Impersonations

Impersonations have always fascinated me. When they're done well, they're cool. When they're done superbly, they are amazing.

Kevin Spacey is a superb impersonator. He does more than voices and I could watch him do this for hours.

This video is about 6 and a half minutes long but you won't be bored*. I promise.



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*I don't have cable or satellite, therefore, I don't have Bravo. But back in the days when I did, I loved the Actor's Studio. By the way, you've seen Will Farrell do James Lipton, right?

Friday Fun

Some random youtube for Friday.

This video makes me very happy indeed. Especially around the 35 second mark.

Stop the madness!

DAMN IT ALL!!!

I need to stop:

• spending money like it grows on trees
  
• eating out (see bullet point 1)
• being a slug
• eating crap (see bullet point 2) (I think April is going to be another No Eating Out Month. Cuz March? Sucked.)
• bitching, moaning, and whining

Am I the ONLY ONE who gets on her own nerves?

Blah

It has dawned on me that I am furiously unhappy in my current job. And that I have been so for several years. This unhappiness is finally starting to motivate me to find something else. Something with a start date as close to graduation as possible.

In the meantime, my attitude about the place I currently work makes it really hard to get out of bed in the morning.

Soon. It will be finished soon.

What's going on

Remember this car?

S and I drove it to Pittsburgh this past weekend to visit C & C. Let me tell you, she rides great. She ran like a champ and gave us no problems whatsoever.

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Today was my first job fair. In the end, it turned out OK. But, oh people 'twas a rocky start. I had issues getting my resume ready. Not only did I have computer issues, I am a terrible writer and have a very hard time putting the proper spin on my duties. I only gave out one copy of my resume and I even told the guy "please know that I am more than my resume." I hope I didn't kill that potential relationship. Anyway. I have some web sites to look at and some research to do. But, yay -- the job search has begun!

I felt very comfortable in my new suit and green blouse. (I didn't get a picture as my camera is right crap.) When I tried my fancy duds on for S last night he looked quite surprised and said, "that looks really good." See, I'm not a clothes shopper. I don't have the best luck in finding clothes that fit properly or look good on me. But HA! I did this time! neener neener neener

That doesn't change the fact that I was a nervous wreck this morning - upset tummy and rapid heart rate and all that awful stuff that comes with nerves.

This is what I learned: Job fairs aren't anything to be nervous/terrified of! Especially when half the people there are wearing jeans or gym clothes (no lie - I didn't get close enough to her to find out if she was coming from her workout or going to it) and you know you look damn good in your fancy new duds with your crappy resume printed on really nice resume paper.

I made the correct impression. Gym clothes lady didn't.

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In other news, we were told today at work that we would all have to take 4 hours off unpaid per month for the next six months to prevent a staff member layoff. I'll gladly take those four hours. The first 4 hours I take will be spent at the career services office!

Texas Beer, Texas Dog

I lived in Round Rock, Texas from October of 1998 to September 12, 2001 (one never forgets where one was on 9/11).

While I was there, I grew to love wild flowers, minor league baseball, and Shiner Bock. The Tex-Mex was to die for, the people were friendly, and live music was everywhere. Some of the best we heard was at Joe's Generic Bar on 6th. The summer heat was unbearable for this northern gal and in the summer I spent as little time as possible outside -- but I did enjoy wearing shorts on Christmas. Quite the novelty.

I'd been there about a year and a half when I decided to adopt a second dog. I scanned the papers and read an ad for a lab-mix, free to good home. The folks I adopted him from said I was the third person who had come to look at him but I was the first person he walked right up to and started licking*. So, I took my boy home and shortened his name from Rusty to Russ - because having an orange dog named Rusty was just too...obvious, I guess.

ANYway. Russ will have been with me for nine years this August.

What's your point, you ask? Why the huge adoption story? It's because when I was at the grocery store last night, S found a six pack of Shiner Bock (!!!) which is hard to find in Michigan. The flood-gate opened and I've been thinking of Texas. So I thought I'd reminisce a bit here.

And share a photo with you...

Two of my favorite things from Texas.

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*They failed to tell me that he had been shot with a pellet gun recently (my blood boils when I think about that) and that I should keep an eye out for infection. I discovered that on my own about two weeks later when he developed a huge pus pocket on his side - and it leaked!

A lamb in wolf's clothing

Upcoming job fair + wardrobe of jeans, cargo pants, and sweatshirts + a burning desire to get a hella awesome job = clothes shopping.

I bought a suit. A black one.

And this shirt:

Next up:

Resumé.

And shoes.

Not necessarily in that order.

The Leisure Seeker

The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian - Book the 9th towards my goal of 30.

It's about an elderly Michigan couple who hop in their camper and head out west along Route 66. John has Alzheimer's, Ella has cancer. It's about a final hoorah, love, and keeping promises.

I figured out how it would end very early in the book but that didn't keep me from crying when it was over. (I'm a sap. Don't judge.)

Simply, I really adored this book.

(The author lives in southeast Michigan. Bonus!)

Derby Girl

Last spring/summer, parts of a movie were filmed in my town. It's set in Bodeen, Texas with large parts taking place in Austin. It's going to be very interesting to see how they make my town look like Austin. (If any of you see the movie (and I will because, HULLO, parts filmed in my town!) and you happen to spot a glass-front building with EARL'S DISCOUNT FURNITURE in big white letters? That is, literaly, 1/4 mile from my house. I'll try to take a picture. Or maybe a video a la Eurolush.)

Anyway.

Last week I found out the movie -- Whip It! -- is based on a Shauna Cross book called Derby Girl.

Being the geek that I am, I checked Derby Girl out of the library and devoured it this afternoon and evening (book 8 in my '30 Books' goal).

What can I say? It's a book about a 16 year old girl, quite the misfit, who finds her calling in roller derby. It was a quick read and I did not hate it.

Probably because I remember those growing pains and the anxiety and fuck-ups of trying to figure yourself out.

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S and I are officially done with our month of not eating out. Overall, it was a huge success. We celebrated with dinner at the local watering hole. Yummy black-bean burger, sweet potato fries, and ginormous Stella Artois. And you know what? That dinner out was special because we hadn't eaten out in a month. Who knew? It was like we were on a date.