is too dang country for me. the gay scene is about as hoppin' as the gay scene here. lots of mullets, bad fashion, ugly sandals.

oh bay area, you spoiled me with your cute, trendy dykes!

we spent the weekend with my best friend from boston, e, and her GF. the gatos enjoyed the trip, though our little emmett was carsick on the ride home. poor guy. e's girl allegedly hates cats... but she came around to our little guys. she's such a fake cat hater! both kitties took turns on her lap purring. puh-lease! hate cats? not ours. no one can resist our boys.

imagine when i have children. i'll be one of those mothers with a "perfect" child. slap me if i become that person. please. do it for my own sake!!

it was lovely hanging out with e again. no time passes between us even when months pass. four hours away is closer than we've been in years, but it's still four hours. after all the moving around the country j and i did, i can't really stand being in the car. i thought i'd be thrilled to spend a short 4 hours on a road trip, but en route home, i just couldn't take it. i woke up cranky yesterday and i remained as such until this morning. i think it was the drive... knowing i'd have to be in the car all day monday was dreadful. this is what happens when you grow up in the northeast. everything - the ocean, mountains, outlets, amusement parks, cities, towns, lakes - it's all less than 2 hours away. during my childhood, our longest day trip was to maine. a few hours of driving, total. none of this four hour shit. ugh.

why am i complaining? i had an excellent weekend with my girl, my best friend, her GF, and my kitties. i have nothing to complain about!!

ah, extended family.

J got a drunken/high on e call from her cousin last night. at FOUR in the morning. i was a monster. don't wake me up.

i mean, come on, he knew the time. he just didn't care.

it's sooo rude.

owning a saw

my girlfriend bought herself a saw today. she is currently sawing a piece of wood into.. a smaller piece of wood. she considers this to be fun. the cats report mixed reviews. one of them is hiding, the other is hanging out in his kitty tent playing as though nothing out of the usual is going on.

calgon, take me away!

there's nothing that makes J happier than a trip to homo depot. there's nothing that makes me dizzier. well, fine, spinning around in circles with my arms outstretched and my head to the sky makes me dizzier. it's just that home depot has such high ceilings with crazy forklifts driving around and beeping that damned reverse beeping sound. i never know where it's coming from or if my safety is in jeopardy. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

torn

i am starting to feel a lot torn about my job and where i want to be in the future. i had yet another phone interview for a public health job. it's a job that i am interested in... but the salary is lower than what i was making when i left for grad school. and i know it's doing good for the world (yadda yadda) but i am truly interested in this job. but but BUT, i like where i am although i spent today pushing a dead battery golf cart. i am feeling very torn. confused and torn.

the not-so invisible car payment

argh argh argh! now i need a starter. car won't start without it. all said, by the end of the year, i will have spent more on my 99 jetta than i would have spent on a freakin' car payment.

the mechanic quoted me 224$ for the part. a little research proved that autozone will only charge 140$ AND i get 70$ of that back when i bring them my old broken starter. the mechanic wasn't too pleased with me but will put it in... but won't guarantee their work. at 115$ labor, if they don't do it right or if it "breaks" i'll be taking it to a new mechanic anyhow. but isn't that seemingly illegal? F them. F car ownership. thank goodness my GF's mom's BF is a mechanic. and if you can follow that, you are having a smart day. heh.

so J is off to landover, maryland to pick up the part. and i am sitting in the office coordinating all of it. puppet master.

14 days left

to my habit. yay! i've managed to exercise about 5 days of the week, i think. and i'm not talking about exercising my liver either. i am such a lightweight, 2 hard drinks and i am done for the night. saturday we went to apex, and it was fun and whatever except for the $8 cover. wha? ridiculous. the music was good at first and then became terrible and so we left. but i finally found where all the cutest girls ever go! ahhhhhh. dyke-a-rama. yum.

the car died today. it was a pathetic and disturbing sound. J thinks it's the battery (i quote "simple solutions first" and what she meant was "don't get so upset about needing a new alternator if it's just the damn battery." she's right.)

at least i did pilates before i went to work. exercise does lift the spirits. but the rain compounded by the fact that it's monday morning and i was already running late certainly made the dead car situation feel the crappiest. argh.