Duchess Jane

January 29th, 2009 will go down in history as a very exciting day.  One of the more minor reasons has something to do with a governor.  More importantly, however, is the story of the stuff in my mailbox.

In one day, yesterday, I received the following:

• an enormous box of free beauty products because I have the best friends ever
• new work boots (more about these tomorrow)
• an apron and kitchen towel from Etsy shop Boojibo
• fake wedding rings for upcoming work events that result in better sales leads if people think I'm married
• 3 new Netflix movies, including one that Marc told me to watch like 11 years ago that just finally worked its way to the top of my queue
• a Babies 'R Us catalog addressed to Duke.  funniest.thing.ever.

I have been tagged by approximately 1,475 people on Facebook with this "25 random things" meme, and every morning I see a new tag and I think "I suck" because at first I thought I could ignore it and it would go away and now I realize that it won't because I think every single person on Facebook is doing it.  And I'm a joiner. 

1. When I'm on the phone at work, I'm always smiling, even when I'm getting yelled at, and my coworkers mock me for it.
2. I'm pretty terrified that when the house is finished enough to decorate, I'm going to do a terrible job.
3. Regarding issue #2, Duke has a gaggle of interior designers at his disposal and I hate the thought of any of them making decisions in my house.  It's MY HOUSE damnit.
4. At work, I take certification tests for things I don't necessarily understand, and I pass based on my memorization abilities alone.  I do it so that when my coworkers whine about having to get certified, I can smugly say "Oh please, even I passed that test."
5. Savings sub-accounts at ING Direct changed every money habit I've ever had.
6. I watch Love, Actually every time it's on.  Sometimes I watch it OnDemand.  Sometimes I even add it to the Netflix queue.
7. I'm signed up for a basic, beginners, continuing ed photography class.  It starts sometime in mid-February.
8. If I were to own a race car, it would be number 8.
9. The biggest side effect of my job and the things that I see every day is that I could never live in house that had a fireplace.
10. I secretly hope that Duke never starts using the Facebook account I created for him because I know that he'll have more friends than me in about 30 seconds.
11. I keep 5 different flavors of tea and 3 different mugs in my office.
12. I am obsessed with skyscrapers.  I can usually give a pretty accurate report on the state of construction of the Chicago Spire, Burj Dubai, or the Nakheel Tower.  I'm very sad that the global economic downturn has led to shelving some of the supertall plans.  Why skyscrapers?  I don't know.  Maybe because I grew up in North Dakota, where grain elevators were my definition of tall.
13. Other people's dogs usually scare the piss out of me.
14. If I was a better singer, I think I would have been an amazing children's musician.  Justin Roberts has my dream career.
15. I filled out this list randomly by creating the numbers first, and then dropping in the text, so that the good stuff wouldn't all be in the beginning and the weak ones (like this one) at the end.
16. The older I get, the less I like wine, the more I like beer.  Further proof that I'm becoming my mother.
17. I love Duke but I miss dating.
18. I type freakishly fast but I can't have the keyboard anywhere within my peripheral vision to do it.  At work, my keyboard tray never gets extended and my hands are always completely under my desk.  When I use my laptop keyboard and I can see my hands, I can only type at about 50%.
19. I have 127 subscriptions in my Google Reader and I rarely have unread items that are older than 1 day.
20. Strangers have started asking me questions in the grocery store the way that they ask Duke questions at Menards.  It thrills me.
21. I used to hate Gmail and all assorted Google products.  Well, I didn't hate them, but they creeped me out from a security standpoint.  They still do.  But I use them all, which makes me a big ol' hypocrite.
22. I eat and drink most things at room temperature/lukewarm.  I don't like anything hot or cold.  I don't have issues with my teeth.  It doesn't hurt.  I just don't like it.
23. I use Windows Live Writer to update this site and I currently have 8 drafts that I need to finish and publish.
24. I have been shopping for a smart phone for 2.5 years.  My paralyzing indecision won't be cured until at least 2 more carriers pick up the G1 and I can properly weigh that option.
25. I have eaten at least 3 meals a week at the same restaurant for the last 6 years, and I don't plan to ever change that.

Oh, and if you think I'm tagging people, you're wrong.  I'm pretty sure I'm the only person I know left that hasn't done it yet anyway.

House progress!  Advancing at lightning speed!

I have a closet in what will eventually be my bedroom.  It's one of two closets.  For those who have seen the house and can picture it, this is the space above the stairs into the basement, hence the slanted floor.

The drywall is as done as it's going to get for awhile - we will have the taping and mudding done at one time, so most of the house will look like this by that point.  I haven't decided if I'm going to put a shelf where those boards are or not.  The supports for it will always be there, because the ceiling of this closet is a magic access hatch to the attic, and Duke will need a place to stand if he ever needs to get into the attic.

There's also a magic access hatch for the plumbing over the shower in the new bathroom, which is what Duke is working on in this picture.

Lucky for your delicate sensibilities, I took photos of this part of the project instead of video.  There were some curses. 

I almost died of The Plague this week, but in typical soap opera fashion, I have risen from the dead and I have almost no amnesia left at all.

I have a lot of things to write about, so The Plague this week was a real disappointment for me.  So stay tuned for: car horns, new boots, house progress, Hooters talk, and my plans to be the next husband to Katie Peretti Coleman Frasier Kasnoff Snyder Snyder.

Meanwhile, you can find me and Duke at Beat Kitchen in Chicago tomorrow night for the Snowsera show.  If you're in the area, please consider dropping in.  PR-Chat fans, I've even heard rumors that Dano might make an appearance.

I wanted it pretty bad.  I compared my hopes to the Cubs.  I was at Grant Park. 

Eight years ago, I refused to watch.  Four years ago, I hovered around the break room TV, alone, crying.

Today I'll be standing in front of the same break room TV, wearing a nondescript company sweatshirt, with a different shirt beneath it, probably crying again.

He is the ultimate unicorn chaser.