Tag Archives: birthday

Happy 72nd Birthday, Popi

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Popi

Popi

Dear Popi,

It’s been over a year since we lost you. It feels like it was yesterday, but at the same time, it feels like a year. So much has changed in the last year, for better and for worse. What hasn’t changed is that you’re still not here. That sucks. It still hurts, but it’s hurting a little less now. I never thought I’d be able to say that, and maybe I won’t be able to say it tomorrow, but I’m happy to be able to say it today. I still miss you, though, and still wish you were here. That will never change.

I wanted to do a cake for you again this year, but by the time I thought to say something to Noni, she had already gone up to Camp for the weekend, and now tonight everyone is out, anyway. Still, I don’t need a cake and a gathering to celebrate your birthday. I refuse to celebrate the day you died — even when Noni refers to it as your rebirthday — but I also refuse to not celebrate the day you were born. Even though there’s no cake and no candles, I can still wish that wherever you are, you are happy, and that we will meet again someday.

Happy birthday, Popi.

Love,
Your “Pumpkin”

I Survived My Birthday

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Well, after almost three days of being off the grid, we got power back a few hours ago. I honestly feel kind of guilty, since we were managing just fine, and on the news tonight they showed all of the damage and further safety issues throughout the state. We could have had it so much worse, and yet now we have power and it’s almost like nothing happened here, while much of the state is at risk for flooding, is still off the grid, and suffered a lot of property damage.

Still, I also feel like we’re very lucky, and I’m very grateful. We spent the last few days cooking on the gas stove in our apartment. We lost a lot of food, but managed to save some of it, too. Last night, Mike, Lauren, and I walked around the corner to Mary’s house and played games by candlelight with Sandy, Mary, and Taylore. We had a lot of fun.

Saturday night, before Irene hit, we had everything ready; Mom and Dad had stocked up on water, batteries, and non-perishable food, I got Squirt’s cat carrier ready, I packed a bag of clothes just in case we had to evacuate, and we all tried to sleep without much luck. By the time Irene hit, though, it was only a tropical storm — which still does a lot of damage, but less than a hurricane, so Connecticut was fairly lucky, relatively speaking. I’m glad we didn’t have to evacuate or go into the cellar, because Biz Noni — my great-grandmother — would have had to go outside in it, and the thought of that really bothered me.

We also faced the possibility of looting and home invasions. Like Dad said, people get desperate and you just never know, so he loaded up the shotgun and we all, I think, slept with one eye open. It was a little unnerving, in the middle of a completely pitch black neighborhood that isn’t all that safe to begin with. Still, we didn’t have any major problems, and I’m more grateful than I could ever possibly express.

Unfortunately, we’re kind of back to reality, and my reality right now is my car, affectionately known as Ellie. It shit the bed a couple of days before the storm; poor Mike was driving by himself, and it literally died in the middle of the road. Right now it’s up in the BJ’s parking lot, and we have no idea what’s wrong with it. For the last few weeks, it’s been smelling like burning rubber after driving it for a while, but there wasn’t any smoking or anything wrong that I could see, so we don’t even know yet if it’s the same problem. Dad’s going to look at it tomorrow, now that we’re out of the “dark” and my sister Lauren is moved back into her dorm.

So yeah, it’s been an exciting week. I can definitely say I’ve never had this exciting of a birthday. Luckily, we had cake on Saturday, so at least I got my ice cream cake before we lost power Sunday, on my actual birthday. I think that would have added insult to injury, as shallow as that might sound. My mom and dad got me the Lungs album by Florence + the Machine, and I can’t stop listening to it. It’s really, really good. I’m pretty obsessed with it, and can already tell it’s going to be one of the CDs I will have owned for years and have come close to wearing out.

Today, the 31st, is Mike’s and my five-year anniversary. He had some super secret, big plans for my birthday and our anniversary, but because of the car it’s going to be a while. We’re still going out to dinner I think, because he said Mom and Dad told him he could borrow Mom’s car to take me out to dinner. As crazy as this might sound, I think a quiet night out will be more than enough of a gift in my eyes, after the week we all had.

If you’re on the East Coast, how are you faring after Miss Irene came to visit? I hope you’re safe.

I'm Getting a Hurricane for My Birthday

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Update, 12:40am, 08/30: For those of you who don’t have Twitter and are wondering, my family and I are all safe. We’re going on forty-eight hours without power, but we’re managing just fine. I’ll post a full update as soon as we get power (typing on my phone is cumbersome at best, painful on my hands at worst). :)

♦

Hurricane Irene is coming to visit me.

Hurricane Irene is coming to visit me.

Hurricane Irene is forecast to hit Connecticut — where I live — at about 5pm EST on Sunday night… and Sunday happens to be my birthday. Even the spaghetti forecast — an estimation of all of the possible paths Irene could take — shows that no matter which way it goes, Irene is coming to visit me.

At first, I wasn’t taking it seriously because, come on, CT never gets anything more than a little rain when there’s a hurricane. Governor Asshole — I mean, Malloy — declared a state of emergency, though, and my sister’s school is advising that after moving in on Saturday, students go directly home and return Monday for class.

I realize this hurricane could be nasty — they’re saying it could hit us at Category 1 — but damn, why does it have to be on my birthday? I think I have every right to whine. ;)

If you’re in Irene’s path on her way to visit me, make sure you’re prepared. CT put together a little minisite with tips and announcements related to the hurricane, but I also found a few more links I thought I’d share.

Fun times.

My first priority this weekend is my cat; if we have to evacuate, she is the first “thing” I’m grabbing. I’m also packing a little bag, just in case, and we’re getting water and some other supplies together. We’ll most likely be hanging out downstairs on the first floor with Noni and Biz Noni on Sunday, since our roof, um, leaks, and we’re on the third floor.

I’ll make sure to keep updating on Twitter in case we do get hit, that way you guys know I’m alive and stuff, but I’m not too too worried. I just feel like we’re better off being safe rather than sorry. If you’re in Irene’s path, too, please stay safe. Let’s hook up on Twitter so that we can keep each other updated, okay? I’m @elizabethbarone.

Also, if anyone in the Naugatuck Valley area knows of pet friendly emergency shelters — like the Red Cross or something — can you let me know? We have two cats and they’re very important to us.

♦

Update, 7:44pm, 08/25: NYT put together a tracker to show Irene’s path, and via reliable news sources on Twitter, I’ve learned that New Jersey is asking all Jersey Shore residents to voluntarily leave the area for the time being, NYC is shutting down all public transportation from Saturday afternoon and on, and Connecticut is closing all state parks and campgrounds. Stay safe, guys. This is starting to worry me a little.

Update, 11:09pm, 08/25: Check out this satellite image showing the size of Irene; it’s 1/3 the size of the East Coast! #holyshit

Update, 12:55pm, 08/26: Still getting a hurricane for my birthday, wahoo! As of 11:45 this morning, the National Hurricane Center said that we’ll be getting hit with a Category I on Sunday morning. So basically, I get to wake up to this shit.

Here’s what we’re doing to prepare:

  • Put some water into containers (because why buy it when it comes just fine out of your faucet right now)
  • Reinforce the shaky windows in the house with plexiglass
  • Charge up our cell phones Saturday night
  • Get ready to camp out in our living room; if we lose power, we’ll be cooking out (after the storm, obviously)

No biggy. What are you doing to prepare?

Update, 1:29am, 08/28: As of 1:15am, we’re still looking at “welcoming” Irene into Connecticut sometime tomorrow morning, with the edges of the storm hitting us at about two this morning. Everyone else in my house is asleep. Ironically, yesterday I was telling my friend to not panic and that we’d all be fine, but now I’m getting nervous. Our roof started leaking a few hours ago, and we don’t even have wind or really heavy rain yet. Please keep your fingers that the roof holds out!

Other than that, I’m enjoying Lungs, the Florence + the Machine album that Mom and Dad got me for my birthday. And, even though I was born at 5:18am today, I’m celebrating my twenty-third birthday by listening to it. Mom and I had vodka and cranberry drinks earlier, and there’s plenty more for later today when we lose power (since we’re anticipating losing it).

I’ve been doing my best to check on everyone on Twitter, and will continue to update from my phone on both Twitter and here, if need be. Be safe, everyone! We’ll get through this. ♥

My (Twenty-third Birthday) Wishlist

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Spoiler: I'd like some Sims things.

Spoiler: I'd like some Sims things.

In exactly three weeks, I’ll be celebrating my twenty-third birthday. Whee!

Twenty-three sounds like a magic number in my head. I have no idea why. Twenty-two, if you remember, didn’t sound exciting to me at all and I just wanted to skip to twenty-three. I wonder if that means this year is going to be exceptionally awesome. I sure as fuck hope so, because the last six months have been… the complete opposite of awesome: unawesome.

Because wishlists are fun, and because I’m hoping to land the job I interviewed for last Thursday so I can buy the things on my wishlist, I made a list of unnecessary, material things I wish to have in celebration of the day I was born (which isn’t really all that amazing, if you think about it, since we were all born at some point). So, without further ado:

A LIST OF UNNECESSARY, MATERIAL THINGS I WISH TO HAVE

  • The Sims 2: Fun with Pets Collection – Are you really surprised that the first thing on my list is Sims related? This collection has TS2: Pets, TS2: Mansion and Garden Stuff, and TS2: Family Fun Stuff. One good thing has come out of The Sims 3 and my laptop’s aversion to running it without crashing: all of the expansion packs for The Sims 2 are now $19.99, and these collections are also $19.99, making it quite a steal. I want this one mainly because I want Pets (because duh, pets are awesome), and the Stuff packs are just an added bonus.
  • The Sims 2: Apartment Life — You’re not actually surprised the second thing on my list is Sims related, too, are you? I want Apartment Life because, let’s face it, it gets boring living in houses after a while. Being able to have my Sims visit their neighbors without having to meet them first via a random walk-by would be awesome. *nerdgasm* It’s totally a good thing I am, as Mike says, a hot nerd.
  • The Sims: Medieval — At this point, you shouldn’t be surprised at all. I do not blame you if you are, in fact, disgusted. I have no idea if my laptop will be able to handle this, but it’s worth a shot. It’s basically as if an RPG and The Sims had a baby, and it was medieval. Want, want, want.
  • A pair of those horribly uncomfortable looking but simultaneously sexy looking platform heels, like these suede ones in teal – I don’t know if I’ll ever wear them, but I at least want to try them on at the store and see if they’re as uncomfortable as they look. If they’re not too bad, well… I just might buy them.
  • A faded grey pair of skinny jeans — I’ve had this vision in my head of wearing a faded grey pair of skinny jeans with a pair of those platform pumps for a while now. I have no idea what’s on top, but I have several shirts that would look good, anyway.
  • A pound of Caffé Verona — Sob! I haven’t had this in a long time. It’s not that expensive… when you have a job.
  • A two-book shopping spree at Barnes and Noble — I’m a Freaking Bookworm. No further explanation required.

I don’t actually want anyone to buy me these things for my birthday; I just want a job so that I can buy these things (and pay my bills). It just felt like a good time to make a wishlist. (;

What’s on your wishlist? It doesn’t have to be a birthday wishlist; tell me what you’ve been wishing for lately!

See you later, stress (much later, hopefully)

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I finally got paid for the projects I was waiting to receive payment for on Wednesday. It felt amazing to deposit that check into my bank account. It also felt amazing to put gas in my car and buy myself a pack of cigarettes. Since I get my first full check from work this coming Friday, I also got myself a few treats: two books and a pound of Starbucks Caffe Verona. I was thinking about going to get tattoos #3 and #4 today, but Mike has work for 3:15 — what a random time — and will have the car. Also, while I know exactly what I want for one of them, I’m still researching and thinking about the other. I’d rather get them both at the same time.

One of the treats was going out for karaoke — on my own tab. The few times I have gone were only because a friend offered to buy my drinks. I am stubborn and hate feeling like a mooch. I had a great time last night with Mike, Sandy, Sean, Mary, and Greg at Hojo’s. I took Sandy out to dinner before we met everyone at the bar, too. It was nice to have some time alone, and it felt good to be able to treat her. (Although, she cornered me into letting her buy me a new pair of jeans. I have to admit, it feels nice to have a pair of jeans that isn’t too tight.)

On Friday I’ll be able to pay for three years of hosting. I cannot wait to move back into elizawhat.com. I’ll also be able to pay back Mike, and pay my mom for my January, February, and March car insurance. This weekend I’m going to send out my March payment now for my student loan, and pick up some gifts for a few birthdays I missed.

I’m so relieved now that I can stand on my own two feet again.

I’m also relieved because my aunt and I have gone back to the relationship we had before. We had dinner together on Wednesday, just like old times. It’s nice to just be aunt and niece again, with that best friend and mother-daughter kind of relationship, instead of us both highly stressed out and butting heads.

On March 10th I have an appointment with Dr. Greco (my rheumatologist). I have some notes for him but nothing really new. I’ve been trying to keep track of my GI system’s shit — no pun intended — to see if there’s a pattern, because I’m obsessive like that, and want some answers for all of my symptoms, dammit. I’ve also been keeping track of my pain and other symptoms.

Work is going well. I’m starting to learn some of their office politics — all businesses have them; I could tell you some stories from my freelance days — and although it’s been a little frustrating, I’m working through it. Mainly, it’s that I’ve come into a position that opened up because they were very, very unhappy with the last person, so they’re extremely cautious with me. While it’s not fair to me, it’s understandable. I know that I rock at my profession, though, so I only have to work at their pace and try my best to soothe their concerns.

I’m working on some stuff for Freaking Bookworm. I’d like to do a monthly book club, and each month do a live podcast that everyone can listen in on and call into to talk about the book. The site I’m probably going to use, TalkShoe, also has live chat during the show, for those who can’t or don’t want to call in. If you’re interested, let me know. I already have the first book in mind; I’m just trying to get together some sort of format. (You know, other than me babbling.) I’d like to have some specific discussion topics, you know?

I’m also looking into monetizing Freaking Bookworm in some way. I’ve tried Google ads and the Barnes and Noble affiliate program, but I know all too well that ads are just white noise to people. (I mean, shit, I ignore them, so why should anyone else pay attention to them?) I’m looking into the Amazon affiliate program, so that I can sell the books I’m reviewing in a little store and receive a commission on the ones I sell. I think it’d be hot shit to literally make money off of reading books so that I can buy more books. It’s the next best thing to making a living off of writing books. ♥

My only real complaint right now is that my allergies are kicking up again, but since that means spring is on the way, I can’t really complain. I’ll just live on Simply Saline and Claritin-D.

That’s really the gist of my life right now — which is a relief. There’s no stress, now that I’m on my feet again. My biggest problem at the moment is figuring out which movie Mike and I should see tonight, if he’s not too tired after work. I’m looking forward to having a date night, but we’re most definitely going out for breakfast tomorrow, so even if we don’t go out tonight, it’s all good. I’m hoping that in the morning we can start putting together a plan for getting our own place. I was thinking about all of the things we’re going to need this morning, and it’s kind of overwhelming. Like, can we really save enough to get the necessities, some extras, and afford the rent, all by the summer?

Still, now that I have a regular paycheck and am not so fucking stressed out, it all seems possible. It doesn’t seem like just a silly dream.

We can really have a life together.

So. That’s how I’m doing. How are you?