this past weekend, i walked into the bathroom and looked up to see the same fat daddy long legs spider that had been hanging out in the same corner above the mirror for the past couple of days and wondered why it was still there--was it dead? had it chosen that corner as its final resting place?

but my attention was quickly diverted when i opened up the shower to find that another daddy long legs spider had chosen a corner living space. i say living space because this spider was very much alive. and for some reason, i didn't have it in me to throw tabo after tabo of water over it until it curled its legs inwards and made the descent from web to wall to tub to drain.

instead, i turned the water on and directed it close enough to the spider to ensure i wouldn't be risking it somehow flinging itself onto me, but far enough away from it so that it wouldn't be swept down. to somewhat ease my discomfort, i decided to shower with my glasses on so that i could maintain a visual on the spider--which was difficult because i had to turn my back to it to rinse my hair out, which always made me dread having to turn around to see that the spider had disappeared.

it didn't help that steam and condensation would build up on the lenses of my glasses, which rendered the spider camouflaged into the tile. i eventually had to put my glasses on top of my head--kinda like a headband--because my blurry eyesight was better than wet glasses. it also didn't help that daddy long legs was very determined to get in a few stretches every few minutes. one time it looked like it was falling and i actually flinched. other times it crept towards the water--which also meant towards me--and i could see it struggle to remain steady on its spider web as the droplets of water--bigger than his body--threatened his existence.

i could've crushed that little arachnid under the tip of my pinkie, but there i was close to almost cowering behind my semi-wall of pouring water, and there he was moving into a hurricane and hanging on by a thread.

okay, so fruit cakes are really christmas-type gifts and it's not christmas, but supposedly fruit cakes are like the most common gift at christmas.  i've actually only seen one and it was given to louie's family.  but i don't think i actually tasted it.  but anyway, i guess gift baskets are the new gift-giving thing (or the revived -slash- renewed -slash- revamped -slash- upgraded gift-giving thing, rather, since neither gift baskets nor gift-giving are new).  as you can tell from that website, which has like "upscale," super cool, "i would really like one, please" packages, they seem to made for all sorts of occasions, such as Mother's Day and Father's Day (I would put "hint hint" here, but since I'm not a mother or a father, that wouldn't make sense). heck there's even one for the Super Bowl!  (though i'd really like one of the chocolate ones.)  i'm actually considering the gardening one for louie's mom (i'll have to ask him) and maybe one of the spa & pamper ones for my mom that my siblings and i can chip in to buy together--it seems like a nice alternative to flowers. 

i guess gift baskets give me the warm fuzzies because they kinda make me think of care packages, especially if it's for a new baby or a housewarming or a just a nice "cheer up" gift.  i'm also a fan of getting and giving gifts with many parts because it feels like there's more--i guess you could call that piaget-esque preoperational thinking, but i don't know; i guess it feels like there's a little more thought since you have to think about the different parts in the basket and what the person you're giving to would be most happy with.  if there was a "writer's gift basket" with pencils and pens and nice paper and little notebooks, i think i'd like that more than a gift card that was worth more or something.  or maybe i'm overthinking this whole thing.  but yeah, hurrah for gift baskets--especially when they're much better than the kind they sell in grocery stores at Easter that deceive you into thinking that there's lots more to be found when in actuality there is nothing beyond that cardboard backing but more of that cellophane-ish grass.  speaking of which, i tried to find a link to one on google about the one i was talking about and instead i found this easter basket for pre-teens "hip hop bunny basket."           

favors, cameras, & napkins, oh my!

so i know some people who are getting married in the near future and i've had wedding on the brain because of this.  and lately i've been thinking about how hard it is to think of favors & centerpieces, especially when you want to move away from the traditional candy-coated almonds wrapped in tulle and big floral arrangments.  or maybe it's because my expertise in this area is severely lacking .  so i've done some googling and other searching and browsing and one of the sites i've come across, theknot, has wedding reception ideas with some pretty cute stuff, like personalized bud vases (i didn't even know what those were until i saw them on this site) and initial cake toppers (instead of the traditional figurines--of which, by the way, have any of you seen any Asian?), and even garters (woo-hoo).  it's cool because this website also has a planning section & info for the wedding party (like bridsmaids & groomsmen).  so yeah.  any of yous getting married or know people who are or who are in a wedding party, that's another resource to look at and use to collect ideas . 

remember the survey thingie that i was conducting?  well, for one of my CNIT hw assignments, I decided to use the data from it. so it's available for you guys to check out here: Attraction: A Little Study.

this whole working 20+ hours a week and going to school full-time thing is starting to weigh a lot.  it's like i'm in a persistent state of being tired--like i have chronic fatigue syndrome--and i'm just now starting to get over the cough that started the second week of december.  count it people, that's like a three-month long cough.  oh yeah, and a few weeks ago i really learned to appreciate air because my sinuses and nose were so congested and my throat was so swollen and full of mucous that it took a concerted effort for me to breathe in a lying down position, and i had a hard time sleeping because i was scared that i was going to wake up suffocating.  fun.

so it takes me me about an hour to get to work and another hour to get  home.  13 minutes of going to work is spent walking to the bus stop and 17 minutes of going home is spent walking to the apartment so i can squeeze in some exercise during the day.  the rest of the that time--ie on the bus--is spent doing reading for school.  when i don't read, like today (i read like 2 pages), because i'm too tired or because my head hurts, it sets me back.  it's crazy that i actually NEED to use my time on the bus to study. and when things like birthdays come up (january and february are FULL of birthdays!!!!), i'm only semi-excited because that's less time i'll have to do my schoolwork and work on my work-work, which has become harder, since i'm teaching writing workshops--which means lesson planning and researching and reading and commenting; in the past couple of weeks, i've only gone home on time like once, and i still have work to do at home.  

lately i've been averaging about 6 1/2 hours of sleep, which i know is fine and even a lot to some people, but for me, it's just not enough.  i'm trying to increase my energy and have been working out on the
weekends and just added strength training this week, just so i'm not
feeling so blah. i'm trying to improve my nutrition and have been more conscious of getting enough from the different food groups.  it's funny because i did this health asessment thing online and i needed to increase my intake of vegetables and carbs (good carbs of course =P).   vitamin water is good.  you should buy some.

so the point of all this is that professor crawford was right when she emailed me "you are at least on the verge of overdoing it."  i think that when the fall comes, i'll be cutting down on my work hours.  then when the next spring semester starts, when i will be turning 25 and will no longer be eligible to covered under my dads insurance, i will increase my work hours, get work insurance, and drop to half time.  yes.

let's make this easier, shall we?

here is a condensed version of my survey questions for you, to make it easier for those who haven't yet answered.  you can comment your response or send me an email.
thanks!

1) Your gender is?

2) Your sexual orientation is?

3) Who do YOU think is more attractive (or least ugly)?
    a) brad pitt (interview w/the vampire, fight club, ocean's 11 &
12)
    b) leonardo dicaprio (titanic, catch me if you can, gangs of new
york)
    c) paul walker (joyride, fast and the furious, into the blue)
    d) chris klein (american pie, here on earth, we were
soldiers)
    e) elijah wood (lord of the rings, eternal sunshine of the spotless
mind, sin city)

4) Who do YOU think is more attractive (or least ugly)?
    a) jessica alba (dark angel, honey, sin city)
    b) angelina jolie (girl interrupted, tomb raider, mr & mrs
smith)
    c) kristin kreuk (smallville, eurotrip)
    d) natalie portman (star wars, garden state, closer)
    e) carmen electra (baywatch, scary movie, starsky &
hutch)

5) For men whom do you think WOMEN (if you are heterosexual) or MEN (if you are homosexual) find more attractive (or least ugly)?
    a) brad pitt (interview w/the vampire, fight club, ocean's 11 &
12)
    b) leonardo dicaprio (titanic, catch me if you can, gangs of new
york)
    c) paul walker (joyride, fast and the furious, into the blue)
    d) chris klein (american pie, here on earth, we were
soldiers)
    e) elijah wood (lord of the rings, eternal sunshine of the spotless
mind, sin city)

6) For women, whom do you think MEN (if your are heterosexual) or WOMEN (if you are lesbian) find more attractive (or least ugly)?
    a) jessica alba (dark angel, honey, sin city)
    b) angelina jolie (girl interrupted, tomb raider, mr & mrs
smith)
    c) kristin kreuk (smallville, eurotrip)
    d) natalie portman (star wars, garden state, closer)
    e) carmen electra (baywatch, scary movie, starsky &
hutch)

PART III: 

for the girls or guys who like guys, who do you think is most attractive?:
a) brad pitt (interview w/the vampire, fight club, ocean's 11 &
12)
b) leonardo dicaprio (titanic, catch me if you can, gangs of new
york)
c) paul walker (joyride, fast and the furious, into the blue)
d) chris klein (american pie, here on earth, we were
soldiers)
e) elijah wood (lord of the rings, eternal sunshine of the spotless
mind, sin city)

for the guys or girls who like girls, who do you think is most attractive?:
a) jessica alba (dark angel, honey, sin city)
b) angelina jolie (girl interrupted, tomb raider, mr & mrs
smith)
c) kristin kreuk (smallville, eurotrip)
d) natalie portman (star wars, garden state, closer)
e) carmen electra (baywatch, scary movie, starsky &
hutch)

results will follow in a couple of weeks.

PS for those who missed part 1: click here
for those who missed Part 2 click here

Current Mood =

After a trip to Stonestown Galleria with Louie after work, in search of Claire's birthday present, i snagged up the following items for myself at Express:

- cropped jean jacket: regular price $69.50, sale $34.75
- cropped jeans: regular price $59.50, sale $14.99
- dress top: regular price $49.50, sale $9.99
- cropped editor pants: regular price $49.50, sale $5.99

PS Note to Claire: Um, I think this year's birthday present may have to count towards next year's, as well.  Or maybe you and Micah can just share it!  Yeah!

PART II: 

for the guys or (girls who like girls), who do YOU think is most
attractive? (or least ugly for those guys who say every guy is ugly):
a) brad pitt (interview w/the vampire, fight club, ocean's 11 & 12)
b) leonardo dicaprio (titanic, catch me if you can, gangs of new york)
c) paul walker (joyride, fast and the furious, into the blue)
d) chris klein (american pie, here on earth, we were soldiers)
e) elijah wood (lord of the rings, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, sin city)

for the girls (or guys who like guys), who do YOU think is most attractive?:
a) jessica alba (dark angel, honey, sin city)
b) angelina jolie (girl interrupted, tomb raider, mr & mrs smith)
c) kristin kreuk (smallville, eurotrip)
d) natalie portman (star wars, garden state, closer)
e) carmen electra (baywatch, scary movie, starsky & hutch)

part three will follow in a couple of weeks.

PS for those who missed part 1: click here

Check your emails.  If you don't have in your inbox, I don't have
your correct addy.  Email me ASAP so I can get your current email
addy and send you the stuff!  Can't believe it's finally
here--wahoo!

Love,
Crystal