Just came back from dinner with Ryan, and found a cute note in my building's elevator. It was from a girl named Erika, who lives in the building (there's about 60 apartments here) and she's looking for people to vote for her to get invited back onto a TV show called "Focus Group" on ESPN.com. We wrote back a little note saying we'd vote, and I just did. Won't you vote for Erica?

Hair status: curly! With the rain we're having, no point in trying anything else.

General status is bored. Bored bored bored. I haven't had more than three hours of work to do all week. I am so disappointed that this has turned out to be such a blah job. I mean, I was not expecting glamour and excitement, and I did take this job because it was a good entry into a new industry (pharmaceutical advertising vs. consumer) that is very lucrative. And at the time, no one else was ready to hire me, and this job was paying $10k more than I had been making before being laid off.

That said, I am still bummed to be looking for another job so soon. It makes my resume look pretty crazy, with a lot of short stints here and there. And I have only been here since March, which means prospective employers will be definitely question my stability. Hell, I'm even questioning it these days. But really, I was hired to work on a project that got postponed until 2004, and have been tossed around from client to client ever since. Yuk.

I have an interview Tuesday at a place I interviewed at before I started here. Back then the creative director liked me a lot, but felt I didn't have the necessary pharmaceutical experience. These days it seems I might. We'll see how it goes. I think there are other more attractive options out there that are also possibilities, but I'm going to check this out, too. At least I am in a pretty good position, as I don't seem to be in danger here.

Very happy that the weekend is nearly upon us. The realtor is having another open house at Ryan's place, and we hope to find a buyer so we can get to making moving plans. My lease ends 11/30, so it's getting a little nervewracking!

I sit here at my desk this morning with straight hair again. My straightening iron (purchased on eBay for way less than the retail price) came yesterday and I couldn't resist trying it out right away. Not bad! I got kudos from the girls here at work, and I am sure I will get even better at it as I get used to it. Of course, it started to rain on my way to work and you would've thought I was the wicked witch of the west, I whipped out my umbrella so fast!

The rain also gave me a chance to wear my cute new raincoat, which I got over the weekend in the "happy red" color. Who could resist? I still have my big London Fog trenchcoat with the wool lining for serious rain, but this makes me feel way cuter, and isn't that important on a rainy day? What I really want are these boots - the ones with the clouds on them are my favorites. Unfortunately the online store they refer to - Styletrek.com - does not seem to exist. Going to do some research on this one, as I do believe cute rain boots will really improve my world. Please nobody mention to me that we're in the midst of a drought.

Had a wedding nightmare last night. In the dream, for some unknown reason, we were getting married very suddenly - either that or I had slacked off completely and it was already June and nothing was done. Everyone was there, but unprepared in some way. And my hair was a big rat's nest, and no one was there to help me fix it up. Suddenly they started telling me that it was time to walk down the aisle, and I was sitting there trying to figure out how the fuck to put my tiara and veil on, and my dress was wrinkley and I had no makeup on, while the photographer was snapping away. Yipes! As you all know, this is highly unlikely to happen to me.

Stomach is still not very happy. She's better than the past few days, but still very touchy. I had buttered noodles for dinner last night, just to keep her calm. I think I will blame her for the aforementioned nightmare.

Been futzing a lot with my archives and archive template. I finally managed to make my archives reappear, but only after I changed my template temporarily, then changed it back. Unfortunately, when I changed back to my original template (I had saved the html code in another document - a good idea for those of you who have to do this, so you don't lose anything) it didn't change my archive template, so I have this other weird template for archive stuff. I'm trying to sort it out and get it back to normal. But now at least if you want to read my wisdom from days gone by, you can.

That stomach problem I had yesterday really ruined the day. I only ate some rice for lunch, and still when I got home last night I had really bad stomach pain. Around 10:30 I ate some buttered noodles, and I finally got to sleep around 12. Woke up this morning really tired and dehydrated, but without stomach pains. I think I will take it really easy on the food today, just in case. Really all I want to do is crawl back under the covers, but I didn't want to use another sick day. I figure I may need those later.

One of my headhunters is sending my portfolio out today, which I am pleased about. Then I have to get it back so I can bring it to the other agency that wants it. I feel sort of bad about wanting to leave here, because honestly it is a pleasant place with good people, but I am so bored with the work and lack thereof that some days I think I might actually chew my own arm off. And then I would be at a serious disadvantage when it came to writing, so I must go.

I finished most of the components of my hat last night, even though I didn't make it to Stitch-n-Bitch because of the aforementioned stomach pains. Now I just have to figure out how to put it all together and get it to Staceyjoy on time. Well, the second part is easy. The first is more confusing, as I had to change my plan a bit when I realized it was sort of stupid and unrealistic.

Would you believe I haven't finished weaving in the ends of the Moo blankie yet? I am trying to pass it off as superstition (wait until the baby is actually born healthy before I finish) rather than laziness. Is it working? I did get several good suggestions from the Knitlist (yes, they do occasionally talk about knitting, when carpal tunnel and cats eating wool become boring to all) about how to keep the dye from running from the black to the ivory when I wash it. And several people said they have used the same yarn and colors without problem, so my confidence level is much higher now.

On the wedding front, nothing much new. People are so amazed when I tell them my wedding is June 15th and I have already booked the location/caterer, band, rabbi, photographer/video, decided on bridesmaid colors and bought my dress. Well, what's the point in putting all that off and having to settle for choices that are less than what you want? Still, it's uncomfortable when people look at me like I am some anal-retentive psycho-bride. Then again, anyone who's done it themselves generally understands and doesn't do that.

I am babbling. Yeah, that's what you're here for, but this might be even too much for you. Done!

Once again, work has slowed to a crawl and I am spending my days reading blogs and wedding stuff. I have put it to some advantage and gotten some stuff done like booking a rabbi for my wedding. That is a big relief. He married my friends 2 years ago and I really liked him - he's very nice, great sense of humor, and seems to understand the needs of a Jewish-Athiest couple. While I'm on the topic, thanks to everyone who wrote me about their thoughts/experiences in this area. Very helpful! I haven't written back individually but I will get to it.

Did some knitting on my super-secret hat last night. It will be less super-secret when I go to Stitch-n-Bitch tonight, as it will require some explaining when people see what I am knitting. But I will keep it quiet here just for fun until I send it to Staceyjoy.

Can't believe how bored I am here at work. I should believe it, as it has been a regular thing, but I still can't. Luckily I have three job leads who all want to see my portfolio, so hopefully one will pan out. One in particular sounds good as it is an interesting company, still pharmaceutical work but consumer-targeted, rather than professional (doctor)-targeted. Plus they are in a great neighborhood which would take about 20 minutes off my commute by the time I move to Brooklyn. Cross your fingers, everyone!

Other than that, what else to tell? I'm super-sleepy today and my stomach isn't very happy. But I will most likely survive. :-)

Once again, work has slowed to a crawl and I am spending my days reading blogs and wedding stuff. I have put it to some advantage and gotten some stuff done like booking a rabbi for my wedding. That is a big relief. He married my friends 2 years ago and I really liked him - he's very nice, great sense of humor, and seems to understand the needs of a Jewish-Athiest couple. While I'm on the topic, thanks to everyone who wrote me about their thoughts/experiences in this area. Very helpful! I haven't written back individually but I will get to it.

Did some knitting on my super-secret hat last night. It will be less super-secret when I go to Stitch-n-Bitch tonight, as it will require some explaining when people see what I am knitting. But I will keep it quiet here just for fun until I send it to Staceyjoy.

Can't believe how bored I am here at work. I should believe it, as it has been a regular thing, but I still can't. Luckily I have three job leads who all want to see my portfolio, so hopefully one will pan out. One in particular sounds good as it is an interesting company, still pharmaceutical work but consumer-targeted, rather than professional (doctor)-targeted. Plus they are in a great neighborhood which would take about 20 minutes off my commute by the time I move to Brooklyn. Cross your fingers, everyone!

Other than that, what else to tell? I'm super-sleepy today and my stomach isn't very happy. But I will most likely survive. :-)

Another Monday - the first one of Autumn. It felt like it, too, waiting for the bus this morning. The thermometer said 70 degrees, but it was overcast and so windy that I huddled against Ryan until the bus showed up and we parted ways for the day. It's supposed to warm up later, so maybe summer hasn't totally abandoned me!

As a knitter, I should welcome the return of cold weather. While knitting sleeveless tops is fun and quick, everyone knows knitting is all about warm cuddly woolies. Alas, I am a summer girl, and this time of year fills me with melancholy. Seeing the summer end is always like watching a dear friend leave town, not to be seen again for many long months. I think knitting is my consolation prize.

I do love watching the leaves change, and the feeling of snuggling up in a big squishy sweater, but that only carries me through mid-Autumn. By the time Christmas passes, I just want Spring to hurry on up. By February I am trying to fool myself into believing that it's a short month, and March will bring warmer weather. As if.

Of course there are many bright spots to look forward to. We're traveling up to my alma mater in October for Homecoming and a 10-year reunion with a bunch of my roommates. Later that month my brother will be in town and we're going to see Rush at Madison Square Garden, a show I am immensely looking forward to. Then there's Thanksgiving, and who can argue with turkey and all the accompaniments? And just when things are getting freezie up here, we're going to Hawaii to stay at Kristy and Tom's house (sister-in-law-to-be and her fiance) for a week at Christmas.

Then there's that long stretch from New Year's to Spring. Ack.

I'm also pretty anxious right now because we haven't yet sold Ryan's apartment, and my lease ends November 30th. So I think I am going to end up being faced with either moving into a new place that will suck up a giant chunk of income until we sell, or (b) put 90 percent of my stuff in storage and stay with Ryan at his place until we sell. Oh yeah, those are great options. Hopefully we will at least have a buyer by then and just be awaiting a closing date, so none of those will be long-term options, but either way it's going to cost me. Whee.

OK, gotta throw everyone a bone, because this is something of a downer entry. Funny, because I am not really all that down today - this is just what's on my mind. I had some fun last night - Ryan asked me to show him how to knit. So I gave him some big needles and bulky wool, grabbed some myself, and taught him how to do the single-needle cast on (the one I learned first) and how to knit continental style and purl betsy-ized continental style. I've never taught anyone to knit before, so I am sure there was a better way than I did, but he kind of got it. As with any other beginner, he had trouble with his hands, ended up slipping a lot of stitches without knitting them, and the stitches he did make were tighter than Jesse Helms' butt, but he did get the idea. And I think he enjoyed it, despite the hand cramps. And now has a new appreciation for my knitting - not that he really needed it!

Other fun weekend stuff included another marathon afternoon registering for wedding gifts at Bloomie's, and a trip to an open house at Urban Glass with a friend of mine from work and his girlfriend. The glass stuff was really neat - I especially liked the beadmaking demonstration. Pretty colors and slightly more manageable than those giant glassblowing rods. I'd love to learn how to do that sometime in the future when time/money permit.

Oh, and to all interested parties - reports of the demise of our Jewish wedding are greatly exaggerated. All appears well these days. Thanks. :-)