Over the Stockholm Syndrome...

Of yarn and beer and friends and adulthood

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:24:25 GMT

I ghost around here from time to time, keeping up with what you each share of your lives, but I mostly like to keep my life to myself. I don't know if it's a fondness of privacy or just laziness that seems to keep me from writing here, but I guess from time to time I like to drop by and say hi. Hi! :)

So life is good - very good, in fact - and Bryan and I are in the midst of planning our wedding, and trying all sort of new hobbies on for size. We have become gun enthusiasts, knitters, and beer brewers. It's an odd mix, I realize, but we have a lot of fun with it, and doing all of that together still gives us plenty of room for individuality. I have my gun, he has his, I knit sweaters and Starbucks cozies, he knits stuffed animals, and obviously the beer brewing supplements, well, everything. :)

I've been back in Texas for about a year and a half, and I really love it. Houston sort of smothers me from time to time, but it's easy enough to get away. I guess my only complaint is that I don't get enough time with my friends. Some have kids, all have jobs, some are taking classes, and some are doing a combination of 2 or even all 3 of those. I'm also getting to that point in life (I guess we all get there sometime?) where friends, treasured and loved as they are, aren't as necessary to my happiness as they once were. In a way, it makes it all the more special when I do get to see them.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say hi and let you know that I still keep up with what's going on here, in my own ghostly way. :)

/Monica

News

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:20:30 GMT

I'm engaged! =D

An Open Letter to Always

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:33:03 GMT

As found on: http://wendi-aarons.blogspot.com/2007/03/as-seen-on-mcsweeneysnet.html

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core™ or Dri-Weave™ absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from "the curse"? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my "time of the month" is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call "an inbred hillbilly with knife skills." Isn't the human body amazing?

As brand manager in the feminine-hygiene division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers' monthly visits from Aunt Flo. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in capri pants. Which brings me to the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period."

Are you fucking kidding me?

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness—actual smiling, laughing happiness—is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything "happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlúa and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreens armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory. For the love of God, pull your head out, man. If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong"? Or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your accounting department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flexi-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always.

Best,

Wendi Aarons
Austin, TX

Yeah...

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:22:08 GMT

I just loved seeing the infamous Reverend Wright on stage at Grant Park last night.

Frightening.

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:47:59 GMT

United States of Whatever

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:07:41 GMT

I just want to be a kid again. I hate this reality I'm in (doesn't make me feel better to know you're in it, too) where the government won't listen to the people they represent. Sure, they've done it before, but $700 billion dollars? Our grandkids are going to be paying for this. This isn't the only way. I've emailed, called, and faxed my Senators and my House Rep, and they're not listening anymore. As one of my girlfriends, Charissa, said: "Between this and the election, I think I'll just take up drinking instead."

Regularly Scheduled Programming

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:47:26 GMT

Post-Ike reality (all your normal neighborhood streets and shopping centers bathed in pitch-blackness by nightfall until you turn the corner and are greeted by an oasis of headlights, as a snake of automobiles - could be 100 of them, easily - creeps toward the generator-powered gas pumps) has more or less returned to Pre-Ike reality. Sure, there are still gaping holes in roofs (now covered by blue tarps - they're everywhere!) and sure, plenty of businesses lost signs, and yeah, there are still tons of people without electricity, but MOST grocery stores are open and running, MOST gas stations have no lines at all, and MOST of the people I know have power and are back to zombifying themselves in front of the TV.

Ike was good for me. Do you know how many of my neighbors I met through cleaning up our street? Do you know how much TV I've watched since we got power back? Do you know how many pages I've read in the last week? Answers: quite a few, none, thousands. When I lived in Sweden, I really embraced some aspects of European life - reduced consumption of, well, everything (including TV, junk food, needless shopping, etc...) and making time to appreciate the simple things in life - dinner with friends, sitting outside with a book and a cup of coffee, long walks...you know what I mean. I moved back to the States, and well, it was easy to slip back into old habits. Ike gave me a good jolt, and reminded me that it shouldn't take a freakin' hurricane to get me to turn off the TV, grab a book and sit outside in the fresh air. Or to take a walk to get where I'm going when I have the time.

Ike also gave me a chance to be proud of Texas. When disaster struck us, we helped each other out, and most importantly, we helped ourselves. I'm not drawing a comparison between Texas and any other state that's been hurricane stricken. I'm just saying that Texas makes me proud, because we've handled this so well.

Well, enough talk about Ike. That's all you hear about on the radio right now, and I'm positive that if I turned on the TV, I'd hear about it there, too. I'm back at work, and speaking of work, I'd better get back to it.

/Monica

P.S. I need to buy some batteries for my camera, but when I do, I'll post some pictures/video of the storm and its um, visual effect on Houston.

Hard Days, Cool Nights

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:36:43 GMT

A beautiful sunset, a pale blue sky, a crisp breeze...thus begins our 4th day without power after Ike.

Everybody I know is unharmed. There may be trees through roofs, missing walls,and long lines for supplies, but there is also candlelight, neighbors helping neighbors, and nightly barbeques.

More later.

Yikes, it's Ike!

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:11:12 GMT

Well, there's no denying it now. We're pretty much going to get a direct hit. We have groceries and charcoal and matches and candles and lighter fluid and gasoline and a generator and bottled water and first aid supplies and well, pretty much anything and everything we could think of that might be useful, including oatmeal cream pies. The bathtub is full, our gas tanks are full, we dragged a mattress downstairs in case we need to pull it over us in the bathroom under the staircase, and for now, we just get to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. The wind is picking up outside, cloud cover is rollin' in, and Ike is just about 200 miles away from us. I might post some video later once it gets interesting if our power stays on. If not, I'll try to post the video and/or pics later.

Ike might make Houston his Tina!

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:44:52 GMT

We've got a hurricane on the way! I grew up in Houston, so I'm the last person who'll freak out and evacuate over a category 2 or 3 hurricane, but preparations are in order nonetheless! (Really it's just an excuse to buy Gardettos, lol.) We're expecting some flooding, but we're going to stick it out. I know it's morally wrong (whatever), but I adore storms. I used to pray for them when I was a kid. Of course I hate that people are harmed by hurricanes, but I can't stop that, so I just get all geared up and hope that we get a moderately exciting storm without casualties. You know, a happy medium, like the electricity going out so you have to light candles and eat weird combinations of canned food/snack food and just listen to mother nature rage all around you, but still safe in your home with a roof and a bed that hopefully isn't floating by that time. Oh Texas weather, I've missed you!!!

P.S. Storms all weekend = romance. ;)

What's the difference between a bull dog and a hockey mom?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:09:22 GMT

Lipstick!

I would describe myself as an Independent, so I feel no shame in saying that I am enthralled by Sarah Palin. Her speech last night was cutting, intelligent, well-delivered, and she drew from both her personal and political experience to make her points. Now, I know her speech was written by somebody else, who in all likelihood has written speeches for Bush and other Republicans with whom I'm not satisfied, but she felt authentic, and for the first time ever, I'm excited about what a Republican might be able to do. I've been excited about several Democrats before, but that's not surprising in a party known more for "shaking it up"...the Republicans have always struck me as too traditional, afraid of change, and clique-ish. I can't attribute any of those qualities to Palin!

On a side note: Did anybody else see when Palin's youngest daughter was holding her little brother, licked her hand, and then smoothed down the baby's hair? That was too cute.

One more thing: How dare the Democrats question her ability to be a mother of 5 and a vice president! When has anybody ever postulated something like that about a male politician?

Your Rocky Spine

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:04:50 GMT

I was lost in the lakes
And the shapes that your body makes
That your body makes, that your body makes
That your body makes

The mountains said I could find you here
They whispered the snow and the leaves in my ear
I traced my finger along your trails
Your body was the map, I was lost in it

Floating over your rocky spine
The glaciers made you, and now you’re mine
Floating over your rocky spine
The glaciers made you, and now you’re mine

I was moving across your frozen veneer
The sky was dark but you were clear
Could you feel my footsteps
And would you shatter, would you shatter, would you

And with your soft fingers between my claws
Like purity against resolve
I could tell, then and there, that we were formed from the clay
And came from the rocks for the earth to display

They told me to be careful up there
Where the wind blows a venomous rage through your hair
They told me to be careful up there
Where the wind rages through your hair

By: Great Lake Swimmers

Real-life Facebook

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:51:47 GMT

Borrowed from:

hager

The chicken says, "Coocacoocacoocacoo!"

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:03:39 GMT

Hehehe, each member of the Bluth family has their own...impression...of what a chicken sounds like (as I was writing about yesterday)...here's a few for your viewing pleasure. ;)

Writer's Block: Your Favorite Series: One Last Go Round

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:04:06 GMT

If you could pick any TV show that has been off the air to come back for one more season, which show would you pick and why?

Submitted By idle_kid_city

View other answers

Arrested Development! There are rumours of a movie, but why such a quirky, original series didn't make it past the 3rd season, I'll never understand. I adored Tobias Funke with his denim cut-offs, and the ever-awkward George-Michael Bluth (played by an ever-awkward Michael Cera), and let's not forget the family's ridiculous impression of a chicken (which never failed to make me wonder if they'd ever actually HEARD a chicken before).

(I would have chosen the show Firefly, but at least it's lived on in comics, figurines, and a full-length movie.)

Stockholm/Amsterdam 2008

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:23:49 GMT

It somehow slipped my mind to mention that I actually just got back from a 3-week vacation in Amsterdam & Sweden. One of my best friends who lives in Sweden, Annelie, just got married on 8/8/08, and I was a bridesmaid (for the *cough cough* 4th time...). Two of my other best friends from Texas were bridesmaids, too (Natalie & Kari), and we flew from Stockholm to Amsterdam for a 5-day bachelorette party. =D Amsterdam was amazing. It was everything I expected and so, so, so much more. It was so laid back, so relaxing, so beautiful. (And so expensive, but whatever. That's not the Netherlands' fault - the blame lies with the incredibly low dollar.) I'll post pictures soon. Well, some of 'em. ;)

The wedding was beautiful, and the after-party was something to behold, but it was also a lot of work. I lost about 15 lbs during those 3 weeks, being so busy and working so hard. The ceremony and reception were held at the ruins of a castle. Have you ever sang Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of your lungs in a castle? I have. =P I hope the 5 ghosts that are rumored to frequent the castle enjoyed it.

/Monica

Texas: Round 2.

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:53:13 GMT

It's been such a long, long time, but I had such a lot, lot, lot to sort out before I felt like writing anything. I doubt anybody is ever really done sorting their feelings and experiences, but I've reached a wonderful place, where I've stopped asking myself the basics, because THOSE answers I have. I know where I want to live, I know who I want to live with, and I know quite a bit more about what I want to do with my life than I did, say, 1 year ago.

I moved back to Houston last December, permanently. I still love Sweden for all it gave me, but I think it gave me everything it could, and I gave it everything I could. Perhaps we're both better off having known each other, and even better off having parted before we hated each other. I can't help being a Texan, anymore than I can help being a woman. I love wide open spaces, huge parking lots, STEAK (hehe), heat, sun, Shiner Bock, Tex-Mex, and my friends and family.

I'm in a new (yet quite old) relationship with one of my best friends, Bryan. We've known each other since we were about 14 years old (hence the quite old part), but we've only been dating for a little more than 6 months (hence the new). I don't think I've ever been happier. I could wax poetic about him for hours, but I get off work in 13 minutes, so more on him later. :)

I haven't kept up with Live Journal at all, really, and I wish I had. I logged in today and realized that some of my old favorites are still at it, and I've probably missed a lot. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to updating more often, and reading your entries more often. I've always enjoyed peeking in the little windows people leave open here on LJ.

/Monica

In my neck of the woods

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:50:01 GMT

I've picked up a new hobby from Charissa, a very craft friend of mine, and I have to say that the funny thing about it is, is that it's a hobby I swore I'd never allow myself to learn. Of course, this was an oath I swore when I was a bushy-haired, scrape-kneed tomboy who loathed all things "girly". And though I swear I still have some of my tomboy tendencies left, I think knitting is the coolest thing since Pop Tarts (and admit it, Pop Tarts are pretty cool). So far, all I can knit is th garner stitch, and all I can make is scarves, but hey - I live in Sweden. What better project for the coming winter than a scarf? The thing I love about knitting is that you can combine other activities with it so well. I can watch movies or tv shows or talk to people or drink coffee AND knit. I'll finally have something to show for all those hours of watching Heroes and Lost and Grey's Anatomy. =)

I started my 3rd semester (termin) at Lärarhögskolan (Stockholm Institute of Education) last week. It's been...ok. I still feel like their standards are far too low to call themselves a högskola (college) and I get frustrated when I come home after a day of lectures and classes and don't feel as though I've learned anything new. On the other hand, I think everybody feels that way about their education sometimes.

I just have to say how weird it is that the English word "semester" means vacation in Swedish. How crazy is that?

Oh, and if you've never seen a hippo take a poo, I strongly suggest you look it up on YouTube. You'll thank me.

Stuck.

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 23:46:01 GMT

Sometimes I feel like I'll burst if I stay here much longer. I miss them too much. The only consolation is that they miss me, too.

30 Seconds to Mars, 30 Inches from Jared Leto

Tue, 29 May 2007 09:26:18 GMT

Sometimes your day can take a twist that you could never expect or predict. It seems like more often than not, those surprises are just irritating...a sudden rainstorm when you forget your umbrella, a nail in the road that just happens to wind up in your tire, your printer fucking up just when you need to print out an assignment that's due...yeah, when I think about it, it definitely feels like those unexpected twists are more often shitty than not.

Last Friday, though, my day took an unexpected twist that warped me back to being a 13 year old girl, who bought Big Bopper (a magazine with pin-ups of teen celebrities) and hung pictures of Jared Leto all over her wall (not to mention an entire wall dedicated to Jonathan Brandis alone).

Tobias and I went to the Linkin Park concert in Stockholm last Friday, and Blindside and 30 Seconds to Mars opened for them. For anyone who doesn't know, Jared Leto (from My So Called Life, Requiem for a Dream, Alexander, American Psycho, Girl, Interrupted) is the lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars. I thought in the beginning that he was just another celebrity milking his fame, but he's GOOD. He brought the roof down. Well, he and his band. I guess they should get some credit, too. =)

Anyway, he announced after his set that he'd be in the lobby with the band signing whatever we had to be signed for as long as it took to get it all signed. Tobias and I ran out (he was aware that I find Jared Leto to be...well, hot as hell) and we were nearly first in line. I waited, and waited, with butterflies in my stomach and stars in my eyes, and then I saw him. He was tall, and gorgeous, and even though he looked tired and stressed and his eyeliner was a bit smudged, he just shone somehow. I guess that's what they call charisma.

He signed my ticket (with latex gloves on - I found out the next day that he's bacillophobic or mysophobic - in plain English, he's afraid of germs), looked me in the eyes for just a moment, and said, "thank you". I said, "thank YOU", and I walked away, just trying to wrap my mind around the idea that I had just "met" Jared Leto. That little 13 year old Monica is still somewhere inside me, and she certainly surfaced Friday night. Can you imagine how excited I would have been if somebody had told me I would one day meet Jared Leto face to face? I know he's just another celebrity, just another rockstar, and I was just another autograph to be signed, but that was a very cool moment in my life.

Yes yes yes!

Sat, 19 May 2007 18:50:54 GMT

Linkin Park.

Blindside.

30 Seconds to Mars.

Next Friday.

Me and Tobias.

Yes yes yes!

Thoughts on thoughts.

Tue, 15 May 2007 17:27:54 GMT

I finally figured out why writing isn't coming easily to me lately. Sometimes, a person has ready-formed thoughts which she then writes down. They're finished thoughts, and writing them down is done either for communication purposes or perhaps even as a memory-aid. Other times, a person doesn't know what she thinks until she begins writing - or possibly not even until she's done. Which do you think is more demanding of a person's thought processes? I'd guess that it demands a lot more of a person to discover their thoughts as they write. And I think that's exactly my problem. I'm in uncharted territory in my life right now, so the words don't just flow. I don't think I know what I think right now.

Confused

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:00:35 GMT

Is it somehow possible to get a tax refund from the US when you haven't even paid taxes to the US during that tax year? *scratches head*

Must call IRS tomorrow.

Easter eggs

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 09:44:06 GMT

I got bored today so I got some advice from a crafty friend on how to blow yolk out of eggs, and then I dyed the shells. All I had was red and green food coloring, so I couldn't get much variation out of that. But they turned out pretty pastel-ish anyway, so I'm satisfied. At first I was going to run ribbon through the eggs and hang them on a plant to make an Easter tree, but then I got bored again and just decided to make a candle centerpiece intead.

Back

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 09:12:01 GMT

I'm back in Sweden, and I wish I wasn't. I wish that vacation could have lasted forever.