Another in a series of 500-ish word DRR ficlets...

Cross-posted to drippers and doggettreyes


( Bodies at Rest )

Snagged from skypilot_dlm


(Click here to post your own answers for this meme.)

× I miss somebody right now.	× I don't watch much TV these days.	✓ I own lots of books.
× I wear glasses or contact lenses.	× I love to play video games.	× I've tried marijuana.
× I've watched porn movies.	× I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.	✓ I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
✓ I curse sometimes.  (Sometimes? Ha, I'd say a bit more than that.)	× I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.	× I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.

( it goes on... )

Cross-posted to drippers and doggettreyes Hope you like.

( Fallen )

I've been working on a series of DRR ficlets, and I was encouraged to share. Big hugs to skypilot_dlm for the prompts and your endless Dripperness! Cross-posted to doggettreyes and drippers.

( Perfect Place )

Snagged from skypilot_dlm. I don't know if these are original, but they come from the heart, in no particular order.

1. A big wet sloppy kiss from my yellow lab, Daisy Belle.
2. Getting an unexpected gift in the mail.
3. Sleeping in on Saturday mornings.
4. Getting a really great haircut/style (okay, so it's an expensive, albeit simple pleasure).
5. Buying a new pair of designer pumps (see comment above in parenthesis).
6. Drinking an ice cold Amstel light on a blisteringly hot day.
7. Hearing my Dad call me by one of the nicknames I've had since childhood (no, I'm not telling :-)).
8. Talking to my buddy via email/weekly IM.
9. Finding an extra 20 bucks that I had totally forgotten about buried in my purse .
10.Hearing someone say "I love you".

Well, my beloved Indianapolis Colts went down in flames this afternoon. It was a hard-fought battle but the Pittsburgh Steelers came out on top. I fear that my dear Peyton Manning will become the Dan Marino of his generation (he racks up all sorts of gaudy records but has no Super Bowl ring to show for it.) Someone just put me out of my misery, please. I really wonder why I do this to myself: I throw my heart and soul into my sports teams, only to have my heart ripped out and stomped on. I must be some kind of masochist. I tell myself that, next year, I won't get my hopes up. But then, football (or baseball) season rolls around, and I am at it again. It's like being in love, I suppose. Every time your heart is broken, you swear it won't happen again. But then a guy steals your heart and it happens all over again. It's what makes us human, I suppose--we don't always seem to learn from our mistakes.

A friend of mine at work wondered out loud why people get so charged up about their sports teams, and I must admit I hadn't given it much thought up until then. I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's very cathartic to pour your energy (both good and bad) into something outside yourself. It spares me from engaging in all sorts of self-destructive behavior, lol. Hey, I'm an Aries, and I am passionate by nature. Passionate to a fault, I'm afraid. I can't change who I am. I guess I am in the minority because I'm a "chick", and chicks traditionally are not supposed to get all riled up about stuff like that. Right about now I wish I was one of those women who didn't give a rat's ass about sports! It would be a lot less painful for me.

How many days until spring training???

I just looked back at my last entry, and boy, it's been awhile. I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Mine was nice and quiet, just the way I like it. Work is going well. I totally dig it. I joined the fitness center on campus and I have been working out pretty regularly for about 3 weeks now. (I had a fitness assessment--wheew, that was a humbling experience! I had a workout program designed for me after that. I am the kind of person who needs structure--I can't just walk into the gym without a plan.) So, that was a big step for me, because I sort of let myself go last year when I was not working. I was so bummed out, and I probably used that as an excuse for not taking better care of myself. Now I'm doing something good for myself and I feel great about it. It's amazing how getting a job that you really like will change your whole self-image.

On the DRR front, I did write a pre-XF fic that is up on my webpage. I was not sure about it because I had not previously attempted anything like it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback I got. And I wrote a DRR Christmas fic, but I finished it after Christmas. So, I don't know if anyone would be in the mood to read it now. Maybe I'll save it for next Christmas, lol.

Woo hoo! I am gainfully employed once again! Got the job at Kent State--isn't everyone happy for me? :-)Got the offer last week, signed the contract on friday, and started work on monday. So, things are moving along quite nicely. I couldn't be more thrilled. The pay is good, the benefits are good, and the people are great. It feels so nice to a productive member of society once again! Of course, I won't have as much time to screw around on the computer, but I will always find time to see what my LJ friends are up to and to check out the latest DRR stuff, lol.

Anyway, just wanted to thank those of you who encouraged me during my period of unemployment. I appreciate your kind words of support!

For those of you who read and write fanfic, you will understand and hopefully be able to sympathize with this entry. Anyone who doesn't won't. Okay, so on with the story. Earlier this week I got a very nasty, mean-spirited review of one of my fics. I was literally left speechless by what this wench said (and believe me, I am not left speechless very often). I am not suggesting that my stuff is perfect, because I am usually my own worst critic. Constuctive criticism is one thing, but this went beyond the pale. We write this stuff for enjoyment, not because we are trying to make a living from it. This bitch was acting like she was a critic from the New York Times or something. I think what hurt me the most was the condescending way in which this person "lectured" me about the characters that I feel such affection for. Who in the f*ck is she to tell me that I don't know who these characters are, what drives them, what they love, etc. It just really bothered me. I know I shouldn't let it, but it did. I wanted to bash this person on the head with a heavy object, lol. Fortunately, a few wonderful friends stepped in and helped convince me not to just chuck it all and throw my computer out the window. A small part of me still does feel sad and afraid to write anything more, though. It's just not worth the emotional stress, ya know? Sigh...but I can't let this worthless piece of dirt ruin something that I like to do. Why should she win?

On a lighter note, I was contacted this week by the company that turned me down for a job several months back. Interestingly enough, they now have an opening in their Cleveland office and they want to interview me. I couldn't believe it. This is the same company that didn't even have the courtesy to tell me that they had hired someone else for their last opening. I would love to be offered that job, and then tell them, "Sorry, I've accepted a position somewhere else." We'll see what unfolds.

Wow, I had two (count 'em) two big job interviews this week. They both went very well as far as I can tell, but who really knows for sure? All I can say is that, for the first time in a very long time, I feel hopeful for the future. I want to savor this feeling because I don't know how long it will last before my hope is crushed again. But I will try not to think about that now. *happy thoughts, happy thoughts*


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Humane Society and ASPCA Disaster Relief:

https://secure.hsus.org/01/disaster_relief_fund_2005?

https://secure2.convio.net/aspca/site/Donation?ACTION=SHOW_DONATION_OPTIONS&CAMPAIGN_ID=4761&JServSessionIdr011=rxaee9hnb4.app25b

At least there has been a little activity in my job search this week. I had a phone interview for one job yesterday, and today they asked me to come in for an in-person interview. (Apparently they screened the applicants by phone, and then they narrowed it down to the top 3. I was one of the 3. Yippee!) And I also received another call concerning yet another job I had applied for, and they also want to meet with me! So, I have two interviews next week: one in Cleveland and one in Kent. Could this be the break I have been hoping and praying for? Don't want to get my hopes up, because I have been burned before, but it's hard not to.

So if anyone wants to send me some good vibes next week, I'd be much obliged. :-)

Here's what I feel like shouting out to everyone: "I'm angry and I'm PMS-ing, so don't fuck with me today!" Some people are such assholes--so into themselves and their own childish little worlds that they fail to treat others with even the most basic human courtesy. And the kicker is, the people who are the nastiest and most self-absorbed are usually the ones who end up getting ahead in the world. The decent people get shit on time and time again. Where is the justice in that? I don't really feel like going into specifics, but needless to say, "The Golden Rule" is a load of crap.

I've been tagged by skypilot_dlm !! The topic is "Ten Songs I've Been Digging". Here they are, in no particular order:

A Day in the Life - Beatles
Songbird - Eva Cassidy
Wildflowers - Tom Petty
You Better You Bet - The Who
Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
Under My Thumb - Rolling Stones
Centerfield - John Fogerty
What is Life - George Harrison
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
Bad - U2

I think everyone I know has already been tagged, oh well. I gotta get out more.

Tagged by quietlybemused

Five things I can't live without: (in no particular order)

1. Family and friends
2. My dogs Daisy Belle (Yellow Lab) and Maximus (Doberman Pinscher)
3. Computer/Internet
4. Caffeine
5. Major League Baseball and NFL Football

Five foods/beverages that I love:

1. Peanut Butter
2. Pasta
3. Chocolate
4. Diet Pepsi/Diet Coke
5. Pizza

Five things that I always have with me: (I'm assuming this means when I go somewhere)

1. My car keys
2. My purse
3. My glasses or contacts (blind as a bat without 'em)
4. My cell phone
5. CDs (so I can play my tunes in the car)

Five things I will always and forever hate/dislike:

1. The New York Yankees
2. Radical left-wing liberals
3. Hypocrisy
4. People who have betrayed my trust/friendship
5. DSR/slash fic


I'm gonna tag skypilot_dlm You're it, lol.

Well, got another rejection letter in the mail today, which totally blows goats. If something doesn't come up soon, I'm gonna have to practice saying "You want fries with that?" Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do. I may have to move out of state to find a job. The real pisser is, I have a great resume! I'm not just some yay-hoo out of school. I need to find a rich old man who'll be my sugar daddy, lol.

On a more positive note, I posted a new DRR fic on my site "My Solace" with the help of a very good friend (thanks again, Trace). I've found that writing fan fic is very cathartic, and it's a nice diversion from all of the every day crap that goes on.

Sigh...I don't know why I do it to myself, but I was looking for something in my desk drawer, and I found one of my past journals. So, of course, I started reading all about my old boyfriends and how they broke my heart, and I started getting depressed all over again. It's not so much that I miss these specific guys, but I think I just miss "bring in love," if that makes any sense. It would be nice to have that feeling again. I miss that euphoria.

I'm totally new to this LJ stuff--I mean, I've been a member of LJ for awhile now, but mostly I just respond to other people's posts and snag really cool icons. I have been somewhat resistant to the idea of actually *keeping* a journal, basically because I don't think that my life is interesting enough for other people to want to read about. But, I see that so many other people are doing it, so I thought I would give it a shot. I doubt anyone will read it anyway, so I will think of it as some kind of self-therapy.


Anyway, my job search continues. I found out last week that I did not get the job at Allstate. I really thought I had that one--I had two face-to-face interviews, plus several telephone jobs. And to add insult to injury, they didn't even have the courtesy to properly notify me. I sent several emails, all of which went unanswered. I was expecting a letter or a phone call: anything, really. Finally, I made another inquiry last week and I received a terse email telling me that they decided to hire someone else. I was incensed. I mean, how classless is that, especially for a big company like Allstate? I fired off an angry response telling them that if that is how they deal with personnel issues, then I was glad I was not working for them. (Of course, I was lying--I'd love to have any job at this point, but I had to vent a little.) I feel numb, I guess. I feel so horrible and useless and stupid and unwanted. I feel like screaming out at the top of my lungs--if only someone would listen!