just maryse

Woo-hoo Check Me Out!

i actually think this kind of looks like me ... courtesy of course of the Portrait Illustration Maker. yes i get that look on my face when i'm behind the wheel. watch out!

Go West Young Woman

so it's definite, i'm going to california. on a positive note, i was just given friday off as well. i could stay the extra day, but i really need to get back to work on the apartment.

this weekend was a busy one. i finally finished the va-va-voom tank. i had a hell of a time with the straps and the cross over thingy. i made the mistake of not reading all of the instructions through in detail right from the beginning so i ended up having to frog twice. i still need to steam it and sew the yarn ends in a little better. then it'll be ready to go. i'm not crazy about the strappy things, on the other hand, without the straps i think it's a pretty good basic v-neck tank design.

i did finally receive my charlotte's web a few days ago. the colors are a little more muted in person than they are in the picture and i'm still trying to figure out how i should order the colors. i read over the instructions thoroughly and practiced the lace pattern with scrap yarn, so i think i'm ready to go. did anyone else have trouble understanding the instructions? i thought they were a little wonky.

i did a little shopping too. i went to Target and bought a pair of fake birkenstocks for 12.98. they're actually cute in an ugly sort of way. i may have to get real pair when these wear out. i have to say though, that i'm always psyched when i find a pair of cheap shoes that fit my big ass feet.

ok this post is officially boring. i really need to start posting pictures up again.

Waiting for the Traffic to Clear

just a quick note before i head out for the weekend. i just found out today that i may have to go to Santa Monica and San Francisco for two site-visits next week. now normally i kind of like getting out of the office. but this last minute thing has kind of thrown me for a loop. i've got so much to do at home that being away for 3 days is causing me a little stress. plus, what a waste of a free flight. if i'd known ahead of time, i could have made a mini vacation of it and stayed a couple of extra days in san francisco. i love san francisco. oh well.

france lost to greece this afternoon. so they're out of the competition. that kind of sucks. i've emailed my brother who lives in france and who probably saw the match for the low-down. was it bad luck? or did france just not play their game? the euro 2004 link will probably come down soon since now that france is out i don't give a flying f*ck who wins the whole thing.

i signed up to join BoogaJ's knitting webring. haven't heard if i've made the cut yet. i haven't really had much to show lately so that might work against me. but the va-va-voom tank is getting there. i'm at the strappy front part. i do have to say that i'm quite jealous of some of you out there that actually can knit at work.

Open House

so the meeting with the realtor went well. first of all, i loved her and want to be her friend. considering that one of my closest friends now is the real estate agent who sold me my apartment 6 years ago, i'm thinking that maybe i just seem to connect with real estate agents and maybe i need to consider a career change. hmmmm.

anyway -- i have 2 weeks to get the place ready to be sold. and the only thing i really need to do is clear out the clutter (which i've already started doing) and have it majorly cleaned. i was worried that she'd suggest i have the floors redone and have it painted but she said no. my condo has lots of space for a boston condo, a great view, and a convenient location. so we're good to go.

it's funny though, as i signed the contract and all, i got a little emotional. not only am i selling my home, i'm also giving up a lifestyle that i really like. i love living in the city. i've never been a big fan of the suburbs. a girlfriend of mine describes me as someone who doesn't believe in grass. also i've lived by myself for over 13 years. and i really like living alone. i never considered moving in with my husband before we were married because i didn't see the point, since i could afford to live alone. i'm only agreeing to living with him now because that's what married people do. if the house next to his ever goes on the market, i may consider buying it. ahh the things one does for love.

time for a quiz that i got from erica ... get a load of the koigu she just acquired.

My aren't you cool! You have no shame, or much to
hide! You share your brave self with the web
world! Your pretty fun to read! You blog baby
blog!


What kind of blogger am I?
brought to you by Quizilla

although i don't feel that the results ring true, i do have to say that i like the picture

Mood Swing

i sometimes wonder if the quality of my life would be vastly improved if i were medicated. this morning, once i stepped outside of my door, everything annoyed me. i rode the T in today, since i slept at the apartment last night, and maybe because i don't ride the T very often anymore, maybe i just forgot how annoying the B line can be. the new green line trains are insanely slow. should it take me longer to commute 2.5 miles than it takes for me to drive 30? no, i don't think so. and the driver -- i wanted to slap him. i understand that his job must be difficult at times. but if you aren't good with people, you shouldn't be interacting with them. i mean, doesn't the mbta have a nice back room somewhere for him? don't even get me started on the other passengers. maybe i wasn't the only one "annoyed." once at work, it just got worse. i'm not a big fan of incompetence or people not giving the old college try before whining for help. maybe it's just a pride thing, but i like to try and figure something out first (or read an email maybe) before i get on the phone and start crying about how i can't figure out something out. PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE -- IT'S ALL THERE -- YOU JUST HAVE TO READ THE FRIGGIN' EMAILS. does that make me sound like a bitch? perhaps. but you know what? i wouldn't call you before exhausting the possibilities.... i value your time too much. anyway -- if i were medicated, i wouldn't get so annoyed at things i have no control over and i wouldn't feel so guilty about feeling so annoyed. because you see, i really want people to like me. can i take medication for the guilt problem?

then at lunchtime we had a speaker come in. so i got annoyed when the president of the company's wife asked me if i was busy five minutes before the talk because she needed help with the snacks. now, i don't suffer from delusions of grandeur where i think i'm too busy to lay out fruit salad. if she had asked me now, when i was updating my blog, i would have stopped blogging immediately and helped her out. but i do get annoyed when i'm deep in conversation with a programmer about data reports and procedures that i need to understand so that i can talk about this stuff intelligently during an afternoon conference call. did the company president's wife know that what i was doing was work-related and important? probably not. but it's not something she would have thought of anyway. sometimes i think that she doesn't realize that people have real work to do and that this place isn't an extension of her family and home life, but an actual place of business.

it's almost the end of the day though. and that's improved my mood a tad. i'm meeting a realtor tonight to have her look at my place and determine how much it should go on the market for. (i know i ended the sentence with a preposition. i know, it annoys me too). i'm starting to get a little nervous. i know it'll go for a good price. that's the way the market is these days. but i'm really worried that she'll have a laundry list of tasks that i need to do. i'm already working on a house. i really really don't want to have to work on this apartment. i mean when i decided to make an offer on this place 6 years ago, there was dirty underwear on the floor, crusty old wall to wall carpeting on the bedroom floors (why people -- why cover beautiful hardwood floors with dusty rose wall to wall carpeting), and it smelled of fish! i promise you -- there will not be any dirty underwear on my floors! oh well. we'll see.

it's not all bad though.

for you football/soccer buffs (if you even exist) France has advanced to the quarter finals by winning their group (with England 2nd). France will be playing Greece. i'm not one to count my chickens, but on paper, france looks like an overwhelming favorite. the big shocker in this tournament so far, is that Italy is going home early. heh heh.

i finished the back of the va-va voom tank and started the front last night -- if i continue at this rate i should have it done by friday. and maybe it'll look good enough to wear. but that's a big maybe.

this happened today. that's all we would need. mitt romney appointing one of his anti gay-marriage cronies sitting in the US senate if kerry won the presidency. at least it looks as if this might not happen. i still can't believe that this guy is our governer.

i rented Big Fish last night. and i thought it was nice. and i did shed a tear. but i didn't think it was great. maybe it's because i didn't see it in a theatre. tonight i have "bend it like beckham" on the agenda. tv really sucks these days.

and finally, i end this rant-filled post with this.....being a mini-owner i get periodic emails from both the mini people and my dealer. look at what they sent me...

bastards.

Ebay Anonymous

i just wanted to point out the potential evil that is ebay. look at the frenzy with which ebayers are bidding on this big box of caron dazzleaire. i think this stuff retails for maybe two and a quarter bucks a skein AT THE MOST. and yet, with a little more than a hour left to bid, a box of 48 skeins in a medley of disparate colors is going for almost $123!! STOP THE INSANITY PEOPLE! THAT'S $2.56 A SKEIN FOR ASS YARN WITHOUT SHIPPING!!!

but i know the feeling. your palms get sweaty, your heart starts beating strongly against your chest. just one more bid and then you'll stop. just one more. one little bid....just one......

Is It Friday Yet?

i really don't feel like being at work today. there's a virus going around here at work and i wonder if i may have caught it. or maybe i just didn't sleep enough. i need sleep.

my weekend was rather busy but i don't feel as if i accomplished much. i was up until 1am friday being a shredding queen going through old financial stuff. since i've got to sell my place, i need to de-clutter first. saturday morning was spent sorting through old clothes and setting them aside for donation and sorting through my yarn stash. nothing to donate in the yarn department but i did manage to return $75 worth of yarn AND fit all of my yarn inside a pair of side tables that i use as a coffee table. so at least my condo living room looks reasonably uncluttered.

then i went to home depot and bought paint for the other bedroom at the house that will probably end up being the office/spare room. the color i chose is by behr paint and it's called "club soda." the furniture for that room is black -- desk, file cabinet, futon frame -- so i think it'll look really cool. this was my inspiration.
the color scheme, not the car. I'M STILL ALL ABOUT THE MINI!

i also started working on a new knitting project. i'm making the va-va-voom tank, using microspun in royal blue. not so va-va-voomy on the model, but definitely on Rachael. how it ends up on me should be interesting.

i think i need a makeover. i've been mulling the thought of cutting my hair really short again.

TGIF

see, i'm even too tired to come up with an original title. it's almost 7pm on a friday and i'm still at work with no plans for the evening. before J, i would have been in a panic. what me? no plans?! the horror! but now, i'm just looking forward to going home and watching bad TV. i may even go to bed early.

i'm a little harried though and moving into panic mode. see, i really need to sell my condo. anyone out there want to buy a 2 bedroom, 850sq foot condo in a nice neighborhood in boston? i've got a great view, 11 foot ceilings, hardwood floors and a pool. anyone? anyone? anyway, i need to get this place in some semblance of viewable condition, so that means i need to start throwing away crap. i'm certainly not nearly as bad as those crazy people on Clean Sweep but who needs 6 years worth of In Style Magazine? know what i mean?

"Each New Thought Propels"

thursday afternoons at work are kind of a waste. every thursday afternoon i have a meeting at harvard medical school (i just threw that in to impress ya) with my bosses and assorted other important people types (i'm not included in the important people types by the way) which is across town from my office. and since in boston, you really "can't get there from here" i end up walking. so after walking, meeting, and walking back, my afternoon is pretty well shot and i tend to do busy work or ... yes.... read blogs. HEY AT LEAST I'M NOT DOWNLOADING PORN!

anyway, one thing i've noticed in blogdom, among those that have taken the bloginality test, is that the majority of bloggers that i read are introverts. which i think is kind of interesting. discuss among yourselves....

i on the other hand am an extrovert, and more specifically an ENTP. what is a little creepy is that it doesn't matter which test i take, the results are the same.

__________________________________________________
ENTP
Ok. Ready? You like to chase the novel and complex. You have faith in your ability to overcome any challenges you face...highly independent...value adaptability and innovation...you encourage and value change...

You need freedom for action...you resist hierarchy and structure...you push against all odds to further your projects with your entrepreneurial tendencies...you can argue and find the flaws in any position...

How'm I doing so far? You rarely accept things just as they are...you like to test new meanings and relationships..when you don't get what you want, you use your cleverness and ingenuity to bring people around to your point of view...when you choose a career, you tend to set flexible goals that allow you to incorporate new information and accommodate to new circumstances...

"Keep your options open" is your middle name... you like to explore the "road not taken." Your flexibility can look like indecision to others who don't have a clue about you..you take advantage of opportunities...you realize potential of many things because of your ability to see connections and relationships between SEEMINGLY unrelated things...you cannot be ordered around, but rather handle things best when they are *suggestions*....like posting more on the Storm Palace BBS you love excitement...

Competence is key to you.. you don't take advice or respect someone you don't see as competent...you want work to be enjoyable..you're a relentless learner. Knowledge is important to you...you use your enthusiasm to get others involved in your learning...you learn through give-and-take discussions and by questioning and challenging others....you like challenging your teachers and colleagues...limitations are mere challenges to you...you take initiative, and once the ball is rolling, you like to turn it over to someone else...

You like to organize logically and strategically....your work space might not LOOK organized, but underneath it all is a system that works for you. You like to have an impact...you need a job that allows you to be innovative. you like to take risks and explore...an open calendar for the weekend is really appealing...you're often "in on the latest things..."...you like travel, 'cause it allows you to open up new vistas and horizons (corny, huh?).

Falling in love happens when there's a good "fit" with another person...you often know after the first meeting whether there's any "real potential"... you may not like to commit until that right person comes along...therefore you probably won't settle down early...you don't like to lose at ANYthing you undertake...you're a born enterpriser...

Things to be on guard for: you have a great fear of looking dumb or incomp- etent..you may tend to think you have the perfect solutions for problems, and may become competitive when others challenge you... you might start to think that you're the only one who's in on the truth of things, so you might not like to listen to the input of others...you may have the tendency to overextend yourself as you jump in on lots of ideas without considering how long it takes to work 'em through... commit to too many projects? ...you are a rebel.. you find it difficult to accept standard operating procedures.. and hate HAVING to follow exact rules or policies...learn to work within the system.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i think this description is pretty dead on. i think... oh who knows....

thanks to allison for the test link.

Lead and I Shall Follow ...

i've been commuting in from the suburbs a lot lately. i used to do 80% of my reading on the T. so now that i drive, not only am i not getting any exercise, i'm also not reading. and i love to read. so sad.

anyway -- since i'm too tired to post anything interesting and also too lazy to actually head home (is that nuts or what?) i thought i'd do the reading list thingy like everyone and their mother out there is doing.

Beowulf
Achebe, Chinua - Things Fall Apart
Agee, James - A Death in the Family
Austen, Jane - Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, James - Go Tell It on the Mountain
Beckett, Samuel - Waiting for Godot
Bellow, Saul - The Adventures of Augie March
Brontè, Charlotte - Jane Eyre
Brontè, Emily - Wuthering Heights
Camus, Albert - The Stranger (i read it in french even)
Cather, Willa - Death Comes for the Archbishop
Chaucer, Geoffrey - The Canterbury Tales
Chekhov, Anton - The Cherry Orchard
Chopin, Kate - The Awakening
Conrad, Joseph - Heart of Darkness
Cooper, James Fenimore - The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen - The Red Badge of Courage
Dante - Inferno
de Cervantes, Miguel - Don Quixote
Defoe, Daniel - Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles - A Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor - Crime and Punishment
Douglass, Frederick - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Dreiser, Theodore - An American Tragedy
Dumas, Alexandre - The Three Musketeers
Eliot, George - The Mill on the Floss
Ellison, Ralph - Invisible Man
Emerson, Ralph Waldo - Selected Essays
Faulkner, William - As I Lay Dying
Faulkner, William - The Sound and the Fury
Fielding, Henry - Tom Jones
Fitzgerald, F. Scott - The Great Gatsby
Flaubert, Gustave - Madame Bovary
Ford, Ford Madox - The Good Soldier
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von - Faust
Golding, William - Lord of the Flies
Hardy, Thomas - Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel - The Scarlet Letter
Heller, Joseph - Catch 22
Hemingway, Ernest - A Farewell to Arms
Homer - The Iliad
Homer - The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (i actually also read this in french)
Hurston, Zora Neale - Their Eyes Were Watching God
Huxley, Aldous - Brave New World
Ibsen, Henrik - A Doll's House
James, Henry - The Portrait of a Lady
James, Henry - The Turn of the Screw
Joyce, James - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Kafka, Franz - The Metamorphosis
Kingston, Maxine Hong - The Woman Warrior
Lee, Harper - To Kill a Mockingbird
Lewis, Sinclair - Babbitt
London, Jack - The Call of the Wild
Mann, Thomas - The Magic Mountain
Marquez, Gabriel García - One Hundred Years of Solitude
Melville, Herman - Bartleby the Scrivener
Melville, Herman - Moby Dick
Miller, Arthur - The Crucible
Morrison, Toni - Beloved
O'Connor, Flannery - A Good Man is Hard to Find
O'Neill, Eugene - Long Day's Journey into Night
Orwell, George - Animal Farm
Pasternak, Boris - Doctor Zhivago
Plath, Sylvia - The Bell Jar
Poe, Edgar Allan - Selected Tales
Proust, Marcel - Swann's Way
Pynchon, Thomas - The Crying of Lot 49
Remarque, Erich Maria - All Quiet on the Western Front
Rostand, Edmond - Cyrano de Bergerac
Roth, Henry - Call It Sleep
Salinger, J.D. - The Catcher in the Rye
Shakespeare, William - Hamlet
Shakespeare, William - Macbeth
Shakespeare, William - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare, William - Romeo and Juliet
Shaw, George Bernard - Pygmalion
Shelley, Mary - Frankenstein
Silko, Leslie Marmon - Ceremony
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Sophocles - Antigone
Sophocles - Oedipus Rex
Steinbeck, John - The Grapes of Wrath
Stevenson, Robert Louis - Treasure Island
Stowe, Harriet Beecher - Uncle Tom's Cabin
Swift, Jonathan - Gulliver's Travels
Thackeray, William - Vanity Fair
Thoreau, Henry David - Walden
Tolstoy, Leo - War and Peace
Turgenev, Ivan - Fathers and Sons
Twain, Mark - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Voltaire - Candide (in french)
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. - Slaughterhouse-Five
Walker, Alice - The Color Purple
Wharton, Edith - The House of Mirth
Welty, Eudora - Collected Stories
Whitman, Walt - Leaves of Grass
Wilde, Oscar - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Williams, Tennessee - The Glass Menagerie
Woolf, Virginia - To the Lighthouse
Wright, Richard - Native Son

hmm, i did better than i thought i would. what's tragic though is that all of those books i read in school. in fact other than the faulkner and the random "oprah" selection i probably read most of those books before graduating highschool. crazy huh.

well that was exciting. this post is kind of lame so i may end up deleting it later.