I feel things very deeply. My emotions go from one extreme to the other. I love you and in a minute, if you hurt me badly enough, I will hate you, despise you, curse you. I used to try and be something I am not, and I was very good at it. I was cold, clinical, detached, an Ice Queen. I locked as many of my emotions away as I could to keep from crying, because I hate crying, but also to keep people at bay. And it worked. I was so good at being the Ice Queen that I sort of forgot how I really was, who I really was. When I ended high school, I decided that that was enough, that it was time to stop being that person and that is when I began taking my masks down.

I had this collection of masks that had hung in my room. One of them my grandmother accidentally broke, which was good. It was sort of the beginning, if my memory serves. One day, I was laying on my bed in my old room and looked at them and it occurred to me that that was exactly what I was doing, presenting different faces to the world, putting on the mask that I needed to get through any given situation, although that one that I used the most was most definitely the Ice Queen Facade. I hid behind her, was pretty comfortable behind her. Behind her, I couldn't get hurt. She kept people at away. Some were lucky enough to get in or knew me before I developed her. But as I hid behind her, I realized that She was not who I was, that I am an emotional person, who detests crying, but I cry now more than ever and it's okay, although I do ridicule myself for crying at things like the scene in "Poltergeist" when Carol Ann moves through her mother, Diane, played by Jo Beth Williams, and she starts to cry because she could smell her missing child on her clothes. And for when I cry during Disney movies like "Dumbo" and the first time I watched "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Lame I know, but it's me. And that's okay.

Sometimes, I think that my emotions make me seem capricious, and I have often enough called myself capricious as I flip and flop from thing or person or idea or emotion to another. And maybe that does make me capricious but I feel how I feel so I don't think really think so. All I do know is that I'm happier when I feel even if it's remembering my heart wrenching screams over the death of my cat, whom I miss terribly. Would I ever want to forget him or my grandparents or the various people that I have known and loved and lost throughout my life, whether that be to death or a falling out or a growing out of? No. I am who I am- a very emotional woman who still tries to hide it behind a mask or two. Think you can handle it?

Well, it's now roughly 25 to 11 in the P.M. and I've still got that happy, dreamy smile! I can't help it and I don't want to help it, so I shan't help it! I shall keep smiling that happy, dreamy smile, for a little while longer at least! Cheers, everyone. Have a lovely night! I'm going to dream a little dream...

E-mail from the Boy today! He's coming home tomorrow! Yay! I miss him so much, which is kind of sick as I almost never see him. With me, that old addage of "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is so damnedably true! Hmmm... beautiful, beautiful Boy. I can't help buy smile! And when I checked the e-mail and saw his name there, I actually let out an involuntary gasp, concerning my co-workers. "What's wrong?" they immediately asked as a dreamy, happy smile graced my features. That smile is still hovering about my lips. I probably shouldn't get too excited, however. That usually leads to disappointment. Damn reality! Raining on my happy, dreamy parade! Oh well... The Boy is coming home!

A fair good morning to the E-Peeps! One day this week I have to get to bed prior to 11:30 P.M. For most people, that's not late, but for me, the 9 hours of sleep girl, it definitely is. Of course, last night, I got sucked into watching "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". I have never actually watched the entire movie from beginning to end. Even after last night, I still have not watched the whole thing from beginning to end. Sleep was just far too important. And last night was the "Dr. Who" series finally. For those of you who don't know about Dr. Who, well, you should. I had forgotten how good of a series it really is. When I was a child, we used to watch it all of the time. And then it sort of died out, but it's back and it's good and, well, it's the reason I have named my car the Tardis. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am a closet Sci- Fi nerd. I tend to gravitate towards fantastical things. Dragons and fairies (surprise, surprise there!) and Star Wars and Star Trek and Greek Myths and time travel and everything that seems impossible has always caught my fancy. As a child,"Clash of the Titans" was awesome, now not so much. Star Wars- need I say more? Princess Leia was my ultimate hero! She was always so bad ass. When she said, "Would you mind getting this walking carpet out of my way?" as a three year old, I wanted to stand up and cheer! And at the age of five, I remember being horribly disappointed as I sat in the movie theatre watching "Return of the Jedi" and I saw her look at Han and then utter the phrase, "Hold me!" I was like "What? She's Princess Leia, not some weak chick who says things like that to handsome men! She kicks ass and takes name and shoots holes in things and jumps into the garbage shoot!" But I digress, once again... I remember going to see "Labrynth" with the beautiful David Bowie and the equally beautiful Jennifer Connolly, whom I hated, and thought, "she's a brat but this is awesome!" Escapism, what a beautiful thing. Is there anything better than getting lost in world that cannot be or may not be or once was but will never be again? It's in places like that that one knows that true love exists, even if not in this plane, but maybe, just maybe. If we can imagine it, then perhaps it can come to pass.

Is there anything better than coming home on your lunch and walking into a subtle form of chaos? I get home, and there are people picking up the last kitten, which will be weird as we haven't been kittenless in months. And then, it turns out that there's just craziness with the house. The current owners are moving out today, the house hasn't been closed on yet, no one knows anything- its basically a big mess. Surprise, surprise. All I know is that I have a lot of stuff to do and I don't want to do any of it!

So I hear that it's pretty darn hot out there. I'll find out first hand in about an hour and fifteen, but for now, I'm enjoying the main perk to my job- Air Conditioning. So bad for the environment and yet so good for my peace of mind. Yesterday, I couldn't stand being home. My mother, God love her, is very, very English and once the temp. crosses 80 degrees and the humidity hits above 40, all I hear is her bitching about the weather, which makes me crazy and then I have no choice but to be miserable with her and complain about the heat, or leave and drive off in my nice, new airconditioned car. Needless to say, I chose option B. I called my dear friend, Dina, or in E-peeps-ease, Dimartiste, told her I was picking her up and we were going Somewhere, ANYWHERE! We wound up at Delaware Park, in "our" spot on the wall by the water, just past the casino. It was so lovely, we talked, went over the astrology chart that she did for me and left eventually around 9:30. I was in the perfect position to watch the sky change colours as the sun set. Truly remarkable. I was also feeling very bohemian in my blue tank top and not-quite-matching broomstick skirt, but it was too damn hot to really care. Apparently more of the same might be required for today.

I hate, detest, loathe, abhore, dislike in the extreme Rude People!!! Have we gone so far away from decorum and manners that we are expected to react as if it is the norm? ARGH!!! I just had to share that.

I am absolutely convinced that student loans are evil and the NYSHESC is the devil incarnate. I hate them and I am solemnly vowing that I WILL NOT PUT MY CHILDREN THROUGH WHAT I HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH! Is that strong enough of a resolve? Also, I must look for grants for grad. school because I really don't want to take on another $25,000.00 in debt, bringing the grand total up to about $50,000.00. Just that number scares the hell out of me. But it's all supposed to be worth it, right? Forgive my skepticism.

Not a big, "OW!", just a little "Ow." Okay, after my marathon spray primer-ing/ spray painting session yesterday evening, now my right forearm is killing me! Yesterday, I had trigger finger going on. My finger didn't want to bend, even to curl around the spoon so I could eat my Rocky Road ice cream! Today, my forearm feels like it's one of Popeye's! Decidedly not cool. Especially as I have to do the same thing all over again except worse because it's my dresser. *Groan!* I am such a freak.

Have you ever found that there tends to be a particular name that doesn't seem to mesh with you? A strange question I know and I'm trying to think how to phrase this better. I generally seem to have competitive issues with girls who are named "Jen". It could just be coincidence, especially considering that "Jennifer" was the most popular girls name in the late 70's/early 80's and is therefore very prolific, but I don't happen to believe in coincidences and laugh if you will but I most definitely believe that one's name helps to define who one will be. I just have issues with girls named "Jen". It all started with a girl that I was very good friends with a very long time ago. We had been friends from the time we were 8 until we were 17- then it all blew up! Our friendship had always been contentious, always competing over one thing or another. It didn't become a problem until boys, naturally, entered the picture. Then, it seemed like whomever I had a crush on, she made a play for him. Not so much the other way around because I don't believe in dating my friends' exes. I'm not really into sloppy seconds. Anyway, we came to loggerheads our Senior Year over something NOT boy related, but putting my honour into question. At the time, it seemed valid and just, now- ten years later- it just seems rather stupid so I shall not go into details over what it was. That was "Jen" number 1. "Jen" number was a shadow, someone I never actually met but she was the on again/ off again girlfriend of my first love. My first love- an alcoholic/ drug addict- boy, do I know how to pick them! She was a spectre, looming in the background, affecting whatever the hell it was that we had. No matter. He's in Vegas now doing only God knows what and he has a son and a daughter. "Jen" number 3 I did actually meet and she hated me, probably with good reason as she was, at the time, the Boy's girlfriend. She was dark and slim, the absolute opposite of me, but she prevented me from going to see him in Boston and for that I cannot forgive. Yes, I was in love with him then, and am still in love with him, but, as far as he's concerned at least, we are just friends. Plus, I have a very sneaking suspicion that she's broken his heart, which he won't tell me, but I'll get it out of him somehow. Now, someone else I like very much has a "Jen" in his life. Not sure how I feel about this, but it seems very odd. What is it about me and girls named Jen?