Over the past 9 days I’ve gone through so many emotions. I’ve felt irritated, empowered, angry,  depressed, and weak. There have been a few days when I haven’t been bothered at all, then others when it was all I could do not to flip out. I’m not gonna lie… I even broke down on Saturday and had a few puffs (after a few drinks) but I don’t think it set me back much. More than anything, I want to be healthier. Eventually I want to be disgusted by cigarettes- but for now, if I can cut myself down to a few puffs a week, then I think I can be ok with that. In fact, more than anything, I’m just proud of myself for not going postal on everyone who smiled at me and told me with their clean teeth and untainted fingernails that they were not addicted to smoking… that, and for not gouging my own eyeballs out with a number two pencil. I’ve also upped my pen chewing 123%, but I think I can deal with that.

I don’t know whether it’s the quitting smoking or the turning into a  28 year old woman, (and I use that term loosely) but lately I’ve been feeling like doing a little more soul searching than usual. For an example, last Thursday night I HAD to go see the meteor shower. At about 10:30 pm I dragged my roommate LA and Moops out of bed and made them drive me 45 minutes out into the country so that we could have a clear view of the sky. We drove forever, and finally found a patch of grass on the side of the highway to spread our blanket on. The three of us lay there  side by side in peace, trying to understand the vast arch above us. This lasted about 7 minutes when we begin to get bitten my gigantic Mothra-esque creatures, which made me remember the podcast I had listened to earlier that evening about ticks and the diseases that they carried. Just as we were gathering up the blanket, I saw 3 shooting stars which sent the three of us back into a trance for about 30 seconds until a cop pulled up.

This cop wasn’t your run of the mill city cop, no siree. This man was old, walked with a limp, and even wore an old fashioned badge. We didn’t freak out as we ususally would in cop sitchyeeatshuns, because for once, we weren’t actually doing anything wrong. He explained that he “had got a tele that some der folks were layin out on der road.” I kind of wanted to hug him because he was the first person I’d seen in at least a few days that could have walked straight out of a movie. Regardless we left, and I was forced to continue my soul searching elsewhere.

 (I took an ambien this evening and the majority of that previous paragraph was written in southern-cop accent, in case you couldn’t tell.)

Later that night, I decided to try to meditate. I put on a guided medidtation cd that I bought a few years ago when I decided I wanted to be a Buddhist, but all I could think about was how hairy my toes were and how much I wanted to go downstairs and eat some tuna salad and maybe even some popcorn… so after about 5 minutes of feigned calm breathing, I went downstairs, shaved my toes and ate a bunch of food. FAIL.

Some friends came in town this weekend and we spent the majority of our time playing Mario Party, which in a way a meditation of escaping reality, but for the most part I forgot about my quest to become a better person. Sunday night we went to see Eat Pray Love, which got me thinking all over again. Not necessarily about the movie… it was ok and all and I kind of want to lick Javier Bardem from head to toe, but all in all the whole thing seemed a bit contrived. I didn’t read the book and I don’t know much about the author, but it irritated me a bit that this whole story was based upon a woman who was most likely paid a book deal to go on the “quest” to find herself. But still, it made me want to do so even more. But what can I do?

I don’t really believe in bullshit self help books (no offense to anyone who uses them) but I was feeling like I didn’t have any other options, so this morning I broke down and downloaded “The Secret.” Yeah, that book that everyone and their great grandmother has read and apparantely became millionaires after reading it. I’m about half way through, and I have very mixed feelings. One the one hand,I agree that positive thinking is a.. well positive way to live your life. The more positive you think, the more active you are going to be in trying to reach your goals (though the book claims that all you have to do is “believe” that you will  become the person you want to be, and that you are that person already, and then acracadabra boom hiss your wish will be granted. )the better chance you have of actually obtaining them. But on the other hand, I have always believed that once you picture a scenario in detail- then there is a 99% chance that that exact scenario will never play out in that exact manner. If it did, wouldn’t that be some sort of deja vu space/time continuim fuck up?

I don’t know, but I think I’m thinking about this too hard. I don’t think these books are meant for cynical, questioning people like myself. I will try to apply more positive thinking to my life, and I do think that I could benefit from meditating more often, but I also think I need begin to work things out on a more rational level. My own way. I don’t have it all planned out. I have goals (see my last post) but I don’t have a clue about where I want to be in 20 years. I would like to be financially stable, but I don’t spend my nights dreaming about being a millionaire. I don’t have a dream job, I don’t have an innate desire to have a family at this point in my life… so maybe I just need to start with my small goals.I’m going to devise my own self-help stragedy. Like quitting smoking. I can do this. I will kick this. (Check out my positive thinking, yo). I’ve quit other things before. So perhaps I shall start with something small to help my cause. Maybe I should list out all the things I’ve quit before.

Here we go.

*I quit chewing on my knuckles at the age of four. Granted my doctor told me if I didn’t he’d cut them off. Also take note.. this was the first clue I had an intense oral fixation.

*I quit going to algebra my sophomore year of college because it stressed me out and cause a 3am breakdown when I ran out of lead of my mechanical pencil.

.*I quit watching Lost after the second season because it was stressing me out that nothing. ever. happened.

*I quit my job at the costume shop because my boss was a misogynistic blow hole, who made me pick up sequins while down on my knees in a mini-skirt and wouldn’t let me go home to get some sanitary help for my lady problem. He also told me I was stupid because I couldn’t work the cash register.

*I quit eating most dairy products because they make me feel like there is an angry, drunken, bowling team in my belly.

*I quit my job at the sandwich shop because I lost a nail in the vegetables and I was  probably going to get fired when they found out.

*I quit caring and talking about politics when I realized both sides are liars, but mostly because I wasn’t sure that I even cared.

*I’ve quit reading the Twilight series, Harry Potter, and every biography I’ve ever started. Mostly because of commitment issues.

*I quit going to my trainer because I had a crush on him and I found out he was like 6 years younger than me and I didn’t want to be a cougar at the age of twenty seven. Also I needed an extra $125 a month. Also because I don’t like people telling me what to do.

Hmmm… I’m sure there’s more but I’m tired and so I think I’ll quit writing now. I think we’ve established that I’m pretty good at quitting things. Especially things that suck. So now I just have to apply that to smoking, I suck on cigarettes, right? So technically they kind of suck (or blow)… Either way, I think this helped. If for nothing else, it’s helped me see that I don’t deal with stress very well, which is precisely why I smoked for so long,

Oye vey this ambien is making this confusing and I’m getting stressed again. More on this later, maybe. I’m off to suck on a lozenge, which is a word I still haven’t figered out how to pronounce.

Tootles.

*Scrubs is coming back on December 1!!!!

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Wait, rewind…. I don’t actually know how I really feel about this.

Let me backtrack a bit.

Have I mentioned my obsession with this show? It’s almost as big as my obsession with John Cusack if that tells you anything. I know it’s a show that people either love or hate, and I love love love it.  Or at least I did. Last season was supposed the last, but ABC decided to renew it last minute. Only it’s not the Scrubs that we know and loved seasons 1,2,3,4,5, and 8… Season 9 is basically supposed to be  a “New Class” version of the show. As I understand it, Zach Braff is only scheduled to be in a few of the episodes, and the focus is mostly on a group of med-students.

As much as I love this show, I’m not sure how I feel about them trying to stretch it out “Saved By the Bell” style. I think sometimes it’s just best to let good things die when they are still good. I’m not going to write it off completely, but I’m definitely on the fence. Plus, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has already given us Cougar Town this year, so I will still have that to be thankful for.

*This is semi-related, but that’s ok. In a Scrubs episode a while back, JD claimed that “So is your face” is the perfect comeback. I believe he said “So is your face, always makes sense.” As far as I am concerned, he was correct. I have been using “your face” in some form, as a comeback for everything  for at least three years now, and it hasn’t gotten old yet… at least not for me.

Check it:

An asshole: Ughh… You are always late!!

Me: Your face is always late…

An asshole: Your breath smells like turkey shiz.

Me: So does your face…

An asshole: Sphincter says what?

Me: So does your face…

See? Never fails.

*OK, this one is also related. I guess I could have written this as a normal post, but I’m not turning back now people.  Has anyone else noticed how many famous people are doing voice-overs for commercials lately? I get a little distracted every time I hear Zach Braff’s voice doing the new Brita water commercials. He also did the puppy’s voice in the Cottenelle commercials a while back. Don’t get me wrong, I get a little excited in all the right places every time I hear his voice, but I don’t understand why companies get famous people to do their voice work for commercials. I doubt people who aren’t major fans even recognize them, and it seems it would be a lot cheaper to get lesser known people to voice them.

*Back when I didn’t have cable and watched nothing and Scrubs episodes on DVD, I got so used to hearing Zach Braff’s voice narrate the show-that he basically started doing it for me in my head. I didn’t mind a bit. The only person I would rather have do the job is Morgan Freeman.

*I know it’s a little bit early (37 days til Christmas, but who’s counting?)  but I’m really excited about the holidays. I love putting up a tree and decorations. I love Christmas scented candles. And I love holiday movies.  I’m not even the least bit embarrassed admitting to the world that I’ve seen every Lifetime and ABC family Christmas movie that has come out in the last 10 years. Not to mention the count on the classics like “Its a Wonderful Life,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “A Christmas Story,” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

But if you’re a real Scrubs Christmas fan, surely you’ve seen this?!

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*For those of you still reading, I promise I’m done with the Scrubs talk. I pinky promise. Now I’m just gonna straight up bitch for a second! My roommates have decided to see how long we can go before we turn the heat on this winter. I know, yes it’s true, I live in Texas. It probably won’t snow once this season… but still. It’s cold to me! There is nothing that I hate more than waking up so cold that I can’t get out of bed. If this goes on for much longer, I will definitely need to take action. Please let me know if you have any ideas.

*My roomies have also taken to making or buying deserts at least once a week. This week they made homemade pumpkin pie. My waistline, my sleep schedule, my trainer, and my back right cavity molar all hate you right now. But my heart is happy.

*I am going to take a moment to complain once more about my face. I’m 27 years old. I have always been one of those people who could boast “I never wash my face, and I never get pimples.” I am now eating my words in a major way.

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*If there is anyone in the world with whom I have an obsession that even comes close to that of John Cusack, it is Zach Braff. And also, I am a liar.