the good, the bad, and the stupid

The Good:

No, wait, actually let's get The Bad out of the way first, shall we?

The Bad:
Still no chairs. Unbefreakinglievable.

Ok, here is the story --
As I've mentioned before, we wanted to order new chairs for the studio's interview set, and Mr. Promotions Guy told me THREE times (once in writing, no less) that he would be able to buy them for us as long as the total cost was under $1000 and we bought them before the end of the year; promotions basically had some extra money in their budget that they had to get rid of before the end of the year, so he was willing to spend it on the new chairs we wanted for the studio.

I delivered on my end of the deal, finding a chair model of the appropriate size, color, shape, and PRICE -- quoted at $274 per chair (so $822 total price for three chairs; well under budget, if you didn't notice) -- and gave Mr. Promotions a photocopy of the chair as pictured in the store's catalogue as well as a written quote and contact information from the store. About 24 hours later, I checked in to see if he liked the chairs and if we could get them. He told me he was "this close" to working it out with accounting.

WHAT?! What happened to having the money in the budget?!

OK, fine. So that was like three weeks ago.

TWO weeks ago, still no news. With the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided not to sweat it; the normal 9-to-5 folks in Promotions and Accounting wouldn't be around anyway, so nothing was likely to get accomplished.

ONE week ago, I checked in again via email:
"Hey, how are things going with the chairs?"
"Just trying to do some creative budgeting to make it work."

WHAT?!?! What happened to being "this close?!!"

TODAY, I see Mr. Promotions Guy and wanted to chew him out completely, but instead, I said, "Any progress on the chairs?"
"Weeellll..." Mr. Promotions Guy says, "We just have to get it approved...see, it's all really stupid the way it works, like, it's money from MY budget, but we have to get it from another account, and then THEY have to take that money from OUR budget, and..."

The way you talk, all I hear is blah blah blah.

"OK, keep me posted," I say, hoping that hints his need to get this taken care of.

Seriously, if he wasn't actually in control of the money in the first place, why would he tell me what he told me in the first place? It wouldn't be as big of a deal if he'd have just said, "I can't promise anything, but if you try to keep it under $1000, there's a better chance we'll be able to swing it with accounting."

But instead he remodeled his office and then left something that EVERYONE could use, like the new interview chairs, to the uncertain fate of the accounting department.

What stinks is, I really like this guy and I think he's trying to do a lot of good things for the station. And I really like what he did with his office. But it's like the time I bought a new outfit and then found out one of my paychecks was coming a month later than I thought it would. You don't spend money you don't have, or in this case promise to spend money you don't have.

Frusterating.

The Good News:
1.) It's Friday. Holla! (Yep, that just happened.) And that means all the good Friday things that come with it, including new episodes of 30 Rock and The Office that I watch Friday mornings online (and by the way, this week's Office episode is about the place where I work! Crappy copier, crappy chairs, budget surplus!!! It's too perfect. It absolutely made my day and gave me an easy way to laugh about how ridiculously inefficient things seem to be around there sometimes).

2.) I am officially on vacation! I'm not going anywhere, but I will have lots of time to do Christmas shopping, read, relax, maybe do some video editing, go to the gym, and also do some of that day-time stuff I don't normally have time to do, like eye and hair appointments. Plus I get to sleep at night like a normal person!

3.) I get to go see Justin's play tonight! Justin is pretty much me in a 6-foot-five boy's body. (Scary, huh?) This kid thinks like me, loves movies, musicals, and music, and all of the trivial information about them, as much as I do! I always tell him he's the little brother I never had. He is also a very talented and enthusiastic performer and I am so excited to see him onstage tonight! I've seen so many plays this fall thanks to all my little civic theatre buddies...so much fun!

4.) There is a package in the mail on its way to my door, which is always super-fun! I got a gift card to Victoria's Secret for my birthday, but didn't use it until now, and today I tracked my order and it is on its way out of Missouri. It's so fun to track packages; it's kind of like watching cookies bake in the oven -- if you can see the progress, it's a little easier to wait for the final product!

The Stupid:
1.) Here's the situation: I get home from work this morning. I'm holding my purse and lunch container in one hand and a stack of books and my keys in the other. So my hands are a little full, and it's a smidge chilly outside. The way it works at my apartment is, you can get in the first set of doors without a key, but you have to unlock the second set, and it's an oldish set of doors, so you have to jiggle the key in the lock a little bit, you know what I mean? It's not like a magnetic strip card or anything. And there's kind of this unspoken but universallly understood rule of common courtesy that if you're inside the building and near the front door, and someone who clearly has a key to the building is trying to get in, you go open the door for them so they don't have to mess with the key. Especially if they've got stuff in their arms. Now, if the person is a creep, just standing there waiting for someone to let them in, you should keep the safety of yourself and your fellow building dwellers in mind and let the dude fend for himself. But I'm saying if their key is in hand, indicating that they clearly belong inside the building, you go ahead and let them in.

OK, so back to me at the door this morning, with arms relatively full, fumbling with my key. There is a girl standing right in front of and I mean RIGHT IN FRONT OF the front doors, wearing her fuzzy slippers and bathrobe, flipping through a magazine or newspaper insert or something. I am trying to unlock the door and she is staring right AT me and just stands there, thumbing through whatever glossy piece of publication she's got. It is taking me longer than usual to jiggle the lock and get the doors to open, and she WALKS AWAY.

Seriously?!?!!

2.) There was like a fifteen-minute span this morning during which I could not make calls with my phone. A friend called me while I was still at work this morning, and I silenced the call. On my way out to my car, I tried to call my voicemail to see what he'd said, but my phone kept showing this "call failed" message. So then I tried to make just a regular phone call and the same thing happened. I finally tried calling my phone from my landline when I got home, and my cell phone wouldn't pick up the call. So then I decide to just check the voicemail through my landline phone, and I put in the password to get into my voicemail THREE times, and it wouldn't let me in. And I know I was putting the correct password in, because I watched myself punch the numbers and even said it outloud the last time as I dialed, but still no dice. So then just as a last shot, I try calling my voicemail again from my cell phone, and it works. Then I call my friend back...the phone works fine.

So I dunno what that was all about.

3.) This is stupid, but not in a bad way. Yesterday I had a dream that I met Amy Poehler, which is weird because earlier that day (don't ask me why), I was thinking about what celebrities I would most want to meet, and I came up with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Kristin Chenoweth. And I don't usually have the kind of dreams where something happens to me that I was thinking about that day; I usually have the kind of dreams where my teeth are falling out, or someone is chasing me but I can only move in slow motion, or I'm trying not to be shot or stabbed. Yes, I do not tend to have pleasant dreams. If they are on the more enjoyable side, they are usually totally random and have nothing to do with what happened the day before. But yesterday in my dream, I met Amy Poehler and we wanted to get our picture taken together but no one would take a picture. Like, people kept getting out their cameras and we kept stopping our conversation to smile at them, but then the people with the cameras would never actually take the picture...they'd just look at us through their viewfinders and then go back to what they were doing.

Analyze THAT!

(See, that was stupid, wasn't it?)

OK, that's all I've got. I'm officially on vacation. Yay!!!

Until later!

We Need a Little Christmas Now!

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever!

Okay, LOTS of stuff to cover. First of all, Thanksgiving was great. We had a good show, and then I went home to K-town to hang out with my family and watch the parade, which much to Marla and my delight included Kristen Chenoweth singing the Christmas Waltz on a float with the Care Bears! I noticed that I tended to watch all of the marching bands and color guards a lot more closely than in previous years, too. My dad and I made commentary on all of their costumes; he knows how much I dislike color guard uniforms in general so we were trying to pick out the good ones.

I have to admit I got a little cranky at my Mamaw and Papaw's...We had a wonderful dinner, which of course made me sleepy, on top of the fact that I hadn't slept yet. Then Mamaw wanted us to decorate their Christmas tree, which is great, but it's a big tree and there are a lot of ornaments, and after awhile I realized I was the only one hanging them up, and got a little pissy when my mom asked me if I wanted to take a nap...

"No, I want to do this, but nobody's helping me!!!"

So then Mom, Dad, Aunt Julie, Mamaw, and Marla hopped up and helped me finish the tree. That made it a LOT more fun. Then when I got ready to leave, Mamaw was like, "You have to leave already? Do you have another party to go to or something?" And of course the rest of the family is like, "She has to go to work, Mom!" Haha.

Mom packed up left-overs for me, which was awesome! And I drive back and went to bed.

Friday morning at work was actually really easy. I got my show done really quickly, which was good because that gave me lots of time to get prepared for my live shot at the mall. And the live shot went really well; I was super-nervous at first, but after I got the first hit under my belt, I started to get more comfortable. And when I got back to the station, I found out that apparently everything was going wrong right before the show--people hadn't gotten to work yet because they'd overslept, one of the cameras went down, the teleprompter went out--but luckily everything got ironed out. And Baron was back to directing that morning for Kim, who had the day off, and he is so, so calm in crisis situations, so he set the tone and they all got through it just fine. And we didn't have any problems out at the mall; it was actually really fun! But I definitely have a new appreciation for what our anchors and reporters do!

Friday afternoon was fantastic as I got to meet a bunch of my HSM kids for lunch at McCords (yummy!) and then we went to my apartment to watch some videos I'd made from our summer. Then I spent the rest of the day with Justin, who is like the little brother I never had, Christmas shopping and getting his oil changed. Then his mom called and told us to bring back a pizza and watch chick flicks with her (so cute). We dug out the Christmas Show DVD from 2003, which we were both on, and found the points where we were standing next to each other--so funny! We were the same height, even though he'd been a 12-year-old member of the Kid's Choir and I was a freshman in college! (He's like 6'5" now.)

I came home that night to find Fish (my male betta) looking very sickly. He had been looking pretty rough that morning when I came home from work, so I had put him in a smaller bowl (fishy intensive care), so he wouldn't have to swim or move as much to get to his food, which he wasn't really making an effort to eat anyway. I was not very hopeful that he would recover, although he's surprised me in the past, but I wanted to give him a chance, so I tried to get him to eat before I went to bed, but he was struggling just to stay right-side-up. So I put the fish bowl in the kitchen and went to bed.

I slept in Saturday morning, then finally got up to see if Fish had made it through the night. He hadn't. I did a little ceremonial flush, cleaned out his bowl, put his little castle up on top of the microwave, and put his food away in the cupboard.

Poor little Fish. He's been through a lot with me. He got me through my first year living on my own. He got me through a couple of break-ups, and through a couple of holidays that didn't feel like holidays because I was working. He listened to me practice for civic theatre auditions and sit down occasionally to butcher songs on the piano, and he never complained once. He was always happy to see me when I came home from work every morning and he would wake up in the middle of the night to keep me company when I couldn't sleep during the weekends. Fish was a good fish, and I'm thankful for the time I got to have with him.

Anyway, after putting Fish to rest, I didn't really have anything to do, since I'd done all my house-cleaning Friday morning. So I finally decided I'd just put up my Christmas tree and decorate the apartment for Christmas. That was really fun, and it definitely got me back in the holiday spirit!

And then, this morning I went outside to go to church, and it was a winter wonderland! My initial reaction was, "Whaaaaat." But then a smile immediately crept onto my face as I sloshed outside to brush all the snow off of my car. I had no idea we'd get that much snow overnight! So now I'm sitting here at my desk, with the window blinds open so I can see the snow-dusted trees and picnic tables outside. I'm sure this will melt away pretty soon, but it was such a fun surprise this morning!

OK, I think that's all. You're now caught up on my life for the moment.

Until later!

Email, Snail Mail, and the Music Man

What a great day! It started out quite rainy, which was a little bit of a bummer as I headed out the door to meet some of the HSM cast for lunch. But I decided to check my mail on my way out, and what should be in the mailbox but my new swimsuit! I didn't have time to try it on; I just took the package with me in the car.

Lunch was great. One of the members of our party just got back from a vacation in Mexico, so it was great to hear about his trip and catch up! We had a really awkward waitress, and for some reason, I always seemed to be the person who made matters worse, even though I was trying to make things better...everything I said as a joke or to ease the tension ended up sounding rude! Oh well...I left her a big tip, so hopefully that made things better.

One of the kids in our group is as obsessed with musicals as I am, and we ducked into the nearby Borders to see what shows they had on DVD. And I found the Disney made-for-TV version of "The Music Man," which I had always wanted to see but until now hadn't had the chance to. I'm watching it right now, and it's great fun. Probably not as good as the original, but equally as enjoyable for different reasons. An all-star cast, delightful choreography, and all the sweet, soft, squeaky-clean sets, costumes, and cast a Disney movie could ever conjure. I love Matthew Broderick, and his smooth, fast-talking Ferris Bueller really comes through in the character of Harold Hill. Kristen Chenoweth is pretty much my favorite Broadway person ever, and she brings a freshness and sass to the role of Marian Paroo that I have never seen. I always tend to get bored with the songs Marian sings in the show, because they are these super-soprano, old-fashioned warbly numbers, but they did a great job with the orchestral score on this, making it much more interesting. And Kristen has the unbelievable ability to combine her opera-trained pipes with her Broadway chops to kick these songs' butts. This was my favorite---



OK, going on...

So I got home after lunch and Borders and hopped on my laptop, and what did I find in my email's inbox but a note from the girls at Whatever Hollywood! I had left a little post on their blog saying I liked their stuff. It was so cool of them to write back! Anyway, soon the sun came shining out through the trees and I decided to try on my new suit and hit the pool. And now I'm comfy on the couch, laptop in my lap, watching "The Music Man."

And I just have to say...I LOVE musicals! They just make me feel so good inside!

OK, until later!

Winter Break

Here's some irony for ya...I don't get a winter break this year for the first time since I was 5, because I'm not in school anymore...

But the term "Winter Break" applies to this time in my life better than I can possibly describe.

I'll describe it anyway :)

First of all, the break-up. This is the perfect time for a break-up, because everyone is gone, so none of these parties/get-togethers where people are telling you what they think about your break-up, and none of those uncomfortable moments where you both end up in the same place and everyone starts watching like you're suddenly the newest episode of "Grey's Anatomy." That actually happened once and I ended up crying...and not really because I was upset, but just because I felt all this pressure leaning in on me from around the room, and I literally cracked. So...none of those moments for awhile!

Also, some pretty big things happened...well, ONE pretty big thing happened just a few days ago. Our music director at Purdue announced that he was retiring, effective December 31. Which was a huge shock to people, since there are a lot of big things happening next semester that he won't be there for anymore. And it just makes everyone wonder...what's going to happen? This will change so many things for those kids. I am glad that a) I have already graduated and b) that it is winter break, so all the kids are at home where they can digest this with their families instead of rehash it at school...I mean, they'll do that anyway, but at least they'll have done it with their families first.

Finally, I got sick. It's just a cold, not the flu, but I honestly cannot remember the last time I've felt this gross. And since no one is in town and I don't have a boyfriend anymore, I can spend all day in bed, looking gross, and not having to go anywhere. I haven't been sleeping well because of being sick, so by yesterday I was exhausted when I got home from work. I went to bed about 9 a.m., and from then until about 6 this morning I have been in bed, with only small breaks for answering the phone (sometimes), going to the bathroom, taking medicine, and occasionally getting online for AIM, email, or facebook. And that's it! It's been a real break! All around! And it's not even Christmas yet!

I set up my first very own Christmas tree and did my shopping, and all my presents are wrapped and under my tree...and I'm so proud everytime I look at it! It's weird, for some reason I am the least excited for Christmas that I've ever been, and I don't know why. I am excited to go home, but I don't really feel like it's only a few days till Christmas, and I think it might be because every day at work just makes me feel like...every day is just another day. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, it's just that difference of not having a build-up. No Christmas show rehearsals, no finals, no packing and going home. I think that must be it. I have one day off to look forward to; Christmas Eve night/Christmas morning, and then on Christmas night I go back to the newsroom. Holidays come and go so fast because I don't get to relish them for days, just for hours. The only thing that gets me excited is Christmas shopping and wrapping presents. And looking forward to seeing the Christmas Show on TV!

Speaking of TV, here are my media picks of the moment:
TV...well, nothing is on TV right now thanks to the writers' strike, but here are some shows I started watching and hope to be caught up on by the time WGA lets Hollywood get back to business:
1. The Office -- I love Christopher Guest movies, and this is like if a Chris Guest movie were made into a TV show. I bought the first season on DVD, which to my disappointment only had six episodes...they must have really been counting on this one to fail! Which is understandable, considering the fact that it was based off of a British show of the same title. It's subte, dry, every-day humor and I love it. I am very much in love with the character Jim Halpert (who isn't?) as well as the Jim-Pam love story, or "JAM" as some fans call it. "The Office" never fails to cheer me up and give me stomach cramps.

2. Pushing Daisies -- I had seen the promos for this when the new TV season started, and it looked interesting, but I was busy enough watching "The Bachelor" on abc.com, so I didn't look into it. But I kept hearing my director obsess over it, so now that I've run out of other stuff to watch, I thought I'd give the show a look. I also found out that one of my favorite Broadway people, Kristen Chenoweth, is in it, so that was what really made me decide to check it out. I love it. It's like Tim Burton, Gilmore Girls, and CSI all rolled into one show! Every episode is like a little movie. It's whimsical, colorful, dark, and old-fashioned, with that rapid-fire wit of Gilmore Girls but finally in an atmosphere fitting of that writing style. And it's a murder mystery, so you just can't stop watching as every twist leads you to the next commercial break. Luckily, I was watching online and didn't have to sit through much of a commercial break! And Kristen Chenoweth even sings! The best part, too, is that when characters sing in this show, they just sort of naturally burst forth without needing an excuse to, and for this show, that works and makes sense. That's hard to do in a movie, let alone a tv show! More about that in the movie section...

Movies...
1. I rented "The Wendell Baker Story" from a redbox and it was really good. One of those movies that got totally missed by everyone, even though it was written and directed by the Wilson brothers (Luke, Andrew, and Owen -- actually Owen just acted in it). It was a quirky little story about a con man who decides to clean up his act after his shinannigans cost him his girl, his best friend, and some prison time. He goes to work in a retirement home where he finds out about the shady dealings of the owner and decides to help out, and make friends with, the hilarious senior citizen residents. The movie isn't flashy or over-the-top in any way, which is probably why it flew under the radar for the public, but to say it's worth the dollar it costs to rent it at a redbox vending machine for the night is an understatement.

2. High School Musical 2. Yes, I bought it. I am a sucker for this stuff. It's campy, cheesy, and not made for people my age...but I totally don't care. This is the part of me that never got past the age of 12: I love any show where singing and dancing is involved, and I love Ashley Tisdale. This movie was even better than the first one because there were much more songs, especially big group numbers, and the dancing was a lot more complicated. Also, this had more of a musical feel to it because more of the songs came out of the storyline and happened "spontaneously," whereas in the first movie most of the music was explained by an audition or even kareaoke. I am one of those people who wish life was a musical, and in that musical, the singing and dancing tells the story, everyone already knows the words, and uniform dance moves happen not because someone taught it that way, but because everyone was feeling the same emotion, which led them to move as one. Of course! So I respond better to a show where the songs seem to kind of just happen, rather than be rationalized. Because it's less realistic! Makes perfect sense, right?

Ok, that's all I have for now. Time to find something to eat and start cleaning up my "sick person" mess around the house!