8/31/2004 10:23:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Had lunch for the first time today at the lovely Globe Market. Thank goodness for dating. I can't afford this place right now. (Not that it's outrageously expensive...I just can't afford much more than the 99 cent menu at Burger King) Er, anyway, the food was delicious. I also had a tasty Ginger Ale. The girl who took our order was new, so it was a little bit slow, but definitely worth the wait. After lunch, R and I walked across the street to Spot to grab some coffee/tea and a treat to go. I had the chai latte. Yummmm... Then I headed out to the college for my first class. Took care of getting the parking pass, ID, and getting my copies made. I let them go in under 30 minutes today...just did the introduction, here's the syllabus, any questions spiel. We'll get down to real work on Thursday. I have 22 students, and there didn't appear to be any real troublemakers among them. ;) In other news, been listening to some of this. Hee! |W|P|109399895231688682|W|P|Happy Buffalo Day|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/31/2004 07:35:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|How could I have forgotten...my little brother (who works here) met President Clinton yesterday! I kid you not. Actually got to shake his hand and everything. I'm jealous, but not nearly as jealous as my aunt...who recently said, while intoxicated, "I'd sleep with Bill Clinton. No, I wouldn't. But I'd like to hang out with him. No....I'd sleep with him."|W|P|109399914952867576|W|P|Hail to the chief|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/30/2004 03:36:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Let me join Jennifer in congratulating our dear friend Karen and her husband Morten who just welcomed baby Marcus into the world! Click on the link for photos. He's adorable. So are they. :) Congratulations, my friends...|W|P|109389829945016268|W|P|It's a boy!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/30/2004 02:31:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|My fuel cap is missing. I haven't the first clue how this happened. My car has a fuel door, which opens via a latch on the inside of the car. The only thing I can figure is that it wasn't replaced during the trip to Erie on my birthday weekend. The next time I went to get gas, it was gone. So I've been driving around without it for two weeks, although I've only been aware of it for one. My check engine light is on, presumably because of emissions or some crap like that. I went to AutoZone on Friday, asked for assistance. The kind sales clerk typed the make, model and year of my car into the computer, and came back with a replacement fuel cap. Great. Problem is, it didn't fit. Thinking they had perhaps given me the wrong one, I returned and attempted to exchange it. I was told that it was the right one. I took my money back and grumbled "Thank you." So then I went to Pep Boys. I found their replacement fuel caps in the aisle, but of course had no idea which one would work for me. I grabbed one, took it to the counter, and asked for help. The kind sales clerk typed the make, model and year of my car into the computer. He looked quizzically at the result, and typed again. "Looks like (name of company) doesn't make one for your car." Huh? "Are you sure?" "Yep. Sorry. Try the dealer." *grumble* "Thank you." On a lark, I decided to stop by little unknown car parts shop. (It was on the way...) Same story. My car is not at all unusual or uncommon. (Rhymes with Heavy Chisolm.) So what? It's some vast conspiracy? I told R the story, and he said "It's times like this that it pays to have friends who work at the city dump." Unfortunately, I do not. Grrr....so now I have to continue driving around, emitting nasty toxins (which is 'dangerous to you, your car and the environment') until I get around to getting overcharged by the dealer. Great. Think I can cover the fuel opening with duct tape? |W|P|109388354050501309|W|P|Erin-go-blog and the Mystery of the Missing Fuel Cap|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/29/2004 08:20:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|It's been a very good weekend. Spent Friday evening with R...dinner at one of those "stuff on the wall" places. Am becoming braver in my food ventures in that R ordered salmon, and I accepted a taste when it was offered. And I liked it...well, but for the fact that it wasn't seasoned well (read: not at all). So I wouldn't order it at this particular restaurant, but I will definitely be trying it at some other place. I had a mediocre chicken caesar salad. I prefer my caesar dressing creamy. The two drunk men at the booth adjacent to ours became our new best friends. Upon overhearing R confuse Ann and Nancy Wilson in a conversation we were having about Cameron Crowe, Drunk Guy #1 interjected with a correction. Later, when I went to the ladies room, R was sucked into a conversation with Drunk Guy #2, who lives and works in LA as a screenwriter. They offered to buy us drinks, but we politely declined. When I came back, we did the whole introduction thing, and I had to laugh at Drunk Guy #2's reaction to R's name. "You mean like McNally?" hee! We left at the first convenient moment (these guys could have gone on all night...). I did have one kind of sad moment...I was having a conversation with R about him being the guy who knows random crap like the name of the bass player for the Scorpions (it's Lothar Heimberg. Seriously. It's freakish.), and I said, out loud, "It's really too bad we don't talk to our friend K anymore. She'd like you." She would. It's too bad. Anyway... He gave me two more of his band's CDs to listen to...one of them is a rock opera about monkeys. No, I'm not kidding. I'm dating a guy who has written a rock opera about monkeys. ;) We watched "Shanghai Noon," which is far funnier than it has a right to be. I just may become an Owen Wilson fan myself... He invited me to a little get-together his friend T was having at his house on Saturday...this friend is kind of like his Jen. They met freshman year of college, and have been tight ever since. I was very, very happy to accept the invitation. He picked me up on Saturday and we headed to the dinner party. I was nervous, of course, but his friends were kind and gracious and nothing short of wonderful. The moment we arrived, T shook my hand and said "I know you're Erin. I saw your picture on the world wide web!" T, who also has an English-type background, asked me questions about what I do, etc. I explained that I have certification to teach secondary English, but haven't found a "real" teaching job yet. He asked me where I got my certification and was surprised to learn that I went to the very school where he and R both work. I never saw either one of them, as far as I can recall. Weird, eh? I told him where I work, and about the teaching gig, and R interjected, "She's also a writer." That made me smile. I learned that one of the other guests is a teacher at St. Mary's...the music teacher. It was his class I was subbing for when the girl jumped out the window. We had a laugh about that. After dinner, we played Cranium. (I'd never played before...what a ridiculously fun game!) We played guys against girls and the girls kicked ass. Whoo! When we left, R's friends invited us to come back any time. T's wife hugged me. When we got into the car, I asked R if he thought I "passed." "Oh come on," he said. "I wasn't even a little bit concerned about that." :)|W|P|109382092479975780|W|P|Weekend highlights|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/28/2004 11:43:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Check out this site: JohnKerryIsADouchebagButImVotingForHimAnyway Have fun!|W|P|109371149872471875|W|P|Because 'douchebag' is a fun word|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/27/2004 05:05:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Well, at least five of them. Okay, here they are...the much-anticipated answers to the questions from Annabel Lee. Wanna play? Send me an email or leave a comment. Enjoy! :) 1. What's in your stereo right now, and what does that say about you? These days, I do most of my music listening either in my car or on iTunes. In my car right now is the brand-new live recording of Lowest of the Low's recent concert in Buffalo. (this also happens to be what's most frequently playing on iTunes...) What this says about me? Other than the fact that I have a thing for indie rockers from Canada? It says that I like my music to have meaning, feeling, resonance. It also says that I enjoy a good concert enough to want to keep reliving the moment. 2. What's the best present you've ever given or received? This is a hard one. I think that, quite possibly the best present I've ever given was to my college boyfriend, K. The first Christmas we were together, I hand-colored and lettered the lyrics to "Storybook Love" from The Princess Bride and framed it for him. He was just enough of a cheeseball to think that was a great gift. Also, I once ordered a DVD of assboy's favorite band and surprised him with it, completely out of the blue, for no special reason. I was pretty proud of that. Received? Well, everything I got for my birthday this year (including the surprises!) has to be near the top of the list. I've never had so many thoughtful, meaningful gifts given to me all at once. 3. If you could live anyone else's life for one day -- living, dead, or fictional -- who would it be, and why? (And what day, if there's a particular day you'd choose?) Oh, there are so many ways to go with this one...but I think I'm going to go with shallow fictional fun. I'd love to be Thursday Next and have the chance to live inside Book World for a day. Imagine...hanging out with Hamlet, visiting Middle Earth, tessering across the universe with Meg and Charles Wallace. Yeah, I could get behind that. 4. What is the most out-of-character thing you've ever done? Oh, that would be the time that I surprised Country Boy by showing up at his band's gig after he stood me up and offered no logical explanation. Full details are available here. 5. Congratulations! You're winning an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, or a Tony. Which one, and for what? An Oscar for Best Original Screenplay? Or maybe a Grammy for Song of the Year (which would, of course, be co-written with someone who has actual musical talent. I'm a words girl.). It would definitely have to be a writing award...I don't sing, nor do I see myself acting in that kind of capacity. Maybe if they gave awards for karaoke.... |W|P|109363386287144709|W|P|I have all the answers|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/27/2004 11:25:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I went to bed early last night and slept like a rock. That felt good... I had my interview yesterday, which I think went quite well. The job is, um, unusual. If hired, I would be working for a local search engine company in their relevancy department. This would involve a number of different tasks...editing and proofreading titles and descriptions for websites, actually writing the titles and descriptions for the client, if they desire, writing a small amount of ad copy. But the biggest part of the job is reviewing sites for relevancy to the keywords they've selected. I had to complete a short test, reviewing four sites for relevancy to the keyword "books." I had to comment on the relevancy, comment on the content of the titles and descriptions, and finally, write a pretend email to one of the clients explaining why or why not "books" would be a good keyword for them to use. I feel like I saw a movie where someone had this type of a job. Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? It was a female character, and she had a conversation with a male character about occasionally having to review adult sites at work. Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? Please tell me I'm not going crazy! I've decided to join in the 5 questions game, and I will be working on the questions posed to me by Annabel Lee. I hope to post them later today. Watch for them! (Check out her site...anyone using Poe as the theme of their blog is cool by me!) And finally, I have a question for my faithful readers. Yesterday, I received an invitation to the wedding of a couple of good friends. The wedding is on October 9. I am thinking that I would like to ask R to accompany me...it seems too early to bring it up just yet, but I don't want to wait too long...he's a busy guy, and is likely to make plans if I don't bring it up soon enough. RSVP date is September 18. What do you think?|W|P|109361317676494881|W|P|A question of relevancy|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/26/2004 11:26:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So the meeting of Jen and R went quite swimmingly, I must say...when we left to go grab a bite to eat, he said, "Jen is very cool. I can see why you two are such good friends. She really brings you out." Aww... R also got positive reviews from Jen. :) So yeah, I'm not really sure what I was so worried about...other than the fact that it's kind of a "step." We're still in that ambiguously undefined territory, enjoying whatever it is that we've got going, but still not quite naming it. Which, actually, is okay with me. It's fielding the questions from others that's the hard part. Jen was on the phone with John when we came home, and Jen had apparently (I think) referred to R as my "friend." And John wanted to know if he was "just a friend." I didn't have a response to offer. I just smiled, and probably blushed a little. Well...definitely more than "just a friend." I think we've effectively established that fact... This man is completely unlike anyone I've ever dated before. Ever. And this is, I think, a very, very good thing. He's intelligent, witty, charming. He makes me laugh. He inspires me. He makes me feel beautiful. Every moment I spend with him, I learn a little bit more about him. I like what I'm learning, and I want to learn more...|W|P|109352685445513438|W|P|You say he's just a friend|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/25/2004 03:26:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Sadly, no. Wheat-allergic girl denied communion BRIELLE, New Jersey (AP) -- An 8-year-old girl who suffers from a digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Roman Catholic doctrine. Jen and I caught this article on Sunday (or maybe it was Saturday? not important) and I meant to make mention of it, but it slipped my mind until today. I believe my exact words were "You have GOT to be kidding me." More quotes: "This is not an issue to be determined at the diocesan or parish level, but has already been decided for the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world by Vatican authority," Trenton Bishop John M. Smith said in a statement last week. "This is a church rule, not God's will, and it can easily be adjusted to meet the needs of the people, while staying true to the traditions of our faith," Pelly-Waldman wrote in the letter. This is exactly the sort of thing that is going to send people fleeing from the Catholic church. It's ludicrous.|W|P|109345482856338778|W|P|Are they kidding with this?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/25/2004 03:03:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Today is the day that the date meets the roommate! It's kind of like meeting the parents, except not really. ;) It occurs to me that I've never really had to "introduce" anyone to her before...in college, K was kind of part of our "group" before he was my boyfriend. And of course assboy, she knew him before I did, was there when I met him, and encouraged me to date him. She was there when I met vacation guy from New Jersey...and in fact facilitated that meeting. ("Hi. I saw you checking out my friend. You should go talk to her." I'm not making this up.) Any others have been either so insignificant or short-lived that they didn't warrant meeting...or WAAAAY back when, happened over the summer (in college) when we didn't see each other on a regular basis. So this is an entirely new experience for me...|W|P|109345346021647413|W|P|Big day today|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/24/2004 02:34:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|No, there is too much. Let me sum up. Okay, questions on this front...I put up the post linking to the article about men being dumb and cowardly in dating situations. (Confronting a woman is scary!) Stephanie commented that she is "so happy to have Matt. happyhappyhappyhappy etc." I, upon reading the comment, said (out loud) "Oh, that's cute. With nary a hint of sarcasm, bitterness, eye-rolling, etc. This was the part that surprised my lovely roommate. ;)|W|P|109336534307563288|W|P|Let me 'splain....|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/24/2004 11:43:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Heard a bit of "Tom Sawyer" on the radio on my drive in this morning. I really, really don't like Rush. Had a phone interview yesterday with an internet search engine company. I have a live interview on Thursday. It's a weird job, but it's full time with full benefits. This makes it attractive. Jen is going to meet R tomorrow (!). Late last night, when I read Stephanie's comment on my last post, I said "oh, that's cute!" Jen expressed her shock at this, which led me to wonder if I'm really that transparent... Got some news yesterday that could be some cause for concern...I don't want to talk about it too much, yet, but your thoughts/prayers would be much appreciated. (It doesn't involve me, directly, but someone very close to me...)|W|P|109335520036290820|W|P|Random Tuesday morning thoughts:|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/24/2004 12:59:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Go here. (Washingtonpost.com requires sign-in. It's free.)|W|P|109331644550297270|W|P|Written proof that men really are pussies...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/23/2004 04:27:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with a staunch pro-life couple for a story in our upcoming "Respect Life" supplement. These are the days when I realize that I cannot do this job for long. Every fiber of my being cries out against it. They were nice people, really. They invited me into their home for the interview and ordered pizza. They were nothing but kind and courteous. But seriously, these folks are more Catholic than the freakin' Pope. Upon my first few moments with them, I learned that the wife home schools their 3 school-age boys while also caring for an infant. Of course she does. Send them to (gasp!) school? The angle on this story is that these two make a monthly pilgrimage to the big city for a novena at one of the local churches...they pray the rosary, then process down to the women's clinic for some quiet protest. I brought the photos to our photographer for scanning. He looked at them, and said "Ah, the Main Street Crazies." Indeed. The one thing I can say in their favor is that at least they are quiet protestors. These aren't the people screaming obscenities, or holding up giant fetus signs, or shooting doctors. They're quietly loony. Before we began the interview, they handed me two typed sheets of their "thoughts." I started reading, and just wanted to scream. Here's a sample" It is interesting how the prophesy of Fatima is becoming a reality. It was foretold that the evils of Russia would spread throughout the world. In fact, Russia was the first country to legalize abortion. Lenin directed many of his attacks toward family life...Lenin hated religion...it looks very much like the liberal agenda in our country today. Unfortunately, the majority of Catholics are sleeping and do not see the evil of the ultra-liberal politicians, who are getting a free ride from liberal media. (yep. that nasty liberal media again...) It is very critical that we elect pro-life and pro-family politicians to the office so that we can protect not only traditional marriage and the lives of the most innocent, but also elect God-fearing judges. Otherwise OUR FREEDOMS WILL BE TAKEN AWAY by rulings like Massachusetts made recently on gay marriages. (emphasis mine. I fail to see how anyone's freedoms are infringed upon by allowing gay couples the same rights as straight ones...but that's just me.) Contraception closes the door to God and hardens hearts. We need to acknowledge this important fact. Priests should not be afraid to preach on this subject. (Hi there. My name's Erin, and I'm on birth control. Pleased to meet you.) There's not enough orthodoxy preached in the pulpit. The priests are afraid. I wonder where the whole of the Catholic church (the body of the Church, that is...not the controlling entities) stand on these issues. Do most people believe as this couple believes, or are there more people who feel as I do? Will the American Catholic church remain intact, or is there a split on the horizon? Or, will the disillusioned Catholics end up dropping off, leaving the Church in search of something else...something more progressive, less tied to the past? And if that happens, I wonder who will be left...I suspect it will be a lot of rosary-clutching old women and a smattering of people like this couple.|W|P|109328570996477040|W|P|Just like a prayer|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/23/2004 02:09:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|What I had for lunch today: a peanut butter sandwich a snack-size bag of Doritos a pudding cup Yep. I'm ten years old... |W|P|109327742657637134|W|P|Embracing my inner child|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/22/2004 12:10:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|What a lovely weeekend it's been... Starting with Lowest of the Low on Friday night (fabulous show. Read Jen's recap for more info.) My Lawrence shaved his mustache and was looking as adorable as ever...more the clean-cut boyish look than his normal scruffy look. It's all right. I like both. ;) And oh, his eyes... The opening band was a lot of fun. The singer was completely insane. Dancing around and doing crazy guitar things. His voice sounded a wee bit like Morrissey, I thought. The drummer was the most happy, energetic drummer I've ever seen. And I thought the bass player was kinda cute. (Jen thought he resembled Andy Dick. I had to disagree, as I hate Andy Dick.) Uh, anyway, visit them at The Marble Index. Yesterday, Jen and I wandered down our block, which was having a block sale. I bought a skirt and a sweater from the lady across the street for $1 each. Man, wish I'd gone out earlier. She had great clothes. Then we wandered down Elmwood for subs and an afternoon of reading, perusing, journaling at Caffe Arroma/Talking Leaves. Last night, after nearly falling asleep on the couch, I got up to get ready for bed and was sidetracked by Simba, who was curled up on Jen's feet and just screaming "pet me!" Simba really was the perfect name for him. He's so very regal. I finally tore myself away and went into my bedroom, where I had planned on going immediately to sleep. But instead, I saw one of the books that the boy (I'll call him R) got me for my birthday...the comic...sitting there by my bed and I decided to read it. It was adorable. Seriously. Check it out: Chances are... Today we have a friend's bridal shower. And then, I have lots of work to do. I need ot write a syllabus... OH! Yeah. I went to the evil tutoring place yesterday to pick up my check and schedule. And there was no schedule. I'm assuing this means they didn't put me on the schedule this week, which was what, I thought, was going to be my last week. Whatever. I'll manage without the $40 I would have made. :P |W|P|109318402225495667|W|P|Beautiful Buffalo weekend|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/20/2004 02:32:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Yesterday, while perusing the many fluffy girly magazines at Borders, I was paging through the latest issue of Cosmo. (side note, I have a rant in the works about my annoyance at what I call "Cosmo-speak." look for it soon.) I stopped whatever I was reading, looked at Jen and said "Is the readership for this magazine getting younger, or are we just getting old?" Does anyone else feel this way? Has it changed? I remember my mom reading Cosmo when I was young, and she was around my age at the time. But I feel positively ancient when reading Cosmo. Where's the magazine for the single gal in her (ahem) 30s? I mean, I know Cosmo still tries to reach me, but early 20s to early 30s is just way too far of a spread. I have little in common with the just-out-of-college girls. There's Redbook, but Redbook is very much for the married-but-still-flirty and fabulous set. So where's my magazine? I'm out here, publishing world. Someone speak to me!|W|P|109301959171431013|W|P|Signs of old age setting in?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/19/2004 03:46:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Yeah, so it's gray and rainy and yucky outside. And yeah, I'm stuck at work with too much to do and little will to do it. And yeah, stupid tutoring job cancelled my shift for tonight. (again) But I don't care. I have lots of things to smile about. :)|W|P|109293763149681827|W|P|It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/18/2004 04:18:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Let me count the ways.... I'm not talking about my not-ready-for-full-time newspaper job. I'm talking about my piddly, hardly-worth-my-time tutoring job. I put in my notice last week. I'll be starting the teaching gig, and really, really don't have time for it. And besides...it's awful. When I first started, I was being scheduled between 8 and 12 hours a week, sometimes more. This ws overwhelming at times, but the money was...decent. As summer came, the hours started to creep backwards. This week, I have 7. And that's high. But it's a darn good thing I only have 7, because I despise being there. I loathe it. Some backstory...there are three distinct areas of instruction. Verbal (or "floor"), math, and one-on-one. When I first trained, I was only trained to be a floor teacher. This suited me just fine. I worked with older students (generally grade 5 and up) and didn't have to go anywhere near math. I worked with anywhere from 2 to 4 students at a time, and it was good. I can't say I *loved* it or anything, but it really wasn't a bad job at all. But then they started cutting hours. And then they wanted to train me to do one-on-one instruction. I said fine, maybe it would get me more hours. What I didn't expect was that they would switch me to doing ONLY one-on-one. This means I'm working with younger kids, for starters. (There is a very good reason that my certification is in secondary ed. 6-year-olds and I do NOT get along well in an instructional setting. It makes me want to tear my hair out. I'm not good at it. I don't know how to be effective teaching young children. And I'm not.) And then there's the hours. They would schedule me for shifts, and then cancel them. Send me home early. Ask me to stay later. But this, this was the kicker... In order to be a good little employee and help out, I rearranged my schedule so I could be available to take shifts on Wednesday mornings. I said, very specifically, that my availability was from 9 until NOON. Noon. Period. I have to get to my other job by 12:30 so that I can still get 4 hours in. I thought this was a more-than-generous gesture on my part. Last week, there was a message left for me at home. "We were just wondering if you'd be able to stay until 1 on Wednesday. If I don't hear from you, I'll just assume this is all right. Um, you people know what happens when you assume, right? So I called back to say that it was not, in fact, all right. And THEN, this week, they actually scheduled me until 12:30. Again, I called and explained that I cannot stay until 12:30. Because my availability is only until NOON. Seriously. How hard is that to understand? One more week. One more week. One more week... And the kicker? I'll make nearly twice as much money teaching ONE course at the community college. Two days a week (plus prep time, of course).|W|P|109285318996889359|W|P|How do I hate thee, job?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/16/2004 02:30:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Festivities actually began (unofficially) Friday night with a lovely date. (That's date #6, for anyone keeping track...) I know, I'm being a bit tight-lipped about this whole business, but all in good time... ;) We went out for dinner at a cozy little Italian place. Good food, even better dessert (Tiramisu. mmmm....). He got me some incredibly thoughtful birthday gifts, which was a big surprise to me...I certainly didn't expect anything! I arrived home to a big surprise...my friend Shannon and her boyfriend Craig from Boston had come into town late Friday to spend the weekend! I had no idea they were coming... We got ready and headed out to Erie, where we met up with my friends Jen and Tim from Cleveland for lunch at Max & Erma's. (I know a lot of Jennifers and a lot of Stephanies. it gets confusing...). We had a nice visit, and they had the waitstaff bring cake and sing to me. After lunch, I met up with Eden and baby Zoe for a too-brief but very nice visit at Borders. Came back to the apartment, which my friend Susan and her boyfriend Todd had decorated while we were out. My friend Caren was waiting there to meet us (also a surprise. I had no idea she was coming...). We all visited and chatted and had a few drinks (Jen created the 30-tini...a concoction of raspberry vodka, Sprite, fruit juice and raspberry schnapps) and several jello shots before heading to South Buffalo for the Jackdaw show. Our dear friends Stephanie and a couple of HER friends met us there. I saw some of the people I know from the Jackdaw shows...one of them bought me a shot. A number of them expressed great surprise at my age, which is always fun. ;) I got a happy birthday wish from the band, and I danced up a storm! Heard lots of the new music, which (as I suspected) was even better live! OH! and a big thank-you needs to go out to the band for playing "Sorry Again." Mmmm...happy birthday to me! On Saturday, we went out to Caren's house...she and her husband Chris hosted a little brunch for me, where my parents were waiting to surprise me! That was nice. Our friends Rachel and Brian came out too. Tim and Dayna weren't able to make it, but they sent yummy potatoes (Dayna...recipe??) and fun gifts. My friends pooled resources to by me a whole bunch of used books, helping to build the future-English-teacher library! I also got some great gifts from my family, including a bunch of "inner child" type gifts...crayons, a slinky, play-doh, pez. That was fun. :) Oh, and I did get a couple of chances to win the trip to Ireland. *fingers crossed* I know I've said this a lot, but thank you all so much. I feel so loved!|W|P|109267425839083855|W|P|The great birthday recap...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/15/2004 09:37:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Yes, the hangover has lifted...and now I must offer my thanks to all who helped make the birthday weekend a rousing success. First and foremost, to Jen for making it all happen. I love you! To all of my friends who traveled to share the weekend with me, and to all those who were here in spirit. (Jen did a wonderful job of the individual shout-outs here.) Thank you all!! To my mom and dad, for making the trip up and surprising me. I have an amazing family and the best friends a girl could ask for. I also have the promise of really, really good things on the horizon...I guess I'm a pretty lucky gal. Oh, and to Jeff, from the Jackdaw show who told me I was "the hottest 30-year-old ever." Thanks for making my night. I wish I could bottle that shot of self-esteem and bring it out when I need it! ;) And thanks to the boys, of course, for a rockin' show. I danced my little heart out...and we even converted a few new fans! Oh, and got to spend a little time with Eden and Baby Z on Saturday! Thanks for coming out. :) Individual, personal thank yous will be on their way soon...but for now, thank you all for making this a special birthday indeed. I guess 30's not so bad... ;)|W|P|109261392272529402|W|P|A big, giant thank you|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/15/2004 01:40:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|But maybe not quite so loud....until later... details to follow. Happy birthday to me! :)|W|P|109258446499930086|W|P|Live your life and live it *LOUD*|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/13/2004 03:33:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Almost the weekend. Almost the birthday. Game on. ;)|W|P|109241846713919547|W|P|Gotta get with the party plan|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/13/2004 01:23:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So I got another email from the ex yesterday. You know...the college boyfriend. The one who's now married and born-again. It is good to know that he's doing okay. I've satisfied any curiosity I had. (I thought there was a remote possibility he could be gay. Apparently not. Or maybe just in deep denial...who knows...but not my problem.) But I don't want it to become a "thing." Especially a "thing" that would bother his wife. Here's one little tidbit from the message: Anyway....I'm really glad to know that you're not as you said harboring any bad feelings. I still feel bad about how things ended up and I wish things had turned out differently...at least I wish I had handled things differently if nothing else. I guess one of my problems has always been handling confrontations appropriately. I don't know...I am glad that we can talk a little now at least. You're a great person and you should be happy. Be pickey...you can afford to be...find a good guy before you settle down with him.... Er. Yeah. Let me just share with you all that he could not have possibly handled the situation any worse. He behaved like a coward and a weenie, and he should feel bad about that. It's been so long, and I've changed so much. I read his email now, and it's like a stranger wrote it. I really have no idea who he is anymore. And that, I suppose, is how it should be. But all in all, it just reinforces what I've known for quite some time now...that we were not meant to be together, that I would not have been happy with him in the long run, and that he is not what I need. (what do I need? well, that's another conversation entirely...) But what we had was good once. It was exactly what I needed at the time, and it's nice to remember that with a smile.|W|P|109241072012944832|W|P|We're all carried along by the river of dreams...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/13/2004 12:58:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|In light of recent annoying events...thanks to Carbon Leaf for lifting my spirits: My name is Luck, this is my song I happened by when you were gone. Oh well... I apologize that I could not stay But I hope good things swing your way I know they will...here's your horseshoe So best of luck to you From the stable running brave From the cradle to the grave This my day, this is my song I am alive...what can go wrong? If we're on our way--oh, ok, let me know If we're on our way--oh, ok, then let's go My name is Hope, Luck just ran out He said he'd return without a doubt (ah, but don't you believe him) Oh, I happen to have a message from Love She told me she knows what you've been dreaming of My name is Hope, this is my song. When things go wrong From the stable running brave From the cradle to the grave This my day, this is my song I am alive...what can go wrong? If we're on our way--oh, ok, let me know If we're on our way--oh, ok, then let's go Through the windswept countryside Across the great divide From the stable running brave From the cradle to the grave This is my day, this is my song As long as I'm alive what can go wrong? If we're on our way--oh, ok, let me know If we're on our way--oh, ok, then let's go |W|P|109236614966379894|W|P|This is my song!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/12/2004 02:34:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I think it can be considered a good date when you come home with the smell of him still lingering on your clothes. And you smile...|W|P|109232848893356479|W|P|A good date|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/12/2004 02:32:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Newspapers are in trouble because the public perceives journalists as being more liberal than the average American. This view is based on a survey showign that in the 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush, 86 percent of newspaper journalists--a much higher percentage than the general population--voted for Stalin.|W|P|109232842897046499|W|P|Dave Barry is my hero.|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/12/2004 11:55:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Okay, so anyone who knows me knows that I procrastinate. Always. I arrive at work this morning with about 3 stories on my plate that I need to complete by tomorrow. I learn that the Pope has named a new bishop for the diocese. This completely screws with my day. Gaaaaaaaaaaah. Things I need to do: 1. Finish stories I've been working on. 2. Do new bishop-related stories I've been assigned. 3. Find someplace to replace my tire and do a rear-wheel alignment This means that I should do more working and less blogging...|W|P|109231900754970147|W|P|Nightmare day|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/12/2004 01:11:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I just heard a car driving by my apartment blasting "Rosy and Grey," which reminded me that I hadn't posted my Motel 30 quote. So there ya go. :) Interesting that I was just listening to Carbon Leaf in the car, and this line from "Let Your Troubles Roll By" jumped out and smacked me in the head: You don't mind where you are 'cause you know where you've been. I like that. It's been a helluva day. Another bleeping flat tire. I'm driving around on the donut right now, but that's not going to last for long. On the plus side, it DID inspire me to finally join AAA. Gr.|W|P|109228047965263309|W|P|Some kind of new-age Ponce de Leon|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/11/2004 01:51:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I just finished Dave Barry Slept Here. It is among the funniest things I have ever read. Ever. Jen was not kidding. I really did laugh every 2.7 seconds. Many thanks to the Ontario Emperor for bringing this one to my attention |W|P|109219646029033056|W|P|*snort*|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/10/2004 11:11:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I spent Saturday hanging out with my high school friends, which was very good...I haven't seen them all in one place since Sonya got married last summer. (interesting side note...at that time, one of them said "Erin, you have to do this next year so we can all get together again." um. yeah.) So Jennifer had a party at her house, and we all gathered... We had a nice time talking, catching up, reminiscing. Getting to know the friends' babies. It struck me as noteworthy how much we are all in completely different places. Jodi's been married for quite a while and has three children. Janel has been married probably about as long, but hasn't been able to get pregnant. Ginger's been married for two years, to the guy she started dating about four months before the wedding, and has a baby. Kim, who also has a baby, is with the father but not married to him. Jennifer, our fair hostess, is sharing a house (HIS house) with the guy she's been on and off with since we were seniors in high school. (They've been ON for about the past 4 years, solidly, but he shows no sign of offering a real commitment...) They have two dogs. Like me, Tracy and Vicki are single. Tracy's been teaching in Maryland for four years and is looking to buy a town house. She moved there to be with her then-boyfriend, whom she is no longer with, but he apparently calls her every now and then to suggest that they get married. (what? head case.) Vicki just moved away from home and is doing the whole single-gal-in-her-own-apartment thing. And me...well...you already know about me. ;) We watched entertaining and highly embarrassing videos. Me playing a parrot in the girl scout play, for example. Seventh grade gymnastics. (Erin falling off the beam. hee.) Pee wee football cheerleading. We talked about our lives, about being 30, about where we are and where we thought we'd be... I entertained myself by interjecting, frequently, "I'm not 30 yet!" But seriously...it was great to reconnect like that. These are people I've known, for the most part, since second grade. We've been through a lot together, good and bad, and it's nice to know that still means something. (By the way, Dancing in Heaven was a huge hit....) |W|P|109218760645441548|W|P|This one's for the girls|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/10/2004 10:55:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|To Logan's Dave for the very cool birthday CD. Highlights: The title (erin-go-birthday!) Rock Me Amadeus The theme from Greatest American Hero Karma Chameleon Let's Go All the Way My Prerogative Funky Cold Medina Oh, and Dave's liner notes rock. ETA: Just listened all the way through. The best part, by far, is the closing. Excellent. Thank you! :) |W|P|109218589965914196|W|P|My heartfelt thanks |W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/10/2004 10:51:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Actual subject lines of spam in my inbox today: this is the best denumerable stack gains of 33% mulberry nostrand dont laugh you need it waterfront burnham there is nothing as good as this crunch pitchblende yeah. because those are going to fool me.... DIE SPAMMERS! |W|P|109218566545434696|W|P|not this time viscount bergstrom|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/10/2004 01:47:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|As I said yesterday, the countdown's on...so each day, there will be one Motel 30 quote for your reading pleasure. You can see the full lyrics here. Motel 30 is a desperate shout And if you check in then you'll never check out You feel like a hound, you look like a pup And if you let it get you down then you'll never get up.|W|P|109210988649161964|W|P|If you let it get you down, you'll never get up|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/09/2004 06:04:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|You're the Cheshire Cat!
You're the Cheshire Cat. Your mysterious aura and
your penchant for riddles keep your friends
guessing. You dislike staying too long in any
one place. Your advice is always sound, if
somewhat enigmatic. The sum total of this is
that people are always following you and you
just WANT TO GET AWAY!

Which famous feline are you?
brought to you by Quizilla |W|P|109208225802151860|W|P|Interesting...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/09/2004 02:20:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So Jen and I went to see Taming of the Shrew in Delaware Park last night. Short review? Paul Todaro was magnificent as Petruchio. Seriously. He can tame me any time he wants. ;) There were too many utterly hilarious moments to recount them all, but this one was perhaps the best live theater moment ever. Petruchio is giving his little soliloquy about taming Katherine. He utters the line "If there is anyone who knows better how to tame a shrew (or something of the like) let him speak." At that moment, a baby near the front of the stage lets out a cry. Everyone laughs. Paul Todaro looks directly at the baby. Everyone laughs harder. He can't hold it in; he breaks character and laughs along. I could. not. breathe. Too funny. "Taming of the Shrew," by the way, always makes me think of that episode of "Moonlighting." Anyone know if those are available on DVD? They should be....|W|P|109206847662587616|W|P|This shrew needs a-tamin'|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/09/2004 11:48:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I have many stories to share from the weekend, but here's a quick and (I think) amusing one... I was driving through the downtown area of my hometown with my mom yesterday. We saw a Chevy pickup truck parked near the Diamond (the center of town). On the front of the truck was a bug shield with the word "Rebel" prominently displayed. There was also a confederate flag license plate plaque. On the back window, there were two stickers. "Charlton Heston is my president"? nope. "Guns, God, and country"? huh uh. Not one, but TWO stickers: John Kerry for president, 2004 I kid you not. Oh, what I would have given for a digital camera.|W|P|109205934000184555|W|P|He's a rebel|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/08/2004 10:46:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So much to say...so much that will have to wait until tomorrow. One week!|W|P|109202324049464366|W|P|The fuse is short, the countdown's on....|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/06/2004 02:48:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I finally finished Calling in The One last night. I was dangerously close to the 6-month mark. (If you haven't finished the course in six months, you may seriously want to evaluate your desire to yada yada yada...) I've been stuck on the last two lessons for weeks. Probably more like a month. But I finished them both last night. Yay for me. Introspection and self-awareness all over the damn place. (Yes, I'm being flip...but I am honestly glad to have done it. It was most helpful in exploring assboy-related issues, especially.) So what was it that motivated me? Perhaps remembering the "intention" that I set back whenever it was that I got to that lesson: to be in a loving, committed relationship by my birthday. Eek! (It was about four months ago, because I remember thinking "four months! Am I crazy?") Because as we all know, my birthday is but 9 days away... So the intention may have to be reevaluated. Or maybe not...who knows...|W|P|109181094916006405|W|P|Okay, where is he... :)|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/05/2004 10:27:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Listen up, smart computer people. I need assistance. All of my music is gone from the computer. Every single music file. I have no idea how this happened. (when doing a search for music, folders are still showing. But they are empty.) Jen tried to do a system restore, and the stupid computer tells us that nothing has changed. This is a damn lie. Send me an email if you have ANY idea how to fix this... ETA: Who's going to represent me when I get subpoenaed? Am I being paranoid?|W|P|109175215543778283|W|P|Help?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/05/2004 11:58:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Yesterday, Hilary at Superfluous Juxtaposition talked about first date outfits. Jen(nifer) waxed philosophical about her "first date skirt." At this very time, I was trying to decide what to wear on my own date. "Jen? I'm running out of shirts to wear on dates," I said. I have several "cute" tops. That is to say, tops that I will wear out, that I do not wear to work, and that are not t-shirts with the name of my favorite band printed on them. But only a few. So what do you do when this supply runs out? You're not comfortable enough yet with this person to repeat, and you're definitely not comfortable enough to wear those t-shirts. So what's a girl to do? I think shopping is the answer. Might be a short-term solution, but it doesn't address the bigger question...at what point is it okay to repeat? Does the repetition of outfits mean that it's (gulp) serious? And then I have to wonder...do men even notice this stuff? Do we obsess over what to wear only to find that it's completely irrelevant? After all, I remember that I was wearing a button-down yellow fleece when I met assboy, and despite the poor fashion choice, he still somehow fell for me. ;)|W|P|109171437091152014|W|P|Not-so-much Sex and the much smaller City|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/04/2004 06:54:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|You get messages like this: hi it is me *** i saw ur profiles and was hopeing u had the same id here., i am *** a crtified welder a professinal painter and a part time massussei, was hopeing we could chat soem times...i took the test and it said we were a exceptional perfect match, i just hope u agree,, urs awaiting *** p.s. i loved the pics, u r sooo cool funny and crazy out going, , i really hope this gets to u so we can talk, be friends and maybe a lot more..|W|P|109165301465010339|W|P|Why internet dating sites are fun|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/04/2004 03:00:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|It's raining. This is proof that God does not want Jen and me to go see "Taming of the Shrew" and meet Paul Todaro this evening. But, as Jen pointed out, this is probably a good thing...at least for her...as she has only slept about 4 hours in the past 48. (or something) She compounded the lack of sleep yesterday by taking Benadryl for her allergies, and let's just say that it's been a LONG time since I've seen her quite so...loopy. :) No news on the job front yet...although I noticed in yesterday's job finder that the charter school that interviewed me and definitely should have notified me either way by now is looking for a principal. That can't be a good sign... I also sent a letter of interest to one of the schools where I subbed last spring, and spoke to the superintendent's secretary on the phone. We shall see... Additionally, I see that a private business college is looking for a full time English instructor. Assboy taught at this school. How hard can it be?|W|P|109163884709651384|W|P|One less than beautiful day|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/03/2004 02:11:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Since mom (hi, mom!) has been bugging me about stuff I like/want/need, in relation to my birthday, I thought I would make a list. Sorry to say it won't have links or photos, because I am at work, and my. computer. sucks. :) If you are not someone looking for birthday ideas for me, you may kindly disregard this post. Candles. I love candles. Rocks-style drinking glasses. A cordless phone with caller id. Doritos. A trip to Ireland (kidding...). (link added by Jen) The stuff on my Amazon wish list. Aveda styling products. Tea. (Black: Earl Grey. Irish/English Breakfast. Darjeeling. etc.) Any of the stuff on this wish list (excepting, of course, the laptop...) Rocher hazelnut candy.|W|P|109154958076291234|W|P|Birthday goodies?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/03/2004 01:23:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Since my readership has been steadily growing the past couple of weeks (woohoo!), I'd like to point you in the direction of my irrelevant and pointless other blog, The Chronicles of 27 Why 27? Go here.|W|P|109154666135472253|W|P|Feel the power|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/03/2004 12:02:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Those wishing to lure undecideds and even to rally the base have no shortage of issues: The way the Iraq occupation has been managed, the stem cell debate, the infusion of religion into policy (or is it the other way around), our relationship with the international community, the two-steps back policies in the Middle East, Rummy's handling of Abu Ghraib, tax cuts for the wealthy, Bush's initial antipathy to the 9/11 commission and many other fact finding efforts, the verbal bluster when diplomacy is required, the education policy, the attacks on freedom of speech, the use of patriotism as wedge issue, the fact that Jessica Simpson thinks he's doing a good job. I can't stop laughing.|W|P|109154183364035908|W|P|Heehee...Electablog rules.|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/03/2004 11:51:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So I was on a date last night with a guy who is in the final stages of a divorce. We went out to dinner, and who should happen to be at the restaurant but...dum dum dum...his wife. His wife. I am not making this up. They've been legally separated for a year and at this point, it's just a matter of the final paperwork going through. They remain on amicable terms (although he did say "We'll see if that holds true after this." eek!). She and her friend were dining on the patio, and said she saw him walk by. So she stopped by the table to say hello on her way to the ladies' room. I'm betting she also wanted a closer look at me... He said, "I thought these things only happened in the movies." I said, "Well, if it didn't actually happen to people in real life, no one would write it into a movie..."|W|P|109154124383212312|W|P|Only in the movies?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/02/2004 11:31:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|It disturbs me that I kind of enjoy this song.|W|P|109150753374613482|W|P|Yeehaw...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/02/2004 11:01:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|"I knew I wanted to marry Dave after we had sex, and I still wanted to hang out and talk to him." (VH1 Celebrity Weddings) All together now...awwwww....|W|P|109150588543431858|W|P|Deep thoughts on love, from Carmen Electra|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/02/2004 11:53:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I believe I might have mentioned, at one time, the time I was driving in my car and listening to Jackdaw (Sorry Again, to be specific) and nearly ran my car off the road. Whew! Well today, on my way back to Buffalo, I was listening to Great Big Sea (Road Rage) and got so caught up in the music that I missed a turn. It wasn't such a big deal, as it's a "shortcut" turn and didn't really affect the trip. Sigh. Listening to that really set me in the mood to see those guys live again. There is just something about the sound of Alan Doyle's voice...|W|P|109146594081493394|W|P|Erin+Music+Driving=Bad|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com8/02/2004 02:14:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Thanks to Jen(nifer). :)|W|P|109142372788796082|W|P|Do ya got a fast car?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com