nina turns 40

nina turns 40 has moved

This is the OLD ARCHIVED nina turns 40--it has all the juicy goodness from November 2002 up through Dec. 11, 2003. For the freshest, tastiest, new and improved nina turns 40 please click on over to nina turns 40 at TypePad

Don't forget to change your bookmarks, and check in on me frequently, won't you?

Some people are so clueless that they don't even *know* when they're being an asshole. What can you do with those folks, but try and forgive them, and send them on their way?

Since I'm always bitchin' about Blogger, I may actually do something about it and move my butt over to TypePad.

I've been in a complete Bah! Humbug mood about Christmas this year. I haven't purchased a single gift or done anything the least bit holiday related. I often go through a stage like this, usually due to feeling overwhelmed and the fact that I hate how commercialized it all is. With the kidlet getting older and more aware of the hoopla and having his own expectations about things, though, it's getting harder and harder not to make a fuss. I still don't think I'll send out any cards this year, but maybe, just maybe we'll get ourselves a little tree.

Someone is verrrry excited about the fact that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the best Christmas show EVER, is on TV tonight. And the kidlet can't wait either. I mean, it's got Burl Ives, it's got a cute little love story, it's got misfits who find their place, what more could you want?

Oh, and the job interview went better than expected, the position sounds more interesting than I thought it would be, and the pay is better, too. Interview #2 is later this week. I'm trying not to get too excited, but this is looking good!

The job interview is today during lunch. I'm sure no one at eVil corporation will be the least bit suspicious when I show up in a skirt today. I do have the excuse that my always inconsiderate neighbors/landlords had their clothes sitting in the washer all weekend, and then spent all last night finally drying them and dumping ever more clothes in. I couldn't drag myself to the laundromat--not on Monday evening, it's more than I can take. Tonight, though, that may be where you'll find me. Meanwhile, I've been practicing my interviewing technique. I'm pretty comfortable with this one since it's the same industry and I have friends who work at this company. Feel free to send me good vibes anyway, however.

More shameless bragging about the kidlet

The kidlet, who is not yet five, and not yet in kindergarten just read his bedtime stories to himself. This thrills me like few other things that he can do. As a child, I took a book to bed with me instead of a stuffed animal, and I'm a lascivious word lover now. So of course I'm proud as can be that he seems to have an affinity for reading as well. We're always most pleased with our offspring when they reflect back to us that which we like about ourselves, no?

There are days when it really sucks that it gets dark at 4:30, and then there are days when the full moon rises up over Capitol Hill, all big and pink and glowing and I can watch it from my cubie as it ascends in the night sky, and the freeway below it looks like a river of lights, and I don't mind it so very much at all.

When I woke up this morning I had that feeling that for some reason December 8th was a significant day in my life. I couldn't think of anyone's birthday or anniversary that I was forgetting, when finally it dawned on me as I was listening to the radio--John Lennon was killed on December 8th. And the thing that really kind of freaked me out about it? He was only 40 when he died. I am now older than John Lennon will ever be. Very strange indeed.

Love Craigslist or hate it, this is great fun. Wish I could get my snark on like that.

Blogger was down all morning which made me very grumpy. It was interesting to see how frustrated I got when I couldn't blog. So I got my butt on outta the house and went to take pictures of the cool house I saw last week. The angle from which I was forced to shoot (I didn't want to actually trespass on the property) and the grey sky behind the grey building make for a much less dramatic image than when I first discovered the house, but you can still get a feel for the spirit of the place. If I were ballsier, I would have knocked on the door to talk to them about the house--maybe someday, because I am very intrigued.

After shooting these, I made my way to Lighthouse Coffee, one of the places on my list of roast-their-own coffee houses. The smell upon walking in was heavenly, but it was small and crowded, and there was no place to sit, so I'll go back another time. That's the second place I've been to this weekend that suffered from a severe lack of space. The other was The Essential Bakery, which makes the best bread in Seattle, and has expanded into chocolates (how could I not love them?). I've been wanting to go to their cafe forever, and finally made it yesterday with best girl S. and the two kidlets in tow. It was jammed. So it seems that Seattlites are plenty hungry for comfortable, independent spaces to hang out it and drink coffee and get a bite to eat, so the first rule of thumb--give 'em some space to do so. That's one reason the Uptown in Belltown is so nice--lots of room. They're definitely vying for second place in my ongoing quest for the Best Coffee Houses in Seattle.

Halley over at misbehaving.net wrote about sexual globalization a couple of days ago, and I've been meaning to comment. I know that the web has certainly changed the way I relate to porn (she is hesitant to use this word, but I find it straightforward enough). The sheer variety and availabilty of sexual content online makes it nearly impossible to resist at least a peek. I've never paid to look at porn online, partly, I'm sure, because there's so much free stuff available out there, and also because that seems to cross some line for me about what is OK for me to do. I'd be embarrassed to admit to buying access to porn movies online, for example, which is pretty funny considering how open I am about everything else. And I have no qualms about checking out lots of different free stuff. Of course the biggest difference that the internet has made in my sex life is that I talk about it publicly. I have a forum now for talking about sex which I always felt I'd lacked. I'm fascinated by the whole phenomenon of sex blogs, particularly women authored ones--which seem to be the norm. Looks like I'm not the only one who wants to tell the truth about what my experiences have been, and what my desires truly are, unfiltered by any expectations about what is right or good or feminine.

I was remiss earlier (11/30 post) when I forgot to mention that my always stylish sister was the one who turned me on to Dwell. I've been tearing out pages with ideas for the future casa mia. No other mag that I've seen combines a love of clean modern style, beautiful design, and sustainability quite like Dwell. Thanks, Jill!

I've managed to nab myself a job interview for next week. I don't do so badly at presenting myself well on paper, and this job is in the same industry I'm in now (bummer), and I'm completely qualified for it, so I'm not too surprised--plus some former colleagues work there and they like me. But interviews make me crazy, in interviews you have to talk, you can't write it down and edit it later, you have to shoot from the hip and still be impressive, and that is NOT my strong suit. Can't we do an email interview? By no means would this be the job of my dreams, it's a lateral move salary wise, and I don't think the tasks will be that much more interesting than what I'm doing now, but the atmosphere and corporate culture at the office where I work now is so very dreadful, I really must get out. Speaking of which, some of the big poobahs found out about little poobah hiring her boyfriend, and so it looks like, finally, he'll be on his way.

Oh, and I think I've picked a kindergarten for the kidlet.

The sad tale of the incredible shrinking boobage

My weight has been steady for the past four years or so--ever since I stabilized after the kidlet was born. Recently, I start noticing my pants are getting too big, and when I go to buy jeans, I have to buy a size smaller. Great, I think. I haven't been dieting (which is a truly evil thing) and I'm dropping some weight, sweet! Then of course I notice that my bras are too big as well. Damn. There's always a downside to loosing weight--the boobage is one of the first things to go. Oh well, there's less belly, too, so no one will ever notice. And the ass? Well, the ass has pretty firmly established itself as the ruler of all, and will simply not go away. And while we're on the subject, here's what the marvelous Ms. Cho has to say about dieting. Hilarious as always.

I love coffee and I love stories. So you know I love this place.

I don't know if I can keep up this sex blog thing. Not that I don't want to write about sex, I do, I do. I just don't like having to single out one part of myself and keep a separate blog about it. Just like I don't want a coffee blog or a mama blog, I don't really want a sex blog. I want a nina blog. Besides, there is much pressure (internal, I'm sure) to titillate, to entertain, to get people off. Not my goal. I just want to write freely about sex. So, I'm probably gonna start doing more of that right here (sorry mom). I won't take down the other just yet, but don't be surprised if it vanishes as quickly as it arose. And yes, I'm reaching that ravenously horny stage. Lock up your husbands and boyfriends, ladies, I'm going on the prowl.

Last night I went to the first meeting of what will eventually become a parental advisory board for the kidlet's school. The families that go to the kidlet's school have to be one of the most diverse groups in the city (as I've blogged about before), and since I'm somewhat shy in these sorts of group situations, I amused myself by just sitting and observing the group dynamics. What did the white guys who are married to white women have to say and how did they say it as opposed to the single latina mom, as opposed to the white lesbian mom with a partner as opposed to the white lesbian mom without a partner as opposed to the black woman (sexual orientation and partner status unknown)? Quite the interesting bunch of folks, and of course all utterly devoted to their kidlets. I was actually disappointed that I had to leave early. I don't know how much of a commitment I'll be able to make--I feel like I'm spread pretty thin as it is--but it's bound to be an interesting experience either way.

On Sunday, when I was wandering around Fremont I stopped by Peet's Coffee to buy some beans. I'd been thinking I was going to hang out there and drink coffee and write, but they have NO place to sit. Well, there is a small bar-like table along the window with maybe three uncomfortable looking chairs there, and a quite large outdoor patio with very nice tables and chairs set up impractically there. I hate a coffee place with nowhere to sit. It turns it into a fast food mentality--buy your stuff and get out, and take your paper cup with the plastic lid with you. On the other hand, the quality of roasted beans that Peet's offers is far and above any of the corporate coffee around here, and they were doing a cupping when I was there, so I got to taste a bunch of different stuff before I decided on what I wanted. They even gave me a free cup of drip with my beans. Vivace's Roasteria is still the best coffee house in town bar none, but I'll keep checking out the rest--I'm always open to surprises.

So is it worth the four day weekend considering the price you pay on the Monday afterwards? Hell, yes! But man I feel like sh*t today. Did not sleep very much at all last night, mostly, I think, because I couldn't stop obsessing about the fact that I had to get up early this morning.

Today is world AIDS day, and as such, I would like to be participating in Link and Think. However, I just found out about it today, and I have no great links to pass on, nor do I have a heart wrenching story of how AIDS has affected my life or my loved ones. So, I should be in awe of my great good fortune and not bitching about how crappy I feel 'cause it's Monday. Mostly, when I think of AIDS, I just get pissed off at the original fucktard president, RR, and the way that his ignorance and lack of action killed so many people, and how racism, drug company greed, and world politics today ensure that more and more Africans (though of course not only Africans) will suffer and die needlessly.