JUST ONE OF THEM DAYS


this morning i thought i would dabble in some make-up and try to pretty-up my face a little. then i got distracted and forgot to put on mascara. so the make-up thing just doesn't look right.
~ awesome.
then i spent 2.87 minutes blow-drying my hair until the cord, which is about 2 inches too short to reach from the plug to my hand, fell out of the socket-- as it is prone to do. i didn't have it in me to re-plug it. i dropped the dryer and continued on my day-- hair only partially styled.
~ meh.
i finally got all my lunch packed and ready to go. walked up the hill and about 5 yards from the bus-stop i watched the bus pull out and leave me in it's smoke-filled trail.
~ okay.
i waited at the bus stop and talked to mary. it was a good 40 minutes before i was actually hanging up the phone with her-- and i had only managed to get to the lechmere station. i could have walked there and beat the bus by a good 15 minutes.
~ bleh.
i get to work and because i had taken my half-day to teach my class on tuesday... the pile of orders is unbelievably high. looks like i'm eating my lunch at my desk for the third day in a row.
~ figures.
i go to the bathroom and only then do i notice that it apparently didn't matter if i had taken 3 hours to curl my hair because it rained and now my hair is flat, lifeless and falling out of the hair clip i used to keep my TOO LONG bangs from falling incorrectly in front of my eyes.
~ boo
taking phone calls all day from people who are more uptight about where they sit in the theater than about real things like global warming or the preservation of the yak, has got me all snarky n'stuff and i find myself making fun of people's names and (i'm sorry but the name PENI is funny to me! it just is) rolling my eyes when the dude on the other end of the phone starts out the conversation by calling himself DR so and so! dude... do you really have to tell the world that you made it through your doctorate... and in what? LITERATURE??? (pronounced... litch-ritch-ure). people are dumb.
~ sheesh

time to go home.

DOLLAR STORE FOR PRODUCE.


so you guys, i am like totally still on a natural high from saturday- my report on visiting the haymarket is ready to burst forth-- are you ready?

haymarket: an outdoor market open on friday's and saturday's. located just outside government center in the heart of downtown boston. some would call it a farmer's market with attitude. i call it the dollar store for produce!

i am a self-proclaimed save-a-buck-junky. an outfit that is cute becomes 8 times more cute when you buy it on sale. the dollar store is my favorite place to wander around in... looking for really cool deals on ANYTHING. anything for free is a good anything... that's my motto!

how much is it? A DOLLAR YOU SAY?!?! I'LL TAKE IT!

so i am poor. yeah yeah i know you've been listening to me complain. but when one is poor, one must think outside the lunch box and find really cheap a@@ ways of feeding oneself. so i decided to make my favorite chicken veggie soup, in bulk, and eat that every day for lunch. and where can i go to get my ingredients at a steal of a deal???

you guessed it- THE HAYMARKET!!!

so sat morning my new roomie and i ventured out, cash and bags at the ready. we walked up and down, perusing the merchandise, squealing at the low costs and hungrily grabbing at the wares i had purchased.

so check this. here's what i got (all but one item was needed for my soup/meals):

5 sweet naval oranges
5 cloves garlic (came in a 5 pack- good thing it keeps)
1 large celery stalk
(1) 2 pound bag of already made salad mix
(1) 3 pound bag HUGE carrots

LOADS of food! LOADS!

and would anyone care to guess how much i paid for all of this amazing fruitage?

$6.00

i know! i am still freaking out about it! why would i EVER buy produce anywhere else? really? i can't understand why i haven't been doing this every week.

so dudes. hit me up baby! i will brave the cold on an early, sleepless saturday morning. i will get shouted at by the noisy bostonians who will say anything to get me to stop and purchase their wares. I WILL get pushed over by the little asian woman who thought i was in her way at getting to the avocados that were before me!

WHY?

because i'm cheap. and so is the HAYMARKET!

A TEAR-FILLED FAREWELL





today, the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley passed away. an influential man in many circles, most especially to this blogger. set apart as the prophet when i was 15, i have literally grown up and loved learning at the feet of this kind, yet powerful man.

i have a very vivid memory of meeting him when i was 8 years old. we were at the same play that he was attending and afterward my dad and i walked forward to shake hands with him. even at such a young age, i understood and marveled at his incredible spirit. i grew up anticipating each talk he gave in general conference, knowing that peppered with his profound admonitions we were bound to hear a great story or hilarious joke. he had a marvelous sense of humor. at the age of 15, when he was a newly called prophet, i remember seeing him slowly pass by in the fancy car provided to take his wife and him down the streets of salt lake during the days of 47 parade. i will never forget that moment when i made eye contact with him. my spirit jumped inside of me and testified with a power difficult to explain, that this man was indeed a servant of God.

i will miss learning from him. i will miss the way his voice cracks when he tears up. yet i am so excited for him. he was so heart-broken when his wife passed, 3 years ago and what joy there must be in heaven tonight.

TAG, I'M IT!!!


i was tagged. and because i love vicki, i will do my duty and tell you all 7 random things about myself.


random 1- i hate all exo-skeletal type seafood. no thank you to crab, lobster and shrimp... the texture is just too boingy and evokes certain reflexes to heave forward... that is not good yet that makes me a cheap date!


random 2- i see faces in random things. no i don't see faces of people who are dead... but paint splatters, grains of wood, shadows cast on things... i can usually find somewhere on these things that look like faces. it's almost a favorite game of mine that i usually only play by myself.


random 3- in honor of this random's number i will give you the top 3 favorite things to snack on (these items make me happy at any time). 7 layer bean dip. hostess cherry pies (i have learned to like drakes, since they are cheaper). smart food popcorn.


random 4- my energy is like that of one of those wind-up toys. i start out with a lot and as i start to lose steam my brain doesn't fire off as fast as it should and i get extremely exhausted rather quickly.


random 5- i have watched all 9 hours of the lord of the rings extended trilogy. 3 hours per movie. 3 hours of behind the scenes movie action. i have no shame. and i would do it all again... if i could just find the bloody time!


random 6- remember how in the early to mid-nineties it was really popular to gather the hair from behind your ear and pull it up to the top of your head in a half pony tail and then make a massive bump just above your forehead... then aquanet? yeah i was pretty much the queen of this hairstyle. if it were in... i'd do my hair like that every day... and i'd still be queen. (i looked for a picture to prove this, but came up empty handed. i think my sister has all my pictures from this time-frame)


random 7- i HATE being around balloons. they freak me out. dead serious. i must have been totally freaked out by a popping balloon when i was a small child or something to account for the amount of panic i suffer through when i think that someone's going to pop a balloon around me. i know- i'm lame.

THE NEXT BEST REALITY SITCOM!!!

so after the events of my yesterday (see below for details)- i couldn't help but reiterate to the universe that I LIVE IN A SITCOM... i just do. those who know me well sit by the phone and wait... they know that each time i call there's about a 75% chance that the news on the other end of the phone is going to be the next installment of PEGGY's SITCOM LIFE. tell me i'm wrong!

yesterday morning was not unlike all the rest. i got up, ate pancakes... oh wait! i stand corrected... it turns out that yesterday morning was different for one very distinct reason... it was frickin' COLD... that's what happens when they turn off your heat because there is a gas leak in your apartment!!! so back to my pancakes. i ate them all bundled up like alfie's little brother on "a christmas story." then i got showered and let the hot water thaw me out, dressed and packed up my backpack-- ready to brave another day of too many things to do in one 24 hour period.

i made my way down my lovely little street with every intention of taking the number 88 bus (like i always do). yet, just as i was about to turn in that direction the number 85 bus rolled up behind me... and since both buses take me to my final destination, eventually, and because i'm no dummy, i jumped on the 85!

i found that my favorite spot was vacant, cheerfully sat down and opened my readings. we turn right, then left, pick up new passengers at the next stop, doors close, we move forward and BAM! the bus comes to a sudden stop. i look up from my book to see the bus driver scrambling from his seat and as i look at all the faces of my fellow passengers it starts to dawn on me that we were just in an accident-- TOTALLY FIGURES.

i look out the window to see the construction truck that had slammed into the bus pull over to the side of the road and then look back to the others and say "i knew i should have taken the 88!!" we all begin talking at this point and in the absence of the driver (who's out on the street yelling at the driver of said criminal truck) we begin piecing together the crime scene. it turns out that the construction truck had a gate on the back of his truck that hadn't been properly locked, when it turned the corner, in front of the bus, the gate swung open and smashed into the driver's side window. see exhibit A.

EXHIBIT A

30 minutes later, we're still sitting on the bus. we've all given our names to be witnesses, talked with the MBTA investigator, made several inappropriate jokes and are now waiting for another bus to swing by our stop and pick us up-- but oh wait-- she accidentally took the wrong turn and ended up in harvard sq.-- we'll have to wait just a little bit longer!

it's in this moment that i realize that this scenario would make a great play or episode on a sitcom. seriously, we had all of the typical television stero-types a) the beautiful, smart black woman on her blackberry the whole time b) the snarky gay guy making all of the hilarious acidic comments c) the little old lady who is telling us all what to do to keep us sage d) the bus driver with the heavy bostonian accent e) the handsome guy that joined the bus after the accident and then me f) the quirky blonde. perfect.

then i start chewing on this idea and i realize that- seriously if you turned some of the events in my life into a sitcom- it would be hilarious. then if you got some really great writers to script it out and got someone amazingly quirky, yet hot to play me... you have a GREAT sitcom on your hands. and how much more interesting will it be when the public hears that every episode will be something that ACTUALLY happened to me? eh?

think about it-- the "i blew up my face" episode would be one they wouldn't stop talking about around the cooler for weeks!

so i'm doing it dudes. i'm getting my very wordly-blessed friend mary to help write the script and then this summer i am going to CA during pilot season and i am pitching my sitcom idea.

i've already even come up with a tag-line: it's like reality tv- with better writing!

ahhhh... the joys of self-exploitation... i can hear the money falling into my lap already!

~ TOOTHLESS DRAMA ~

TEACHER: class, tell me-- what should you do when you have tooth pain?

CLASS: GO TO THE DENTIST!!!!

TEACHER: good. now tell me, when. when, class, do you go to the dentist when you have tooth pain?

CLASS: RIGHT AWAY!!!

TEACHER: yes class, that is correct. peggy, can you tell me why you didn't join the chorus of voices yelling the correct answers?

PEGGY: (looks down sheepishly) ummm, cause i forgot!

TEACHER: well then missy, it looks like someone's going to have to lose a tooth!

PEGGY: NOOOO! but honest engine, i brush my teeth. sure sometimes i forget to floss... but i promise... i'll do better!

TEACHER: it's too late! the tooth must go. class, from now on, i would like you to start calling peggy by the name CLEETUS- because from now on she will be toothless.

END SCENE.

but not the end of the drama for poor, stupid peggy.

on friday morning, peggy got her tooth pulled and in her very own naive way she told the dentist that she could make-do with regular tylenol and skipped off to work; even though she couldn't feel her lower lip and had a mouth full of gauze. for two hours, while the novocaine kept her senses ignorant to the fact that her mouth had undergone major trauma, she worked and talked on the phone and printed tickets. pretty soon, she could feel her lip again. then her tongue. then the pain!

pain like she had never felt before in her life!

before she knew it, she was sick, sick, sick. her head was swimming. her face was hot and aching. and the pain was unstoppable.

her friends came to her rescue! picked her up from work, went to the dentist to retrieve vicodin and anti-biotics, brought her saltine crackers and popsicles and put her to bed.

saturday at 4 a.m.- peggy was awakened by a raging fever- body aches- joint pain. she wanted to die. but it was her first day of her "tiny dancers" class at the theater and she just couldn't miss it. so she made the choice NOT to take the vicodin to ensure she would be alert for class.

6 a.m. rolled around and she was getting worse. so she called the dentist's office which had an emergency hotline number to call. the nice man on the phone sounded flabbergasted that she hadn't taken more vicodin and told her that her infection was spreading and if she didn't stay in bed she would make it worse.

7 a.m. peggy made the sad phone call to the director of education at the theater to tell him that she couldn't make it and promptly fell asleep until 1 p.m. when she woke up in a sweat. the fever had broken- but her face was so swollen!

what a sad and yucky day for peggy. ice packs and frozen corn were her best friends. movies in bed and chicken noodle soup made the world a little better. but phone calls and visits from friends helped her know how much she was loved.... boy is she LOVED!

sunday morning rolled around and even though she had a tiny bit of swelling and vicodin still running around her blood-stream... she made it through an entire day of church-- all three meetings and a primary meeting! go peggy!

today, cleetus... i mean peggy is doing much better and has definitely learned her lesson to NEVER put off the dentist again!

~ THE END ~

PSA's for the STARVING ARTISTS

I AM THE CHAMPION!




SATURDAY
11:30 am- a trip to home depot and 4 dollars later i have a bag full of mouse traps and i am ready to use them
7:30 pm- friends come over to eat food and watch a movie. good times.



SUNDAY
1am- my friends leave my house after an evening of laughter and frivolity.
1:30 am- i'm in bed- in major need of sleep.
1:32 am- mice munching on wood somewhere in my room.
2:15 am- i look at the clock again... i've now been awakened by the sound of mice running around my bed and now i'm on edge.
2:15- 3:30 am- i toss and turn- every so often yell at the mice when i hear them running around. sleep is now just something i could have been doing.
3:35 am- after hearing the mice munching on something just by my head i turn the light on. i begin pulling out my dresser and bookcases- grasping at anything i can get my hands on so i can find the stupid crappy mouse that has been invading my slumber for weeks now.
4:00 am- i am now delirious after a long unfruitful search for the bloody rodents.
4:15 am- i begin FINALLY putting the mouse traps together, loading them with peanut butter (it's been said they like it better) and placing them around the entire perimeter of my room.
4:25 am- grab comforter and pillow from my bed, shut my bedroom door behind me (so i won't hear any "snapping of traps" and take my sleeping position on the couch.
4:30 am- out like a light.

++++

8:15 am- alarm clock goes off.
8:15.5 am- turn alarm clock off.
9:30 am- wake up again-- i now have one half hour to shower, get ready and get myself to church.
9:32 am- carefully open my door to inspect the traps. discover 2 mice caught in 1 trap. VICTORY!!! no other traps have been triggered... yet.
10:10 am- amazingly i made it just as the sacrament hymn is being sung.

+++

1:55 pm- arrive home from church.
1:58 pm- enter my room to discover that 4 more traps have the culprits in them.
1:59 pm- the victory dance.


MONDAY
1:10 am- friend leaves apt- time for nite-nite
1:15 am- discover that one more mouse has kicked the bucket.
1:30 am- in bed. laying very still. listening. waiting. finally relaxing.
1:35 - 7:15 am- PEACE AND QUIET... the entire night.

I WON! THE BATTLE HAS MY NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER IT AS VICTOR! I ROCK!

i know very well that if there were 6, there are probably 100. this war may not be over- but for now i will bask in the peace. i will sleep long and i will sleep hard. i will doze off with a ginormous smile on my face and slumber in silence. ahhh... i'm so ready to sleep now.

AGAIN WITH THE RANDOMS
random thoughts that pretty much cover the last few weeks of my life



+ so i have vowed, if i can help it, to NEVER fly southwest airlines ever again. i forgot how miserable the cattle call is, the squishy planes, lame peanuts and don't forget the annoying man who lopped himself onto my seat and wouldn't move! by the way dude- when you burp we can ALL tell that you ate bacon for breakfast and it makes me want to throw up my very own breakfast! boo hiss dumb old man.


+ my family rocks my world. i had such a fun christmas-- you should have seen the amazing job that the bradshaw bunch did on the christmas spread. you should have seen the amazing babies that have grown up (yet still kissable) and become way cool kids. you should have seen my dad and brothers at alta ski resort with me on christmas eve-- so many good and funny memories... and amazing powder that i got stuck in!!!! you should have seen me and my mom, watching tv together and we both started crying at the same commercial (i told you i was turning into her), you should have seen what santa brought me-- he read my blog and brought me a train! get out of town santa, that's just what i wanted!


+ CA was, well... ummm ... NOT SUNNY! it's okay california, i forgive you-- i still had the time of my life with some amazing friends . i played lots of games, ate all sorts of treats, made yet another gingerbread house, watched people get drunk off a drink called the BRAVE BULL (you don't want to know what's in it- YIKES), had an unexpected job interview, got a cool new puffy coat, saw the chipmunks movie (not as bad as i was expecting) and rang in the new year dancing to a rock-awesome guitar player! could i have asked for a better week? i think not!


+ so my flight got in at 11:30 pm last night (which btw did you know that if you take a direct flight on delta you get TV, just like jetblue?), got home around midnight. filed through the mail, dropped my suitcase in the middle of the floor where it belongs, jumped into jammies, pulled my comforter off to jump in and STOP. WAIT. yes, it IS what i think it is.... MOUSE POOP in my BED!!!! proceed with the girl scream and freak out moment. i HATE that dumb mouse! this is war. the minute you enter my personal space and leave happy little dropping behind is when i bring out the big guns baby. TOTALLY GROSS!


+ since being gone and staying at other people's houses and actually having the time to do so, i watched tv. i never watch tv. so i have officially joined up with natalie and become a HUGE fan of project runway, america's next top model and make me a super model. now that i am back i am finding myself a little sad that i won't be able to see what happens to all my favorite people!


+ i also watched the sugar bowl last week. was anyone else totally sick of hearing georgia's victory song??? come on it sounded like "i've been working on the railroad" and after you take a 30 point lead, you can just stop cheering, okay? dear hawaii- i don't know what happened to you guys out there, but i do need to say one thing: NEW OFFENSIVE LINE! thank you that is all.


+ best find of 2007: well my favorite easter candy is the cadbury solid milk chocolate eggs with the crunchy candy shells... you know the ones.... well guess what dudes? they now come in CHRISTMAS COLORS!!!! oh life couldn't get any better! bringing the joy all year round.


+ i am officially selling the DIRTY OLD MAN this week. i am near tears just thinking about that cute little car that has been with me for a decade. taken me back and forth our great nation, listened to me cry when my heart was breaking, been beaten up and still keeps on running like a champ. it's really sad to see it go. but i am putting it in safe and good hands and that makes it feel a little better. by my darling old man... your listen and win me tattoo has been erased and your back end needs mending... but sheesh man- you were such a good car. i love ya man!


+ speaking of cars- i just might be buying a brand new one. okay it's nothing close to being brand new... in fact it's really old. but it's cheap and will help me get to and from the laundry mat, church and target without having to bum a ride- now that's what i'm talking about!


+ am i the only one that feels it's really weird writing 2008 on everything? and excuse me but what the H happened to 2007? seriously, we gotta slow this soul-train down somehow.