28 December 2009

the first time, it happened too fast

the second time, i thought it would last

we all like it a little different...

24 December 2009

as i sit here on christmas eve, fresh pack of smokes, writing process documents, and wrapping up some year end work details, i think ahead to 2010.

maybe three days ago, i was dreading the new year, mostly due to the fact that i am always so unsure of the decisions that i make and the consequences of those decisions. some recent conversations related to work and life, some musical interludes, and maybe a cocktail or two have given me a bit of renewed hope for the new year.

no resolutions for me, i will just continue to work super hard, have more fun, continue to live in the moment, and enjoy those around me. maybe i can have a bit of an impact on the lives of a few others.

let's tip back the jameson and see how long this lasts. happy holidays to all.

21 December 2009

lyrics

i will take a break from ranting and instead, treat all of you to a brief interlude of some beautiful, haunting song lyrics that have played their way through my mind tonight.

i have been very into song lyrics over the course of the past six or so days, and have very little people to share them with. plus, linsey is giving me the "i don't care about the fucking song lyrics and what they do to you" look. this band isn't one i need to discuss with my sister anyway, and i can't get the verse out of my head tonight. from the engine driver by the decemberists ---> here is the song on youtube, complete with weird german slideshow.


I'm a money lender
I have fortunes upon fortunes
Take my hand for tender
I am tortured, ever tortured


i feel that the song in general is about missed opportunities in life and love.

this lyric set, i just picture the guy on a park bench, the woman he thought loved him the way he loved her standing next to him, hands slipping apart, tears in her eyes as she says "i can't do this." he is devastated that it happened to him again. all he wants is to be all-consumed.

20 December 2009

mild loneliness, mad attention-craving, going overboard when it doesn't matter, going underboard when it should have counted, fucking stomach butterflies, all wrapped up music and ribbon. the highlights involved karaoke, snow angels, and heavy metal [that would be the 1981 canadian classic, not the genre].

sorry those out there in bijongdiariesreadershipland. don't worry about calling internationally. no stairs in my future or anything.

14 December 2009

the self-consciousness associated with playing out the same scenario twenty seven times in my head just kills me sometimes.

i think i need a hobby, for distraction.

09 December 2009

thirty

three or four days shy of turning thirty. although this has been a hella fucked up year, at least half of my lived hours as a 29 y/o were pretty fantastic. here is a recap:
1. new friends of the female variety - i can always count on you to stay out with me when i should have gone home hours ago. also, we never go after the same guy in the room. you may have a lot to learn about the art of the beard or the importance of an amii-approved playlist, but that is how friendships grow.
2. time spent with the kids - i have spent a LOT of time with my sister's kids this year, mostly because i live with them, but they are hilarious. jonas, you need to stop calling people on my phone. penelope, you need to stop letting everyone know that i am your favorite. we'll work on it next year.
3. growth in the social scene - it doesn't just mean i am a better drinker.
4. deep conversation - whether it be love, loss, frustration, or sadness, i have been a better shoulder. go ahead, put me to the test. and, if you don't agree, trust me, i am way better than i used to be.

i have a lot to look forward to in the next year. burgeoning friendships, a deeper understanding of my needs and wants, a challenging career. i plan to not let the turmoil take hold so much. i plan to enjoy my life for what it is, and not what i wish it was, at least on occasion. i plan to build my lacking emotional intelligence. i plan to take advice on occasion instead of just giving it. and, of course, ridiculousness, as always, and probably some stuff i will regret.

20 November 2009

a full week of hardcore professional self-assessment, of course, leaves me the weekend for hardcore personal self-assessment.
eleven months of this new life that i got myself into. am i happier? in many, many respects, yes, but a lot of that just ties to the fact that i love what i do and the people i work with. personally, i have seen very little growth. maybe i am more outgoing, maybe i am more willing to try things out of my general comfort zone, maybe i don't feel like i am betraying some bullshit ideal i have of myself by conversing with someone who has never been to a thrift store. but, still playing the comedienne, still trying to hard to impress others, still putting all of my eggs in glorified baskets that exist only in my mind.
i want to grow up. but, i also want to put on social costume and pretend my name is samantha.
someone talk some sense into me, on a grand scale. let me know something will click for me soon, and then hold me until i fall asleep.

20 July 2009

nothing like an uberproductive monday to get you going. rejuvenation. or however you spell that.

19 July 2009

revolution

just feel like listening to some music tonight, when, as usual, i should be doing something else. sometimes, you run into a little lyrical equivalent of your life. tonight, courtesy the wood brothers, a glimpse into my current state of being.

and when i fall
i'm back again
just to slip on the same mistakes
and slide right back in.

ah, amii.

1. i think i have cured (?) myself from certain attachments, real or imagined, when a conversation resurfaces all emotions that i thought i was over.
2. i think i have reached a level of confidence and self-realization, when a fantastic single night that has to end turns all of the confidence i have built up back to self-doubt and insecurity.
3. i think i have finally reached a maintenance level, and too much topples down upon me.

three unrelated topics. one related theme. at least i know that i will be back again.

09 July 2009

are you calling to me? do i have to wait? is this the cough medicine talking?
seriously... throw me a line. give me a clue. let me know.
i can't wait for a new day, a new month, a new experience.

06 July 2009

i sense a long span of having nothing to look forward to. september, could you please arrive more quickly before i become a workaholic, or alcoholic, or both?

the kid is crying

... in the next room. headphones are required to get work done tonight. blergh.

why sometimes do my sister's kids go right to bed, and some nights it is like the worst thing that has ever happened to them before? i can blame it on activity level for the day / sugar intake / scary dreams they think they might have / something, but...

maybe there is a little monster that lives in jonesy's closet that only comes out to scare him when i have to get work done. the little monster is silent if i have a night where i want to veg out on the patio and listen to music. the little monster is only awakened if she senses that the internet connection is in use and microsoft outlook is in full use.

ah, that makes so much more sense.

conversations

have been on one end of a great number of amazing conversations recently.

i have never considered myself a great deep talker. more of a great conversationalist. i can keep the words flowing, mostly through leading questions and whatnot. i have always been amazing at striking up a conversation with a random person, or a casual friend, or a lifelong friend, and keeping it interesting. i think it comes with a combination of being friendly and trying to see what i can learn about someone before they consider me to be invading their territory.

those deep, deep conversations are few and far between. those conversations where you talk about where your life is going, or where it isn't going, maybe why you are in the current state that you are in and whether you want to leave it or not. i have had to pull a few of those out as of late. and i say pull those out in the nicest sense possible. these are the types of talks where you really have to work at it, think about the next sentence coming out of your mouth, only use humor when the situation is breaking over the edge of sadness to ensure that the conversation will continue to reach a resolution.

perhaps it is just one of those months, where people need you to lead them to make the decision they knew in their gut anyway. a reassuring voice, someone to help them talk through some things. ah, damn adulthood.

21 June 2009

yes, yes, lagging at my blogging responsibilities once again. shame shame, stand in the corner, swat on the hand.

i have had quite the few months, with a lot to do, people to see, places to visit, etc. etc. etc.

most importantly, my emotions have been pretty rollercoastery. obsession, failure, loss of interest, and others have been creeping into my life continually. and that was basically just one week ;) i am trying to get a handle on situations as they arise. or at least think logically a bit. wish me luck.

side note. i received two separate text messages from persons unknown this weekend, soliciting amii-time in a casual setting involving alcohol. i responded yes to both without knowing who i was meeting. hilarity. living on the edge, in an open social setting.

21 May 2009

i hate my life sometimes. just ask me if you want me to do MORE THAN I ALREADY AGREED TO DO. don't pull some fake play shit that was planned out in the car while i wasn't there. i can read through the rehearsed verbiage.

10 May 2009

another weekend come and gone, full of plans made and broken. i am always completely willing to talk myself in to and out of a variety of activities and obligations at a moments notice. i am a very good planner. i am terrible at follow through.

as i look at what needs to get done over the course of the next two weeks, i am perfectly happy to create a list of things to do. i worry that again, the morning i plan on leaving, i will be completing everything on the list. this procrastination has deep roots, far back to my childhood.

queue flashback music.

fifth grade. i hate fifth grade. i hate my school picture. i hate sitting across from kl. i hate the math group i am in. i hate my teacher. i hate that everyone else loves my teacher.
independent study. two per year since second grade. the only one completed prior to the night before the report was due? the first one. in second grade. who cares about the ozone layer anyway? i can still get a good grade. that is what they are grooming us for here. working under pressure.

end flashback.

ok, i may not have made the statement "that is what they are grooming us for here" when i was eleven. but as i look back, i feel like that.

train of thought again. start with breaking plans, end with pinpointed moment in childhood. this blog is getting out of hand. perhaps a restart?

03 May 2009

welcome, may

well, may is finally upon us. my windows are opened at night (until it drops to thirty again), the music has changed to something decidedly more upbeat, and summer plans are beginning to take shape. here are a few updates into my life...

i will bypass the obvious higlight of the summer, beard sitings.

my mother is to be married on july third. i am not a bridesmaid. i am fine with that. i am, however, the co-reception-host. in my backyard. with a keg. should be a blast. come if you like, i will be the lively one.

put-in-bay? have never gone. for reals. everyone is raving about it, i have a feeling it is not for me, but i have still semi-agreed on an outing with a large group of young, fun folks. we will see how that goes.

new/old bed. i have been sleeping in a twin bed for four full months as of yesterday. i finally said no more. although when i left lou, i told him he could keep the bed, i have since changed my mind. i want my gorgeous, lovely, ginormous bed back. so i am getting it back, this week, and will sleep well in my tiny, tiny bedroom.

30 April 2009

cross country prep

well, i am starting to get in the planning phase. three weeks from saturday, i will advance cross country to visit friends, both along the way and at the midpoint.

mostly, that means i am making lists. lists of what to bring (don't forget apples to snack on and an ipod charger), songs for the forthcoming WWAD 05292009 mix (the first sd mix of 2009, yay!), what things at work i need to push for someone else to do, and most importantly, the time schedule.

tentative:
sat may 23: leave cleveland. perhaps stop in columbus to pick up partial way driving buddy. as yet undetermined. make it to somewhere in tennessee.
sun: down to la. be sure to stop at horrible truck stop or two. try a fast food restaurant that i have never heard of. take plenty of ridiculous pictures.
mon: to houston. spend the night at r's place. perhaps drop potential driving buddy at airport.
tue: to somewhere. maybe texas border. see how i am feeling.
wed: again, somewhere. let's see how far i can make it.
thu: sd at some point of the day. depending on the prior two days, maybe noon. maybe ten pm. bunk up at popsicle palace.
fri: most important day of entire trip. basically, all dreams of sd trip need to come true this evening. dream includes: best fist meeting ever. vivi staying out past eight. lb making it out to obs. peter d's? beach for sure. perhaps seeing a naked man on the beach. most importantly, ms. pl. oh man, watch out. let's get some fusion.
sat-sometime: hang in sd. leave when cashed on energy. this might be tue/wed. depending.
then....

drive back home. stop at arches for a night. skip kansas - that state sucks. obviously, not as well planned out, with the exception of the music plan.

05 April 2009

weekend recap

1. j comments that a midlife-crisis-mobile is a cadillac. she does not know that k, the other third of the conversation, drives a cadillac. i laugh hysterically for a full minute before clueing her in. wish i had a photo of j's face.
2. acl is pondering the 3d relief above lakewood hs's back doors. so entranced. who is he? what is he doing? she asks a random couple walking by. they don't know who he is, but he is planting a flower. his pose suggests otherwise. hmm. the entire time, k is laughing with incredible fervor. as acl decides to pull away and exit the parking lot, k points out the REALLY interesting sight causing all of the laughter. a bodybuilder. in a speedo. getting spray painted with tan. oh snap. instead of pulling out of the parking lot, that is a turnaround moment. k refuses acl permission to talk to the bodybuilder and his spray wench.
3. shadow. that is his name. sniff, sniff. awww, he rescued a dog. sniff, sniff. wow, he has a ton of energy. subtle hints to j awkwardly and perfectly work themselves into her conversation with him. thanks for the soco and lime, dude.
4. breakie was delicious, for the second weekend in a row. who knew that hot water was brought in a little metal can? sorry buddy.
5. worst. text message. ever. maybe. blergh. but it didn't ruin the night, how could it?

random notes:
awesome hair at mr. divot's.
foot cramp.
jimmy's #1 energy technique resulting in a crude comment.
fantastic juke at mcginty's.
guy at mcginty's claiming to his friends that, of course he played the toadies song. this was a lie. i played the toadies song. liar.
1 am peirogis. delicious.

sunday

i love postsecret sundays.

29 March 2009

positivity

lately, i have noticed that a few of my friends seem to have a new outlook on life over the past year or two. maybe they are reaching a point in their lives where they need a change, and i just happen to be around to witness this need for once. or maybe i am a slightly more aware person now, and i am actually noticing the need for change.



it got me thinking about my life, and how i want to change it, and how i can do things to make those changes. i think that this is perhaps a very "me" type of year/quarter/some random time period. i want to make myself better for myself. which should always happen, but is not necessarily the case.



a couple of thoughts on change/growth:

1. i have decided that the most important thing in life is being happy. i know, pretty groundbreaking. i am a genius, figuring this thing out. i should get paid. but seriously, never really was concerned about the overall happy factor. was concerned more with having fun in the time being, not necessarily determining if my current actions, as amazing as they were at the time, would lead to long-term happiness. where does that come from?



2. i think i have a HUGE tendency to be pretty suspicious of others actions. i mean, a bad attitude about people's intentions in what they say, reading into what they are trying to do and then countering my actions as a precursor to their actions, if that makes any sense on screen as it does in my head. i need to STOP this (wow, two all caps in one paragraph). that is going to be tough.







ok, i realize that the last couple of posts have started to make this blog kind of diary-like. not my intention. sometimes i think that i get in a mode where i want to write, or more specifically, type. the clicking is therapy for my fingertips. and, nothing lately has been so hilarious and non-private that i want to post it. but, here are some upcoming events for you to stay tuned to:

my mother's wedding, july 3rd. oh man.
cross-country trip, pl, dcd, the couple, houston, etc. not to mention it is a solo driving event, just me and my computer (and mr. plague).
catering to a post-surgery j.
acl's complete guide to something. was just thinking that might be a fantastic post. just have to figure out the something. i'll get back to you.
morning bakery smell. nice.

15 March 2009

well, another fantastic weekend, and plans for the coming weeks/life

highlights:
finding a fantastic new dive bar, complete with terrible jukebox and trashy bartender that spent most of the time on the phone fighting with someone i assumed to be her old man.
met up with a chick i new in college, and she is just as cool, or cooler, than i remember. she was not bothered in the least with my continual conversation sidebars, which is a mark of excellence in my book.
realized that i make new friends, or at least new friends for the night, very easily. i have recently begun to think that i need some new friends, or at least some alternative friends, and have begun working VERY HARD at it. it is my current, top-priority item of change on my list.

lowlights:
again with the babysitting. saturday night and tonight. and this tuesday and wednesday. i sometimes like having the alone time to do nothing but manage my music collection and get some work done. but sometimes, and especially this weekend, it gets me thinking about being lonely. see item three above. i can't keep texting people in other parts of the world because i have no one to talk to about my hilarious sidebars with myself.
the **r situation. blerghity. i need to grow a pair.


upcoming:
well, you know what i am doing tuesday and wednesday, but here are some items on the horizon...
skee-ball league starts in two weeks. another opportunity to meet some new people, with very low expectations on my performance because i am joining the worst team in the league. AND half-price beers.
road-trip planning. i have a tentative route for the first leg. i am hoping to hit a few states i haven't been to yet to knock my list definitively over 40.
getting out of the music funk. i keep listening to the same things over and over. hit up some different folks for new recommendations. we will see how it turns out. i am pretty sure i am having issues with the music stagnation because i feel i need to make about a zillion changes in my life right now (which you may have guessed if you are one of millions or four people that read this blog).
reorganization and purging. i keep too much stuff because i thought it was hilarious at one point. looking at the stuff again and trying to remember why it was hilarious is slightly taxing. i would like to get to the point where, if need be, i could throw all the stuff i needed in my life in a bag and hit the road if the cops ever caught on to me.

01 March 2009

my brother is sometimes clever

once in awhile, teo is very, very clever. not often though.

linsey and amii, video-style

we have agreed to create and publish various hilarious videos of our daily musings.

please stay posted. hopefully we will follow through.

the feast of the beard: the rules

1. jimmy h, eight days into his beard growing, has agreed through signed contract to not shave for one month in total.
2. linsey and amii have agreed to scratch aforementioned facial growth as requested by mr. h.
3. the end of the beard will be marked with great celebration, including a thanksgiving style turkey and much wine and jack, where appropriate (linsey).
4. the shaving of the beard will commence after dinner, and much picture taking will document the occasion.
5. one hundred dollars will then exchange hands, per prior agreement.

02 January 2009

1. flower clown

scene: tommy's restaurant
found gem: flyer for flower clown, a man that comes by every thursday night to make balloons for children of various shapes and sizes. closer inspection of the flyer and you realize that some of the balloons are, in fact, shaped very peculiarly.
interview: our waitress seems to be oblivious to the fact that this is the least bit creepy. apparently, he really enjoys himself with all the kids. apparently, he takes an annual trip to thailand, of all places, to make balloon-evening-wear. apparently, he is the sparkle in everyone's day. this children's entertainer was so amazing, the people at the next table needed to INTERRUPT ("I don't mean to interrupt...") our conversation to speak of his numerous virtues.
conclusion: i have become an expert in laughter-stifling.