Bruises

How things have changed since I was growing up, and I'd swear it hasn't been that long.

Katie and I have been sitting around watching TV tonight. It's been that kind of weekend: cleaning like mad, getting the place spic-and-span, just for ourselves. We just had a small turkey roast, some canned sweet potatoes, jellied cranberry, microwave stuffing (yarf!) and apple pie for Thanksgiving dinner. Yesterday was much more satisfactory. We biked to HEB and got potatoes and little filets mignons and had quite a tasty repast. Today we walked to South Congress and did a spot of shopping. Tonight, we biked over to Fran's for cheeseburgers. Much girl talk has ensued; boys, you don't want to know; you'd be terrified, even those of you who have plenty of experience with the wimmens. All I can really tell you is that, if a guy I'm (ahem!) closely entwined with is suddenly deeply engrossed in the TV watching Transformers cartoons, sixteen-year-old Beth is a lot more understanding than sixteen-year-old Katie would be, so I'd invest in a time machine if I were you.

But our closest moment of girl bonding happened when this song came on in an iPod commercial:

"Oh my God," said Katie, "that's totally how it is with guys for me."

I am several years older, which is why I get to buy wine. "That's how it always is with guys," I said, "for all women. Always."

So we immediately paid $0.99 to download the song from iTunes. Oh my gosh, you guys. When I was Katie's age, well, for one thing, no commercial would ever play any song you actually wanted to own, are you effing kidding me?! Do you even remember "Ban with cashmere"?! But if, let's say hypothetically, a commercial did play something good, you'd have to wait till the next day and go to the record store at the mall and buy a CD for $18.99 that contained the song you wanted, along with about thirteen other songs you really didn't.

The times, they are a changing. Now if we could only do something about men.

Take a Hike, Ike

So says a good friend of mine in Corpus - a former coworker who is now wrapped up, as am I, in emergency preparations.

How funny. Friday evening I met a woman through someone else I used to work with. He and I were not in the tourism industry when we worked together; he still isn't, but his new coworker, attending the party Friday night, is. And it turns out that she and I are involved in a project together. Funny to find myself at a party with a drink in my hand, talking to a stranger I met through someone I used to work with in an entirely different industry, suddenly on the job.

So I'm glad I hadn't found the margarita machine yet.

My Corpus friend worked for the same soulless marketing firm I did, but is now part of a non-profit aid organization. The soulless marketing firm was travel-related. I got my current job largely on the strength of that experience.

All in all, I'm just struck with the way these tangled threads keep weaving together, and how often they seem to lead you back to a common place. Doesn't it make you wonder? Maybe you really can't go back in time and become your own grandfather. I hope this doesn't put a damper on your vacation plans. Might I suggest a trip to San Angelo instead?

Maybe the universe is just too densely interconnected to be able to change history. Or maybe you were always meant to become your own grandfather in the first place, sort of a houndstooth-check in the grand tapestry of the cosmos. Who knows?

Life is full of mysteries. The only thing I'm absolutely sure of is that it's a very, very bad idea to make fun of Florida on your blog. Especially if you work in the tourism industry.

What Do You Do?

Yesterday Katie had a friend over. They went to Big Stacy together and hung out around the house. This morning I found my iPod missing. Its little sock is there, on top of the bookcase in my room where I left it, but the iPod is gone. Combed the house. Didn't find it. And Katie mentioned yesterday that her friend just got a new iPod. What would you do??

The job posting for Elizabeth 2.0 is now online. It's slightly different from the one I got: mine stipulated that strong proficiency in GIS analysis was required, which is pretty damn ridiculous. But the new posting goes on to state that the applicant should be creative and flexible, ready to work with new technology and innovative ideas.

This is the point where the applicant turns around to see if the computer is talking to someone behind him.

The funny thing is, our supervisor has to go through this process at least two more times. Once she hires Elizabeth 2.0, she'll have to hire the third newbie to fill that position; and then she'll have to hire, finally, a new person from outside to get the group fully staffed at last. I have to tell you, I'm on the edge of my seat to find out what requirements she'll come up with next. Must be able to time-travel? Walk on water?? Squeeze gold ingots out of your butt??? And why does she seem to be hiring specifically for the qualities that ensure people will leave as quickly as possible?!?

Last I checked, my job consisted primarily of sitting around staring at construction plans and 10-keying all damn day. And I don't think I can stand it without an iPod.

ETA: Talked to Katie about it and she's seen her friend's new iPod, which is apparently a different style than mine. Hopefully I'm just an idiot and dropped it out of its sockie at some point without noticing... hey, I am a real state employee...