wrung me out too too too many times

Today I left work an hour and a half late (nothing shocking), and when I got home I spent another hour doing other work things. And then I got an e-mail that said I have a meeting that starts at the time when I'm supposed to leave work, PS I needed to leave an hour early tomorrow.

So what I did was cry. Seriously. I cried for an hour. I cried at the computer, I cried on the phone, I cried on the couch. I went into my room and starting packing my bag for my trip (which I will now be late for) crying while watching "The Job."

I love "The Job." The job, not so much. Now I am sitting at the computer (oh, but you knew that) having downed three Advil and a beer (My self-medication is squarely OTC), and I have stopped crying. I'm calling that progress.

PS I love Colton Orr.

sit down next to me

Today I am going to that Elton John concert that's all over the news. I'm so lucky, right? I don't know where my tickets are, but I'm hoping for my regular hockey seats. Not because they'd be great concert seats (they wouldn't) but because they would be so familiar. And magical!

Speaking of hockey seats, please let them win today. I'm shooting for no losses from here till June.

we don't care what your name is, boy

Did Simon Cowell just say he didn't know "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"? What? Can he be fired? How do you not know that song? How do you not love Gerry and the Pacemakers? Recognize, Cowell.

I am too flawless to be with you people - how did this happen?

I was just now watching this week's "Saturday Night Live" and it had "Deep House Dish". Really? I can't imagine that anyone likes that sketch but me (I do love it), and that was its sixth time. Perhaps this is how people who like "The Falconer" feel. Does anyone really like "The Falconer"?

I want to live the sporting life

My stepfather bet me $10 that Boston would win the St. Patrick's Day Bruins/Rangers game.

"I've always loved the Bruins," he said. "And the Devils." He lies. He's a Rangers fan. He does it just to drive me crazy. The other day he called me as a representative of the Chris Simon Fan Club. He's a riot.

Anyway, we won 7-0. And Matt Cullen got 2 goals and an assist (it's like supporting a team within a team!). Pop should bet me more often.

Speaking of sports enjoyment, there was an "exposé" on "Dateline NBC" about men who like watching football. Yeah, really. So they had these huge fans who really like their team, and the wives who can't stand it. My favorite part is when the wives talk about how much they hate it, PS of course the men were crazy fans before they were married. First off, why hate it? Who cares? I hate football too, but it's on once a week. How much of a problem can it be? And if you do hate it, why get married to a fan?

So they set the dudes up by having the wives ask them to do things around the house while the game was on. Come on! Leave the dudes alone. Does it make you happy to haunt your husband so he can't enjoy something that he loves? Aren't you happy to see him happy? Can't you find something to do without him on a Sunday afternoon? And when did emasculation become a prerequisite for being a good husband?

Also, how is it that no one has married me?

I've been taking a lot without giving back

This may be the best video ever.

You're welcome.

not gonna change till I want to

I have a new favorite song! Yay!

If you told me my new favorite song would be by Albert Hammond Jr., probably I would kick you, or at the very least think badly of you. I would have been so wrong.

This song, it is called "In Transit," and I listened to it about 65 times in transit today, and maybe 65 other times last night at home.

Did I mention that I love it? I do. I love his way of singing (much more than the Strokes) and I love the melody, and I love that I have no idea what he's talking about and I love how it starts out as some other song I love and can't ID, and then turns into "This Is Just a Modern Rock Song" or some other Belle & Sebastian someting and then becomes "Don't Save Us From the Flames" from M83.

Hear it at this fine site (Fine Fine Music, hey!). You may love it too, even if you're sure you won't.

the problem is you

Days off at work aren't easy to swing (start your day three hours before everyone else and see how many are jumping at the chance to fill in for you), and I wanted one at a particularly tricky time. So I offered a compromise: I'll work the first 2/3 of Thursday and and the first 1/3 of Friday. I'll leave at noon Thursday and 9-ish Friday, and have about nine hours off. Fine. Good. Excellent plan. Works for me.

In real life, I left at 1:50 on Thursday and 1:30 on Friday. My day off amounted to two hours and 40 minutes.

Now I know the problem here is me. No one said, "You can't leave," but I can't. There's always too much to do. I not goofing off. I don't think I'm especially slow. I'm fairly certain I've never left my desk for longer than 15 minutes at once aside from a meeting — we "grab" lunch and hurry back. When we can get lunch. But there's still never enough time.

And then today, when I finally got home (it took 90 forevers, thanks MTA) I just had to immediately check my mail and see what was happening since I'd left. I learned that Kelis got arrested for yelling at some hoes. (Or cops posing as hoes.) And I felt horribly guilty for leaving that hour and a half early.

Um, what?

I clearly need 80 years of therapy and a different job.