flamingfemme · (aka · Katie)

It always seems to be that way, too.  Oh, well.  But here I am, posting an update.
There hasn't been anything exciting going on, really - But a lot of random stuff has happened.
We got our new bed, which we LOVE - I learned so much useless (now, but was very useful them) information about memory-foam.  Turns out, some of the generic memory foam mattresses (even ones sold here in the U.S.) are made from foreign materials and have caused people to have severe physical allergic reactions (WTF?!?).  Also, some of the warranties on these generic mattresses have interesting wording - Like there were a couple that had a '10-Year Warranty', but they would only honor said warranty if there was a minimum amount of 'dip' in the mattress, in this case 3 and half inches(!).  The mattress WE bought, however, is made from domestic materials, has a 20-Year Warranty, and the mattress only has to dip 2 inches for them to honor it.  So, I think we found a good company. :D   Also, they have an incentive plan - If someone I refer buys a bed from them, we each get $50. (hint, hint) 
My car hit 66,666 miles a few days ago.  That was fun. :)
Works been a little crazy lately - Our Annual Convention and Trade Show was last Monday and Tuesday, and the days leading up to and including the event were insane to say the least.  Packing up the boxes of the ENTIRE bookstore to be shipped to the convention center took the better part of two days, and caused me to miss the first ballet class of the season.  Then, on Tuesday, I was told I could leave early because everyone would be packing up around 3, and then at the last minute I was told that they needed me to proctor an exam (sounds dirty, doesn't it?) until 6. Grr.  So, I wasn't able to leave early, and had to call my dance teacher to let her know I wouldn't make it to tap class that night.  I hate missing dance class, I always feel guilty about it.  Not to mention, missing ballet sucks because then the next class REALLY hurts my body.
Let's see...
LIfe in general is wonderful, nothing new there.  It amazes me that CJ & I have been together almost 3 years, and my heart still sings when she walks into the room (or house, or car, or whatever, lol).  I have never been so blissfully, comfortably happy. 
We have finally narrowed down a date for the wedding - It will be on a Saturday, at the end of Oct - beginning of Nov. of next year.  It might actually be on Halloween, if that's the only Saturday the hotel has open - It might be a little weird, but there will be NO COSTUMES.  Unless you can call my dress and accessories a costume, in which case this rule applies to everyone except me, LOL.  I have also picked out my dress, the flowers, the centerpieces (which my Matron of Honor-slash-Wedding planner insists she will make), and the wedding party colors.  Not bad, considering how stressed I have been about making decisions.  *sigh*  Sometimes I hate being a Gemini - But only sometimes.  The rest of the time it's pretty fun.  :D  We've also decided to go to Cooperstown for our Honeymoon.  Hey, it's where my Beloved was born and grew up, and I want to see the places she spent all her time as a kid.  Not to mention, the Baseball Hall of Fame. :D
Okay, I've rambled enough for now - Maybe there'll be more later.

So sad:
Del Martin Dies at 87

How is it that I can be moved to tears by the death of a woman I never met?  
*sniff*
At least they got to get married before she died.  55 years.  I can only imagine what her wife is going through right now.  
It's due to their hard work and activism that I can walk hand in hand with my fiancee in public.  It's because of them that I can get married in MA, and because of them that gay couples can marry in California.  I'm just glad that she got to see the fruits of that labor before she passed.

Rest In Peace, Ms. Martin.

I'm absolutely terrible about updating my journal.  I read my friends page almost every day, but I usually either don't have time to post, or I can't think of anything important enough to write about.  Anywho, life is, as usual, pretty good.  On the not-so-great side, our bed is broken, and I'm not really sleeping.  I wake up every morning feeling as though I didn't sleep but instead ran out to play in traffic and got hit by a truck. :P
On the awesome side, we're getting a memory-foam mattress and it should be arriving within a week.  YAY!  It will be nice to actually sleep through the night finally - Last night I decided to try sleeping on the couch, thinking it might be more comfortable.  It wasn't.  LOL
We went to see The Dark Night at the IMAX theatre in Natick Saturday night.  It.  Was.  Awesome.  I've always been a big fan of Batman - Mostly because he's the only 'superhero' without super powers.  It's all about his strength, wits, and really cool gadgets.  Also, he doesn't like guns.  So, he's kinda like the 007 of superheros - Without the guns.  Very cool.  Anyway - The movie.  The effects were fantastic, I love the fact that you feel the rumbling of explosions and such under your seat - The screen is so big you really are 'in' the movie, y'know?  Heath Ledger played the best Joker ever.  He really became The Joker.  I was extremely impressed with his performance (and, yes, I've asked myself if I would feel the same way if he weren't dead, and I would).
In other news, I had to spend over $1k on my car Saturday morning - Turns out, the "200-point inspection" they did at the dealership somehow missed that my ABS/wheel bearing assembly was completely rotted.  I don't know how that happened, seeing as I had to go back a few days after I bought the car to get my rotors replaced because the brakes were pulsing when I used them at high speed.  When they took the brakes off the wheels, they should have seen the rust/rot on the ABS assembly... Also, when they replaced the rotors, they left the old brake pads on - Who DOES that?!?  So, because of that, the rotors had worn unevenly, and required replacing this weekend, too.  Sucks.  CJ spent a ton of time on the phone with the dealership the last few days, and they're going to cover the $1500 it's going to cost to fix my AC/ventilation system.  So at least that's something.
Hmmm... What else?
Oh!
We're going to see the PawSox on Saturday -  Earlier this year, we couldn't get tickets to see the Sox at Fenway, so we decided to do this instead.  We're taking Aislann, and since the farm teams tend to be family-friendly, it should be a fun time.  Not to mention, you never know who's playing a rehab game - Papi was just there a week ago! :D
I think that's about it... Have ballet tonight, after not going last week - I'm not really feeling up to it, with the not sleeping and all, but I need to go, otherwise it will just be that much worse next time.  Luckily, it's not usually a late night - We're out of there by 8, and I'm home by 9.
Okay, I should probably work now - Gotta earn my paycheck! :D

And I'm finding that it's just another day. :)  Which is just fine with me.
So, the recital is this weekend.  It's Saturday night, which is a nice change from Sundays.  I'm singing again this year - And I'm a little concerned that there might be some drama about that.  There is another woman at the studio who considers herself a 'professional singer' - Even though she hasn't done any real performing in 15 years or more - And for the last few years, the studio director has had us both do a solo, mostly because she didn't want to make this other woman feel bad.  Now, let me just mention that I've known Janet for my ENTIRE life, and I love her dearly.  I've never been a huge fan of her voice, though, even though other people enjoy it.  I just don't want to be put into an awkward position by her confronting me about the fact that I'm singing a solo (well, with my dad) and she's not.  I would normally assume that to be beneath her, but last year she approached me about the song I sang and claimed that she had wanted to sing it.  I don't do very well with confrontation, and so I'll end up standing there and not knowing what to say.
But other than that, it should be a pretty good show - I like the numbers we're doing, and the music is a lot of fun.  Not to mention, for the first time in several years it's not going to be 90+ on the day of the recital - THANK GODS!  Maybe we won't swelter in there this year. :)
My best friend is coming to visit - And is going to stay with me through Saturday, so he'll get to see the show!  Yay!
So, Happy Birthday to me, and hopefully, even with Mercury in Retrograde in Gemini, this week will go as smoothly as possible.
*crosses fingers* 

So I was reading this blog today: F*** Em' If They Can't Take A Joke - This particular post, entitled, "A Mother's Words of Wisdom", was mostly just talking about her dysfunctional relationship with her mother (Man, if I don't know what that's like! LOL).
But there was one part of the post, that listed her mother's 'rules to live by', made my laugh out loud (not to mention, that most of them I TOTALLY agree with!) 
In order of importance:
#7. The moment a person says "I'm not crazy..." walk away. Do not offer an explanation.
#6. Never, EVER refuse a free drink. It is rude, and worse it is stupid.
#5. Never fuck with an African-American grandmother. They have endured more than you ever will and as a result can kick the shit out of you with words alone...but you're lucky if words are all they use.
#4. When someone offers you something to eat/taste/smell and they have a weird look on their face, don't. In fact, remember that that person isn't your friend and don't ever talk to them again. Again, offer no explanation.
#3. Don't blame it on me. Blame it on your father.
#2. If it is tall and it is blonde it is your enemy. Yes, that includes your aunt ________.
And #1....................................
NEVER trust a woman whose upper thighs don't rub together.

Heh.
Absolutely made my day.

Empire Magazine has revealed its list of the "50 Greatest TV Shows" ever.

1. Bold the shows you've watched every episode of
2. Italic the shows you've seen at least one episode of
3. Post your answers

50. Quantum Leap
49. Prison Break
48. Veronica Mars
47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
46. Sex & The City

45. Farscape
44. Cracker 
43. Star Trek
42. Only Fools and Horses
41. Band of Brothers

40. Life on Mars
39. Monty Python's Flying Circus
38. Curb Your Enthusiasm
37. Star Trek: The Next Generation
36. Father Ted

35. Alias
34. Frasier
33. CSI: Las Vegas
32. Babylon 5
31. Deadwood

30. Dexter
29. ER
28. Fawlty Towers
27. Six Feet Under
26. Red Dwarf

25. Futurama
24. Twin Peaks
23. The Office UK
22. The Shield
21. Angel

20. Blackadder
19. Scrubs
18. Arrested Development
17. South Park
16. Doctor Who 
15. Heroes
14. Firefly
13. Battlestar Galactica (new version)
12. Family Guy
11. Seinfeld

10. Spaced
09. The X-Files
08. The Wire
07. Friends
06. 24

05. Lost
04. The West Wing
03. The Sopranos
02. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
01. The Simpsons

Thank gods for that. I'm ready for it to be Friday, already.
So, yesterday, it took me FOUR AND A HALF HOURS to get to work. A tractor-trailer was involved in an accident, rolled over, and I guess there was a fuel spill, too. I didn't hear about the accident until I had already passed exit 11, and the accident was at 11A, at 495. There are 10 miles in between those exits, and NOTHING ELSE. So, I inched along at approximately 2 miles per hour, taking four hours to go the 8 miles there were between me and the rolled-over truck. I was so sore yesterday, that I had to call my dance teacher and let her know that I wouldn't be at class last night - I just hurt way too much. Today, I'm still super-sore. Sitting in one position for over four hours is no fun for anyone, but when you have a chronic pain disorder, it's just that much worse. :(
In other news, I have pretty much decided that my wedding will be next Spring. Probably April or so. The Westin only needs 6 months for reservations, so I figure I'll put down the deposit around Sept., which should be plenty of time to get the date that I want - Which I'm not even really sure of yet, LOL. My wedding party is going to be interesting - Two women in tuxes (along with two boys) on the groom's side, and one FABULOUS looking Queen in a dress (along with three other girls) on my side. :D I promise I won't make them wear orange taffetta, though. :P I have no idea what I want my dress to look like, except I know that I'm not spending a mint on it. I refuse to spend more than $250 on my wedding dress, and that includes fittings and alterations if necessary. Not only would I SO not be comfortable in a $1000 dress, but I'd be afraid of damaging it somehow. I want something simple, and then I'll spend a little extra on a cathedral-length veil instead of a train. I've also decided that I will wear white satin ballet slippers. Heels are nice, and I do love the way my legs look in them, but the fact is they KILL my feet, and I'm not gonna be uncomfortable on my wedding day, dammit! :)
Okay, this was all just stream-of-consciousness rambling, and I should probably get back to work now. Thanks for listening. :)

I don't know if anyone heard about this, but I just saw this video posted on a friend's blog, and I just had to post it here. Ellen really has a way of getting this message across without being all political about it:

Okay, so I can't figure out how to embed a video, so here's the YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcMEL3_YsVI

ETA: I'm really having a hard time with this. What the hell is this world coming to? A fifteen-year-old eighth grader decides to start dressing how he likes, comes out to his friends, and asks a boy to be his Valentine - What about just saying 'no, thanks', or 'I'm not interested'? No, instead that kid walks into Larry's classroom, and shoots him in the head. :(
I'm so disgusted with that kid's parents. They should go to jail, too.