Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's my last day at work. So weird. I've had a really good time at this job but am ready for the next step in my journey to have a life.

Last night I had dream after dream about my new job. Mostly it was me oversleeping the first day and not showing up until 11:00 and then having jeans on when there is a no jeans policy. BUT by the end of the run of stress dreams I was only having a small problem matching blue shoes with a brown dress. That's progress. Good thing I have 11 days off to prepare for the new gig.

Jas and I head to his parents tonight and then to my parents on Sunday. I will be eating more than is recommended by a medical professional and I don't care.

Also, I'm not going to lie......PRESENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay it's out of my system. I know the true meaning of the holiday and all that. Don't worry. I just get very excited about presents. So do you....don't lie.

HAM AND PRESENTS!!!!!!!!!!

ooops....that one slipped out. Excuse me.

Love and best wishes to everyone!

Regina Paraknockas

5:00 a.m. Jason and I both wake up to pee and get a drink of water. The following is almost word for word the conversation we had.

Jason: I dreamed an entire musical! Everyone was singing in French!
Crescent: Were they like "du day von pew don see swa..." (NOTE: not real French)
Jason: No they weren't singing in French.
Crescent: You just said they were.
Jason: I mean French accents.
Crescent: Ohhh...well you said French but whatever. I've dreamed musical numbers before like the other night when I had that dream about the kids that time traveled back to their dorms and sang that song called "It's All Here."
Jason: Whoa. Yeah that was weird.
Crescent: Don't you wish they made dream recorders?
Jason: If they did I would have a smash hit on the West End. (pause) Or the South End. (pause) Or maybe the rear end. (laughs hysterically)
Crescent: That's what your musical should be called "Zee Rear...End"
Jason: Keeps laughing. (pause) Zee Rear......End. (laughs more...gets up for more water and walks into the living room)
Crescent: Where are you going?
Jason: To write down my ideas!!!! (comes right back to bed and is chewing something) Just kidding. I needed a Tums. (pause) Zee Rear.....End.
Crescent: I only have an hour more to sleep so stop making me laugh.
Jason: Zee Rear.........End.

(5 minutes pass. I'm JUST falling back to sleep)

Jason: (laughing even more hysterically)
Crescent: Dude.
Jason: What if.....(laughs)...what if....there was a Greek woman named Regina Paraknockas??? (hysterical laughter again) Regina.....(laughs)...ParaKNOCKas!!!! You have to say it!!!
Crescent: Regina Paraknockas. Why is her first name Regina?
Jason: (still laughing) Because....she's Regina Paraknockas!

Needless to say I've pretty much been up since 5:00 a.m.

Notice!

I got the official offer last Friday and gave my official notice today! I am so excited! I start at my new job on Jan. 2ND. I have to get a ton of new clothes since my current job is a jeans and t-shirt place and my new gig is biz cazzz. I am honestly so happy and excited about the job I'm doing and the company that I keep forgetting I'm ALSO gonna be making more money! Then I faint or kick off a shoe or something to celebrate.

We had a hilarious party at Fred's on Friday night to celebrate. Here is my favorite moment of that night. I can't remember what they were doing but that's why I love it so much. I think maybe it had something to do with puppetry. I hope so. I just remember having to stop my guitar battle with Slash due to how hard I was laughing.

take stock...THAT'S AN ORDER!

Just a quick post. So one of our dearest friends mother's just passed away last week. A favorite professor passed away a few days ago leaving behind a wife and kids. And a wonderful woman and good friend is in the process of saying good-bye to her Dad. I just can't imagine and it makes my heart hurt so much for all these people and their pain and loss. It also makes me admire them and how strong they all are.

So everyone take stock today and bask in the ease and comfort of a normal day. Kiss someone you love. Most importantly don't flip a lid over tiny things that don't matter.

That's all.

Love,
Crescent

J-Toven's 5th

Jason is growing a beard and I'm so excited! I just got on a beard kick lately. Like the really short but kind of late 70's early 80's type. The things that guy will do for me when I ask him. Some of it has to do with the fact that there is a beard contest going on at work (I didn't enter.....THIS time) and so beards are everywhere.

Oh and my sister started calling Jason J-Toven on Thanksgiving because he did all the dishes and the steam made his adorable curly hair like three times its normal size. Now we all call him that.

I'll have some Thanksgiving pics up soon but just know that I think we may have had the world's most perfect T-Day ever. It just ruled in every way. I can't wait for Christmas!!!!

Love,
Mrs. J-Toven

busy and a little bit sad bee

I'm alive I swear. My sweet cat Ava, sadly, is not. We had to put her down on Wednesday and it was sooooo sad and hard, but the right thing to do.

I will post a pic of her once I can look at said pic without bawling. I'm just not ready.

Other than THAT things are great. I've lost 8 lbs. We are slowly but slowly getting out of debt. There are some job prospects on El Horizon. If I ever open a Mexican breakfast joint I'm naming it that. COPYRIGHT!!!! There...that makes the idea legally mine.

J and I are heading to my sister's for Thanksgiving and can't wait. We are having Kentucky ham (salty and awesome not wiggly and sweet like they do hams up here) AND turkey. Maybe it will be like Thanksgiving of 2000 when I ate so much I literally puked. I hope so. That was hilarious. (just kidding barf gods. I don't want that to happen again. It hurt.)

So there's my update for now.

Here's a picture of me and Jason at the bon fire in Michigan a few weeks ago. I love our weird green and orange color scheme. It's so circa '81 Sears living room.

Para Mateo

My dear friend, Matt, has been on my case about blogging more. I swear I'm trying! This GD job of mine. They want me to.....get this.....do my work all day. Whatever.

Here are a few tidbits.

I'm still on the hunt for a new gig that involves a ton less numbers. However, I've started a game with myself where everytime I go to type in a number I associate an age with it.

"82. The age I'll be when I finally find a job I love."

"18. The age when I thought things were really hard. HA!!!!! Stupid 18 year olds."

"26. The age I realized people weren't going to show up at my door with money and fames. Yes fames. I coined it just now and it's sticking."

Anyway, that's passing the time.

I'm going to Wisconsin AGAIN this weekend with Fred and Jason to see Jason's family and surprise his little brother at a show in which his band is playing.....phewwww.....that was a hard sentence to construct. You can tell I've been immersed in numbertown lately.

OH! My birthday was grand as usual. Had a wonderful time with my family and got to pick out a brand new bed set for our brand new bed!!!!

BEHOLD THE BEDROOM FIT FOR ADULTS! (bathing cat not included)
Also, I would like to pay my public respects to Sylvie the cat. You never told anyone that I snuck you a little bite of cheese every time I cat sat and that made us friends. You were very loved by Matt and Anne and even though you tried to eat part of Jason's arm that one time he still loved you too. I wish I had a picture of you to post but we will all remember how pretty you were.

Finally, Jason is the most fun person to be married to ever. I have been so stressed out and weird lately but he makes me laugh every single day and keeps his material fresh. FRESH! If that's ALL I had going for me I would still be one of the luckiest people on the planet. Thank you to him for being the best.

Whoa. The end of this post makes it seem like I'm offing myself or going into hiding. I'm not. Just doing a little stock taking. It's good for the perspectives.

The Month of Crescent Begins.

I spent my Saturday recording some kick ass back up vocals for a band/artist I used to perform with. I gotta tell you it felt so good. I didn't realize how much I missed singing and how fun it is. I always talk about how I can't do anything with my degree but I seem to forget that the majority of my life was spent in vocal performance training. Why did I stop doing that? I have no idea. But I'm looking for some opportunities to do some more. Not necessarily as a career but just to keep me sane.

In other news I'm going home for my birthday this weekend with Jason and I can't wait. I mean that. I honestly am having a hard time not just packing up and leaving this second. I usually weasel out a way to celebrate my birthday about 10 different times during the month of October so needless to say I'm feeling pretty excited about it being the 1st today. Plus I'll be 33 and that feels like a cool age. faithful blog readers will remember that 3 is one of my favorite numbers so 33 seems like a good omen...knock on wood. (I knocked on paper because there is no wood here at work. Paper used to be wood though so I should be covered.)

I dreamed I got orange and red sheets as a present. They were pretty awesome but flannel. I hate flannel sheets.

I think I need more calcium. I have white spots on my thumb nails. Doesn't that mean I need calcium?

My weekend was really great. Lots of time laughing hysterically and playing Wii and GH and then the aforementioned singing.

Still looking for a new job. Glad I have one in the meantime. I think.

Sorry I can't come to the blog right now...

I'm very busy trying to change my life but will update more regularly soon.





Here is what I've been up to.

Taking pictures of Jason in wigs that Fred owns. That and changing my life.

Boo.

I keep scaring Jason in the night. It's starting to really get seriously funny. I think it's because I am (despite my size) a quiet walker/mover arounder. It's literally happened three nights in a row almost. Poor Jason.

Anyway, I am super busy but wanted to remember that.

Tomorrow will be many pictures of my weekend funtimes.

Love,
Crescent

Anyone Can Whistle...

especially my nose. I woke up sneezing. Literally. And I haven't stopped since. And then I got a nose bleed WHILE still sneezing and now my nose sounds like a sports fan or sexist construction worker every time I breath. Whhoooooot whoooo!!! Whhhoooooot whoooooo!!!

Jason has it too. I'm calling it The North Woods Flu. Coined!

It started with the urgent need to sleep then the sneezing.

I'm going home to bed in an hour.

Whhooot.

My Weekend and Lunch Today...In Cell Phone Pics

I spent the Day of Labor in Athelstane, WI. Basically the literal middle of the north woods of Wisco. It was great. Lots of relaxing and I even slept in a tent outside one night! AND heard coyotes!! It nearly gave this city girl a heart attack but Jason made it fun. Plus I think it was good for me. My spirit or something. Anyway here are some pics.



Jason trying to catch a musky. He never caught one but he sure looked cute trying. Plus there were a million boats out there scurrin' all our fish away.

ME! Fishing with a spinner rod! I learned from Jason's mom who is the master of the spinner rod. I did pretty well! Jason's dad even said I was inadvertently doing some "techniques". Not the first time I've heard THAT! ahhahahahahah Jusss kidding.

The tallest fire I've ever been that close to. You can see Jason backing away from it in the background.
Jason playing chess with his nephew. His niece is taking a picture of me taking a picture. She is a firecracker. We had a tic tac toe tourney that lasted an hour the next day. She won. This was my first time meeting them but they called me "Aunt Crescent" right away AND said that Jason and I were "definitely cool.". But it's not for me to say how awesome we are....

Now let's fast forward to my lunch today with my best friend Anne and her PERFECT baby girl. This baby sets the bar so high for baby awesomeness that I challenge ANYONE to not want a baby immediately after seeing her.

She thinks it's very funny when I yawn at the same time she does. I think it's very funny when she does pretty much anything, which you can tell by the stupid smile on my face in these pics.

'Twas a great weekend. Ready for another one.

Things That Made Me Feel Better Last Night

I'm not feeling quiet so "on the ledge" as I was yesterday thanks to some small happy things. BULLETS!!!!!

• Worked out and finished my book


• Sitting outside while Jason grilled chicken and veggies


• Made amends with a neighbor we pissed off months ago by "SHOUTing".


• Pet a dog.


• Both cats were snuggly.


• Harvy Pekar was on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain


• Jason sang a great song while he cooked that contained the lyric "Ohhhhh Aunt Jamima...I don't think you know me anymewwwr." He meant Mrs. Butterworth I think because he sang this as he added syrup to the beans, which was a delicious touch.


• I still don't know what I'm going to do with my life but at least I decided to do something. I hear that's the first step or whatever.


• Also it's been over two weeks since I've engaged in my worst social habit so I know I can do stuff. That's heartening.


• I've narrowed my career path down to: Detective, Advice Columnist, Date Planner, Set Dresser/Art Director of Photo Shoots Like Jay from ANTM but with Less Make-Up and More Normal EyeBrows, Professional Back Patter, Housecat, Plus Sized Model, Blooper Reviewer orrrr Body Language Interpreter.

Here is a sample of my Art Direction. Matt K. was the chef and my assistant.

I call it......Salsa De La Mango or Cucumber Envy

Side Note: That jalapeno got on Jason's hands and then on his face and then on his contacts so he almost burned out his eyes. He had to get all new contacts. Fact.

My Weekend Was In and Out of the Toliet...Much Like My Ipod

• Friday night = fun, chill night at Fred's eating pizza rolls and drinking wine
• Later Friday night = me getting up in the night to pee and forgetting my ipod was still on my person. As I lifted the lid on the toilet my ipod and headphones splashed into the toilet. I have no idea how they stayed on my body and in my ears (respectively) until that PRECISE moment though. My only guess is that somehow the ipod adhered to my chest or something.....that is a gross guess but the best I can do.
• Saturday morning = making sure my ipod still works. It does. Then relaxing.
• Saturday afternoon = get a call that my dad has been in a really bad car accident but is relatively okay. I had a minor panic attack and then bawled. He was in the ER for 5 hours and luckily, besides being very cut up and bruised he was given a clean bill of health. Thank GOD! So scary. If he'd been hit on the drivers side it would have been my worst nightmare. Literally. I talked to him yesterday and besides being shaken up and without a car he is okay. I shook like a leaf the entire conversation for some reason. Then cried again when I hung up.
• Saturday night = waited for the "everything is okay call" from home once my dad was out of the ER. Went to a dance recital and spent the whole time wondering who the hell I am and what I'm doing with my life. Not in a depressed way, just really starting to wonder and panic a little.
• Saturday night after the recital = Have a lovely walk to Eno (wine bar Jason used to manage) with Jason and our friend from NYC and his boyfriend. It was cool and Michigan Ave was hopping the conversation was light and tasty. It really helped clear my head a little. GET to Eno and there is an ambulance. They are taking someone out of Eno and it's a girl that works there that Jason is friends with. She is okay but seeing her crying in pain being carried out as we came in was upsetting to say the least. Once we all calmed down we had a really nice time and ate some fantastic cheese.
• Saturday night after Eno = Our friend's Mom and her friends walked home (they are from here obvs) and Jason and I drove the same friend's 90 year old grandma home. She doesn't speak a lick of English but she was the highlight of my weekend. She's 90 and out with her son and his boyfriend having some wine and cheese and laughing and talking up a storm. She fell in love with Jason because apparently he looks just like her nephew, Max. I helped her out of the car when we dropped her off and she gave me a kiss on the cheek and hug in true Grandma style. I think I really needed it and maybe somehow she knew that or something. Or maybe she is just kissy, which is great too.
• Sunday = Spent the morning with Jason relaxing. Jason leaves for a lunch I just wasn't up for. I walk to Fred's. Jason meets us there later. We watch tons of Flight of the Conchords. Get ready to leave. Plan to grab dinner on our way home. Realize we are too broke. Fred insists on us staying and we pull together a last minute grill out just the three of us. It reminded me so much of our college days. I needed that too. So thanks to Fred for feeding us at the last minute.
• Pessimistic Conclusion = I'm feeling really lost these days and not saying it much because feeling that way seems like a waste of energy. I'm trying to put it all together and form a solution but keep getting stuck in my head. Do I want to perform? I think I miss it but not sure. Do I want to be a writer? Yes but I have so many doubts about my skills that it's holding me back. I'm holding myself back. With laziness and doubt. That is very lame of me and I feel like I'm running out of time. I want to do something that matters and that pays more and that makes me feel useful and happy but I also want money. I do. I'm not ashamed of it. I'm so sick of just getting by. I want new furniture and rugs and fluffy bedding so that if I still can't sleep at least I'll be comfortable.
• Positive Polly Conclusion = My marriage is better than ever. My friends are so much fun and so sweet. My Dad is going to be okay. My Mom's new medicine is starting to take some of her pain away. I'm going on a fun trip up North with Jason this weekend to see his family in a beautiful part of the state. I have a job when I almost didn't. It sucks but I have one. Many many many people are going through such harder times and to wallow in some minor life confusion is actually pretty selfish of me and not my style.
• Realistic Conclusion = I can't change how I'm feeling. I can change my path and need to trust myself enough to do that. Like now-ish.

UPDATE!

So get this. I am on my way to winning over the new gang. It was so simple I should've thought of it sooner. I offered to do some of their work! I overheard them saying they were swamped and didn't have any help on Friday so I braced myself and turned around and said I would help with anything they needed help with.

Then one of them said "Wow. You are way nicer than (another dudes name). And you smell better."

After that I sneezed (I have a cold) and I got TWO, count 'em TWO, bless yous.

Phewww...that's a load off. Now I just have to try and add some more jaunty convo and I'm in. Sort of.

New Job/Old Job

So I'm finally back at work. In a new cube with new people. I am really weirded out by how shy I am sometimes. Once I'm not....I'm really not. But when I am new to a situation I totally clam up and/or say dumb things.

I was totally silent yesterday with my new department but I made a promise to myself to be more vocal today. Jaunty if you will. I even considered bringing an apple to attempt the dangerous, yet VERY effective Jaunty Apple Toss (patent pending) but wussed out.

Instead I sat down at my desk and then stood BACK up and said "Hey...guys.....I just saw Elliot Yamin leaving the building." silence. "From American Idol." silence. "The one with the jacked up teeth." back to work typing noises. "I didn't even watch that season but I just remember his face and all that."

I'm going to try again tomorrow.

Edited to add!!!! PROOOF!!!! http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/

Meanwhile here are some cats of mine. I wish I could be home with them all day like last week. They would have really liked to hear about my Elliot Yamin sighting.

Happy Turn of Events

First off sorry for the delay. I've been enjoying my week off and trying to stay off of the compy as much as possible. Jason and I have been having a blast just relaxing and stuff. I rearranged the cat room and did dishes and cut my nails....these are the things that make me happy.

Anyway, I did, indeed, get laid off on Monday along with a TON of the company BUT a few people with pull decided they didn't want me gone for some reason and found me another job in a different dept. It's not exactly what I want to be doing BUT it's better than eating hamburger buns for dinner AND it sounds like there might be something even better up the river...down the pike....whatever that expression is. So I start on Tuesday and will sit in new area but least I have a job.

I am really really lucky. I have no idea what I did to deserve all the help because I had come to terms with leaving then WHAM! extra niceness and support from the same folks that were in charge of the lay offs. Life is odd as a cod.....or a pike.

Love,
Crescent

PS - a trillion and twelve thanks to all the kind words and support and champagne (I'm looking at you Gena) and the texts and calls and emails and everything. You guys are all so very excellent. I'm very lucky to have such great friends.

um.

So it's not happening until Monday. Wheeee!!!! A whole weekend to be nervous! I am so happy. Whatever. My cousin is in town and I can't WAIT to see her. My friends rule. I've already got some good leads on jobs. My dad is the best. My sister is going through something so much worse which I'm not saying is good but it really keeps it easy to have perspective of how good life is even when there are bumps.

Tonight I plan to drink cans of beer.

Love,
Crescent

Funtimes.

So I'm getting laid off either today or tomorrow. I'm not supposed to know but I figured it out and then got confirmation. I should be a detective, seriously. I'm so good at Nancy Drewing shit.

The worst part is just waiting for the inevitable. My stomach is a mess and my hands are freezing and my legs are in a constant state of numbness.

I know it will all be okay and quite possibly better but starting over is daunting. Thank God for my friends and Jason. He is doing everything right. Letting me bawl and vent, hugging me a ton and saving the good leftovers for me to eat. He is really the best.

And my friends that know are soooo sweet and supportive. That is the bright side of stuff like this. An extra kick in the ass to make a change in my life and the unecessary but well timed reminder of how loved I am.

barf. I just want it over with.

I thought it was a myth...MYTH MYTH!

Yes????

Anyway, so I've heard for years this poppycrap about how exercise helps you feel less stressed and assists in the coping with stress. This sounded like a total bunch of hype made up by people with lab coats who eat wheat germ and carob or whatever.

Guess what though. It's totally true. Jason and I had our first official work out at the YMCA last night and I gotta tell ya....I was stressed OUT before hand due to work BS but 45 mins on the cardio and I felt clear headed and ready to get fit. I've never felt like that before. I slept great which is REALLY new to me and I felt.....wait for it.....good about myself. I guess these hippy doctor wheat germ freaks were right on many counts.

I honestly can't wait to get back there tonight! That is so unlike me I almost feel like I've been body snatched. Whatever works.

All this time I've been trying to eat a ton less to lose weight but all along I could have been working out AND not hating it! I mean I'll keep eating less of course but I had no idea there was something out there that would get me off the ledge that fast on a stressful day. Lovely!

What else. Oh work is weird today. Good thing I'm working out afterwards!

Would you like to see a picture? Well I don't have one today. But I'll try to find something to take a picture of tonight. Just try and hang in there until then. I'm open to suggestions.