January 29 - Happy Things

It's been a rough week/month so far, so today, I think I need to list some happy things. 

It was three degrees Fahrenheit outside when I woke up this morning, which is not, in and of itself, a happy thing, but when compared to the negative eleven degrees Fahrenheit I woke up to yesterday, it is. 

I am one-third done with covering for my coworker who is on vacation. 

I think I made the people in cars around me think I was insane with my car dancing on my way out to rehearsal. But seriously, if you're stuck going two miles per hour, why not crank the tunes and have a bit of a dance?

The music I was listening to was Frank Turner. He always makes me smile. 

I have (I believe) two little clementine seeds germinating away in my apartment on either side of my pineapple. There is something about growing pineapple and clementine plants in my apartment during a particularly harsh Chicago winter that brings me an enormous amount of joy. 

I had two evenings this week to spend with my cat. It melts me every time he snuggles up next to me and falls asleep with his head on my arm. 

I get to start work on another Shakespeare project soon. And it sounds like Hamlet: The Series is progressing nicely. 

People seem to be enjoying Just a Fling.

I was called someone's good luck charm the other day. 

As annoying and exhausting as it can be sometimes, I was helpful at work. 

And I believe they're playing Mike Doughty in here. I like it when artists I like get radio play. 

So those are a few happy things today, to try to offset the Grumptopotomus that has taken up residence in my heart. I should name him one of these days so our conversations can be more productive. 

January 28 - Broken

I feel like a broken record, bitching about the weather day in and day out. It's really cold outside, kids. Not as cold as Antarctica, but cold enough to be really annoying for Chicagoans. And frankly, as a person who hates being cold more than just about anything, I'm getting really tired of it. I'd like to know when the warm weather is going to happen, just so I know there is an end in sight. I know there is an end in sight - it can't stay this cold forever - but I want to know when it is, so if it doesn't happen by that date, I can be justifiably pissed and figure out a way to sue the weather forecasters or something. And I'm not just talking about above-freezing temperatures; I want to know when we're going to hit eighty degrees Fahrenheit (twenty-seven-ish degrees Celsius for our friends across the pond). I want to know when I will be warm all the time.

And then on top of the persistent annoyance of being cold, there are all sorts of other minor annoyances creeping into my life today. Nothing to talk about on the interwebs, per se, but enough little things that when added together, they feel like a big thing that just has me grumpy. Grumptopotomus City, goin' on in here. And weren't you guys supposed to be drawing pictures of grumptopotomi to make me giggle? Get on that!

So then I found seeds in my clementines at lunch today. I believe they are advertised as seedless, but whatever. I found seeds. And I think, to try to lift my spirits a bit, I'm going to try to grow them. My pineapple is doing quite well under the grow light this winter, and wouldn't it be fun to have a little clementine tree in my apartment as well? Just the sort of thing to help lift me out of the mid-winter funk. Grow a citrus tree inside.

So I may be a bit broken by the weather, but broken people can get better if they really want to, right Frank?

January 10 - Anger

Today is one of those days when I have very little faith in basic human goodness. I have been a subscriber to the idea of basic human goodness for quite some time - I take comfort in believing that most people are basically good and we all just want to be safe and loved. I'm not exactly sure where this belief came from. Maybe observation. Because think about it: in the course of your average day, you probably have a lot more relatively pleasant interactions with others than relatively unpleasant ones. 

But then there are days like today when the majority of the interactions I had were antagonistic. Some out of a combined grumptopotomusness, some out of playfulness, some out of lack of awareness. I don't think any were intentionally malicious. But they all add up to a day of antagonistic interactions that leave me angry and doubting the idea of basic human goodness. 

Fortunately, basic cat goodness is a very real and true thing. He justs wants to be warm and near me and to maybe get some scritches on the top of his head or some snuggles on the couch. And his sweet, fuzzy face lights up when presented with a lap on which to sleep. It's hard to stay grumpy and angry with the world when an adorable friend is curled up at your side. 

To those who I may have offended today with my anger, grumpiness, and lack of faith in humanity, I apologize. I'll be a better person tomorrow. 

November 21 - Grumptopotomus

Imagine an octopus mixed with a hippo. Who is extraordinarily grumpy. This is the grumptopotomus.

Today, I am the grumptopotomus.

Honestly, I have no idea what that even means, but the word popped into my head because I'm really grumpy today and what's better than a grumpy hippo octopus and sometimes when you're really grumpy you just need to giggle at something completely nonsensical. So I bring you the grumptopotomus. If anyone would like to submit artwork for what the grumptopotomus might look like, I'd love to see it. Remember: grumpy. 'Cuz I can see a hippo with eight legs and a weird octopus face, but it has to be a supremely grumpy weird octopus face. Or an octopus with a hippo head that is (again) extraordinarily grumpy.

And I have now succeeded in making myself laugh so hard I'm crying, which may mean the grumptopotomus is no more. For the time being.

Send me your grumptopotomus art! Let's all have a good giggle about it!