All right, I'm going to write something while I'm in a good mood and hopefully keep it that way.  Life, seriously, you're too much sometimes, but we should stick together a bit longer.

Anyway, Labor Day weekend!  What an adventure!  And actually the days leading up to it.  Cecily and I officially signed our lease and became renters of our cute little duplex.  Then began the preparation of trying to get everything together in order to live there...still a bit of a work in progress.  But I have a place to sit, a place to sleep, a place to shower, and working locks, so it's getting there.  I bought things I didn't need at Pottery Barn Kids, though I do love the desk, and the bookshelf is actually pretty great, and hopefully they'll last a while.  Adam sold me his bed, and after two nights, I like it a lot.  It's still a bit like sleeping in a hotel, new sheets, new pillows, and such, but it sure is comfy.

The room has been rearranged twice.  The computer is almost together, and I have at least one box of books up in the room.  My movers/epic friends Adam, Eric, Frank, and Joe were the backbone of the moving operation, with the addition of Ryan who provided his truck for moving the bed.  Also, my work supervisor also proved to be a SUPER supervisor when she brought her van to help move the expensive Pottery Barn stuff.  And everything worked out pretty well.  I took Eric and Joe out for lunch, with its own shenanigans, and pretty much had a nice moving day.

It's still an adjustment; my legs and feet are not used to hardwood floors (I need a better pair of slippers), spiders tend to come out of the vents (apparently I can buy a spray for that), the kitchen has no counter space or storage space (we can fix that too, but I see why people move into houses with giant kitchens), the backporch light is burned out (hello, landlady, help?) and the bathroom door is super squeaky (WD-40, boom!).  I could use some curtains, and my stereo, but the place is quiet and clean, and just in need of people living in it for longer than a week.

Other than that, the weekend was fun-filled, lots of birthdays and parties, and hanging out at the old homestead with my little brother.  We had ourselves some times with cookies and MST3K.  I will admit, I can't wait to have dinner at home soon.  Panera is still not on par with my mom.  Or even my dad.  Plus until I get a table, there's no real place to eat in the house.  Also, the couch needs to get over there soon, there's not too many places for a crowd to sit.  Ahh, so many things.  I have a running list the length of a marathon, though it's really more like a triathalon.

Other than that, fall is approaching, Cowtown is peeking around the corner about to jump into my face, and hopefully we'll have the house settled before winter comes.  It was very lonely that first night, but last night was much better when people came by to visit.  First Adam to build the computer, then Natalie and her friend Rachel to hang out, and then Eric to eat his dinner and visit.  Natalie and Rachel brought cookies, Adam discovered my computer needs a different power source, Eric and Adam checked the place over, and then there was a quest for ice cream.

Good times, good times.  More later, perhaps.  Ack, I still need a desk chair.

For the negative six people waiting for the outcome of my character blacking out (seriously, who reads this?!), here is the continuation.


The first sensation when I regained consciousness was a melon-splitting headache.  Wincing, I opened my eyes to a way too bright room, and three faces.
"May?  May, open your eyes, all the way," the blurry face with glasses said.
I did my best to comply.  Holy cow, when did the box get so bright?  It stung my eyes and I held a noodle-limp arm up to cover the light.
"What happened?" I gasped, reviewing myself for injuries or abnormalities.  My chest was heaving for breath and my elbows felt bruised.  I kept blinking until the fuzziness went away, and I could see Dr. Banner, Stark, and Capt. Rogers clearly again.
"You passed out from oxygen deprivation.  Using all that solar energy burned up the supply of oxygen in your body.  You should be all right in a minute," Banner told me, timing my pulse with his watch.
The captain held my other hand.
"Lie still, May.  Keep breathing."
"Slowly, you don't want to hyperventilate," the doctor said.
I put my head back and took four deep breaths until the desperate desire for air went away and I struggled to sit up, leaning into the captain as the room started spinning.
"You all right, May?  Everything feel normal?" Stark asked, waving something electrical in my direction, picking up readings.
"Yeah, I think so.  I've never done that before," I said, still not completely settled in mind and body. 
"I'm pretty sure we don't need to repeat the experience anytime soon," Stark said, standing up and going back to his data terminal.
"Did you learn anything?" I asked.
"Loads of things.  We should make you an alternative energy source," Banner quipped, satisfied with my pulse's normality.
I smiled, the dizziness fading away at last.
"Who's greener, you or me?" I teased him.
Shifting to stand up, the captain caught my elbow.
"You're sure?" he asked, looking me in the eye.  Annoyingly, I blushed, and hid my face.
"Yes, I'm fine."
Rogers helped set me on my feet and walked me out of the box, Stark and Banner tapping away at their screens.
"It's pretty impressive that you can choose what energy you want to produce.  And from the looks of things, you can choose from quite a few," Banner said, talking and typing at the same time.
I came up to the set of screens, trying to see what he saw, instead of rapidly calculating numbers and flashing charts and graphs.
"What's there?" I asked.
"JARVIS, tell the little lady about her big power," Stark called out, still focused on his screens.
"In order of strength, energy readings include nuclear, solar, electrical, lunar, magnetic, radio, heat..."
The information trailed off as JARVIS listed a bunch of words that didn't register with me.  I looked down at my hands, the same hands they'd always been, pale skin with visible blue veins covering the long fingers and wide palms.  It almost overwhelmed me that these hands could produce nuclear power.  I knew after the first energy outburst that started all of this that there was something a little bit different about me, but to hear Stark and Banner explain it all in detail...
I felt dizzy again and caught myself on Capt. Rogers.

I'm watching Rear Window right now and it's making me smile.  I can relate to the beautiful Lisa Fremont who's in love with her own occasionally-grumpy camera bum.  I'm not exactly the fashionable model Grace Kelly (an $1100 dress would probably cause me to faint), but I do admire her.  And luckily Eric doesn't have a broken leg or things could get interesting in a homicidal neighbor way.


But anyway.


My parents have been gone a while, looking after Dad's parents.  Grandma fell and broke her hip, and things looked a little risky for her for a bit, but she rallied, and Dad says she's going to be okay.  Long recovery, but that sounds way better than the alternative.  It's been pretty stressful on everyone, and I think we're all looking forward to normalcy.  Soonest.


In the meantime, Jack and I have been looking after ourselves (newsflash: we are low maintenance cooks).  I also have to remember to water the plants and do dishes, Jack does trash and gets the mail.  Yay temporary roommates!  I have no idea what we'll do about the lawn, but I'm sure it'll be fine.  Sadly, it took us five days to get the mailbox open.  We're dysfunctional but functional?  Oh, well, the house is still standing, we haven't killed the cars, each other, or anything else, and, um, yeah.


Aside from our domestic hysterics (wee!), I went to the Champions Workshop last weekend with all the lovely people from Minnesota, Mike and Eve, Dee and Jeremy-Many=Names.  They were all great.  Mike and Jeremy are really fun dancers, especially Jeremy.  I danced with him twice and he likes to play.  That's so rare but fun.  Eve is very sweet, and Dee is just wonderfully sassy.  She taught us to groove, and I'll admit that I probably look like a total goof working my hips but I love it.  I need more groovy swing and blues.  And someone to dance with me to that music, but it would work alone.  We also got to watch the Heartland Hepcat and the Cowtown Cow hang out, dance, play Rock Band.  Good times.


Otherwise work is work.  I'm excited for Sunflower Swing, getting away for a little while, seeing my other grandpa, and maybe shopping?  I feel like I need something pretty to wear.  I love my new purple shoes (even if they cost me more than a pair of Aris Allens), and after learning from Mike, Eve, Dee, and Jeremy, I'm pretty psyched to keep learning dance.  I still love it.  I wish I had more time and money and ability to devote to it.  I fear the infamous game of Bases I went to over Memorial Day has done something to my leg.  Or it could be stress, I'm not really sure.  My left leg hurts, I do know that.  But yeah, more dancing.  Dance, dance, dance.  I don't know if I'll get to STL this summer, as I'd like to, but maybe I'll just save it up for Nevermore in November.


One never knows.


I wish I could dress and look more like Grace Kelly.  So glamorous, though I don't know if would do me much good.  I think I'll stick to being just me.  It's worked so far.

Ugh...too tired to blog.


Okay, that's not at all true.  I just feel like I'm blathering on a lot these days.  Nobody needs to hear this stuff.  Seriously, are you reading this?  Why?!

*sigh*  Anyway...

Apparently I'm not in enough different places at once these days.  I remember when I was a quiet girl who spent most of her time at home.  Still do, really.  People say life should be lived to the fullest, and you won't look back on your life thinking how awesome it was to get enough sleep.  Well, I'm pretty sure if I don't get enough sleep, I will look back and think I was a real jerk to people because I was tired.  And that life might not be so long if I drive into a lamp post.  Don't sleep and drive.  Tell your friends.

Um, saw the new Avengers movie and it was quite good.  I had my hangups having been disappointed with Iron Man 2, and not hearing great things about Captain America or Thor, but it was a delightful movie filled with action sequences and witty dialogue, and several attractive heroes to stare at.  I don't think I could pick just one.  Tony Stark is a dashing smartass, Steve Rogers is noble and dreamy, Bruce Banner is understated and humorous, Clint Barton kicks butt without wearing sleeves most of the time...I could go on and on.  However, the Hulk wins the funny award, and where would we be without Lou Ferrigno?

Also, I'm sorry Edward Norton, you were good, but Mark Ruffalo was better.  Learn to play well with others, Ed.

What else?  Swing dancing goes on.  I'm trying to get excited about taking more classes and getting some focused learning done, but life seems to get in the way.  So far I've missed two of the four weeks of my balboa class...*sigh*.  I want to take classes in Wichita, but I don't know.  I feel pressed for time management, and money may become an issue depending on how things go.  I'm also a little worried about Cowtown, and I'm sure the anxiety is only going to grow as we get closer.  I want to start planning but I have no idea what to plan.  Ack.  Neuroses, everywhere, in the fridge, under the couch, hanging from the ceiling.  Everywhere!

Been getting lots of book club time, though.  Sherlock is ticking along nicely, plus the new series was pretty good.  I thought the second season was a little overly complex, but they probably try to cram a lot in since they only get three episodes a season.  Also, regular book club has been a nice get together.  Our member Jen is moving to Texas so we all got together for drinks and hear all about her new house and adventures in moving.  I had a margarita and hardly noticed the booze, which means I'm either getting used to it, or I really didn't care at the time.  But I was sad to see Jen go, she's a lovely person with a wicked sense of humor.  And we had our usually meeting yesterday, and to quote Susie, we kicked it old school.  The old meeting place with a pretty involved discussion.  It was pretty fun.

Otherwise, summer is fast approaching.  The weekends are warm and pleasant, with the occasional summer storm.  Eric and I take a few walks once in a while, I leave my roof open when I drive, I'm debating on buying a new swimsuit (I don't think the old one fits anymore).  I'm really okay with summer being here, I just kind of want it to be summer for a long time.

For being too tired to blog, this has become a long entry.

Oh, boy.  I think my family has hit their hospital quota for the year.  Can we please give it a rest?  My paranoia getting a little out of control worrying about it, which is exhausting.  And so I try to suppress it and not think about it, which oddly, is also exhausting.  So I'm exhausted, and this weekend's dancing combined with a two mile hike on the hunt for a two room apartment has also exhausted my feet.


But at least Cecily and I found some fun looking apartments and duplexes, and got some ice cream to burn off our exercise.  It stormed a lot last week, but I had more issues with allergies than anything else.  The humidity came up a LOT and it was also pretty warm, so it was a familiar atmosphere.  All I needed was some Imo's pizza, a sweat-soaked trip to the Gardens, and to run into somebody at just about any business in Webster, and it would've been just like being in STL.  Ah, well.  I read a quote today that I don't remember exactly, but it said in effect that we go back to our hometown to remember what it was like, but we're really searching for our childhoods.  I can get behind that.


I should find out when Diablo 3 comes out, because Eric will be busy, and won't notice if I go to STL for a weekend.  Though with all that's going on right now, I'm kind of afraid to go any further than his house.  Maybe across the river.  Ugh, enough with the stress.  It's making me erratic, and I can tell it's making me erratic because I get way too focused on little things these days.  I just want to let it go sometimes.  


Ugh, I am SUCH A SPAZ.


Maybe I'm the one who needs therapy.  It's been kind of a rough year.  But, like my other family members, we all don't believe things have been that rough.  I mean, things could be so much worse (not that I want it to be), but things could be harder.  I think we feel like life has just been taking its turn, and we shouldn't really complain.  My grandmother passed, but it was bound to happen (I don't think grandma was sitting on top of the fountain of youth, she was never vain like that, plus she believed devoutly in Heaven, and that's probably where she is right now.  Hopefully having a nice cocktail and listening to Ella Fitzgerald while chatting with St. Francis).  It doesn't really count as a tragedy.  I think my family has this unspoken feeling that because we haven't actually suffered a tragedy, we don't need therapy.  We would never look down on anyone who does, there's nothing wrong with it.  I just think we don't consider ourselves entitled.  Me personally, why should I take up some therapist's time, when there's probably someone out there who needs it way more than me for something awful that I don't really want to speculate on.


*sigh*  I don't know.  I just want to relax.  And for my shoes to be fixed already.  And to take a day off.  

Oh, boy.  I meant to start this yesterday but just as I was processing what I wanted to blog about, my mom came home in tears.   Long story short, my grandpa is terminally ill.  I'm not going to talk about it much here, and certainly not now.  Just that if I'm more than usually erratic for the next month, there's a reason.


Aside from all of that, I really just wanted to gush about my wonderful boyfriend and my delightful dearest friends.  Terry has decided to go to grad school in California, and finally someone came to his senses and started dating her.  He sounds pretty sweet, which she deserves so much.  And as for Eric, he just makes me smile.  Sometimes I feel really selfish in our relationship, but he's good to me all the same.  But I really try, I just haven't got it all figured out.


Other than that...I'm getting a little burned out with all the social stuff I've been going to lately.  I guess I'm just feeling a little pressured with all the social functions, with all that goes along with it.  That and it seems like everyone I know lives a half an hour away from me.  


Okay, done now.  Blog more later.

Ahh, spring is here.  It's actually kind of freaking me out.  Seriously, it's March and it's about twenty degrees warmer than usual.  It's been like that for WEEKS.  I'm not complaining at all, no way, I'm just a little suspicious (and I'm not the only one) of what this means for the summer.  I can only imagine the two extremes, that it'll either be unbearably hot in June (done that) or it'll snow (I think the latest snow I've seen in my lifetime was when it snowed in May in STL when I was twelve).  But until the weather decides to freak out, I'm going to kick back and enjoy being able to leave all my heavy clothes at home, and try to figure out where I'm going to store all my knee socks until it gets cold again.

Oh, no.  I think I just jinxed it.  Maybe I'll just leave them where they are until July.  Anyway.

Things are going pretty well in general.  Work is going well, though I still need more to do, but I'm sure it's lying in wait for me.  Plus after what I've heard about my old department's progress, I'm really okay staying where I am.  They can move my desk, but I'll keep doing what I'm doing.  Or more, I could do more, if anyone's offering.  Starting to think about plans for the summer.  I haven't been dancing as much lately, which I feel bad about, but I'm too cheap to go to lessons every month, and Monday night is not as convenient as Saturday was, but I need to start getting active.  I feel like a blob.  I'm probably not, but I am glad my boyfriend likes walking a lot.

Oh, and I'm already sick of it being election year.  Last election was an issue of who did I think would do a better job, this election is who am I least likely to punch in the face?  Seriously, where did they find these people?  Some of them are so conservative that I am shocked that more people haven't seen the connection between ultra-conservatives and Islamic extremists.  Not ALL Islam, just the crazies who don't think women should have freedom, and that fun is a ridiculous capitalist idea.  Oh, boy.  It's all so depressing.  And I'm just going to say this now, purely my opinion, I do not mind if you disagree with it, just please try and respect it: if you're a man trying to impose your will on what a woman can do with her body and the associated functions, DON'T.  Unless you can have a period/child/yeast infection, you cannot attest to anything that a woman feels on any of those points.  Some days I wonder if people even know how to treat other people like human beings.  Also, your faith is not the only faith.  I'm sorry, this is a really big planet, there's a lot of people around, you're not wrong for what you believe in, but neither is anyone else.

Okay, okay, okay, I'm done.  That's it.  I will not talk about this stuff again this year (hopefully).  I hate how torqued off I get.  That's what I really, really hate about elections, it makes us all a little bit insane.

Anyway, better things to talk about.  No PrincessCon this year, schedules can just not be worked out, sadness, but I'm sure travel is in my future.  And I know my friends really want to go to London for next year, but to be honest, I've been to London.  I want to go to a beach.  Plus it's going to be expensive and I don't think I have enough vacation time for a week there.  I don't know.  I'm trying to psych myself up for it, but I don't really want to spend a thousand dollars on travel and burn all my vacation time just yet.  I'm planning to move out soon, and that's going to take a good chunk of things.  I don't know.

Gosh, what's with all the complaining?  Enough of that.

Eric and I had a great double date over the weekend with our friends Adam and Dianna.  I cooked my curlycue alfredo, and finally nailed the alfredo recipe.  I've been having issues getting it to thicken, turns out if you just keep adding cheese, it works out fine.  Eric made asparagus and a salad (I love his salads), and set a lovely table.  Adam and Dianna brought tasty bread pudding for dessert.  We enjoyed dinner and the lovely weather, watched Megamind (excellent flick), played some Quirkle (I won), and went down a rather bumpy slide (ow, my tush).  Our friends left and though it felt like it was only 10 at night, it was actually midnight.  Spring is blowing my mind, but at least my sinuses haven't totally exploded yet.

Let's see, Kaleb's mystery party is this weekend, apparently my swordfighter character carries a bow (seriously?  I'm carrying a sword anyway).  I also plan to wear a corset and a skirt, so I may be an unusual looking guard, but hey.  We'll see how it all goes.  And then April is here.  Holy cow.

Muppet Show theme will now be stuck in my head, and hopefully yours too.

Afternoon, kids.  So I already have a Livejournal page which I love but is just getting ridiculous, so I may be moving over here, maybe not.  I just discovered the inability to post something privately, which I really liked about Livejournal, but apparently I can create a second blog for that.  We'll see how motivated I am to actually doing all of that.  I also need to find a way to save my Livejournal entries, because there's about four years of my life on there.  We'll see.  For now, happy day before Halloween!