no more whining

So what happens when you complain too much about having to use a dial-up? You lose phone service. For two days. The phones were knocked out all down the street and we got to listen to drilling and digging outside our door all weekend.

We finally got phone service again long enough to install the DSL. Then the phone was knocked out again. Then I realized that I couldn’t install the DSL with my CD-ROM broken. We didn’t have the crossover cable needed to hook my machine up to eric’s. I had to email myself the installation program and then download the email. On a dial-up connection. Three hours later I now have DSL on my machine. Right now there are three people vying for the DSL at any time during the day. Right now we are all being very civil about it, but I smell an upcoming showdown.

I really cannot believe how cold it’s been here lately. I know, it’s November and all, but it’s much colder here than Austin ever gets around this time of the year. I had to go buy some warmer clothes today.

If I tell you that not only did I lose the phone, the Internet and it was cold but that I played Scrabble and Boggle this week… do you think I’m cool and retro, or Eighty-seven and sad? What if I tell you I won the games? Yeah, I know. Stay away from that bowl of ribbon candy, you ungrateful hooligans.

My new Gilmore Girls recap is live.

Weldon and Martinique left yesterday afternoon. Eric’s mom and friend arrive on Friday. If you’re planning on visiting, it does take about three to five weeks advanced notice to reserve space on the futon. Just letting you know.

Saturday and Sunday and part of today was spent fixing the forum, which completely freaked out on us. Infopop rules and someone was up late at night just to help me out with my problem. I bought more disk space and hopefully we should be running just fine now without any more lost threads. Now we’ve got trolls telling us why we suck, but other than that I think the forum is kicking it quite nicely.

Today I had lunch, went to the bank, went to the car wash (there seems to be no way at all to wash your car on your own around here, but for ten dollars they cleaned the hell out of my car in ten minutes, so I’m not complaining), picked up some clothes and went to the grocery store. It took all day long. Part of the problem was that the grocery store was in the mall and we got lost trying to find the Old Navy (which was located behind the parking lot. Of course. Where else would you put part of the mall but behind the mall on the other side?). I’m never going back there again. Lesson learned. It was the scariest Old Navy I’ve ever seen. Like a rummage store.

And it’s not just the Old Navy. Target, Kmart, book stores– all of them seem to be packed with people, even in the middle of a workday, all throwing things around and leaving their carts wherever they want. Children just jump off of shelves and toss boxes of Rice Krispies at your face. Today at the grocery store a man walked up to me and asked for change. While I was waiting for turkey at the deli. When I said I was going to pay with a credit card he asked if I had any bills to give him. I said no, and then he asked me to check my pockets to make sure. The funny thing is right before when I was waiting for Eric to make his purchase at the Old Navy I heard the alarm go off in the store and was thinking about a sketch where someone gets robbed inside the store. Like, they take the clothes that you haven’t bought yet and then get caught by the store alarm. Because, see, I was foolish to think that people wouldn’t really ask you for your money and your things while you were inside the store. The rules have changed here.

Last night the air was really clear and from our view we could see the mountains on the other side of the city. It was nice. Then we set up a camera to try and see into Rick Rubin’s driveway in case he ever throws a party. That was silly. We took it down because we felt like bad people.

I’m so cold. I just realized I’m out of coffee and cigarettes. If I’m going to make it through my recap of the Miracle Worker and an episode of anime tonight I’d best go buy some fuel.

I’m just happy to have an internet connection again, people. It wasn’t pretty here for the past week. I’d look at the iBook and tears would swell. Tears.

I saw Dancer in the Dark the other day.

walking back from the film…

[scripty]
PAMIE
Well, what’d you think?

ERIC
Yeah, I got a bit tired.

PAMIE
Really?

ERIC
Well, it’s very long and eventually it just wore me down. Plus, I thought it was a bit manipulating towards the end.

PAMIE
Huh.

ERIC
Why? What’d you think?

PAMIE
I couldn’t have liked it any more.

ERIC
Wow.

PAMIE
Yeah.

ERIC
Don’t you think that’s a bit strong? I mean, you couldn’t have liked it ANY more?

PAMIE
I don’t think so. I mean, if you’re going to make a movie with Bjork where it’s sad and she’s sweet and occasionally the movie breaks into song and dance numbers but isn’t really a musical, then that’s it. The movie we just saw was the best way they could have done that. There was nothing else to do.

ERIC
I see your point.

PAMIE
I loved it.

ERIC
I can tell.

PAMIE
Here’s another thing that surprised me about the movie. Well, not so much the movie, but myself. Like, take Terms of Endearment. I have no idea why that movie makes me cry as much as it does. I don’t have kids. I don’t even really spend any time with kids. But something in me gets incredibly maternal when I watch a movie like that. I have no basis for my emotions, there. I don’t know why I’m sobbing in the theatre. I don’t know what it’s like to say things like that to your child. I have no idea what it’s like to sacrifice something for your own offspring. I know that I feel bad when I forget to feed Taylor in the morning, or when I forget to buy kitty litter, but it’s nowhere near the same thing. I don’t know why I get so caught up in things like that. I don’t have kids. I don’t even want them. So why is it that I am all sobbing along with the mother and all “Not Without My Daughter” when I watch those movies? I don’t get it. I have no real reason to feel that way. So maternal. Protective. Like how I watch strangers’ kids when we’re at the airport or something and I notice they aren’t watching their kids too much. Like, I’m making sure their kids are okay because… I don’t know why. I can’t help it. I have to protect the baby. What’s up with that?

ERIC
You aren’t allowed any more coffee today, you know that, right?

PAMIE
Because I can’t stop talking?

ERIC
And because you cleaned the bedroom and the kitchen and swept the floors and swept the patio and then you hammered posters on the hallway and got me to hang a shelf and fixed the computer and then danced around when you were done with all of that.

PAMIE
The Coffee Bean is life.

ERIC
Are you about to break into song?

PAMIE
Maybe.

ERIC
Yeah, you are. I can tell.

PAMIE
No, I’m just shivering. It’s the cold.

ERIC
What would make you not cold?

PAMIE
I don’t know. But I think it rhymes with Soffee Tean.

ERIC
Let’s go.

PAMIE
Yay! I’m a winner!
[/scripty]