ZZZZZzzzzzzz.......

I am so tired that my brain has become incapable of making sense.

While editing my resume and listening to Pulp Fiction play in the background (the actual movie, not the soundtrack), it ocurred to me that I should update my blog. What to discuss though? I've thought about a lot of things today. For example, I think Tavis Smiley and Bill Maher are right about black men in America when they say that they have generally shitty role models in rappers and pro-athletes. Most young black men will never grow up to be rappers or athletes, they should dream about growing up to be teachers and journalists and doctors and lawyers. Boring? Maybe. But real and achieveable? Definitely.

Also, I think that Ralph Fiennes is my favorite actor of all time. The English Patient is in HBO On Demand right now and I still cry every time I watch it. Although I also think that Christian Bale deserves more credit, Ewan McGregor is the shiznit, and Jamie Foxx is still loveable in spite of having made Stealth. (I mean c'mon Jamie, you need to fire your agent over that one -- seriously, seriously awful. And I didn't even see it.) And I think I have a non-lesbianesque crush on Natalie Portman, because she is outstanding in V for Vendetta. (Which, incidentally, the New York Times completely trashed, but I think is excellent.)

Or, I could think about how pretty soon I get to headbang with Nikki at the SOAD concert in DC in August.

I can't wait to move in with Shaun. (I promise I'll keep my headbanging to the car baby.)

Chocolate sounds stellar right now, but alas I have none. *sniff sniff*

Hopefully I get the job with the United Way, or at least a job as somebody's personal houseplant waterer, because every day when I come home from work all I want to do is stab myself in the eye with a pen repeatedly.

I think I have to sneeze.
...
...
...
Nope. I don't.

Summer could not possibly take any longer to get here.

I apologize if there are type-os.

One

Shaun and I went out last night to celebrate the first wonderful year that we've spent together. Officially, tomorrow marks one year, but since I have to work tomorrow night we went out last night. He took me to this nice little Italian restaurant called Picano's (which was in Troy I think) and then we went to go see V for Vendetta for the second time. (We saw it last weekend and loved it, so we decided to go see it again!)

It's hard for me to believe that we've been together for a whole year already. I feel like the time has just flown by. I always have so much fun with him, and I wake up with so much excitement about what will happen with us in the future, that the year ended up just whizzing by.

Thank you baby for everything that you do, I love you from the bottom of my heart! Smooch!!

Everybody Loves an Irish Boy

Our St. Patty's Day fun


So yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. (Also my mom's birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!) Shaun and I woke up at the absolutely unheard of hour of 5:oo A.M. to get ready to go downtown to the Old Shillelagh (pronounced shi-lay-lee) to start the day off right. (Well, I got up at 5, because I had do my hair and my makeup and take a shower, he slept til about 5:50.) When we got downtown at 6:45 there was a line almost down the next block to get into the bar, and it continued to grow as we waited for the doors to open. By the time we got inside and got our first beers it was about 7:30, and it was a great start to a fun day. I found out that we even made it on the morning news because Shannon called and left me a message saying, "We saw you and Shaun on TV!" We met up with Jeff at the Shillelagh and then went to the Anchor for lunch. From there we went to Gusoline Alley in Royal Oak where Shaun's cousins Matt and Nathan met up with us, then on to Renshaw's in Clawson, and then all the way out to O'Malley's in Farmington to meet up with my fam to celebrate Mom's birthday. Needless to say, it was a day of marathon like endurance.

Shaun popped right out of bed this morning, in spite of the tremendous amount of Guinness he drank yesterday, and I, the DD yesterday, was thinking, "Just 10 more minutes, just 10 more minutes of sleep and I'll be OK!!" Hahaha....

Watching Shaun, Nathan, Matt, and Jeff yesterday I realized that Irish boys are great. They don't mince words, they are adorable flirts, and they can hold their liquor (or their Guinness, as the case may be). Plus they're just cuties. Three cheers for Irish boys! (Especially mine, I love you baby, hope you had fun yesterday, cuz I sure did!!)

Guinness for Breakfast

Happy St. Patrick's Day! And Happy Birthday mom!! Be afraid, be very afraid. It is six on the button on my day off and here I sit, awake, dressed, makeup and hair done, so that we can go downtown and celebrate St. Patty's Day. Shaun is excited about having a Guinness for breakfast. I really want a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit from McDonald's.... But since I gave up fast food for Lent I will not let myself be weak!!

Check back later for some fun audio (maybe) and pictures of our (mis)adventures in the D for St. Patty's.

Oh, and did I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!?????

Enemy Territory

So last night Nik and Linda and I went up to East Lansing (gasp!) to go see Nik's friend, Bob, who worked with her at the Senate last fall. It was pretty chill, beer and pizza and NCAA basketball on the TV, but it was fun. And we looked hot, but then again we pretty much always look hot, right ladies?!?! Hahahahaha.....

The Ex-Girlfriend Dilemma

Earlier today I spoke to an ex of mine who happend to mention that should his current girlfriend find out that he'd spoken to me he'd be, "in trouble." And I thought, Well that sucks, what the hell is that all about, where does she get off??

After we got off the phone it occurred to me that I am the biggest hypocrite on the planet.

While I consider myself to be cool with the fact that Shaun occasionally talks to his ex or has lunch or coffee with her, I know that I am not exactly comfortable with it. While I would never ever tell him that he couldn't speak to her or see her ever again, I still know that there is a fine line there, and should it ever be crossed I know I would be pissed. I put my trust in him, in his neverending honesty with me and vice versa, and I talk to him if something makes me feel awkward. I hope that Shaun never has to say to her, "If Maria found out we talked today I'd be in big trouble."

On the other hand, I really want the girl to keep her distance. I know that I can never really know what happened in their relationship, that will forever be between the two of them. And while I know that my opinions about it, and my perception of it don't really matter in the grand scheme of things, I know that he used to think she was the one for him, and that she broke his heart, and she will therefore always be undeserving of so much as a smile of his, let alone a friendship. But that's probably how my ex's girlfriend sees the end of my relationship with him. I was the one who did the leaving. So how can I blame her for feeling that way?

The difference with me is that I know that Shaun is a grown man. He can take care of himself and he can grant his friendship to whomsoever he pleases. And because I love him, and because I respect him and the relationship that we have, I have to trust him. I love to trust him. And I know that each of us cares infinitely more about our current relationship than we do the remains of things that were so broken and destroyed the only remaining option was abandonment. So while I know that neither of us would ever forbid the other to speak to an ex, I also know that if that were to happen, the ex would be forsaken, because if you care about what you have with someone you have to respect that above anyone else from the past, friend or not.

It's nice not having to worry about it though.

I Belive in Miracles

i used to be on an endless run
believed in miracles 'cause i'm one
i've been blessed with the power to survive
after all these years i'm still alive
i'm out here kickin' with the band
oh suddenly i'm a solitary man
every day my time runs out
lived like a fool, that's what i was about
oh i believe in miracles
oh i believe in a better world for me and you
oh-oh-oh, i believe in miracles
oh i believe in a better world for me and you
tattooed your name on my arm
i always said my girl's a good luck charm
if she can find a reason to forgive
then i can find a reason to live
oh i believe in miracles
oh i believe in a better world for me and you
oh-oh-oh, i believe in miracles
oh i believe in a better world for me and you
i close my eyes and think how it might be
the future's here today
it's not too late
it's not too late, no!
oh i believe in miracles
oh i believe in a better world for me and you
oh-oh-oh, i believe in miracles
oh i believe in a better world for me and you, you, you...

Craptastic

Just in case it may have slipped your minds, my lovely readers, I am now, have always been, and will always be forever more, a geek. I subscribe to Dictionary.com's word of the day, and today I was emailed the greatest word I've learned in quite some time. I have decided to share it with all of you, perhaps much to the detriment of future Scrabble games against any who may dare to challenge you! It is as follows:

Word of the Day for Saturday March 11, 2006

crapulous \KRAP-yuh-lus\, adjective:

1. Suffering the effects of, or derived from, or suggestive of gross intemperance, especially in drinking; as, a crapulous stomach.
2. Marked by gross intemperance, especially in drinking; as, a crapulous old [1]reprobate.

These were the dregs of their celebratory party: the half-filled glasses, the cold beans and herring, the shouts and smells of the crapulous strangers hemming them in on every side, the dead rinsed-out April night and the rain drooling down the windows. -- T. Coraghessan Boyle, [2]Riven Rock

The crapulous life which her future successor led. -- Lord Brougham, Historical Sketches of Statesmen in the Time of George III

The new money was spent in so much riotous living, and from end to end there settled on the country a mood of fretful, crapulous irritation. -- Stephen McKenna, Sonia _________________________________________________________

Crapulous is from Late Latin crapulosus, from Latin crapula, from Greek kraipale, drunkenness and its consequences, nausea, sickness, and headache.

*Newsflash*

Pearl Jam is releasing a brand spanking new album on 4-2-2006!!! In honor of this album they are touring. Ten Club tickets go on sale sooner than humanly possible.

The name of their first single is "Worldwide Suicide" and you can download it from their website for *free*. All rumors seem to think that this album means they are 'back' and finally, finally, out to rock the house once again. Whoopee!!

Nik and I are down for the Detroit and D.C. shows. Aubs, can I get a shout out from The Windy City???

The Biggest Load of Crap

So South Dakota's a-hole of a governer, this guy, Michael Rounds (ahem, a man) recently signed into a law a ban on all abortions in the state of South Dakota unless the life of the mother is at risk. There were no exceptions allowed for cases of rape and incest. So if you get raped in S.D., and you get pregnant, you're having the baby. If you are a doctor and you perform an abortion in S.D. (after July 1st) you face a felony conviction and 5 years in jail.

I'm sorry, but does anyone else think that this is the biggest load of SHIT to hit the proverbial fan in quite some time. I know that everything in Iraq is a mess, and everything in New Orleans is a mess, but if this doesn't make it totally obvious that the Bush administrarion is out to legislate opinions and beliefs, and not things that will actually help Americans lead better, safer lives, then I don't know what is.

This is how the beginning of the law reads: "The Legislature accepts and concurs with the conclusion of the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion, based upon written materials, scientific studies, and testimony of witnesses presented to the task force, that life begins at the time of conception, a conclusion confirmed by scientific advances since the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, including the fact that each human being is totally unique immediately at fertilization. Moreover, the Legislature finds, based upon the conclusions of the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion, and in recognition of the technological advances and medical experience and body of knowledge about abortions produced and made available since the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, that to fully protect the rights, interests, and health of the pregnant mother, the rights, interest, and life of her unborn child, and the mother's fundamental natural intrinsic right to a relationship with her child, abortions in South Dakota should be prohibited. Moreover, the Legislature finds that the guarantee of due process of law under the Constitution of South Dakota applies equally to born and unborn human beings, and that under the Constitution of South Dakota, a pregnant mother and her unborn child, each possess a natural and inalienable right to life."

While this bill is clearly aimed at reaching the Supreme Court, it will take years to get there. But it will, undoubtedly, get there. (Hey, if fricking Anna Nicole Smith can do it, so can the South Dakota Abortion Ban.) With the two new justices on the bench that Bush appointed, people all over the U.S. who believe that a woman has the right to choose are thinking, "We're F*CKED!" And they're pretty much right, unless we get our butts in gear. And by "we" I mean both normal Americans such as myself, and also our Democrats in Congress who have developed a habit of just rolling over and going back to sleep, hoping that this will all have been a bad dream.

I for one am emailing John Kerry and Michigan's awesome Senator Debbie Stabenow. What are you going to do?

Yowza!

So, as many of you lovely readers know, my mom is a dental hygienist (did I spell it right mom???). As a result, I have never had so much as a doubt about the importance of dental hygiene. I don't exactly floss as much as I really should, but I get my cleanings and if something hurts I go to the dentist. When I was 17 (I think) I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed by an oral surgeon in Ann Arbor, and while it wasn't exactly fun, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Probably the worst part of the experience was that as I returned home from the surgery, after having stopped at Wendy's to get a Frosty, I was bombarded by the hysterical giggles of my kid brother, since in my numbness I had inadvertently dribbled chocolate Frosty-ness all over my face, chin, and down the front of my shirt. Hey, if your kid bro can't tease you after you've just been anesthitized and had four teeth forcibly removed from your skull, who can?? But I digress.

I mentioned in my last post that I am reading A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey. I also mentioned that it is about his recovery from alcohol and crack addiction, and that he admits to having fabricated some of it, but let's just cut the guy some slack, OK? Anyway, at the beginning of the book he wakes up on a plane and has no idea where he's traveling from or to. All he knows is that he's missing his top four front teeth and that there is a hole in his cheek large enough to stick his finger through. When he gets to rehab they notice that he is need of some serious dental attention, so they send him to a dentist to have his mouth repaired. The only problem? He can't have ANY anesthesia or pain killer of any kind because he's being detoxed and it could shock his body and kill him.

My friends, I have read a lot of books. A lot of books. I've never read anything as horrific and terrifying as the scene where they fix his teeth. To quote Mr. Frey as they are using power tools inside his shattered mouth, "Bayonet, bayonet, bayonet." It was terrible. I grimaced the whole way through it. The moral of the story? If you are already afraid of the dentist, never ever read this book.

On a different note, today is my first day off from all jobs, tasks, chores, plans in as long as I can remember. How glorious! I plan to spend it reading, and taking a bath, and doing my nails, and reading! (Oh, and doing Shaun's laundry, because I am the greatest, and he'll be the first to admit it! Wink wink....) Tomorrow we are going to Saginaw to watch his little sister's cheerleading team compete. I have decided to rest my voice today so that I can cheer extra loud tomorrow.

And finally, March will be a month of brokeness for Maria since I have the following birthdays/events to plan for:
March 9: Kira (25) and my Gramps (88)
March 10: Daddy-O (58)
March 11: Nikki comes home for a visit, and subsequent partying....
March 17: Momma's B-day and St. Patty's!!
March 24: Natalie turns 16, holy crap!
& March 27: My one year anniversary with Shaun, yay!
Is that not ridiculous, or what? We can even throw Steph in there, since she's right at the beginning of April, on the 2nd! The madness never subsides around here, let me tell you.