This weekend my Mom came up to spend Thanksgiving with us and, as we were talking about stuff (nobody can chew the fat like we can), I found myself saying over and over again “this blogger I read…” and then telling her a story I’d read on someone’s blog.  I realized it about halfway through the first day of her visit and I think that by the end of her visit it was driving her a little batty. Not in a bad way but probably in a “do you have stories about anybody that you know IN REAL LIFE?” kind of way.

If you are a blogger yourself or if you spend copious amounts of time online in forums or games (holy hell I hate WoW but it does help my husband understand my attachment to blogging and other bloggers) you get it.  You understand how a community can be formed and friendships forged even if the most you ever do is leave comments on each others’ (s’s?) blogs once in a while.  You know what it is to feel like you really know someone–well enough to relate to them–even if you haven’t ever exchanged direct communication.  It’s a weird little world we live in, and I love it.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with blogging, online life, etc, though… it can feel from the outside like someone is substituting all of these “fake” friendships for real friendships and “why do you care so much about people you’ll never meet anyway?” (nobody has actually said that but I know that it has been thought)

I know that if you aren’t a part of this world that it can be hard to understand.  Having to explain to people why I blog is hard enough, but explaining why I keep coming back to people’s blogs every day is harder.  People have an easier time understanding an addiction to a television show–a world that is usually 100% fictional–than they do understanding the connection someone might feel to a certain blog–or why a person might continue to read a blog even if they stop relating to the author.

I don’t have any easy to understand answers for this.  I don’t know how to say “they feel like my friends” and make it sound less creepy.  I do know that, no matter how creepy and stalkerish it sounds, I spend 90% of my time in the house with only a cat to talk to and the blogs I read, the twitterers I follow–they help my day feel a LOT less lonely.

So, because it is the last day of NaBloPoMo and because this is the first work day after a weekend that was supposed to have been spent “giving thanks” (if you’re in the US anyway) I’d just like to say that I’m thankful for all of my blogging buddies and for all of you who read my ramblings here (even if most of you are not big on commenting) and for all of the bloggers who put their own ramblings up for me to read.  Obviously I’m thankful for my 3-D friends (a few of whom are bloggers themselves) and my family as well but I’m super thankful for all of you who keep me laughing and entertained and feeling like a part of the conversation through that weird and wacky place we call “teh internets.”

And with that I’ll say “so long NaBloPoMo! We’ll meet again next year!”

Tonight was spent out at a friend’s house for her husband’s birthday.  We’re both tired and Will has homework so we only meant to stop in and say hi… to spend an hour there max because we didn’t want to be all “that’s nice that it’s your birthday but we have stuff to do!” Because those kind of friends suck.

We ended up staying almost three hours.  Because that is what always happens. But it’s okay–there was good food and good conversation so it wasn’t like we were sitting there looking at our watches just waiting for the time when we could leave.  I think Will wanted to stay even longer but we have an early day tomorrow so we came home.

So.  Thanksgiving weekend is pretty much done.  We had super yummy food, got to hang with my Mom and it was a super great holiday all around.  This really is my favorite time of the year.  At some point this week I’ll pop in Love Actually and then next weekend we’ll get our tree (hopefully).  Perhaps I’ll make some cookies.  I don’t know.

I can’t believe tomorrow is the last day of NaBloPoMo.  Is it just me or did this year’s NaBloPoMo go by really fast?

So the family has gone home (and gotten there safely), the food has been eaten (though there are still quite a lot of leftovers in the fridge) and life is getting ready to get back to normal which, in my world, means a husband with a bazillion degree new car fever.  I said it on Twitter earlier today:

Hell is a husband with new car fever and pockets full of holes.

E-gad.

The math is solid and it would only be a couple more years of payments and if he can get the numbers right I can understand how a new (to us) car would be a sound investment–it’s safer, has more “fun stuff” in it, has more space to transport stuff, blah blah blah.  I just think that it is the epitome of…something that during the weekend in which we are supposed to be giving thanks for what we have and appreciating our lives, someone is going “but I want something better!”

I sound like a total jerk right now and I feel like I need to put it out there (even though it should be totally obvious) that I do love my husband very much.  He’s a good husband.  But Oh. My. God. I do not want us to buy a new car right now and I’ve spent TWO days having to say that over and over again.  I’m beginning to feel like the ugly monster that stomped all over hope until it gave up and died or something else insidious that strikes fear in the hearts of people everywhere.

Again: I love my husband.  In the spirit of this weekend you could even say I’m thankful for him.

But SERIOUSLY.

SERIOUSLY.

Was not spent waiting in mile long lines or fighting people for the last toaster at Target.  Instead, my Mom and I hung out at home while Will went to work.  We took a stroll over to Fred Meyer for bread and soda and then when Will got home (narrowly avoiding buying a new car, phew!) we all crashed in the living room and watched the Proposal.  And now, even though it is only 9:30, I think it is time for bed because WOW. Not doing much sure takes a lot of energy!

Good Food

Good Family

Good Movie (Star Trek)

Good Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay, my house is mostly clean (about as clean as its going to get anyway).  I’ve finished my work for the week.  Thanksgiving weekend can start now! Yayy!

(Also? How is NaBloPoMo almost over already??)

Last night Will came home from his school and told me, very proudly, that he had defended my honor to one of his friends.  Curious and a little bit incensed that this friend would even attempt to..dishonor (disparage?)  my honor I asked what had happened.  Apparently this friend was giving Will crap about how even though we are less than financially stable, Will hasn’t made me get a job.  I guess Will responded with “she has a job, she just works from home” and the friend was all “yeah, but I’m talking about a real job.”

I like this friend, he’s usually pretty smart and nice but dude? Eat my shorts.  Seriously.

That kind of thinking is one of the hardest parts about being in freelance.  People assume that all I do is sit around all day surfing blogs, chewing on my hair and gloating over not having to do any “real” work.  For the record?  I’m not spending my days surfing blogs and reading People Magazine’s website (unless I need to for a client).  I don’t watch daytime television.  I don’t lie around reading trashy romance novels.  I am not lazy.  I’m not choosing not to get a real job because this? IS my real job. And honestly? This is probably the hardest job I’ve ever had.  Yes, 90% of it involves spending copious amounts of time on the internet but dudes: I write content and web copy.  What the hell do you expect?

I know how this job looks from the outside.  I’m pretty lucky.  I can work at home in my pajamas.  On days when I do not feel like sitting upright I can lie on the couch with my laptop and still get my stuff done.  I can have whatever background noise I want.  I can leave the house and work from wherever I want (as long as it has WiFi).  If I need a break I can take it.  I don’t have to ask to go to the bathroom and I don’t have to worry about covering my shift if I get sick.

BUT.

If I don’t work I don’t get paid.

I don’t automatically get health insurance even though I put in 40-50 hours a week.

I have to pay for all of my business materials (business cards, printer toner, internet access etc) myself.

I spend almost all day alone with only a cat to talk to and the cat? Is over me already.

How much work I get done depends directly on my ability to focus and how much energy I have.

This is not work I can “phone it in” on or just do the bare minimum to get by.

I don’t get paid for busy work like filing or filling out paperwork.

I can’t spend a whole day avoiding my actual work load and still take home a paycheck at the end of the week.

Oh and did I mention?

If I don’t work I don’t get paid.  I don’t get paid for sitting here.  I only get paid for what I produce and sell.

I love my job but sometimes I get really frustrated by people who just don’t get it and who won’t try.  A few months ago, a got an e-mail from another friend who had come across a part time job opportunity and wanted to let me know “you know, in case you ever feel like actually working for a living.”  The friend meant well, but? Ouch.

This blog post doesn’t really have a point except to vent.  Like a lot of jobs, this is one you won’t understand unless you do it yourself.

And let’s not even start about Will getting crap for not “making” me do something.  Please.  What are we, back in the 50s?  What kind of wacky ideas does this guy have about marriage anyway?

How do you solve the need for lunch stuff when you’re low on funds and you know that your fridge is going to be packed to the gills with Thanksgiving leftovers in a few days?  If you’re me and you’re going through a fried rice phase, you make a gigundo pan of veggie fried rice–a pan filled so full that there is enough for your dinner, your husband’s dinner and lunch and snacks for a couple of days.  I predict it will conveniently run out on Wednesday afternoon.

Today I am quite proud to report that I have completed my to do list.  I didn’t think I would–there was a lot on it and I got a late start, but I finished it and that makes me happy.  What makes me happier is finishing it with enough time left in the day to lay back down on the couch and watch some Ally McBeal on DVD (I’m Netflixing my way through it).

Tomorrow is another long to-do list that includes work and cleaning our apartment.  I’ve kind of fallen off of the “must keep it clean!” wagon over the last few weeks but my parental unit is visiting for Thanksgiving and, well, it’s not that she’s picky (even though she is, Hi Mom!) it’s more that if it isn’t clean when she gets here, she’ll start making hints about cleaning that will get stronger and stronger until she just starts doing it herself.  And, you know, I’m kind of too old to have my Mom picking up behind me.

I don’t remember if I told you but last weekend I rented My Life in Ruins via On Demand and you know what? It was super cute.  I thought it was going to be the continuation of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding Story but it isn’t.  It’s a new story but the characters feel very familiar.  Also? Richard Dreyfuss just cannot be obnoxious, no matter how hard he tries.

I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving.  I always look forward to Thanksgiving, it’s my favorite holiday.  There’s nothing quite like getting together with family (remember, I like mine), gorging yourself on a bunch of super awesome food and then spending the rest of the day in a food induced dopey haze.  Oh and I think this year we will be watching the super mega awesome special edition of Star Trek! Woo!

One of the things I love most about my job is how much of it I spend inside my own head–planning, tweaking, figuring out directions to take, that sort of thing.  I love that I can do it while I lay on my couch in my pajamas watching Gilmore Girls on DVD (just finished season 5) and while we go shopping for stuff for Thanksgiving dinner.

Incidentally? We got all of our Thanksgiving dinner prep stuff for under $60.  Woo!  Thank God for WinCo!

I love that even though I spent most of the day on the couch watching TV, I can also call it a work day because I was going over stuff (on my laptop and in my head) and setting up my moves for Monday and Tuesday.  I have a jam packed couple of days ahead of me but I love jam packed working days, so they should be fun.

Right now I feel very “bring on the week!”  I’m hoping I still feel that way when I wake up in the morning.

So earlier tonight I read something completely offensive on Facebook by somebody that is on my friends list and ohhhh man I wanted to go off on that person because seriously? Poor taste.  Instead, I posted on my own status update “wonders where the damn dislike button is when you need it.”

Within an hour the person with the horrendous status update had done the thumbs up thing on mine.

Irony.  It’s what’s for dinner.