Month: December 2009

  • 2009 in daily 5-word accounts

    Happy new year to you and yours. I plan to be nicer, move-ier and floss-ier in 2010, and remove some pesky addictions from my life.

    And now, I present to you the past year, recorded daily, with a five-word limit.

    January

    January 1: Champagne: when will I learn?
    January 2: Rediscovering my old love, iSketch
    January 3: Strange Bird rock show — tasty
    January 4: The holidays burnt me out
    January 5: Fuck Monday and fuck chorizo
    January 6: Completed my very first Sudoku
    January 7: Abandonment complex in full flower
    January 8: Ex is in town. Coping.
    January 9: My apartment is red-alert messy
    January 10: First fillup of ’09! Vroom!
    January 11: Hiking, mini-golf, cold coming on
    January 12: Remarkable, phlegmy, wheezy, smoking-aunt cough
    January 13: Fig Greek yogurt. Fucking YUM
    January 14: Contract with self: improve life
    January 15: Wishing it worked with him
    January 16: Hot, annoying, endless, stupid wind
    January 17: Mall, pedicure, Mongolian BBQ! USA!
    January 18: Mom died six years ago tonight.
    January 19: Year of Service Kickoff: quilt!
    January 20: My president is Barack Obama!
    January 21: Fifteen hour workday. Fifteen. Hour.
    January 22: Raining outside, covered in code.
    January 23: Finished two quilts. Feeling melancholy.
    January 24: Glassy-eyed exhaustion, weirdly. Held babies!
    January 25: First vomit of the new year
    January 26: Made a scarf. Watched TV.
    January 27: Holding pity party for myself
    January 28: Godawful day. Was a bitch.
    January 29: Stepping closer to DMV cleanliness
    January 30: Feeling productive and useful today
    January 31: Ran errands, like a grownup!

    February

    February 1: Regretful about accepting freelance jobs.
    February 2: Beautiful weather. Pho dinner. A-okay.
    February 3: Surprise present: Jeana pendant! Yay!
    February 4: Watched doc about hoarders. Freaked
    February 5: Rain. More rain. Pouring, seriously!
    February 6: Driving to Sequoia National Park
    February 7: Snowshoeing in forest. Favorite memory.
    February 8: Reluctantly chaining down the mountain
    February 9: Overslept. Mind still in Sequoia
    February 10: Overslept again. Get it together!
    February 11: Chilly, windy, work-at-home day. Productive.
    February 12: Drone day — except for mariachis!
    February 13 (Friday the 13th): Not feeling unlucky. Lemon drops!
    February 14: Feeling so, SO painfully single.
    February 15: Lunch with Turq lifted spirits
    February 16: Celebrating presidents with bowling, cards
    February 17: No adjustment to 5am wakeup
    February 18: Suffering from depression. Well, fuck
    February 19: Feeling poverty’s icy hand again
    February 20: BOO to bad improv shows
    February 21: Getting ready for Etsy store
    February 22: Photo shoot, then: high fever
    February 23:  3.5 hrs sleep. Surprisingly chipper
    February 24: Dinner with Andy at Sojourner
    February 25: My GI tract is a wreck
    February 26: Slighted. Hurt. Weepy. So lonely.
    February 27: Pity party over. TCB. Working.
    February 28: Feb. over, hooray. Attitude adjustment.

    March

    March 1: Etsy store opens, sales made
    March 2: Busy busy busy. Cocktails. Busy.
    March 3: Despise designing for Internet Explorer
    March 4: Snored on bus. New low.
    March 5: Wonky elbow in sling! Ow!
    March 6: Headache makes day like molasses
    March 7: Had fun on stage tonight
    March 8: Chained to computer with freelance
    March 9: Daylight Saving almost killed me
    March 10: Drinks with fun coworkers, yay
    March 11: Huh? Wha? Out of it
    March 12: Eighth graders freak me out
    March 13: Long live the eroticized handrail
    March 14: Overall, teenagers freak me out
    March 15: Dinner with J and C
    March 16: Yuck. Dirty dirty DIRTY house.
    March 17: Vietnamese food and Guinness. Begorrah!
    March 18: Can’t find dress. Ghetto Ross.
    March 19: Dress: Kohl’s! So much freelance.
    March 20: Drive drive drive. Then: SF!
    March 21: Karl and Kevin’s wedding: indescribable.
    March 22: Bloody Marys before long drive.
    March 23: Lost, Season 1. Getting adequate-r.
    March 24: Aunt’s in hospital, worrying hard
    March 25: Brother and family in town!
    March 26: Lord, I need to work out.
    March 27: Niece, poppingly pregnant, holy moley.
    March 28: Stepdad old, infirm — needs help
    March 29: Exausted, cranky, so much family
    March 30: Grinding pain in stomach. Ulcer?
    March 31: Dressed down at work. Demoralized.

    April

    April 1: This year’s going so fast!
    April 2: Crying through Season 2, Lost
    April 3: Work work worrk woik wok!
    April 4: Canceled SF trip, lazing about
    April 5: Held twin babies then napped
    April 6: Bus work Lost food sleep
    April 7: Bless you, my darling accountant
    April 8: AM: nerds; PM: wankers. Done!
    April 9: Magic at Magic Castle. Magic!
    April 10: Weird weather makes bones ache
    April 11: “Pre”aster eggs drinks candy YES
    April 12: Decadent brunchfeast leads to napmarathon
    April 13: aak eck feh arg ugh
    April 14: A variety of little irritants
    April 15: Tacos y horchata for lunch
    April 16: Tired, sluggish, out of shape
    April 17: .avi .mpeg .mov .m4v .fuckyou
    April 18: Sister and her mister coming!
    April 19: Glorious day: Johannafina’s, beach, music
    April 20: Why me at work? Boo
    April 21: I love this! And them.
    April 22: Dream vacation. I need this
    April 23: Santa Cruz Island: best ever.
    April 24: Mark, Annie: stay with me!
    April 25: Family’s last day. I vomit.
    April 26: Bedridden slug. Then: Orange County
    April 27: Day of OC high schoolers
    April 28: Big news coming. Nervous sweat.
    April 29: I gave notice! Holy crap.
    April 30: Gaffes, boners, slipups, screwups, yeah!

    May

    May 1: New office space! May Day!
    May 2: Funny moment:  face transplant scene
    May 3: Allergies or cold? Beyond misery
    May 4: Sometimes Hammy just needs … Valium!
    May 5: Cough. Cough. Almond bundt cake!
    May 6: Green phlegm and birthday dinner!
    May 7: Media workshops, plural. Koff!
    May 8: Getting to know new camera
    May 9: Vague demoralization when improv sucks
    May 10: Anti-mother’s day: Sushi, Star Trek
    May 11: Start of a nutso week
    May 12: My last bus commute! W00ties
    May 13: This week is fucking BUSY
    May 14: Coordinating events is backbreaking work
    May 15: My camera is not working
    May 16: Maybe my camera is working
    May 17: I’m voluntarily seeing standup comedy?
    May 18: Feeling the stress of lifechange
    May 19: Another faulty webinar. Hello, 1990s!
    May 20: THAT was my goingaway party??
    May 21: Last day working at Univ.
    May 22: Off to cabin in woods!
    May 23: Sequoia National Forest: fuck yeah
    May 24: No running water. Filthy ladies
    May 25: Bacon and eggs for dinner
    May 26: Prop 8. Prop 8. FUCK.
    May 27: In shock at my lifechanges
    May 28: Saying “bye, coworkers” by drinking!
    May 29: Endless LA loop, then hula!
    May 30: Ugh, I feel like LOSER
    May 31: Finally, getting ass in gear.

    June

    June 1: Impure thoughts towards inappropriate males
    June 2: Loving Timm Sharp in “Undeclared”
    June 3: Finances are a touch screwy
    June 4: Ankles are swollen! Sitting much?
    June 5: “Who Sell Out” — can’t stop!!!!!!!!!
    June 6: Shots and improv buh bam
    June 7: Land of the Lost SUCKED
    June 8: Improv workshop fun then cocktails
    June 9: Snickerdoodles for breakfast and lunch
    June 10: New woman: haircut and color
    June 11: Laundry, podcasting, cleaning, nervous, Seattle
    June 12: Met fellow internet titan Cloudy!
    June 13: More Cloudy, amazingness. Space Needle!
    June 14: Zen
    June 15: Zen
    June 16: NIA and yoga and BOOZE
    June 17: Enough with the movement classes
    June 18: Lovely.. everything turning into magic
    June 19: OMFG epic day of madness
    June 20: Savoring this wonderful time. Roommates!
    June 21: Last one to leave. SAD.
    June 22: Travel day. Droolingly tired. Work!
    June 23: Adorable teen to work with
    June 24: PMS does interesting things sometimes
    June 25: Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson
    June 26: Working for my sister! Wow
    June 27: J’adore Edward Everett Horton
    June 28: Love spending other people’s money
    June 29: So busy with much bullshit
    June 30: Fiscal year: OVAH. Now, naps.

    July

    July 1: Good lord, busy busy busy
    July 2: These youths are heartbreakingly adorable
    July 3: Exercising my flexible brilliant brain
    July 4: Tamar’s here, fun fun day
    July 5: Shopping, eating, Tamar, Tamar, yeah!
    July 6: Oh, my NY honeymoon friend
    July 7: No! Tamar, do not go
    July 8: Framing pictures for work. Sigh.
    July 9: Ugh, feeling woogly, in bed
    July 10: More crapular sensations in head
    July 11: Great improv workshop, shit show
    July 12: Hot day, naptime, aimless
    July 13: Skeeved thinking about Ian Curtis
    July 14: Whoa. August coming up fast
    July 15: Wrestling with PHP. Oof! Argh!
    July 16: Taught improv class with ZEN
    July 17: The Dor-Matts in town! Margaritas…
    July 18: 26-hour migraine. Death, take me
    July 19: Feeling better! Science Quilt DONE!
    July 20: Post-apocalyptic dreams always entertaining
    July 21: Rapist in my neighborhood, yay
    July 22: Summer is going so fast
    July 23: What? I’m making more quilts?
    July 24: Entered my crafts into Fair!
    July 25: Science Quilt madness everywhere, wow!
    July 26: “Walter Cronkite Remembers” marathon: mesmerizing
    July 27: Quilt: best thing I’ve done?
    July 28: Babies being borned all everywhere!
    July 29: More youth! They’re pretty cool.
    July 30: Disorganization makes me nervous, sweaty
    July 31: Officewarming! I love throwing parties.

    August

    August 1: Dancing! IKEA! LA! Pimm’s Cups!
    August 2: Freelance eating up my Sunday
    August 3: Bleary Monday Monday Monday Mondaaaaay
    August 4: Oh, teenagers! Listen to me!
    August 5: Ventura County Fair Opening Day!
    August 6: Ankle hurts. That is all.
    August 7: Hormones inducing intermittent weeping spells
    August 8: Great improv show, dancy dancy!
    August 9: Weepy but not depressed. WTF
    August 10: Weird mood. Am I anemic?
    August 11: Rick Springfield, deep fried Snickers!
    August 12: Tired, hate this weather, FUG
    August 13: Busy Bee’s turkey salad, yum
    August 14: Fair day with Stacy, John!
    August 15: Grey chilly Sunday of sewing
    August 16: In over my head, kinda
    August 17: More hoarding docs. Anxiety producing
    August 18: I got paid, thank god
    August 19: I feel old and tired.
    August 20: Reminder: No more fucking LAX
    August 21: I’m in Tahoe! Whoa Nelly.
    August 22: Fantastic wedding and party. Love!
    August 23: 7-hr road trip. Kill me
    August 24: This travel day won’t END
    August 25: Travel hangover. Yoinkies, evil trip
    August 26: Wi-fi fixed. Working from bed!
    August 27:  Pro. Cras. Tin. A. Tion.
    August 28: Hot hot HOT FUCKING HOT
    August 29: Tired of Science Quilt drama
    August 30: Crafternoon! Flowers, beads, seam ripping!
    August 31: Playing a massive game of catchup

    September

    September 1: No! Summer is NOT OVER!
    September 2: Season Two of “Conchords”: sparkling!
    September 3: It’s hot, I have eczema.
    September 4: ImproJam. Houseguests! Drunken insanity
    September 5: Day 2 ImproJam, Drunken insanity
    September 6: Best workshop ever: sex, violence!
    September 7: Wiki-ing accounts of feral children
    September 8: Got a cold from kissing
    September 9: Lidocaine — surprise eczema-fighting med!
    September 10: Feeling pretty ooky with coughing
    September 11: 9/11 commemoration making me sad
    September 12: Getting ass up and crafting
    September 13: Bad cold + depression = downward spiral
    September 14: Ugh help me, am lost
    September 15: Trying to rally. USA, USA!
    September 16: Entered Junk Quilt into show!
    September 17: I’m STILL sick, fuck everybody
    September 18: Ate Arby’s today. Awful, shameful
    September 19: Estate and garage sales, ho!
    September 20: Ignored residual illness; drank maitais
    September 21: Worked out! I really did
    September 22: Hot, crabby, weepy, tired, unfun
    September 23: Timereleased, unbelievable workout soreness
    September 24: McVittie’s Digestives are highly addictive
    September 25: French Canadians make me giggle
    September 26: Downtown infested with drunks, Juggalos
    September 27: Rockin’ some improv for Shabad!
    September 28: May have a wee hangover
    September 29: Danny’s and B&N with Grace!
    September 30: Heart got rebroken. Fucking MAN.

    October

    October 1: Money misery just won’t end
    October 2: Custom craft order from Marky!
    October 3: Full of hatred for menses
    October 4: Crafting, “Inglourious Basterds”, heaven indeed
    October 5: Worked, worked out, yadda yadda
    October 6: Menses. Drinking lots of tea.
    October 7: Bleary and weird and woozy
    October 8: Getting a grip. LAX, ho!
    October 9: My sister Annie’s here! Love!
    October 10: Performed improv for pay. Need.
    October 11: Santa Cruz Island Mega Hike
    October 12: TCB with elderly stepdad John
    October 13: Annie’s gone, no! Downward spiral
    October 14: So much rain. Fucking pouring
    October 15: Still sore from killer hike
    October 16: Inertia, lack of motivation, malaise
    October 17: Loma Prieta earthquake 20th anniversary.
    October 18: Crafternoon. Quilt accepted to show!
    October 19: Crush on guy in commercial
    October 20: Secretly relieved at freelance cancellation
    October 21: Mr. Rogers was my dermatologist
    October 22: Jeezus, webhost, you suck hard
    October 23: Evil, hard week. SO CRANKY
    October 24: Won a giant Oktoberfest basket
    October 25: Carved, drank, ate, wore pumpkin
    October 26: Monday, kiss my ass, please.
    October 27: I made a bonnet! Sewy!
    October 28: All technology is against me
    October 29: Junk Quilt won first prize!
    October 30: Date night with Talia. Relaxing
    October 31: Nutty/awesome Halloween mob action!

    November

    November 1: Feeling dead on Dead Day
    November 2: Shhhh, quiet. Shh. Shhhhh. Monday.
    November 3: My hormones make me WEIRD
    November 4: Tired of being the nag everywhere
    November 5: Hustle bustle hustle bustle crash
    November 6: This better not be flu
    November 7: I like looking at men
    November 8: Insane crafting madness! Thanks, Shana!
    November 9: Painful Monday. Not feeling well.
    November 10: Busy, crafts on the brain
    November 11: I really like The Office
    November 12: Was in a car accident
    November 13: A little traumatized but ok
    November 14: Yikes — shit hitting fan, hard
    November 15: Craft boutique netted some kesh
    November 16: Plane ticket to east coast!!!!
    November 17: Epic month — wrangling with webhost
    November 18: Carlessness sucks in mighty fashion
    November 19: Hilarity ensued at tonight’s workshop
    November 20: My car got towed away.
    November 21: Day: Suck. Night: FABULOUS! Pajamas!
    November 22: Oof, chores with a hangover
    November 23: Everyone, answer my fucking emails!
    November 24: Somebody? Give me a ride?
    November 25: Moving and shaking, Ventura style
    November 26: Some anxiety surrounding turkey cooking
    November 27: Very pleasant Thanksgiving. And car!
    November 28: Gramma Becky saw punk show
    November 29: Shana: best Craft Monkey ever
    November 30: I’ve got Craft Hand, ouch

    December

    December 1: Fear about everything right now
    December 2: I am NOT street legal.
    December 3: Working hard on unpaid jobs
    December 4: Brrrr. Arctic winds are blowin
    December 5: Weepy. Holidays are so awesome.
    December 6: Craft fair was a bust
    December 7: Rain, cold. I’m too wimpy
    December 8: Menses bad menses go away
    December 9: I work for kind woman
    December 10: My “new” car: street legal!
    December 11: Cleaning my filthy apartment
    December 12: Rainy fun with Lisa L!
    December 13: More crafting, you heard me
    December 14: sedentary lifestyle equals sad lifestyle
    December 15: 99 Cents store meals. Poor.
    December 16: Insomnia makes me cranky
    December 17: Bought jeans for me. Greedy!
    December 18: Lesbians at the improv show!
    December 19: Two parties. Food drink more
    December 20: All day professor party insanity
    December 21:  I’m a PR marketing machine
    December 22: Fun good friends happy love
    December 23: Run of mill packing frenzy
    December 24: direct from plane to party
    December 25: Nothing but eating. All day!
    December 26: I’m a greataunt to cuties
    December 27: Wow! Family drama-o-rama!
    December 28: Boston to NYC kapow! Brr.
    December 29: Fantastical Brooklyn day/night. Palatial!
    December 30: Screaming karaoke madness. Also: beer.
    December 31: Writing resolutions, feeling love. Hopeful.

  • Christmas poem

    Ashtabula Ohio Ice Storm

    Ashtabula Ohio Ice Storm by flickruser kuddlyteddybear.

    I wrote the following in my journal, at age 16, on Christmas day. I feel quite sure I did not create it, but I can find no reference to any of the lines online. If anyone is a piece-holder to the puzzle, please let me know. It’s quite lovely and it’s my happy holidays to you.

    “Onion, my friend”,
    I said, as I looked at the
    moon-lit sky,
    “I recognize only you of my many friends who
    lurk up there,”
    waiting for me to acknowledge — to love.
    The moon is not of full passion,
    but not waned past, too.
    As I see this milky way
    on this Christmas night,
    I can only think of you.
    The iciness of the water
    does not freeze my feet,
    I can only feel the love
    which emanates, which feels my presence,
    which realizes another Christmas, as the stars move and linger.

  • bah hamblog

    happy holidays

    Ho ho .. hum! Too much prep and not enough payoff so far this holiday season. I have become one with my sewing machine, sort of like Brundle Fly (complete with desire to be on the business end of a rifle) and there’s more, yet more!, sewing to do. If I could, I’d get the rest of my presents completed by throwing some cash at Amazon and be done with it.

    But I’m in the awkward position of being poor, but wanting to give gifts — hence, it’s all Holly Hobby, all the time.

    [PS Have you seen the latest eBay commercial? “Let’s talk about homemade gifts. No one wants them.”  Ugh, not funny. “I know it’s the thought that counts, but think harder!” Okay, that’s a little funny.]

    But hey. I don’t want my hamblog word-cloud to become all MONEY and STRESS and I’M OVER-CRAFTED. It’s good thing I’m being productive, and the desire to give gifts points to my continuing de-Grinchification of my attitude toward Christmas. Right? Even though it all makes me feel bonkers at times?

    Here are some good things:

    • I am now the street legal owner of a 1993 station wagon. I’m going to rock the grandma vibe with this sweet, tan-color-with-roof-rack ride — and appreciate the fact that it is nearly invisible to law enforcement. And I’ll get a workout, rolling my windows up and down! The accident sucked but here I be with no car loan payment and my insurance about half of what it was.
    • I’ll be in Boston for Christmas and New York for New Years. Hooray for east coast shenanananananigans!
    • I’m going to three parties this weekend and will finally experience some payoff. Sweet, cocktail-shaped payoff!

    I forgot to mention in the first draft of my rant/rave: all the wonderful friends and strangers that bought Mock Orange merch throughout this season. Thank you for keeping the wolves a little farther from my door and allowing me my ever-so first world complaining.

  • facebook updates arranged into a rhyming poem

    Anastasia My arm hurts…..freakin’ tetanus shot.
    Shaun
    Your phone is off the hook, but you’re not.

    Mark Bad news – my TiVo drive died…
    Randy
    knows that learning is easy inside.

    Benjamin my sis totally rules, ok?
    Mike
    Hmm, stress or emotional eating today?

    Brock i hope this is true.
    Moya wonders about the “feverless flu”

    Eric insert clever anecdote about my day here. And here.
    Dan Night surfers of Venice pier!!

    Jill doesn’t want to; has to.
    Ozzy forgot to take his medicine last night, woohoo boing boing boing woohoo!

    Ellen likes these word pairs: waxing and waning, ebb and flow.
    Moya
    Discoball Mobile in the Castro

    Talia has cold feet.
    Manuel is giving myself permission to turn on the heat.

    Christine is in downtown LA
    Betty Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday

    Mario gots to work out all this bottled up feeling inside of me
    Eva
    A good book, a snuggled kitten and a steaming jug of tea

    Louis has never felt this way
    Jennifer a coffee morning… green tea will have to wait today.

    Jeana ran out of paint with one coat on one wall left to go.
    George
    is watching Steve Martin play the banjo.

    Dann someday all this will be a soiled memory
    Louis
    wonders who he conversed with by the christmas tree

    Cameron Two steps forward. One step back.
    Ted the end of an emotional cul-de-sac.

    Adi doing math homework on a saturday night
    Manuel
    shouldn’t go back for an 8th slice of Gooey Butter Cake, but I just might.

    Cindy this land is your land still makes me cry
    Maitreya
    Merry Christmas to me. Sigh.

    Related hamblink: Recent Facebook status updates made to sound like poetry

  • Mock Bizarre

    I have been sewing so much I have Craft Hand. Why all the sewyness? Well, this:

    Mock Orange at the Winter Bazaar!

    The Mock Orange Etsy site is also refreshed with some new merch, and there’ll be more to come after the 6th.

    And! After the 6th, I will be offering a special sale to my friends — that means you. I’ll release the deets after I get through this Bazaar (which I’m not only participating in but also organizing and what exactly happened to my vow about a low-stress December?)

    I want to say a special thank you to my right hand woman — my own Craft Monkey, Shana. She’s been unbelievably kind and helpful these past few weeks, giving me rides, helping me set up at the last show, cutting fabric, lettering signs (she is super talented) and grommeting her little paws off. All while wearing the Crafting Bonnet I make her wear:

    Goody Brenion

    Keep thee grommeting or I shall whip you, Goodwife!

    Oh! You may not know that I’m on Twitter as two different people: as hambox (where I bitch and moan and also am drunk sometimes and talk about food and stuff); and as beckycraftbox (where I only talk about crafty stuff). Go ahead and find me! Then love me! LOVE ME!!