Moody Mania

Thanks for the kind words from everyone yesterday. I am feeling a bit better today, though I'm sure the frustration will come around again soon. It always does.

About mid-day yesterday, I thought I'd become my own therapist and do a little searching online. Yep, I’m one of those self-help girls. If I have a headache, I usually know why and what I need to do to relieve myself from it. (Caffeine, water, sex, etc.) If I don’t know the answer to a problem I’m having, I research it until I do have an answer. When I’m in one of those crying moods I can usually tell why. But lately, they’ve been bad and there's no pattern. Is it because I’m getting older? Is it just situational? Am I crazy?

So, I've been digging online off and on all day. The little blurb on the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus website caught my eye. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this and thought it was interesting. Maybe there are fellow female bloggers out there that need to see this too.

A blurb from the article:

Feeling Moody? Who's to Blame?

She's up, she's down... she's all around. Ever wonder why it is that a woman can be laughing and happy one minute and crying and sad the next. How in the world is a guy supposed to know which way is up when it comes women's moods?

And, what is it that causes this dramatic shift in emotions? Is it his fault? Is it her fault? Did he say too much or not enough? Is she just too sensitive?

Well, here's what's up (and down). A woman is like a wave. Her self-esteem rises and falls in a wave-like motion. When she is feeling really good she will reach a peak, but then suddenly her mood may change, and her wave crashes down. This crash is temporary. After she reaches bottom suddenly her mood will shift and she will again feel good about herself. Automatically her wave begins to rise back up.


Now, I don't know about how other women feel about this, but I'm exhausted by it. I didn't have these "waves" until my mid-twenties. I think my environment and the situation I'm in (being far away from loved ones) is a huge factor. I'm just tired. Did I already say that? ;p I should be settled and content, not still soul searching and wondering what's ahead of me and where I'll end up.

Anyway, going to wrap this up because I have more uplifting posts to work on. I promise another date from hell story is in the works!

No Subject

Do you ever have those days when you just get tired of trying? Trying to make things work, trying to make people happy, try to be pleasing to get what you need and nothing happens? What happened to the days when people cared about you felt? Sometimes I wonder if I just stopped trying, if anyone would really notice.

Okay. Not nearly enough said to clear my brain, but I know how it is to read a post that is too personal. I'm just frustrated and (obviously) have no other outlet.

Back to reality - people that wear curlers to the store. Is this really necessary? Are you so lazy that you can't yank the curlers out of your hair before you leave your house? And why do you suddenly need to go to the store after you put your hair in these curlers? Can't it wait until your hair is done?

People that talk about religion/politics/other inappropriate subjects when you first meet them. Do you not have anything else to speak of? Are you trying to make yourself look like an uppity jackass?

People that super size their meal deal and get a diet coke with it. I don't think I really have to say anything about this one.

Maybe my mood will lighten up by tomorrow. (Don't get your hopes up though.)

Peace out.

Thursday Thirteen

13 of My Favorite Songs

1. Crash - Dave Matthews Band
2. Stay - 12 Stones

3. By Your Side – Sade
4. Dress You Up – Madonna
5. Blue Dress – Depeche Mode (that one’s for you Babers.)

6. Take On Me – A-ha
7. Let Go – Frou Frou
8. Love Bites – Def Leppard
9. Black – Pearl Jam
10. Hysteria – Def Leppard
11. Your Love - The Outfield

12. Silence - Delirium

13. Sara McLaughlin – Possession

Each one either has a special memory or person tied to it.

Pearl Jam's Black reminds me of my Daddy. When I had my black Camaro senior year in high school, I put a 10 inch speaker in the trunk. That song sounded so good in my car, like you were at a Pearl Jam concert if you closed your eyes. When I'd pull in from a friend's house in the evenings my father would meet me in the driveway, hop in the car with me and tell me to start the song over. He loves the part of the song that goes "I'm spinning, wooaahh I'm spinning" and would sing it real dramatic like to make me laugh.

The songs Take On Me and Dress You Up remind me of a time in my life just a couple years ago when I was single and frequented one of the local bars when The Molly Ringwalds (an 80's cover band) performed. They were so loud and fun and sucked you into every song. It was a time when I really enjoyed my friendships. The girls and I would dress up in heels, put on our lipstick and jam out, dancing like idiots to those songs. We were the best singers in the bar, especially after a few drinks. I felt so care free and irresponsible, and I loved it. Good times.

Dreams that make you go hmm

Does anyone have a dream interpretation book? ‘Cuz I’m in need of one.

For the past 6 months or longer I’ve been having these terrible dreams about J and I. (I’m sure he’s going to love this post.) The dreams are usually of him being mean to me, cheating on me, leaving me stranded in foreign places, or something of the like. I wake up from these dreams feeling angry or anxious, and I usually feel the need to tell him about them. He recently expressed how hearing about the dreams made him feel, and I don’t blame him. Took a minute to understand, but if the tables were turned I’d feel bad too.

I want to purchase a dream interpretation book, but I honestly don’t believe I’ll get any answers. I imagine a dream book is along the lines of a book on the zodiac: good for entertainment purposes but nothing to really go by.

I’ve also thought about going to a psychic. I know, I know, sounds kooky, right? A friend of my mother’s (now deceased) that I was also close with went to a psychic for fun. She came back and told my mother that my little sister would have another life to care for in the very near future. Three months later my sister turned up pregnant. The psychic also warned my mother’s friend about her health and struggled to tell her about death. Our friend died a year later from health issues. I also have a friend that went to a psychic who told her that her boyfriend wasn’t for her and they ended up breaking up a few months later. Now, while I know that can happen anyway to anyone, that’s the reason why I don’t want to go…

It’s not like there’s a psychic on every corner in the city where I live, and it’s highly unlikely I’d seek one out. But, what if? What if the psychic told me what my dreams meant and they weren’t exactly the interpretation I’d want to hear? Or worse, what if the psychic told me of my future and J wasn’t in it?

I don’t want to know my future. The fun of life is the mystery of not knowing.

So anyway, those are just some things that have been on my mind lately. You guys are my therapy sometimes, be it an I-hate-shopping tantrum or I-have-screwed-up-dreams admission, you lend an ear (or an eye) and it helps that I don't have to pay. ;p

That’s it for now. Thanks for listening (reading).

By the way, do the word verifications on blogger seem to be getting really hard to decipher lately? Doesn’t it seem sometimes that they really don’t want you to post your comment?

Random Thoughts

Just want to share some random things that have been on my mind:

I found my first gray – correction, WHITE hair this weekend. I saw it, freaked and yanked it out. Then I remembered the old tale about how if you pull one gray hair, more grow back in its place. So I guess if I’m fully white headed by the time I’m 30 it’ll be my fault. ____________________________________________________________

I had to go shopping this weekend. Again. It’s been years since I’ve updated my wardrobe and frankly I’m tired of wearing the same pair of jeans.

While I was shopping with my sister and her six year old little boy, I was all too aware of the reasons I hate shopping, as posted earlier. However, this time I was a bit embarrassed when I realized I was shopping with someone who I would normally scowl at if I came across in the store.

At home my mother offers to watch my nephew, but he throws a tantrum wanting to go. “You never spend time with me!” he whines. (He’s getting smart.) He ends up getting his way.

The entire walk through the mall we hear “I’m hungry, I want a snack,” and “I’m thirsty, Mama I want a drink!” and “I’m tired of this place, let’s go.” If it’s not that, he’s touching everything and I can see the store clerks cringe when he pulls something off the shelves. I cower in corners when my sister has to correct my nephew because he’s one of those kids that scream bloody murder when he gets popped (not nearly hard enough) on the butt.

“Straighten up or no tv tonight.” My sister hisses in his ear after he knocked over a rack of hats.

“You huuurrtt me, you always hurt me so bad Mama!!” He screams loudly. I act like I don’t know them. (Like I said, he’s getting smart. I’m waiting for him to yell ‘Child Abuse!!’ the next time she pops his butt in public.)____________________________________________________________

I had a dream last night that Jason and I robbed a bank in Mexico with my neighbors. The girls kept getting split up from the boys and at one point Jason got on the get-away jet without me. In the dream, my neighbor and I threw rocks at the jet our boyfriends left us in and then laughed when we realized we had the backpacks full of money. The police ended up stopping us while running along this canal and told us to give them the backpacks. I talked them into letting me “get a few things out first”, grabbed the money, my chapstick and an inhaler (I don't have asthma), dropped the backpack and ran. I’m still mad at Jason for leaving me.
____________________________________________________________

I’ve had house fever for the last year or so and right now it’s so bad I can barely stand it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my apartment. I call the office when something breaks and I don’t have to mow the grass. But lately I feel like my quality of life is less than it should be.

I’m a country girl who moved out to the city to start her career and just learn about herself. My family and friends live where I grew up and I miss everything about my hometown.

The people are just better where I grew up. In the last few years I’ve noticed that the people I’ve had short friendships with here in the city are just a different breed of people: controlling, selfish and needy. I miss my sincere, fun loving, light hearted people who would do anything for you and not expect anything in return. People you want to be with. People that are full of fun and will knock back a beer with you while watching Family Guy.

Life is peaceful out there too. The river and beach is just five minutes away. And of course, my family is there and I feel like I’m missing out on such an important time with my niece and my nephew growing up.

My plan is to let my lease run out and maybe rent month to month until I find a little house back home. The more I think about it, the lighter and happier I feel.

Central here I come!

My 2nd Date from Hell

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. I haven’t felt very bloggy. Plus, I’ve recently replaced my evening couch sessions with a little more movement. With a much awaited and needed vacation only 3 weeks away I’m starting to feel like maybe I should try jumping on the mini trampoline a little more and walking instead of watching the Food Network so much.

Now that I’ve explained my lack of posting (like you care) I can carry on with the purpose of this post. Get ready for the 2nd installment of MY DATES FROM HELL. You may need a few beers for this one.


My Date from Hell – Tim McGraw look-alike

One night my old roomie and I went out to a cheesy nightclub with very cheesy music and even cheesier old men dancing like they were on the Studio 54 dance floor. We knew it would be a night of defense and standing in ridiculous lines just to get a cheaper beer, but we were tired of the same old scene.

During the night, while trying to refuse a drink offer and repeatedly failing to get the point across, I noticed a guy blatantly laughing at me and my predicament. My roomie wasn’t able to help much seeing as Drink Guy had enough alcohol in him to open his own bar. I was starting to get annoyed. Suddenly the Laughing Guy walks up and rescues me.

“Here you go, Hun” he says, handing me a beer. I look at him, amazed as I take the beer from him. Laughing Guy turns his stare to Drink Guy, who in his alcoholic stupor stumbles away.

“Thanks,” I say, laughing, realizing I had just witnessed the oldest trick in the book.
“Not a problem. You looked miserable,” he replies, and reaches out for the beer in my hand. “Sorry, I’m gonna need that back. Just stood in line 20 minutes for that.”

Then the conversation goes dead and I raise my eyebrows, tell him thanks again and walk off. The night goes on. Roomie and I have entirely too much to drink and decide to call it a night. On our way out Laughing Guy ends up in stride along side me. Doesn’t say anything, just walks beside me. My roomie looks over past me and at him, then back at me, and snickers, walking off faster to the car we probably shouldn’t be driving. I look over at him and my mouth drops a little. I stop. He stops.

“You look like Tim McGraw,” I say, and he rolls his eyes.
“You got anything better than that?” He asks and I’m stunned.
“What? No, it wasn’t a pick up… YOU are following ME,” I say. He smiles.

To make a long story short, Tim McGraw ends up with my number. On our first date a week later, I meet him at a local bar. We arrive at the same time and take a tall table in the corner. I order a beer and he immediately orders two shots for us. I hesitate, but knock it back anyway. Take the edge off. Then the sirens go off – he orders two more shots not even 10 minutes later. I pass on the second, take my share of the third round and pass on the fourth. He ends up downing the shots I refuse, and I ask him how he’s going to drive himself home. He gives me this creepy smile and I’m immediately put into defense mode. Thirty minutes into our first date and we have our first argument. I finally convince him I don’t let boys stay over because it’s against my religion. When he says he doesn’t believe me I tell him he’s Satan, so its understandable.

Eventually he stops drinking and I walk – correction - drag him to his truck to call a buddy to pick him up. Twice I have to yank his hand off my ass. It’s after the call to his frind that he does the most horrible, embarrassing thing a man can ever do to me: he sings to me. Not like the kind of singing where you’re being funny holding a fake microphone sing. I mean for real sing. We’re in the parking lot and he has selected a country cd and the song that “better enhances his singing talent.” You must be kidding me.

And then he grabs me, a la Dancing with the Stars style and starts dancing with me. I’m frantically looking around the well lit parking lot, waiting for someone to come out with the cameras. A car screeches to a halt just feet from us as we are dancing in the empty parking spot its trying to park in. The driver honks, Tim McGraw flips the bird WHILE HE’S STILL SINGING and twirls me, right in front of this car. The car ends up backing out and leaving, but Mr. McGraw keeps on dancing. And I can’t get out of his grasp. I protest several times and try to wiggle out, and the more I do, the louder he sings. I’m almost in tears at this point. Not because I think he’s crazy and going to hurt me, but because I’m so embarrassed I could crawl into a hole and DIE.

When his friend finally shows up, I’m sitting on the parking curb with my head between my legs. Unfortunately for Tim McGraw, he was doing the same for a different reason a few spots down from me. He’s still singing. The friend rolls the window down and yells “Get in!!” and speeds off with my country singer. I sit on the curb, alone in the vacant parking lot at 2:30 in the morning exhausted and astonished. No thanks for babysitting my friend, no thanks for sitting with me for over an hour, nothing. Still, I’m relived that I never have to see him again and get into my car and drive home.

When I get home, I have 3 missed calls on my cell. All three of them are voicemails of Tim McGraw, singing…

Thursday Thirteen

I'm lazy and am working with a stolen wireless connection here, so I'm skipping the pretty header and all that usually goes with this post.


13 Reasons Why I HATE Shopping

1. When I have money, I can’t find anything. When I’m broke, everything fits perfectly.

2. Parking - and I must add, what irritates me is those people who just make up parking spots in the middle of the aisles and cause jams. My favorite is when you finally get around them, you can look into their window and see them balancing their checkbook.

3. Smelly, dirty dressing rooms. Especially the floors. I never take my shoes off in them.

4. False advertising. You know that pair of slacks was on the 50% off rack but nooo ma’am, these are the only exception to the sale. Sorry.

5. People who let their kids run butt ass wild in the stores. Kids racing down the aisles. Kids jumping out of those circle clothes racks. Kids who are too young to take shopping period screaming bloody murder because “THEY WANNA GO HOOOMMMEE”. Take a hint people.

6. People. No, that’s it. Just people. I hate ‘em.

7. You ask the pimple faced clerk if he ran the decoder thingie across your barcode so the alarm at the door won’t embarrass you and you believe him when he mutters yes. Then you walk through the door and beeeeeeeeppp!!!

8. Running into people you know… when you’re trying to pick out underwear.

9. Standing in line, especially when you end up behind a woman with her 12 children who are climbing all over your buggy while she’s writing a check because she’s from the dinosaur age.

10. “Dancing” with the other person walking up to the store doors as the same time as you are. You speed up, they speed up. You slow down. So. Do. They. You end up having to fake politeness by opening the door for them or saying thank you when they open it for you. Or worse. Having to kick them when they don’t.

11. Clerks that hate their job and life. Not a single word during the 5 minute check out procedure. This may seem to be a total contradiction seeing as I hate people and all, but someone who is checking your floss, underwear and deodorant one foot apart from you should at least say hi.

12. People who don’t move aside in the aisle to let you pass. This also goes for people who try to pass and do not say “Excuse me”. Like that’s so damn hard to do.

13. And last but certainly not least – People who decide to stop and talk to a friend they’ve come across in the store IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MAIN AISLE. It’s clear that you’re in the way when people are sucking in to squeeze past you or abandoning their buggies to walk past you for an item, so move it! I want to speed up my buggy and ram their asses.

My Dates from HELL

Over the past year and a half I’ve entertained my boyfriend with tales of past dates gone terribly wrong. Before that I humored friends and even sometimes family with the nightmares. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I should document them.

So, you are my guinea pigs. My plan is to post a new date horror every week, but with my commitment-phobia and procrastination issues, I’m not sure if I’ll be consistent. Plus, though I do have my fair share of hellish date stories, we all know they can’t go on forever. I hope you find them entertaining!


Hellish Date #1 – Mr. Harry NoManners

Go ahead and get some popcorn so you can settle in. It’s gonna be a long one…

Due to the fact that some of my friends read my blog, I shall call my first victim Harry NoManners. Harry because there wasn’t an inch of body that didn’t have hair on it – of course other than the parts I DID NOT SEE because I am not a SLUTWHORE. And NoManners I think speaks for itself.

I knew Harry back in high school and ran into him a couple years ago. He asked me on a date and I thought, What the hell.

Harry took me to a nice restaurant with about an hour wait. We settled into the bar, and after ordering a lemon drop martini for me and a bottle of wine for him, he closed the tab. Strike #1.

Now, before you go judging me, let me tell you that he was all too eager to tell me the reason why he closed the tab out. “Because those martinis are pricy,” even though he turned his nose up at my first choice of beer. And the reason for the entire bottle of wine? It was less expensive by the bottle and he planned on bringing the bottle to the table with us.

Less than an hour later we are seated at a table and checking out the goods on the menu. I have decided to brush off the bar scene and try to enjoy the date. Harry looks up from his menu and says “This looks good: Grilled Pork with Beef Steak Tomatoes” and I frown. I tell him I don’t like tomatoes and say that the Caesar salad looks good, I think I’ll get that. He then says “Let’s share the Grilled Pork and Beef Steak Tomato plate,” to which I reply “I’d rather not, I don’t like tomatoes.” (Are you counting? Second time in 1 minute that I’ve told him this. Strike #2. Not listening.)

The waiter comes up to the table and asks for our order. Harry says we’re good on drinks and would like to share the Grilled Pork Dish with the Beef Steak Tomatoes.

*crickets*

The waiter looks at him like Oh I bet you’re a good tipper! and I’m feeling his pain. This is a nice restaurant. If you want to share a dish, go to Chili’s or Applebee’s and split the towering nachos for crying out loud.

The waiter looks at me and I say “If my date doesn’t mind, I’d like the chicken Caesar, seeing as I don’t like tomatoes,” and I hand him my menu. When the waiter walks away seemingly pleased that his entire table isn’t filled with cheap asses, my date says “I didn’t know you don’t like tomatoes.”
___________________________________________________

For some reason I accept other meetings with this man, and on the 3rd occasion I tell him to come to my apartment where my roommate can be an attendee on what is sure to be an entertaining night. Our topics of conversations land all over the map. During a small silence, my roomie asks what I plan to give my mother for her birthday. Before I can answer, Harry speaks up:

Harry: “I always give my mother jewelry.”
Roomie and I: “Awww. That’s so sweet.”
Clearly we are fools.
Harry: “Yeah well I figure, if I give my mother jewelry on birthdays, Christmas, and Mother’s Days, I’ll eventually inherit the stuff I give her. I think of it as an investment.”

I’m not kidding. And it doesn’t get any better….
____________________________________________________

The last “date” was the icing on the cake. I had already decided that I would have the talk with him, you know, the whole we’re-better-off-as-friends spill. He says he wants to cook dinner for me at his place. I give him a courtesy call on the way to see if he needs me to pick anything up. I’m walking down the wine aisle thinking I’ll pick up a merlot when he replies “Um, yeah actually I could. Can you pick up some boneless skinless chicken?” I come to a dead stop mid-aisle. Who invites someone over to cook them dinner and asks them to bring the main ingredient? I know I asked but COME ON.

I’m back on the road and going by his directions. By the time I get into his area of town – a 35 minute drive – it’s dark. I turn down the road he lives on, which is a creepy, twisty gravel road. 45 minutes later I turn into his drive.

Harry opens the door in a pair of cut off sweats and his work t-shirt. This is the same friggin blue t-shirt I’ve seen him in 5 out of the 6 times we’ve hung out together. He seems frazzled as he opens the door and I wonder if it’s over the dinner he’s preparing.

I enter the kitchen with the wine and chicken and immediately ask for a bottle opener. As he’s looking for it I take a quick scan of the kitchen. There are no pots or pans, or any sign of dinner. Maybe he was waiting on the chicken?

He takes the bottle opener and pours himself a glass of wine and walks off. Shaking my head, I reach over and pour myself a glass. Then he turns to me, standing before his pantry and says “What do you want for dinner?”

At this point I’m so over it I really wouldn’t feel bad walking out the house (and bringing the wine with me). I shrug and say “I thought you had dinner planned?”

Now, I’m one of the most laid back girls you can date. Take me for a beer and pizza to watch the game – I may not understand the game, but I won’t complain. I’ll cook for you, come on over! I don’t need Mr. Manners, but I do need a please and thank you, and some general etiquette.

Numero uno would be – If you ask me over to dinner, have it planned out. I don’t care if its hot dogs on the grill, have a freaking plan.

Thirty minutes later we’re eating generic boxed mac & cheese and burned chicken breasts. After dinner he wants to watch a movie. As he’s putting in the surprise, I’m wording my “friends” speech in my head. I look up and to my surprise he’s walking over to the couch smiling, apparently pretty pleased with himself as the Stars Wars opening song plays loudly through his surround sound.

Needless to say I got a headache a third of the way through the movie and broke it off with him over the phone the next day.

Ten Ways to Know its Time to Go

I was browsing today on Yahoo when I came across this article, "Ten Ways to Know its Time to Go". I was amazed at how many of these I felt before quitting my "career" in association management. Read on and see if its time for YOU to quit.

Ten Ways to Know its Time to Go

1. You start to dread Monday as soon as you leave work on Friday.

2. It becomes more and more difficult to get up for work each day, and tardiness becomes a way of life.

3. You cannot muster enthusiasm for anything related to work -- other than your paycheck.

4. You spend most of your time complaining to colleagues or about your colleagues.

5. You act defensive and even hostile in company meetings when there's little cause for it.

6. You interact less and less with co-workers, shutting yourself away in your office and avoiding opportunities to socialize.

7. You've used up all your sick, personal, and vacation days -- and the year isn't even half over.

8. You're constantly putting off until tomorrow what you could (and should) do today. When you do actually commit to doing your work, you feel resentful.

9. You're bitter about the company's success or that of a co-worker.

10. You have no professional goals related to your job, and you have a hard time even making some up at your obligatory performance review.

HNT

This kind of stuff is what has me addicted to blogging…












So I’ve seen HNT (Half Naked Thursdays) on other people’s blogs before but recently came across Dan’s HNT last week and thought – hey, this can be quirky and fun, it doesn’t have to be sleazy pics of half naked breasts and buttocks (yes, I used the word buttocks).

And here’s my very first HNT. It’s kind of a double half-naked photo: my feet are naked and if you look closely, so are my a couple of my toenails. Hee hee.

If you haven’t jumped on the HNT train yet, please join me. Come on, everyone is doing it. First time’s for free.

Thursday Thirteen

13 Weird Things About Me 1. Soap must only be in the soap dish – NO WHERE ELSE. I get completely ooged out if I’m in the shower and the soap drops into the tub. Babers and I were, um, conserving water in the shower one evening somewhat early into our relationship and he let the soap drop onto the tub floor. He got an earful and I’m sure to this day still thinks I’m a nut job. 2. I have to say “I love you” to my loved ones before getting off the phone, even if I talk to them 5 times a day. Same goes with telling them goodbye in person – there must be an “I love you” said once or twice before I get in the car. 3. I use chapstick. Obsessively. 4. All closets, behind my shower curtain, and under my bed must be checked for burgulars hiding before I get into the bed. As I’ve said before, I’m not sure what I’d do if I actually found one, but knowing my apartment is free of them helps me sleep better. 5. A night light is a must. If I turn off my lamp before settling in bed and the room gets darker than usual, I frantically switch my lamp back on and replace the night light. (I do this often, usually because when Babers is home on the weekends he takes the night light out and I forget about it on Mondays.) 6. No matter how hard I work out, no matter how many weights I lift or hours I walk, I refuse to do ab work. I like my curves and soft tummy. 7. Another shower issue – after showering, the shower curtain must be pulled all the way to the wall, concealing the inside of the shower. I have to get on Jason’s butt about this sometimes too. ;) 8. I used to have issues with people touching my bottom. When a boyfriend would put his hand in my back pocket or if my sister popped me on the rear (which she would do purposely because she knew I had an issue) I would get really uncomfortable and squirm. Not really sure what’s behind that, but I’m getting better about it. 9. When plating my dinner, I do it in a way that will be aesthetically pleasing. I may turn my plate around several times before digging in if it doesn’t feel right. 10. If I’m singing to one of my favorite songs on cd and I accidentally sing the wrong verse, I feel compelled to start the track over and “make it right”, and I usually do. 11. I prefer to be on the left of people. Whether I am walking down the mall with someone, standing at a counter, sitting on the floor, sleeping in a bed, etc., I feel weird if I’m not on the left of them. And ask anyone – I’ll walk to the other side if I happen to somehow end up on the right side of you. 12. When my toenail polish chips off in places, I just touch up or paint over the chipped off spots. Wait. That might fall under the “lazy” instead of the “weird”. 13. Ok, ONE last shower thing – besides the Jacuzzi tub bubble incident earlier this summer, I have not had a bath in over 8 years. Showers only.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

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Photos to Share

I'll be out of the office most of the day tomorrow so I thought I'd leave a little photo post. I was finally able to download pics from the last few months, so I'll probably be cramming down your throats in the next week or so.



Paw Paw with his first grand daughter. Aww I love my Daddy... *sniff*



She just recently found her tongue, as you can see.



See? She looks just like me...



My nephew and niece. Cute kids huh?

Until next time, muah!

FIRE!!!

First I’d like to thank my Babers for an awesome weekend: all I’ve ever really wanted in life are late night talks on my patio fueled with beer, an IHOP partner on Sunday mornings, and someone to help my indecisive ass choose home furnishings (such as a comforter).

Now, you may or may not remember a post sometime last summer when I had some friends over for bbq chicken and French fries. BBQ at Bean's. Well, that night I made a statement that would soon mark itself in Jason and I’s future – The Night of the Grease Fire.

Jason doesn’t cook often, but when he does, he makes a mean pork chop and really awesome fried mushrooms. Saturday night after taking the steaks off the pit, Jason comes in to work on the mushrooms. To make a long story short, a little oil spillage happened mid-frying and Jason made a remark about a possible grease fire. Nervous, I opened the pantry to see where the fire extinguisher was and as I was doing so, Jason said he saw a quick flame pop out from under the pot.

“Grab the flour,” he tells me, “Just in case.”

Jason turns his head for a second and I see the flame. Squealing, I make out the words “grease fire!!” and he scoops up the flour, takes the pot of boiling oil and mushrooms off the stove and begins throwing flour at the flames. I’m freaking out and at this point he’s looking a bit nervous.

“Get a towel babe, quick.” I run to grab a towel out the laundry basket and I’m thinking – A damp one? A dry one? Which one’s better???

“Hurry babe!” Jason says loudly. Squealing again, I run into the kitchen and throw the towel at him. After just a minute or so the entire apartment is filled with smoke, burning our eyes and making it hard to breathe without coughing.

“Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppp!!!” Then the damn smoke detector goes off. I run to the hall and try yanking it off the wall. It’s hanging from its wires and still screaming its ass off, so I slam my hand into it a couple times, seeing as I’m not tall enough to look at what button to push. Jason come behind me and turns it off.

We just look at each other like “Did we just go through that?” It was the most bizarre thing, something you are warned of but never actually see. As I’m opening the doors and turning up the speed on the fans, Jason says aloud “Well I guess I could have just turned off the stove when the oil spilled in the first place.”

It was quite a hilarious event and yet we really didn’t laugh much while or after it was happening. Later, Babers posted his rendition of the evening’s events on our dry-erase board. Now usually I’m the dry erase board artist, but I must say, this particular drawing is a very accurate recording of the incident and tickles me every time I look at it. Note the beer that stayed in Jason’s hand throughout most of the grease fire fiasco.

Thursday Thirteen

Thought I'd try this out, looked like fun. Just one more thing to keep me from working... Things I Am Thankful For(In no specific order) 1. pajama pants 2. babers! 3. cheese (any and all kinds) 4. my health 5. my family 6. my sense of humor 7. my boobs 8. Saturday sleep ins 9. pizza delivery 10. air conditioning 11. baber naps 12. people who read my posts and actually comment (which makes me feel like less of a loser, sniff sniff) 13. num numming Don’t hate my mostly superficial list, it was all in fun. *sticking tongue out*

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Bosses and Their Nasty Habits

When I first started the job I’m at now I thought, “Office is nice, work is interesting, boss is great.” And then that thought about my boss all fell to shit when I went to the office restroom one day. Upon approaching the porcelain beauty, I was confronted with a horrible image. Immediately I thought, woops – someone got distracted and forgot to flush. But it wasn’t just a one-time thing. Since then, almost every time I’ve been to the bathroom (unfortunately after my boss) I have found something new to be disgusted by. First the whole forgetting to flush thing, then the peeing on the floor, and then the peeing all over the seat. I mean really, you’re a fucking grown ass man and you can’t make it into the humongous toilet bowl hole??

I am beyond disgusted. I guess that’s the downfall of working in a small office with a shared, unisex bathroom.

So, the bathroom situation got me thinking – is it the same with all bosses?? My last boss also had a nasty ass habit of picking his nose right in front of you. I remember the first offense as if it were yesterday…

Boss: “And then I would like you to call the board and arrange a meeting.”
Me: “Would you prefer I book on –“
Finger inserted into nose.
Me: Blank stare. “…and…um…”

I can still hear my co-worker laughing as I walked off from my boss mid-sentence, unable to complete my thought due to his nasty little habit.

Sorry for the gross post – hope you guys aren’t reading this mid-lunch. The ranting does help. Thanks for listening!

Silly Fears

WARNING: The following post may list things that you possibly have not thought of to fear before. Apologies in advance.

Most people know that I’m a worrier. I think about situations that most likely will never happen and yet prepare for them mentally just in case they do.

1. Parents finding sexual paraphernalia at my untimely death. When I was single, my room mate promised to discard of my toy (singular, I have one, don’t judge me) and anything that may lead my parents to believe I was anything less than a wholesome young lady, should I die. I imagine them sobbing quietly while packing my journals and shoe collection, and then both having heart attacks when opening my nightstand. I no longer have a room mate and have recently asked Jason to discard all things naughty, including any lacy nighties (that I never wear but for some reason still have).

2. “Tooting” in my sleep. Thanks to the movie Good Will Hunting, I now have a (small) fear of tooting in my sleep. If you haven’t seen the movie, one of the characters is reminiscing about his deceased wife to a patient. He tells a story of how his beloved wife would sometimes fart so loud in her sleep that it would wake her. “Wha? Was that you??” she would sleepily ask her husband, to which he’d reply “Yes dear, sorry. That was me. Go back to sleep.” He said he didn’t have the heart to tell her, all the while laughing hysterically at the memory. I hope my husband also doesn’t have the heart to tell me should this unfortunate thing happen to me.

3. Being terribly out of style or “not with it”. I try to pick clothes that are simple and classic, and now turn to my sister (who’s a hairstylist) to make sure my hair is hip. Make up is something I usually keep simple. Still, I worry that one day I will end up like one of those women on What Not to Wear or 10 Years Younger who suddenly doesn’t have a clue. Who wakes up one day wearing her husbands cut off sweats and has crazy eyebrows, all the while her kids and husband glaring at her with disgust.

There's more silly fears brewing inside this worry wart, but I'll save them... maybe for another post. :) Do you have any silly fears?

Easy Cheesy Enchiladas

Warning – I am on a semi-health kick. The title of this post for the following recipe sounds delicious and the ingredients are low-fat or fat free, but the end result really is yummo! (So stole that line from Rachal Ray…)

1 lb lean ground meat
2 cans Campbell southwest fiesta cheddar soup (low-fat or fat free kind)*
light or fat free sour cream
light shredded Mexican cheese (jack & cheddar or something of the like)
fresh cilantro
1 onion
a couple stalks of green onion
enchilada seasoning (dry packet, try McCormick)
one 8 oz can tomato sauce
corn tortillas

Brown ground meat in skillet, add half of chopped onion, a handful of chopped green onions and a handful of chopped cilantro. Season with a little chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.

In separate bowl mix tomato sauce, enchilada sauce packet and amount of water called for on the packet. Mix well and put about half of that mixture in the ground meat once the meat and other ingredients are fully cooked. The meat should be chunky and juicy, not swimming in the sauce.

In small pot put the 2 cans of cheddar soup and 1 can of milk in pot to heat. (You are using less than called for amount of milk to make the cheesy goodness thicker.) Add a tablespoon of sour cream. * If you can’t find this soup in your grocery, using regular Campbell’s Cheddar soup and a can of Rotel is just fine.) I also gussied up the soup mixture with a little salt, pepper, chili powder and onion powder for extra kick.

Heat tortillas in non-greased skillet and put a spoonful or two of ground meat mixture in each, topping the meat with shredded cheese. Roll each up and place in baking dish. After you’ve filled your baking dish, top with shredded cheese, then pour Mexican cheddar soup mixture over all enchiladas and top with more shredded cheese. Sooo good!

Made it up myself and tried it this weekend with J. We loved it and hope you like as well!!

P.S. – If you like all things spicy, I suggest throwing a can of Rotel in with the soups anyway or maybe adding jalapenos to the ground beef mixture.

Five Things Made for Men That Are Better on Women

See the full story with pictures here.

Kelly has introduced me to a few sites by way of her blog that are now in my favorites for daily reading. The Best Article Every Day posted a nice little article that I thought everyone would enjoy, especially the guys. (Jason, I will agree to wear everything but the tie, including the motorcycle if you don't stare at the chic in the last photo too long... hee hee.)

Five Things Made for Men That Are Better on Women

1. Boy briefs
2. Ties
3. Sport Jerseys
4. Baseball caps
5. Motorcycles

The only ones I seriously agree to are #1 and #4 . I'm sure most females own a pair of boy briefs, especially seeing as how they land two of our necessities when it comes to undies: cute and comfy.

And the baseball cap thing - a must have in my wardrobe, and a "need" for 4 wheeling. Now that my hair can no longer be pulled into a pony tail, baseball caps are my savoir. After the first ride with short hair I spent 20 minutes getting the knots out. I now own 4 caps.

So go read the article - silly but fun.

Naps, Ditch Diving and Killer Mosquitoes

Most of you know J is living out of town due to his project/job location. It’s been a few months and we felt it necessary that I make the hike to see him in his new living environment. I have never made a trip longer than 30 minutes or further than 30 miles on my own. So, when Jason told me it was a straight shot I was relieved. But then when he told me I had to cross the Atchafalaya basin, all I could think about was the possibility of being knocked off the bridge to my death. Or worse, not to my death and faced with human eating alligators.

The trip was a cinch. When I see him, I am like a little girl on Christmas morning. He cooks me dinner – pork chops, mashed potatoes and Cajun gravy, and spicy boiled mushrooms. A little southern din din. We watch Ghost Rider (which we don’t recommend) and it’s soon bed time.

The next morning all of J’s plans for us are shot to hell. We’re staying in J’s camper trailer on a piece of his co-worker’s 600+ acres of property, surrounded by trees, pastures and cows. And it’s raining. Hard. And there’s nothing even semi-entertaining for less than an hour’s drive away. And, because of the rain, we can’t go 4 wheel riding or canoeing.

I recall saying that J and I could have fun in a room with no windows. This weekend truly backed that statement up. And we had some help! Over the course of 45 hours together, we managed to spend only 21 hours of complete “awake” time together. Meaning we slept for 24 hours of the weekend which included 4 hours of napping. 4 HOURS. If two people sleep 10 hours two nights in a row, why would they need a nap??? Because our naps are yummy, that’s why. Puhh. Fuhh. Shhu.

Besides the sleeping, we passed the time taking little road trips to see different areas of Jason’s project and his office. It was cool to have a visual on things so I know where his ass is when he’s leaving me sweet blog comments. Heh heh.

On the way home we did a little “ditch diving”. The road he lives off of is dirt and gravel (like I said, he’s in the country) and as we’re driving down it he shows me how he speeds up in the curves to let the tail end of his truck swing around. Puts a couple butterflies in yer belly, but its fun none the less... That is, until you go a little too far and slide into a ditch on said gravel road with no shoulder. Bump! Bump! and BRANCHES IN THE FACE!! And then… TA DAAA! Jason’s full of talent, yes siree! He swerves back up out of the ditch just in the nick of time. *whew* Suuurrre, its all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

Then there’s the mosquito swatting. After a good rain there’s bound to be a few mosquitoes around, but let me tell you – the size of these suckers will have you running for shelter. Killer mosquitoes on steroids!!

It may not have been a romantic trip, but it definitely gave us a few humorous stories to tell. (Which, by the way, are way better in person with hand motions and noises…)

Inanimate Objects

This is a postcard that is displayed on one of my favorite websites, PostSecret. I got a lump in my throat when I saw this today because it reminds me of my childhood.

As a child, the final step of making my bed would be to strategically place all 31 of my stuffed animals on the bed. “Strategically” because I knew which animals were friends and which weren’t. (I wouldn’t dare place Tigger next to my stuffed mouse because he may get hungry for a little mouse snack during the day.) I also placed them on the bed because I thought it was more comfortable, and I thought they would be less likely to “get me” while I slept at night because in order to sleep in my bed, the 31 animals had to sleep on the floor. And who likes that?

Later on my sister began showing signs of believing the same thing. I had long since grown out of the idea that my stuffed animals were animate during the day, but found it so sweet that my sister thought the same, even though I had not been a part of creating this belief. I found myself positioning her stuffed animals while she was out of the room to back up her theory… Sometimes my toothbrush would be missing. Magically my little sis would find Cabbage Patch girl red-handed. Interrupted in a game of hide and seek by my sister’s presence, Raggedy Ann and Pooh Bear would be found peeking out from under her bed.

I had completely forgotten about this!! It amazes me, the things we share and do as siblings when we are young. It makes me want to have a sit-down with my sister and reminisce about all the silly things we did for one another. Or even better - pull some adult prankage on my sister now.

7 Random Facts. You're Next.

I was unfairly tagged by Kelly. *sigh* Okay, we all know everyone loves these things so why front? Its a chance to blog about yourself.

The Rules:

Each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of the post list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know they are tagged by leaving them a comment.

7 Random Facts About Myself

1.) I can wiggle my ears. How does one come to know this about themselves? I have no idea, but I can wiggle on demand and you can actually see my ears moving.

2.) I am afraid of the dark. Have been since I was a child. Still sleep with a night light. I’m pretty ok if someone is in the dark with me, but if I’m alone and find the night light has burned out when I turn my overhead light off to go to sleep, I wig out. Heart beats fast, hold my breath, the whole nine.

3.) I secretly wanted to be a microbiologist or psychologist. I graduated college in the graphic design/fine arts field but took every class allowed to me as an art major for microbiology and psychology. In reality I knew that landing a job in the field of graphic design would be more likely than becoming a psychologist or microbiologist where I live. Sometimes I would like to kick myself in the rear.

4.) One of my worst fears is of being attacked or mugged. Since a young age I’ve had it in my head that it will happen to me someday. Like it’s something I can’t get out of… its just going to happen and I can’t prevent it.

5.) I adore movies with human struggle in them, mostly ones that have a main character that has a disorder or a disability or psychological problem. For example: Girl, Interrupted, Good Will Hunting, and The Piano. I find movies that yank the most emotion out of me to be the most fulfilling.

6.) I am terrified that I will turn out to be like the women in my family. Not going to elaborate on this one.

7.) I used to read the Encyclopedia. Not just when I was a kid, but even when I was living with my parents at 21. And not just when I was bored. Information vacuum. I love learning stuff.


Okay now that everyone thinks I’m a loon, I’ll have to taggeth someone else. Like Kelly, I don’t think I have many readers, so let’s see:

Michelle

Dave

Violet

Blogarita

Dan

LBB

Shoot. I can make 7. Did I miss anyone? lol.

More than meets the eye

When I was first asked by my boyfriend if I would go with him to see the Transformers movie, I gave him a look and replied "Maybe that's a movie you and Mike should go see together..."

I hardly wanted to watch a movie that was based on a toy that my brother played with as a child. (Imagine constant transforming and robot noises coming out of a kid's mouth for hours on end.) I never really saw the point: a toy that transforms from a car to a robot, orrrr maybe an airplane to a robot. Wow. What's it good for after that? Barbie, on the other hand, could transform into many things: evening Barbie for a night out with Ken or maybe Hawaiian Barbie for another vacation. Endless possibilities.

Anyways, it wasn't until I saw the intriguing trailer in the theatre to see Spiderman that I decided I wanted to see Transformers. It seemed to have everything I needed to stay awake in the movie theatre: comedy, a teen love connection and some really awesome graphics (enter Jill the nerd).

Let me just tell you, it was hands down the best movie I've seen in the theatre in a while. (Before that it was The Notebook. I know, sad right?) At one point in the movie I found myself tighting my grip on J's hand while watching the action scenes. Then, of course being the ultra-aware person that I am, I became paranoid about doing it again and paid attention... only to notice J was doing it too. Yesss! Other times I had completely forgotten I was in the movie theatre at all. (Did I just unawaringly do something I'd only do at home while watching a rental??? *gasp*)

Still, it was one of those movies that you actually wait to read the credits on. A movie with a great pace and not a second of downtime. You know those movies. Movies that are 2 hours long but seem so short. Movies that are so captivating that you have forgotten about your popcorn for fear of missing a second when just moments ago you were elbow deep in the buttery goodness. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Now I've really built it up for you with my rave review. Guess if you haven't seen it already, you really shouldn't go. Sorry guys. ;) Just wanted to note that this was a really cute movie, one I plan to purchase for my stock.

(Btw, have you guys been to the movies lately? Even a Sunday matinee at the theatre will wallet-rape you these days!!)

Cows can be funny

Have you seen the Happy Cows commercials? They are just so darn funny and charming. I literally stop whatever I'm doing to watch them. They are my 2nd favorite - the Sonic commercials being my number 1. Okay, maybe its a toss up.

Check 'em out. They may jist put a smile on yer face.

Happy Cows

Funny Read of the Day

Hello?”

“Hi honey. This is Daddy. Is Mommy near the phone?”

“No Daddy. She’s upstairs in the bedroom with Uncle Paul.”

After a brief pause, Daddy says, “But honey, you haven’t got an Uncle Paul.”

“Oh yes I do, and he’s upstairs in the room with Mommy, right now.”

Brief Pause. “Uh, okay then, this is what I want you to do. Put the phone down on the table, run upstairs and knock on the bedroom door and shout to Mommy that Daddy’s car just pulled into the driveway.”

“Okay Daddy, just a minute.”

A few minutes later the little girl comes back to the phone. “I did it Daddy.”

“And what happened honey?” he asked.

“Well, Mommy got all scared, jumped out of bed with no clothes on and ran around screaming. Then she tripped over the rug, hit her head on the dresser and now she isn’t moving at all!”

“Oh my God!!! What about your Uncle Paul?”

“He jumped out of the bed with no clothes on, too. He was all scared and he jumped out of the back window and into the swimming pool. But I guess he didn’t know that you took out the water last week to clean it. He hit the bottom of the pool and I think he’s dead.”

***Long Pause***

***Longer Pause***

***Even Longer Pause***

Then Daddy says, “Swimming pool? Is this 486-5731?”

Toot toot

Can I just toot a horn real quick on the current job status? (Tough, I'm doing it anyway...)

I have been on a journey through some seriously dead end jobs…

First job was in my field of study straight out of college. I was a graphic designer at a studio where I was creatively challenged every day as well as financially challenged. After 2 years of being poor, I moved on.

Second job was in a field I had never even heard of before – association management. While it was it a very stressful, thankless job, it did challenge me and I was fulfilled in a way. I was able to do a little traveling and developed many great skills and habits. But, most jobs have a balance of good and bad. When I finally told my SOB of a boss good bye, I was able to take along with me three great friends that I still adore and talk to on a regular basis.

Third job. *smirk* This is what I like to call a "stepping stone". I so desperately wanted out of my previous job that I took the first job that went up the scale in pay and what I thought sounded like a prestigious position. Ah, how I was mistaken. After being the community complaint center and defending myself on a regular basis for happenings I had no control over, I began a real search for a career. I was tired of positions with asshole bosses and catty women, where ridiculous things like filing was more important to your boss that tending to your deadlines.

The point of my rambling? For once in my life I am in a position where I feel part of a team, where I am thanked every day for what I’ve done to help someone else’s life a little easier. I learn something new every day and while most days fly in a rush to close a deal, I also have days that are so laid back we take 2 hour lunches just shooting the bull with the boss. Can’t beat that.

Most of the time people just speak out to complain and never really broadcast the good. Flipping the switch on ya. ;)

So anyway, I’m just as happy as a tick on a fat dog and just wanted to share. Toot toot.

Finally, some inspiration

Oh... Please go look at this website. Jeshderox's Photography

Beautiful, inspiring.

Makes me want to run out of this office and grab my camera...

(Thanks for sharing, Kelly. This has been the highlight of my day.)

Ghost of Babers?

I think I actually wrote a poem last night. Well, maybe not quite a poem. More like just thoughts that kept circling in my brain that I had to get out before it became a song or even something more annoying… like a chant. That hasn’t happened in a while. I used to create poetry when I was younger, but decided after high school that it was no longer cool. (Shut up.)

It all started when I was brushing my teeth and caught a glimpse in the mirror of what I thought was a lump under the covers of my bed. Like someone was in there, the way it looks when Babers is in there, waiting for me to finish my nightly routine. Kind of reminds me of how it feels when you lose a pet. You find yourself looking down before rounding corners or hopping off of beds so as not to step on them. As if they’re still there. Not to compare Jason with a dog, it’s just… similar, in a way.

Sometimes to my own advantage, I like to pretend he’s still there during the week. For instance, when I’ve been a little lazy on picking up after myself, I like to shake my head while picking up the multiple cups I’ve left around the house. “You may have a nice ass and all, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with leaving your cups every where.”

Or, when it’s really cold in the mornings because I’ve set the temp too low, I like to jump out of bed cursing “just because you are hot natured doesn’t mean I have to suffer. Brrr!”

I’m pathetic.

Maybe I’ll post this “poem” later. If I get brave, that is.

P.S. - How cool is that bed? www.slmetalworks.com/beds_a.html

A Beach Wedding!

No, not for me!!! An old, loyal friend of mine called this past weekend to announce that the wedding she planned for January of 2008 is now being pushed up to September 2007. “I’m not pregnant,” she explained, “it’s just that we have our vacation planned for September, and we’d like nothing more than to be married on the beach.” Priceless.

Good things about this change:

1. I am no longer a bridesmaid. Due to the last minute change – and expense of travel - most of the wedding party won’t be able to make it. Now it’s just the best man and matron of honor.

2. Jason and I are turning this into our vacation as well. Why not?

3. I get to spend some time with my friend in a beautiful place free of every day stress and responsibility.

4. Ditto on the above except replace “my friend” with “my boyfriend”.

Notice how I just turned my good friend’s wedding into something good for me? Sounds terrible, I know, but if you’ve been a bridesmaid for years and have accumulated several odd colored dresses that you will never wear again you would feel the same way. However, I’ve never in my life felt the saying “always a bridesmaid, never the bride” related to me, but I do feel a little envious that she is getting married soon and on the beach. I’ve never really wanted to be married before but I guess now that I’ve found “the one” I just want forever to start now.

Anyway, 10 more weeks and I’ll be watching my friend get married on some beautiful beach while holding my sweetie’s hand. I can’t wait!

Three Words

Mu wah ah ah! Another meme stolen from Miss Blogarita! (I have SO much work to do so if I get fired it's her fault...) *wink wink*


1. Where is your cell phone? Hidden in purse
2. Boyfriend/girlfriend?currently loving babers
3. Hair? newly short, easy
4. Your mother? intelligent, trying, strong
5. Your father? quiet, pensive, rock
6. Your favorite item(s)? sudoku, crockpot, scrapbook
7. Your dream last night? no dream thankfully
8. Your favorite drink? Sweet iced tea
9. Your dream guy/girl? my funny babertine
10. The room you are in? my boring office
11. Your fear? heights, being attacked
12. What do you want to be in 10 years? happy, stable, hot (hahaha)
13. Who did you hang out with last night? Suzy and Doozy
14. What are you not? Babers says I'm not high maintenance and my momma says I'm not a dummy... oh wait that was more than three words.
15. Are you in love? yes very much
16. One of your wish list items? my own home!
17. What time is it? who really cares
18. The last thing you did? talked to Amy
19. What are you wearing? slacks, heels, mascara (and that's it! My boss LOVES me)
20. Your favorite book? probably White Oleander
21. The last thing you ate? chicken salad, pickle
22. Your life? calm, fufilling, perfect
23. Your mood? happy but restless
24. Your friends? fun, supportive, non-psycho (smirk)
25. What are you thinking about right now? my growling tummy
26. Your car? sporty white accord
27. What are you doing at this moment? passing the time
28. Your summer? so much planned!
29. Your relationship status? with my soulmate
30. What is on your TV screen? no tv screen
31. When is the last time you laughed? 5 minutes ago
32. Last time you cried? yesterday at song
33. School? college grad, craziness
34. Why did this end so abruptly?what? huh? who?

The Ups and Downs

I feel like I’m on a freaking rollercoaster right now. The weekends bring J, who supplies tons of ridiculous behavior, tons of fun and laughter…just never a dull moment. He brings out the crazy in me – wait - I should probably say J encourages the crazy in me, and well, when he leaves I have no one who can match this as well as he, so I basically stare at the walls until the weekend again.

I exaggerate. Still, between doing stuff with friends during the week, creating art, walking, and new on the list – playing my fantasticable Sudoku game that Jason bought me – I’m just sitting there wishing he was with me. Of course I don’t want to bore my friends with my whining and wishing, so I usually keep it inside. (Or put it on the blog.) Of course, this build up eventually comes out in a tantrum directed at Jason in hidden form. *sigh* The man doesn’t verbalize his brain, so I often wonder if he feels the way I do. Or does he not think about it at all? *gasp* OR is he so wrapped up playing with his new puppy that he doesn’t think about me at all??

Grr. Stoopid puppy.

I’m kidding! I seriously love that little slut. Except when she makes me itch and gets between Jason and I on the couch.

I digress. But then, I’m not really going anywhere with this am I? Call it a Dear Diary entry if you will. I just… feel like I’m ever so grateful to have this perfect-for-me human being in my life to love and love me back, but the distance and lack of togetherness is so huge for me that I often obsess about that instead of how great our love is. (Did you just throw up in your mouth a little?) And I also feel like I've waited so long for this - why is he being taken away now? Why not a job here?? If I had something to throw right now I would. (Eyeballing phone and stapler on side of desk.)

I know, I know, he's apart from me too. He's experiencing the distance too. Its not just about me. But, it really hurts when you're the one being left.

That’s all…. for now.

The Sleeping Memes

I saw this while visiting Blogarita and thought it was cute, so of course I had to "borrow" it!

6 Weird things I do while getting ready to sleep or while sleeping:

1. I get irritated and cannot fall sleep if there is any sound in the room other than the fan whirling or the air conditioner going. For example, a dog scratching in the room or people outside talking will keep me up. However, I can fall asleep sooo easily (unintentionally) while watching a blaring televison.

2. My only sleeping position is on my tummy with one arm under my pillow. The only time this varies is if I decide I want to jack one of my legs up on the side of me. I cannot fall asleep any other way.

3. Relative to #2 – When Jason’s home on the weekends, I love love love cuddling with him right before falling asleep, but I can’t actually sleep that way. So we roll over to sleep the way we must, but our legs or feet have to be touching or tangled up together in order for me to crash.

4. Not really following the title, but: On Thanksgiving day, all the women make fun of or fuss about all the men in the house falling asleep right after stuffing themselves with turkey and dressing. I secretly wish I could kick back and fall asleep with them, but don’t want to be talked about by the rest of the women.

5. I prefer to and will probably always sleep in shorties and a t shirt. Non of this pretty lingerie in bed, or baby dolls or a la nakedness – I’ve tried. Really, I have. Just can’t seem to kick the comfort habit. (So sorry Babers…)

6. Before getting into bed I always check behind my shower curtain, in my bedroom closets and under my bed for intruders. This started the first day I moved out on my own and I imagine will continue until I’m living with someone who can protect me.

Looking at my 6 items, none of them are really weird except for maybe #6.

Life's a Beach!

If there is anything obvious that Jason has changed about me, it would definitely be my spontaneity. Before him, I really didn’t have any. But, I know how much he loves being spontaneous and so this past weekend for his birthday, I threw a comment in the air about going to the beach for his birthday. I hesitated before saying it, being the planner that I am, but once I saw his excitement I was in for it.

Together we probably spent about 4 hours on the phone and internet trying to find a place to stay in the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area. If it wasn’t sold out, it was priced at a ridiculous rate. We ended up broken hearted believing that our little last minute plan had been squashed. We woke up Saturday morning still anxious to get away, so we jumped out of bed to start packing – destination: Biloxi beach!

Now, I’ve seen the pictures and heard the stories from people that have visited Biloxi. I’ve heard about how much has changed and how the rebuilding process has been so slow. We knew it wouldn’t be the same as trips to Biloxi before, but we still wanted to play together at the beach and I guess we were in denial about what to expect.

The beach line was completely vacant. Trying to find a place to eat, or even something as simple as a bag of ice was really trying. We’d see a restaurant sign in the distance and get excited, only to be knocked down as we got closer and saw it was only a sign, that the restaurant itself had been destroyed.

Despite the disappointment and shock, we still had an awesome time. As I said to my mother when she warned me before we left that there was nothing to do: Jason and I are not just a couple, we’re best friends – we’d have fun in a room with no windows. Just being together, making drinks and being silly, filling the Jacuzzi tub with overflowing shampoo suds and talking… serious fun. Not having any distractions really filled this void for me with him being gone during the week. And I think this weekend gave me a new appreciation for him: the man is an optimist. Almost to the point of annoyance. Okay, so not really – the only annoying thing was realizing that I’m not the optimist. (And I’d so like to be one!!) It was pouring down rain with no chance of hitting the beach the first day we were there, and I never heard him complain or give up on the trip.

I just have to complain about one thing – sunburn!! I have serious side boob burn (that one’s for you Babers!)

All Grown Up

Last night Toot had his kindergarten graduation. He attends the same school that I attended K-12. To be there again for this event felt so odd – they still have the same style ceremony as we did. The kids still had life size drawings of themselves hung along the walls like we did.


















As I mentioned in my last post, my nephew is growing up too fast. He’s the tallest in his class! I tried to take as many pictures as I could last night to hold on to this time. I even stole a pouty face moment when he learned that one of his classmates would be leaving the state.















I can’t believe ten years have passed since I’ve graduated high school.

Altogether it was a good night. I even had a strange, but, very… nice thing happen to me. An old friend whose child is in my nephew’s class was there and he approached me at the end of the evening. There was a huge misunderstanding and much wrong doing that happened between us over six years ago and he wanted to apologize for it. After going through a lot of his own drama and ups and downs, he said he was so clear and aware of what happened back then. His apology was so sincere it brought tears to my eyes. It really takes a big person to see through and reach out to apologize, especially after that many years. It was great to finally close that chapter of my life.

Only in Louisiana

Only in Louisiana....

Will you see an alligator sunning itself on the banks of a subdivision lake.

Only in Louisiana....

Will you be given a personal cell phone number for the town sheriff to come by and trap this alligator when he gets off work.

Only in Louisiana....

Will this sheriff comment on how glad he'll be to "get his hands on this bastard" and how he'll just dump it in his ice chest with the other one he caught two days ago.

Random Ramblings

For the last three months my president was MIA. Couldn’t reach him at his home, on his cell or at his office. No return calls. This is the problem with working for associations. Your bosses are volunteers. Guess the saying you get what you pay for relates.

I quit my job. Put in my two weeks last Monday. This of course has nothing to do with my missing president. However, once he caught wind of my leaving, he’s back in the picture with whip in hand. I have now been assigned to create a “procedures manual”. Ask me how much I want to just walk out now and not come back so that I can avoid this task.

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My nephew graduates kindergarten today. First grade is on his horizon and I feel old. No wait, I meant, OLD. I think I’d feeler older if I had kids of my own, though I’m not sure the reasoning behind this. It’s amazing how quickly time goes by when you’re a child and then when you are older, you sort of hang and time seems suspended. For example, my car is paid off in 3 months and damn if I can’t wish those months along any faster that their slow crawl. And yet as a child, those 3 months off of school for the summer went by so fast.

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Food is always better if someone else has prepared it. Prime examples of this are sandwiches and potato salad. I’m munching on some of my Maw Maw’s potato salad now that she sent home with me. Yummo. (That was my shout out to Rachel Ray.) This stuff is just not the same when I make it.

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I ordered my first Christian contemporary cd last week. I don’t think it the norm for someone my age to listen to this music, though I may be mistaken. Anyway, it’s a Third Day cd and it’s really good. If I heard the music playing at a friend’s house, I’d think it was just contemporary rock. Can’t really tell the difference until you hear the occasional “holy” or “glory”. Ha. I sing along to the music without really thinking that in some way it could be a form of worship. I’m not a church goer or a holy roller. In fact, I’m still somewhat confused about my religion and my beliefs. I just… enjoy the music. So leave me alone already.

Question though – is it weird or wrong that I have this new cd in my six disc player next to Saliva and 12Stones?

Hmm… anything else… nope, I think that’s it for now.

Weekend Awakening

This weekend has flown by. I had a "romantic" dinner set up Friday night when Jason came home. Then Saturday morning Babers took me for breakfast out, which has started to become a regular thing for us now. Then we went riding on the river all day. Its nice to be able to just relax and do as you please all weekend without worrying about anyone or anything else. Being out on the river is like being in another country or on vacation -- no cell phones, no contact with anyone other than those you are with, no worries.

A couple Jason and I are close to tried consoling us just before Jason left for work out of town. They told us that being away during the week made the weekends even sweeter. They said that we would appreciate each other more and quarrel less. While I agree that the weekends are sweet, I can't say we will ever experience the other - Jason and I have never quarreled, so we see no difference there. However, I feel like I'm finally getting into the groove of things and its a big relief.

I feel like my life is finally starting to become more enjoyable and definitely more peaceful. I've made several changes in my life recently to rid myself of debt, chaos, hurt, and dead ends, and I've never been more sure of myself and the decisions I've made. I woke up this morning with an extremely sore body (from riding all day Saturday), sunburned shoulders, and serious allergy side effects, but for the first time in a while I was able to take a deep breath.

I am happy.

One Year of Wonderful, Blissful, Crazy Love

This Sunday marked our one year anniversary. The year has absolutely flown by. I still can’t believe it’s already been a year. I guess the saying “time flies when you’re having fun” stands true.

Jason surprised me with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers that held all of my favorites – star gazer lilies, sunflowers and orchids. The only thing missing was him to smother with hugs and kisses. The flowers sit on my dining room table and fill the entire apartment with that yummy flower smell. I think I may just be the luckiest girl in the world. Not only is the love of my life romantic, he listens too!


I racked my brains the weeks before our special weekend for something amazing to do for Jason but nothing, I mean literally nothing came to mind. What kind of girlfriend comes upon a special day like this with no great ideas? After rummaging through a few websites for inspiration, I decided on my surprise.

Jason is definitely a kid at heart. It was hard blowing up these balloons with such a big smile on my face – I just kept imagining his reaction...

And, of course, his reaction was everything I hoped it would be. The plan was to blow up 365 balloons for every day we’ve been together, tucking notes inside each balloon before blowing them up. The notes were marked with all the reasons I loved him or memories I love that we’ve made together. Needless to say, the apartment isn’t big enough for 365 balloons, nor is my lung capacity.

Jason popped all 175 balloons (hey, it was close enough) spreading them out over the weekend. He requested I rubber band all of the notes to keep in our box. His sentimental side never fails to amaze me.

The entire weekend was awesome. We splurged on dinners out from Friday to Sunday, visited pet adoption centers, had wine and cheese and barbequed with friends – basically had a spontaneous, care free weekend full of fun. (Wow, that sounds cheesy.)

Jason has become such a big part of my life that I can barely remember what my life was like before us. Finding your soul mate is definitely something worth waiting for. He keeps me laughing and guessing, makes me feel beautiful and is ultimately my best friend.

This has definitely been the year of my life. I can’t wait for the next anniversary.

Blank Wall Covered!

A bit of catching up to do… Once Jason left for his new job out of town I had a good bit of time to myself for creative adventures. I finally finished my three piece painting for the large blank wall of my living room. Its one of the first paintings I’ve done that I’ve felt is complete as it is, instead of wanting to take the thing back off the wall to add or touch up as I’ve done in the past.

Nightmares on My Street

Lately I’ve been having the scariest dreams. People I love are getting hurt, I cheat on my sweet boyfriend, animals are chasing me and I can seem to make my legs work. Last night I had a dream that the world was ending.

I would like to blame this entirely on the film An Inconvenient Truth. Jason and I saw it this past week. While it was interesting, it didn’t really say much that hadn’t already been said, but definitely stuck enough to pop up in my dreams.

An old best friend, an acquaintance and I ran around the chaos trying to find a way to survive the end of the world. There were fires everywhere, buildings were crashing, people had gas masks on, the scene was terrifying. I jumped in a helicopter with my two partners and we took off, watching the horrible destruction below. One of us made the point that soon our copter would run out of gas and we would still be doomed. I reached into my pocket contemplating a bottle of pills I had stolen in the event that I would need to make my death less traumatic.

We landed back on the ground near NASA – I know, I know, but it’s a dream. We climbed into a rocket telling the astronauts we were inspecting it and then took off. I woke up in the middle of the night, interrupting the dream. I think the worst part was waking up and feeling this horrible guilt that I wasn’t with my family, trying to save them as well.

Just thought I’d share.

Random Thoughts

I love Cocoa Krispies. LOVE. The local grocery I go to was out of them at the time so I bought Cocoa Pebbles. Not the same. Don’t be fooled. Now I have to eat the entire gosh darn box before I can return to the real thing.

Jason elbowed me in the eye last night. I saw it coming but what can you do? The boy takes up my entire bed and most of my pillow with his big ole elbow but I love it. Oh, and he tried shoving me out my bed at one point with his butt. This is a guy whose bum is half the size of mine. He’s just a bully, that’s all.

30 Seconds to Mars is my most recent cd purchase. I decided it was time seeing as I hadn’t bought a cd in 3 years or more. Sad, right? I’m not really satisfied and I’ve decided I know the reason. Hearing your favorite song on the radio by chance is what makes the song really awesome. Unless of course you get to listen to the radio all day. I only listen to the radio to and from work and occasionally while I’m cooking so I’m less likely to hear my favorites. So, once I buy the cd and can hear it all I want, I’m no longer in love with it. Makes me think of jr. high school and having a different boyfriend every week.

Did you know that rubbing your eyes is what makes dark circles? It’s true. I have created my circles. This saddens me. Same goes for the 5 pounds that have taken residence on my ass in the last few years. They won’t go away and I’m to blame.

I need a name for my plants. Particularly my petunias. They are “sugar daddies” but I refuse to call them that. I need a name so I can coo to them in the evenings which will make them grow.

Hmm. That’s it for now.