p.s. to my prior post about dresses

I just got clearance from Mindy here at work that wearing the WBBM dress would be okay because no one here at work has seen me in it.

Being a girl is complicated. Don't let any boys tell you differently.

more dress shopping? i'm in hell

So the company Christmas party is this Saturday. And I need a dress. I think. This never used to be an issue. I never wore dresses; never cared to; never had a reason to. Then I started working here, and the second the party notices went out, all the girls in my department started up: "What am I going to wear? What are you going to wear?" And somehow Little Ms. Give a Crap About Dresses caught the bug.

Then derby came along, and that has girled me up even more. Aak!

So right now, I have a dress at home that I got on ebay that I loved when I saw it online, and it does fit, but I'm not sure about wearing it to the party now. I have a dress or two at home that I've never worn to a past Christmas party--in fact, there's one I found for $5 back in September at a consignment store; I went online to see the brand (I'm always curious as to how much of a deal I got since I nearly always shop consignment/thrift stores) and other dresses in the line (White Barn Black Market, something like that) go for $120 and more. And it's in perfect shape and fits me like a dream. I bought it for a derby event at the Melody Inn. Haven't worn it since. But I don't have the creativity to jazz it up and make it look "different". Like it matters. If Anthony read this, his head would probably pop off because he just doesn't get it. Not that I do myself; it's like I'm ruled by some strange set of laws that have imposed themselves on my psyche and won't let me breathe unless I follow them.

So, do I wear the dress I got online, that Anthony took one look at and asked me when we're joining the commune? Do I wear the WBBM dress that I basically got for pennies and is just incredible--but I've already worn before??? Or do I do another sweep of the consignment stores and Goodwills in the area between now and Saturday to see if I find a keeper? I think Anthony's going to wear the same suit he's worn to the last 6 parties. Guys are lucky bastards.

i'm not sure about this ...

The management company for the office building I work in does community donation things around the holidays. They'll put a box down by the elevators in the lobby with a sign on it indicating what they're collecting and what it's for. Right now it's canned goods/nonperishable food for Thanksgiving, of course.

This morning I noticed that someone put Slim Fast in the box. Which means that someone in my office building thought that donating Slim Fast to hungry people is a good idea. You know, even if someone who will be benefitting from our donations is overweight, I don't think it's the right message to send: "Maybe you should be hungry." That's great.

Besides that, how the hell is Slim Fast a good Thanksgiving food? Do you set it by the cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes? Make a gravy out of it for the turkey?

I can't wait to see what's in the box around Christmas.

Happy Halloween!!!

I love this day. Dressing up, acting goofy, throwing parties. My 7 year old niece wrote to me this morning. One sentence: IT'S FINALLY HERE HALLOWEEN. That's how I feel. And I'm 29 years older than she is. I hope she never loses the thrill.

I'll have to post a picture or two this weekend (something new for me, putting pics in a blog, God help me). Some of us dressed up here at work, and then tonight there should be some good costumes at the party Anthony and I are throwing. And if he and his brother figure out a way to get a questionably legal fire going in the back yard, we might even have some people dressed up as cops and fire fighters attending! I wonder if they'll allow their pictures taken if that's the case. I might personally know that before the night is over.

funny thing

So I go out to lunch with my friend/cousin Chris. He and I have known each other since birth; our families were way close growing up due to our mothers being best friends. Our first stop was the Obama office in Carmel for new yard signs because his keeps being stolen. Then he says something along the lines of "No one's stealing the Mitch Daniels sign." For real--here I was going on about the people down the street totally throwing my mind into a tailspin, and I find out that someone I like and respect has the same two signs.

I don't think his family forced the two signs to touch, though.

Scary aside to the office stop: The woman we got the signs from told us, after Chris explained why he was coming in for more, that all the Obama signs in her neighborhood had been stolen at one point--and hate mail was ever-so-thoughtfully tucked into all their mailboxes. So you can't wonder or hope that it was an Obama supporter who didn't know where else to go for signs. Nope, just some good old-fashioned racism. It is 2008, and not 1808, right? Just checking.

just plain strange

Sort of related to my comments yesterday about the Obama and Daniels signs in the same yard: Anyone else weirded out that AC/DC has paired with Wal-Mart to distribute their latest CD? That's the only place you can get it. Wal-Mart. And Sam's Club. What's next: Disney's going to buy Family Guy and let Seth MacFarlane go as far as he wants with it? Show "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" between Hannah Montana and one of their other kiddie shows (I'd throw out another example but since I cannot distinguish between Nickolodeon and Disney shows, I'd just embarrass myself. Don't the Jonas Brothers have a show? Then there's something about the Sweet (Suite?) life of Zach and Cody? I could be wrong. So I won't go there).

I'm just asking. I know AC/DC was on Tipper Gore's shit list in the 80s, and conservative groups across the country were convinced they worshipped Satan. Now they're being plugged by Wal-Mart? Has Focus on the Family started a boycott yet? They haven't had press for a while; looks like a good time for them to step up and make their ugly voices heard again. And they're missing it. James Dobson must be going senile.

a walk in the hood

I just called my suburban enclave with the big front yards and four bedroom houses a "hood". I'm so funny.

Just got back from a walk. I hit the treadmill at lunch today, but I've been eating so much Halloween candy lately I need to do something. That, and when I left work today I was so struck by the weather that I wanted to get out in it. I'm a climate-control fan, so normally it's either too chilly or two hot. But this evening is just perfect. And it smelled good, just the right mix of mowed lawns and burning dead leaves. Pumpkins on front steps, ghosts and witches hanging from trees. Well, the witches hanging from trees is a bit too close to history, but they were there. Stuffed clothing bodies with jack-o-lantern heads sitting in front lawns. You get the picture. It's Halloween time, baby!

Not only that, but there were just enough clouds in the sky to keep me from having to wear sunglasses, but not so dark that it felt like premature sunset. And the temps--my skin stayed cool, but not chilly. I didn't sweat much but I was walking my usual pace. One of those days that if you could only bottle it ...

And even in Carmel, there's an oddity or two. It's election season, so you have your candidate signs out all over the place. It's slightly different from four years ago, though. Last presidential election season, the 'hood was clogged with Bush paraphernalia. This year it's pretty evenly split between Obama and McCain, which makes me pretty happy. If I'm not mistaken, there could even be more Os than McCs. That's pretty freakin' amazing. But I could be wearing rose-colored glasses instead of the sunglasses I didn't need today.

Then there's the house a few blocks down. Indiana's also having our gubernatorial race this year, and although Jill Long Thompson is putting up a fight, I'm pretty certain Mitch Daniels will win another term. It's a typical party-line thing. If you lean Republican, you tend to think Mitch is your man. If you're Democrat or farther left than that, you're willing to let the Republicans have him. If you have a McCain sign in your yard, or a sticker on your vehicle, there's a good chance that My Man Mitch is along for the ride.

Except for the conundrum down the street. They have planted, beside their Obama/Biden lawn sign, one for none other than Daniels. Obama and Daniels. And they're not only in the same yard, but they are lashed together, end to end, as if making the signs touch will override the oxymoronic reality they exhibit. Is the family Republican but wanting change in the White House? Democrat but one of the rare variety that think Daniels is doing a good job? Someone who wants Obama to win, but although he has a good shot, they want to root for a sure thing in at least one race? An independent who chooses each candidate based on individual issues and not party lines?

I don't think that last one would ever happen in Carmel.

So anyway, you go out for a walk, and you see the darnedest things. Now Family Guy is on and the guys are rollerskating. Family Guy and roller skates. I'm happy.

um ....

Blogging again. I had a blog on myspace but got shy on posting to it when I read that Ted Turner owns all the material on the site. Screw that. Toyed with blogging on here but never got around to it--until my sister got into the blogging act. So I had to create an account to follow her blog, and while I was working on that it asked me if I wanted to create a blog on here, so I thought, why not? And here I am.

Also, my old blog was sort of essays about topics ... I know most blogs are about day to day stuff and the like. So I'll take a shot at doing that. Should be excruciatingly exciting for anyone who reads ...

What will I write about? My husband. My cats. My friends and family. ROLLER DERBY, which is pretty much my LIFE. Related to that, Circle City Socialites, my league full of teammates who I LOVE. Books, reading, horror movies, radical stuff. Of course, it will probably be hit and miss for a while. Right now I can feel myself wanting to spin off into a "subject" rather than just "hey, this is my life". We'll see how it goes.