Case of the Mondays

My Monday has started out extremely well. Not. So I'm going to share a little craziness with you. Hopefully, you'll be entertained. If not, well, I apologize.

Let me start by explaining what I do. I work for a university web department. A large part of my job consists of conducting training sessions to university department representatives on how to manage their own department's site using the content-management system the university has subscribed to. However, another part of my job includes converting and transferring departmental sites from the old system we used to the new one. When this happens, it generally takes me about a month (sometimes more, depending on the size of the site and state of disorder it is in) to transfer all of the content, clean it up, fix links, update images and out-of-date content, and generally make it look clean and nice. When I'm finished, I send a preview of it to the client for them to review and let me know if I need to make any additional changes. If I don't, I take down the old site and publish the new one, at which point the department then takes over the management of that particular site.

What sometimes happens, however, is that I will finish a site and send it off for review, and then it will sit for months, despite my frequent e-mailed reminders to the client, until the content I updated way back when is now out of date and has to be redone. It's pretty awesome. Fortunately, this has only happened with a few clients, and most of them have been pretty cool about owning up to their own inaction.

I have one client, however, who is crazy. If any one person has ever given me the urge to pour hot coffee all over someone's crotch, it's her.

So, instead of making this a long, drawn out vent-a-thon, I'm just going to share with you some key quotes from my e-mailed interactions with this woman. I already made a contact history log for my boss, so I'm just going to share the highlights. I have thus far had the good fortune of never having to meet her in person. And I fear that, should the occasion arise, I might actually punch her in the face (or, you know, at least kill her printer with a baseball bat).

Timeline 

April 19 – Finish conversion of site (which began on March 29) and send to client for approval; She responds saying she will pass it on to other associates in department for input and get back to me.

May 14 – Still have not heard back from client. Send another e-mail, reminding her that I am awaiting her review. She replies same day saying “Actually, I just got the edits back late last week, so I haven't had a chance to begin working on them. Let me send you the email I sent to [associate]. Let me know if you are confused.” Then she proceeds to forward me an email thread between her and aforementioned associate in which the associate praises her on the work she did on the site (to which she never corrects her) and requests a few more changes. Because my client has indicated to her associate that she will make the requested changes, since she has been given access to manage the site, I disregard the e-mail.

May 24 – Client emails me asking if I’ve made the requested changes. I’m sorry, what? I reply “Are you speaking of the email you forwarded to me on 5/14 addressed to [associate]? I read through that email and your comments, but was under the impression that those were edits you were going to make after the site goes live. Therefore, I have not made any recent updates to the site. If I misunderstood and you would like me to make those edits, please let me know.” To this email she responds simply with:

 “ :-) “

No joke. That’s some very professional e-mail correspondence, there, lady. Props to you. 

May 30 – I send her another preview with the updates I made; she responds saying she will pass it on to her associates.

June 5 – She requests more changes; I quickly make them then send another request for approval. Site is now at point where it’s been ready to go live and the updates she requests are things she could easily handle herself.

August 6 – Send another reminder about site and request ETA on publishing live. Her response:

“Thanks!” 

October 29 – Send contact history to boss. Boss sends stern email to client’s supervisor. Client’s supervisor gives client swift kick in the pants. 

November 8 – Client request site to go live. I schedule publication for the following Monday. 

November 16 – Client emails me and my boss about links that do not work and content that is not up to date. She says, “[Associate] had changed a few pages in [old system] that apparently Jory didn't realize.” 

I’m sorry, but were you dropped on your head as a child, lady? Of course the information isn’t up to date. I FINISHED the site months ago and it was UP TO YOU to send me updates you wanted me to do. Meanwhile, YOU HAD ACCESS to the site and actually get paid to manage it, whereas my duty to your site ended at the latest back in June, if not even earlier when I finished converting the site the first time. Not only that, but I specifically told you and your [associate] that it would be best to make all new changes in the new system, and if changes must be made in the old system, you must notify me about them if you want them implemented in the new site as well. Contrary to popular belief, I do not just sit at my desk checking your old site daily to see if there are changes. 

Also, back in March, she sent me an e-mail that said only, "It sure can!" I have absolutely no idea what this e-mail was in response to or what it was regarding. It was out of the blue. I imagine it was sent to me by mistake, further indicating that she is completely inept at professional correspondence. Do you not look at who the e-mail is addressed to before you click send?

So, that's my client from Hell. I've had other ridiculous clients - particularly one who is clinically crazy and had a complete and public mental breakdown last year - but they are all still at least pleasant to deal with, even if they do inspire occasional frustration. But this lady, I swear... I don't understand how people like this even obtain employment, let alone stay in their position without getting canned. Oh, and I stumbled across her Twitter and blog, and after a cursory glance at both, I can honestly assess that she is insane.

Gatsby the Great

Happy Wednesday, everyone! You want to know why it's happy? Because the trailer for Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby adaptation is finally here! Yay! (Ok, that's enough exclamation points).

Ok, so I have to admit, I've been waiting for this trailer in both excitement and dread. Don't get me wrong, I really do love Baz Luhrmann. I love his style and his pace and his vividness. But...when I read Gatsby, I read it as a slow, melancholic ballad that just did NOT seem to mix with anything like "Moulin Rouge" or "Romeo + Juliet."

Look at that Gatsby smile.

There was a film made in 2000 starring Toby Stephens as Gatsby and Paul Rudd as Nick Carraway. Sure, it's not as exciting as a Luhrman film, but it is a darn good faithful adaptation of one of my favorite books. It has the melancholy, the jazz, and almost a film noir experience. Also, Rudd made me not hate Nick. I'm not saying it should be compared to the new Luhrmann film, but I do think, if you liked the book, you should check out this one too.

That being said, now that I've seen the new trailer, I'm as excited as ever. It definitely has a freshness to it that I can't dismiss. Baz has not only adapted but transformed the classic in a way that is going to bring life to the 1920s (something that I haven't really seen before in a film). I'm not going to criticize if it's isn't as faithful an adaptation as the Stephens version, because then what would be the point in adaptations and remakes in the first place? Part of the wonder of transformative works is seeing how different people interpret and express the same initial idea or story. I, for one, am really looking forward to this experience.

So, without further ado, the trailer:



By the way, if anyone is interested...I wrote a lesson plan for teaching Great Gatsby to high school students, and I would be more than happy to share it.

Why is fat a bad word?

Last night I made what I thought was a witty comment on Facebook that did not receive the response I expected. In my comment, I referred to myself as a fat girl. This was not intended to be self deprecating, nor was I expressing shame at who I am. I know how hard I've been working out. I won't be fat forever, I just am right now. It's a fact. Nothing more.
So why did I receive the criticism? The reasons I thought up was that maybe people misread my remark as me being sensitive about my weight. Or maybe they felt I was making fun of fat people (I wasn't).

Whatever the reason, it became very clear that "fat" is just a bad word, even when you're talking about yourself. And this makes me kind of sad.

I especially get sad when I read fashion magazines and find the advice for "all shapes and sizes" to be horribly deficient. They have models who are skinny, tall, curvy, bootylicious, and boobylicious, but some of us aren't any of those. Some of us are simply fat. Even the self improvement magazines like Self and Shape can't throw us Works in Progress a bone, even though they know we make up a large part of their readership. I know what will look good in me when I get thin; but what can I wear when I'm not quite there yet? The term "plus size"  and "shapely" just sound dregrading and decietful, too. I'm not saying we should go around calling everyone fatties. That would be rude. But sometimes the other words out there aren't correct. Why can't we just call it like it sometimes is: fat?

UPDATE:
For the record, this is what I said, and thank you to eHarmony for understanding my meaning.

That Grammar Stuff

Truth.

No Offense, But I Won't Be Catching Any Grenades For You

I can't tell you how glad I am that the Lazy Song has finally pushed Grenade off the radio (for the most part). But, unfortunately, SiriusXM still likes to play it and it comes up two or three times a shift when I am at work. Grenade makes me want to pull my own hair out, and once it's all gone, pull out the hair of whoever is standing closest to me too. And it has nothing to do with the fact that once I hear it, it's stuck in my head for the next two days. (Although that's pretty annoying also).

Let's break it down.
"You take, take, take it all/But you never give"
Hello? Bruno? Red flag right there!!! This is obviously a one-sided relationship, if you can even call it that.

"Gave you all I had/And you tossed it in the trash"
Okay, so, not only does this chick not reciprocate your feelings, she doesn't even respect them. This is not someone worth your time!

"I’d catch a grenade for ya/Throw my hand on a blade for ya/I’d jump in front of a train for ya/You know I'd do anything for ya/I would go through all this pain/Take a bullet straight through my brain/Yes, I would die for ya baby/But you won't do the same"

I'm not going to go any further with the lyrics. It's all right here. This is some pretty serious stuff. Now, I know it's just a song and that these are figures of speech...but they irritate me all the same. The problem is that the 'unrequited love" bug is going around. I believe this is thanks in no small part to Twilight. There's something extremely fashionable right now about obsessive love that is not good for you. Something about clinging to the pain of rejection that somehow makes you deep and soulful and worldly. Remember when being emo was like totally cool?

The thing that worries me is that pre-teens and teenagers and even many adults think this is normal behavior. It's not something I can say I fully understand. Sure, I had a lot of one-sided crushes growing up. Sure, I had my fair share of teenage angst. But it was never something that defined me.

Not until my last relationship. It was not a healthy relationship. Even though my last relationship was not unrequited it was, for lack of a better word, obsessive. At that point in my life, my best friends were far away, I didn't get along with my roommate, and the friends I was closest with nearby were starting to discover different interests and head off in different directions. It was early in the college years where we were all still figuring ourselves out. I was lonely and awkward and shy in a place that was completely foreign to me. So when my ex and I first became friends and quickly learned all of the completely random things that we had in common we became really close really fast. Finally, I wasn't lonely anymore.

Because I was shy, I had a hard time making friends away from him. I used him as a crutch. And he grew increasingly frustrated with my insecurity. But, it wasn't all me. He had his insecurities as well. He would go into weeks of depression and would get mad at me when I tried to talk him through them. He also didn't help my initial cling to him by being the first to say "I love you" not even a month after we had met. He was also the first to bring up the idea that I might be someone he'd like to marry someday. This was all very early into our relationship. We both were attempting a very serious, very adult relationship while we were both just kids. It was doomed to fail.

Reading Twilight was painful - and not just because of the horrible writing - but because it was like revisiting that relationship. And the worst part about it was that, terrible as it was, it was addictive. Obsessive love is addictive, and it's destructive. And, unfortunately, there's no rehab or treatment or pill that can cure it.

Since the end of that relationship, I haven't dated anyone. I've had crushes, but no serious feelings. A big part of it is that I am living at home and don't want to be here forever. I don't want to go looking for a relationship when I can't guarantee that I'll be around long enough to see it through. I also haven't met anyone who has made me think sticking around here would be worth it, or even worth the effort and time a relationship requires which would take away the time and effort I am able to put into finishing my MA. This is not to say that if such a person comes along I won't be happy to do so.

I've had occasional crushes. But they have been fruitless, and I've moved on. So, instead of catching a grenade or jumping in front of train for someone who won't give you what you deserve, I'd recommend adopting the mindsets of these folks:

Gwyneth "Forget You"



Tom Petty "Don't Come Around Here No More"

Green Day "FOD"


Rolling Stones "It's All Over Now (I Used to Love Her)"

What do you mean, there's two sides to every story?

SPOILER ALERT - If you have not read the Twilights yet, do not proceed.

Seriously guys. I warned you.

I was thinking about New Moon, the next part of the Twilight Saga which is currently filming. I am re-reading the series and I was reminded that Edward is not in about 90% of the book.

Now, knowing the crazy fame of Robert Pattinson, I am going to project that the filmmakers are going to find some way to squeeze in more screen time for him.

You know, make the girls happy and what not.

Anyways, the most likely scenario for them working this out without changing the story would be to show what he's doing wherever he is while he's away from Bella.

This bothers me to no end.

First of all, I believe we were only given one side of the story for a reason. Meyer wanted us to experience everything (in the first two books anyway) through Bella's eyes. She has shown that she is capable of switching perspectives, yet she didn't in New Moon and never from Edward's perspective in the series. So we shouldn't get that side forced upon us in the film, no matter how "hot" RPattz is.

(Love the haircut, though.)

Secondly, the book is already too long for them to fit everything in. Remember what happened to the first film? It cut out way too much. And it's only going to be worse if they are adding things in that aren't even IN the book.

Well, that's my rant. I'm done. For now.

New Pets = New Loves

I won't be alone for Valentine's Day tomorrow after all, because last night the roommate and I compulsively brought home two new pets. We have named them Ron and Harry. If you can't figure out which one is which, leave now.

We were at Wal-Mart picking up a few necessities. I was looking for banker's filing boxes, not quite knowing where to look, and so I was just wandering around. I passed by the fish and just knew I needed one. I walked up to my roommate, who was looking at lotions, and I told her, "we're getting fish."

We picked them out and giggled like little girls as the employee scooped them out of the tank and put them in a bag for us. We carried the fish across the store to the craft section, and we actually found marbles in Gryffindor colors. Geeky, I know, but marvelous. As we were walking past the office supplies, I held the bag up and said, "Aww, look, they're bonding!" A man in the shoe aisle gave me the most ridiculous look I've ever seen. Seriously, some people don't know how to live.

Anyways, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I fully intend to stay in bed and read all day long until I have to go to work at 6:00.

In honor of the occasion, however, I started to write some love letters, which then turned into general random letters.

By the way, those notes above were for Twenty Something Bloggers' February Carnival, yay!

On a serious note: I'm wearing red & black today and tomorrow in honor of the students that were killed at NIU last Valentine's Day.

Update as of 6:15pm: Harry has died. We gave him a nice send off to toilet Heaven. If Ron doesn't make it, then we will surely know that ants are the only pets we can keep alive.

Sexy Evil Scientists VS. Men in Tight Pants and Shoulder Pads

So. I really don't get they hype about Super Bowl. I really don't. I mean, I like the commercials and all. But the game? It's just sports! Men in tight pants and gigantic shoulder pads that make them look horribly disproportionate chasing after a ball and slapping each others' butts. And yet people go crazy for it. And corporations pay around $3 million to air a 30 second commercial during the Superbowl. I don't get it. I'd rather watch the Oscars.

Speaking of Oscars...someone should create a category for Third Screen Media, and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" should take the win. Seriously, I just watched it last week, and since watched it twice more and listened ceaselessly to the soundtrack. It's amazing.

For those of you who are in the dark about this masterpiece, it is a three part, 42 minute musical miniseries about an evil scientist (Dr. Horrible) who, amidst trying to get into the Evil League of Evil, falls in love with a girl at the laundromat. It stars Niel Patrick Harris, who I must say I was never fond of before now. But when he sings, "It's a brand new day and the sun is high, and the birds are singing that YOU'RE GONNA DIE," my knees go a little weak. And I also have a bit of a weakness for perfect harmonizing, which I heard a little of and was pleasantly surprised. Basically, it's a hilarious dark comedy and when mixed with a musical it is a recipe for brilliance.

It was created by Joss Whedon during the WGA strike last year and watching it brought back my old love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes. I used to be an avid Buffy follower. It's been about seven years since I've seen an episode. But I found it again on Hulu.com last night and I am not ashamed to say I love it once more.

As for my reading list, I'm not allowed to read "Size 12 is Not Fat" because I have already read it. This makes me sad. I am supposed to pick four and I only have three, so I still need help. The list thus far is:

1. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

2. Remember Me - Sophie Kinsella

3. Bras and Broomsticks - Sarah Mlynowski

I think I might enjoy another YA. Of course, I'd love to use another Meg Cabot book - like Jinx - but, alas, I've read nearly all of them. Too bad I can't use Harry Potter either.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

it's a new year...

So why do I feel like nothing has changed?

(Except for my layout, of course. What do you think, by the way? I don't know if this one is here to stay, but it will for a while at least because I'm getting tired of the amount of work it takes to change it.)

(Oh, and see over there to the right? That's my first attempt at creating a vector image. Not bad huh?)

So. I had a breakdown yesterday. I even started crying, which I don't do very often anymore. It felt good. The crying, I mean. I'm beginning to think I maybe bottle too much up. But I really don't like to complain. I hate when other people are constantly complaining, and I seem to have been hearing a lot this past year, so I think thats why my own have gone mostly unsaid.

Anyway, I've still come to the conclusion that the root of my problem is that I still have school to worry about, and therefore do not have time to do what I want to do. I know I can make time, er whatever, but if I do it also takes away my focus. I tried that last semester. Didn't work out so well.

So here's my problem:
I have to take my last screenwriting class this semester, it is required for my major. Because my major is focused predominantly on screenwriting (being film and all) I did not get to take other writing classes. Which is why I was super stoked when I found out that my creative writing professor was offering a novel writing class this semester.

Numerous people have told me that it's not a good idea to try to work on two projects at once. In this case I would be writing both my feature film script and my novel.

So now I have to figure out if I should attempt, once more, to do both at the same time, or if I need to give up the class I so badly want to take in order to focus on what I need to get done to graduate.

I'm not going to switch majors, because the screenwriting class is the last class I need for my degree, and I'm not going to stay another semester to add a double major because, lets face it, college is expensive.

I could possibly audit the class, so that I could get the information but not have to do the work. However, it's not worth the cost if it's a workshop, because I won't have anything TO workshop. If its a lecture, well, than thats another story. That would be ideal.

But I have no idea. Thus my breakdown. I'm a worrier.

Oh, and I didn't mention before that my soon to be neice, Enid, is now a Vivienne.

A Day With Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks

When will they star in another movie together?  Honestly.  I should ask them that.  They have such perfect chemistry, and they make my heart a'flutter.

I tell you, I have had the worst possible two weeks imaginable.  So bad, in fact, that I get anxiety attacks about things from two days ago, and three days ago,...

At this point, it doesn't even have anything to do with stressing over all the things I need to get done.  It's just me feeling crappy because of things that are happening to me or going on around me.  And I keep scraping for some alone time, some time where I'm not worrying about something or crying over something.  I'm not sleeping well, I'm tired all the time.  I even tried to schedule myself a spot this weekend where I can sit and do nothing.

Except, I'm not going to do nothing.  I'm going to do something.  Even if I stay in my pajamas all day, I'll probably be working on my script...or my essay...

I watched Penelope last night.  It was a cute movie, but I still couldn't fall asleep.  And I had a hard time making myself get up for work this morning.

I got really depressed today, because I'm going to graduate in six months.  And I'm going to get a full time job.  And that job isn't going to be the job I want, because that just never happens.  Not to me, anyway.  Not to most poeple.

What I want is to write, all day, and live off of it.  I don't even have time to write what I want to write right now because I have homework.  So that's at least something to look forward to when I graduate, I'll be able to come home from work and be able to spend my time on my writing.

No homework.  I know that sounds stupid.  Especially to people who are not in school, because I'm noticing that they just dont remember just how busy you get.  And a lot of homework is pointless.  Professors just have to have something they can grade you on.  Yeah, you learn stuff, but your performance is based on papers and quizes and exams over material you rushed through just for those assigments and you won't remember them two weeks later.  Busy work.  So it's easy to see why sometimes I would feel like I'm wasting my time memorizing dates and writing papers that try to squeeze every single last possible meaning out of a subject when all I feel I need to get from them is right on the surface (even, right on the cover).

Suffice it to say, I'm overwhelmed and tired and I want a holiday.

So today, after work of course, I spent a few hours with Meg and Tom.  And I have to say, my brain did relax a little.  But, of course, I have to head to class.  I'm actually dreading walking back on to campus.  And I LOVE campus.  I LOVE my school.  But I need a break.

To quote You've Got Mail, "quel nightmare."

Let's Hear From You:

I'm not going to post my official standing on this...but I would like to know what other people think about this.

I will say that my heart is filled with compassion for this woman. I'm so sorry that she had to go through this.

Please read and share your opinion if you'd like. I'd certainly like to hear it.

Gretchen Voss - The Boston Globe

Time Off

So, I have this friend. Let's just call this friend Z.

Friendships are all about give and take, right?
Well, Z has the "take" part down pat...not so much the "give."

Now, I generally think of my self as a generous person. I like to do things for people - help them, serve them, whatever. I do this for Z, because Z is a friend that I care about. But just because I like to serve does not mean that I am not human. I get tired. I get worn out. And I dont appreciate it when Z won't do one thing for me, but then expects me to drop everything I am doing because Z is bored. Z is what I call a "good-time friend" because you call this person when you want to have fun, but this person is not reliable for anything else.

I have this other friend, we'll call this one X.

X likes to jump to conclusions.
It can be very difficult to have a simple conversation with X, or even just ask a question without X assuming you are implying something else. X is always on the defense, even when there is no offense. This can be very frustrating, not to mention mentally and emotionally wearing.

Maintaining relationships can be hard work, and sometimes even downright exhausting. This is why everybody needs some time off, some "Me-time."

At this very moment, my apartment is completely empty, and I am just relishing in the quiet, in the stillness. I strongly suggest, no matter who you are or how much of a people person you are, that you take some time to not do anything and just sit in silence. Peace. Just take some time to think about yourself, or not think at all, and just relax and unwind. It's really the most refreshing feeling.

I am alone, and it feels good.

Home Sweet Home...?

So, the roommate and I are both sick.

A little over a month ago we moved into our apartment with the excitement that comes with all things new. Now let me just take a moment to say that I am very happy to be out of the dorms, living in a humble one bedroom apartment, sharing with only one other person...but there were issues tied in with this that I was a little less than chipper about. Things that should have been taken care of before our arrival. Roommate mentioned these in her blog, but I am going to as well.

Item #1 - Our pantry had three broken/missing shelves. Roommate's BF measured and built some new ones for us and we split the cost for materials. We petitioned for Facilities to reimburse us as we felt it was something they should have provided for us as we do pay rent. However, we were told that they were only required to provide us with "a" shelf, which they did, and that was to suffice.

Item #2 - A cabinet door that, once opened, broke off the hinge and hung awkwardly on the other. It stuck out and snagged us every time we walked by. It took them three weeks to come and repair.

Item #3 - The previous tenants left a present for us in our garbage disposal. We put in a request for a repair, but it ended up being me who reached in and pulled out the unidentifiable plastic object. Roommate found a work order from Facilities taped to our door a week later saying that they had come in and fixed it... Good work guys. Thanks a billion.

Item #4 - Our bathtub would not drain. Luckily, an entire bottle of drain cleaner worked it's magic, for the most part anyway.

Item #5 - Our apartment walls and doors have been painted over so many times that our adhesive hooks wont stay for long. We've have problems with things falling off the walls, such as our curtains, my towel hook, and our full length mirror. One of the curtain hooks actually fell off without any weight put on it.

Item #6 - This is the biggie, people. Our carpet was cleaned over the summer. Nice, right? Not so much. After being shampooed, our apartment was closed up and not given time to air out.

Therefore, we moved in to a mildew infested apartment. Yay! Though I have to say, that was the quickest I've ever seen Facilities respond to a work order, and rightly so. They re-cleaned the carpet and left a dryer with us over the weekend.

SO, we should be good right? Right?
Wrong again.

We've both been sick for weeks now, going back and forth with the same symptoms and feeling not quite up to par everyday.

Now, I have just been hoping that something is going around and a little bit of Airborne and a fair amount of sleep will cure us.

Clearly, I don't want to, nor do I have time to, clear out my possessions and furniture so new carpet can be put in.

Unfortunately, this has been going on so long and all signs are pointing towards remaining mildew being the source of our unhealth.

Unsure

Right now, I dont feel like myself.

I can't figure out if that is a good thing or bad.

I am swamped. I am working too much and taking too many classes and committing myself to too many things. I like it this way. I like keeping busy, I like feeling like I've accomplished something at the end of every day. And yet, I have no time for myself and I'm finding myself more irritable than usual. I'm less sensitive to the things I am usually stressing over, and I'm more sensitive to things that really dont mean diddly squat. And yes, I did just use that expression from a billion years ago, compliments of my mother.

Here's the thing. I do feel like I'm being productive. I mean, every day I do something which last year I would have been happy to have done in a week (then again, last year I had mono), but at the same time, I'm not getting done the things I really want to get done. I'm spending all my time reading books I dont care about, writing assignments that mean nothing to me, and basically just trying to do whatever I can to graduate with high honors. Up front that ambition sounds admirable, respectable, doable... but if you take a step back, and look at the things I am not getting done (i.e. finishing a feature script just for fun, writing the next great American novel, taking some time to travel the world...) because I'm so busy with the "important" stuff, my time spent looks pretty meaningless.

My mom probably would never wish for me to live the life she led. This is why I'm getting my bachelor's degree and starting over all the way across the country. Yet her young adult life, or at least her ability to move around and just adventure freely, is looking pretty appealing to me right about now.