tinahasablog has introduced me to the "friend's friends" page, and subsequently cured my current bout of boredom.

I'd had a hankering for some fresh LJs to read, so this is just the ticket!

In other words, if I've just randomly added you, it's because I have awesome LJ friends, and they have awesome LJ friends, too! Y'know, YOU!

If you'd rather not reciprocate, no problem, just say the word and I'll un-do the add-age. But if you'll give me a chance, you'll find that I'm at least occasionally witty and/or silly, if you like that sort of thing. :)

Happy New Year!!

*hopes the door hit 2007 on the ass on the way out*

I had a great time ringing in 2008 with my sweetie and friends. I am SO optimistic about 2008. I ran into one of Ryan's and my mutual friends on NYE, also named Ryan, and we were talking about how 2007 was pretty much a wash, and that we were happy to have broken even with the good stuff vs. the bad stuff. The first half of 2007 was pretty rough on me, but falling in love with Ty helped the year to redeem itself. I'm just SO excited to have the chance at a year that both starts AND ends well!

I've already started a list of affirmations for the new year. I've also settled on two resolutions which I hope will be easy to maintain. They are to remember to stretch and to take my vitamins daily. I've been slacking on my health consciousness as of late, and I'd like to turn that around. I need to make healthier choices all around, but I think stretching and vitamins are a good start for a daily commitment.

What are you affirming or resoluting for 2008?

Here's to health, wealth, and happiness for all in the aught-eight! :)

Argh. Trying to do this pro se divorce thing gets a little more frustrating and confusing with each step. I was under the impression that the pile of paperwork to be completed needed to be brought to the final hearing. Upon attempting to schedule said hearing, I was informed that it needs to be completed and filed prior to scheduling the hearing. Hopefully by this time next week, I'll have a final hearing scheduled, and the end of all this will be within reach.

In other divorce news, the paperwork regarding the transfer of our property from us to me has now been filed with the register of deeds, which means I am officially, legally, the sole owner of my property. What a wonderful feeling! I've spent the last week cleaning, organizing (read: throwing a bunch of shit out), and re-arranging my house, to support the feeling of the house being my own. The energy in the house has completely changed for the better, and I can't wait until the re-organization/re-arranging is complete.

( Read more... )

There are two purposes to this entry.

One is to acknowledge that I have a done a friends cut, and that none of the reasons were personal. I didn't necessarily want to announce the cut, but I know people often feel hurt and confused upon losing an LJ friend with no hint as to why. The majority of people cut were usernames that I looked at and thought "Who the heck is that?". If you were cut and feel it may have been in error, please feel free to bring it to my attention. I will admit that I'm not of the most sound mind right now, so I may have clicked somewhere I didn't intend to. Also, please know that I do not require/request that you remove me. If you enjoy reading my journal, please continue to do so.

The second is to declare de-friending amnesty, or whatever. If you've been toying with the idea of removing me from your friends list, please feel free to do so, either with or without explanations. I will not take it personally and will not hold it against you.

Oh, and I'm still alive, and all that stuff, though you may not know it from my participiation in the internets in the near future. If you're the praying, or thinking good thoughts, or vibing good vibes type, by all means, knock yourself out.

Have I mentioned how much I love it that so many people in my circle of friends are musicians? It makes life so much fun. :)

Last Saturday night, we ended up having an after-bar party at our house. The party migrated to the basement (where most of our instruments are kept, and where my band, Ginger Presley, rehearses) and we had an all out jam at about 3 am that lasted about an hour. I'm sure my neighbors were pleased.

( Pictures! )

Edit: Aren't my basement curtains the most hideously awesome thing you've ever seen? They were here when we moved in, and I haven't gotten around to changing them yet, but I'm starting to actually find them...yeah. Just hideous.

This is an excerpt from an e-mail I received today from a friend. I'm leaving out LJ usernames for now, until/unless the person(s) this is referencing want to own up to it. ;p

It is an interesting contradiction to me that [mutual friend] says you are reserved or uncomfortable 1-on-1 but that you frontline for a band and expose yourself very personally online. Nothing wrong with that, I just think my online and my in-person are probably closer together. Huh, well, everybody's different.

I was going to respond by e-mail, but this is a topic that has been on my mind, so I'm responding via LJ update instead. (I hope that's okay.)

( Read more... )

I'm hoping that sheds a little light on any perceived contradiction. Like I said, I think that, once I get to know someone and feel comfortable with them, my in-person "persona" is right on par with my on-line "persona".

I have met a handful of you in person, and I would be very interested in (and appreciative of) hearing your thoughts on me online vs. me in person.

No pressure, but those that have met me in person (and/or *knew me in real life before knowing me online*) are: adudeabides, *alyska*, *baumsquad*, brierfibre, endersgame3, felipemcguire, iam_misbehaving, jackstikishak, kitchenwitch, luriddreamscape, *stryckie*, *techdragon*, and touretticmonkey.

Those that I have spoken to on the phone, but haven't met in person (but would love to!) are: catalyticdragon and lotus_n_my_hair, are also encouraged to weigh in. :)

If I have met and/or spoken to you and you aren't on that list, please let me know and accept my apology for missing you on a quick look-through of my friends list.

And no, this isn't a sexual post, pervs. That's coming later. :x

I keep a private entry with a running list of topics I intend to post on. A while back, I wanted to write a post on how challenging I find it, at times, to develop and maintain friendships with women in "real life". I have met so many cool women on LJ and elsewhere on the internets, and I've always wondered why women like that don't pop up in my daily, local, life. I've always found it easier to relate to men. Among the people that I consider my "best" friends, only two are female, and one of those is my sister.

I think a big element has been that I don't seem to have a lot in common with the women around here. I don't care to discuss things like celebrity gossip (or any gossip, for that matter), make up, jewelry, TV shows, what brand of jeans is the best, or how fat I feel because my tummy is hanging slightly over my size 0's. (No, I don't wear a size zero. And I don't think I'm fat. Fancy that!)

I often feel a hostile vibe from women, like they assume me to be an enemy until I prove myself a friend, instead of the other way around. I tend to try to give people the benefit of the doubt until or unless they give me any reason to question their motives. (Although part of me wonders if I haven't been projecting a subconscious hostility of my own.)

Anyway. The point of *this* entry was not to get into all that, but to share how being in an all-female band has changed my view of women in my life, in a positive way.

( Read more... )

I think I'm finally learning how to have girl friends, and it is adding A LOT to my life that I've never experienced before. I love girls!! :D

Reply to this post, and I'll tell you [at least] one reason why I like you. Then put this in your own journal, and spread the love.

Thanks to alyska, I was just reminded of my most embarrassing sex toy story.

( Read more... )

I have procrastinated doing a re-cap of 2006 to the point where I think I'm not going to do it. :x

( Read more... )

I think the cool thing about the New Year, is that anyone who wants a fresh start gets one. It's like hitting the re-start button, or something, everyone gets a chance at a new beginning. Being surrounded by the energy of so many people, all relishing in that fresh start and that hope and optimism, is a powerful thing.

Happy 2007, y'all.


Happy Fresh Start.

Just a quick (but BIG) thank you:

To yayheaven-for the book (and whatever else it is that's on the way, lol!)
To adudeabides-for the new LJ name! :)

And to iam_misbehaving, treebreeze, and xxxemptyxxx-for the cards. (Eeek...I feel like I'm forgetting someone. Thank you to everyone who thought of me for the holidays!)


I meant to get holiday cards sent out this year, but suddenly, the holidays are over with. Maybe I'll surprise y'all with Groundhog Day cards, or something. ;p

Boy, am I glad that is over! :x

Friday night, I hosted a ladies night (later named Vag Fest) at my house. Out of the 30-some women I invited, 4 showed up. Even though it was a small group, we're all pretty awesome vagina owners, so we had a blast. We barely put a dent in all of the food I made, which meant that I didn't really have to cook for the rest of the weekend, lol. We ended up heading to a bar near my house, and eventually ended up down-town, after which Lisa and I were driven home by a cab driver who thought my name was Chihuahua. That was a first. After I arrived home, I ended up staying up until the wee hours of the morning chatting with adudeabides and yayheaven.

My experiences Friday evening got me pondering on why I often find it challenging to develop close friendships with women. I'll save those ponderings for another day, though.

( Read more... )

A special thank you to adudeabides, yayheaven, and lotus_n_my_hair. Whether or not you realized it, you made my lonely weekend a lot less lonely. You are wonderful friends. :)

Today, it's back to the grind at work. Both my manager and supervisor are out this week, so I'll likely be signed on to the LJ Chat thing-o (the only IM I can use at work) most of the week. Hit me up! :D

*blink*

The Winter Solstice is already upon us?

Christmas is in 4 days?

*blink*

Where did this month go? Screw that, where did this year go?

I'm just not feelin' the holidays this year. There's no snow on the ground, and as nifty as it is that it's warm enough to rain in December, I really do prefer a white Christmas. I didn't decorate my house nearly as much as I usually do, and I still have most of my holiday shopping left to do. Bah humbug.

Ryan will be hittin' the road within the hour for a jam-packed weekend of out of town gigs. He'll get home on Sunday, Christmas Eve, and we'll have to rush off to my mom's church (I hope I manage to get through the door without bursting into flames again this year) and then to her house for our annual festivities.

Last year, Ryan was gone on Christmas day for a gig. That was a little bit of a bummer, but since he and I normally have our celebration on the Solstice, it wasn't the end of the world. This year, he's gone for the Solstice, and I'm bummed. :( I'll be celebrating by my lonesome, I guess. He told me I should open my present even though he's gone. Ummm....NO. He wasn't supposed to get me anything anyway. My new coat and trip to Kansas were supposed to be my gifts. He's a stinker.

I haven't heard my favorite holiday song ONCE this year. Can't a girl get a little "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" to brighten her day? *sigh*

( In Other News )


Well, that was nice and whiney.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and if you're celebrating any holidays, I hope they're filled with love and joy.

I'm going to spam you with posts for the next couple of days to make up for my absence later this week. You've been warned. :p

I will apply liberal use of LJ Cuts.

This was a pretty fantastic weekend.

( Read more... )

Happy Monday, y'all, I hope your weekends were all as fantabulous as mine! :)

Overall, I had a pretty nice weekend. Friday night was mostly a night to myself, with a stop over to my sister's new house. Saturday, Emily and I had Nika (of the crazy farm) give us haircuts (and heavenly head massages, omg. I think I'm in love with Nika now.) After our little pampering session, we headed out to the crazy farm for a couple of hours of relaxation, after which I returned home to make dinner for me & Ed. We also watched the movie "Broken Flowers", and I want my two hours back. :p

Sunday I was all domestic and stuff until Ryan returned from his gig-filled weekend away, and then we just chilled for the rest of the evening and I got to hear all about his (rather unpleasant, with little sprinkles of goodness) weekend.

Normally, hanging out at the crazy farm is pure bliss, but this time, I saw something that disturbed me. When I walked into the house, a woman who I'd never met before was breastfeeding. And I was disturbed. Not because she was breastfeeding, because I think that nursing is a beautiful, natural thing and I support it, and do not find it offensive in the least. So...why was I disturbed? Well....here....take my poll:


Poll #882447 Speak up?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

You see a woman breastfeeding. As her child is nursing, you witness her taking sips of beer, and smoking from a pipe full of marijuana that is being passed around. What do you do?

To summarize my (long) previous post, my long holiday weekend was complete with time with family, time with friends, lots of good food, plenty of "me" time (including lots of meditation, drumming, guitar playing, and reading), and a little pinch of progress and growth both personally and in my marriage.

I had a lot to be thankful for. :-)

Wow, for a five day weekend, that went by fast!!

I was sure I was going to make some headway on the list of entries to write, but alas, it was not to be. I was so busy with family, friends, and food (WAY too much food) that I didn't have much time for interneting.

Let's see...Wednesday morning began a 5 morning-streak of sleeping WAY too late. I slept until at least 10:00 am each day, which is completely unlike me, but it was much needed and appreciated sleep! Wednesday evening, I went with touretticmonkey (Ed) to a Vegan Thanksgiving dinner at his Grandparents' house. I was a little nervous to meet his Grandparents and his mom, (especially since they knew of me as "the married chick that Ed met online and dated briefly before deciding to be 'just' friends") but there was really nothing to be nervous about. His Grandma and Grandpa are absolutely delightful, and while I think it took his mom a little bit to warm up to me, I think we hit it off just fine. And the food was incredible. After dinner and tea we all sat around in the living room just talking and sharing stories and such. It was very nice!

( Read more... )

A few pictures from our night out on Friday.

Me & The Hubby:



( +3 Images )

For the record, This still holds true. :-)

As you may have guessed, I've had a delightful weekend. That compounded with some of the reading and introspecting (word?) that I've been up to lately has me seeing the world in a new and beautiful way. And it's not a rose-colored glasses kind of thing, either, because I still see all the pain and hate and ugliness in the world, but I accept it as part of the beauty. Part of the whole picture. There is balance. Balance is good. Balance is beauty.

( This Quote, )

which I came across in mnarra's journal while perusing my friends list this morning gave me even more food for thought. I think it's a valuable, universal lesson. Your thoughts?


I've been making lots of progress on my endeavors for personal growth, particularly as they relate to social anxieties and discomfort. I was "on my own", socially speaking, for the majority of the weekend, and you know what? I survived. Not only did I survive, but I had a great time, and saw lots of great people who I don't often see. I almost talked my self into staying home Saturday night, but I'm glad I forced myself out of the house, because I would have missed out on an awesome evening.

( Some details on my weekend )

I know it's been over a week, but...

( Halloween Pictures under the cut )