Red Red Whine

My favorite kiwi tagged me for this meme ages ago (seriously – last May) and I only noticed it yesterday. Oy! So, here we go!

What is your current obsession?
Polls. And also: knitting and Facebook Scrabble and this navy blue velour pants & jacket set that I pretty much wear every night after work because it’s so comfortable.

What is your weirdest obsession?
Hmm. Maybe Ukrainian egg decorating? Oh! I don’t think I told y’all this, but when I hosted a baby shower for a friend at the beginning of this month, one of the guests noticed my tray of Ukrainian-decorated-eggs in my china cabinet. She asked me where I got them and I told her I’d made them, and then she started talking about how she was Ukrainian and grew up making those eggs. She then declared, “Huh. I think you might be the first non-Ukrainian person I have ever met who made these eggs.” Why yes, yes I am.

What are you wearing today?
This black chiffon-y dress, which is going to double as my Witch Dress at the Halloween party I’m attending tonight. The disappointing thing about it is that there’s this sort of funky black & ivory print just around the neckline, which I hope doesn’t ruin the witchiness of it. I also am wearing a pin with a pumpkin on it. And black stockings. And black pointy shoes with some ivory stuff on them to go with the neckline detail. And my glasses. Later tonight, however, I will be putting in my contacts (no matter how bad my eyes hurt) (because I’m sorry, but witches don’t wear glasses. Also, I don’t want to get green paint on my frames), applying green face paint, applying purple glittery faux eyelashes (I know witches don’t wear those, but it adds to the fun) and glow-in-the-dark faux fingernails, switching to some shoes with buckles on them, donning a wig and a witch hat, somehow attaching this weird creepy raven to my wrist, and carrying a broom.

What’s for dinner?
Wine and party food.

What would you eat for your last meal?
Wow, that’s a toughie. It would definitely culminate with vanilla ice cream.

What’s the last thing you bought?
Does the crap I got at Walgreen’s this morning count? Yes? Then fine: a new pair of stockings because mine had a hole in them, a diet coke, a pack of english muffins, and a tub of country crock margarine. BORING.

What are you listening to right now?
Co-workers talking

What do you think of the person who tagged you?
I have never met Martha, but she seems like an absolute hoot. Also, she makes adorable kids’ clothing.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
New York. Or Italy. Or somewhere nearer to my family.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
I would love to be in my Aunt Jane’s kitchen, having a glass of champagne with her and playing Skip Bo.

Which language do you want to learn?
I don’t want to go through the learning process – I just want to KNOW another language. Italian. I’d also like to know Spanish, Greek, Irish, Japanese, Hindi, and Finish.

What is your favorite colour?
Green. Except I call it a “color”.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
See: obsessions: navy blue velour jumpsuit (despite the fact that I feel like I’m trying to be on the Sopranos when I wear it). Also, the dress that I wore to Teenie‘s wedding (sorry, folks, but I forgot to bring my camera to it), which I also wore to my own rehearsal dinner.

What is your dream job?
Nail polish color namer. XPN radio DJ. And, the more I think about it, Teacher.

What’s your favourite magazine?
Ohhh, y’all are going to think I am so lame here, but I am really digging Better Homes & Gardens these days. And Eating Well. Man, I am not hip.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
Wine and yarn.

Describe your personal style?
Lazy? I am lazy when it comes to fashion and “style”.

What are you going to do after this?
Probably work. I’m pretty burned-out these days so it has been hard to focus.

What are your favourite films?
Stranger Than Fiction, Almost Famous, Slumdog Millionaire, Shag, Office Space, The Holiday, Elf

What’s your favourite fruit?
I don’t know if I have one favorite. I love almost all fruits! Maybe blueberries. Or strawberries. Or pineapple or honeycrisp apples or perfectly ripe peaches.

What inspires you?
People who strive for and maintain peace and happiness. And people who do cool things.

Do you collect anything?
Yarn, books, floaty pens, and I would really love to start collecting pretty/cool dessert/appetizer plates. I have three sets right now but I don’t think that counts as a collection.

Your favourite books?
Hoo boy, this list is long. You may as well just refer to my goodreads “favorites” list.

What are you currently reading?
American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld. I like it so far.

Go to your book shelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line:
My book shelf is at home and I am at work. Sorry, no can do.

By what criteria do you judge a person?
Lots of things, depending on my purpose for judging. This could get me on a tangent about the power dead-even rule, which my co-worker talks a lot about and which I think rings somewhat true (it is mentioned in this article), but I think I shall rein myself in. Generally, I like people who are nice, funny, intelligent, and good conversationalists. Enjoying a glass or three of wine, being artsy-craftsy, and liking board games are additional bonuses.

What skill would you like to acquire immediately?

I would like a super-fast metabolism that would allow me to eat whatever I want without gaining weight whether I exercise or not.

The rules:
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag eight other people. Enh, I’m not tagging anyone else. If you wish to tag yourself, feel free!

What’s not to love about a 4-day weekend?  That’s right: nothing.

Rob would kill me if he knew I was announcing to the internets that we are headed to the Jersey Shore, but we are.  And I just announced it, so please don’t tell him I told you.  For any criminals out there, I will remind you that we have very watchful neighbors, an alarm system, and not much of particular value in the home besides two obese cats and my rapidly-growing yarn stash, so check yourself before you wreck yourself.

I think I’ll amuse myself with a meme for the day, but first: an update.  I have started taking the Zoloft (Z, if you will) and am still probably experiencing withdrawal from the Lexies (er, Lexapro).  This means that I basically act like a woman with some extreme PMS going on.  I am no longer constantly weeping, but I do still cry at the drop of a hat – and not always out of sadness – and I’m ridiculously irritable.  For instance, Rob – who does not like nuts – went out of his way to buy and chop walnuts for me to put on a salad that he made us for dinner, without me asking.  This turned on the waterworks because I thought it was just the sweetest nicest thing ever (I still think it is sweet and nice, but sob-worthy?  Probably not).  Then, two hours later, I bit his head off for not turning down the TV volume during commercials.

Speaking of, that annoys the CRAP out of me.  Why are the commercials so much louder than the regular programming?  I hate it!  You know what else I hate?  Idiots who stand there waiting for an elevator without pushing the button.  I mean, it’s one thing if they just don’t press hard enough – but I have WATCHED people (who are about 10 steps ahead of me on my walk to the elevator bank) walk straight by the button and then stand there and wait.  Are they just so lazy that they figure someone else will come along and push it for them?  Or are they just fucking morons?

(See: Irritability.)

Also, I have decided that I hate the word “pamper”.  And that it looks funny.

Hrm.

In other news, I got new glasses.  I love them as much as I am capable of loving a pair of glasses.  The part that goes over my ear (the “temple”, if you will) is pink.  You can see them (and me making a weird smile) here.

While you’re clicking over to things on Flickr, you can also see the tiny pants I made for a friend’s unborn baby and a picture of me at age 6 or 7 with my sister and my cousins.   I basically look like a Seventh-Day Adventist or some such religion that disallows girls from wearing pants or cutting their hair, while every other kid in the picture is wearing jeans.  Have I told y’all about how I refused to wear anything but dresses and skirts until I was 10?  Yup.   All the other kids would be on the playground in shorts and t-shirts and tennis shoes, and then there I’d be in my Polly Flinders dresses and mary janes.   So prissy!

Anyway, let’s do a meme, okay?  I’m stealing this from Monkey and Stef.

What is your current obsession?
Knitting.  And also these chairs that I want that are really expensive.  Actually, it’s more the fabric that I want to use to upholster the chairs.  I should post a picture.

What is your weirdest obsession?
Hmm.  The knitting obsession is getting a bit weird.

What are you wearing today?
Black pants and a paisley-ish top that I got from Ann Taylor Loft, plus my black patent leather birkenstocks.  I laugh in the face of my company’s dress code.  (Okay, fine, I have a pair of pumps under my desk.)

What’s for dinner?
I have no clue.  We’ll probably go out somewhere.  I grilled a turkey kielbasa last night and made mac & cheese (from a box), so it’s not my turn to cook.

What would you eat for your last meal?

A homemade grilled cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, and a lot of vanilla and mint chocolate chip ice cream.

What’s the last thing you bought?
Hmm.  I’ve been on a shopping rampage, but if we’re being technically accurate here, the answer is 1/2 a BBLT sandwich and tomato soup at Corner Bakery.  Before that, new razorblades and hair clippy thing.  Before THAT, some glorious yarn.

What are you listening to right now?
The air conditioner.

What do you think of the person who tagged you?
Nobody tagged me, but I stole this from Stefanie and Monkey and I adore both of them.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

Gosh, I don’t know.  Close to my family and all of my friends.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
To my sister’s house to play with my niece and nephew, although it would break my heart to leave them.  So, maybe instead I’d like to be at a wine bar with my friend Alice.  This might actually happen in 20 minutes when my office closes for the holiday weekend.

Which language do you want to learn?
I don’t want to learn a language – I want to already know it.  Spanish.  it’s the most useful, I think.

What is your favorite colour?
It really depends on the item for me.  I’ve been into green lately, and blue – but I really love good ol’ girly pink.  In fact, my friend Erin is pregnant with a girl.  Erin has an aversion to pink, but she told me recently that she decided I’m going to have to be her wee one’s “pink fairy godmother”.  I like that.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

I really love the first sweater I made for myself. Even though it is big and kind of makes me look pregnant.

What is your dream job?
Movie-soundtrack-song-picker, XPN DJ, novelist, travel writer, restaurant reviewer, book reviewer, nail polish color-namer.

What’s your favourite magazine?
Man, I don’t know anymore.  I’m with Monkey on Mental Floss – that’s a great one!  I used to love Blender, but either it has started sucking or I have gotten older and lamer.   The Food Network makes a good one and I’m enjoying the Better Homes & Gardens that my mom subscribed me to despite the fact that I think that immediately ages me a good 20 years.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
Oh, the possibilities are endless.  But let’s be honest: yarn and wine.  Or just yarn.

Describe your personal style?
Um…lazy?

What are you going to do after this?
Go home!  My office is closing early.

What are your favourite films?
Office Space
What’s your favourite fruit?
I love almost all fruits, minus bananas.  If i had to pick just one: blueberries.

What inspires you?
Others.

Do you collect anything?
Floaty pens.

Your favourite animal?

I dont’ think it’s fair to make me pick just one.

What are you currently reading?
Hunger, by Michael Grant.  It’s the sequel to Gone.  These are YA books.  I loved Gone, but Hunger is not as good.  And it’s gross, too.

Go to your book shelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line:
I’m at work, so this is impossible.

By what criteria do you judge a person?
How nice (or not) they are.  And whether they wear white shoes after Labor Day.

What skill would you like to acquire immediately?

I have been saying this for years: I really would like to have go-go-gadget-arms.

Happy 4th of July, everyone.