gypsygirl

So, I ordered Unbreakable from Netflix, and when it came, the disc was broken. I had a giggle over the irony in that.

So we were in a meeting of the Library Website committee, and as we were getting near the end of the allotted time, we were starting to get a little silly. Someone asked a perfectly legitimate question about whether the people who keep the web pages up to date have a title, and someone else tried to come up with the most convoluted title for “I update the web pages”. I can’t remember what it was, exactly, but then my officemate, who’s also on this committee, tried to see if he could come up with an acronym for the title. He came up with Electronic Data Input Technician Of Record, or EDITOR. Someone else quickly came up with Acronymical Master & Electronic Savant, for his surname, Ames.

One of the other girls on the committee was trying to get one for her first name and came up with E-Learning Librarian (which is her job title) and then needed help on the last two letters - Ames came up with Extra Nice (so, Ellen). I started working on my surname and got as far as Super Awesome before the meeting was dismissed. When I mentioned this to my officemate, he very quickly came up with Super Awesome, Very Acerbic Girl Extraordinaire. Now he’s supposed to be working on one for our friend across the hall, but she doesn’t know yet because she’s not on that committee.

Why do I go to Walmart? I know what it’s like, especially on weekends! I know what it does to me. I know that I just end up grumpy after fighting the crowds of people who go there on the weekend. So, why do I put myself through it??? Ai!

So last weekend we had thunderstorms and tornadoes go through, which, though normal enough for Tornado Alley, did seem to be a bit early in the season; and this weekend, we have snow! Snow in April, in Waco!?! It’s colder today than it was most days this past winter.

What’s weird is seeing the contrast between spring and winter: bluebonnets blanketed in snow; trees with their new growth of leaves covered in stark white; a carpet of white over the grass, except around trees where it’s a brilliant green.

These photos really don’t do it justice, but they were the best I could do at short notice (meaning, before the snow melted!).

It all started around quarter to nine when the power went out across most of campus. We could hear sirens of some sort going past fairly close, and there was a rumour flying that someone had knocked over a pole… but then we heard that the fire-engines and EMTs were over at the SLC… so who knows. They never did announce what had caused the problem (the PTB’s at BU aren’t terribly good with communication).

So, we just sat in the dark at the ref desk and chatted and listened to my radio (thank goodness the batteries which have been in there for the past… ooh… three years? at least! still worked!). Not that there was any relevant news on, so we just listened to the oldies station. For an hour and a half. In the dark.

As if that weren’t enough to make the day weird, just as I was getting my stuff together to go home (that would have been right around 4:30pm), the tornado sirens went off, and we were all ordered into the basement. I grumbled,  but I went.

There was a small group of us standing around grumbling by the door to the stairwell, when we saw one of the downstairs staff members heading out the door. E asked her why she was leaving, and she said they’d had a tv on in the back, and the tornado was down near Moody (south of our area, and way south of home, for me).

Well, that decided us; it was time for us to go home, and darned if we were going to stay for a tornado that was down in Moody! But we weren’t as brave as L, to leave through the front door, so we snuck round the back, and took the service stairs up to the first floor, and then started across to our building… but our unit leader was at the circulation desk! Darn it! So back into the stairwell and up to the second floor, then across the breezeway to our building and down and out our front door! Phew! Man, we should have been spies! We would have aced the covertness tests… except for the giggling.

Anyway, it took me about twenty minutes to get home (five minutes usually), because the freeway was clogged, and I decided to take a shortcut, which also ended up having fairly heavy traffic. But still, home safe, if a little damp. We may not have had any tornadoes in my area, but it was raining pretty good! The lawn between my building and the next was turning into a lake; the drainage ditch outside the complex had overflowed its banks, as had the Brazos; and my apartment windows got a good rinse, because at times, the water was falling horizontally (this despite the three foot overhang of the roof).

I kept the tv on the weather reports most of the evening, just to be certain, but all we got in my area was thunder, lightning and rain. And that was plenty, let me tell you.

Sadly, the bad weather meant that rehearsal got cancelled, and we also decided to reschedule our SKVE night/intervention. Just as well, I suppose. With so much water on the roads (even after the storm passed), it was safer not to be driving on them.

As if to mock the previous day, yesterday was gorgeous! And today’s shaping up to be more of the same. It’s like Nature had a hissy fit on Friday, then took a nap and woke up all sunshine and smiles.

Well, I haven’t written on here in a shockingly long time! But I have an excuse. <whiny voice>I’ve been siiick!</whiny voice> This really has been the most virulent cold I’ve had in years and I just haven’t felt much like writing… I guess I’ve been concentrating too much on just trying to breathe through my nose.

And really, I haven’t had all that much to talk about lately. I really only came on today because it’s been so long since my last post and I felt vaguely guilty (don’t ask me why, I know it’s silly). Oh, and also because it’s Friday and I don’t feel like working.

And just as a reminder to myself, I am going to Sing tonight. I will not go home after work, read for a while, watch a little tv and then go to bed, like the last time I had tickets to Sing. I will go, and I will enjoy myself. And as an added reminder to myself, I’ve set my alarm for 7pm, so if I do forget it’ll go off and I’ll say, “Why on earth did I set my alarm for 7pm?? Oh, right! I’m going to Sing!”

I love wellies! Erm… for you non-brits, wellies, short for wellington boots, are rain boots or gum boots. Lots of fun for going out when it’s raining and splashing in puddles. Fun with wellies is one of the pros on my list of reasons to move to the north Pacific coast (Oregon, Washington or British Columbia) when I finish my degree.

I’ve always been fond of wellies. I think the main reason is because, when I was six I was given a huge Paddington Bear (by huge, I mean about half my size at the time). Most Paddingtons just come with the hat and coat (and the “please look after this bear” label), but this one also had on little tiny wellies and I wanted a pair just like his. I never did get a pair just like his (they were red), but I did eventually get a pair and to this day relish rainy days so I can put them on and go out and play in the puddles.

So I went bowling the other night with my new bowling ball, and I scored a 160 on the first game!! That’s my highest score to date. Of course, on the second game I didn’t even break 100, but I rallied on the third and managed a 122, which is closer to my normal.

As usual, I had a pretty good time with my mother, but by the end of the first week, I was ready for her to be out of my apartment. I love both my parents, but a week is as long as I can handle with either of them, if we’re staying in the same house.

It’s back to work tomorrow, so I’m making the most of my last day off. At the moment it’s nearly 2:30pm, and I’m still in my pjs. I’ve been doing some reading and watching some shows that got recorded while my mother was here. I have to go to the post office at some point today, but other than that, I’m free to be a slob and a vegetable, and I’m enjoying it a great deal. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to doing nothing.

Victory dance. Got my grades back for my classes and not only did I pass them both, I got an A on my IS paper. Dances a little more. Ok, I’ll stop now. I’m just excited because that’s the first paper I’ve ever had to write for a graduate level class, and I got an A on it!

So on Sunday I drove down to Austin and got my very own bowling ball! It’s neato; it’s green, white and black marbled and they did the drilling for free when I bought it. I can’t wait till my next bowling outing. Though, since it’s supposed to be a Christmas present from my mother, I wonder if I should wait till after Christmas to try it out. Decisions, decisions.

I can’t believe it’s only ten days till Christmas! (I’m on the mexican calendar where Christmas starts on the 24th) It seemed to come really, really quickly this year. I’m definitely ready for it. More for the time off work than anything else. I’ve been needing a break for months and Thanksgiving just wasn’t long enough.

I was recently sent some photos from the wedding of one of my cousins in England. Apparently, my birth-mother and her husband run a “silliest hat” contest at events like these.

Now, I ask you, who on earth told this person that this was attractive, or indeed, even a hat?? In case you were wondering, this was the first place winner.

Second place went to the mother of the bride, who was wearing a very large, black and white, feathered concoction that didn’t match the rest of her outfit.

Third place also had feathers, they seemed to be the accessory of choice that day. It looked rather like something worn by a Shakespearean sprite. One who was, perhaps slightly tispy… and didn’t have a mirror.

My aunt, the mother of the groom, was quite thrilled that her hat, a rather subdued upside-down flower pot type number, didn’t make the top three.

Myself, I tend to stay away from hats. There are really only four occasions on which I will wear a hat. One: if it’s part of a costume for a play. Two: if I’m having a bad hair day and don’t have to go to work. Three: if I’m going to be spending a while out in the sun and will need a sunshade (both two and three are usually baseball caps). Four: in winter, to keep the tops of my ears warm. And I usually try to stay away from feathers, fruit, flowers, stuffed animals, small cages with live animals, etc.