Latest Obsession

Aside from my normal latest obsessions (ie- my new Pier One candles [thanks Mom and Dad], spicy potato rolls, red wines of all kinds but in particular Saints Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, going to movies, ugly jewelry that becomes endearing, and all things almond from my shower gel to muesli), I have a newfound King of All Obsessions! My dear friend, Lisa, instructed me to look at a Bright Eyes video that has a woman who looks like me, except that she's pregnant. Actually, it does look a lot like me. The video is This is the First Day of My Life for those of you who would like to see my pregnant doppleganger. While looking at this, I realized that they have launchcast, which is an online radio. I adore it.

Let me explain. I don't get any radio stations in my flat, so yes, I wake up to static fuzz every morning because I refuse to ever be woken up by beeping again in my life. Regardless, I can't listen to the radio then because I don't own a car and when else would I be in the proximity of a radio I can control? Well, not only is the Yahoo music launchcast a nice little radio, it allows you to personalize it. Heaven. Pure, sweet heaven. It's kind of like Napster (back when it was good and illegal) because you can put in your kinds of music, but it also has links for lyrics, how to buy the album or just the song, and artist biographies. Good Lord! It also has commercials... good old fashioned American commercials. Sigh. They have an offer where you pay like 5 dollars a month to get rid of the commercials, but I think I would pay the 5 to keep them. It's fun to hear commercials out of Chicago (which must be where the Yahoo gods believe I am). The only downside is that you have to be online to use it, which is only sad for those of us that are forced to still have dial up. Stupid technology lapse between America and New Zealand.

It, too, has the Amazon like mind reading skills because with every song, you rate the artist, the title, and the album. With these ratings, they suggest other stuff that you might like. Good Lord they can read me like a little book. So utterly content with music that isn't the same CDs I've had for quite some time now. It's once again raining (it's worse here than Seattle), I have my sublime candles, and hours of non-repeating stellar music. It's gonna be a good day.

Twilight Zone

Okay, for the sake of easy and entertaining writing, I am going to combine these odds factors of my recent past into one day of weirdness. Yes, I have altered the truth of series of events in my blog for better reading. Whatev - you totally know you do it casual conversation on a regular basis.

Today is weird. It's weird for a lot of reasons which I will describe to you. I didn't sleep well last night. Some dream where I was saving the world from pizza restaurants (perhaps my latest health kick is getting a bit extreme) caused me to have restless sleep. Then I woke up a minute before my alarm, which isn't weird but an inherited godsend from my dad, but I hadn't set my alarm. While I work out most days, I don't work out on soccer days and today happens to be a soccer day. Also, I have nothing to write today. I have written approximately one thousand (quality) words a day for the past week and a half for a couple papers. The due dates have passed. I was now awake with no working out or paper writing to do. So I went grocery shopping. I needed some more yogurt and muesli anyhow. I had to bundle up, but got to wear my sunglasses due to copious amounts of bright sun. You know, sun that was intermittent with pending doom clouds and splatterings of rain. Sure, sure. Totally normal. There was a hoola hoop in the Leith and a dalmation seagull on my way to the store.

At the store, I found the meat imitation section that I had somehow missed for the past 5 months. A six pack of soy dogs (don't you judge me) was 12 dollars. Are you freakin' kidding me? I will buy the chickpeas and mash 'em into dog shapes all on my own for less. Also, a regular sized bottle of multi vitamins is 18 dollars. Needless to say, I huffed and said out loud, "You gotta be kidding me!" and went on my merry way. The grocer asked me where I was from and I told her Wisconsin and she was shocked that I was American. Let's not fool ourselves. I have no resemblance of an accent and am horrible conscious when I have to pronounce the 'h' in herb or say tomAHto instead of tomAYto. I was buying a Cosmo. Please, honey, don't flatter me. I reek of Americanism. I returned home to find my computer off and closed, although I didn't remember doing it. I also had no desire to turn on said computer. This is unfathomable. Then, as I was suiting up to come to work for my one hour, it started raining, monsoon-wind flared up, and it hailed for a bit. However, when I stepped outside, all precipitation and wind stopped. And none of the mail in mailbox was actually for me today.

It's a weird freakin' day. And it's only noon. Maybe this is what my life is like without naps. I don't like it; don't like it one bit. My plan of attack is to retaliate with such a long afternoon of reading and napping that when I wake up, it will seem like a new, run of the mill, normal day.

Frugality

This post is really just to defend my financial abilities. I know we all think that I am horrible with money, and that's mostly because I am. But! I am getting tremendously better. I may spend copious amounts of money on fine wining and dining, but I am penny pinching in other areas. This one will shock you all, if you know me and my love of hair care products in the least: I just finished, and I mean this morning, the first bottle of conditioner I bought here in New Zealand. That means that one (count 'em: one!) bottle of conditioner lasted me from the second of February to now. Wow, I'm good. And my hair isn't awful looking either, apart from the fact that we are now reasonably sure that short hair no longer suits me. I also have not purchased any hair appliance apart from a blow dryer, so that means no curling irons of varying sizes, no hair straighteners (for the smooth and shiny benefits), no nothing. I also don't own any hair care products aside from a giant and budget bottle of hair spray and that was only to keep my hair in a freakin' ponytail for the entire duration of a soccer practice.

Look at me getting minimalist. Granted, I still need to spend less on movies and decorations for my flat, but I also haven't bought any clothes or shoes in months either. Little Annika is growing up. Baby steps. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to buy a twenty dollar bottle of wine.

Reading is Fun!

I am horribly disappointed with myself and my current reading status. I have had heaps of papers to write (if you hadn't picked up on that from my constant griping) and naturally, before you write tremendous amounts, you need to read tremendous amounts. Now, I like to recreationally read, but man, you get sick of it. As I was once tearing through a book a week, I have now been reading one novel long enough that I had to get it renewed from the library. Shock of shocks. I don't remember the last time I didn't make a library deadline. Not only that, I still have a book obsession.

I went in just to renew that and a research book, but I came out with three more books. Shoot. They just jumped into my arms and I couldn't stop it. One other book I wanted to get was The Life of Pi, but it always gets checked out right away. I just wanted to know when it was going to be back in. I knew there was a way to check it online, but couldn't remember. I asked at the desk and the guy told me I could put a recall on the book, which I think is really rude. I mean, I can't even get through my first novel, let alone the next three I just picked up. The guy basically yelled at me for not asking for it back on a recall. Jerks, emphasizing my newfound inability to read quickly. Any true novel enthusiast would understand why recalling any book for any purpose other than a book needed for research or an assignment is entirely uncalled for and rude.

Novel enthusiasts unite!

So Hot...

Gorgeous redhead... So this is Lohan during the filming of the movie, looking gorgeous even in a racing jacket (or whatever that is). She's not posing, not done up, not blonde. Well, let's see her at the premiere for the movie!

...So Not

And gross and stereotypical. Why, former pretty girl, why? Now I can't tell her from any of the other neurotic anorexic starlets!