Archive for November, 2005

30
Nov

My changed URL I changed my URL today to make the…

My changed URL

I changed my URL today to make the RantSpot a little more anonymous. I don’t necessarily want to make it so easy for people to find it — particularly my clients who I love to rant about whenever the mood strikes.

The other one will be operational for a while, just to direct people to this one, but pretty soon it will go away, so if you have me in your favorites, or your blogroll, change it immediately.

On another note, I can’t believe it’s been almost one week since Thanksgiving. I still haven’t recovered!

28
Nov

Oops! I spaced out my parents’ 41st anniversary!!…

Oops!

I spaced out my parents’ 41st anniversary!! It was yesterday and I totally forgot. Does that make me a bad daughter? God knows they need a medal for dealing with each other for that long. LOL!

28
Nov

Busy, busy, busy . . . I don’t know how I’ve man…

Busy, busy, busy . . .

I don’t know how I’ve managed this, but I looked at my Treo calendar and realized that I’m booked for every weekend in December. And I’m talking booked SOLID. It’s so bad that there are barely any free weekend nights. My calendar looks like a big collection of squares placed on each day of the month. It’s a good thing I don’t have any hot dates to squeeze in.

I’m not normally quite so popular. When you’re a freelancer, either you get invited to no corporate holiday parties, or everyone’s. I’ve been invited to parties from every client that I work with somehow. I hope there’s a lot of liquor involved. The RedEye party is during the day, so I’m not terribly optimistic about that being a big cocktail festival — although those Tribune people DO know how to party! :-)

Here’s something interesting to share . . . I was at a party on Wednesday night with Lorrie, who’s visiting from NYC. One of our friends introduced us to a guy who’s from Chicago, but has lived in NY for the last few years. Apparently he’s an actor. I remembered him from the party days of my late teens/early twenties, although he had no recollection of me (which isn’t that big of a deal, since I remember everything. EVERYTHING. It’s a curse. But I digress . . . )

Anyhoo . . . he flirted with me all night, and we had pretty good conversation, I thought. He was adamant about taking my number (I beamed it to him from my Treo to his), and he told me that he would call me while he was in town so that we could go out.

On Saturday, after the haze from cooking frenzy subsided, I looked up and realized that he never called. After all that flirting, and asking when I was visiting NY and telling Lorrie that he wanted to hook up with me (whatever that meant) — no phone call.

Countless men have done the same thing, and I always wonder why. Why bother flirting at all? Now granted, a large part of me knew that I probably wouldn’t hear from him, and if I did, it wouldn’t matter because I’m not a fan of long distance getting-to-know-you. It didn’t shock me that he never called, but made me wonder why he bothered wasting his and my energy.

Perplexing.

26
Nov

Alrighty . . . Back from my crazy day. Actual…

Alrighty . . .

Back from my crazy day. Actually the day wasn’t so crazy, but it was certainly relaxing. Apparently I needed the relaxation.

I have SO many leftovers in my fridge. There were six of us (my parents and three friends), and I made a ton of food. The menu:

Turkey

Ham

Mashed Potatoes

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Macaroni and Cheese

Green Beans

Collard Greens

Cornbread Stuffing

Cranberry sauce (which doesn’t count because it was out of a can)

Rolls

Gravy

Dessert:

Lemon Coconut Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Apple Pie

Sweet Potato Pie

Banana Pudding

LOTS of wine

Answers to frequently asked questions:

Yes, I made it all myself

Yes, I made it all from scratch (except I didn’t slaughter the turkey or the pig)

No, I don’t eat ham . . . that was for my dad

No, I’ve never had a marriage proposal

My biggest accomplishment was thoroughly cleaning the kitchen before going to bed. The last guests left at midnight, and I was up until about 2, scrubbing.

I was up at 6:30 to take advantage of garbage day!! Yay!! I LOVE garbage day. Nothing’s more therapeutic than hauling all of that shit out to the alley and watching it get compressed in that big blue truck.

I suppose I could take it to the alley on any day other than garbage day, but– call me neurotic — I hate it when people go through my trash. It’s usually nothing important, but I still feel violated in a way. It’s disturbing to see a mess in the alley, and recognize some of my own garbage items being blown down the street. If I absolutely have to take it out before garbage day, I include a liberal amount of kitty litter to derail the rummagers. I still prefer to hand it directly to my friendly regular garbage men, who promptly crush it in the compressor right before my paranoid eyes.

25
Nov

HAPPY THANKSGIVING . . . well . . . belated, anywa…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING . . . well . . . belated, anyway!

I love it, but I tell ya . . . I’m glad it’s over. I cook the entire meal, and I’m so exhausted that it’s ridiculous.

I have to take my blankety-blank car to get fixed, but I have lots to blog about.

I have good news! My RedEye column can finally be read online! I don’t think the current version comes up until after the release of the paper, but here’s the link, for those who aren’t in Chicago.

ENJOY!

21
Nov

Car troubles, etc. I’m having one of those days. …

Car troubles, etc.

I’m having one of those days. The weekend was okay . . . it had its ups and downs.

The best news is that I didn’t get caught in the Festival of Hell (Lights) on Michigan avenue this year. Last year, I forgot about it, and ended up smack dab in the middle of Disney parade. I’m still traumatized.

The second best news is that I finished knitting my father’s scarf. I’m giving it to him for Christmas, and he doesn’t even know that I knit. As of a few months ago, I didn’t knit, so he’s not too far behind. It’s my second project, and I’m proud of it. I hope he likes it. I’ve started on the scarf for my mother, which is far more high maintenance and much harder. She probably won’t like it, because she doesn’t like anything I give her. If not, I’ll wear it.

I’m having a mysterious car “issue,” which is causing me a great deal of stress. Occasionally it cuts off, and then won’t start again for about five minutes, at which time it starts immediately and runs beautifully. Go figure. It never happens when I’m at home in my own garage. Only when I’m at a public parking lot, or at a stoplight, which is extremely embarassing. I hate being the one with the broken down car who’s blocking traffic and getting flipped off by all of those people who are driving nice cars.

I took it to Sears to get a quick diagnostic before taking it all the way to the dealer. What a horrifying experience. First, I was told that, if the problem was my starter, that they wouldn’t be able to change it. Reason given: my car is too new. My car is a 2000. How much older does it need to get for Chrissakes????? I guess if I came in with a 1972 Chevy Impala, I’d be golden. Then, “Cletus” put it on a diagnostic machine and determined that it’s not the starter, battery or alternator. I was impressed that he did the diagnostic and gave me the prognosis, all while chewing on the same plastic straw. Disgusting, yet fascinating.

At current state, I’m driving a timebomb, and have an appointment to take it in to the dealer, which is far out where Jesus lost his sandals somewhere. The issue du jour is arguing about whether or not my extended warranty is still in effect. The dealer thinks that the warranty expired on July 11, but according to my records, it’s effective until I reach 60,000 miles or 2007, whichever comes first. Given that I have about 59,800 miles on the car to date, I’d like to straighten this out very soon.

The worst news is that my career appeals to be in shambles. More later on that.

Happy freakin’ holidays. Humbug!

18
Nov

Shitty day Have you ever had one of those days wh…

Shitty day

Have you ever had one of those days where the bottom falls out of everything, and you’re just sick of life in general? I have nothing else to say.

18
Nov

Godchild lessons continued . . . . If you’re conf…

Godchild lessons continued . . . .

If you’re confused, see the post from a few days ago. I thought of a few more, and couldn’t resist posting them.

7. Choose your favors wisely. I wish I’d learned this one sooner. If you’re asked to do a favor, either do it and don’t complain about it, or don’t do it. It’s hard to say no to your friends, but if it’s something that’s going to do nothing but piss you off every time you think about it, it’s probably best to be honest, and say no. Your friend will get over it.

8. Don’t be passive aggressive. Don’t hint around at things. Hints are annoying. Ask for what you want.

9. Don’t loan something that you really need, or anything that the borrower can’t afford to replace. You might be able to make better decisions about this as an adult, but if it’s something that you rely on — like a car, or money that you’re using to pay your bills — probably best not to gamble it. Besides, at your age, you’re probably loaning something that belongs to your parents, which is never a good idea.

10. Grape before grain. When you start drinking, which, at the rate of society, might be in about five years, you’ll need some guidelines. Auntie Gina won’t drink WITH you (until you’re legal), but I’ll give you some advice. Don’t mix liquors. Here are the rules of thumb:

Hard liquor is classified as vodka, gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, or anything else that’s over 90 proof. It gets you really drunk, really fast, so don’t go sipping it like it’s kool-aid (not that you could).

If you MUST mix (because I know how these parties get), remember that beer and hard liquor are usually okay.

Wine BEFORE (and I’m talking, like, an hour before) hard liquor should be okay (depending on how much you’ve had). Wine or champagne AFTER hard liquor is like asking to spend the night with your head in the toilet. Champagne in and of itself (especially the kind that you can afford)is prone to give you headaches, and will eventually make you sick if you don’t stop drinking before you feel nausea.

On New Year’s Eve, it’s a bad idea to switch from a lot of champagne at midnight to a lot of vodka after midnight. Don’t start the year on the nasty floor of a bathroom.

Some of us who are seasoned partiers (I’m not naming any names) have ways of circumventing illness regardless of the alcohol, but it’s best that you pick a drink at the beginning of the night and stick with it.

Oh, and don’t go drinking any random funny-colored punch that was concocted in a lab by the pimply faced boy in your glass. Who knows what’s in it, and before you get your stomach pumped, you won’t sound intelligent when the doctor asks you what you drank before you passed out and you say “I don’t know. Booger gave it to me.”

11. Your parents, grandparents and godparents know what’s up. Regardless of the wholesome facades that your parents might TRY and project, I can tell you that they’re no angels. Some of them continue to live debaucherous lives, and you’re probably none the wiser. My point is that there is nothing, I repeat — NOTHING — that you can do that hasn’t been done by your parents, grandparents, and especially your godparents. You might be smart, but you’re not smarter than we are. You will get busted. Sometimes we’ll laugh about it, because we remember how it was. Other times, we’ll bust your ass . . . because we remember how it was.

More later, I’m sure!

18
Nov

Textual Healing If you’re in Chicago, grab a copy…

Textual Healing

If you’re in Chicago, grab a copy of the Friday edition of Red Eye for the latest Gina Spot. I’m talking about text messages and how they can be detrimental to your relationship.

15
Nov

Things I wish I could teach my Godchildren, but pr…

Things I wish I could teach my Godchildren, but probably shouldn’t

Since I’m not having kids, I have the wonderful opportunity to teach the limited amount of children in my life the things that their parents probably won’t teach them. They’re things that my parents didn’t tell me, for fear that I would get the wrong idea and develop bad behavior. The reality is that kids have bad behavior anyway, so I think it’s better to give them lessons that will keep them out of trouble, while maximizing their fun.

Of course their parents will probably kill me if they learn that I’m actually advocating certain things. Oh well. Their fault for choosing me as a godparent, when it’s so clear that I’m not a good role model.

1. Don’t be a geek just because you want to get good grades. It is possible to have it all. You can be smart, athletic and popular. Social interaction is SO important in school. Don’t miss out.

2. Better to instigate than participate. If there’s any excessive laughter in class, or bad behavior, and you’re in the vicinity, it’s a good thing for you to know when to get in, and when to get out. Get in early. Instigate if you must, but if someone’s paying attention (that ’someone’ being an authority figure), put on your game face as though you weren’t a participant. Trust me on this one.

3. If you’re going to swear, or give your sister the finger, look around and make sure that your parents or grandparents aren’t in a two room vicinity. They have a way of catching you right as that middle finger is rising. You won’t be happy with the outcome.

4. Clean up, and learn the finer points of stain removal. Good cleaning skills are important, particularly when it comes to removing evidence that you’ve had a party in your parents’ house, or have been doing something lewd in their car. You might resent them for forcing you to do your chores, but they’re really giving you building blocks necessary for being sneaky in the future.

5. NEVER be the last person to leave a party. That’s when all of the shit goes down. Either that or you’re forced to help clean up — which is NOT a good use of your cleaning skills. Also, it’s best not to develop the reputation of being the last one standing. Make people wonder where you went.

6. Confide in a ‘cool’ aunt or uncle if you can’t talk to your parents. We’ll help you out of things, and we don’t want to see you get in trouble . . . within reason of course.

I’m sure I’ll be adding to this list as time goes on, but feel free to add comments.