Halloween

It’s Halloween. Despite the number of hours left in the day, I feel like I’ve already missed it.

I usually do a bit of decorating, watch the few scary/slasher movies I can handle, catch TV specials, and do some Halloween reading. I haven’t had time to decorate, missed the Toy Story special both times it aired, haven’t read any of my favorite Halloween books, and forgot to watch my slasher movies.

On Halloween I usually go somewhere or do something. I went out last night and will be going out tomorrow so I don’t have the energy for 3 days in a row. I’m staying in this Halloween. I’ve been to other costume parties earlier this month but because of RenFest, that felt pretty normal to me.

Today was the first day I really got to feel Halloween-y and I don’t have enough time to enjoy it. I don’t have time to watch Identity and Sleepy Hollow (the movie), read The Gates or the giant Halloween anthology, and I’m not actually going anywhere tonight.

I think part of it was missing all the insane costumes on the Metro last weekend. I definitely missed some cool activities that would have put me in the spirit because I was off with The Boy. I don’t want to stop what I’m currently reading because I’m very into it. I may have to compensate and do some of this stuff in November or go very big next year.

Maybe watching a slasher movie at lunch would help or seeing my dogs in their costumes.

Music: Halloween by Aqua

About About Time

About Time is the story of Tim who discovers the men in his family can travel back in their own timelines and do things differently. Because most of these men aren’t big players in history, their actions haven’t had any major consequences for the larger world but that doesn’t mean consequences don’t happen to them.

I love that the protagonist is awkward, bumbling, and sweet. He’s not an action star or ridiculously good looking but a normal, dorky guy. I know guys like Tim and I was definitely rooting for him. He had this amazing power and used it wisely. The message was about the time we have and enjoying our lives which is a little hackneyed but was done differently enough that I liked it.

The words I keep coming back to are quiet and sweet. Tim had an ordinary life with an extraordinary thing he used in small ways. He had a wonderful family and used his ability to get the most out of them. A typical guy might be a little bored but most women will enjoy it. I’m not a romantic and I had a good time.

Also, anyone else find it odd that this is the second ‘moving in time’ movie Rachel McAdams has done? That plot line isn’t over done yet. I smell typecasting.

Music: Unconditionally by Katy Perry

Moving on Over

They moved my desk earlier this week. It consisted of the head of IT stopping by while he was in the area and saying I’d be moving, possibly that day but definitely sometime that week. After lunch a different IT came by and informed me I’d be moving right now.  

My previous location was in a department I did little work for and adjacent to The Favorite and her boss. It was helpful since I could always tell when she was either leaving early or wasn’t going to be in at all.

Now I’m closer to the department that makes up 90-95% of my workload just outside of my main manager’s office. I’m surrounded by coworkers who work for that department and do some of the same work. I suspect the move was partly because this is my department and partly to keep an eye on me.

While I’ve left behind the superior Jesus Freak on the tall cube wall, I’ve swapped her for a crazier Jesus fan on my short cube wall. One habit Crazy Jesus Lady has is to vocalize ~50% of her thoughts. Some of it is audible and some of it is indistinct mumbling but I’m finding it quite annoying. She sings less but talks more. I’m undetermined if this is an improvement.

There are also more people around. In my old corner I didn’t see a lot of action and got ignored a lot. That worked for me. Here has a lot more foot traffic. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Wedding Weekend

One of The Boy’s cousins got married last Friday. In was in upstate New York where most of his family is based. His mom has 10 siblings, 8 of whom have children. Most of those families are not only children families and many of those children are on to having kids of their own. As an only child who isn’t close to her extended family, that was a lot of people.

We crashed with his Uncle Joel and Aunt Monica. Their daughters Kim and Callie, around my age, still lived at home. They were incredibly kind and showed love as many families do, with food. Monica and Kim had very big personalities and enjoyed the company. The Boy’s sister older Bonnie and her son Marvin were staying with other relatives. His parents and other sister were staying at a nearby hotel.

The happy couple was Elle who was marrying Craig. Her parents were Aunt Anna, Uncle Marc, and Anna’ second husband whose name escapes me. Elle’s matron of honor was her sister Nina whose husband Dan was a groomsman. Dina was also a bridesmaid and her sisters, Vera and Sandy (plus her husband) were there. Randall played guitar, Bruce was a character, Cam was lovely, and Tony was there with his wife Kourtney and they are expecting a baby boy in a couple of months. Aunt Nora, Uncle Sam, Aunt Linda, Uncle Gordon, Aunt Beatrice were all very welcoming. Connor, Farrah, and Maya are all the youngest of the bunch not having hit high school yet.

If that sounds complicated factor in that I’m trying to remember enough real names to make up passable pseudonyms. All the real names are so damn normal it was hard to keep straight. There was even overlap between a blood uncle and one who married in. I was really hoping for a Gertrude or a Hamish.

I met most of them at the wedding which made it even more complicated to keep it all straight. I knew a few going in but Aunt Nina enjoyed hearing The Boy give me a who’s who before there ceremony started. Almost all the relatives knew me from Facebook since I regularly post pictures of our antics. I think the relatives who didn’t recognize me from FB were fewer than 5.

The ceremony included rings and hand fasting which is an ancient pagan tradition I love. The officiant was a woman which was also neat. The bouquet toss was rigged but I’m fine with that. A cousin I don’t think I met just got engaged and Callie will be moving in with her boyfriend in January so The Boy and I aren’t on the radar yet.

I wish I’d spent more than 5 minutes talking to Elle and Craig; I’m sure I would have liked them. They cut the cake with his grandfather’s military dress sword and Craig said “This is not the red wedding. You are all safe.” I looked at The Boy and said I’d marry him for his family.

I showed up with The Boy and I basically got a whole new set of relatives. Everyone was happy I was making The Boy happy and just seemed to glad to have me.

Saturday was lunch at a German deli with Gordon, Beatrice, their young daughter Maya, Bonnie, her son Marvin, The Boys folks, and his sister who lives near us. Then we went back to The Boy’s parent’s suite to watch Aliens with immediate family. Before heading over to Gordon’s for dinner we wandered around a sort-of mall with crafty shops. Dinner at Gordon’s had the same crowd from earlier plus Aunt Linda, Farrah, and Aunt Nina to the mix. Gordon and Beatrice had meatballs, homemade gnocchi, eggplant lasagna and salad. I have learned socializing with this family requires at least 4 kinds of cheese at any event.

It took until Saturday night for me to get overwhelmed. At Gordon’s I was texting a friend and went into the TV room. I heard people notice I was gone and I texted The Boy I was hiding. I love his family but I needed a break. The 10 minute respite was enough to get me through dinner and dessert, both of which were delicious.

There was a briefly awkward moment when I thought his uncle would get into a political discussion. I finished breakfast quickly and discovered being a voting and registered independent is OK. Driving there and back with The Boy forced me to do something I had never done before. Let someone else drive my car.

The Boy did just fine and since we’re not too different in height, moved my mirrors minimally (say that 5 times fast). Traffic was never bad and the drive was good. Not once did The Boy or I have to fight the urge to kill each other. Our relationship is good and we have many plans for November. Plans for this week largely center on resting and doing very little.

Music: Now by SHeDAISY

I Do, A Little

Kelly Clarkson got married last weekend. I was a little swamped to say too much about it here since I was out of town for a wedding with The Boy (more on that later).

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock flew out to a picturesque Blackberry Farm in Tennessee with his children. The ceremony was so intimate that the siblings and parents of the couple weren’t invited. Clarkson’s brother didn’t hear about it until a tabloid called to ask him about it.

I feel a little bad for the family of the couple. People reported that the Blackstocks had a big family shindig about a week before the wedding. Maybe that was in place of inviting people to an actual ceremony but if I was immediate family, I wouldn’t appreciate being so totally excluded. The brother said it was fine because they live their lives in the spotlight but that’s only partly true.

If you search Brandon Blackstock and Kelly Clarkson, there aren’t that many photos of them together. I looked them up and saw the same dozen photos pre-wedding, most from award shows or public events. She lives her life in the spotlight while Blackstock is a behind the scenes guy the public hadn’t heard of before she started dating him.

The amount of her life Clarkson makes available to the public is part of what I love about her. She released photos of the wedding right away and gave her fans a short video of the whole affair. The accessibility she allows is wonderful and makes her incredibly relatable. It just made me a little sad the whole world saw it at the same time her family did.

I love Clarkson and Blackstock together. I think they’re almost a rom-com stereotype and have a great love story. You can see his influence in some song titles on her upcoming album (Brandon’s Song and Four Carats). I wish them all the happiness life can offer. After spending a weekend with The Boy’s extended family for a wedding, I think including your family in your big moments is part of that.

Music: A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton

Hard of Listening

What is it with nerds and an allergy to listening?

A friend whom I’ll call Steve is interested in my friend Miranda. Steve is a quality guy and a good storyteller but he doesn’t have the best job and is around average looks. Miranda is sweet, bubbly, and very pretty. I’ve seen Miranda date a clever law student, a successful career man, and a really good looking guy none of whom stuck. Despite being very popular with the opposite sex, Miranda is enjoying being young and single.

When Steve told me he wasn’t being shy about expressing his interest, I tried to caution him away. Better men have tried and failed and I told him about really good looking guy and really clever guy. He dismissed it by saying maybe those guys were just not her type, implying the hope that he was. I threw in that she genuinely does not want a boyfriend to no avail.

If a woman cautions you against dating her friend, listen to her. She knows things you don’t and probably can’t tell you. She knows if her friend is crazy, too high maintenance for you, doesn’t want a relationship, or is not attracted to you. Ignore us at your wasted time and heartache.

The worst part is that Steve pulled a full nerd. He’s flirted before and I heard him try a barely concealed attempt at lending her something so he could see her again. At a recent MeetUp he monopolized as much of Miranda’s time as possible but he still won’t ask her out.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Ask her out or back off. Attraction is not a war of attrition. Latching on to her and hoping she’ll eventually ask you out is cowardly. If you’re too scared of rejection to ask her, you don’t deserve her. If you take nothing else from this post, let it be this paragraph.

Music: Girl Like Me by Mathai