In case you haven't heard, it snowed like a motherfucker in these parts.

Sorry it's taken a week to get another post in this thing. Between snow and a four-day road trip to Melinda's (the trip extended due to the snow), it's been busy. (My apologies if this post comes out sounding distracted...I'm watching Chapelle's Show, and as always, it's funny shit.)

The stay at Melinda's was wonderful. I cannot believe how lucky I am, I honestly can't. We basically just kicked about, cooking (blueberry pancakes with a butter pecan maple syrup, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and a potato florentine soup that was amazing), playing games (we almost picked up Stratego!), watching movies (Waking Life, a great film by Richard Linklater, and State and Main, the most recent offering from David Mamet, which was hilarious), and being obnoxiously cute. She even cut my hair! It was just so much fun...it makes coming home to the spot even harder than usual.

Oh, before I forget, I did wind up going to see Hanne at Atomic Books and picking up her newest erotic work, Unruly Appetites. I haven't started it yet, as I'm still working on the Azerrad book, but I shall get to it soon enough. Hanne was as cool as I expected and if she's in a city near you, I suggest you pay her a visit and pick up a book or two.

Also picked up at Atomic Books: five issues of Dork (by the always brilliant Evan Dorkin) and ST 37's Down On Us for me, while Melinda picked up Christopher Moore's Lamb and a magnetic Sock Monkey courtesy of Tony Millionaire. Actually...Melinda picked it all up, because she's just that awesome.

We then went to Paper Moon for dinner, which was tasty, and had an absolutely evil looking dessert case. (Surprisingly, the Decadent Twins--as Melinda has dubbed us--did not partake.)

Anyway...where was I? Jesus...lost the point.

Tonight, met up with Melinda for dinner and then did a mini-binge on music. Just three discs, Out Hud's S.T.R.E.E.T.D.A.D., the Delgados Hate, and Q and Not U's No Kill No Beep Beep. It was hard keeping it to three, as the new Cat Power, the new Dirty Three, and new Calexico discs are out. Not to mention morbid curiosity has me wanting the Zwan disc.

And somewhere in all of the last week, I also got a reply from the FBI, saying that I met the minimum requirements for a job I applied to several months back. So they're going to forward it for further review. We'll see.

That about wraps things up. I'd like to thank my guests, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Joan Embrey, and of course, Charo. Coochie coochie!

It's been quite a week. On Monday, I suffered a urethral swab. On Tuesday, it was Mongolian Grill with the Entourage and Kathy (a friend of the Entourage who is pregnant). And today, it was dinner with Beth, who I haven't really hung out with since sometime in 2000. And it was great. I forgot how awesome she is to hang around with. We caught up as best as you can during a one and a half hour dinner conversation. She's getting over a breakup, which is always tough, but otherwise, seems to be doing fine. I told her about Melinda (ha! I used her name! Surprise, surprise!) and she was quite happy for me. (And thought M was very cool to boot.)

Also, it turns out, her best friend doesn't like me due to a huge misunderstanding. See a few years ago, at a Spiritualized show at the 9:30 Club, her friend Erin came up to me and said hello. Apparently, I blew her off. I actually remembered it, and was totally shocked that she thought I blew her off. I was at the show by myself, and thought she was with people. So I politely said hello and went back to watching the show. She took it as my being a dick, which in reality, it was just me being polite and shy, since I had a bit of a crush on her cute (and now married! *gasp*) indie girl self. Anyway, I explained what went down to Beth so that we could clear the air on that. It was weird enough finding out that the girl actually thought I was cool to begin with (I had actually thought she disliked me well before the Spiritualized show), but I couldn't let this perceived slight go uncorrected.

Oh, and please...PLEASE...watch the Dave Chappelle Show. Too fucking hilarious.

Well, the angst is gone, only to be replaced by a cold. If it weren't for the fact that I kinda like sneezing, I would absolutely hate colds. Mostly, they are just really annoying. But it could be worse. My mother is currently suffering from gastroenteritis and pancreatitis. My youngest sister may also be battling the former. My poor family. It totally blew up my plans to see the family this weekend. Even though mom is starting to feel better, I can't really afford to catch that. No health care benefits and all. I did call in sick today, which means I lose money, but I could afford it. I wound up napping and gaming and reading the whole day. (Reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azerrad, and it's an awesome read, especially for such an indie geek like me.)

What else...well, my goil is visiting friends in Virginia, acting as the decoy in some insidious surprise party plot. Good for her. Acting! (Where have you gone, Jon Lovitz?) So I have the weekend by myself, which is good. I won't spread sickness, will be able to just rest and recover, and besides, this is a good test of our mettle. We'd spent the last 3 weekends together, and were being total dorks about not spending this one together. Sure, it's cute and all. (Well, if you're us. Ha! Take that!) But you know, it's just a weekend. Small potatoes, knaa'mean?

Other things: I may be going to Atomic Books this coming Thursday for a book signing by Hanne Blank, who you may know from a previous plug of Nibblechomp in this here blog. She'll be signing her new erotica collection, Unruly Appetites. I have Zaftig: Well Rounded Erotica, which she edited, and it's a quality (pronounced "qualitah") read. Of course, this is contigent upon how late I have to work, since it's in Baltimore and starts at 7. Oh yeah, I guess it also depends on if mi mu�equita would also be gracious enough to take me. This, too, is contingent upon how early she gets off from work, since she works even later than I do. (Sweetie, if you're reading this, I was totally going to ask you, and not just assume you would.)

Also, if we can swing it, me and the boys might be rolling to Lulu's for a special event: "The Search for DC's Girl Who Went the Wildest!" That's right, Girls Gone Wild is rolling into town on Feb. 18th. That should be quite a night, if we wind up going (and getting in, which will be a tough task, I'm sure).

That's about it. I'm going to hang out with Ali tomorrow if I'm feeling better, and will be meeting up with my friend Beth next Wednesday to hang out, something I haven't done in over a year, only seeing her on the random occasions where we'd bump into each other on the street. I'm looking forward to it. I am really going to try to get in touch with all of the people I lost track with in the last year due to financial problems and depression.

And now I really have to go, because the "Uncle Pecos" episode of Tom and Jerry is starting, and that is a CLASSIC. "Froggy went-a courtin' and he did ride...C-C-C-Crambone!" Ciao!

It's quite extraordinary: no matter how happy you get, no matter how giddy and obnoxiously lovey-dovey you become, if there's still a galaxy of despair inside, you can easily slide through the wormhole into the blackness.

Tonight, I was actually near tears when I was accidentally pitched into the past while talking with my amorcita. Same stuff that has been tormenting me for the last couple of years and how I still feel stuck in a huge career tarpit. Anyway, I guess the changes in the last couple of months haven't been enough to completely erase the depression I experienced last year (especially last summer...just look at the archives), and when we got on the subject, it all came rushing back to me to the point where I just couldn't talk any more. I hate the feeling, but what can I do? It's part of me.

And to top it all off, we won't even be able to spend the weekend together, which isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's not exactly going to help my current state of mind. I just hope the rest of the week at work doesn't make me want to cut someone.

Why am I posting all of this here? Fuck if I know.

Where are you, Mavis Weld?

So it basically went down like this:

"I love you."
"And I, you."

That's six words, and two of the words are repeated. So really, it's four words. But they were incredibly transformative, and took an incredible amount of nerve to get them out. I'd never been the first to initiate this phase in a relationship before, and I'm still kinda shocked that I did it this time. To quote Seinfeld, "'cause if you don't get that return, that's a pretty big matzoh ball hanging out there." But as it turns out, my anxiety (in this instance, anyway) was for nothing. Seems she'd been biting her tongue on the same thing for about a week.

So what does it all mean? For now, that we're both incredibly happy. For the future, who the hell knows? (Insert standard cliche about it's the journey, not the destination, etc.)

And now in a subject completely unrelated to the preceding (and naughty to boot, so please be 18 before clicking the link), I used to work with this girl. What a crazy world, eh?

Before I get myself to bed, I should say that this post may come down (or at least be edited) if it does not get the proper (after-the-fact, obviously) clearances from all parties involved. So enjoy this bootleg version while you can.