Opportunity Knocks ...

I found another freelancing job -- actually, two. One of which is writing poems for greeting cards. (No joke. They pay $300 a pop for those babies! You lose the rights to them ... but ... for $300 for a silly poem, I can be persuaded to sign my rights over.)

As well as some more promising options, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I've learned that can lead to disappointment.

So, what have I been up to? Loving the life I'm living, mostly. Getting my house into shape. (It's so close to being "perfect" ... it will never stay that way, but I'm okay with that, as long as it's close most of the time.) Running a little bit. Cooking.

But it's time to get back into things, as it were. I can set aside a little time every day to work on freelance projects -- that will keep me above water for that much longer!

Pod People

I'm addicted to podcasts -- audio files you can download to your iPod (or mp3 player) and listen to at your leisure.

Right now, I'm listening to the Onion Radio News, about minute-long clips of silly Onion stories. My other podcasts include Democracy Now!, which I listen to every weekday to catch up on my news stories (I'm not so much all over the Internet these days, and it's awesome to listen to while washing dishes/cleaning house/etc.); The Alan Watts Podcast, theology lectures by a Protestant minister/Buddhist monk; Dear Science, a science podcast; the Savage Love Podcast, Dan Savage's once-a-week, out-loud version of his sex advice column; This American Life; This Week in Science, weekly science news; and WNYC's Radio Lab, hour-long conversations about an array of topics, always fascinating.

I think it's funny how the communication medium of radio seems to have come full cycle. At its inception, radio was the way to learn about the world around you. Television took over some of radio's programming niches -- like the fiction shows and some (but not all) of the news. The Internet has now taken over many of television's programming niches -- but it's also opened the door for radio again. Now, the portability and convenience of a podcast make radio relevent again; you can download radio shows to listen to at your leisure.

In other news, there appear to be holes in several of my English Breakfast teabags. (No, that is not a euphemism for something else.) What gives?

The Cure?

Is there anything other than Midol that works on killer cramps?

Inquiring minds want to know. Mostly because Midol puts me to sleep. And I don't want to be crampified all day long. Or all week long, for that matter!

Grit Tea

I take a calcium supplement daily, and in my recent jar, several of my capsules broke open, showering the bottom of the supplement jar with calcium fallout.

I reached the bottom of my jar today and thought it might not be a bad idea to take the one remaining capsule (a daily dose is four) and stir the rest of the powdered calcium into my tea.

Turns out, it was a bad idea. That type of calcium, for whatever reason, doesn't dissolve in water. So I wound up taking two sips of the tea (with the film of calcium floating on top and chunks of calcium swimming within) and tossing the rest out.

Because you know what? I'm a grownup. I don't have to take all my calcium if I don't want to!

Free At Last!

I did something very out-of-character for me yesterday ... I quit my job.

The job that was making me miserable. The money was good, I admit that. I've never had a panic attack before this week, but before going into work every day, that's EXACTLY what was happening to me.

Plus, I've been bitten by quite a few creepy-crawlies lately. Some mosquitoes (comes with the territory), but I think some spiders, too. I've heard stories of spiders biting people who weren't doing what their heart demanded.

At any rate, I found a posting that looks very promising. And I'm making a commitment to seriously start working on my writing again.

Things are lookin' up!

I Know ...

It's been too long, again.

I don't know what to say. I can't find a new job. I'm really kind of hating the one I have right now.

That's pretty much all she wrote.

Music Makes the World Go 'Round

I am such a radio snob. Currently, I have a select few radio stations I listen to: 101.5FM, the independent radio station in Denver; 1390AM, Denver/Boulder's community radio station; and 1190AM, the University of Colorado's student radio station.

It's gotten to the point where if I hear too many commercials, I just change the dial. One of the worst offenders in this state for that is 106.7FM, the "alternative" radio station -- basically they play a bunch of hard rock, some of it good, most of it crappy. And about half their air time is dedicated either toward advertising or misogynistic "funny" talk by the show hosts. Both the AM stations I listen to play a very wide range of music; it's almost like a scavenger hunt to tune into those, because you really never know what you're going to hear.

And the friend who inspired my previous blog on changing relationships just invited me to be a fan of Afro Connection on Facebook. I'm sure it was a mass invite to all her friends, because she already knows that I think Afro Connection is one of the worst hip-hop groups I've ever heard in my LIFE. (Yes. THAT bad.)

It's one thing to toss my friendship aside as though it's nothing special or valuable. It's another thing altogether to insult my intelligence and musical taste. The first might be forgivable one day. The second ... well. I just don't know if I can ever look past that transgression, that's all.

Snobby Is As Snobby Does

Last night I had my first encounter (at this particular job incarnation) of Evergreen snobbery. First, two gentlemen came and sat at a table on the deck; one was wearing a Hiwan Golf Club shirt. They ordered a pitcher of beer. Then a couple came in and were sitting down, chatting with the gentlemen. They talked for a while, and I asked if they were going to join the group; they said no, they were going to be taking a table at the end of the deck, and proceeded to place their order.

The first couple of things the male half of the couple ordered, we were out of. "You would say that, wouldn't you?" he said after the first item. After I told him we no longer had the second, he said, "Do you know who I am?"

"No," I told him.

"Do you know who he is?" Gesturing to Hiwan Golf Club next to him. (Owner? Operator? President? Who knows?)

"No," I said.

"Well," he said. "That didn't get us anywhere, did it?"

"Nope," I agreed. He ordered from what we did have available on the menu and that was that.

I just thought it was funny. What do people think? "Oh, we're out of this item for the plebians. But for our special customers, we keep an extra stash in the back. Let me just go alert the cook that your table is the special table."

Some people. Really!

Things People Should Always Remember

I had my third babysitting gig with this particular child yesterday, and I remembered something I had forgotten: When children start throwing temper tantrums or getting fussy over nothing in particular, what should you do?

Ignore them.

It seems so obvious. But the first time I went down there, the kid was all freaked out by not having his parents around when he woke up and dealing with this stranger in his house instead. The second time, he was a bit jet-lagged from a trip.

This time, he was just testing me occasionally, with typical two-year-old resilience. And he figured out pretty quickly that he gets to have more fun with me when he's not insisting that he be allowed to dump water all over the ground out of his sippy cup. That gets a sippy cup taken away, and all protests are steadfastly ignored until he can agree that he will use the cup to drink, not to adorn the floor with droplets.

A simple lesson, yes -- but invaluable.

Spare Some Change?

Lately, I've been feeling like change is in the air. Not just in terms of my job situation -- although that certainly counts as a big change in my life -- but in terms of friendships especially with me. I just lost someone I consider a very good friend because I had some things to say about the guy she started dating that she didn't want to hear.

Alternatively, I just met a girl who is quickly becoming a very close friend.

It's funny: They say when the universe closes a door, it opens a window. (Actually, "they" say that God does that; I put the universe in there on my own time.) I kind of think that's true -- and I've kind of been seeing it in my everyday life.

Ooh, makes you wonder ... (singing Led Zeppelin as the curtain draws shut and the house lights come up after the screen fades to black ...)

Ouch!

Those of you who know me well know this to be a fact: I hate running. Hate it. Everything about it.

So you will understand the seriousness of the situation when I say that I have taken up running, of all things, to help me get in shape.

I know. I'm shocked, too.

Yesterday, I went for a short run/walk (we're talking 15 minutes here). This is what really brought home to me how awfully out-of-shape I am. I figure I can add on 30 seconds a day and get up to speed ... meanwhile, boy am I sore today!

Because the other thing is, I forgot to stretch both before and after my run. I know, I know. Brilliant.

I just got back from a hike/jog with the dog up in the mountains. For some reason, that was much easier for me than the run, even though it took about twice as long. And even though my legs, now, are just as sore.

In other news, I missed a chance to interview the inspiration for The Big Lebowski's The Dude. I wish sometimes I would get a bit more advance notice than that!

And finally, anybody looking for summer reading material and who's remotely into sci-fi/fantasy should totally check out Jacqueline Carey's Santa Olivia. Awesome book!

Bei Mir Bist Du Schon

I went to a WWII-era ball last night with a friend -- and we had so much fun!

First things first: I got hopelessly lost on the way there. I'd never been to this facility before (Boulder Airport), and once I found it, I had to drive around it to get to the entrance. Luckily my date was understanding.

Once we got there, we grabbed our drink tickets and got some red wine. They had this place totally tricked out -- an authentic B-25 bomber that they started and revved up during the dance, a 1940s big band, a barbershop quartet, old movies screening on the wall, an aerial burlesque artist, and a vintage-vehicle collectors' group who were dressed up in authentic WWII soldiers' uniforms. We made friends with a "captain" and a "colonel" who served as our drink-runners all night; it was great. They even introduced us to "General Patton," who let us fire the machine gun on the vintage tank!

(Then we got yelled at for firing the gun -- first by the band leader, then by the airport operations manager, who had apparently been called by the police because it was too loud. It was the second time that night we'd been "shushed" -- the first being during the barbershop quartet, but we weren't even the loudest people talking at that point. And it was funny because they were admonishing me and my date instead of the "soldiers" -- because we totally brought the gun in the first place, and it was totally our idea to fire it!)

Anyway, it was awesome. We had a blast. I wish they had one every weekend -- but it probably wouldn't be that much fun, then, would it?

Amber is the Color of my Energy ...

The concert last night was awesome. I really love Red Rocks; that venue is arguably the best I've ever been to!

Maybe I'm just a misanthropist, but it also seemed as though there were a lot of ... well ... stupid people there. For lack of a better term. But, that's par for the course when you attend a concert, I suppose.

Also, Ziggy Marley (not the Wailers -- I am silly) rocked the house way better than 311, in my opinion. They had the light show and the fanciness; Ziggy had the heart and the songs on lockdown.

But all in all: Awesome show.

First Concert of the Season!

Well, not technically -- technically, that would have been NIN/JA (Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction) last month. But the first concert of the season at Red Rocks is tonight! 311 and Ziggy Marley, aw yeah.

Should be fun. I love Red Rocks. Some kid at my new job the other day was talking smack on Red Rocks -- I don't know what his problem is; how can you not like that venue? Seriously!