Let’s face it, it’s much easier running errands during the week when the rest of the world is at work or school. This is especially true during this time of year. I needed to make a MAJOR Target run and you cannot pay me enough money to go into a Target store on a weekend between Black Friday and Christmas. That’s like walking directly into the depths of hell.

I came down with a cold early Monday morning too, so these two days have really helped me to rest and take care of it so it goes away soon. It moved from a scratchy, sore throat to now mostly some congestion and a runny nose. I’m hoping this afternoon’s three hour nap kicked this cold to the curb.

I still need to get my flu shot. Can you get it if you have a cold? I think I might get it after work on Friday so I have the weekend to rest in case I come down with anything else. I’ve only ever gotten sick from the flu shot once, but you never know.

I really disconnect from the internet when I’m off. This is fine on weekends when most everyone else does the same thing. I mean, I’ll be on Twitter all day even when I’m not at work, but I rarely check email or Facebook and I don’t read any blogs. I am so out of the loop.

I am apparently just writing random thoughts as they come into my head and making them a post. See, I figured I should write something, this being the last day of November. And even though I failed NaBloPoMo, I still wrote a lot this month and figured I should write the first day of the month and the last, at the very least.

In all honesty, I’m waiting for my Megavideo account to reset so that I can keep watching Six Feet Under. Have you all seen this show? Of course you have. Its 10 years old. IT IS AWESOME! I’m really, really enjoying it. I’m still having a hard time with gay Dexter, but he’s growing on me. I have to stop thinking of him as a serial killer. Hard to do when he’s a FUNERAL DIRECTOR. It’s almost the same! Anyway, this show is awesome, and if you haven’t watched it, you should. Trust me on this.

(My Netflix DVD was broken and wouldn’t play (probably since it is 10 years old) and since I’m impatient and have cleared out most of my DVR, I needed to watch the episodes online rightthissecond. I seriously couldn’t imagine waiting 2 days for the replacement DVD.)

And now I’m off to see if I can keep watching.

See, this morning, I had to get into work earlier to work an event. I had to be downtown, butt in seat, coffee and breakfast in hand, at Union Station, no later than 7:30 AM. And in case you didn’t know, 7:30 AM is really fucking EARLY.

We don’t change the clocks until this coming weekend. Which means that when I got up at 5:30 and then left the house to walk the streets of my hood to the bus stop at 6:30, it was pitch black. Oh! And when I got off the train downtown and walked into Starbucks it was also still dark.

Is it just me, or does it feel like we should have changed clocks like three weeks ago? I don’t know why it feels like this. On most days I’m surprised it is already November and I wonder where the time went. On top of that, we’ve had an actual fall this year and have had pretty decent weather overall. Shit, it’s going to be in the mid-60s this weekend. In November. IN CHICAGO! We didn’t even get a lick of snow that the East Coast got last weekend!

(Oh how Mother Nature is going to smite me for those sentences.)

I’m sure part of this feeling about the time change is because I get up earlier now than I used to at my old job. And since I started new job at the end of March when the weather is making another turn, but this time for the warmer and sunnier, I’ve never done this commute to work at this time of day at this time of year.

At my last job, I got up at 8, left at 8:30 and was in at 9. I slept until 8! On weekdays! How awesome is that? Well, not awesome when you hated the job you had as much as I did.

But now! I like my job! I still get in at 9, but since it takes longer to get in, I’m up before 7. Well, most days. The days I don’t have to wash my hair I push the snooze a few more times. But even for the last month the sun hasn’t been rising until after 7 AM. And that is just unacceptable.

Yes, yes, I’m aware that in a month it will be dark when I get up and dark when I get home. And that SUCKS. I do hate leaving the office when it is dark. But I’m still looking forward to the time change because it really does feel like my internal clock is all messed up.

In sunshiney news, I found out that I’ll be moving to a different floor at work in two weeks. And with that move, I’m getting a cube along the wall. The wall of WINDOWS. So while it will be dark in the morning and night, and we’ll have a lot of dreary days coming up in winter, I get to come in every day and look outside at the Chicago skyline.

And that’s definitely worth getting up in the dark for.

And this ends the stream of consciousness portion of this week’s NaBloPoMo posts.

Actually, I’m sure I have plenty of things rolling around in my head, but I’m currently sitting here debating how I could chop off my legs because I’m pretty sure that would be less painful then my legs are currently. I’m currently afflicted with some TIGHTNESS in the calf muscles right below my knee. Which isn’t a problem when I’m sleeping or sitting, two of my favorite things. But sadly, I can’t do this all day as I am required to walk places – my car, the mailbox, the bathroom, the copier. And after sitting and letting these muscles get all comfy in that postition, when I go to stand up, I almost fall over. No really. I cannot straighten my leg. Have you ever tried standing and walking without being able to make your legs straight? IT IS NOT PLEASANT.

The thing that sucks is that walking makes it better. But again, I cannot spend the day walking. We have a sales conference this week at work which requires a lot of sitting. More sitting than normal. Sitting and paying attention and not thinking about your old, creaky legs.

Also, currently, I’m thinking about how full I am. We all went to dinner tonight for the sales conference, at a Mexican restaurant. The food was OK, but they made guacamole fresh in front of you tableside, and well, that is the best thing ever. So I’m pretty sure I ate my weight in chips and guac (and steak tacos) and added a sangria margarita the size of my head to the mix. Because I didn’t have to pay for it, so I might as well enjoy myself. Because I have learned NOTHING in these 3 months on WW. It’s a wonder I’m not losing any weight.

And other than that, I’m thinking that it might be a little too early to go to bed, but I want to anyway. Because as I mentioned above, sleeping doesn’t hurt my legs and I am tired. I blame that on the combination of the food/margarita coma.

Oh! I was actually going to write about what kind of music I like. Yes, I was going to write a whole post on that. Because Monday on Twitter, in a conversation about Casmir Pulaski Day, it came out that I did not realize there was a Sufjan Stevens song called Casmir Pulaski Day. And then it came out that I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard a Sufjan Stevens song. Which led to this:

Which apparently she did not know (SHE DOESN’T KNOW ME AT ALL!). Which is actually something I’ve dealt with often in my life. Apparently my 6-foot tall, pale-white ass doesn’t scream RAP and HIP HOP! Yet? That’s the majority of the stuff on my iPod. That and anything a 13 year old would listen to.

I don’t discover music. If I like a song, it’s generally because I heard it on the radio, on Sirius, on a commercial or on a TV show. Which means then it is probably already an old song to people like Ali.

So there you have it. That’s the kind of music I listen to. I like Katy Perry and Ke$ha and Pink. I’m not ashamed. I like music that is catchy and that I can sing along to.

Oh, that’s also something I do really well – I know the words to A LOT of songs! Just ask Rhi! She was shocked when I knew all the words to every song that came on her radio on my visit to Portland in the summer!

Is that weird? Did you think I was an indie rock lover? A classical music lover? Is there anything else I need to clear up? Do you also think I have three arms? Because I don’t.

Anyway, I had every intention of keeping up my end of the “posting more” bandwagon. But last week, well, let’s just say that I do not handle time changes well, especially the Fall Back one. Because while it is awesome in the mornings – “Hey, it’s only 7 AM, but it feels like 8 AM and I’m rested and holy shit! I have time to blow dry my hair! This is AMAZEBALLS!” – it is not awesome as the day wears on – “Oh, it must be almost 5 PM, almost time to go home. Thank God, this day felt like it was never going to end (looks at clock) WHAT? IT IS ONLY 2:30? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? WHEN DO I GET A NAP?!?”

So that was my excuse part of last week. The other days, well I went out drinking on Tuesday night and got home late. And then Wednesday, well once I get out of the habit, it’s hard to get back in the habit. And then all I would write about would be all “hey! Did you know that this time change really fucks me up?” And basically it would be just like this post and well, the end.

And that is the extent of my exciting life and why I haven’t been posting.

I had a list of things I was going to talk about tonight. But then, well I think I ate something rancid from the deli in my office building. I had a salad, and the dressing didn’t taste quite right. I mean, it didn’t taste spoiled, it just wasn’t regular ranch dressing. But since you pay by weight for the salad, it was a $9 salad, so I was going to finish it. That was not the best idea, seeing as an hour later I started to feel like crap. So I took off a little early because I really didn’t want to puke in my trash can. You’re welcome, co-workers.

I’ve been holed up in bed, watching TV since I got home. I choked down some toast and I’m feeling better. I don’t know what the deal was, but I didn’t like it one bit. Especially since I now have an aversion to ranch dressing. Although, on second thought, that’s a good thing for my waistline.

And with that, I shall leave you to go peruse some other, more entertaining blogs. For instance, go read my most recent post on Draft Day Suit. I’m really enjoying writing these college football recaps.

Also, a final note, you should all be excited to know that I recently purchased this:

He should be arriving to his new home shortly. We’re all excited to welcome a new member of the family to the house! Can’t you just FEEL their excitement?

The only way to get them to look at me was to say “Do you want TREEEAAATTTSSSS?” And then I snapped the photo and didn’t give them any treats. This is why they puke on my things.

My weekend was pretty uneventful, just like I like them. Just relaxing enough to make me really wish I had a few more days off to do all the errands I planned to do this weekend.

There was a running theme this weekend – I am old.

Friday, I went to the Cubs game with my mom and they lost, badly. So I drank beer and made sure my drunk mom didn’t fall (I failed at that when I convinced her to climb over the seats at Wrigley) and that she didn’t get left behind at Sluggers (WIN!). We came back to my place while it was still light out. We napped and watched TV  and ordered pizza for dinner. I think the plan was to rally, but we were both in bed early. Like before 11 PM. And I was sober. (Mom, not so much.)

Mom stayed over Friday night, so on Saturday I took her home because her and Gram had chores for me. I did my chores, we went to Target and then my Grandma told me she would pray for me at church. And that I should go with her because there is a tall guy she sees every Saturday. And she would hook me up with her friend’s grandson, but she found out that he doesn’t like to drink or go out to bars and Gram was all “Oh, then he’s totally the wrong guy for Kris!” (I tried to deny it, but what’s the point?)

I finally went home and got ready for the Hawks game that night. The plan was to have a beer at my friend Melissa’s house before we headed out to the bars and well, we ended up staying for the whole game because it was less crowded and there were no drunk douchebags at Melissa’s, besides myself.

My friend Ang made the trek into the city from the burbs with a friend of hers from MN, so we went out after the game ended. We met Ang’s sister and her boyfriend out and then I proceeded to attempt to flirt with the bartender. I knew he was too young, but her was cute! And I was drunk! And the Hawks won!

He looked like Matthew Lillard. Not as weird looking, but he could have won a look-alike contest. Except, this was the WRONG thing to tell him. He HATES Matthew Lillard. (I didn’t realize people had such strong feelings for Matthew Lillard.) I tried to make conversation and everything came out of my mouth I regretted as soon as it I said it. It was the worst display of flirting ever! It was like those people on that reality show with that magic guy. You know, this guy:

Mystery, Magic, same thing.

We ended up leaving that bar before I made more of an ass of myself and I wouldn’t be able to ever come back. We went down the street and met a bunch of weird, shady douchebags, so we didn’t even finish our beers and took off.

Sunday I did nothing. I only left the house to get dinner because it was hot as balls out. So I caught up on Glee and napped and went to bed at like 10:30 PM. Apparently my body was like “We do not stay up this late on Sundays, lady!”

Today was another momentous day for my old-lady self. I read my book on the couch, napped and wrote out my grocery list. I finally got a bug up my ass to finally switch TV stands. So I moved the TV and other items from the entertainment center to my new TV stand. And in the process I forgot I’m almost 33 and not 18 and that TVs and furniture are heavy. And so I tweaked my back, AGAIN. So basically I’ve spent the rest of Sunday admiring my new TV stand in use, not moving very much, so as not to anger my lower back. (I did go grocery shopping, which was stupid because I think I just made it worse.)

Who knew the iPhone could capture such good photos of 90210 on TV?

(Speaking of the OG 90210, my youngest half-sister is going to be 18. She went to prom in what looked to be Brandon Walsh’s replica old Mustang. So I commented on the photo, making myself laugh out loud, wondering if she went to prom with Brandon Walsh. And if Cindy and Jim were around. And then I laughed and laughed! I never heard back from her, so when I saw her recently, she’s all “I don’t know who that is.” And then I died. Of old age. The end.)

So now I’m going to apply some Ben Gay, drink some Mylanta and put on my house coat and slippers and head to bed. And all other things I imagine old people do.

How was your long weekend? When is the next one??

Well, my March came in like a Lion because I was up all night last night with stomach issues and the chills. So I stayed home today to rest and hopefully eat something and drink and get my energy up.

Here is a list of the other things I did:

• Slept
• Twittered
• Played Words with Friends, mostly with Rhi because she was home sick too (ZOMG, I got sick through the INTERNET!)
• Watched a lot of daytime television, including the first episode of The OC on SoapNet. Man, it is a WONDER why I stuck with that show. The only thing that made that show was Seth Cohen. Even in episode 1.
• Summer was like the Kelly Taylor of that show – so dumb and slutty in the beginning and turned out to be a good person, who went to BROWN.
• Spent a lot of quality time with my cats
• I think my one cat might actually be sick or something. She’s been barfing a lot lately. Funny, though, she only seems to do it when I’m not here. Convenient, cat.
• Ate toast
• Drank cherry limeade Crystal Light
• Napped
• Watched The Golden Girls because no sick day is complete without Dorthy and the Gang.

And that my friends is a day in the life of Kristabella: The Sick Day Edition.

So tell me, readers (I think there are more than one of you these days), do you have any interesting news to share? Any exciting stories? Any topics you’d like to see me blog about? Because we’re still a month from Easter, kids, and I’m running out of steam.

Anyway, I bring this up because I have spent the last seven hours of my day reading a book. And I’m not even halfway done. DAMN YOU 900-PAGE NOVELS! And while fun, it is also freaking exhausting. Like I fell asleep on the couch at 6 PM because my day? SO EXHAUSTING.

I actually had big plans this weekend. It was my first free weekend in quite some time, so I was going to clean, and make a nice dinner and clean and catch up on my DVR and put together furniture. All I ended up getting done was dinner, some of the DVR and some of the furniture.

I ended up at IKEA on Friday night and got some stuff for the house – a futon for the second bedroom and a new TV stand, for when I buy myself a new flat screen TV after the first of the year. (YAY! First time home buyer’s tax credit!) IKEA delivers for a reasonable amount, and since I drive a car the size of a box and am also lazy and don’t like carrying things, I had them deliver it on Saturday. It worked out awesome! IKEA Delivery FTW!

I only managed to get the futon together and set up, before declaring myself exhausted and going out to grab some dinner. But at least Hotel Kristabella is now open for business. Guests welcome! (Just give me a heads up, since, well, I haven’t cleaned.) (But the mattress is very comfy. I made sure.)

After a grueling hour of putting it together, I rewarded myself with Taco Bell for dinner. Yes, I consider Taco Bell a reward. And good thing too, since INTERNET, I AM GETTING MARRIED! TO HOT SAUCE PACKET! YOU ARE ALL INVITED!

Since Saturday was mostly a bust, I figured I would be productive on Sunday! I would clean! I would get the pot roast ready in the crock pot! I would put together the TV stand! I would finally hang pictures! I would make it look like I hadn’t just moved in!

Well, it started off good. I did get the pot roast ready in the crock pot, about 2 hours later than expected because I forgot to turn ON the alarm after I set it. And then I kind of started cleaning. I loaded the dishwasher and then ran it. And then later even unloaded it. And then I read my book. And that sums up my day. The end.

(I’m reading this book, which is really good. But 900 pages. And book club is Thursday. GULP.)

I’m only about halfway through. Because I forced myself to do a few things around the house every few chapters (see dishwasher. Also emptying trash and litter box.)

But I actually really enjoyed my weekend. It has been a long time where I’ve just done nothing but catch up. A Sunday of reading a great novel is really all a girl can ask for.

Unless your upstairs neighbors decide to have children over. Children who you hear running from one side of the condo to the other. Which, HOW EXCITING CAN THAT BE? My cats don’t even do that! It’s not that big of a place!

And my pot roast turned out excellent. (Hat tip to Darcey for the recipe.)

So how was your weekend? Was it so good that getting proposed to isn’t even the BEST thing that happened?