AJAX BELL

Author of the Queen City Boys books

Tag Archives: cumpleaños


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Birthday accounting

+ Hooray! It was my birthday!  (5)
– I'd have been thrilled with the weather in Seattle, but here it's too chilly (2)
+ I have amazing, wonderful friends (15)
– Going to work on MY day (3)
+ T-Rider coming back and bringing his friends down to the restaurant (5)
– The restaurant being completely mobbed so I couldn't socialize with anyone who came to see me (6)
+ A nice phone call with my mom (12)
– A 2am email from my real father that I haven't yet bothered to read (7)
+ Birthday wishes from unexpected people I haven't talked to in a long time (3)

Total = 22!  So I am still winning at life!  Huzzah!!

I spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about my family and my friends and how completely lucky I am to have them and to be where I am.

ETA: Apparently this is confusing?  These are yesterday's events I am accounting for. Today, so far, I have done nothing but work and chat with Tim. Which, overall, ain't a bad way to spend a morning.

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oh happy day!

I was 45 minutes late to work this morning as I slept in, just a little, and then took forever to get ready, long, long hot shower and all.  Now I am at work, not working, checking emails and birthday wishes.  I smell great, my hair looks good and I am inappropriately dressed for the today's weather but I care not, cuteness wins out on birthdays.  Am wearing: fitted white t-shirt, jean jacket, pretty bird necklace that Holly gave me for my b-day, low-heeled brown platform sandals and a pretty 50s style Mexican peasant skirt in brown with pink ribbon trim and multi-colored flowers embroidered all up the left side that Jami gave me for my b-day.  It's a whole birthday present outfit!  Hooray!  I also got a cute bracelet and an awesome t-shirt from miss Mara, and some Amazon monies from Jed & Brad.  So far, perfect princess day!  Hooray!  Now I just have to stop thinking about myself long enough to get some work done then go work my butt off tonight at the restaurant, as it is Dine Out for Nashville Cares night where lots of people go out and eat and restaurant give part of their sales to Nashville Cares, a community-based AIDS service organization. Which I happy to participate in, and glad of, but couldn't they have made it be a NOT busy night on my birthday.  Alas, it will be fun, surely, and T-Rider gets back today so hopefully I will get to see him for a minute too.

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Mr. Darcy, spring and whiny

How cute is this guy?  That's exactly what Mr. Darcy looked like in my head the first time I read Pride and Predjuduce.  (HA!!  I just read the comments when I went to get the link and apparently not the only one making the Mr. Darcy connection!)

My weekend was too long on the negatives and too short on the actual weekend, though I had a very nice time last night.  Cooked burgers out on the grill and hung out with Big Daddy Sligh and couple folks.  Am now trying to finish up work as quickly as possible, so I can go out and enjoy the sunshine, which in this case, might mean sewing with the door open, so I can finish all my current stacked sewing projects.

Other things I meant to post about but am actually too lazy to go into in depth:

  • I'm a bad friend for not visiting my friends enough
  • Hives, possibly stress induced, on my face. Or maybe the lack of sneezing means this is how my allergies are manifesting this year?
  • New shoes, awesome! Still need sandals, not at all inspired by anything this year, must waste hours looking for something appropriate.
  • Birthday one week away.  Have deep thoughts on aging, maybe will share later.
  • Sunshine!  I love sunshine!  LOVE LOVE LOVE!
  • Going to Seattle May 28-Jun 4. Hopefully have already emailed everyone who really needs to know this.

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stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before

Some mornings I just can't win.  Woke up 40 minutes before my alarm, laid in bed for 20 minutes and fell back asleep about the time I'd decided to get up.  Overslept. Raced around getting ready. Picked clothes that matched.  Got to work, caught myself in the mirror and realized that I look like my mom.  Sure, my mom is beautiful, she was insanely gorgeous when she was young, but man, I would rarely be caught dead in her clothes.  The problem here, I believe, is the shoes.  The very comfortable shoes, which my mom picked out, purchased for me, and then bought herself a matching pair.  I probably never should never have let that happen.

And while I was driving to work there was this whole thing on the radio about the Chinese economy and I got to thinking about how we've completely screwed ourself in the US.  And how it's really this insane culture of consumerism and disposability that has fucked us.  I mean we've sold off our entire manufacturing industry to lowest bidder in Asia and other places, so that can create for us massive amounts of stuff we don't even need.  I mean really, there is nearly NOTHING at Walmart that you or I need. Sure you can get lots of cheap stuff there, but why do you needs many cheap items when perhaps one good one would do whatever the job is?  OF course, obviously, I am as guilty of buy into this consumerist economy as anyone is.  Sure as guilty as I feel about it doesn't seem to stop me too much.  Partly because while I understand this idea of everything each individual does does matters, I'm not sure it's true.  I don't shop at Walmart.  So?  Does that really change the entire culture of my country?  Because a drastic, 180 change is all that is really going to make a difference. In 50 years can we get everyone into the culture of conservationism so fully that we no longer even need to manufacture plastic trinkets and cheap knockoffs overseas? So we can return to manufacturing in this country (using renewable power) and go back balancing our import /export levels?  Can we create enough decent paying jobs for our own citizens so that those same citizens can afford quality items made here and eradicate the needs for using cheap overseas labor?

Ugh, sorry, it's not like I have any new, interesting or original ideas there.  I'm just really bothered by it today.  I will resume (after last weekends retarded mass of shopping) to buy as much as I can used, or made in America, and really just to buy less.  Maybe next week I'll give you my high horse lecture on packaging and how we should all be boycotting the absurd packaging that wasting resources on everything we buy.

And, superficially, and self-servingly, let remind you that my birthday is in 14 days, and if you're so inclined, you should buy me something handmade.

Um, hi.  It's sunny.  I 'll be over here in my mom outfit drinking more coffee and getting to work, yeah?

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fleeting porch of tide

Yesterday I drove down Murphy Rd and the long rows of cherry trees were at their most fleetingly beautiful–when the blossoms still linger but half the tree has already turned toward green rather than it's earlier puff ball of pink foam.  A day or two maybe do they look like that, but so beautiful that I almost wish I could cature it forever.  I can't though.  Believe me, I've tried.  You just have to be there, exactly at the time, seeing it for real. And even your memories won't keep the true beauty of it until you see it again and are reminded.

Cherry blossom season in Tennessee is much shorter than in Washington.  I feel sort of wistful at how quickly it's passing.  Maybe because of that, or maybe because I've just plain lost my mind, I've dressed in a yellow blouse over a green tank today, with jeans and bright green flats.  Taking a stand for disintergrating daffodils everywhere by dressing like one.

Is it too early to eat lunch?  Should I just keep pouring coffee down my throat?  I am so sleep deprived I feel on the verge of nervous break down.  I just couldn't stay asleep last night no matter what I did.  This morning, however, I would really like to be asleep, oh yes I would.

Birthday count: 18 days.

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want now!!

There's going to be a movie of The Time Traveler's Wife. Coming out this year.  Oh man, I want to read the book again RIGHT NOW.  Forget work. I want to be reading it now now now.  Such a good book. I hope the movie doesn't suck.  Seriously, I am so excited!

Was actually on time for work this morning, even a little early!  However hair not brushed, but in my defense I broke my hair brush this morning (yeah, don't even ask) and if I'd stopped to get one, I'd have been late.  I do need to start getting to bed earlier.  There's just too much to do in each day!  Also, I do need a minder.  You know, not like a babysitter to make sure I don't choke on my toys, but just someone nicely pointing out the time to me and helping to keep me on track.  It's pathetic really.  The busier I get the less I seem to get done because I get so scattered.  Didn't used to be like this, must be old age setting in.  Speaking of, birthday countdown is at 35 days.

It is COLD today.  Come on March, you are almost done, go out like a lion!  Shake off the cold and get with the fabulous parts of spring.

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text, buy, freeze, complain

My problem with my idiot coworker is that he quite literally can not troubleshoot his way out of a wet paper bag.  I am really, really tired of the constant interruptions to help him solve some small thing that he should be able to do. That any half-smart, functioning adult should be able to solve.  Combined with his jags of boring, insipid chattiness, it's like he's just here to waste my time.

Pandora is so weird.  My station is set up for music similar to: Amy Rigby, Dale Watson, Drag The River, Lucinda Williams, Old 97's, Ryan Bingham, Son Volt, and The Avett Brothers.  So when it gives me Uncle Tupelo or The Cowboy Junkies or Lyle Lovett it makes sense to me.  The Grateful Dead and Weezer, however, don't seem to fit so well.

I know this coming storm is the last, dying gasp of winter.  I am not bothered by that, as the end is so clearly in sight that it's hard not be excited about impending spring.  But damn, I am cold and I am tired of being cold.  Also I find it relatively unfair that last year on this date it was 71 °F and today it's 34 °F.  Oh, March, you and your crazy ways!  All teasing with spring, and then running rowdily around and throwing snow.  So silly.  Get on out of here so we can have the best month of April. Hmm, maybe April is so fantastic that we can stand to wait through March craziness.  Still though, March, why can't you be more like April?

52 days until my birthday.  I have updated my Amazon wishlist.  Mostly for my mom because I don't think anyone but her and my grandma look at it.  I also have an Etsy favorites list.  I am not soliciting gifts, and I certainly don't expect them from my friends, but if you are so inclined, I encourage you to buy something handmade from Etsy.   Really though, if you want to spend money, you can buy something I made and give it to someone else for my birthday.  Spread the love.

Daylight saving time sucks and is entirely pointless.  My favorite part of the article is the last line.  That's some crack journalism right there.

Speaking of crack, Jezebel.com.  Condensed, compressed, intelligent coverage of trashy, pointless tabloid news.  I love it so much.

I have received 27 text messages in the last 2 hours and 43 minutes.  I love my friends.

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boringly domestic but smells damn good

Got housework done, moved the TV to a better position, ate a healthy dinner and am now watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with miss Hols.  Also went to the Turnip Truck and got the rest of the groceries we needed. And Tuscan Blood Orange perfume, which I guess I didn't need, but I'm not sure how I lived without it.  It actually reminds me of the Body Shop's original Dewberry perfume (before they changed it), which was my favorite perfume ever.

Now before bed I will go and do one more task off my never-ending, ever changing to-do list and call it a good day. I may also scent my pillow like blood oranges. Mmmmm.

Lately neglected birthday countdown: 74 days.

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the shoe is the thing

So it's roughly 90 days until my birthday. You know every year about this time I start counting down to my birthday. Like, ohmigod it's coming! And then it rolls around and the most ever manage to do to celebrate is maybe dinner with my family. I'm big on having no expectations for things, to prevent disappointment.  However, in this case, it seems like my birthday is always all build up and no pay off.  And I am so not complaining about this.  I rarely regret not making a big production of anything.  I do however, really enjoy the count down.  So think of it as your gift to me to listen to me rattle on about age, experience and other crap and bubbly, joyously count down for the next three months.

The QotD is about keeping clam and you know, I'm not calm.  I try and I know I often appear calm, but my general states are happy spastic and panic, neither of which is calm.  What does calm me down is shopping.  Shallow as that may be, it is for a me such focus exercise that I can do sort of a Zen removal from the every day and my other cares.  Even if I don't buy anything, the actual act of shopping completely calms me.

In the vein, I have been online shopping this morning to procrastinate from work, and to keep my blood pressure down from dealing with the people here.  So far I have found my annual spring anticipation list of shoes that I surely cannot live without, but will probably never get around to buying (so if I do drop dead suddenly, you can all attribute it to never having acquired the following shoes):

Megara

Edina

Rich N Hitched

Super Duper

Johnny Ramone or Rose Tattoo

Garmen

Legend Bramble (these I may have to spend my tax return on, as I tried them on last week and they are dreamy).

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