John and I returned late Monday night/early Tuesday morning from our quick trip back East. I think it was just the right amount of time for me… 4 days to spread amongst his family and mine. I was pleased that we managed to catch two shows (Divine Performing Arts, which reminded me of Chinese school talent shows mixed with a Christian rock concert, and Les Mis), visit with both sets of parents, visit each of his 3 siblings in Maryland, plus visit with my friend’s mom. The secret this time was definitely setting boundaries from the get go. Contrary to our usual mode of operation, we decided on the first two days with my parents, the next two days with his. We still spent an inordinate amount of time in the car, but somehow I felt more rested. And thank goodness I didn’t have my mystery allergy/illness. My face wasn’t congested or swollen at all. Hurray.

So interestingly, when we met with one of John’s sisters, the conversation somehow turned towards John’s computer hardware. His sister’s son thinks John is the man because of all his gadgets. Anyway, as John shared the specs on his hardware, his sister made a comment suggesting that our stash was excessive. Yeah, I agree, it is a lot of hardware for one household, but you know, he works in tech and I work in tech. That’s our thing. And half of it is for his work. And then earlier that night, when I told his sister she should dig through her love letters for Get Mortified, she said “Who has the time? I work, I gotta deal with the kids, etc.” So here’s the thing: these are all choices. She decided to have four kids, and so consequently, her life is filled with responsibilities affiliated with that choice. And in essence, everyone spends money on SOMEthing or someone. So, I just said, you know, “Some people have 4 kids. We have 6 computers.” We chose not to have kids, so we spend our money on gadgets and on travel. That’s that.

Recently, I’ve grown increasingly frustrated just in general. First, I’m fed up with people who are miserable and depressed and yet still remain in a state of inaction. I know, this is like a recurring issue I have with people… and I know they don’t do it to disappoint others, but I can’t help but feel disappointed and sometimes downright angry. Seriously, enough with the excuses. Yeah that may seem easy for me to say, because I’m skinny or I have a good job or I’m not in debt or whatever. Truth is, I too have been in the darkness before: unhappiness and self-pity can only last for so long. In the end, unless you’re calling it all quits, there’s still a lot to be grateful for. For example, every time someone I know delivers a healthy baby, I am reminded and thankful that fortunately, I don’t have a congenital defect or physical disability! Jesus Christ. DO SOMETHING with what you do have!

Second, I’m irritated with half-assed friends. I mean, that is life, I suppose. But I’ve decided to conserve my own energies and not work so hard on maintaining relationships. It’s just too much effort, and frankly, I’m not suffering from a paucity of friends. Haha, how snobbish does that sound?

Ok, time for bed. Gotta be ready for a productive day at work tomorrow. Launching tons of new stuff next week. I’m having a blast… still.

Shit, the weekend is over already? Jesus Christ. Normally, I can’t wait to get back in the saddle at work, but this evening, I feel differently. Though the weekend was good, my personal projects could use an extra day. I’m making progress on the extracurricular activities, but there is still so much more that needs to get done… Meanwhile, I’m still battling this bizarre, undiagnosed, mystery illness/ailment. Sure, I could go to the doctor and see what the hell is going on, but that would be too easy. Honestly, the symptoms are very much like allergies: I get these sneezing fits and then head congestion and pressure in my ears. In addition, my eyes are growing increasingly itchy. Like so crazy itchy I sometimes wonder if I have pink eye. And then my thoughts immediately go to that movie Superbad where the kid gets pink eye from… ugh gross. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go watch the movie. That definitely won’t be the way I get pink eye…

At first, I thought the irritation was from my contacts. I switched to a fresh pair. Then today I saw some crud in the inner corner of my eye… maybe from my eyeliner? I don’t freaking know, but who has time to play process of elimination? Argh. Yes, this is a case for the experts. Enough with the procrastination. I cannot be sick when I’m visiting family this weekend. They always see me all tired and lethargic (probably from all the shuttling around). I’m determined to present a strong, energetic self this time. Maybe my doctor buddies can squeeze me in for an appointment.

So despite my physical discomforts, this weekend was fun. On Friday, I caught the train into the city and met up with Grace and Jim for a fabulous dinner at a Thai restaurant. G and I then met up with another chick for I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Yes, another “relationship” production. Like so many shows I’ve seen in the Bay area over the last two years, this one was awesome. I know, I’m starting to sound like my friend Nathalie who never gives a bad movie review (Never trust her movie judgement!), but seriously, I’ve seen a lot of really great stuff! And this show was no different: it was clever, entertaining, and funny. What more could I ask for? Interestingly, the show had run off-Broadway for 10+ years. Who knew?

Yeah, I’ve been getting into shows and movies about relationships lately. Maybe it’s because John and I had an extra rough year… I don’t know, I just find myself so fascinated/surprised by the commonalities in the human relationship experience. Anyway, lots of thinking after the play. On Saturday, I opted for fluff. We ran errands all day and then went to see a late screening of Coralina (love that name!). The plot was a bit childish but the 3-D shit was amazing. Creative people… they fricking blow me away. And based on the movie previews, a lot of cool stuff is coming through the pipeline. Can’t wait.

I had lots of good eats this weekend. John’s culinary kick is still going strong. In fact, this morning, I woke up to blueberry pancakes and homemade hash browns! I know, I’m totally spoiled now, right? He’s even been getting up before me (wtf, right?) AND getting his butt to the gym. It’s great to see John with some vigor. He’s starting to give Power Pill (that’s me) a real run for the money. Even more reason to get my ass to the doctor. I gotta be back in top form to defend my Power Pill title.

No disrespect to people who have been medically diagnosed, but Jesus Christ, I am suffering from ADD big time. So many thoughts fly in and out of my head that I have a major headache. First, there are the to dos– professional, personal, whatever. Then there are those god-awful, pain-in-the-ass new year resolutions. They are fucking exhausting. Then there’s the fun stuff. Like apparently, I was deprived of fun for far too long as an adolescent/young adult and now I’m going hog wild. Ok, not quite that extreme, but it’s like, I actually enjoy social interaction and I’m quite the activities planner. Along with the people stuff, there’s all the interesting/funny/entertaining/stimulating random self-learning things. Who the hell can keep up? Seriously.

So let’s back up a bit. I mean, what the hell have I been up to really? Well, January flew by at warp speed. Several nights a week I was doing the whole skate practice thing. Yeah, that was like resolution #1. Then I was savoring the final two episodes of Lipstick Jungle. I still love that show and I hope to God NBC has the good sense to bring it back. I was getting back into the WNTW episodes. For a brief period, I had gotten sick of listening to Stacy and Clinton yammer on and on with their cut-downs and blah de blah. In fact, I had started fast fowarding through most of the episodes, catching just the beginning, the 2nd day of shopping, hair/makeup, and the final 3 outfits. Yeah, I had boiled down a 30-minute show into like 12 minutes. Efficiency, I tell you. Of course, I could never deny the success of their work. But the recent clincher? An episode about a 40-year old executive director of a music school. She was still in jeans and embellished tanks. I really liked what she wore, and how did the gurus describe it? Juvenile, unprofessional. So again, I was reminded of my tendency towards juniors’ apparel. And let’s face it: I’m at least a decade plus beyond that demographic. So I started rethinking the style thing and that opened up a whole new can of worms.

I decided I needed to spice up the look again. So I got books from the library. Who the hell knew that Trinney and Susannah came before Stacy and Clinton? The books were fascinating. Crazy scenarios with the same person dressed in two styles for the same situation (for example, job interview). And like what their “look” said about them. I was blown away. Really. You’ll have to see the books yourself to understand. Anyway, all of this is coming at a good time, because my friend Grace is getting married in June. The upcoming wedding has prompted an interest in a makeover, so in March, we’re meeting up with the experts. No, not S&C, but a style guru in SF. We’ve booked a 6-hour session, and I cannot wait. I’m going to have so many questions for her. She will be my book of answers. John is so relieved I have a buddy for this excursion. Six hours of shopping/makeover/style stuff does not interest him at all. In the meantime, I have started experimenting with my wardrobe. The tall boots came out. I’m wearing the trousers instead of jeans and a tee. Many at work have commented on the difference… I should just say it’s yet another form of the mid-life crisis. I appreciate their compliments but deep down, I know my friend Pamela would still rate me a mess. 🙂 Guess it’s all relative. Either way, I’m having fun playing around. It’s all rather frivolous but oh well, it keeps me busy.

Last month I also saw an awesome show called Get Mortified. Basically, people find stuff they wrote as kids/adolescents and they audition to read/perform their material on stage. Hilarious with all the angst and drama of youth. Was awesome! A group of us is catching the Valentine’s doomsday special next week. I may just dig around my old junk this next time I’m back in Frederick… who knows what material I may find!

What else. Oh, I finally switched from Verizon to AT&T. Activated his old iPhone. Wonderful device for reading email, doing Twitter, and getting the news. Sucks for text messaging though. Really sucks. The apps are so-so. Neat but not a major time sink for me.

Also, I had a Chinese New Year party last month. People came over, we made dumplings, ate hot pot. It was like a marathon 6-hour long party. We played board games and went skating at my private rink! I had a grand ol’ time but boy was I tired afterwards. Partying is a lot of work.

Ok, obviously I am all over the place. I still have a headache. And I’m having my weird sneezing attack again. This winter has been an odd season. Tons of people have gotten sick and people are just having unusual symptoms. Like what’s up with the serial sneezing but then no cold? Who the hell knows. I’m hitting the sack early today. Tomorrow Grace and I are going to a play in the city. Another relationship play. Just what I like: more drama.