Thursday, September 29, 2005

fall chores

yes, the chores o' the season. how exciting that i not keep those chores all to myself! from washing the blankets to breaking out the space heater...well maybe those are the only chores i can think of. there it is that's it. blankets and a heater. so by making it sound like some sort of event -- "Fall Chores 2005!" -- i've made it more lame.

i don't really have the stereotypical seasonal changes for my life -- "Spring Cleaning" usually means "more crap in a box that i have to sort through or i might just throw it all out before the cat pees on it." but that sounds less charming than Spring Cleaning.


my thoughts are slightly jumbled at this somewhat late hour. i fell asleep putting the kiddo to sleep (children are mini heaters -- it happens easily)-- and have just woken up. right before i left work today i found out that i had screwed up on a couple of pages of a monthly newspaper that built. while it's nothing that will keep me up at night, it still bothers me that i was too busy to notice that, in the midst of switching ad A with ad B, i forgot to put in the B. basically one ad ran twice in the same paper, while one was left out completely. shite happens, i know, but it still sucks finding out that you are not the freakin' genius you once thought.

(pausing to recall when i once thought i was a freakin' genius...hmm)

ah well, for now i shall relax near the space heater and enjoy the warm air blown out that contrasts with the cold air seeping in through the windows. hmm. conditions in my room are ripe for a thunderstorm.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

i heart you, craigslist!

a show of hands -- who loves craigslist?
i was introduced to this site by a co-worker and my quest for crap i don't need really began. i'm on there a few times a day and i always remember to log on first thing in the morning, just in case i can be the first one to find a great deal. meaning something free. you never know when you'll find the job listing of your dreams (unlikely but worth a shot) or an ipod for $50 (even less likely). but i did find a split boxpring for my king sized bed for no money whatsoever. here are some goodies that i don't need, don't want, but ohmigod, it's funny that they are even listed:

1. Beautiful Tiara. Never worn, $20.
2. Patriotic Leather Jacket (flag decoration), $75.
3. An American Hat. Dark blue with the American flag on it. (seller says he no longer has a need for this hat.) $4. (Patriotism is the new black, i think.)
4. Six unicorn figurines, $40.
5. Under employment: Attention College Cheerleaders... (we don't really need to know what THAT entails...) and this seques PERFECTLY into...
6. Penthouse and Playboy Collection, $62.
7. The AB Lounge 2, $70.
8. An ad under "Casual Encounters" noting the availability of a sperm donor. I'm guessing it's not for a fertility clinic, though...

there is also a Barter section -- if you need something, you can ask for it while offering up something on your part. For instance, one person on there right now wants to learn how to drive, and they are offering to help the willing party with learning Chinese.

so it's the damndest thing i've ever seen. no, that's not entirely true. the damndest thing i've ever seen was some kid on a bike flipping off a train crossing the tracks. that was funny.
but it comes close.

movie night

so i'm thinking about a couple of possibilities for this evening:
a. go to a movie ("exorcism of emily rose")
b. do some laundry
c. clean my living room
d. watch fox mulder take a bite out of that ice cream cone over and over again
e. watch fox mulder eat those sunflower seeds over and over again
f. wish like hell that i could be an ice cream cone or a sunflower seed

now, i could do b and c right before doing a. or i could continue doing d, e and f and just take momentary pauses to do b and c. but then i can't do a. what's a girl to do?

you down with CSP?

the good folks at CSP have spared some space for me again HERE. It's a little something I had on my mind whilst the painting project.

Monday, September 26, 2005

sweet, sweet x files.

enjoying the xfiles evening.
time at the shrink was well spent.
feeling a little bit numb.
that happens post-shrink sometimes.

one hell of a work day

okay, so i'm outside having a smoke during what has become a hellacious work day (when it should have been simple) and i saw a squirrel. my first thought was to move slowly away from the squirrel, as it was etched into my brain when i was young that all squirrels have rabies. instead i decided to move closer, b/c if it bit me, i'd be able to go home early today.

THAT'S the kind of work day it's been. a preference of rabies shots to work.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

that's more like it.

Your hidden talent is writing




Your hidden talent is writing. You have a unique way of viewing the world and are able to express your thoughts eloquently on the page. Some people might think that you are weird, but you are just the next Pulitzer prize winner.

Click Here To Start Writing Your Novel


Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

hmm.

don't blame me, i didn't invent the quiz.
You have a sexual hidden talent


You have a sexual hidden talent. You might not look it but you are a dynamo in bed. Most of your lovers think that it is from years of practice, but really, you were just born with it.



Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

now everyone knows my secret!







Your darkest secret is:
You voted because Diddy told you to



Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

quiz galaxy kinda rules.

You most resemble Marlon Brando





You are very smart, and very talented, although you don’t really enjoy social company. You prefer to live alone, go to movies alone, cry alone in the corner...


Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

What is your epitaph?

Props to the dandy Joe Mammy for this link.





Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com


nice.

monday monday monday

so tomorrow is monday. as i'm sure you are all aware of. and for some of you it's already monday.
point being, it's shrink day, and i'm nervous.
why?
well i can always tell when things are shaky. and things are definitely shaky is shakey spelled with an e? shakey? no, i like shaky better.
anyhow, i digress.
i've not been there for a few weeks and i kind of feel like by going there i'm opening up a pandora's box o' emotions that have been bottled up and i don't feel mentally equipped to handle them. crap.
i'm so tired of being this way. and i know it wreaks havoc on the people around me, so that is frustrating as well.
oy vey.
on a completely unrelated note, i love sitting on my porch when it's raining otuside. there is a nice breeze and at some point i need to acquire some sort of swinging apparatus for the porch. a swing, a hammock, something. i've been saying that for months, but i really do mean it.

"horses horses horses horses"

ahhhh, my day of total laziness.
i've finished "you've got mail." i've spent a few hours in bed watching a variety of "x files" episodes. what is next? well as long as there is cookie dough, there is a meg ryan movie. i'm now starting "sleepless in seattle."
but don't worry -- after this i'm planning to watch "nightmare on elm street," so everything will be in balance again.
quotes that i enjoy:

"bees. i'm allergic to bees."
"it's the same with harold and bees."
"harold wasn't always allergic to bees."
"what about harold and bees?"
"i'm allergic to bees."

that was for you, Meg.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

not even cookie dough...

is enough to make fall feel better. and i like the season -- i have no ill will toward the change from humidity and flip-flops to sweaters and sensible shoes --- but man, fall is a tough time. and every year it happens and every year i think it will be different.
i think i'm going to spend the night eating cookie dough and watching meg ryan movies. so there.

my kitchen ...

... smells like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
why?
because i baked chocolate chip cookies. that i made. from scratch. not a container or a tube.
and i used butter.
and the cookies are delightful.

and this morning i realized i had lost five pounds. and then i made cookies....

rita, rita, rita...

come on, sugar, just lighten up on the coast, will ya?

and there was a freakin' earthquake in california early this morning?
what in the hell... and don't start with that "end of times" nonsense, you lunatics.
i don't even know what lunatics i'm speaking of.

we're watching last night's "daily show" and jon stewart -- who is usually funny as all get out anyhow -- is in rare form.

and rob corddry (sp?) is moving up toward being in my list of five.

oh, come now, YOU know about the list of five ... i first heard of it on "Friends" and it's that list of five people you'd be allowed to ... you know ... without any consequences from your significant other.

and the stipulation that i think is important is that they really need to be celebrities -- you know, people you would never, ever actually have the chance to sleep with -- otherwise you could say it about anyone you meet. and that would make it too easy. then you could just nail anyone.

so my list? let's see...

trent reznor
john cusack
ewan mcgregor
jon stewart
... and there are a few in rotation, depending on the mood, including (but not limited to):

philip seymour hoffman
mark ruffalo

who's on YOUR list?

Friday, September 23, 2005

why am i still awake?

it's midnight. the kid is asleep. i should be asleep. but i can't sleep. my brain is wide awake.

tomorrow will be a day of making chocolate chip cookies. with real butter. to hell with the slimfast for the weekend. the trick to good cookies? use a bit more vanilla than it calls for, and if you MUST use margerine, try to use half margerine/half butter.

and that's about as domestic as i can sound without making myself giggle.

there is very little that is nicer than being able to crawl into bed and know that you needn't set the alarm for the morning. of course, saturdays i always have an alarm who sleeps down the hall from me, and that alarm usually wakes me before 8 a.m. but that will change someday. someday she'll be an angst-ridden teenager who complains if i wake her before 2 p.m.

or she could be like me (as she proves more and more everyday, much to my chagrin) and be an early riser forever.

funny memory: i'm probably three years old and i've woken up long before my parents. i decide to pretend i'm in a shampoo commercial. in lieu of shampoo, i use baby oil in my hair. i spend some time talking to myself in the bathroom mirror, pretending i'm the damn breck girl. then my memory jumps to my mother discovering my greasy, greasy hair and hauling me off to the bath. washing out oil with water ... i'm sure that was awesome for her. must remember to call and apologize for that one.

i've discovered more and more that for everything the kiddo does that i recall doing, i feel the need to call my parents and apologize. and ask them why they didn't leave me to the gypsies. (they say it's b/c they love me, but i'm pretty sure it's b/c there aren't a lot of roving bands of gypsies in the ND countryside.)

Thursday, September 22, 2005

my favorite picture.


kari dad picture
Originally uploaded by kllnin.

if i ever write a book or put out an album, this will be on the cover. seriously. my favorite picture EVER.

Holy F**king Rita!


Holy F**king Rita!
Originally uploaded by kllnin.

Christ, that's a storm...take care, you guys!!! And remember, it's not looting if you leave an IOU... seriously. Find what you need to be ok.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

a few moments in the basement

well, we heard a bit o' the tornado warning sirens this evening, so we spent a few minutes in the basement and now we're back above ground. it's an interesting perspective for me to have a child who is afraid of storms -- as much as i was when i was her age. by the time i had abbey i was a big fan of thunderstorms, so it's not as though she has grown up, watching me panic about it.

i remember the first storm that i actually did not vomit from fear -- it was 7th grade maybe (can't recall for certain, i might need amycita's help on this one) and i was sleeping over at my best friend amy's house. we had to go in the basement b/c the sirens went off and, in north dakota, sirens only went off in the event a funnel was spotted. well down in the basement we hung out and ate suddenly salad with mixed with crab, something her mom had whipped up earlier that evening. and i was trying so hard to be cool and not panic that i guess i just started to enjoy myself. thanks for that, amycita!

i even remember how severe that storm was -- the next day we heard that there were a total of 7 funnels around the minot area and a tree in my parent's backyard was broken in half due to a lightening strike.

and as a slight tangent, i have tornado dreams about once a week. i'm in a big room which resembles a community type room at my grandparent's apartment complex -- only the walls are made of glass and there are tornadoes dropping out of the sky all over the place. and i can look up and see them swiriling and starting to form. i never dream i'm injured or that any of the glass walls even break, it's just this sense of what COULD happen. the walls COULD shatter and slice me into 17,000 pieces. the tornadoes COULD go on forever and ever. i'm just waiting, expectantly, for the worst to happen.

i remember being so afraid when i was little -- i don't recall many daytime tornado warnings in minot, mostly middle of the night ones until i got much older. so there's that whole "can't see what might be chasing and could destroy your entire life" thing.

and ever since that night at amy's house, if the sirens would go off while i was sleeping, i somehow would wake up a minute or two before the sirens, kind of like waking up right before an alarm clock. i have no explanation for that.

what a wordy post thus far. and i might just keep going, as it will make up for the fact that my recent posts have been largely photo-dependent.

had a bad head day yesterday. i could blame many things or i could blame nothing, as there need not be anything in particular to bring it on. i guess what throws me off and makes it even harder is that i spend most of my days under the illusion that i have it all under control. then days like yesterday morning happen and i realize that i'm controlling only two things (this is for you joe mammy) - jack and shit. jack left town.

the kiddo is delighted with her room. she called me at work today when she first saw it and she said it was "awesome."

me: do you like it?
her: you bet i do!

(this is her new phrase, which came into use after her short-lived "you betcha!" phase.)

tomorrow may prove to be a hectic day. we'll see.

for any of you on the gulf coast --- take care of yourselves. get out of harm's way. i hear that there is a nice ranch in crawford to visit...

this past 24 hours...

here i am last night, so excited to see beck!
pre beck

here is dustin, showing no emotion at all about pumping gas.
dustin outside

here are some photos of the kiddo's finished room:
finished room 1

finished room 3

finished room2

Sunday, September 18, 2005

the room

room 1

and view 2
room2

so you can see that there were spots that i totally f**ked up on, but by god, it's done and i can always do touchups on it. you know, when i feel like bleeding out my eyes again.

and can i just add something on an entirely different note? i really like tom brokaw and dan rather. the emmys are honoring them (and the late peter jennings as well) and it's nice to see them speaking again

the day of the paint

how long did it take to paint the kiddo's room? let me express it few different ways:
58 nine inch nails songs
two pounds of water weight GONE
three excedrin
i started around 4 ish, and with breaks and whatnot, have just finished.

i'm done. finally done. and i'd go upstairs and take a picture of the room but that means i would have to step back into that room------

wait....JON STEWART IS ON THE EMMY AWARDS. good stuff.

okay, i digress. to go into that room might just make my nose bleed at this point of the fumes.

FINE, fine fine, i'll go up and take a photo. just hold your horses.

tonight's plan...

i will watch the emmy's simply to see Zach Braff.

movies on the brain...

harry sally

anniehall

casablanca

got mail

say anything

Saturday, September 17, 2005

a note to god



dear god,
if you are out there, please deliver one of these portable dishwashers to my house. it's simply out of control.
thank you.
kari

Friday, September 16, 2005

oh sweet, sweet friday...

sometimes it's so nice to know that the morning holds nothing more than the promise of morning cartoons, frosted shredded mini wheat cereal and wearing pajamas until noon. what does my saturday look like?
- morning cartoons
- frosted shredded mini wheat cereal
- wearing pajamas until noon.
- go to elementary school book fair w/kiddo at noon-thirty. (that's right, i said "noon-thirty.")
- go to potentially bad romantic comedy "just like heaven" with the kiddo (from the dir. of "mean girls" and "freaky friday," two movies which she enjoyed)

a nice little saturday planned. might paint the kiddos room on sunday, but we'll see hwo that comes together.
working on possibly seeing Beck on monday night here in town. and then less in a month there is NIN. and on oct. 27 there is liz phair at first ave. and then ben folds at some point thereafter. holy concertville it is. however i take issue with liz's ticket price of $25 bucks BEFORE ticketmaster makes it hurt. $25 bucks. i don't know, but once i've seen a performer in a venue like first ave for 15$, it's hard to pay much more than that. but she does have a child to support, so who knows. and i heart the music of old liz rather than new liz, but she made a good point in an interview once that, during the period of her really, really solid music, she wasn't a very happy person. but is that any excuse for her sound to go to a bad place? i don't know...but to hear "fuck and run" live, with liz a mere ten feet from you? well that's worth something, too. i'm torn.

dustin had himself an interview with the target corp. yesterday, so we're keeping the fingers crossed on that. that would be a good, good thing.

so today's posting is not so much interested and witty as it is informative. i'm okay with that. i can't be a superstar everyday, afterall. (delusions of grandeur)

having a tough time keeping up with the whole therapy thing. i guess it's in my pattern to go with great dedication for a while, then drop off the face of the therapeutic earth. i don't know why that is. i am well aware that i need to go, but it's tricky. sometimes it's just easier to not discuss things, not to think about things and to vocalize things that will ultimately upset me. i just get tired of that part of me and sometimes it's nice to think that those parts of me don't actually exist.

our cat, little brother, is so effing loud. wanted: bottle of ether, dry cloth.

on a different topic: these are shows i wish i would have gotten into immediately but now feel as though it's probably too late:
1. the office
2. nip/tuck
3. 24
4. arrested development
5. lost
6. six feet under

notice there are NO reality shows in that list. maybe it's never too late. maybe i need to rent an entire season at a time from the video store and hunker down for a day or two. that's not a bad idea...

Thursday, September 15, 2005

i'm stealing an idea

props to michellend for this little goody, because i'm now using the same general idea.

so, anyone interested in a mixed cd exchange? if you've ever seen High Fidelity, you know how both cool and tricky it is to make a mixed cd for someone. if you are interested in making a mixed cd and passing it along to others in the mixed cd club, just lemme know and we'll get the ball rolling.

it can be any music you are or ever have been interested in. you can jot notes in the liner on why you chose the songs you did, or you can keep it a complete mystery.

plus, isn't it fun to get mail that isn't from a studen loan officer?

who's with me? i say we limit it to 10, otherwise postage would just be absurd. you can do it as often throughout a month as you want, but i'd say that one cd per month is a good goal.

ready, set, go!

kiss


doisneau_kiss
Originally uploaded by kllnin.

who doesn't love this photo?

introducing: my new desktop image!

props to c.george for this link. no words can explain how funny i think this is.

The First Day of Fourth Grade

abbey first day 1

abbey first day 2

abbey mom first day

abbey first day 3

she's so grown up. wow. fourth grade doesn't seem like it should be that long ago for me, but holy crap, it is.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

a show of hands...

who loves a screenshot?
Picture 10

Picture 4

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

tommy lee is going to college

maybe i'm a bit out of the loop, but tommy lee is in college? in nebraska? wha? has the whole world gone mad?

and the instrument of choice is....

trombone! the kiddo will be playing trombone this year... and i'm thinking it's genetic, given the fact that i played, my oldest sister AND my dad played. and hopefully she'll be better at it than i was. yikes!

ewwww.....

what a horrible f**king nightmare.

Monday, September 12, 2005

a scene from our night

dustin and i: watching cspan and w.'s tour of new orleans. here are the things that catch our ears...

1. "de-watering" used in a sentence. new orleans is being de-watered. just so you know.
2. "there is lots of information floating around." (dustin added "no pun intended.")
3. he also wants to "knit" up the country.
4. "i've come from an extraordinary event. i've been working." to be fair, he was talking about a church he had attended where they were feeding people. i just thought it was a clever freudian slip.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

dustin mowing


dustin mowing
Originally uploaded by kllnin.

what can i say? this man sure can mow.

house


house
Originally uploaded by kllnin.

in case you have ever wondered, this is what our house looks like.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

me and the sister


me and the sister
Originally uploaded by kllnin.

one of my favorite pictures. ever.

this week in pictures

the young mr. adam files was in town on his way to move to NY this week...
adam guitar

jackie, ian and jack were also in town...
jackie jack

photos were taken...
photo terry

armpits were displayed...
jackie laura armpit

it's always nice seeing friends...
karijackielaura

Friday, September 09, 2005

I like Nick Coleman

"...In the past days, I have heard Fox News' Bill O'Reilly say you shouldn't count on government to protect you. I have heard radio's Rush Limbaugh say that expecting the government to build levees is an example of a welfare mentality. I have heard many ideological zealots excuse the appalling failure to save the sick, the elderly, the children, by shrugging their well-tailored shoulders and saying there is a limit on what government should do and the private sector should be called upon first....I have a suggestion for another American Experiment. If anyone still thinks government should not be responsible for saving people, let's lock them in an attic where water is rising to the roof. Without an ax."

http://www.startribune.com/stories/357/5604602.html

truman


the buck
Originally uploaded by kllnin.

i think this photo speaks for itself.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

a must read

courtesy of David at Clark Schpiell, a VERY GOOD READ.

a decent editorial piece

Give THIS article a look-see.

(then yell at me for being partisan.)

MN State Fair


MN State Fair
Originally uploaded by kllnin.

we came, we saw, we took a photo.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

katrina

i'll refrain from any comments regarding the band katrina and the waves, as that's probably unnecessary.
f**king horrible. can't belive how long it took to get those aquatic vehicles of supplies to those people. i go from angry at the slow response to the chaos to unbelievably sad about all the loss and how it's still in the beginning stages of moving forward.