NEXT, IN CONVERSATIONS WITH MY MOTHER (and also, what I've been up to lately)
It's been a while since I've had a full time job that isn't "being a student." So...I'd sort of forgotten how much time it just eats up...I am so incredibly behind on everything! I need a couple more hours in the day, or something. But when I opened up the envelope with my paystub in it and I saw the amount, I just about cried. I'd forgotten what it felt like to not worry about how many groceries you're buying. I mean, I made more money in two weeks than I've had in my bank account since I returned from Italy. Probably from halfway through my sojourn living in Italy. Of course, I start paying back college loans this month! It's going to take the rest of my life! For joy! For exultation and joy!
I shall share what I've been up to in my offtimes, but first, a couple conversations with my mother:
mother: The thermostat isn't working.
me: What's wrong with it?
mother: It's been stuck on the same temperature. It won't get any lower.
me: *has been shivering since having returned from work* Well what is it?
mother: Sixty-nine.
me: ...And what do you have it set at?
mother: Sixty-five. Why won't it get any cooler?
me: It does not feel like sixty-nine in the house. Also, did you ever stop to think that maybe this is the ambient temperature, and the house won't get any colder unless you put on the air conditioning?
mother: ...Houses shouldn't be this warm. *stomps upstairs*
I think we can all draw our own biological conclusions from this conversation. Conversation #2:
mother: I've been watching the first season of NCIS! Your sister let me borrow it. Did you know she has it?
me: Yes. I bought it for her birthday last Christmas. You were there.
mother: Oh! Well, I watched the first episode, and guess who's in it?! President Bush!
me: Really? Which one?
mother: ...I just told you. The pilot. The first episode.
me: Yeah, I got that. I mean who was it?
mother: ...The President!
me: ...Which. One.
mother: PRESIDENT BUSH!
me: WHICH BUSH?!
mother: Oh! Junior.
me: THANK YOU.
Also, my sister informs me it was for a split second and not actually the president, but a look-alike or film voodoo or something. My mother, however, still staunchly believes that the man who was the President of the US at the time of filming decided to make room in his busy schedule to appear for less than a minute on the pilot episode of a show that may or may not have succeeded, or indeed, even been picked up by the studio. Right. Last but not least, my favourite to date:
mother: Are you going out?
me: Yes.
mother: For how long?
me: I don't know.
mother: With whom?
me: Mother, who do I always hang out with?
mother: Well what are you guys going to do?
me: Sacrifice a bull to the great god Zeus.
mother: Well what are you going to do with the bull's balls?
me: ...What?
mother: You said you were going to sacrifice a bull. So what's going to happen to its balls?
me: *blinks* I'll save them and bring them home for you.
mother: Don't say things like that! That's disgusting!
Yeah, I just walked out the door after that statement. Because she started talking about a dead bull's balls and then she had the gall to say that I should watch my mouth? Riiiiight. And also, WHAT IS MY MOTHER DOING TALKING ABOUT THE TESTICLES OF BOVINES? WHY?
Anyway!
WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO:
- Reading The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings. Or should I say...La redenzione di Althalus? That's right. My second week in Italy I walked into a used bookstore to look for cheap textbooks and found one of the most beloved stories of my childhood in Italian. I've been missing my foreign languages hardcore, and what better way to keep in touch with them than by reading in them? I'd completely forgotten why I loved the book so much when I read it, and now it's no wonder why I love it. The goddess, the thief, the soldier, the priest, the monarch, the witch, the boy prodigy - linguistics, anthropology, religious crises - all wrapped up in a fun, clever, and wonderfully sarcastic fantastical package. It's nice to know that even when I was brainwashed by catholicism and going to elementary school, I still had some good taste.
- Writing my delightful, delightful parody. Am I crossing too many lines when it's basically a parody of a semi-parody political and critical musical AND it's fanfiction? I DON'T KNOW. But I'm loving it. It's thrilling! Chilling! And fulfilling! Of course, work has been keeping me away from it, but I have off tomorrow, and if I don't finish it, or at least get a good ways along, I'm going to be mightily upset.
- Going through shit in my room. Because really. I have a lot of bubblewrap lying everywhere. It's getting kind of old. Once again, not really a lot of time due to work.
- Tomorrow...or today, really...I'm going out to lunch with a friend I haven't seen in, I think, well over a year. Then I have an appointment to go edit something. I don't get to sleep in on my day off :(
- This weekend I bought little statuettes of both Anubis and Bastet, my first divine loves. I truly used to read book after book about Egyptian mythology back in 6th grade. Hey, it's a good investment! I saw them, and still wanted them about 3 hours later...so I bought them.
WHAT I'M ABOUT TO BE DOING:
- PAYING STUDENT LOANS.
- This Saturday the family and I are going down to Arseholeofnowhere, South Dakota to see an exhibit with artifacts from King Tut's tomb. Yeah, I wrote a paper in sixth grade about the Curse on the Tomb and the Golden Canary and the Dying and Whatnot. THE CURSE THAT ANUBIS SET. (I love my statuettes. I do, I do, I do.) After which I will return home and pull my overnight shift at work. Ugh.
- Making a goddamn list of stories I have 'in progress' and begin to check some shit off. Why? Clearing the slate for NaNo. That's right. I'm about 80% on board with that right now. This includes the ever-elusive ending to Ents.
- I have in fact already made a list of all the TV shows that I watch but have now fallen behind on, along with a couple I want to start watching. I'm not even touching my 'must-see movies' list. Not probably for another few months. *wipes forehead* Whew. Who knows how long that is.
- Since I've been reading a 600-or-so-page book in Italian these past couple weeks during my downtime at work, I begin next with German novels! Das Parfum is at the top of my list right now, followed by Der Vulkan. However, if I get my hands on it soonishly, Tintenherz will be at the top of my list like whoa. Because, you know....postmodern lit, autobiographical fiction, and children's fantasy is a pretty good mix, yeah?
AWESOME MOVIE AND TV NEWS:
- David Tennant and Simon Pegg to star in film together as grave robbers. Can this be any more perfect? *swoon*
- The Road is finally coming out after being pushed back for ages. I guess I'll have to read that before I go to see it. I can't wait to see Viggo on the screen again...early reviews are favourable!
- Zachary Quinto and Brad Paisley to produce show for the CW about an up-and-coming country singer. WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK. Really? Really? The CW? Country music? Not computing here.
- Ridley Scott is making a movie about the Gucci family? And Angelina Jolie is in talks to play the murderous wife or something? Seriously, guys? Can we stop with these kinds of movies? I'd be ever so grateful.
- STEPHEN FRY IS WRITING THE SCRIPT FOR THE NEXT PETER JACKSON FILM. *falls upon the ground and kisses it fervently* I love the earth. The earth brings forth such wonderful things. But also, Peter: when in the hell are you going to get on those Her Majesty's Dragon movies? Because I want to see your weirdo close-ups on people's faces during epic and dramatic scenes, goddamn.
And yeah...tha's all for now. See, I am so behind on my friends list and my news sites and my email that after getting home from work and making dinner and not even getting done with the several pages of posts I've missed, it's already after 5am. I am so screwed for getting up in time for lunch.
....But then again, I now have the money to buy myself lunch!
Lastly, I had a strange dream last night. Usually I dream strangely, but this was even more strange because generally my dreams don't include characters and/or famous people. Now, I have never been in the Pirates of the Caribbean fandom. I love the first movie, hate the second, and amusedly tolerate the third. Yet in this dream, a great adventure was taking place, and Will and Captain Jack and Elizabeth were all there among the shenanigans. As I was involved in said adventure, I was watching the dynamic between all of them, and then eventually Will does something stupid and single-minded and heroic per usual, saving Elizabeth's life gallantly, when he glances back toward Sparrow. And then my dreamself got it, in that sort of, "Oh. Oh! Ohhhhhh."-type way. Yeah...so my subconcious ships Will/Jack. Unrequited, even. Angsty. Not being able to go against the status quo. WHY, FREUD, WHY? I don't even find either of them very attractive! I can't even blame it on my libido!
I need sleep.