I never thought this day would come.

I have a complaint about Old Navy.  I placed an online order on November 23 and was told that my stuff would arrive in 7-10 days.  I finally got an email tonight that my order had been shipped and will arrive by December 7.  I don't understand why Amazon can sometimes ship my order within an hour or so of me ordering it, but it takes Old Navy this long to get it in the mail.  I realize there was probably a significant increase in business for Black Friday, but shouldn't they have anticipated that and put more people on the job?  I've already received things I ordered from Amazon three days ago.  I feel like Amazon should just take over the world at this point because then things would actually get done. 

That Little B*tch

The tooth that I had the root canal on today has now officially been dubbed "That Little B*tch."  Why, you may ask?  Don't worry, I shall tell you!  Not only did it have hook-ended roots, but the roots were also abnormally long, which meant that it was really hard to get it numb.  Do you see where this story is headed?  It's headed towards PAIN!  The fancy dentist told me about my root problem and then conveniently added that for $55 extra I could get nitrous.  I figured they were just trying to get more money out of me, but let it be known that I will never turn down something that will make a root canal slightly more pleasant.  It turned out to be a very wise investment.  Even with the nitrous and the initial numbing of the tooth, I nearly jumped out of the chair when he started drilling.  Given the shooting pain, he said we were going to move on to Plan B.  Plan B turned out to be him telling me to suck in hard on the nitrous while he hurriedly drilled through the tooth so that he could shoot extra anesthetic into the inside of the tooth.  I was not happy at this point, but then they upped the dose on the nitrous and I was ok after that.  So that is why my tooth shall now be referred to as That Little B*tch. 

better late than never

I keep meaning to do a post about things I'm grateful for, but then everyone was doing that for Thanksgiving and I don't like to do what everyone else is doing, just on principle.  Then I realized that such an attitude made me sound a little bit hipster-ish and that's annoying, so here you go, a list of random things (because I refuse to do the ordinary) that I am grateful for . . .

• child actors who don't end up messed up
• the combination of sea salt and caramel
• pronouncing caramel care-uh-mel so that you sound posh
• foods that can be eaten out of the original container
• foods that can be eaten out of the original container using my fingers
• not having to close the door every time I go to the bathroom
• my tickets to the MoTab Christmas concert featuring ALFIE BOE!!!!!
• clever people
• watermelon Jell-o
• moments when I am not socially awkward

tidbits

• I have to have a root canal tomorrow and because this is me, it can't just be a simple procedure.  I have to go to an endodontist (I don't even know what that is) to have it done because one of the roots of my tooth has a hook on the end.  I feel like eventually it will be funny that I have hook ended teeth, but right now it's irritating.
• It's funny how our opinions of movies/books change as we get older.  I'm watching Jane Eyre and I have always thought that while Mr. Rochester was a bit of a jerk, he was also a dramatic hero who just needed love.  Now I am realizing that he was kind of horrible.  
• My turkey dinner on Monday turned out well.  I normally brine my turkey, but since I had just decided Monday morning that I wanted to cook it, I clearly didn't have time to do so.  Instead I coated it with a Mediterranean spice rub and cooked it on a bed of apples.  It was/is nummy.  
• I forgot to mention in my Thanksgiving wrap-up that for the first time ever, I ate cranberry sauce.  I don't like cranberries.  Never have.  This year my sister in-law said that she adds horseradish to the cranberry sauce and since I am a bit obsessed with horseradish, I decided to give it a try.  It is amazing what a difference just a spoonful of horseradish can make.  It was absolutely delicious!
• I also forgot to mention that I finally bought a car.  I got a 2008 Ford Fusion.  I feel like it's kind of an old person's car, but I really like it.  
• I am feeling the need to de-clutter.  I hate that it's the wrong time of year for a yard sale.  I also hate that I have no yard on which to have a yard sale.

Thanksgiving Summary

• Thanksgiving was great.  By the time we actually sat down to eat I wasn't even hungry because I had been picking at food all morning.  It was for the greater good, though-I can't serve food to people if I haven't already tasted it myself to make sure it is edible.  So basically I ate a whole Thanksgiving meal before the actual Thanksgiving meal.
• I did loads of shopping over the weekend-Black Friday starting Thursday, Cyber Monday starting Sunday, etc.  Unfortunately I didn't actually buy anything for anyone else, just myself.  
• I have the day off today so I have decided to go ahead and cook myself another turkey dinner since I didn't bring any leftovers home from my parent's house.  Too soon?
• I went and saw the new Twilight movie over the weekend.  I refused to go too early after it came out because I don't like screaming teenage girls (or screaming women behaving like teenage girls).  I expected to find it to be ridiculous, but I actually enjoyed it.  To be clear:  there was ridiculousness, but I was o.k. with it.  
• I also finally saw Pitch Perfect, which I enjoyed.  I want Rebel Wilson to be my best friend.  Plus, has anyone noticed that she's freakin' gorgeous?
• I can't decide whether or not to decorate for Christmas this year.  Last year I did it at the beginning of November, so I felt like the effort was worth it.  At this point, I don't know if it's worth getting everything out of storage for just a month of prettiness.  Actual conversation occurring in my head:  "Christmas isn't about the decorations.  I feel like I should honor the real meaning of Christmas.  B*tch, please!  You know you're just too lazy to go haul the boxes in from the storage shed.  You ain't foolin' no one!"

weekly wrap up

• Looping GIFs
• The green caterpillar is trippy!
• Sonia Sotomayor visits Sesame Street and crushes dreams
• Cutest wet kitten/gremlin ever
• Anne Hathaway attempts the Claire Danes cry
• Also, for my fellow Homeland fans, check out texts between Brody and Abu Nazir.
• Who should play the candidates and other prominent people in the movie version of 2012
• Steven Segal as Joe Biden=pure genius.
• Straight men everywhere better watch out for those girlfriend-stealing gay guys!
• A motherf*cking quiche!
• I now know why my dating profile didn't work. 
• Favorite tweet of the week
• Big Bang Theory flash mob?  Yes, please!
• Best reason ever to not go to class
• Supercut of Robert Pattinson's stares
• So intense.

Also, these were not entertaining, but were informative and/or interesting, so enjoy them as well:

• France's new anti-domestic violence ads
• Woman dies after being denied an abortion
• America Has the Worst Economy Anywhere, Except for Everywhere Else

And finally, this is the way I feel about most people:

Winning!

This is what I had for dinner tonight-macaroni and cheese made with powdered coffee creamer that expired in 2009* and boiled shrimp.  There were also some chocolate chips, but I ate them before I took the picture.  Jealous?


*I didn't have milk.

Too soon?

I'm in a Christmas mood!  I just rewatched the Christmas episode of Gavin & Stacey and, due to the following scene, I am ready to put on some Christmas music and decorate.  Well, I should rephrase that.  Due to the following scene I am willing to look up the music video for "Do They Know it's Christmas?" and think about how much effort it would require to get my Christmas decorations out of the storage area.






Also, I can't see Bono now without thinking of the following scene from Misfits:

I am nothing if not consistent.

Ok, so I'm really not very consistent at all, but in this case I am amazingly consistent, which just goes to show that I am in no way consistent.  I am currently counting down the minutes until Homeland is on and I need to kill time, so I turned on He's Just Not That Into You.  Big mistake.  Big.  Huge.  Except for those moments when I was mesmerized by Bradley Cooper's eyes, I was irritated by nearly every single character.  And then I remembered that back when this movie came out, in 2009, I did a blog post about it!  I just reread the post (which you, too, can read here) and discovered that I was thinking the exact same things I thought then, only a little less bitterly, because I've totally mellowed since then.  True story. 

***I have a nagging feeling that this is probably the most useless blog post I have ever written and I am now making this face:

Confessions, updates, nonsense

• My travel plans are coming along nicely!  I was going to stay in a cheap hostel, but then a friend of mine recommended Airbnb.  It's a website that allows people all over the world to rent out spare rooms and such in their homes.  Let's compare . . . for $15 per night at a hostel, I could have a bunk bed in a room with 9 other people in it (most of whom are around 20 years old), share a bathroom with many people and get minimal sleep due to said young'uns coming in drunk at 4am.  Or I could pay $30ish dollars per night for a private room with a king size bed, my own private bathroom and stay with a lovely, young Irish couple who live in a nice suburb of Dublin which is only a short ride away from the city center by bus.  And, to make the decision even less complicated, if I stay with the nice couple, I won't have to bring my own towel or keep my belongings locked up so that other travelers won't steal them!  Happy day!
• The weather here has been a bit crap.  It's snowed over a foot since Friday, which I don't really mind, but my power went off for most of Saturday morning.  That, I do mind.  I think the internet has turned my brain to mush because I can no longer concentrate on books like I used to.  I'll read for a little bit, then have to take a break.  Clearly I have newly acquired LADD (literary ADD).
• Why is it that I always end up with the gimpy cart at the grocery store?  The other day my cart clanked the whole way around the store, causing people to stare at me.  I think a better question may be why didn't I take the cart back and get a different one?  Oh yeah, that's right, I'm lazy.
• The definition of bitterness . . . having to pay several hundred dollars on my insurance premium for a car that I NO LONGER HAVE!  Yes, I know I should just be grateful that I have insurance, but I would be far more grateful had my car not been stolen in the first place.
• Lately I have started keeping a small tub of bleu cheese crumbles in the fridge.  Every so often I have a little spoonful and revel in the deliciousness of the mold.  
• I looked out the window the other day and remarked to my OT on how bad the weather was looking.  Then I realized that I was looking at the grayish wall of the building next door.  
• It took me 3 weeks to realize that there isn't a second room at my OT's office that has exercise equipment in it.  What I thought was a special work-out room was really just the reflection on the glass exit door of the exercise equipment in the room I was currently sitting in.  
• Still obsessively listening to Iwan Rheon.  You can download each of his albums (which sadly only have 4 songs each) for under $4.  It is well worth it. 

This week's entertainment wrap-up

Here are some of the things I enjoyed on the internet this week (many of which are election-related)*:

The Funniest Tweets from the 2012 Presidential Election
Election Night Texts Between Strangers
Let's Play 'Drunk Nate Silver'
My personal favorite tweet of the week
A Leaked Scene from the New Star Wars Movie
Australia Twitter-Shames the Crap Out of Random Teen
Girl Meets Lion (The sad face on this lion-I can't handle it!)
Rachel Maddow on Obama's Re-election   (This one is a must watch!)



*I would like to think that this will become a weekly feature, but I think I know how this story ends.

Brills!

I've finally made my flight reservations for Dublin and London in March!  Whoohoo!  In thinking about what I want to do on this trip, I stumbled upon a brilliant idea.  So you know how I run a group home for people who have disabilities?  And you also know how I get a little obsessive about things?  Well, due to my obsessiveness and my dedication to this community of people, I thought it would be cool to see if I could possibly check out a program of a similar nature in Dublin as I would really like to see how other countries provide these services.  I found an organization that looks cool, so I'm going to see if they will let me come check out their facilities and meet some of their clients.  Now here comes the brilliant part . . . I'm going to see if I can set up a pen pal program with my clients and their clients.  How great would that be!?!  There are some of my clients (and actually some former clients-I'm working on that piece of the puzzle too) who would love doing this and I think it would be an awesome opportunity for them.  So yeah, that's my exciting news.  And yes, I realize that this plan is probably exciting to no one other than myself!  :)

another song o' the day

I can't stress enough how much I'm enjoying Iwan Rheon's music.  When I heard he was a musician in addition to being an actor, I was concerned that it would be another case of someone famous deciding they know how to sing (a la Paris Hilton), so I am constantly surprised that the music is actually really good and I really, really like it.

today's useless information

• As excited I am for this election to be over (I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it doesn't drag on for days and days), I'm really going to miss purposely trying to rile people up with my responses to their political posts on Facebook.
• Speaking of the election, I am glued to the tv watching the results and it's giving me major panic attacks.  I don't want to miss anything by going to the kitchen and making something to eat so I ordered pizza.  If only I could add a couple of Xanax on to my order, life would be good.
• I recently signed up for Couchsurfing and I'm super excited about it.  I love the idea of having people come to stay from all over.  I am operating under the assumption that a.) someone actually wants to come here and b.) they won't be psychotic and kill me.
• I have stopped doing my hair.  I've discovered that because I have awesomely fabulous hair, if I use special shampoo and let it air dry, it goes all curly.  Fortunately, it's more like this:

 than this:

• My car still has not been found.  Or at least I have not heard anything from the police.  For all I know, they found it a week ago and just never called me.
• I keep meaning to post this link but haven't yet.  In honor of election night, here ya go . . .  Which Romney Son is Creepiest? 

It's a sick and twisted place.

Here are some of the things that go through my mind on a regular basis:

• No, I can't follow (famous person) on Twitter because if we ever meet and become friends, I don't want him/her to think I've been stalking him/her.  
• I should sell all of my belongings and become a wandering gypsy.
• I should find a job where I can work from home so that my transition to being a hermit will be complete.
• I so don't like people.
• I need to be more sociable.
• Dude.
• What if all of the lies I've told suddenly came true?  
• How long can I go without doing laundry before I run out of clean underwear?
• I wonder if someone's peeping in the window at me.
• What the hell is the matter with you?  (This could be referring to myself or others.)
• Put down the book!  You do not need to buy any more books!
• Where is Veronica Mars when you need her?  
• That is the most obnoxious child I have ever seen in my life.
• I've got them so fooled.  If they only knew . . .  
• You're a moron.
• Really?
• I really need to take the trash out.  Eh, I'll do it later.
• I really need to shave my legs.  Eh, I'll do it later.
• I'd do him.

Song o' the Day

So it turns out that the actor who plays my favorite character on one of my favorite tv shows* is also a musician.  And he's good.  My mind has just been blown in a very good way.  All of his music has now been downloaded AND I even spent actual money for it instead of getting it in a totally legal but not really way!

Iwan Rheon-Sink





*Or at least it was one of my favorites until they got rid of said character.  I couldn't even make it through the first episode of series 4. 

random links

Does anyone else bookmark random things on the internet so you can check them out later, but then you never actually do, so your bookmarks list is really, super long and full of weird things?  Here are some of mine.

• 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself
• How to Make Liquid Handsoap from a Bar
• Eliane French Bakery
• Amish Project
• Two and Three Letter Scrabble Words
• Lamebook
• Music Video for Jessie Ware's "Wildest Moments"
• National Singles Week: Marriage Isn't for Everyone
• Carol Lynn Pearson's Newsletter Index
• Roseanne Quotes, Facts & Trivia
• Binders Full of Women
• How to Take a Detox Bath
• A Pagan's Guide to Dublin
• The Real World on Hulu
• St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer
• Vanessies
• Music Video for Spanish Sahara
• Dawn French as Vicky Pollard's Mum