We cut down the Christmas tree this morning. Tomorrow begins the decorating and all the deck-the-halls business.

Going to take my nephew to Treasure Planet in a little while.

Coffee time with mom. :)

Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here.

Home. Alive. Still trying to re-adapt to my surroundings. We're grilling turkey for the first time ever. I'm pretty much starved... so this better be good. :) Time for coffee with Mom.

Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here. Happy Thanksgiving!

Leaving on a jetplane... tomorrow... I'll be back Monday.

Instant Messenger Quote for the Day:
"jarvis: I'm having a countdown to Danielle in my head." ~from Naten, my friend back home who I haven't seen since July

This is disturbing.

My nose knows. I've been smelling really well the last couple weeks, I just hadn't noticed it until today. This is what I have smelled today...

• the damp air outside


• someone's Snuggle dryer sheets coming from the dryer vent in the house behind the office


• the freshcut Christmas trees in a pile outside Starbucks


• the peppermint syrup in Starbucks


• the gentleman wearing Eternity cologne in Starbucks


• the overpowering candle in my office

This may not be weird to anyone else... but I asked three different people if they had enjoyed the pine scent of the Christmas trees like I had, and not a single one of them had noticed. It was so strong to me that I could not figure out how they missed it. So I checked to see what causes heightened sense of smell. There were many websites saying that pregnant women smell well. Guaranteed, that is not my problem... but this site suggests that stress causes the same smell awareness. I guess I might be a little stressed. I would say that I have 12 of these stress symptoms going on right now -- I don't count "indecisive" though, because I always am. I was accused of being dyslexic last week, because I was having such a hard time thinking straight... that's just not like me. (Check here to see if you are stressed. Or check your stress inventory... I'm down to 255.)

Buzz Aldren action figures available now at SpaceStore.com.

I love these! How cute. Tiny Games: Teeny-tiny games for your sneaky worktime pleasure... Tiny Donkey Kong... Tiny Tetris... Tiny Pacman... how great are they?? Plus you can view the site in Hebrew. Does it get any better than that?

Also check out Atariland.com - Keeping the Atari Legacy Alive.

Going to 8 Mile with my buddy Mark tonight. I might be a closet Eminem fan.

Song for the Day:
All I Need - Air
~All I need is a little time
To get behind this sun and cast my weight
All I need's a peace of this mind
Then I can celebrate~

I must confess. I went line dancing at The Wild Horse last night. Not my choice... my friend Jenna was in town, and I went with her and her people. We did one dance. Just one. I only had a little bit of fun. I'm so ashamed. Can I get a "Yee-Haw"?

TheRecordIndustry.com: Believe half of what you see & none of what you hear.

David Crowder is voted on to the list of the Most Beautiful Men in Christian Music this weekend after Beth and I saw him last night. He's incredible.

Song of the Day:
Siren - Tori Amos

DIRK: The Fundamental Interconnectedness of All Things - I'm not exactly sure why this site would be useful, but you sure can waste some time there. You just put in a "thing", and it spits out other "things" that it is connected to. For example, if you put in Star Wars, you find that it is related to (among others): "movies" (it is a very good one), "indiana jones" (harrison ford played both Han Solo, from Star Wars, and Indiana Jones), "clerks" (there was discussion of Star Wars in the movie Clerks), "may" (Star Wars Day is in May, "May the 4th be with you"), and "the Bush family" (the entire Bush family is controlled by The Empire).

Mental Note:
The Shepperd Website - for future reference, this site may come in handy. Sound, venues, effects, crew, everything music production related anyone could need. "The Shepperd Web site is a free service that offers information about the technical production industry."

My Manda is flying me to Orlando in December! She just called to see if I am available the 13th thru 15th. I get to be there for Jack's birthday, and she is going to pay for half of the ticket as my Christmas/Birthday gift. Yay.

I found two contrasting websites today: Diary of an Internet Millionaire v. My Broke Ass. The first is a commentary on the mental strategy of the materialistic. And the second is the picture of resourcefulness. I feel like I have lived the second... and I would hope to never live the first.

I am a hug from behind... What Sign of Affection Are You?

Yay! Fun Socks! And there's some more fun ones here.

Maybe the lack of coffee in the last 48 hours is contributing to my headache of death and destruction.

I want to go back to work just so I don't have to watch daytime television anymore. Everything is crap. I think I'm going to fall asleep to Monsters, Inc. in a bit.

Only 34 Shopping Days until my birthday. I wanna Geek sweatshirt, because it's cool.

I stayed home today. Gran mal headache.

Emode's Inkblot Test (Via Danielle)

Danielle, your unconscious mind is driven most by Kindness.

This means you have a deep desire to be kind and fair to others. You may even be preoccupied with finding kindness in the world around you, far more than you realize on a conscious level.

It is possible that the underlying reason you seek kindness in the world around you, is that you fear cruelty, the opposite of kindness. That could drive you to unconsciously project kindness wherever possible into your world. Regardless of its origin, your steadfast adherence to being kind to others is felt by people you are close to.

You are probably more susceptible than others to being overwhelmed by emotions — both yours and others'. It is possible that your unusually empathic nature is a result of your natural sensitivity to others' pain, and your desire to help them avoid it. For this reason, things might affect you more than they affect your friends and family. To protect yourself from too much emotional intensity, you might want to keep an eye out so you can recognize it when it starts. That will allow you to slow things down until you feel grounded again.

Overall, your strong orientation towards kindness gives you an optimistic nature, which translates into you seeing the best in the people around you. Because you're not one to be overly judgmental, others may seek out your company when they need a friend to talk to. People close to you likely know that you care deeply about the inner lives of others and can listen to what they have to say without imposing your views on them.

Though your unconscious mind is driven most strongly by Kindness, there is much more to who you are at your core.

Beanbag Splits - how sad.

Fire devastates Dutch Internet hub - "A fire at the University of Twente in the Netherlands today has destroyed one of the fastest computer networks in Europe... Sadly the network infrastructure will not be the only asset lost, Dutch reader Kaj Leers told us. With the fire 'about the largest stock of hardcore pornography, illegally downloaded CD's, movies and hacked / cracked software (applications and games) will also be turned into, er, "digital ashes"', he notes."

Hehe. Kids.

NaNoWriMo Update:
Word Count: 14,936
Words Behind Pace: 18,404
Times Contemplated Quitting Altogether: 23

Happy Birthday, Drew!
May your day be filled with tiny dancers... or tiny dancing monkeys... whatever the case may be. No more monkey bites though.

Song for the Day:
Tiny Dancer - Elton John
As someone else said, I can only think of one person when I hear this song. :)

Look at me go! Encouraged by the fact that Tash had not given up on NaNoWriMo (even though she was 10,000 words ahead of me), I decided to pick up where I left off tonight.

NaNoWriMo Update:
Word Count: 11,303
Words Typed Tonight: 4128
Days' Worth of Typing: 2.5
Watch out. I'm coming back.

I was reminded tonight of a great card game that we used to play while we were on the road called Liverpool. I actually learned from my friend Ember, as it was traditional to play games into the wee hours of the night at their house for cast parties and really any Friday night. Good times.

My love, I would give you the moon. (Or a piece of it anyway.) That's right... own your own acre of Moon Land. Does this sound a little hokey to anyone else? I've also got a bridge to sell you.

There are a lot of other fun things at that appropriately named site (www.iwantoneofthose.com)-- for instance, I want one of these Coffee Clocks or this incarnation of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors.

They are shutting the power off here in 15 minutes... so we have to go home early. Bummer. :)

I am so happy today. No explanation. Good sleep; awoke refreshed. Even slamming my little finger in the filing cabinet did not bring me down. (Though it certainly has made typing a bit difficult.)

Song for the Day:
La Valse D'Amélie - Yann Tiersen
(Beginning of piano score.) I cannot wait to go home for Thanksgiving, so I can play on my real piano again. Ten days. Yay!

So tonight I completely ripped off the fingernail on my thumb. It hurts quite a bit now. Too bad this guy doesn't take donations for his fingernail collection. (That's really gross, by the way.)

I'm fascinated by the concept behind TLC's Chariot Race 2002. They're basically recreating the ancient chariot races. Could be interesting.

Just nearly experienced death by coffee. Bit of a choking spell. I should be okay.

Did you know that supposedly 91 percent of the adult Dutch population drinks coffee? That's more than the U.S. -- with 54 percent regular drinkers and another 25 percent being occasional drinkers. Maybe that explains my natural affinity for the beverage. I still remember several years ago, my aunt, who had lived in Amsterdam for several years, was pouring coffee after dinner. She made some comment about me taking my coffee like a true Dutch girl. (I actually drank coffee as a kid, but had to lay off it when I was a teenager because even the smell of it gave me migraines. Sad.)

Everything of value is out of the apartment, and keys were turned in. I really wish I could have taken the old console television, but I have no place for it. Love the green chairs too... but oh well.

Stayed at Karl & Sandra's last night. Watched the kids all evening for them. Sandra said she is going to be praying that God opens the doors for a trip to Australia for me. :)

Natro sent me this gem. The Darkside Switch Campaign -- "My name is Anakin Skywalker, and I'm a Sith Lord."

New projects... Finish novel, felt something, become an Ebay maven.

Song for the Day:
Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones
~And do you feel scared - I do
But I won't stop and falter
And if we threw it all away
Things can only get better~

In honor of my old roommate Krystal, I hereby reinstate All 80's Saturdays. Only 80's music was played in our apartment on Saturdays... but a few early 90's albums got by.

It is supposedly going to *S*N*O*W* tonight. Though I have been driving on snow since the day I turned 16, the people down here get all jumpy and therefore stupid when driving in anything less than perfect weather conditions. My luck some idiot will come sliding into me should anything freeze.

A nice haiku from a nice person...

Cheer up, my sparrow
Sing your happy song once more
We all love to hear.

I have had this feeling before. Christmastime last year. Grandma had died two weeks before. I was back home again for the holidays... and to help my mother sort everything out. All the good stuff goes first. The rest is divided into "keep", "give away", and "trash" piles. Sentimentality takes over, and more items get moved to the "keep" pile. (This is the reason why I have a broken-but-superglued lamp without a shade in my bedroom-- it was just always at Grandma's house, and I could not imagine throwing it out.)

All that to say, I made serious progress at the apartment last night. All the blankets, sheets, and pillows are in a pile ready to go to the Women's & Children's Shelter. Most everything that I have inherited is boxed up in some fashion. Michael came for his things. Thux is coming tonight for a couch and/or the futon. Three more trips of garbage have been taken out. I even swept the leaves out of the living room and vacuumed.

Hanna and I are entering the Gap Casting Call just for kicks.

Figured out the webcam Hans left for me. Scary.

Song for the Day:
Hurt - Nine Inch Nails & David Bowie
~if i could start again
a million miles away
i would keep myself
i would find a way~

Content coming soon.

Song of the Day:
Peace Train - 10,000 Maniacs
Needed a little happier tune today. I just remember this video from Nick Rocks on Nickelodeon when I was a kid.
~Now I've been happy lately
Thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be
Something good has begun~

The only thing constant is change...

Song for the Day:
Faded Flowers - Shriekback
This song popped into my head on the way back from the airport... nearly impossible to find though. It is hauntingly beautiful and is featured on one of my Top Twelve All-Time Favorite Movies, Band of the Hand. The 80's Miami-Vice-ness at its best.

~These eyes are blind
This is a pure thing
These hands I kiss
Tragic as anything~

Instant Message Proverb from Tash:
perceptive people are much
when well they know you
but to know you is to love you

It's getting worse.

Song for the Day:
Hello - Lionel Richie
Karl got this one stuck in my head today.
~I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in your smile
You're all I've ever wanted, (and) my arms are open wide
'Cause you know just what to say, And you know just what to do
And I want to tell you so much, I love you ...~

Family dinner at O'Charlie's on Friday night. Slightly overzealous waiter, at least three years younger than me, managed to call me both "darling" and "baby" before the night was over. It was weird, but he gave me my soda in one of the BIG glasses, so he got a good tip.

Saw the ICONS³ exhibit on Saturday afternoon. We even got in free for some reason. I was pretty amazed by the whole thing. I was particularly impressed with Red Lenin, Reigning Queens, and Mick Jagger. I was a little disappointed that they did not have my daisies or any photography. It was still a nice time.

Saturday night, Hans and I were following a pick-up truck down the road. We could see that there was a stove and two dogs (one of which we could see was a retriever of some sort and the other had its head down) in the back of the truck. We stopped at a stoplight, and the other dog lifted his head. It was the cutest, smushy, wrinkley-faced dog. "Aww, I wasn't expecting that face," said Hans.

We continued following the truck on to the interstate. I was feeling bad for the dogs, because the oven door kept opening on them. But then the most horrifying thing that I have seen in a long time occurred. The stove fell over and frightened the cute dog so much that it jumped up which made it fall out of this truck going 70 mph. He was skidding down the road trying to catch his footing... and all the while I'm slamming on my brakes not knowing which way he was going to run or whether there were other cars around me. It was horrible. It all happened so fast, but he finally got off the road. Eventually the truck did pull over... and eventually my heartrate went back to normal... but I can still see it all happening over and over again. I'm so glad I was not alone when it happened!

Last night we watched Amélie. It is such a beautiful film. So clever. The color was spectacular, and the soundtrack was amazing. It was refreshingly innocent. Two hours well spent.

I bought Brotherhood of the Wolf this weekend, so that will probably be the next movie I see. I think this may be the longest I have waited to see a movie that I so eagerly anticipated.

Song for the Day:
For the Beauty of the Earth - Traditional Hymn arranged by Abbess
The neighborhood churchbells play this song every day during the noon medley.

As if I wasn't feeling guilty as it was, along came the Friday Five...
1. Did you vote in your last elections? *hangs head in shame* No, but I have a good excuse... kind of. I don't live in Davidson County anymore, and so I did not know where I was supposed to go... and this whole not-living-at-my-own-house-for-the-week thing has thrown everything off a bit. That and I really had not paid attention to any of the issues, so it would have been a blind vote.
2. Do you know who your elected representatives are? I know Marsha Blackburn got in there... and I only paid attention to her race because she had called our office a few times recently.
3. Have you ever contacted an elected representative? If so, what was it about? I do not believe so.
4. Have you ever participated in a demonstration? No.
5. Have you ever volunteered in an election? What was the result? Years and years ago, I helped Terry Branstad's campaign for Iowa governor -- even got invited to Terrace Hill a few times for different youth events. We also helped with my grandpa's and my uncle's campaigns for City Council and County Attorney, respectively. I thought I would have a career in law and politics.

NaNoWriMo has suppressed my ability to ramble on here, so I just wanted to explain that to anyone who is desperately looking for the juicy details on my life. I must admit I'm losing the love for it right now though. I imagine I'll really put my mind to it mid-week after everything has died down around here. I only need to double my word count for seven days to make it up.

New Project for the Weekend:
My Blossom costume for the party on Tuesday. Four yards of pink and black felt. No pattern. Four days. No problem. I have the red ribbon for my hair too. Could be a disaster.


Song for the Day:
I Know Him So Well - Chess Soundtrack
If only my record player worked, I would pull this one out. That side of the record also ends with "One Night in Bangkok", which makes it even better.
~Nothing is so good it lasts eternally
Perfect situations must go wrong
But this has never yet prevented me
Wanting far too much for far too long.
Looking back, I could have played it differently
Learned a little more before I fell
But it took time to understand the man
Now at least I know I know him well.~

Oh the devastation. We thought last week was going to be the end of The Bachelor. Perfect timing for those leaving the country. But alas, they have thrown in a curveball and are brining all the other girls back for a roasting. (Did I not say that Christi would be back??)

Song for the Day:
Listen to Your Heart - Roxette
New "Best Of" album. Gotta love that! I'm surprised some Christian band hasn't redone this one somehow.

~Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile.
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yeah.
They're swept away and nothing is what is seems,
The feeling of belonging to your dreams.
Listen to your heart when he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart there's nothing else you can do.
I don't know where you're going and I don't know why
But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye.~

Tales of the Easily Amused:
Last night we got to watching Return of the Wolf, a National Geographic special on public television. The sound was turned down, and we ended up doing a sort of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 dialogue along with it. Quite scary, really.

The Parking Garage episode of Seinfeld was on last night. I could not stop laughing, because I had that same exact feeling a few weeks ago at the hospital. We had been there so many times within those couple of days. I had tried to park in the same vicinity, but alas, my car still hid from me.

Speaking of my car, I hope whoever backed into it last night feels really guilty for putting that huge dent in the side. People suck.

Song for the Day:
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - The Jayhawks
In honor of me missing their concert tonight at 12th & Porter. This should inspire me to read The Rage more often, but maybe sometimes it's just best not to know what you are missing.

~We talked for hours at a time
Then I came to my senses
You’re more than a friend
You’re my perfect lover~

NaNoWriMo Update:
Word Count: 7175
Goal for Today: 10002
Words to Goal: 2827
Suicide Attempts: please return later for the official count.

The initial momentum has officially died. I can't do it, cap'n. I can't take much more of this.

This lady does pretty calendars to use as your background wallpaper.

Song for the Day:
Love Songs - Fleming & John
~Get me out of here oh get me anywhere away from here
I cannot see just what I want to see
Oh I rely on you to get me where I'm going to
Anywhere with you is where I want to be~

NaNoWriMo Update:
Word Count: 6519
Goal for Today: 8335
Words to Goal: 1816
Suicide Attempts: 0

I just want to come to work and not freeze to death. Is that so much to ask?

Song for the Day:
Think - Information Society
Unfortunately an mp3 of that one cannot be found today. I may have to dig out that cassette when I go home next.
~It took me a long, long time to learn
That love is a thing you've got to earn
I finally realized it's true
I just can't make it without you.~

Drew should be in the UK by now, although I don't believe anyone has heard from him yet. We had a fabulous time the other night at the Opryland Hotel. The guys looked so handsome and debonaire in their suits. We had cocktails at Cascades Terrace... a revolving lounge where we stayed for nearly two full revolutions (which equals two hours). We walked around for a bit. Then we settled down at the Jack Daniels Saloon where we played Warlords and Scumbags for quite a while.

We watched Jackass the Movie last night. I would not recommend it to the easily offended, but we laughed and laughed. I forget a lot of the bits right now, but the Golfing Blow-Horn segment really had me going. I have always found Johnny Knoxville strangely appealing.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Or at least we celebrated it then. Jesse's family came up and brought the whole meal -- which was wonderful.

NaNoWriMo Update:
Word Count: 3129
I'm behind schedule, but it has been really hard to find time. I was invited to move in with Phil, Fi, Jesse & Hans because their house is getting emptier and emptier... and to spend as much time with them during their last nine days, so I think I am going to do that starting tomorrow night. For now, I write some more....

Tash, this is beautiful and heartwrenching at the same time. I know your strength; you will endure.

November 1st... and you know what that means -- Novel Writing Time! I am wasting precious words here... but I don't think I'm starting until lunchtime maybe. I've got a few opener ideas, but I may just have to start cranking out something somewhere in the middle and tie up the beginning later. I hope to put my baby online somewhere, but I have yet to figure out how I want to do that since it will probably be written in a really random order. Oh well.

Quote for Last Night:
"You never see a depressed skipper."
~Hans, on the attitude required for skipping.

Part three in the going-away process is tonight. Mick & Lisa went out with karaoke; Steven went out with a low-key gathering. Tonight Andrew wants to go out in style. We are all getting dressed up and going to the Opryland Hotel for cocktails. Suits and skirts required. Nice. He leaves at 5:30 tomorrow morning. *sniff*

I suppose you could call this... tasteless? (...yet funny). McDonald's Launch Commemorative "Twin Towers" Burger.

Song of the Day:
Army of Me - Bjork
In honor of the Best Of album I just found online.

I'm so depressed. I cannot find my Edward Scissorhands Soundtrack. That has been my Halloween listening pleasure for years, and I cannot find it.

Conversation Yesterday:
Me: So do I get to wear a costume to work tomorrow?
Boss: What have you been wearing all week?
Me: Ooo... ouch.
Boss: You set me up for that one. I had to.

I'll show him. I'm wearing a dress. :)

Happy Halloween!