Top 5 Scary Movies

I'm not scared easily. I rolled my eyes at Saw movies and Hostel made me want to travel to Europe again. A good horror movie (to me) messes with my mind, might have gore, and has a couple jump out of your seat/hide behind your pillow moments.

5)
Mothman Prophecies combined two of my biggest fears - collapsing bridges and drowning. "Wake up, number 37" still gives me chills. Also, there is no pat resolution in the end.

4)
Jennifer Carpenter knows how to do good scary movies (The Exorcism of Emily Rose is in my top 20 which also has Laura Linney). This movie has it all - claustrophobia, gore, creeping dread, and a lot of good jump out of your seat moments.

3)
I'm a sucker for any angel/demon stuff. I think this movie has a whole new level of creepy/scariness since it involves a pregnancy and horrible things done to a woman.

2)
I saw this movie when I was 5 by accident at our vacation home since it had HBO. So, I'm sure the movie is lame as an adult but that tequila bottle scene? Any movie that does scary shit to kids, ranks pretty high in my personal nightmares.

1)
Don't ask me how young I was when I saw this movie. I still to this day get freaked out by masses of birds at a playground. Scarred for life.

Jesus Woke Me Up This Morning

... and that is why I'm Jewish! Thank you, thank you I'll be here all week. Enjoy the steak.


The guy with the guitar on the Orange Line sang the Jesus song this morning. What an insane weekend, huh? I actually turned on the heat in my apartment Saturday morning then I stepped outside into the jungle sauna. Every store I went to had completely fogged up windows. And that wasn't due to sprawling sex orgies city-wide. Also, I found out customers who cut you off in a parking lot, can and will do the same in the store. When I got cut off turning into an aisle, I said out loud to the woman, "This is a theme for you today, huh?" She chuckled and went on her way. Moron!

Saturday night while a monsoon blew in, my brother arrived for his visit from western MA. Rasputin hid at first and when he crept out,he seemed to remember my brother from this summer! I had fun showing him around my new place, we hung out and talked. Sunday morning, we grabbed breakfast at IHOP and drove all around Quincy. Nut island, then trying to get to Moon island we saw a poorly installed solar panel system that got my brother really annoyed, once we got to the gate to Moon island and saw that we couldn't drive any further, I told my brother that we'll go back to that solar panel house so he could figure out what the hell the installation people were thinking, after we accomplished that we tried to find our old grandparents house which was a lot harder than I had thought. Sunday evening, we saw the absolute worst movie ever. It looked funny and quirky in the commercials but IT ISN'T!! I tried to like it but by the last half hour I was crying laughing at how bad the movie is. Then we went home and watched Twilight, which looked like Shakespeare compared to what we had just seen. Good times!

The Astoundingly Awful Massage

I had my first professional massage back in 2003 at Cranwell Spa. Since then, I have been hooked. Because I am a tense person with back problems, it starts out very painful but as the muscles are worked there is such an amazing wave of relaxation. Also, I have discovered that it is extra important to get a massage since I'm a stroke survivor. My back muscles fire weirdly since they were paralyzed so a massage breaks down built up toxins. In fact, one of the masseuses I went to mentioned that the left side of my back gets really hot after a massage. Kinda weird, but kinda cool!

As a gift to myself, I booked a massage for this weekend. I got a spa recommendation from a family member. It was one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had. I've never had a massage done by someone with acrylic nails. I've never had my entire back exposed to the cool air of the room. I also have never had my ass massaged, a bruise massaged, my toe cut, and the masseuse sneaking a peek when I rolled onto my back. I didn't realize my toe was cut until I got home and my sock was bloody and my toe wouldn't stop bleeding. So, I have to go back to the spa tonight to get my 100% refund.

Ikea Shopping: Maze of Anxiety and Horror

I love Ikea products but the physical shopping for them leaves me exhausted and frazzled. It always starts the same way: get inside, collect your handy map and pencil. Wander through thoughfully designed pseudo rooms, ooh and aah until you spy the price tag. And then it usually hits me after kitchenware or in the kids area. This building anxiety of being stuck behind meandering people with no windows or exit in sight. By the time I get to light fixtures, I want to run screaming through the store, "Get me out! Get me out!" At check out, you can smell fresh air so you don't even pay attention to the whole process. I could be charged $5,000 for a placemat and I wouldn't notice because I NEED TO GET OUT! This is why I will never be able to buy any plants or paintings in the Ikea store because that is the last department before exiting.

The only other time I have felt so trapped and herded was at the Holocaust museum in Washington, DC. I know the museum was designed that way on purpose, but Ikea? I don't think so. Thank God for internet shopping. If only there could be skylights or some kind of emergency exit for people freaking the hell out.

Glass Eye Yogurt Weekend

Oh, it's Columbus Day, not Columbo Day such as the detective or yogurt brand... What? It's just as arbitrary as Columbus Day and a bit less offensive to indigenous peoples.

My weekend started out insanely well with inhaling a delicious autumnal lasagna. It went well with Rose and white wine and I'm sure I was making disgusting yummy noises while I ate. My little furry baby, Rasputin, also stole the show when he emerged from hiding under my bed. We decided that he's a flamboyantly gay power bottom cat.

Saturday, my mother and I painted the main room of my apartment. Behr paint kicks ass and you don't need to spend a ton of money on their premium ultra. Now, I get to see a happy, sunny yellow when I look through my bedroom door. Also, if you have Comcast, a way to make your Baby Boomer parent happy is to turn on channel 524. I finally finished unpacking my kitchen!

Sunday was nice and laid back hanging out with a wonderful friend, yelling at the TV during the Sox game plus many really bad puns and "That's what she said" jokes. Bud Light lime is really yummy with chips and Helluva dip...

Monday is technically not a holiday for my work, but I used some vacation time to sleep in, go shopping, and check work email from home.

All in all, it was a good time! Peter Falk would have been proud.

My Days This Week

Since I have moved, I have settled into a new routine.

5:45 AM Wake up - this was a bit hard at first because it is still pitch black outside. Luckily, having a 15lb Mainecoon cat has helped me get in the groove - he's up and bugging me around 4:30 anyways.

6:30 Quincy Center T - I tried walking to the T station for most of this week but two things happened: 1) My knee started acting up and 2) Sunrise is getting later and later. I don't like walking in the dark alone in a city so now I'm just driving to the T. If I'm good about brown bagging lunches, I will be able to afford it. I plan on walking when the weather gets better and sunrise is earlier.

7:00-7:30 Arrive at work - I like beginning the work day early because it's not that crowded when I arrive and when I get home. If I can grab the 6:30 train from Quincy Center, I can get in around 7:00. 7 stops on the red line and 5 on the orange. With the required delay at JFK/Umass.

4:00 leave work - I try to sneak out a couple minutes earlier because that makes a huge difference about getting a seat on the Braintree red line. If I can't sit, my knee and back will be in tremendous pain the rest of the night.

5:00 arrive home - I talk to my cat like he's human so I let him know that I'm home. Once I have switched to sweats and have my bra off, I can settle in.

5:00 - 9:30 household puttering - After dinner, I either slowly unpack a box, do the laundry, or do the dishes. Also, I have been elevating and icing my knee this week. I think it's a good sign that a bruise has finally appeared.

Moving Day

After a Friday night of tears, stressing, stuffing my car full of items, and obsessive list-making - the move went almost flawlessly Saturday!

Unfortunately, it was pouring cats and dogs Saturday. The movers arrived at 10:30 and were done loading up the truck at 11:15. I seriously cannot rave enough about these guys. They were quick, efficient, and friendly. As an example of how awesome they are, they moved 2 lamps with bulbs in them and when they arrived at my apartment, they worked with the original bulbs! Also, all the cat fur covered condos etc were moved with no objection. They arrived at my apartment around 12:00PM and finished up around 1:30. They really killed themselves trying to get my sofa up to the 3rd floor but the staircase was too winding and my windows are too narrow. I kept flashing on that Friends episode, "Pivot!" Unfortunately, while I was going downstairs to check in with the movers, I wiped out pretty badly on the rain soaked stairs. Rain - 1, knee - 0. It's always really funny when I fall. It's like I notice that the world is going sideways with a "Hmm, that's odd" then wait a millisecond and then I react with the "Oh shit I'm falling!" reflex. To make this day kick more ass, my moving bill came in under estimate!

As of today, my bathroom, living room and bedroom are all set up and I have a couple boxes left to unpack in the kitchen and dining room. I love nesting. Next weekend, I'm painting the dining area this color. Oh yeah, the knee is fine today so walking to the T was no problem!

Farewell Commuter Rail

I will miss the views, the comfy wide seats, and sometimes not having to pay any fare. I won't miss the parking fees, the delays, and that odd stench of burnt rubber/diesel. I'm moving tomorrow to Quincy and I will be using the T from now on.

Today, I am completely useless at work. All I can do is mentally make lists of things left to do and plan out the morning of the move. This move has been extra hard for me because I didn't have room or time to have a packing assmembly area. So most of my boxes and furniture are scattered throughout the basement, garage, first floor and second floor. There is also a family party tomorrow so I'm moving with absolutely no help. I have no one to delegate to or ask for help - that's why I'm averaging 4 hours of sleep per night.

I'm also worried about moving my cat, Rasputin. He didn't handle the last move well (it took him a week to emerge from the basement and start eating). I'm going to try to put all his stuff in my apartment bathroom and keep him there as the movers unload. A couple articles online suggest leaving dirty laundry around his safe room to help relaz him with familiar scents. I like that suggestion since that means I won't have to do laundry tonight!

So, wish me luck as I finally go out on my own after 6 months of living in my parent's house. Woohoo employment, independence, and income!

Yeah, I May Have a Problem

From here:


1. Do you eat when you’re not hungry? Yes
2. Do you go on eating binges for no apparent reason? Yes. A couple weeks ago, I bought bags of candy and went through 1 - 2 per night.
3. Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after overeating? Yes. I have a box of shame where I hide my bad food.
4. Do you give too much time and thought to food? Define too much.
5. Do you look forward with pleasure and anticipation to the time when you can eat alone? No.
6. Do you plan these secret binges ahead of time? Yes. I have one binge planned for tomorrow and another for Sunday.
7. Do you eat sensibly before others and make up for it alone? Yes.
8. Is your weight affecting the way you live your life? Yes.
9. Have you tried to diet for a week (or longer), only to fall short of your goal? Yes for 3 years and still fell short.
10. Do you resent others telling you to “use a little willpower” to stop overeating? Yes. The Biggest Loser throws me into rages.
11. Despite evidence to the contrary, have you continued to assert that you can diet “on your own” whenever you wish? Yes.
12. Do you crave to eat at a definite time, day or night, other than mealtime? No
13. Do you eat to escape from worries or trouble? Yes. Ice cream + unemployment
14. Have you ever been treated for obesity or a food-related condition? Yes.
15. Does your eating behavior make you or others unhappy? Yes.

Coffee Wars, Northeastern Edition

I work near Northeastern and the Ruggles Dunkin Donuts used to be a regular stop for me until a couple weeks ago when Peets opened up on the corner of Columbus and Tremont. I tried their coffee for the first time and fell in love. The price is comparable to Dunks but the quality is 100 times better. Yet the Ruggles Dunkin Donuts is more convenient on my way to work.

This morning I started thinking about this conundrum. One other factor in the Dunks Peets war (in my head) is that it looks like Dunks lost half their workforce since they only have one window open and lines stretch across Ruggles. And it looks like they lost the good half of their workforce since the line is held up most of the time by wrong orders. So, Peets wins - even though sadly the Tremont location doesn't accept Peet cards. Seriously people, try their pumpkin spice latte or, if you have a sweet tooth, white chocolate mocha. LOVE!

I suck at MS Paint.