There has been a lot of snow and rain here lately, which brings to the forefront one of my biggest, most irrational pet peeves ever. And this got me thinking. Every one has pet peeves right? Now being the lovely, neurotic mess that I am, I'm fully aware I have more pet peeves than the average bear. But there cannot be anyone out there who is irritated by nothing; I refuse to believe it.

There are two kinds of pet peeves I believe: those that are rational and those that are ... not.

For me, an irritant I consider rational is gum chewing. I can't even chew gum because I run into it so many places it should not be. On guest's plates, under chairs, all the places people put it when they're too damned lazy to use a trash bin. I hate when people chew it with their mouths open like cows, and I HATE when people chew it at work, especially secretaries and servers. I consider this rational because it's gross. It turns my stomach, and it's not sanitary.

Irrational on the other hand, there is no reasoning behind. You can't say why it bugs you, not even as basic an answer as "it's gross" comes to mind. Nevertheless, you find it so so annoying. I thought about it and I came up with three for me. I am sure there are more.

The biggest one, and the reason I wrote this in the first place, is drivers whose windshield wipers are going faster than the weather calls for. When I am driving and I see someone whose wipers are on the fastest speed possible when it's barely drizzling out, I CAN'T STAND IT. It gives me anxiety because I can't turn them off/down. I've nary a clue as to why this irritates me, but it always has.

The second one is boys who cry on TV. I'm not a huge fan of crying in general, but I understand its merits. And I would never say anything to a real male in real life who was crying. But in any movie, TV show or even reality show when I see a guy cry I just want to yell at him to suck it up. And when I am in my own home, I do yell at them. Ask my family.

The third one on my list is probably the most ridiculous: Tobey Maguire. The Spiderman guy. I’m sure he’s a perfectly lovely gent, but I can barely stand to watch anything he’s in. There’s something indefinable about him that rubs me the wrong way. Creepy! Sorry.

I need to know that I am not alone in this. So I implore you to share: What inexplicably bugs the heck out of you?

Yesterday I was listening to my iPod on shuffle as I drove when this one song came on that I've always liked. It makes me laugh everytime because there are moments in life when this is exactly how I feel (Well, parts of it anyway, not all). And I doubt I'm the only one, so I wanted to share it.

The song is "I Wish I Could Go Back to College" from the musical (big shock, it's a musical) Avenue Q, with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx. I embedded the audio below the lyrics if you want to listen to it too. Enjoy!

Warning: There is one line that swears, just so you're prepared.

I wish I could go back to college
Life was so simple back then
What would I give to go back and live in a dorm with a meal plan again

I wish I could go back to college
In college you know who you are.
You sit in the quad, and think, "Oh my God!
I am totally gonna go far"

How do I go back to college?
I don't know who I am anymore

I wanna go back to my room and find a message in dry-erase pen on the door
Ohhh...
I wish I could just drop a class...
Or get into a play...
Or change my major...
Or [@&%#] my T.A.

I need an academic advisor to point the way
We could be...
Sitting in the computer lab,
4 A.M. before the final paper is due,
Cursing the world 'cause I didn't start sooner,
And seeing the rest of the class there, too

I wish I could go back to college!
How do I go back to college?!
AHHHH...

I wish I had taken more pictures.

But if I were to go back to college,
Think what a loser I'd be-
I'd walk through the quad,
And think "Oh my God..."
"These kids are so much younger than me."

I obsessively keep a reading log of every new book I read, which I started doing back in 2004. I note how long the book was, when it was published and how long it took me to read it. I don't know why I started but I don't think I could stop if I wanted to, which I don't. I love that I can tell you that on my birthday in 2008 I was reading The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory, which I did not like and took me nearly a month to get through.

Last January I blogged about what I'd read the year before, READ-y to end 2008, and I enjoyed the look back and decided I would make it a new tradition.

Here are the stats for 2009:

I read 50 books I hadn't read before, which doesn't include re-reading books.
I read a total of 17,506 pages.

Began 2009 with: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Ended 2009 with: The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Shortest book: Quiver by Stephanie Spinner - 177 pages
Longest book: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - 710 pages

Oldest book: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson - 1938
Newest book: Fire by Kristin Cashore - 2009 (I actually read 18 books that were published in 2009. I count Fire as the newest because I read an advanced reader's copy before the book was published. P.S. The book is AWESOME)

Quickest to read: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - 1 day
Longest to read: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - 17 days

I started off 2010 by reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, which I just finished today.

I read way more books this year than I have in previous years, Most likely, it's because I've been living at home and have made only minor attempts to be social in Nebraska. Oh well! We'll see what happens in 2010.

OK, so I am a little late, big shock there. I had a pretty wonderful week, though it was marred by one day of intense dental pain. Lovely! Though it hasn't come back to that degree since, thank goodness.

Of course the biggest and best parts of my week was meeting my BEDA buddy Becky and spending time with her and her friends. It was AWESOME. There was of course a small amount of initial awkwardness, but it didn't last long at all, which it easily could have. I don't know about Becky but we seemed to get along together pretty seamlessly. I second what she said about the cruelness of getting on together so well but not living near enough to do anything about it. There are more details about our fun on her blog, as well as pictorial proof! I can't wait until a week from today when we meet up again to see Rent in Des Moines.

This past Tuesday my dad and I went and saw the Broadway tour of White Christmas. I wasn't quite sure what to expect or how closely it would follow the movie I love so much, but it was pretty wonderful. The thing I love most about the movie are the actors: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney. I knew they wouldn't be there, so I wasn't sure what would be left over. But Irving Berlin wrote a lovely little score and the cast I saw was pretty great.

Of course the moment we were seated I scanned the cast list for names I knew, and there weren't any Broadway people I recognized, but one name still jumped out and shocked me: Lorna Luft. Aside from the fact that she's JUDY GARLAND'S DAUGHTER I don't know much about her, but that was enough for me and I couldn't wait to see her. She played Martha Watson, the housekeeper at General Waverly's inn. The character had a much larger part in the stage show than in the film. She sang and danced, even had her own number, and they threw in a smattering of a romance with the general. Lorna was pretty incredible to see and was definitely my favorite of the night.

I always enjoy going to the theatre with my dad because he is the only one in the family who shares my passion (obsession really) with musical theater to any degree at all. My sister likes Wicked and only Wicked. My mom enjoys going to shows, but overall she can take 'em or leave 'em. Everyone knows how I feel, and my dad is somewhere in the middle. He has a decent knowledge base, and has no problem accompanying me to many shows. He is the one who took me to my first New York Broadway show when I was 15, The Phantom of the Opera. THAT was a magical night. So being at White Christmas with him made the experience that much better.

I'm back baby!! And I'm ready to TILT.

Free Book(s) - I have a new job working for an independent rare book seller. I found it randomly on Craig's List. It's been a great job and I'm enjoying it. We just got a big collection of 5,000 books from some estate, and as a perk our boss is letting us pick three free books each. It's hard, but I picked my first one this week. It's a 1958 copy of Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. It's not especially valuable but it's illustrated, with some lovely color drawings of each character. I love it. (I took the pictures quickly myself, so forgive the poor quality.)

Finding Friends From Forever Ago - We're talking my best friend from 1st grade. My mom said we did everything together as kids, but we moved the next year and I haven't spoken to her since. But this past week she found me on Facebook. How crazy is that? I know social networking can get irritating, but it can be pretty damn cool too. It's early on but I am excited about reconnecting with her.

Discovering a CD you want exists the day before it's released - Virtually no waiting! I LOVE the song "Falling Slowly" from the movied Once. The movie was decent, but the soundtrack is one of my all-time favorites. I love the style and the voices of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. I swear I've searched for more by them before with no success. Then through Pandora I happened upon them. They've formed themselves into a group called The Swell Season, and they released a new CD, Strict Joy, Tuesday. I found this out Monday. So I only had to wait half a day to buy it. The CD is a little different than I was hoping, but it's still good.

Friendly encouragement - I wrote that last blog post mostly to explain my absence in Cyber-land. I wasn't really going for pity or sympathy. But I got it. All the comments I got were so sweet. And yes, I may be more dependent on comments than I should be, but don't feel like you have to comment on my blog. It's cool. Thanks again everyone.

Upcoming theatre fun! - Next Tuesday I am going to see White Christmas with my dad, and then Saturday the 14th I am meeting my BEDA buddy Becky in Des Moines to see Rent. Everyone knows how big a Broadway musical geek I am and I can't wait because I've never seen either show live. Woot!

That's it for this week folks. Thanks for playing.

So this is my new blog site. Welcome.

I found a great free background this morning and I really LOVE how it looks. Though I do miss the three-column format of my old blog. Oh well, small price to pay for something that really feels like me.

I was really touched by all the responses I received to my blog post yesterday. You're all wonderful. It is nice to know that I am not the only one who feels like that about blogging sometimes.

And despite how pitiable I may have sounded in that post, I am doing well. I love my new job and that makes working at Chili's easier. I plan on staying in Omaha through the winter; I am NOT moving in December AGAIN. And in the spring I get to decide where I want to go from here. I just had a wonderful vacation to PA and NYC last month where I got to see two of my most favorite people plus Ingrid Michaelson, and indulge in passion/obsession for Broadway musicals. AND as I am writing this I am listening to Rockapella sing "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" Life doesn't get much better than that.

I hope to write again soon.

I promise. I really am. I was doing so well blogging for a while there, and I was enjoying the Things I Love Thursday tradition I had going with my BEDA buddies. But a couple of things happened.

First of all, I did get a new, better second job that I will talk about at a different point. So I have been busier, but happier.

Second, I felt like I had run out of things to say. Whenever I live in Omaha, I essentially turn into a reclusive hermit who only leaves the house to work. I have never maintained any friendships in Omaha, and every time I live here I always have the mindset that it is temporary so why bother making new friends. I am friendly with a lot of people I work with, but I have never tried to take it outside of work. I am trying to do better, I went out with my high school best friend a couple of weeks ago and I am hoping we will continue to spend time together. I have a couple other friendships I am cultivating too. It is hard with my schedule because most people work days and I work six nights a week. But the point is that I don't really do anything outside of work anymore but read and watch Netflix. I really don't think that would make for an interesting blog.

And the other thing is I got into a mind frame that nobody cared. Other than my BEDA buddies, I didn't feel like anyone read my blog, or my Facebook or my Tweets. Not to belittle my BEDA buddies because I love them, but it was hard to think that no one who I'd actually met cared to follow up on me. I don't know if it's actually true, but it was how I was feeling. To a degree, it's still how I feel.

So I stopped, but I really miss blogging. Maybe I am just writing for me and a following of three, but I can handle a small but wonderful audience. The point is, I am trying to get out of that technology funk, and I am working my way back into the blog world.

It's interesting though, how sometimes all the technology that is supposed to keep us connected to everyone around us, can make us feel more alone than ever.

So I'm only half a day late now, which is a bit of an improvement right?

Ingrid Michaelson's new album Everybody - Yay! I have been waiting for her to put out a new album forever. I have listened to it multiple times and, I don't LOVE every song, but mostly like them all and LOVE many of them. I can't wait to see her in concert in Philadelphia with my EEB next month.

Jamie Cullum - On the music track, I am also lately a fan of this guy. He has a really great voice and I love his style. I got a couple random tracks from an old roommate and liked them enough to track down a full album at the library. Now I want more! I really like his music.

My parents' fancy electronics - One of the perks of living at home. My dad has the equivalent of Tivo, and a DVD recorder. So I have been recording and saving all the So You Think You Can Dance episodes from this past season. Then this week when I had the time I went through and recorded just my favorite routines onto a DVD so I can go back to them whenever I want. It's great!

Flip n tumble bags - I don't remember howI found out about these bags but I love them. They are more expensive, cute reusable bags. I bought a couple for me out of curiosity and one for my mom as a Mothers' Day present to ease her into the reusable bag idea. (since it was her favorite color it really helped). They hold a lot, have a comfortable shoulder strap and are just fun.

Dinner with dad - My birthday is this weekend and my dad will be out of town. Tuesday we both didn't work so we spent the day together and it was a lot of fun. We went to Lincoln with the dog and took his boat on the lake and swam. Then he took me out to The Olive Garden for an early birthday dinner. It was delicious food and very enjoyable day. Thanks dad.

sheer anticipation - I am just getting so excited for my trip in September to see my EEB and go to NYC. The plane ticket is my birthday present, which is a huge help. I need a break so bad. Steph and I have so many plans, I don't know what will actually happen. But we are going to NYC for the weekend to squeeze in as many Broadway shows as we can, we are going to see Ingrid in Philadelphia on the way, we want to go camping for one night, and then the two of us and my old roommate Audrey have to get together to commemorate our Birthday Bitch Bashes from last year. I can't wait. I can't wait. I can't wait.

Side note: I forgot to mention this when I was playing catch up, but I never reported back on my July monthly goal and I never made an August goal. My reasons were twofold: I still haven't finished my July goal and I had no ideas for my August goal. No good ones at least. So the new plan is to have that blasted journal finished and up-to-date before my trip out east in mid-September. Then I will hopefully have some new ideas to put into play and start that whole thing up again in October. PLEASE PLEASE give me suggestions, or a dare or something.

I have been a bit remiss in blogging lately, partly because I started working more on Thursdays and partly because I haven't felt like I had anything to say. Right now my life consists mostly of work, which I hate, and books, which I love, with a few other things sprinkled in here and there. Here are some points of interest:

New work shoes - GOOD - Finally! I have to wear all black slip-resistant shoes at both of my jobs. The pair I have are going on a year old and while they are very comfortable, the top layer is peeling off and there is zero slip resistance left on the bottom. I ordered some shoes through work and they FINALLY came this week. They are designed to look like Chucks, but all black and meant for work. I love them. They are so cute, and they are fairly comfortable too.

$5 on $50 - BAD - Now I try hard not to do any waiter rants on my blog. BELIEVE ME, especially lately, I could go on and on. With the deteriorating economy people are cutting back, I get that. But more and more people are leaving less than 10% when they had a problem-free meal, choosing to cut back on just the tip instead of cutting back on the bill first. I get paid $2.13 an hour people, which barely covers my taxes. What I've noticed is for some reason, people who spend around $50 are the worst. I don't know why. With $40 I can usually count on at least 15%, quite often 20%. The higher the bill, the more it varies; that's when you see things like $2 on $60, $15 on $70. But something about $50 and the nicest family feels inclined to think $5 cuts it. It's a strange trend.

Fire by Kristin Cashore - GREAT - I was lucky enough to get to borrow a copy of the ARC from Becky *thanks again* and I think I might have loved it even more than Graceling, but both were equally amazing and I can't wait for Cashore's next book. She is a very talented writer. We have to discuss this book at some point Becky and Christina.

The Time Traveler's Wife movie - GOOD - I loved this book, and I was curious to see how it would be handled in the movie. The stars were Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, both of whom I like, so it was looking promising. I thought all things considered, they adapted it pretty well. It's not the book of course, and they couldn't fit everything in, but I enjoyed the end result. I didn't love it, but I liked it. Definitely worth seeing once Nicola.

Top Chef - GOOD - The new season just started, and I haven't even gotten a chance to watch the first episode yet, but it is recorded and waiting for me to watch on Monday. I love this show, don't ask me why. I can't cook at all, and I wouldn't eat most of the food they make, but I love it anyway (I've even played the computer game, which is quite fun).

Bad people associations - BAD - I am only mentioning this because I want to know if anyone else has encountered this. I used to work with this girl a couple of years who really just got on my nerves. She didn't have the best work ethic and frustrated me to no end. At present, there is a girl I just started working with who is the spitting image of her. Same height, hair cut and color, voice and even the face to a degree. Enough so that everytime she talks I can't get this other girl out of my head. And now I have this irrational dislike of a girl I don't know because of a bad experience two years ago. I feel bad, because it's not her fault. And I'm not mean to her, I just kind of avoid her. Anyone else ever have this problem?

Cat stalker - UMM... - My sister headed back to college for the fall. She left her cat behind again. Who has decided that without Lindy around she gets to be my new shadow. She scratches on the door (both bedroom and bathroom) if I close it on her. She sleeps on my pillow every night and generally just sheds all over my bed. She's lonely and I feel sorry for her, but she's NOT my cat.

And ... that's all I remember. I had a mental list but those always disappear. And this is long enough as it is. I work another full day this coming Thursday but I will try to turn in something.