This just in:

Ok, so there isn't really anything that's just in. This morning i washed a couple of dishes, made coffee, and laid around in bed. It has been good and lazy. Just what i needed. The past week has been crazy. Now at work, i am a shipper. I had almost forgotten how much i enjoy manual labor. I have spent the past couple of days picking orders and finding stuff and packing them in boxes. I really enjoy dealing with space issues. That's nice.

Otherwise, i have been going through spring cleaningness lately. When i did laundry this week, i washed all that stuff that doesn't get washed every time, like the bathrobe, the jeans, the hoodie, the funny-ear-things, stuff like that. Last night i shaved my legs in cleaning mode, and suddenly got the urge to chop my hair off. Not going to do THAT, especially since i'm thinking of growing it out again to see how to deal with it now that it's not so curly anymore.

That's about it for news. Dan and i are going to find the nearest Target so we can get an air conditioner for our bedroom for the summertime, and then hopefully find some trees somewhere to enjoy the sunlight.

THE CAUSE

Everything is cause and effect. Like today: the HR manager was insensitive in the way he went about asking my co-worker and i to stick to a lunch schedule so it would be easier to have a schedule for himself in general, and the effect was the i was thrown into a foul mood and have become more driven in my job search.

But there are other causes worth fighting for. And it's always nice when your part of the fight can be so short and easy. Here are some of my favorites, and i would consider it a personal favor if you checked out one or all of them:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com Donate a Mammogram for free by clicking a button on he breast cancer site.

www.truemajority.com A left wing political watchdog group run by Ben and Jerry and Paul Newman. Once you join, they'll send you emails sometimes, and all you have to do is click "reply" and "send" in order to send a free fax to the appropriate congressperson, representative, or senator.


moveon.org This one requires some more work. Half the time you can just click reply and send like the last one, and half the time they ask you to actually call or write your senator, rep, or congressperson. I have the time for the first half. So i do it. These guys often work in conjunction with True Majority, and was started by the likes of none other than Jeanine Garrafalo (sp?)

Things That Make Me Happy

Yesterday when i was waiting for the red line (which i LOVE), there was a guy who sings R&B with his carry-around kareoke machine, and he's really good. He sung through a couple of songs from his usual repertoire, and then he started singing one i hadn't heard him sing before. It took me a few minutes, but soon i recognized this song as a song from my childhood. He was singing a gospel/country ballad that my mum used to play when my brother and i were little and we were all living in Parsonsfield at the top of a populationless, well-forested mountain in western Maine. It was my favorite song off that record album, and the chorus goes something like this:
I sing because He's with me,
I sing right from my soul,
and the peace I felt
When He was standing there
None others have ever known.
I haven't heard that song for ages. It brought me a great sense of peace when i heard it again in the subway yesterday, and it made me feel like everything was going to be alright.

That was a feeling i really needed at the moment, too, because i had to leave work early yet again because of a relapse of sickness. The cold i caught earlier in the week had passed, thought, but not quickly enough for me to get away with it without getting a horrible sinus infection. I actually almost broke down into tears yesterday while i was at work because i couldn't believe it, and i knew i needed antibiotics. So i called the doctor in Somerville and managed to get an appointment for that afternoon at 4:15. YAY! I was so grateful. A very nice lady saw me, and even though they haven't received my medical history from my doctor in Maine yet, they prescribed me antibiotics. YAY! I got them just in time, too, because last night was ROUGH. I pretty much went to sleep the minute i got home (around 7 or 8 is when i hit the hay), and i got up this morning at 8. And i felt HORRIBLE last night. I was mumbling incoherently and didn't even get up to greet Matt's parents who have come down to visit for the weekend.

When i went to fill my prescription at CVS, there was quite the line and quite the wait. When the guy behind the counter asked if i would be staying and when i wanted to pick it up, i answered, "as soon as possible?" He told me it would be about twenty minutes. I had a seat. I thought about all sorts of mean things about big chain pharmacies in cities and how i never had to wait twenty minutes to get my prescription filled at Clark's Drug in Waldoboro, when i heard my name called. I probably hadn't been sitting longer than five minutes. I was elated. No sooner did my mean brain have the chance to condemn then did they prove me wrong. It goes to show you that there are good people everywhere.

This morning, i was well enough to meet Dan and Carol (one of the visitors) at a couple of the free museums at Harvard. They were fabulous! And once again i had my love of Impressionist and after art re-affirmed. Not a fan of most "modern art," but i positively love everything from the Impressionists to the German Expressionists, especially Cezanne, Picasso, Leger, and my new interest, Max Beckmann. GREAT stuff in the Fogg-Art Museum, and it is free on Saturdays from 10am-12pm!

So i have had an eventful morning, and it sucked up my energy. We finished with a delicious meal at Bertucci's. Mmm.

HEAR YE, HEAR YE! I LOVE SNOW! err...but i'm ready for the slush to go away now...

As i was walking out the door yesterday to go to work, i marvelled at the beauty of the snow coated trees and brownstone houses that line Comm Ave. Fortunately, the opportunity was not yet present for slush and calcium chloride to sully my amazement and wonder as it has been in the past here. No, i stood smiling at the white sky, welcoming one of the last spells of winter freshness that is to bless me this year. This morning, i was greeted by the same chilly enchantement that warmed my heart yesterday morning. But alas, it was not meant to last, as the snow is not meant to last. This being the second day of snow's beauty, much of it has had the chance to transform into the city's winter beast -- slush. I walked through a fair share of it this morning on foot from South Station to work. And i realized that now i am ready to part with the winter. I will miss it dearly, for a city really does well in the winter time, aesthetically. However, now i must direct my attentions to the blossoming leaves, prepare myself for the biggest allergy season, and warmly welcome and caress the springtime blessings that come from the earth.

Word from the Sicko

So today i was home sick from work. I actually left a little early yesterday because i didn't think i was going to last much longer, and i couldn't have timed it better. Forunately, i have health insurance now (YAY!) and if i REALLY need to, i can get antibiotics. My home doctor (the one who i have had all my life in Maine) called me back this morning to find out what was wrong, and we had a nice conversation, from what i can remember. But i am pretty sure that i just have the nasty cold that has been passed around from person to person like the plague. Dan had a similar thing a week or so ago, and it pretty much took him out for several days. He had to call in sick to work and everything. Poor guy. Well, i guess today i'll take a "sick day" on the paycheck... even though i was hoping to save those for recovery from surgery later in the year. What has happened with this cold for me is what happens every time i get a cold or anything -- my sinuses have a heyday with it. Sigh.

However, let's not let this event overshadow the wonderful weekend i just had. I probably am feeling weak as a result of it -- Sunday a bunch of us spent time on the Boston Common playing utlimate frisbee! It was my first big stint of time outdoors since the pollen has begun to hit, and that's probably one of the reasons i feel so shitty. Anyway, Mark McAllister came down this weekend from Dartmouth and we went out dancing together on Friday night -- Lady's Night at the Kell's, so free for me, and cheaper for him. It was great. A little less crowded than usual because not all the college kids were home from break yet, so there was a little more room to breathe. Saturday, Dan, Mark, Laura, and I lazed around until it was time to go meet Matt at Starbucks and head to the Italian Market together. Laura and i were more excited about it being sunny than we should have been, and were severely underdressed... sandals and all. But it was a great time. SO MUCH FOOD for seven dollars. A pound of bananas, three pounds of tomatoes, a pound of basil, 10 red peppers, a pound of asparagus, and a pound of mesklun mix. Now THAT'S a deal. Today i cooked up the last of the produce from it because, alas, it doesn't last that long.... perhaps one of the reasons it's there to begin with. But stick it all in a stirfry, stew, or roast, and you're good to go for a while! We made a big meal that night complete with Mark's favorite wine, and then watched Requiem for a Dream.

If you have already seen movies like Clockwork Orange, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Trainspotting, allow me to spare you the turmoil and save you the night's sleep. Basically it is another movie that hits home about why it's a really good idea not to get involved with drugs, and it's a great reality camera on what it must be like to live your life as an adict. The movie has come highly recommended, and there are lots of good reasons for it: great cinematography, music choice, directorship, incredible acting, etc -- it's a very powerful movie overall. But DAMN. I just didn't need to see another one of those kinds of movies. The imagery actually woke me up in the middle of the night.

Sunday: another lazy morning for me, but Mark, Dan, and Matt had been productive for three hours by the time i woke up. Fine with me! Food, then the aforementioned frisbee in the park where we met Mea and his friend from Providence. Cool shit! Our frisbee broke so we had to venture out for another one, an eventually the Bogs showed up with an extra as well. Played for long enough to all become winded and tired, and then we all retired to our house for making a big ole dinner again. This time, complete with Lindsay's acclaimed mess o' beans and rice. Mmm mmm good.

Now, the Bogs are in Spain, Mark is in Florida visiting his fair-weather-bird parents, and Lindsay had to stay home sick. I took today as an opportunity to sleep a lot, and with my 2 hours of consciousness time i roasted my produce and organized the paperwork on my desk. What a gal am i?

The Following Message is Brought to you by Alcohol

Yes, friends, a time comes every once in a while in one's life when it is necessary to crack open the bottle of Bailey's your Dad got for you the last time he came down to visit. And that time came for me today after work. One of the many things that was, well, unpredictable, let's say, about work today was the fact that the computer system was down.... again.... that not being so unpredictable. The unpredictable part was along the lines of getting an update installed soon, and having to operate without it, take phonecalls and orders anyway, try to find every order placed in the last week .... in the customer files. So today, a co-worker and i started going through every sinlge customer file (and we have thousands) to pull and re-enter later any orders/invoices placed since March 4. WOW. This was not, by a longshot, the hardest work day i have ever had. It might have, however, been the most trying, and definitely up there in the Top Three Most Boring. I did get a chance to really talk with our new-ish receptionist, who is a bi-lingual chicana who is a first generation Dominican. She's cool shit. But i was so goddamned fucking bored of the monotony all day that i found myself sympathizing and even identifying with all those people who drink with their spare time because their jobs are too boring. I can now fully understand and appreciate why.

So as soon as i got through the door, i opened the Bailey's and pretty much didn't take my time on two full 8 oz cups of it.

I'm thinking of shaving my legs again soon. Haven't since sometime in early September. Why bother?

Last night Dan and i got to go see "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" last night -- the new movie with Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey. Holy Shit. See It. It blew my mind, and it really relays the full impact that another human and his/her surroundings has on one's entire being, sub-conscious and all. I wish i could do the movie more justice than that. It had a huge impact on me, perhaps even more on Dan, and it is a brilliant combination, as Dan would say and has said, "of heart wrenching and totally frightening."

That's all for now. I'm going to see if my vegetarian shepherd's pie is cool enough for my darling and i to eat now.

BACK FROM NEW YORK! A NEW SELF-ACTUALIZED LINDSAY! Perhaps it is just that the springtime has finally arrived, perhaps it was the beautiful weekend. Perhaps it was hanging out in New York City with Abbi in a cool coffee shop in the East Village while rain poured, and then it cleared up just in time for us to continue our lovely walk. Perhaps it was hanging out with Gabe and his friends at Purim, Jewish Halloween and making noises with noisemakers whenever the name "Hamen" was uttered. We also had a bit to drink beforehand, because you'd need it in order to stuff yourself into a crowded, overheated basement of a synagogue and listen to the entire story of Ester, Mordecai, and Hamen entirely in Hebrew. It was honestly a great time. The costumes were amusing. Anyway, the weekend in New York was enchanting and much needed. To answer Lee's question, i went down purely for leisure. American Idol is something i'll have to send a videotape in for. Pardon, for which i shall send in a videotape. And now i feel refreshed and recharged, with renewed zeal for things i want to do with my life. I also feel much better about Boston. The buildings of living here are by and larger prettier, and i like the houses and trees. There are plusses and minuses of a small city, and the plusses suit me.

GETTING THE HELL OUT OF HERE! TO NEW YORK!

First, i would like to thank my three fans for contributing to the advice column of Songs that Lindsay Might Want to Consider for American Idol. I am psyched. But more pertinent to the headline, i'm going to New York this weekend!

I'll be staying with Abbi-wan at the place where she is housesitting in Ossining, about an hour north of the City. This, to me, does not seem like such a great distance since it's right on a train that runs about as frequently and a hell of a lot faster than the one that brings me to and from downtown Boston everyday. God, I hate the fucking B-line. I'll also be seeing my high school friend Gabe on Saturday night while Abbi had previous engagements. She's not dropping everything since i'm coming down, but close to it. Thank you! See, i really didn't give her much warning. Monday morning i realized that i felt like going SOMEWHERE this weekend, but, oddly enough, not Maine. So i left a message on her cell, got plans in action, and tomorrow evening i'll be on the Fung Wah Bus (the Chinatown to Chinatown) to New York City! I'M SO FUCKING EXCITED!

More to come later....