It might not seem like it judging from the state of this blog, but I’ve been getting some stuff done.  Or at least I’ve been working on getting my head back into the right place to get some stuff done, haven’t I?  Are the holidays really over?  Ahem.  Yes.  Anyway.

I bought myself a couple of nice items in the past few weeks, using Christmas money from my mom and my dad.  Firstly, I broke down and bought a Moleskine notebook a little over a week ago.  I’m already very addicted to it, it’s wonderful.  I’ve always been a tiny-notebook gal but in the past it’s been hard for me to get very attached to them.  I tend to leave them laying around and don’t carry them with me.  Well, this one’s different and I’m not sure why… it’s just a notebook for chrissakes!  But, it’s a little more special than that.  Is it just the way it’s constructed?  Maybe.  Or all the hype, the mystique?  Could be.  I don’t really know but I do know I’m using it a lot, every day, which I never did with any other notebook.  When I first got it I thought it was going to be some sort of diary, but I abandoned that idea very quickly in favor of a more list-centric format.  But things started getting confusing almost immediately so I started numbering my pages so I could refer to other pages, i.e. "continued from p. 4".  I keep the placeholder ribbon on my most current page of lyric-snippets, and I also bought some Avery Write-on Tabs to organize the thing even further.  I’m only using three tabs at the moment: "Literati", "To Do" and "Calendar".  The Literati tab is where I write down odd words that are usable, and bingos I’ve made — my rating is 1794 at the moment ‘cuz Eric keeps playing me and letting me hog all his points!!!  Some of my bingos: SPATTING; DETAILS; MEANDER; YARDARM; GRAPPLED; WHISPERS; NOISIER; FASTENS; PLEASURE; COSIEST; PRALINES; CLEARING.

I also have a list of wines I’ve been drinking — most of these were purchased by or with Eric.  Yup, I was never that into wine before I met him, but now I love it.  Our first date was a winetasting after the movie Sideways…!!!  But don’t worry, I won’t turn into a real wino.  Anyway, here’s what I’ve been able to write down so far.  It’s a start.

11/13/04 - 1999 St. Emilion Jacques Blanc
12/31/04 - 2003 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc
1/1/05 - 1992 Trimbach Gewurztraminer
1/7/05 - 2003 Villa Maria (New Zealand) Riesling
1/11/05 - 2004 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc
1/15/05 - Marietta Old Vine Red Lot #36
1/16/05 - 2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle (Columbia Valley) Gewurztraminer
1/17/05 - 2003 Sonop (South Africa) Sauvignon Blanc

I just luv me some Gewurz!!  It reminds me of champagne without the bubbles, which give me heartburn.

You know what else I bought?  A sweet little MP3 player.  Sure, I can play MP3s on my phone, and I have my first-generation iPod too, but those are too damn big and clunky for using in the gym.  So now I have an MP3 player that strictly for workout music.  YES I have been keeping up with my workouts just about every damn day!  At least five or six days a week, no less than an hour every time.  Anyway, the MP3 player I got is the Creative MuVo N200.  I was going to wait for the iPod Shuffle but decided against it because of a few features I thought I’d really miss, like FM radio, a voice recorder and most importantly, a display, hello?!?  I’m always wondering who I’m listening to, so that was pretty important to me.  So yeah, I got me a MuVo and I’m cramming it full of TECHNO music.  Who woulda thunk it?  Me listening to drum’n'bass, breakcore and jungle beats?  Yep.  Don’t ask me why, it’s just what I want to hear when I’m sweatin’ and bustin’ my ass on the elliptical.  My favorite way to find out about this stuff is from listening to the weekly WFMU podcast of Jason Forrest’s show, Advanced D&D with Donna Summer.  If anybody has any other good workout music they’d like to share with me, by all means give me a holler.  I’d like to listen to new stuff every day if possible.

What else did I buy?  Oh.  Some nice-smelling lotions and potions that were on clearance at Bath and Body Works. And some nice clothes that were on clearance at Sears… not daily-wear stuff, but slightly more formal things that would be suitable for showing up at a party or a nice restaurant.  Also got me a Fisher Space Pen.  Specifically, the Shiny Chrome Plated Space Pen with Matching Clip.  It’s a beautiful thing.  But I know, I’m such a trend-follower it’s not even funny, walkin’ around bobbin’ my head listening to my Zippo-sized MP3 player, taking notes about wine with my space pen in my Moleskine (which I pronounce like only the DORKIEST of the dorks do: "mol-a-skeena").  I oughta be ashamed, but I’m not.  Who cares, it’s not that bad.  Could be a lot worse.  You know… "Come ride with me in my Jetta!"