Let's take it back!

Apologies all around... After being dismissed from jury duty, I made the last minute decision to answer the call from Ohio to help out my Democratic friends. It was pretty apparent just how 'last minute' it was seeing as how I forgot to pack a bundle of things, and may or may not have even packed up dirty laundry.
It's hard to turn down the plea, "Super, we need you." It is especially difficult to turn my back on a state that means so much (again).
So here I am sleeping in my yellow flowered childhood bedroom and trying to stay afloat in a makeshift office with far more work than workers.
Honestly, I was SERIOUSLY surprised at the title and task to which I've been assigned. And a quick case of the joint makes me wonder who they would have had do this...because there aren't many people around. My task at hand is daunting.
WISH ME LUCK.
With an optimistic heart, I believe we can take it back.
p.s. I don't know if/when I'll be able to update postings...

Testing one, two, three... Have I lost my mind?

I'm starting to think my email isn't working.
Why else would nobody respond to my emails containing direct questions and queries?
Half of my readers -you know, all four of you who read this because you are my friends- are thinking, "Oh my goodness, she's writing about me!"
The joke is on you because I've written so many emails this week and gotten no fucking responses that I truly think my email is not working properly.
For instance, two days ago I was chatting with The Mister and told him I'd just sent an email to him. Twenty minutes later, the email still had not reached him... lost, floating around our heads in Email-Land, scared, frightened and simply wanting to be clicked upon.
So here I am wondering, "Is this thing on? Pft, pft pft! Check one, two! Is this thing on?" Or maybe, everybody got together and y'all are just fucking with me. Dude, I've really gone over the edge this time.

ps. My boobs are huge today so I took the time to look up the phases of the moon. Car crashes and big boobs are to be expected during full moons, right? Honestly, that's about the only way my boobs will ever seem big, and if the pull of the moon can make the tide rise, I suppose my ta-tas might be influenced as well.
Just type in "moon schedule" into google, click on a few links and see what you find. After perusing some of those sites, I take it back; I'm so not crazy: it's simply the influence of my big boobs.

My life in limbo.

I don't know if I'll be writing tomorrow. The jury is still out (ha!) on if I am chosen for the jury panel.
Today has been horrible. I can deal with waiting in a jury lounge all day; I can not deal with waiting consumed by my thoughts in a jury lounge all day. I spent the entire day trying to read a book to take my mind off of all that is going on.
And I still don't fucking know. All 64 of us have to go back tomorrow. Not one decision was made.
Will I go to Ohio and work with the dems? Will they still need me if I can't tell them for another couple of days? I'm filled with guilt that I can't say "yes" or "no"; mostly because I know I am a good resource for what they need. And, of course, I want to help!
Again, don't get me wrong... blah blah blah... I take the jury... blah... seriously. Even if they really did waste 64 people's day, and even if they apologized profusely, it still made me no closer to an answer. I go back in tomorrow morning.

I don't have anything clever today. Leave me alone.

I wish I had something more to write about today but jury duty is consuming my mind. I got called back in for this afternoon and *hopefully* will find out if I'm a civic minded hostage for the next three months or if I am to be released back into the world of unaware citizens.
At this point, I might be a little bit offended if I'm not chosen. I'm pretty super, you know. Using my powers for good instead of evil is always the right path to choose even if I often lose my way. I have a great sense of direction although, I sometimes turn off the GPS to see which way the wind blows.
Here I go straying down the wrong path again and admitting things I shouldn't...
I lied. Jury duty is not the problem pressing most firmly on my chest. Mostly I'm upset about my hair. I get my hair cut and colored in Ohio where my stylist rocks and is super cheap by DC standards. I'm in need of hair fixin' and don't know when I'll be able to see her. I would much rather coordinate my family visits as hair visits than shell out five times (no exaggeration) the price she charges and go through the anxiety of a new person handling my hair. If I go to Ohio this weekend, I get to dress up all fun Halloween like, see my niece and nephews, but my stylist is out of town.
FREAKIN' HUGE DILEMMA.
However, if I am chosen for the jury, I may need to stay home and tie up some loose ends anyhow, before dedicating my powers to all that is federal.
In that case, I may go to Ohio next weekend, but my niece and nephew won't be there.
GAH!! My heart is pounding.

Civic duties and consolation prizes...?

Argh. That just about sums up what I'm going through. Jury duty is causing me a bit of stress. Although I am excited about my civic duty and being a part of The Process, I have to say it is causing a chink in my chain.
This past Friday I received a call from a lovely woman with whom I met while working the Kerry campaign in Southeastern Ohio.
The first words out of her mouth were, "Super, I need you. Talk to your husband and ask your dad if you can stay at his house... We need you to come do what you did two years ago."
It wrecked me to have to say, "Dads and The Mister have nothing to do with it, I have jury duty." She only needs me for the last week and a half before the election, meaning I would travel to Ohio this weekend and stay there through November seventh.
Today I was called back in for the questioning portion of the jury selection process. I had to sit in the witness box and answer whatever was thrown at me. I may have gotten a little sweaty what with the microphone and hoopla. However, my charm was on and I definitely got a laugh with one of my answers... it really is all about the delivery because my answer was very serious, indeed. Aside from that, they told me I had made the cut (depending on how you look at it) and would have to call in for further reporting instructions. The lady told me things looked good for a panel and they hoped to get everybody (me included) back in tomorrow afternoon. It was a little unclear, but I believe there is a chance I could still be dismissed.
If you don't remember, this case is projected to last well into January.
Essentially, I'm at odds between my civic duty and my need to change the world. Which is more important? Each begets the other, so really... sigh.

On the other end of the spectrum, The Mister has decided if I am chosen on the jury, then I (obviously, he says) need a MacBook. Yes, there is a ton of waiting during jury duty, but I am pretty sure this is a big, fat, roundabout excuse. It's adorable that he seems to think I'm not on to his ruse. Oh, he's a cutie and if he wants to buy me a MacBook, who am I to stand in his way?
Personally, I would rather have this, but I am happy to wait another 335 days. Oh to saddle me with another dilemma... diamonds or MacBooks, civic duty or saving the world...
What the fuck is a Super to do?

Obsession Monday!

Ten things that keep this girl's boat afloat, in no particular order:

Champagne - Mama loves me some champagne and those little bubbles go straight to my head in a way that makes life a little more sparkly. Drop in a dash of orange juice and I'm on my way to a Good Day; add a shot of lychee juice and you couldn't wipe the smile off my face with a Brillo pad.

Julia Child - Yes, she has gone to the pastry shop in the sky, but PBS loves me. They provide me with at least one program a week. Every Saturday at 3:00pm I can be found dancing along to the theme song and ending with a big ol' "Bon Appetite!"

Rubber Gloves and Clorox - Back home we call it "going on a tear" (that's 'tear' like 'rip' not 'cry'). I have my methods of motivation and when I get going, look out.

Vanilla Wafers - The Mister calls me "Nilla" for a reason. In college I would carry a box in my backpack. Who needs a math book if the wafers won't fit?

Rollerball and felt-tip pens - I have a slight obsession with nice pens and I despise all that is ballpoint. This is totally justifiable because I write a lot. (see below)

Pretty paper - The bottom drawer of my nightstand is filled with nothing but pretty paper. I have to make a difficult and concerted effort to stay out of stationery stores. Websites like this and this do not help the situation. (see above)

The Mister - I didn't want to get all sappy too early in the post, but yeah, I'm kinda ass over teacup for him.

Sleeping through the night - It is a rare occasion but when I sleep through the night I am unstoppable. Everybody knows about my insomnia and how it makes me all loopy; still you have to admit, it's a little cute and quirky how I forget names and seem drunk-giddy when I'm straight as an arrow. Okay, maybe I *hope* it is cute and quirky. Last night I was so exhausted I don't remember The Mister dragging my ass to tuck me in bed. When I write "last night", I mean 8:30. And of course I woke up at 11:45pm with no hope of going back to sleep. Still, when it happens... nirvana.

Weather.com - It used to be The Weather Channel, but without cable, weather.com will have to do. Officially, I have become my grandfather and that's okay with me.

Little Guys (aka miniature dachshunds) - Mini-weenie dogs (again, I accidentally typed 'gods' instead of 'dogs') make my heart soar with glee. Their little tails must have motors attached and their ears are like spun silk. Mini-weenies, oh how I love thee.

You're a good man, Charlie Brown.

Bezerkeley is a very lucky place. My best to you, Double OO! *waves at screen*

Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match...

This is probably none of my business, but I'm going there anyhow. Besides, I won't be seeing either of these people for quite awhile so I'm safely out of harm's way and only at email and phone distance.

Dear Could & Should,
I would like to know why the two of you have not gotten together. It makes no sense to me because you are so good together. There is obvious chemistry between you and it is not worth trying to deny.
I'm sure you could give me a list of reasons why, but if it is anything along the lines of religion or ethnicity the suck it up and get over yourselves. I've got "Happy Chrismahaunakwanzica" napkins you can borrow. And thinking long-term like with children, pull a Madonna Jolie-Pitt and adopt a kid from Africa who will want to worship a cow upon his 14th birthday anyway. Problem solved.
What I'm trying to say is, if The Mister and I can get past our inherent differences, you can, too. Of course, I'm making HUGE assumptions as to WHY you aren't together. Most importantly, if you can get past it, the people who love you as individuals will follow suit.
Have a wonderful day and call each other!
Super

From New Orleans...

Bread pudding and a tasty beverage called "Devil's Brew" at Arnaud's in New Orleans.

Gonna ramble on, sing my song...

In the past month, I have begun a new job, gone out of town three times, started jury duty (who knows how long this might persist?) and took a final exam in my wine class. This is why my blogging has been a bit on the spotty side.
*Before I go on, let me thank all of you who scoffed at my class. Alright, maybe it was just one person who scoffed aloud and to my face, but you know who you are. You are a jerk and the class was difficult even if I did "only take it for fun". Screw you and your little dog, too. No, it was not just "standing around drinking wines"; it was biology, geography and freakin' chemical composition.
Piss up a rope, jackass.*
My apartment is a disaster and although I want to blame it on the craziness of the life that surrounds me, I really can not truly blame anyone save for myself. There is so much to do by way of dishes, cleaning the refrigerator and the stove, vacuuming and dusting everything, scrubbing all that is left, and changing the shower curtain. This final task is daunting as I am a shortie who may or may not have fallen into the tub and bruised my entire left side the last time it was attempted. You could argue that I leave the curtain currently hanging, however, it is a Spring/Summer curtain and I have a lovely Fall/Winter curtain who's time has approached. Besides, I like the other one better despite the season.
In the meantime, The Mister has been having long, difficult days at work. I try my best to make things comfortable and easy on him, but with all that I have had going on, I fell off the wagon a bit. I've tried, but it really is hard to comfort somebody else when you, yourself, need a little comforting. It hurt me deeply on my first full day of work being turned loose in the studio with nobody else there, when I was anxious and nervous, he did not wish me "Good luck" or even acknowledge what I was about to do. It is true he was up to his eyeballs in a stressful week of work, but it hurt nonetheless.
(Before anybody thinks anything badly of The Mister, please know this is an extremely rare showing. The Mister is The. Best. Ever. and I absolutely adore him. He's never really dropped the ball like this before, but if he wanted to make it up to me with gifts (shiny ones, of course) I would not be upset. We all make mistakes and if this is the worst I can think of, then I am the luckiest girl in the world. Well, I think that anyway, but you know what I mean.)
The whole thing made me think of what people must think of my life: Easy, smooth sailing, fun, etc. In many ways, those things are very true and I do not take it for granted. I get up early, write everyday, keep life tidy and I set my own schedule. Originally, when I set out writing, I had my designs on being published. Now that I have a complete work (well, mostly complete... I keep adding and revising and scrapping), I do not think I want to attempt publication. Personally, the Doing It was the important part. There is also the fact I do not think my work is good enough! And I write that with a giggle because I think it's funny in an ironic sort of way. Y'know... look at all this time I've wasted... Frankly, I haven't found it to be wasteful because it has given me the time to look inside My Self and also to cultivate a great marriage with The Mister. At first I had tried to work on my relationship with his family, but I gave up on that endeavor. Fucking impossible, people. I will never be what they had envisioned and they can kiss my patoot if that isn't good enough. The Mister is happy; what more could they want? If it means I stay home or just work part-time to keep things in balance, then this is what I should do.

Gah!! Here I was going to keep this short because I've got a bazillion things to clean and I've rambled on and somehow started bitching about my mother-in-law again. Go figure.
Have a spectacular day and enjoy the sunshiny warmth while it lasts! (approximately two days according to Bob Ryan)

A magical place.

If you read this blog with any regularity, you know how often I go to the state that is round on both sides and high in the middle. That's right, OHIO!
In the Southeastern corner, where the Muskingum meets the Ohio River lies a magical place called Marietta. I have travelled all over and never found a place quite like it. It is a small town with a fabulous mix of people. You see, Marietta is close enough to large cities that many people can be quite trendy but not homogeneous. This is because the town is far enough away from it all that you still have the character and flavor of those who have never gotten the heck outta Dodge and are still living in 1995, 1985 and even 1975.
They are river people and as Credence crooned, "People on the river are happy to give." These are people who work hard and when the whistle blows, they are ready to play. Friends come easy and when you walk down the street you will most likely get a nod and a smile.
Any 'bustle' you may find is located mostly on Front Street where you can find one of a kind boutique shops like Twisted Sister and Rossi Pasta. There are places like The Brewery and Austyn's (though it was The Bistro when I was in college) where I can honestly say, I grew up. I found my Self there and fell into step with who I am and who I want to be. During the day, they were quiet and I wrote many papers there; later I would return to celebrate after getting my grades.
I must mention the wealth of local talent. From musicians to potters to jewelry makers, all are people with incredible gifts who love Marietta so much they refuse to leave for greener pastures. Ask them and they will tell you, this is the greener pasture.
This is where I was born. My mama took us away when I was just one and I grew up in West Virginia. Daddy and his family have always lived there, although they are a little more spread out now. When it came time, I returned to my birthplace and attended Marietta College, a tiny liberal arts school. Not until I graduated and moved to DC did I realize this little college earns quite a bit of recognition. When you're there, in the middle of it all, it's easy to lose sight of the outside world.
Oddly enough, my truest friends stayed in Marietta. Drinky was actually born and raised there. We met in concert choir and not until we had known each other for three years did we figure out our fathers grew up together. Drinky's father, Daddy Drank, actually has some crazy tales about one of my aunts... at least I come by it honestly!
Capitall and I met in the college theatre and helped establish The Arts and Humanities House. Many coffeehouses and open mic nights later, here we are: still friends -closer now than we ever thought we'd be.
Thank goodness Drinky and Capitall married people I love and adore! And the way they have taken to The Mister is just incredible. He loves them, too.
I have to wonder, "Is it the town or the people I hold so dear?" I have to believe it is both because without one the other would not exist.

Have an amazing weekend... I intend to!

All that glitters...

I'm young. Quite frankly, I'm young and quirky which gives me great pleasure in the possibility of Strangeness That Is Surely To Come. I totally want to be that out-there (y'know, somewhere waaaaay over there) woman who answers to "Aunt Super" by any and all children I may meet along the way.
In my wake, I want to leave smiles on the faces of children and a buzz in the heads of adults. I want to be sparkly and bright and carry a rhinestone covered flask.
I want friends to count on me for laughs, sincerity, honesty and The Bold Truth which should lead to laughs, of course.
I want a big, curly, pink wig that defies gravity, but my real hair underneath should be super-funky, too. I want to be comfortable with My Self and My Body and I want to impart that upon all those around me.
I want to wear a giant tiara upon my pink wig.
I want to wear cocktail dresses with my pink wig and tiara, and the same wig and tiara will look simply divine with my dungarees and gardening apron. I may or may not garden, but I will definitely sip martinis on a chaise in my well-manicured back yard complete with twinkly lights and azaleas.
When people drop by for an unexpected visit, I want them to stay for dinner and linger over spiked coffee.
I want people to visit and stay awhile. And until I have a guest room, my aerobed will have to do. Just know, I made it up with love and if you're 'not sleeping on the damn floor, air mattress of not', I'll help you find a hotel.
I just hope my sparkly night-clothes and pink wig (of course I'll sleep in it!) don't blind you when I bring you a cup of coffee in the morning.

The day I became a stalker.

My obsession reached an all time high (or low depending on how you look at it) today when Hunglish called.
"Super, get your shoes on and walk up to Calvert! Quick there's a lady with two weenie puppies."
Struggling to get my flops on the right feet and straighten my cape, "I'm on my way! Which direction?"
And I was out the door. Ten minutes later, I still had not seen the Little Guys, but had definitely hauled ass all over the possible radius of the puppies. As Hunglish said, they were only four months old and walking them probably is a quick little jaunt. Baby Little Guys tucker out quickly.
That won't stop me, though, I've got a new pair of shoes and I'll keep the pavement hot with my bionic eyes scoping the 'hood for the newest addition of Little Guys.

Super to the Rescue.

Awhile ago I wrote a post titled: Mouth Noise Homicide. A response from DoubleOO got my full attention as he asked -somewhat desperately- for advice.

DoubleOO said...

It's been a while since I've read the superpages. A few comments:
Finally: I CAN NOT STAND PEOPLE CHEWING WITH THEIR MOUTH OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes me fill with fire and rage. It is not helping the fact that the person I am currently seeing does this seemingly all the time. I think it wasn't until a few meals together into the whole thing that I noticed it, and now (like Brunch Bird), I can not focus on anything else when dining. I think "chewing with the mouth half-open is OK, right?" or "maybe I was just hearing things" and then crunchslopchewslurp.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
So after you posted that, besides the other two responses, do you have any suggestions for how to deal with this, when I have kept a "closed-mouth" about this with this person for waaaaay too long?????

DoubleOO, I feel your pain and as a fellow sufferer of all that is mouth noise, this is the best I can offer: Do not set the table with knives; forks and spoons are all that is necessary. Otherwise, homicide is surely in the future of your relationship with this person.
Actually, I do have some real advice.
1. If this person is mannerly in most other situations, then s/he would possibly like to know of the offending behaviour. In order to prevent public embarrassment, it would need to be handled delicately and certainly when it was just the two of you. It really is a matter of how comfortable you are with this person and I have just the test!
If you can float a biscuit, ie toot, in front of this person, then by all means, you should not hold back with this bit of information, "I'm not sure how to say this, but I have this strange aversion. I'm sorry to ask, but could you possibly chew with your mouth closed?" (You may not need to, but personally, I qualify just about everything and by qualify I mean I mitigate what I say.)
2. My second piece of advice is to always have dinner music. My mother had the rule of no noise at the dinner table. By "noise" she meant radio or television and as soon as I was out of her house, every meal had accompaniment. This has become my source of sanity.

Good luck, DoubleOO. May the force be with you.

Whoosh...

My apologies for not writing for the past few days; things have been truly, almost overwhelmingly, busy. In fact, I only have a few minutes before flinging myself into the throes of the day.
Things are good, just far too busy. If all goes well, I hope to write more later.
This weekend is another one off to Ohio and The Mister and I are super excited. It was poor planning on our part because we'll be going back there for Halloween. We are dressing up for the first time together and our costumes are SUPER FUN and TOP SECRET. Well, as TOP SECRET as I can be with all my excitement. I guess you could call the costumes DECLASSIFIED at this point because I keep telling people, "You'll never guess..." then I dump beans everywhere.
Ah well, at the very least it will be fun for ME.

Announcement Wednesday.

Yesterday evening The Mister and I went to the home of Really Good People for dinner with our friends.
The evening was filled with smiles, laughter and big announcements. I even held a couple of babies, a newborn and a one-year-old. Both are great little girls and it made me miss Drinky, Red and Baby Sip -aka Grumperina.
It seems the Double OO will be leaving the District for greener pastures. OO has believed in all that is Green for a long time now and has landed himself a job with such a company he has confidence in. Like he said, "I'll be doing the same thing, just now I'll be doing it for a place I can stand behind." Props to you, Double OO, for making a difference and doing what you believe in. We're all very proud. And we are sooo coming to visit you in your little Berkeley cottage!
On top of that big news, our host and hostess dropped it down that baby number two is on the way! Wowie! What's funny is, I wondered if Hostess was preggers a couple of weeks ago when we were there for another get-together. Not because she looked like it, but because of a funny feeling I had. Of course I didn't say anything -I don't know her THAT well and good grief that is not a mistake I want to make (again).
It was an amazing night full of wonderful people with exciting news.

Someday, I want to have all of these people to our place for a big dinner. Alas, I don't think our apartment affords us the space. But...if I can get The Mister to bring THIS home, perhaps I'll be two seats closer! The next step after that is a full size oven that actually works. Oh, yeah... our landlady sucks and the chance of that is about as good as the Republicans keeping the House.

Confession of the year.

I've recently been trying to come to terms with the fact I have suffered with depression for many years. It is probably a bit shocking to most who know me, because for the most part, I'm pretty darn happy-go-lucky.
Well, much of that is a big fat lie. I have been this way as long as I can remember. Even as a very little kid I had night terrors, insomnia and I would get so scared at night I would wet the bed because I was paralyzed with fear.
My depression is unpredictable and comes at the most random times. Some days I can't get out of bed, many nights I can't go to bed. As an adult, I think I've found a good balance for myself. However, deep dark times still strike me when I least expect it, but usually I just press on and push through. Those bad times are quite occasional now, and I owe much to my amazing husband. His understanding and love are more than I ever knew to ask for.
I don't take any medicine for my problems and I should see a therapist, I'm sure. I was soured on the thought when The Mister and I had to have "couples counseling" before getting married as part of the deal with the dude who hitched us. The man we went to was a nut job psychiatrist who told us to cut all ties with The Mister's family. Although that prospect was tempting at the time, it did not seem like reasonable or intelligent advice. And I haven't seen anybody since then.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't so scared all the time. Pittsburgh came over last night and when we told him about my jury duty he got very serious. He had genuine concern I may get a grizzly case.

Maybe I'm not fooling anybody.

For so many years I have felt like hiding...from my friends, family and the World in general. This is not a subject I want to talk about, not even with my best friend. I've often thought it unfair, "I'm too damn funny for depression!" Perhaps writing this -even without going into details- will help me get to a point where I feel no shame. All I ask is: If you know me in real life, please, don't pity me; treat me no differently; and above all, leave the light on.

From the mouths of babes.

A friend of mine said, "Super, we can always count on you to say something inappropriate but not offensive enough to do anything but make us laugh."

Uhm. Thanks. And don't you think that you may have taken my place with that statement?

Every time I have gathered with The Boys and Girls for an evening meal, I've said something seriously stupid. The first time, we all sat at the table and I innocuously said, "This scene makes me feel like we're supposed to say grace or something."
I was not suggesting as I'm not big on prayer; I was just making an observation. Then I was told, "We're Jewish." and THEN I had to have it explained to me, because I am ignorant.
Second dinner, upon which somebody says something awful about a bar that "smelled like AIDS, what does AIDS smell like anyway?" I have no clue why I responded but I definitely said, "It makes me think of bandaids." For a moment, everybody looked at ME as if I was the one who had said the original horrific statement. I was trying to say the statement made me think of 'sterile' smells. Perhaps "hospital" would have been a better choice.
And the third dinner when I kept calling everybody the wrong name (similar to last Friday), but a few of these people don't know me well enough to know how terrible I am with names.
Tomorrow is another of these gatherings and even I am curious as to what moronic thing might squeeze past my lips. Mostly, I get excited about these, but a little part of me is dreading this. Maybe I'll try to stay 100% sober... then again, that would leave me with no excuse.

Mouth Noise Homicide

When I was 11 years old, I threw a ceramic bowl of oatmeal squarely and surely at my brother's head. There is still a round dent in the wall of my mom's dining room.
To this day, I do not feel an ounce of remorse or accountability. You see, my brother made squishy noises when he ate oatmeal and Mouth Noises make me certifiably insane.
In no way have I been prepared to deal with a squish, crunch, slurp or smack.

Sweet baby jesus forbid somebody from eating with their mouth open in my presence. I would surely turn homicidal.

Here's the question of the day:
If somebody chews with their mouth open in my presence, is it rude of me to ask, "Would you please try chewing with your mouth closed?" (Especially if it prevented me from ripping their face off?)