And now a real post

As mentioned earlier, my birthday was this past week. I'm not a big birthday celebration kind of gal, though it's always nice to do something fun. I usually plan my own birthday celebrations. The way I see things, it ceased being someone else's responsibility to plan my birthday after I turned 21. I'm not so keen on b-day cards because quite honestly it's a waste of paper and I just end up recycling them. It's fine to receive them and I always appreciate the thought, but the main thing is, it's not what makes my birthday special. Spending it with cool people is what makes it special, without the absurdity of "it's my birthday therefore I am queen."

This year Bizarro and I went with a couple friends of ours on the Seneca Lake wine trail. We hit about 6 wineries but paced ourselves so we could actually enjoy the wines and soak up the wine knowledge dropped on us by the somaliers. We even hit up Hazlitt, which was to us the bottom of the barrel (get it?) when it came to class, wine, and atmosphere. Our fave was Castel Grisch, followed closely by Red Newt. Our friends also treated us to a lovely lunch at Glenora winery as a birthday/ upcoming 5th wedding anniversary celebration. The day was awesomesauce - sunny, funny & boozy.

Heading now into the last week before spring break. I expect it will be crazy busy in the writing center where I tutor, and I've already heard whining from students with work due before and after the break. Honestly, I'm just getting a little too old for that nonsense. I really want to tell them to cram it and deal with it because if they think THIS is bad, just wait until six months after graduation when the first student loan payment is due.

Spending spring break in Boston with my fam and friends. Excited to see folks and spend St. Patty's day with Rrrrache (we have a long history of St. Patty's Day together). My main concern, though, is spending some QT with JET, who is going through something of a hard time right now.

Once I get there (flying) I'm going to rent an car and will hit the beach for some writing time every day. If I had a few more bucks to spare, I'd stay overnight at the hotel on the beach where I stayed last summer, but this time around I'm spending more on travel. It's all good. My brother and his wife will just have to put up with me. Heh.

Time to wind down the night and get a good sleep in before the onslaught of the week.

Let it snow, let it snow, come on baby, light my fire.

It's snowing. Which means the sky has been gray since before the sun came up (or did it?), and I woke up with a distinct lack of zip this morning. This is what happens, people. This is what happens to Ms. Bizarro when winter sets in, the sun doesn't shine, and the outside walls of the apartment are approximately the temperature of a penguin's tittie.

I look around me as I sit at my desk - my Wild Republic monkey watching sightlessly with his endless winter ennui, my palm tree magnets mocking me on the white board, the very last month of 2009 on the calendar reminding me that Hawaii is made of lava, the Barrel Man gazing out the window as appalled as I am, and of course, my Rod Serling Foundation card proclaiming my membership-in-good standing - and I am reminded that I have a lot of writing to do (as well as grading, of course, it being end of the semester). I know that I really shouldn't watch those last 3 episodes of TikiBar TV. I know that I need to take charge of my winter blues and also do some laundry because I am down to the little white socks I only wear in the summer with sneakers.

And so, on December 5, the birthday of my grand-niece Erin Dorothy, and my close, personal friend Racheeee Schmiff, winter has finally begun. I feel the cold, clammy weight of it, and I say, it's time to light a fire in the fireplace (as opposed to the futon) and drink a hot toddy out of a Tiki Mug.

Planes + Ice = Suckitude

I spent a wonderful weekend on the Cape with Racheeee, which ended in a horrid day of travel during a Nor'easter. Morning flight was canceled, afternoon flights delayed. Sat on a tiny freezing cold prop plane at La Guardia for freaking forever while they had to jump the batteries (I kid you not) and then wait in line to be de-iced.

But the weekend itself was layered with beach, waves, memories, laughter, fun, dreaming for the future, wonderful food, and Wellfleet Oysters! Took a lot of video on the Flip, which I need to get onto a DVD for Rachel. Thank you so much Rachel! I look forward to our future projects and collaborations!

O Captain, My Captain

Farewell to Captain Eli Jones, kitteh extraordinaire, chaser of used q-tips and prism rainbows, nibbler of toes, frolicker in the grass... he lived 14 glorious years and provided hours of love, cuddles and entertainment to his Human, Rache.

We commit his mortal remains to the sea (or in this case, the back yard), and wish him a happy reincarnation.