one day at a time

dress me

2012-01-29T08:55:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we learned a few things about wedding dress shopping. We drove around the city for hours, and it was very frustrating.

#1. Make an appointment. Not only will calling confirm that the place is still in business, it makes things a billion times easier- even if you don't really have any idea what you want. Also, people will be less rude. Although that's not really an excuse for the stuck up rude bitches we encountered. Fuck you, I'm the bride. I like the sound of that, haha.

#2. It's hard to find wedding dresses that aren't long and/or poofy gowns. I understand most brides want that look, but the pickings are kinda slim if you don't. I may have to resort to internet purchases, but hopefully I won't have to.

#3. Even if you try on a dress that you'd never end up getting, your mom will cry because you are in a wedding dress.

#4. Try not to wear a thong, because your sister doesn't really want to see your ass when she's helping you into dresses.

Even though the day did not go as smoothly as planned, It started with a bang. Ashley came over, hair still damp, coffee in hand, and set up camp on my coffee table with her excited face on.

And oh my gosh she's amazing. She put together a binder, flagged ideas in bridal magazines, set up her kindle fire and made a presentation. She picked up color swatches at the paint store so we could see how they went together (brilliant). She printed out the marriage license forms, along with directions to the nearest place and what we'd need when we got there. She printed out (in precious color ink!) ideas for decor, including some that she'd seen in other usmc weddings.

Thank GOD. I needed someone with ideas and direction. Even though yesterday was a little chaotic, I feel better because now I have some kind of idea of what we're doing. And it also helped that I finally got Chris to give me some opinions.

As far as I'm concerned, the first thing I need to do is find a dress. All of the other details can be perfect but that doesn't matter if I don't have something appropriate to wear. The sooner I find it, the sooner I can stop thinking about it. Then I get to move on to funner things, like shoes!

And it's funny because I voiced my frustrations to Chris and he tried to make me feel better by saying that it was only a dress, that we need to focus on the fact that we're going to be getting married and that's all that matters... psh. Easy for him to say, he already knows what he's wearing!

At the end of the day, though, he's right. When I think of the time that's left to find a dress, it seems so short. But when it think of the time that's left until I see him again, it seems so long.

no wonder people turn into bridezillas

2012-01-24T14:42:00.003-06:00

So everybody keeps bringing up wedding stuff.

Have we picked a date? Do I have a dress? What's the theme? What are the colors? What about flowers? Where's it going to be? Are you going to throw rice? Or what about sprinkles! or Bubbles! or Sparklers! What about this? How about that? Wedding bands! Food! Cake! Decorations! The veil! Shoes! Are you really going to take his mile-long last name?!

My honest answer? I really don't know. I've never been the girl who planned her wedding years ago. I don't know if I want a DJ or a band, or if I want a traditional reception. Or if I want it at the beach. Or if a bonfire is do-able. Or if it will be inside or outside. Or what kind of flowers to put in the middle of the table. And then my dad keeps mentioning the reality tv show wedding. I don't know. And then there's the issue of Wedding #1 and future possible Wedding #2.

And no one is asking Chris these things. It's all directed at ME.

It's already stressing me out and we haven't even started planning yet. I mean, I do have some ideas, and it's fun to pin stuff on pinterest and look at magazines and Martha Stewart and stuff, but it's a lot overwhelming.

And then I think I want a certain kind of look but then I remember he's going to be wearing his Marine dress blues and maybe I need a dress that's a little more fancy and ohmygod. I just want someone else to plan everything and I'll just show up. I guess this is why you have friends and family and sisters and bridesmaids-- to help you get your shit together.

Or how about he just come home and we can get married any old way, I don't give a crap as long as he shows up.

Don't park there!

2012-01-23T17:26:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite stories regarding Missy involves a late-night Whataburger run.

We were probably about 19 or so, back when I was cruising around the city in Pedro. Ah, how freaking fun were those years?

Anyway, we had gone downtown to see a friend perform in a burlesque show, or maybe see a belly dancing show? I dunno, some show. Afterwards, we were driving home and it was pretty late, and we were hungry. So we stopped at this Whataburger right off the freeway, in a questionable part of town. I was in the parking lot and was about to pull into a spot. In fact, I was about halfway in the spot. All of a sudden, Missy screams, "Don't park there!"

A frantic, break-the-conversation urgent plea. I slammed on the brakes.

After a WTF moment directed at Missy, a few seconds later, I see why. Parked in the adjacent spot, in the shadows, is one of those ghetto mexican cars, you know the lowrider ones with hydraulics. No big deal, except inside the car is a ghetto mexican thug, who we can just barely make out. Well, we assumed he was a ghetto mexican thug, sitting in the dark in the Whataburger parking lot in a questionable part of town in his ghetto mexican lowrider car. To be honest, it was just a little eerie.

So, even though I'm mostly in the spot and have paused mid-park to take in the situation, I put in reverse as nonchalantly as I can, pull out of the spot, and park in a well-lit place next to the door. I can only imagine what the possible ghetto mexican thug was thinking.

Then we went inside, avoiding looking at the car, and Missy ordered a single chicken finger. Yeah, you can do that at Whataburger. I think she got onion rings too, but I wouldn't let her eat them in my car. Because then it would smell like onion rings. Anyway, we made it home without any more mishaps, but to this day, that remains one of my favorite Missy memories.

I actually think about it frequently because I pass that Whataburger on my way home from work. And it still cracks me up.

iceray uddingpay

2012-01-23T17:08:00.000-06:00

Rice pudding.

Once I start eating it, I simply cannot stop. Until the entire bowl is gone, or until my belly is uncomfortably full.

tidbit

2012-01-22T10:32:00.001-06:00

I keep randomly remembering things that Chris said before/during/after he proposed to me. I guess it was all so shocking that most of it is a blur. In fact, most of the weekend is a happy blur.

Then these little fun moments come back to me at the most random times.

I think it's funny that I was wearing a cardigan over a bikini when he asked me to marry him. Again, ask my ten-year-old self how I'd picture it- not even close. He didn't picture it that way, either, but I love it.

That night we went to the rooftop jacuzzi and got kicked out at closing time, so we went back to the room. He was in the shower and I was brushing my teeth, and we must have been talking about the ring, or maybe he just randomly blurted it out- something about how he was sorry if I wanted a princess cut diamond because he doesn't like the way they look.

It struck me as funny because I had never thought much about what kind of ring I wanted, and also because I had no idea what a princess cut was. I thought it was cute that he had even developed an opinion about it.

our song

2012-01-20T21:36:00.000-06:00

My mom was in that shmoopy/ deep conversation stage of drunken-ness tonight when she asked about me & Chris' song. It's not something that we ever officially declared "our song," but if we had one, this would be it.

So I pulled it up, and we jammed for a minute. It's been a while since I've listened to it. He's actually the one that mentioned it, years ago, said it reminded him of us. I'd have to agree.

Cross Canadian Ragweed, Too Far Gone.

Good mornin California
How long has it been?
I know your sky could help me fly
Out of this shape I'm in
I polished off another bottle
Some old cheap red wine
I'll turn it all back into water for you baby
Just to hold you one more time

Too far gone
Too far gone
Been so long since I've been back home
I'm too far gone

Hey baby what you wearin?
Damn that sure sounds fine
I know I just catch myself starin
Staring til I went blind
Cause you treat me like I'm your someone
Even when no one's around
I'd drop everything I was holdin
To pick up what you're puttin down

Too far gone
Too far gone
I can't explain, it would take too long
I'm too far gone

I know it's been crazy
I know what you're going through
Let me tell you sweet baby
That I'll walk right through with you
You're always there besides me
Whether I'm right or wrong
I know in here without you here
I'm too far gone

Too far gone
Too far gone
Til I sing a brand new song
I'm too far gone

Too far gone
Too far gone
I know I could go on and on
I'm too far gone

(My parents' song
Ashley & Collin's song)

If you got one, what's yours?

derrherr

2012-01-19T15:00:00.000-06:00

I though it was Wednesday all morning until about 11am (more than halfway through my day) when my boss & Andrea informed me that it was, in fact, Thursday.

Sweeet! I thought this week was dragging... and now tomorrow is Friday, one day earlier than I thought!

Instead of lazing around stuffing my face all afternoon, I think I'll ease back into working out by going for a walk.
Only because I finished all of my will & grace and himym dvds... until I get new ones.

Content

2012-01-18T18:35:00.003-06:00

My coworker asked me this today.

What is the moment/situation where you'd feel most content?

A cold night, sitting around a bonfire, with friends, glass of wine in hand, Chris next to me smoking a cigar.

Easy peasy.

I've actually had this moment happen once or twice, and it's awesome.

(Speaking of, I remembered I had a fb album of a beach bonfire. Wow, so much has happened since then)

What is your perfect content moment?
.

Not too shabby.

2012-01-17T18:00:00.002-06:00

Came home from work (seriously, it's only Tuesday??) to find a large green box on my coffee table.
Inside the green box was a bouquet of flowers inside a vase. (I'm amazed they can ship that!)

Surprise flowers from the fiance? Very nice. I love it when he does random shit like this.

With a new found spring in my step and some iced green tea, my mom and I went to Walmart to get... everything. Nothing's in the fridge, and besides I'm out of toilet paper. I pretty much went on a huge shopping trip. We get to the checkout and swipe... the credit card machine is down. Oh, wait. The credit card machine is down in the entire store! People are starting to get pissy, as only people in Walmart can get.

So we stood there for a few minutes, milk sweating and frozen fish thawing, all bagged up and in the cart, until I remembered there is a bank at the front of the store. With an ATM. So I ran over there, surprisingly there was no line. I got cash in about 2 minutes, paying ATM fees-- well worth it. Then I merrily paid and got the heck out of there. I'm such a genius some times.

Came home and accidentally broke the lid of the vintage sugar bowl that Chris searched through tons of stores and gave me for Christmas. Just smashed into a billion pieces. Hmph. :o(
At least I still have the actual bowl.

Then I attempted to cook this, or a close version of it. It turned out ok. Not exceptionally flavorful. I didn't have capers, but I don't think that they'd contribute that much to the dish. Rounded out the meal with some wine, and everything was all right.

Flowers + shmoopy card... check.
Replenished fridge, freezer, pantry, chocolate stash, and toilet paper in the bathroom... check.
Wine... check.
Back and forth between HIMYM and reading Wicked on the Kindle... check and check.

Not bad for a Tuesday.

Sunday musings

2012-01-15T11:02:00.000-06:00

Ah, Sunday. Waking up late, secrets, coffee, laundry, you know the drill.

Had a TON of fun at Dave & Busters for Jen's birthday. I can't remember the last time I went out and had fun with a bunch of friends, or made a new friend.

Every time I have a really good time, at the end of the night I always can't help but think, 'Man I wish Chris was here; he'd have had so much fun.' Or, 'I really wish I could have shared this with Chris.'

Every time he leaves, the period of time that I experience the hurting, raw missingness gets smaller before it eventually turns into routine always-in-the-back-of-my-mind missingness. The first time he left, it was about two months before I started to get used to it. This last time, it was about a week. Now, I'm more used to missing him than having him around.

If you would have asked me when I was 10 what my love life would be like when I was 27, never in a million years would I have guessed that this would be my answer. Funny where life takes you.

I guess it's true, though. It does make you stronger. It makes you a stronger person, and I think in some way it makes you a stronger couple. I mean, petty arguments seem ridiculous when you've overcome an obstacle like this. I guess it helps you put things into perspective. And I think the only reason it works the way it does is because it's him and me. If it were someone else, I don't think I could do it. So yeah, I'm stronger and all that, but damn it still sucks.

Enough analyzing my relationship. I'm sure y'all are sick of reading it, but hey, it's what's on my mind.

And let's go into the week with this in mind:

There's a reason I've been looking forward to Mondays lately: the walking clusterfuck has that day off. Seriously, I try so hard not to be mean but he gets on my damn last nerve. Every day I make it my goal not to be annoyed by him, and every day I fail. Sometimes, I think he does it on purpose.

And let's end on a happy note. Last week I went to Michael's and happened to find some super cute cupcake liners. I know! So cute! There were many more styles, but I felt silly dropping more than a few bucks on cupcake liners. So I stopped at four.

Kinda makes me NEED to make muffins. Or, they can be used like this, if there's any left the next time I throw a party.

P.S. I had a dream last night that I was brushing my teeth and two of them fell out. And they weren't even the damn wisdom teeth. So I was freaking out about having to go and get them put back in, or whatever they do. Obviously this dental anxiety needs to get resolved and I need to get these damn teeth fixed.

thecat + my car

2012-01-11T15:37:00.002-06:00

Other people get bird crap on their cars.

I get a frenzy of muddy paw prints.
.

mellow

2012-01-10T15:36:00.001-06:00

Get home.
Green tea + rice krispie treat.
Unexpected bonus: Sweet texts from toot.
Kitten puzzle.
Continue reading Wicked. Strange book, so far.

I put my rug in the washer and it's making strange noises and I keep hoping it gets done soon because I don't want to be the one who breaks mom's new washing machine.

*update* She totally heard and came in to see what was going on, haha

rained out

2012-01-09T17:49:00.002-06:00

Today was supposed to be the day I get back into working out.

Yeah, not happening.

We all know it rained today, and flooded. I was not exempt from it, but thankfully I was already at work long before it started raining. The hospital was kind of surrounded by a moat there for a while, then the ditches overflowed, the streets became canals, and the water in the parking lot rose up to the bottom of car doors.

Mad frenzy of people moving cars into spots of the lot that weren't covered in water, myself included. It was thisfreakingclose from flooding into my car. Oh, the horrors if it had.
The courtyards had 6 inches of water in them, and started seeping into the hallways. Tennis shoe squeaks could be heard all day. I was safely in my lab, but a few phlebotomists got stranded and couldn't reach the hospital with their blood. So they just sat there until they could hitch a ride from a tow truck driver, or find their way in.

I left a little later than normal, thinking that I wouldn't be able to get home on the flooded streets, but a few people made it to the hospital and I thought, "If they can get in, I can get out!" I was NOT feeling overtime today. (Speaking of, I need to get back into a happy attitude regarding work. That's a post for another day.) On my way out, I passed several cars abandoned with their hazards on, no doubt leftover from being stranded this morning.

It took me 3 times as long to get home. At one point I passed the Braes Bayou, and it was an amazing sight. Almost full to the brim, the water flowing really fast under the bridge that I was stopped on. It seems like the area surrounding where I work flooded the worst, because once I made it through the traffic, avoided a few flooded areas, and made it onto the freeway, I didn't have any other problems.

But now I'm exhausted, and once again wishing I had a bathtub.

on weddings

2012-01-08T09:47:00.001-06:00

See, I told you I needed sleep. Feeling lots better. I wish I had just one more day to get to feeling 100%.

This has obviously been on my mind lately.

If you would have asked me two months ago about marriage, I would have told you I was in no hurry. And I would have meant it. If you asked me that today, I'd probably say the same thing, and mean it.

When he asked me to marry him, it was so far from my plan that I have to admit, it took several days to really sink in that he was serious. Once it sunk in, I liked the idea of a long engagement with something special to look forward to when he comes home.

Before he proposed, my original plan looked like this: When he finishes his contract and comes home, we move in together, probably buy a house, then somewhere in there I figured the proposal would come, with a leisurely planned wedding. If we had to get a courthouse marriage for the house-buying part, that would have been cool with me. However, marriage was not a requirement for being with him. I was happy with or without it.

His plan apparently involved proposing on leave, then getting married before his next deployment. Of course in this version, there are added benefits from being a military spouse. He felt like he wouldn't have time to plan a big wedding in a short span of time while he was in Hawaii, so he suggested going to the courthouse. Then, after his contract ends, we have the big fancy wedding. That also allows his best friends to serve as groomsmen, since their contract will all end at the same time.

I initially balked at the idea. It obviously sped up my long-term plan considerably, and the idea of a quickie courthouse wedding to get military perks seemed tacky and decidedly un-romantic. I'm not a freaking gold-digging soldier-hunter.

And also, everybody intends to, but nobody ever actually has that second fancy wedding. I'd be stuck with a dry, rushed courthouse wedding forever. He insists that we would have the big wedding, but I'm taking that one with a grain of salt.

But, the more I thought about it, the more it sounded appealing. With the extra funds, we could save up for a house much quicker and I could focus on paying off my debt. At the end of the day, I'd rather have a place to live with my husband than a big fancy wedding.

I proposed a compromise. We get married before his next deployment, but it had to be something more special than a courthouse wedding. A small, simple ceremony with a few special touches. That way if we never did have the big wedding, we'd have something special to remember. So, big enough to feel significant, but small enough so that it doesn't make a possible second wedding feel redundant.

To be honest, this whole "second wedding" thing just seems kinda silly to me, anyway. But I guess these are unique circumstances.

I expected to feel uncomfortable at the marriage date being pushed so much closer than I ever planned, but I'm not- not at all. I guess I always figured it would happen eventually, and if we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, making it official a year or so earlier won't make that much of a difference.

And no, we don't actually have a date yet. We don't know when/where he will be deployed or when his next block of leave is. I'm thinking it might be late summer/ early fall.

What I do know is that I'm damn lucky, and I freaking miss him.

pah.

2012-01-06T14:44:00.001-06:00

Don't feel good.
FINALLY it's Friday so I can laze around and sleep for a couple days and try to feel better.

bittersweet

2012-01-02T09:38:00.001-06:00

Dropped Chris off at the airport this morning. Not exactly thrilled, but I didn't cry today. Makes me feel a little better that he's not going to war this time, and it's also the second half of his contract, so every day is one day closer to him coming home. I'm just praying that this next deployment is somewhere cool and not back to Afghanistan. Regardless, the next time I see him, we'll probably be getting married. So damn surreal. (and omgosh this means I get to create a wedding board on pinterest, haha)

Not digging having to go back to working 5 days a week again. I rather enjoyed the time off.
I can chew reasonably well today. Glad the drugs are kicking in. Also dreading going in to get them taken out. You guys MUST make me do it.

But, I've got a lot to look forward to this year. Got some serious goals. It's going to be a good year, if not productive.

Let's take a look at last year's "Stuff I want to do" list.

Didn't really accomplish a whole lot, but I did the things I really wanted to do. This year's priorities are a little different. I'm excited to see what will happen.

balls.

2012-01-01T15:50:00.000-06:00

Happy New year!

I rang in the new year on the back porch with Chris and my parents. We had plans to go out, but my body had other plans.

Friday I started feeling some pain in my wisdom tooth. I've had pain before when it initially started coming in, so I didn't think anything of it. Then, the pain got worse. At the end of the night it was absolutely unbearable. Chris took me home, stuffed some medicine down my throat, and tucked me in.

Saturday morning I woke up in considerable pain with one side of my face swollen. I called about 15 dentists, and finally found one that was open and willing to fit me in. Considering my dentist anxiety, you know my desperation. Also, I know you don't mess around with mouth infections. They can easily turn deadly.

I dragged Chris out of bed and made him go with me, and the dentist wasn't so bad. He said that the gum around the halfway-out widsom tooth was infected, and had spread towards the adjacent tooth and my cheek.

He gave me two pretty powerful antibiotics and some tylenol with codeine. I was hoping they'd work immediately, but that wasn't the case. I spent all day New Year's Eve pretty much out of commission, trying to eat things that didn't require chewing, but I mostly was just in pain and hungry and trying not to be too whiney.

Needless to say I was pretty disappointed.

It's the last weekend I get to spend with Chris before he leaves, and I spent it miserable.

I didn't get to fully enjoy two parties that I was looking forward to, and overall it was just crap. I was looking forward to going out, having some fun, making some memories.

He, of course, is awesome. Taking care of me, being a good sport about everything. I am so damn lucky and I felt so bad I ruined his weekend too. We had so much more that we wanted to do while he was home, but just ran out of time.

Today at about noon the meds started to work, and I started feeling better, only about 3 hours before Chris had to leave. I have the knack for getting sick at the worst possible times.

So bummed about how this weekend went. Still feeling crappy. Not in the best of spirits. Fuck, this is hard.

But, it's no attitude to have at the beginning of a new year. So I'll try to shake it off. Focus on the blessings.

Even with the rocky start, I know 2012 will be a good one.

(And also it will be the year that I bite the bullet and finally get all my dental work taken care of. Eff this shiz.)

Hunger Games- my thoughts

2011-12-29T14:53:00.003-06:00

So now that I have a Kindle, I have been reading books in record time. Finished the Hunger Games books.

I thought they were entertaining, but, as usual, overrated. Especially the last book.

I think the thing that bugged me the most is how... whiny... the main character is. She's not a very strong female character. I kept waiting for her to man up, stop feeling sorry for herself, and kick some ass. She was pretty much forced to kick any of the ass she did kick, with people coddling her the whole way.
The way she keeps blaming all the deaths on herself... it's a freaking revolution, bitch. People die in revolutions. It was going to happen eventually anyway. They are not all directly related to you. So stop being such a weenie whiner and start being a leader.

And then I got to thinking, maybe that's what the writer wanted- to portray the other side of this type of character. To shed light on how hard it is so be in that kind of situation and still care about and worry about your loved ones, and how a support system is crucial.

But anyway, the books were entertaining and, apparently, thought-provoking.

be nice to people

2011-12-24T07:45:00.000-06:00

So this is Christmas... Eve. When did this sneak up on us?

Things are new this year. We're starting new traditions. I have to work tomorrow, and so does my brother in law. Instead of waking up hungover at the ass-crack of dawn and tearing through presents with one hand and sipping spiked coffee with the other, we are waiting until the evening to have a nice dinner and open gifts. How very adult-ful of us.

It's a little sad that this is the first year we have to break tradition. But, it was bound to happen eventually, with all of us growing up and moving away and whatnot.

Instead of feeling the Christmas cheer, or even greed, I find myself a little detached- standing back from it all and just feeling incredibly grateful. I'm surrounded by an un-falteringly wonderful family, an amazing fiancee who returned from a war zone unharmed and ready to marry the shit out of me, understanding friends, supportive coworkers...

There are plenty of shithead people in this world, but there are also a ton of incredible people. It feels like I'm surrounded by all of them.

And I feel like I don't deserve it.

I'm not an especially kind person. I used to be, before the stresses of the world made me crabby and tired, and, overall, I slowly started caring a lot less about people. I used to be the girl that was always smiling, always had energy, always went out of my way to help or listen, always ready to give, always had a way to brighten someone's day.

Now, I'm the one who's flicking you off when you're driving too slow, scowling when you've held up the line at the grocery store, blowing you off when you need a hand. Holy crap, when did I become such a bitch? What happened to the kindness of stangers?? When and why did I become this person?

I was browsing pinterest the other day and caught this:

The pinner had placed it next to her door so she'd see it on her way out every day, as kind of a daily motivation.

And I thought of how I'd change things if I had that near my door. I certainly work hard, but I'm not especially nice to people. I've noticed the harder I work, the less nice I am to people. And I also decided that there's no reason I can't work hard and also be nice to people. It's just got to become a habit again.

Maybe it's time to re-learn how to be one of those incredible people that I'm surrounded by.

sickly

2011-12-22T15:45:00.000-06:00

Do I know my body, or do I know by body? I knew I was going to get sick.

I woke up this morning about 30 minutes before my alarm went off, in a state of fever-induced shivering. Still, I forced myself out of bed and figured that I might feel better once I got to work and started moving around.

Nope. Awful decision. I spent the most miserable hour and a half of my life at work before my boss got Andrea to come in- on her day off. I felt so bad making her come in. But I haven't been this sick in a long, long time.

When I got home I took my temperature (103) and fell into bed. I woke up a few hours later and took some medicine, and I could literally feel the heat leaving my body as the fever slowly went down.

I'm feeling ridiculously better now that it's under 100, and I'm not sure if it's run its course or if the medicine is just still working. I still can't shake this headache though.

I figure it's just a random bug that I happened to catch. Hopefully it's a 24-hour thing, because no one wants to be sick around Christmas.

hey ya

2011-12-21T15:19:00.002-06:00

Christmas party at work today. I may bitch about my job, but at the end of the day I've got some amazing coworkers and a kickass boss.

I feel like I'm definitely going to get sick. That achey, tired, slightly headachey feeling that comes the day before you get a massive cold or flu. Drinking tons of fluids and plopping some airborne into my drinks, lots of vitamin C. I don't want to get sick!

Reading the second Hunger Games book on my new Kindle. I love that thing. One-handed reading and page-turning. Diggin' it.

Still smitten every time I get a glimpse of my ring. Reaching for something, making a turn in the car, putting it back on after a day in the lab. I'll just notice the sparkle when I'm doing everyday things.
It's not only that it's absolutely stinkin' gorgeous, and sparkly and so damn perfect, it's the thought behind it, the idea that it represents. Still takes a few seconds to sink in. Gah, I'm so happy. I'm so lucky to be so happy.

Anyway, enough shmoop.

I just overheard my mom talking to my sister: "This year is going to be epic. People are going to be going apeshit over this 2012 thing. I can't wait to see all the crazy people!"

here & there

2011-12-19T18:19:00.001-06:00

You know it's time to shave your legs when your ~~boyfriend~~ fiancee gets a good look at them and says, "Good Lord, woman!" To my credit, this is the first time he's noticed and I haven't shaved them in several months.

Like most of us, I've been trying to get my Christmas shopping done. I've still got a few stragglers, mostly because I have no idea what to get a few people. I usually don't have this much trouble trying to find gifts.

Nothing much else new. Only been working 3 days a week so there are no crazy work stories. Been spending as much time as I can with Chris and it's so nice. This morning I woke up sandwiched between him and Pumpkin and feeling quite content. I could get used to that.

Meh, have to get up for work tomorrow. Meh.

oh, happy day.

2011-12-12T21:29:00.002-06:00

This weekend was fantastic.

Chris came home a day early and surprised me. I came home from work Thursday and when I opened the door, I saw a camouflage backpack on the floor and some boots. And just like that, he was home.

We planned a trip to San Antonio just to get away and take a mini-vacation. So we spent some time on the riverwalk and had a fun, relaxing weekend. It was like he never went away; again, he just fit right back in where he was supposed to.

And, also, because it's late and all of the details aren't that important anyway...

Someone got engaged this weekend!

Completely caught me off guard, wasn't expecting it. Absolutely thrilled.
I adore that man, for so many reasons.

Requisite picture of the bling:

click to enlarge-- do it!

The picture does not do it justice. It's absolutely gorgeous. I love it, it's perfect. I never want to take it off. It sparkles like a holiday. Holy crap, I'm engaged. I love it.

My family's reactions were awesome. Amazing. Champagne on the back porch on a Sunday night- that's how we roll.

I just... no words are happy enough to describe this.

yeah babay

2011-12-05T16:30:00.001-06:00

Today I ran. My goal was 6 1/2 minutes. It's in the 50's, nice and cold, so I learned from past experience and put on chapstick beforehand, covered up my ears, and stuck a couple of tissues up my jacket sleeve.

I warmed up with brisk walking to a peppy song. Then I started to jog.

At first, it wasn't bad. Then at about 3 minutes I felt like I wanted to die. I was tired, I was chilly, my muscles were stiff, it was hard to breathe, every part of me was yelling- no it was more like whining- stopppp. There was no way I'd make it to 6.5 minutes. But I kept going. This feeling continued up until about 5:45, when I started to feel less like I wanted to die and my body got warmed up and started running on autopilot.

Then as I hit 6 minutes, I knew I'd be able to make my goal. Then I hit my goal, and didn't immediately feel like I needed to stop. So I kept going, feeling good. I'd zone out and check the time every 30 seconds or so, assessing how I felt and deciding if I wanted to stop or not. At about 8 and a half minutes, I really, really wanted to stop. But I figured I went this far so I kept it up until I had ran an even 9 minutes. Then I slowed to a brisk walk, and felt like I wanted to barf. But I didn't. I breathed instead.

And I felt proud that I had run that long.

DIY Safety Cat Collar- Tutorial

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

Remember the incident where I swore I'd only put safety collars on Pumpkin from now on?

Well, it's become a pain in my ass. She loses her collar at least once a week. Sometimes, they only stay on for a day. It's getting to be expensive and it's annoying to run to Walmart all the time. And in the meantime she's running around all free and naked like a wild cat.

So, I decided to make my own. It's super easy and way cheaper.

You just need fabric scraps and heavy duty velcro. You can use the non-adhesive kind, which I plan to eventually do, but I found some adhesive stuff stashed away in a junk drawer. It sticks surprisingly well to fabric and releases with about as much force as the regular safety collars.

Step-by-step: (click to enlarge)

1. Grab a piece of fabric that will fit around your cat's neck. I found 9 inches long and 2 inches wide fit nicely.

2. Fold your fabric hot-dog style and iron a crease in the middle.

3. Unfold the fabric and fold one side of the fabric towards the middle.

4. Iron a crease.

5. Repeat with the other side, with both sides meeting in the middle.

6. Fold along the middle crease so that the raw edges are completely inside the hot dog bun.

Sew along the edge of the strip. Do the best you can with such a thin strip. Your cat won't care if its not perfect.

You will end up with your collar. If you'd like, fold down the ends and sew so they won't fray. I'm not bothering, because I know she'll lose them soon anyway.

Attach your velcro, cutting it to fit if needed. Just sew around the edges if you don't have the adhesive kind.

The finished product:

I tried to get a picture of her wearing it, but she was more interested in playing with the camera strap than modeling her new collar.

I made about 10 of these in less time than it took to write up this post. And, if she loses them quickly, I'll have another one waiting to be put on. I win, cat!

P.S. For identification, I print out my phone number using a label maker and loop it around the collar. No sense in spending money on tags that will just be lost. I'm sure there are quite a few collars with my phone number strewn about the area.

descriptive

2011-12-04T15:22:00.001-06:00

I don't believe I've ever told you about the time that we got a really unique order for a culture.

It was pretty early in the morning and I was on autopilot, entering lab orders into the system. A phlebotomist came in to drop off some specimens, and stopped to show me an order.

I looked at it and did a double take. It was an order for a culture, and they have to fill in the source. The nurse had written, "Pussy Discharge."

Oh, my.

We sat there for a minute, amused and a little shocked. Usually they write "genital" or "vaginal," but this nurse apparently decided to use a different word. Then I looked at the patient's information, and noticed that it was from a male patient. Hrm.

Now, I have seen a few transgender/ transsexual/cross dressing patients, but they are usually biologically male. Thinking that there may have been a mix-up with the paperwork and/or specimen, I checked the actual swab. Sure enough, the name matched the paperwork, but the source was specified as something like a right elbow wound.

Then it occurred to me. PUS. Infection. Pus-like. Oh my gosh, this nurse meant to describe the pus from a perfectly respectable wound site, but instead wrote something much more vulgar. Hilarity. I wonder if she ever had any clue or just hurriedly filled out the paperwork. Regardless, we had quite the laugh.

Just another day at work.

fight for red & white

2011-12-03T08:31:00.001-06:00

Oh my gosh.
I hurt everywhere.

Just as I was winding down for the night, my mom bursts in saying the neighbors are having a garage sale and they have a nice dresser. Just yesterday the most frequently used drawer in the old hand-me-down I'm currently using broke and I started looking for a new one.

So I crossed the street, and handed over $100 for a very nice dresser, two matching night stands and a mirror, and a really cute kitchen table with chairs. STEAL. Then of course there was a flurry of moving everything in & out and switching things around. I could barely keep my eyes open towards the end of it.

I figured I'd be a little sore but damn. Even my boobs are sore. Although I'm not sure that has much to do with the insane amount of cleaning/moving I did yesterday; it just rounds out the whole-body aching-ness.

Today, my coogs are going to kick some ass. Akhtar took it upon himself to purchase a ticket for me, and it couldn't have been a better idea.

Every time I get ready to go to a game, I can't help but reminisce about alllll the crazy fun I had at these things when I was a student. Those were some of the best times of my life.

hey heyy heyyy

2011-12-02T19:05:00.001-06:00

I love sticking my nose into Pumpkin's fur when she comes in from outside. It smells so fresh and cozy.

Today I cleaned. And when I say cleaned, I mean cleaned. I scraped unidentifiable scum from behind my stovetop. I found things I thought I'd lost. I found dead bugs. I made my vacuum cleaner quit working because it got overheated. I dusted. I scrubbed. I bleached. I swept. I mopped. I laundered. I freaking cleaned. And apparently I haven't done it in a long time because shit was nasty.

Then I shopped. I bought Christmas gifts. I got retail buzzed. I just might go back out and get some more shopping done.

Or, wine and some Will & Grace while I organize my closet/ pack away some summer stuff and pull out some winter stuff.

Good day.

Fabric framed mirror

2011-12-02T07:46:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share a quick little project that made a huge difference...

I had an old framed mirror hanging in my bathroom. It was a cheap plastic frame that had been dropped and cracked and glued together... very unattractive.

So today I finally decided to do something about it.

The easiest way to make it pretty and cover up the crack was to cover it with fabric.

Before:

First I pried the mirror off of the back. It was just glued on so it wasn't hard.

Then I cut strips of fabric that were wide enough to go around the frame.

I used hot glue to attach the fabric. Important: Glue the fabric coming from around the outside edge of the frame before gluing the fabric from the inside. If you do it the opposite way, you'll be able to see the edge of the fabric reflected in the mirror. Also, make sure the edges of the fabric are glued in the middle of the frame so no frayed edges will poke out on either side.

First glue the short sides completely, trimming any excess. Then glue the long sides, but leave the fabric long so you have enough to cover the corners.

Once you've got your sides glued, form the corners like this:

They will end up looking tidy:

And the finished product:

Glue the mirror back on to the back side, making sure it's secure. Then hang it up and admire how un-ghetto it looks.

After:

It really makes a huge difference in that corner of the bathroom- it's lighter and looks more put-together and infinitely less crappy.

IUD Adventures

2011-12-01T13:54:00.000-06:00

Continue reading at your own risk if you're afraid of periods and uterus talk and all that jazz.
When I was doing research about this, I would have loved to come across someone talking frankly about what really happens- rather than the product websites and message boards which spout gloom and doom and side effects and problems. So this is how it really went.

My uterus is now practically an impenetrable fortress.

That's right, I'm walking around with a flexible t-shaped piece of hormone-coated plastic inside my uterus. Baller.

But let's break it down a little.

The doctor instructed me to come in for the procedure during my period, for two reasons:
1. He wanted to be sure I wasn't pregnant, and also so it would be effective beginning 1 week after insertion.
2. The cervix is a little more dilated when you're menstruating.

When I went in to the doctor's office, I peed in a cup and they made sure I wasn't pregnant, then I got undressed from the waist down and sat there with a paper cloth over my lap on the examination table, eyeing the rather long box on the counter.

Now, I swear this always happens to me. I never, ever go to the gynecologist without ending up with a student observing. Do I just happen to always choose the teaching facilities? But anyway, he said that there were 3 students who had never seen and IUD insertion before and would I mind if they came in? Nah, send 'em in. Let's have a party where we all stare at my vagina.

They were actually 3 really nice girls, coming in and introducing themselves and shaking my hand. While I was naked from the waist down. Surprisingly not awkward.

The insertion procedure was like a really intense pap smear. You get up in the stirrups and scoot your butt down to the end of the table (Does anyone else feel really strange scooting your nether regions towards the gyno's face? I always feel strange doing that).

Then, I tried to watch him take it out of the box but the girls were blocking my view. It's got this device that has a long tube, and I'm assuming the IUD is at the end of the tube. The handle of the tube has a switch, much like you use to slide a flash drive out of the stick. They stick the tube up past your cervix and with the flick of the switch, deposit the IUD into the uterus. Then you're all done. Yeah, easier said than done.

Since I have not had children, my cervix needed to be dilated a bit. I was thinking, "Whoa, is he going to give me drugs?" No. It's just a fancy way of saying that they're going to stick this long metal thing up there and mechanically open the cervix. Fun.

At that point I had three girls intently staring between my legs while the doctor did his thing, and I was trying not to be a wuss, but I did give an "ow" and try to find something to grab on to- which ended up being the side of the examination table. The procedure took about 3 minutes and was only about 30 seconds of pain, but imagine a really sudden, really intense cramp. The kind that makes you hold your breath. Then, it was over.

I got dressed and they gave me some meds for pain, which I didn't end up needing. Then I went grocery shopping.

I had pretty significant cramping on & off for a few weeks, and very light spotting the first day, but that was it.

The other night I was talking with my aunt, who is the one who originally suggested the IUD, and we got to comparing birth control methods. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. It's kind of a no-brainer for me.

First, consider the cost.

The Mirena cost $45 for the actual IUD, and $115 to insert it at the doctor's office. Total of $160.
The Pill, with my current insurance, costs $45 a month.
The Mirena is good for 5 years. So over the course of 5 years...

Mirena- $160
Pill- $2,700

Yowza.

With the Mirena, your periods gradually become lighter and they usually stop altogether. You don't have to take a daily pill or change a monthly patch or go in for a quarterly shot. It's also one of the most effective methods of birth control. Also, most of the hormones stay inside the uterus- only a small amount gets into the bloodstream. Basically the only thing you do is stick your fingers up there once a month and try to find the short strings that tell you that it's still in place. (To date, I have not been able to locate mine.)

Not to say that there aren't potential side effects and problems, including problems with pregnancy, embedment to the uterine wall, perforation of the uterus, and infections. I mean, that's to be expected when you put a foreign material inside your uterus.

However, cost-wise and practicality-wise, I'm very glad I decided to try this.

One last thing- the doctor mentioned that my partner might be able to feel the strings at first, because they're kind of coarse but soften over time. He told me, "But don't tell him that, because then he'll feel it for sure. If you don't mention it, he probably won't even notice. You know how guys are- don't give him a reason to complain."

I had to laugh. I get to test it out in about a week, so we'll see.

**Update**

After having the IUD for about a month and a half, here's some thoughts:

I had pretty significant cramping for about a month, and when I got my first period, it started on time and lasted about 2 weeks. Mostly light spotting, a couple days of light bleeding, and more spotting. The spotting lasted forever and was kind of annoying, but the cramps eventually went away.

The fiance could feel it- he described it as "scraping" which made me cringe, but he said it wasn't that bad.

Other than that, I'm hardly ever aware of it and have had no other side effects. I still have not been able to feel the strings myself.

Thankful.

2011-11-24T09:47:00.001-06:00

First and foremost, I was woken up this morning at about 6:00. I assumed it was work, but when I looked at my phone, I saw something I haven't seen for 7 months- Chris's name on the screen.
Safely back on US soil- in Alaska, headed back to Hawaii. Oh, thank you, thank you God. He sounded good. Huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

(Pictures of their homecoming)- I couldn't find Chris in there, but I did borrow this one:

Can you think of a better way to get off the plane- greeted with a cold beer? I am so damn proud of him.

To continue the thankful trend...

Thankful for my amazing family. Not all families are like mine- and I am thankful for each and every one of them.

Friends- the family you get to choose. Again, I know some pretty damn wonderful people.

Thankful I have a job, even when it gets stressful. Thankful for the kickass coworkers that help me get through the tough days. Thankful for the regular paycheck and the roof over my head, the food in my fridge, the car in my driveway.

Too many things I take for granted on a daily basis. I am truly blessed.

surprise!!

2011-11-23T19:34:00.000-06:00

Just... wow.

I have literally postponed writing this, trying to find the words with which to capture the sheer awesomeness. But... I just can't. Also, I've been waiting for some pictures.

I have to say, yet again, that I am incredibly lucky to know such amazing people.

Let me explain the reasons for all of this gushing-ness.

I've always wanted one, and have jokingly talked about who is going to throw me one for years, but this weekend I got a surprise birthday party!!

I love surprises, but it is very hard to surprise me. Once I find out something's going on, I can't stand it. I have to know what's going on. Especially if it's behind my back. I can usually read people and tell that they're hiding something. Or I over-analyze and think they're on to something when they're not. ... Or ARE they?? I am very impressed that they managed to surprise my paranoid, sneaky self.

But they did it, oh, so freaking good. I was shocked. Stunned. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I was walking into a surprise party. My friends are goood.

They planned for months, thought of every last detail, and panicked because they thought I had caught on. They had plan B, plan D, plan F to make sure I got there. They had secret meetings and mass emails. They almost accidentally talked about it in front of me several times. And they freaking pulled it off!!

I never had a clue!

The entire party was gluten free- sandwiches from Jason's deli, cheese balls, fruit trays, organic wine, some amazing spicy mac & cheese (Jen, I need that recipe!), brownies, I mean everything. Akhtar even baked a gluten free cake that was better than the last one. I should have grabbed a piece to take home!

There were pink and polka dot streamers and balloons

A banner that everyone signed

Party hats, an owl pinata filled with little bottles of liquor (GENIUS!)

A jumbo-sized Jenga game, a little booty-shakin', and a really good time.

And, AND, they all pitched in to buy me...

a new tv.
A freaking TV!
OMG THEY GOT ME A TV. A really good one.

Not to say that my old tv wasn't super awesome...

but this is clearly a vastly superior tv.

The party was amazing, but by far I'm most touched by the amount of thought and effort everyone put into it.

I just... no words. These people are amazing. (Plus Akhtar, who isn't pictured because he took all the pictures!)

And to be a good sport, here's a video of the surprise:

20 fo sho

2011-11-22T20:21:00.001-06:00

Happy birthday Suzy Bear!! You are an amazing person and you are so loved.

(diggin how they're creeping in the background lol)

dress

2011-11-19T08:21:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I did a little shopping and came home with this dress. And I paid 50 bucks for it.

I didn't go shopping for a dress. I tried it on on a whim. I generally don't even try on clothing that is mainly polyester- I like my fabric to breathe. But, I figured what the heck.

And it looked awesome on me. So it came home, non-breathable fabric and all.

Now I need somewhere to wear it. I don't want it to be one of those dresses that looks amazing and sits in my closet for 3 years before I ever wear it.

dream weaver

2011-11-18T08:03:00.001-06:00

I'm tired of having dreams about work.

I fell asleep wrapped up in an extremely cozy cocoon with my feather comforter and the cat.

Then I had horribly stressful dreams. I dreamed that we took on a ton of new homes and we had phlebotomist after phlebotomist coming in the lab to drop off rack after rack of blood. They were literally crowding around the centrifuge and piling their racks of tubes on top of each other all around the lab, wherever they can find the space. I can quickly see that there's no way that we will get all of it done in a day's time. Visions of overtime and working terribly long shifts and exhaustion dance in front of my eyes.

And the whole time they're untrained, and asking me questions and loading the centrifuge wrong so it's making a bunch of noise and wobbling all over the place. So I grab the phlebotomy manager, who in real life is kind of a smartass but overall a nice guy, and ask him to help me out with training the phlebotomists. And he just looks at me and tells me to deal with it and walks out.

Then the cat woke me up and forced me from my cocoon to be let outside. Man, I can't wait for a cat door.

But seriously, I deal with enough stress at work. Why does it have to invade my dreams?

butt

2011-11-17T17:56:00.001-06:00

My dad can't stand it when my sisters or I wear pajama pants in public. I always figured it's because it looks sloppy, but recently he told me it's because, "boys can look at your butt."

...Oh.
Supposedly they can't do that when I wear regular pants?
And I'm sure boys aren't craning their necks to get a look at my fanny- pajama pants or not.

Funny how dads think.

flashing lights

2011-11-16T18:11:00.001-06:00

I have no clean spoons.

This will be a problem tomorrow morning when it gets to be cereal-eating time.

I was all set to do the dishes, when I happened to glance over here at Lappy and remembered I have a story. So dishes will wait, or possibly get postponed until tomorrow morning when I wash a single spoon for cereal-eating purposes. Or I'll use a plastic spoon. *shrug*

This morning I got pulled over.
That's right, at 4-o'freaking-clock in the morning.

I was turning out of my neighborhood, and I saw the cop sitting there at the intersection, one of those killer whales. I see them on this particular stretch of road a lot, especially early in the morning.

So I made sure to come to a complete stop before I turned right on red. I always glance in the rear view mirror when I pass a cop, and I saw him start driving. Fuck.
Still driving, looking in the rear view mirror, he got up right behind me. Fuck.
Lights come on. Fuck, man.
Racking my brain, I realize I did not use my blinker when I made the turn. Do people really get pulled over for that? Maybe I had a headlight out.

So I pulled into a parking lot and he comes to the window. I roll it down.
BAM flashlight all up in my face. I squint, "Good morning."

"I'm officer so-and-so. License and proof of financial responsibility, please."

As I reach for my wallet he asks where I work. I tell him, and he asks where that is. I tell him that, too. Making conversation? Or making sure I'm not a secret druggie/ serial killer/ arms dealer/ rapist disguised in a cute hair bow and scrubs and a pink sweater?

I hand him my license as he asks me if I know why I was pulled over. I tell him, "No I'm not sure why," as I start to reach towards the glovebox for my insurance card. Silently hoping that I remembered to throw the current one in there.

He tells me, "You didn't use your blinker when you turned," Blast. He keeps going, "and you turned into the left-hand lane."

Derr, what? I vaguely remember some obscure page in the driver's ed handbook that mentioned that rule about having to turn into the right-hand lane when making a right on red. Oops. I made a kind of exasperated, "I'm such a tard" noise like I knew about that rule all along and I can't believe I broke it, as I dug through my glove box... and finally pulled out the insurance card.

He doesn't even take it. He hands me back my license, says something I didn't really catch, and gets back in his car before I have a chance to say thank you in the direction of my open window.

Hm, okay. Must have had something much more important to do. My dad would say there was probably a sale on squishies at the Valero. He probably got radioed about something? Maybe a robbery or something exciting.

But, I was annoyed that I was pulled over at 4am when there's no one on the road to be a hazard to. He was just waiting there for someone to screw up. Like forgetting to use a blinker. I'm so damn dangerous. (In hindsight, how could I forget to use my blinker?? There was a cop RIGHT THERE! Geez.)

And also, don't waste either of our time if you're not going to ticket me, or give me a warning, or whatever. Not that I wanted a ticket, but why did he even bother?
Maybe I was going to get a ticket and I just got lucky. I wonder how much a ticket for that would cost?

Maybe he was just bored and curious about what type of person is driving around at 4am, not using their blinkers and turning into left-hand lanes.

In that case, I probably deserved it.

the real reason for VS 5/$25

2011-11-14T17:55:00.001-06:00

Dear not-really-my-period-but-light-spotting-signalling-my-period-will-soon-start,

Thank you for ruining a really cute pair of underwear.

-Jen.

I know you all feel me on this one. (Well, the girls anyway)

[and actually it's 7/$26 right now...]

Braided Tshirt Scarf Tutorial

2011-11-13T15:20:00.001-06:00

This weekend we made two different kinds of scarves from tshirts. The first is a Ruffly one.

This is the second kind of scarf we made- using this pin as inspiration. There was no tutorial to be found, so we kind of made one up.

Braided Tshirt Scarf:

Lay your tshirt out and start cutting through both layers of fabric. Make the strips fairly thin- about an inch or so. You will end up with loops of fabric.

Once you have the loops (we ended up with 12), start stretching them. I had no idea they could stretch so much! We had some fun with that, haha.

fun with stretching!

After they're stretched, cut through each loop- turning your loops into long strings.

Set aside 2 strings.

Have your friend hold one end of the remaining strings while the other braids, or anchor it under a piece of furniture. Separate strings into 3 equal-ish ections and braid about halfway down.

Take one of the strings that were set aside and tie it tightly with a double knot at the end of the braid. Wrap the rest of the string around tightly and double knot it. Trim and tuck in the ends.

The next part is a little tricky. We found it easier to sew all the strings together at the two ends, then sew the ends together.

Meaning:: we sewed all the strings at the top of the braid together, then we sewed all the ends of the loose strings together. I neglected to get a picture... hopefully it's not too confusing.

I sewed them on the machine, but hand-sewing would work too.

After we got all the crazy strings into more manageable bunches, we connected the two ends of the scarf. There will be a lot of bulk, but do your best. Trim as much extra string as possible.

It will end up something like this (again, with super awesome paint effects):

Take the other piece of string that was set aside and wrap it around the ugly sewn-together part so that it looks similar to the one securing the braid.

Finished product:

Not bad, eh?

Ruffled Tshirt Scarf Tutorial

2011-11-13T14:40:00.001-06:00

It was a crafty weekend over here.

One of the projects we tackled was the making of scarves... from old tshirts!

We made two different kinds. 1. Ruffly and 2. Braided.

First, the ruffly one. Complete with super awesome paint effects that hopefully make it clearer.

Ruffly Tshirt Scarf:

Take your old tshirt and lay it out flat.

Cut off the bottom hem.

Cut straight up one of the sides, about 3 or 4 inches.
Then start cutting a strip across on the top layer only- not through both layers.

When you're cutting, cut at a slight upward angle instead of straight across. You're going to be cutting in a spiral up the tshirt- ending up with one big long strip. When you get to a side, just flip it over and continue cutting, maintaining a fairly constant thickness.

Once you've cut all the way up to the sleeves, there will be a part of the big long strip that was originally the bottom of your tshirt. Cut off the wonky part where you started the spiral so that you have a smooth edge.

You will end up with a long piece of fabric- and you want it as long as possible. Also, don't worry if your strip is not the same thickness all the way down- once you make the ruffles, you won't even be able to tell.

Next is the fun part. Make the ruffle by setting the sewing machine tension at its highest setting, and choose the longest stitch. Just feed the fabric through and sew right down the middle- and it will make a ruffle- no fancy feet needed. Also, don't backstitch.

We found that the combination of highest tension/ longest stitch created a ruffle that was too tight- so we pulled out the threads and tried it again at a slightly lower tension.

very intense work, this ruffle-making is

Once you've got a ruffle that you like, set the tension and stitch length back to normal and sew back over your middle line, this time making sure to backstitch.

*While the ruffles are pretty stable at this point, they are still move-able if you tug.

To get a ruffle that will definitely stay put, you need to stabilize it with a piece of plain fabric down the middle, or make your ruffles using elastic. But that was too much fuss for our interests.

So there you have it; a ruffled scarf using an old tshirt.

Pinteresty

2011-11-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

I made something I pinned on Pinterest!

A lot of wonky sewing (that darn bias tape is tricky) and a little bit of blood (rogue pin), and now I have a "mug rug."

I eat at my computer a lot, and the spot in front of my laptop always gets a little grody. I'm also a little lazy at cleaning it regularly, so I definitely need a "cereal bowl rug." Overall, I'm happy with the result.

feel-good

2011-11-11T08:21:00.001-06:00

A few months ago my parents were drunk at a party watching a football game. At one point, my dad said to one of the children there, who was about 6 or 7, "If you go bet my wife that her team is going to lose, you could probably get a bike out of her."

At this point my mom was in her "Give away money and make bets" stage of drunken-ness, and her team was very far behind towards the end of the game. So the kid runs up to her, "Miss Roberta! I bet you a bike that your team is going to lose!" And, of course, my mother insisted that her team would win and the bet was on.

When her team ended up losing, this little kid was beside himself excited. Jumping up and down, "I get a bike! I get a bike!"

My mom didn't have time to hold up her end of the deal before they had to leave (they were several hours from home visiting friends and had to get back home for work), but promised the boy that she would get him a bike the next time they visited.

This past week they ended up back in town, and called up the boy's dad- who was a friend of a friend. He said that he'd been talking about that bike ever since he had won the bet. Can you imagine the torturous suspense?? A little background on this family: 3 little boys, one of whom belongs to the wife's niece who couldn't take care of him so they took him in. So money's a little tight.

Anyway, they took the boy and his two brothers to Walmart to buy them all bikes. The other boys didn't want bikes, and instead wanted toys like a remote control car and lego sets. But the original boy ran to the bikes and picked one out, in the super excited way that only a little boy picking out a bike could be.

My parents were just about as giddy as the kids- they were all glowing with huge smiles as they walked out of the store with their new toys.

ketonuria

2011-11-10T17:13:00.001-06:00

Been experiencing a little bit of discomfort lately, so today I ran my own urinalysis.

For Suzy:

Anyway, I was surprised to get a ketone result of 15 mg/dL.

And I really don't see a good reason for it.
I mean, I've recently taken up jogging, but it's definitely not prolonged or excessive.

Garr, something new to worry about. At least until my pee gets back to normal ;o)

go baby

2011-11-09T16:24:00.000-06:00

Today I ran for 5 minutes.
Add an extra 30 seconds each time I run?
I think that's reasonable.

whew

2011-11-07T15:59:00.000-06:00

Today I was able to jog the entire length of a Britney Spears song; about 4 and a half minutes. I used the "dead fish" breathing technique, breathing in and out of both my mouth and nose at the same time. I found it much easier.

Go me! My 5 minute goal is totally reachable.

I also feel considerably more peppy than I did before exercising. You know, the whole,"endorphins make you happy" thing.

Also wondering if my iron is low again, and maybe that's why I've been so sluggish lately.
Time to get some more multivitamins.

I want

2011-11-06T16:36:00.003-06:00

I want my man back. Right here- not on the other side of the world surrounded by crazy people and explosives. I'm so freaking over this crap.

I don't want to go to work tomorrow.

I want a nice long soak in a bathtub. This would be nice.

I want some energy.
I want to go to bed right now and get a really good night's sleep.

Felt so blah today. Work was really slow. I anticipated that, and I tried to watch a movie on my laptop but the dvd wouldn't play after 30 minutes. So I spent most of the day bored off my ass, looking out the window at the dreary day. Which is probably why I'm in such a funk.

like cheddar

2011-11-05T16:07:00.000-05:00

Ohhh. My feet hurt. I feel like I've aged about 10 years in a few days.
Today actually wasn't as terrible as I envisioned... but I'm just freakin' beat.

I purposely took care of all the weekly maintenance today so that tomorrow (if I don't get calls for pickups every 30 minutes like today), I can chill for a while. Also, I need new shoes.

Whenever I dread this, I'm just going to focus on how worth it it will be when I get to take time off when he's home. After so long, this last month is going to be brutal.

Here we go again...

2011-11-04T18:35:00.001-05:00

Dreading work tomorrow. Hopefully this bullshit ends up ok, like all of the other bullshit that I've bitched about that ends up being ok.
It's just the between-now-and-when-the-bullshit-gets-better that sucks.
I have a feeling I'm going to be very bitchy tomorrow.

I miss the days when I enjoyed my job-- and the people I work with.

Back when I liked my job, I came home content, like I spent my day doing something good with my life.
When I come home after a sucky day at work- to nothing substantial, I feel like I need something else. I don't feel fulfilled.

I feel like my whole day is spent trying not to bite some idiot's head off.

I need a happy place that I can focus on when I'm trying not to get annoyed at certain people that I'm forced to be in close proximity with.

Isn't it awful that a single person can change your whole outlook?

run, jenny, run

2011-11-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

Last night I accidentally inhaled some toothpaste while brushing my teeth and I thought I was going to die right there, crouched over my sink. From choking on toothpaste.

Today was GORGEOUS.

Been trying to get some sort of physical activity in every day or every other day, which is usually a brisk walk. Even though I'm constantly moving at work, it helps to clear my head, get my blood flowing in a non-stressful way, and helps me sleep better at night. Also, I've noticed I'm less puffy and I haven't experienced any weight fluctuations like I do every few months.

I'm getting rather bored with my walking routine. I get bored with all my workout routines, really. So I decided to try running. No particular goal, just want to do something different.

I need to start bringing a timer when I attempt to run. Because it's all up to perspective as far as how far/ how long I run. It might feel like a long time, when in reality it was more like a minute. I need some point of reference, especially if I want to improve. Striving for an extra 20 seconds every day might make me less bored.

I've discovered that

1. I can run for longer than I thought; when I feel like stopping, I just don't. And then I keep going and *surprise* I don't die. And when I say 'for longer than I thought,' I mean a total of a couple of minutes, tops. The idea of running for 5 minutes straight is still not doable. You gotta start somewhere.

2. I need to learn how to breathe correctly when running. Will probably help with the longevity issue.

seenster

2011-11-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

Apparently I am now a "seenster."

Akhtar and I made the Houston Chronicle's photo gallery from the Spirits & Skeletons thing.
Neat!
Now maybe when you google my name, something will come up that's actually about me instead of the pervert schoolteacher.

on birth control

2011-10-31T16:38:00.001-05:00

Talking about birth control and other potentially uncomfortable things! YAY!

Today was violation day.

Took 2 fricken hours, and once travel time was included, it added up to 3 hours that I had to take off work. But it's ok. Because I got some anti-baby-making stuff. And, you know, got a pap smear and a surprisingly pleasant breast exam. Seriously, for a guy, he was totally non-man-handle-y.

Let's add "enjoying the breast exam at the gyno" to the list of reasons why Chris should come home now. (lol)

So birth control.

I decided I want to try the IUD, since I really dislike taking the pill- and its side effects. Set it and forget it is my kinda game. The long-term cost is cheaper, too. After reviewing all of the various birth control methods out there, I want to give it a shot.

The doctor started out by saying that there are two types of doctors: Ones that will give an IUD to a woman who hasn't had children, and those who will not- because of the unlikely scenario that it can affect fertility.

I asked him which one he was.

He said that if I desperately wanted children, he wouldn't do it. If I was iffy or didn't want children, he had no problem with it.
Sweeet. I'm all for sticking that thing up there and moving right along.

So then we discussed options. Hormones vs copper. He insisted that the hormones coating the IUD won't be nearly as side-effecty-y as the pill. So I agreed on that one. Plus, you stop having your period. Um, hell yes.

But... there's a whole rigmarole (I totally had to look that word up to spell it correctly) of things surrounding the actual "getting it and getting it inserted" procedure. So it will take several weeks, some insurance company crap, plus an extra month after it's inserted before it's considered effective birth control. Which kinda passes right by my window of sexual activity when Chris will be home. Herm.

While in my gown waiting for the doctor to come back in and get it over with, I spotted something on the counter that looked a lot like this:

Holy crap is that actual size? Is my uterus really that small? Is the IUD really that big? It takes up the whole thing?? I thought it was this tiny thing that just like sat at the entrance and... I dunno, magically prevented pregnancy. Mind boggled for a second.

Before I left he also gave me some pills to take as a backup method. Ugh. Not too thrilled about that, but if it keeps me from getting knocked up then I suppose they're ok.

I wish there were some switch on our bodies that we could flip when we're ready to procreate- and until then you can have sex and all you have to worry about is STDs.

I mean, hormone pills, foreign materials in the uterus, implants, rings, barriers, creams... sheesh. It's a little Brave New World when you think about it. I just need my contraceptive belt and I'm good to go!

I'm also torn between waiting to get the IUD until I'm actually having sex on a regular basis. It seems a little pointless to get it and not really need it for another few years.

However, the thing that keeps taking me back to the "get it" side is the peace of mind that I get from the effectiveness-- versus something temporary and less effective like condoms. It's very reassuring, even if it's used infrequently. It only takes one busted condom or a couple missed pills to make a baby.
I'd rather have my uterus be a practically impenetrable fortress of IUD than have a Surprise! The condom broke! or a Ha! You didn't take your pills at exactly the right time! pregnancy.

Anyway, we'll see how this all pans out.

bumblebee happenings

2011-10-29T17:04:00.003-05:00

Man. Going out on Friday nights after work is hard. I didn't even need to drink- as Missy so tipsily put it in the bathroom line, I was more 'punch-drunk' than anything. But I had a great time.

Attended the HMNS' spin on mixers and elixirs: Spirits & Skeletons.

It was a people-watching smorgasbord. Fantastic costumes. Beetlejuice, Ted Mosby, a Super Trooper cop complete with bottle of syrup, Duffman, an amazing zebra, PanAm stewardesses and a pilot, asian guy dressing up as the kid from UP (complete with balloons), two very good oompa loompas, the mayhem guy... the list goes on.

Good music, the place was freaking packed, and the crowd was very energetic and friendly. I was beyond amused at how big of a hit Akhtar's sunflower costume was.

AND, AND- I got "damned." We were walking through the crowd when Missy goes,
"Jacobi! You just got Damned!" And I was all,
"What?" And she goes,
"You walked by and this guy looked at you and went, "Damn!"
Niiice. No, really. I don't get hit on very often, except from the two guys at work. This particular guy must have had a thing for not-that-slutty bumblebees with glasses.

On the slutty note, not that many girls were slutted out- only a couple that I saw that were a little too skimpy- but they had the bodies for it, so... eh.

The dark side of the moon show at the planetarium was overrated. You could get a similar effect from that feature on windows media player. I fell asleep.

Then when I got home, I was hungry but more tired so I crashed into bed and dreamed of owning a restaurant where my assistants refused to peel potatoes. Then I woke up to a text message from Ashley and a cat sitting on my belly. And after talking to her (Ashley, not the cat) I realized I was starving, so I got up.

And also, the wonder cat is limping around here like she's milking it. Her paw is not swollen so I'm thinking she just jumped off something wrong. And she's also got a mysterious new bald spot right above her eye. Oy, cat.

crappity

2011-10-27T15:09:00.003-05:00

Bummed out about some stuff that happened at work today. And anxious and worried. And bummed.

Gotta get a good night's sleep. I haven't slept well all week and I'm feeling like it.

Just not a very good day, today.

perspective

2011-10-23T00:20:00.001-05:00

I am happy.
& I have so much to be thankful for.

simple saturday

2011-10-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

Farmer's market: buckets o' squash and green beans. Buyer's remorse for not getting the zucchini as well. Local(ish) honey.

Large pot of coffee brewing.
Not sure if my aspirations include cooking... pumpkin muffins with spiced buttercream frosting... chewy molasses cookies... something with the vegetables and mint and basil and rosemary olive oil and pecan balsamic vinegar... or if they include crawling back to join the kitty in bed for a while.

crazy

2011-10-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

Ok there were like 5 pregnant announcements on my google reader today. People like to procreate on the blog-world, I guess. In other news, I just got my period. About 5 days late, which would normally have me terrified, but that's the thing about not having sex- you absolutely don't get pregnant. I think it's trying to sync up with my coworkers' cycles. Joy.

Anyway, I officially work with yet another lunatic. Without getting into the whole long detailed story, it's a phlebotomist who I see in the mornings. She's always late, but lately she's been like 3 hours late. Which would get someone fired in any normal workplace, but nooooo not here. Anyway, her late-ness makes my job infinitely harder, which has me majorly stressed.

Today, she just randomly busted out that she's a victim of kidnapping. No elaboration, just that she was kidnapped. Then, while she should have been drawing patients, I had to listen to how everyone is out to get her. Everyone is purposely trying to make her look bad so that she will get fired- including the nurses and our own employees. And I'm thinking, "Get your ass back out there and do your job so I can do mine!"
All day long with her random drama and accusations and spouting out the strangest shit.

Myself and everyone else who has seen her lately have come to the conclusion that she's on crack.

I dread going into work lately. You just never know what kind of crazy is waiting on the other side of the door. I used to have such productive mornings. Now I just find myself thinking, "Can I just do my job, please???" instead of dodging drama and crazy people, while trying to do my job at the same time.

Anyway, at the moment I'm not at work dodging crazy. I have tea and these and a new issue of Good Housekeeping.

just so

2011-10-19T15:49:00.000-05:00

Had every intention of working out this afternoon.

But I accidentally skipped lunch and then I came home hungry to the smell of fabulousness cooking in the kitchen. So mom made me a plate and I obliged.

Now I'm going to sit on the couch with my round happy belly and watch the rest of Limitless.
(I tried to watch it yesterday but the power kept going out and eventually I just gave up.)

hijacked

2011-10-18T14:03:00.001-05:00

Enjoying my post-workday cup of green tea.

About to take major advantage of this amazing weather and go for a walk/run.

Downloaded some more current music to my mp3 player. Have you heard of youtube to mp3 converter? Magical. Genius. Thank you Suzy for changing my WORLD with this information.

Had another strange dream last night where Chris became the ex. He had just come home from Afghanistan and I was all excited, but then he slowly started changing into Robert- he turned into this Chris/Robert hybrid, both physical and personality-wise. As he changed I became less and less attracted to him and couldn't figure out why.

At one point I thought, "How could I go from loving him so much to not wanting to be around him at all?" I waited so long to finally be with him, and it really sucked to not be digging him anymore. The more he turned into Robert, the more I couldn't stand him. At the end he wasn't even Chris anymore. I kept trying to find traces of him in this "new" person, but it just wasn't there; he was gone, and I was sad and confused and frustrated.

It was strange, and I'm not really digging this whole 'douchey ex taking over my dreams' thing.

reward

2011-10-16T08:57:00.001-05:00

Good morning, cat. Who needs an alarm clock when you've got a cat who knows that you normally get up at 4am?

Delicious smells wafting from the kitchen. Coffee + biscuits with honey.

Definite chill in the air this morning. ♥

I slept hard. Dreamed about Smile Train and other things. I get pretty sleep-deprived during the week, so all I want to do on the weekends is sleep. This work schedule is not very well-matched with my body clock. But, what can you do?

Suzyyy... me and Ashley have a present for you when you come home next weekend. We were going to save it for your birthday but we didn't want to wait.

Also, I need to come up with a task- one that when I finish, I will get a reward. You know, like when I got my credit card paid off I could sign up for Netflix. I already have the reward in mind, but I don't have the task. Here's the reward:

Amazing, right? But it's $118. For a shower curtain*-- even one as fabulous as this? Ouch. So I need to make it a reward for doing something... but what?

Hmmm... maybe when I pay off the next student loan?

*Ash, you can rest easy. I won't be throwing away the periodic table of elements.

random

2011-10-15T13:58:00.002-05:00

I was in Hobby Lobby today when I walked by an old lady who stopped me and said, "Do you work here?" I said, "No, sorry," and we both moved on.
Later on I saw her again and she had stopped another person and said, "Do you work in the plant department?" and the lady was all, "No..."

I hope she found whatever she was looking for!

saturday morning coffee

2011-10-15T08:38:00.000-05:00

Christmas shopping officially started for me yesterday. I was out shopping with mother and purchased my first Christmas gift. It was for Dayna, and noooo I'm not telling what it is. This is fun.

On our way back through the mall, we stopped at Chanel's event and got our makeup done. Ashley did a phenomenal job on mine, and gave me a holiday-inspired red lip. Something I'd never normally wear, but, wow, it looked great.

Pinterest has made me want to pair mustard yellow and navy blue in my clothing, so I might go out shopping with that in mind today. But, of course, it also inspires me to bake, cook, plan a party, decorate, and come up with witty sayings. But it's one of those, "Might get out of my pjs, might not" kind of days.

genius

2011-10-13T17:57:00.001-05:00

How did this

turn into this?

I packed up all my gnarly dishes in this

and dragged them into mom's kitchen. Loaded them up in her dishwasher and voila, sparkly clean dishes* and practically no effort. Then I hosed out the cooler because some scum had gotten in it. I'm telling you, these dishes were funk-ay.

*Well, almost sparkly clean. There were a few holdouts, but much better than doing them by hand!

Then I happily cooked.

funky monkey

2011-10-12T15:03:00.002-05:00

Have amazing urges to cook, especially with pumpkin. (the food, not the cat harr harr)

But then I look at my sink, and the dishes, and know that with all cooking there comes dishes...

And then I have cereal for dinner.

Been in a serious funk lately. Not quite ready to get out of it.

double edged

2011-10-10T19:07:00.002-05:00

hungry. but belly is upset.

quite weary of this little game.

I have a ton of great stuff to post, but don't have the time/ambition. Yet.

snug

2011-10-09T15:01:00.000-05:00

Perfect dark, rainy day to lay in bed and watch season 3 of Will & Grace.
And paint my nails sparkly.
And browse pinterest.

p.s. Ash, they were in the sink. But I know I had more than that, and I know I didn't use THAT many spoons this week.

through the wilderness

2011-10-08T08:47:00.000-05:00

Woke up, staggered to the coffee maker. Grabbed a cereal bowl and... where the hell are all my spoons??

Note to self: Don't assume nachos don't have gluten in them. Don't assume anything when it comes to the food you're putting into your body. Because that 1 time out of 10, you will regret it massively. At least the pain has stopped, we'll see what happens when I try to eat again.

Pinterest is way more addicting than any social networking site. I've come across some super neat stuff. One second I've got the urge to make mini cheesecake bites, the next I'm wanting to plan a wedding. The next I'm feeling like I can design and sew a slipcover. The next I want to go shopping for sherbert orange twirly skirts and sparkly designer shoes. That pinterest can be dangerous.

pain

2011-10-07T15:38:00.003-05:00

Oh, God. Head, stomach.
Why???

weary

2011-10-06T16:51:00.002-05:00

Guys.

I actually ran today.
I was talking to Frankish today for a while and we got on the subject of running and I was suddenly inspired to try it out. Not to say it was even close to a respectable amount, but it counts.

Then I made bagel pizzas with farmer's market tomatoes and fresh garden basil, dancing to that Taylor Swift song that I still haven't heard on the radio, singing to the cat who demands scraps simply because I'm cooking... not because she will eat any of it.

On my mind lately: I can't stand it when the people I love aren't happy. I can't be at peace until I know they're okay. It's my little weary worry constantly in the back of my mind.
I just wanna be like, "WAIT! Don't feel bad! I will fix it!! ...somehow."
But I know it's something that they have to work through themselves, and we all have to go through it but it's SO HARD to watch it happen.
So, familia, no matter what, I got your back, I'm thinking about you, and you have no idea how much I love you.

mousy

2011-10-02T08:29:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was an amazing day, weather-wise. So we had the doors open all day.

I was dozing on the couch in the afternoon, watching some history channel program, when I felt some commotion at my feet. When I looked down, I saw this:

The cat who loves to bring me live presents has upgraded from lizards and crickets to mice.

So I went to pick it up, but thought better of it and grabbed my kitschy dishwashing gloves in case it tried to bite me or pee on me. You know, hantavirus. Of course when I tried to grab it, it ran under the desk. I started moving crap out of the way to try and get to it, and it kept slipping away. At one point I literally had my hand on it, and when I opened it up, the damn thing was GONE. Disappeared.

I gave up the search for a while, and figured I'd go try to find a 'catch and release' trap. Either that, or Pumpkin would find it before I did.

When I came home, I found Pumpkin asleep on the couch and the mouse curled up in a ball in the middle of the floor. Not a good sign. I picked it up and it didn't really move, but it was alive and looked intact except for a little blood on its ear. So I took it outside and put it on the grass near the fence, hoping it'd run back to its home.

When I came back inside, I noticed a little bit of blood on the tile. Ugh, not good.

This morning I went outside to check and see if it was still there, and... it was. It had died sometime in the night. I felt so bad. I wish I would have made it a warm bed instead of putting it outside in the cold to die.

I mean, it's just a mouse, but it was a cute mouse. And it certainly didn't deserve to be slowly killed by my damn cat. At least she could have eaten it.

baller

2011-09-30T18:12:00.000-05:00

Sweet potato fries. whatWHAT get in my belly.

There was a point at work this morning where it got so bad that I wanted to sit down the middle of the lab and just cry. Like a two year old, defeated. I seriously considered it for a brief second, but then I remembered that I do want to keep my job. And that I'm also supposed to be an adult.

This afternoon I mentioned it to my boss and she said, "I know how you feel." Word. At least she's right there with me in this nonsense.

The Victoria's Secret credit card bill comes in a pink envelope. Doesn't make it any cuter when I have to pay it-- but my underwear drawer is that much more baller. It's a tie.

Some asian lady stole my purse today.
Ok. Let me clarify. They were having a killer sale on Coach purses at Dillard's and Ashley called to give me the heads up. So I was looking at one that caught my eye- normal subdued brown with the Cs on the ouside, with PURPLE lining. I could see myself becoming smitten.

I asked the saleslady to unlock it from the rack so I could see how it looked on my shoulder. As I was doing that, two asian ladies walked up and... lingered. As I was handing it back to the saleslady/ putting it back on the rack, they practically snatched it from our hands and wanted to buy it.

Okayyy. If I was feeling feisty, I would have fought over it. But I was tired after a long bullshitty day at work and just let her take it. She obviously needed that purse more than I did. So no Coach bag for me. At least not today.

Instead I went over to the Proactiv kiosk and forked over 50 bucks. Let this be the end of zits!! *shakes fist*

Also- DUDE, everyone is pregnant. This time, it's not people that I actually know, but it seems like every blog I follow is pregnant, or trying to get pregnant.

I just got season 1 of How I Met Your Mother from Netflix.
Guess which party animal is going to watch as much as I can tonight before I fall asleep?
This one.

The letter P

2011-09-27T17:12:00.000-05:00

I was looking forward to my first payday where I don't have to put the majority of it into paying off my credit card... I forgot that my 6-month car insurance payment is due. Cripes. Oh, well. NEXT payday!

Also, for the first time in literally years, I forgot to read PostSecret on Sunday. It's been my weekly ritual for years and I can't believe I missed it! I realized it today and quick checked it out. It's just not the same if it's not over Sunday morning coffee.

Also, I just got an email full of pictures of Colin Farrell's dick. Apparently he's the newest celebrity to come out with a sex tape... Is it just me or does it look kinda crooked? Hahahaha my coworker is awesome.

I'm beat. Not much substantial sleep last night either.

BUT I got to eat some pretty delicious pie for dinner.

Also, I got this song stuck in my head today. Actually, I started singing it in the lab and my coworkers started singing along. Reason # 26 why my coworkers rock. Anyway, it put me in the mood to watch Moulin Rouge. Also, Damn Ewan McGregor is one sexy man. He needs to make a sex tape.

This was a strange post. Payments, PostSecret, Penis, Poor sleep, Pie, and... Moulin Rouge.

pie & excitement

2011-09-26T18:27:00.002-05:00

Lime pie in the fridge. I tasted the filling before I washed the dishes...
Oh, I'm going to eat that whole damn thing.

Really sleepy today. Chris called last night just as I was finally drifting off to sleep.

He started talking about making vacation plans and fun things to do (besides him- OH!) while he's on leave, and got me all excited (not in that way, you nasty). So I didn't fall asleep until some time between 11 and midnight. I will sleep well tonight, though, as long as I don't think about him coming home.
...Right.
Two months... Gah! It will totally make up for last year when I was all mopey about spending Christmas apart.

So anyway, I was going to post about something other than pie and hunky marines coming home, but now I forgot.

Sunday morning musings

2011-09-25T10:43:00.001-05:00

Best Harry Potter themed birthday party ever.

We got sorted by the sorting hat, played games for house points, ate in the great hall, enjoyed gluten free cake (seriously that gets me every time), played kinect, and ended up with some hilarious rounds of Things.
Things that are hard to find? Answers included: yourself, the other sock, and horcruxes. Good times.

While shopping at Walmart with Missy the other night, I ended up with my coveted bumblebee halloween costume. For years I've wanted to be a bumblebee for halloween, but it just never happened. THIS year, it's on.

Of course it looks a little different on the model... mine's a little looser, and I feel like I'm wearing a bumblebee-themed bathing suit from the 1920s.

Maybe I could sexy it up with some fishnets or something... or maybe this year I don't have to be slutty for halloween. Novel concept, I know. We all know that Halloween is the one night of the year the average girl gets to dress slutty without judgement. You're in a bra and panties? It's okay as long as you've got fairy wings.

Bottom line: If I've finally got my bumblebee costume, someone needs to throw a party.

Today, key lime pie is going to happen. Well, first the graham crackers need to happen. We'll see how far I get.

no scurvy here

2011-09-24T13:01:00.000-05:00

Last week I took home a bunch of limes handed down from Ashley's mother-in-law, to Ashley, to me.

Sitting in my fridge was doing them no good, so I squeezed them.

I ended up with over 2 cups of lime juice, so I think it's pretty mandatory that I make key lime pie- even if they technically aren't key limes. A quick search on the internets and I realized that it's no more than lime juice, condensed milk, and eggs. No idea it was so easy.

Also, I have enough lime juice to make 4 pies, which is obviously not happening. Anyone want any lime juice?

I also get to make some graham crackers for the crust, but not today. I've got a Harry Potter themed birthday party to attend :o)

girl crush

2011-09-23T14:47:00.000-05:00

Dude, I'm sorry but Taylor Swift is absolutely fucking gorgeous.

banana

2011-09-21T18:03:00.000-05:00

Jen has asked me to write a guest blog about my experience at work the other day.

So. I go to lunch as usual and when I walk in the break room I sit down at an empty table by the microwave. There are a few people in the room with me, no big.

I microwave my food and am minding my own business when I am approached by a co-worker who tells me that when I am finished, she would like to sit in my spot. This is not the first time she has asked me this and normally she goes and sits down and waits for me to leave. (which usually happens to be about 30 minutes before I actually am finished with my lunch break).

However, on this particular day that is not what happened.

I had finished eating, but was not yet ready to get up and leave as I was still searching the web on my phone and relaxing as well as waiting for Jen to come up there so we could shop on the rest of my break.

I don't suppose she had too much patience this day because she decided to come and sit next to me with her weird powdered tea and banana. My things were sprawled out on the table because, well, for the next 20 minutes or so it WAS my table. However, as she was running out of room to put her things I attempt to move my lunchbox and she says "no, it's ok you can leave it there".

uhm. Bitch, I KNOW it's ok because I was sitting here first but I'm not about to have you spill your tea shit all over my things.

Then she proceeds to have a conversation with the woman in FRONT of me - whose table was just as empty as mine, with as many empty seats by the way - and eat her banana. Now, she is one of those women who thoroughly enjoys eating with her mouth open and talk at the same time in her weird language and I feel like I should mention the disgusting nature of being near anyone who is eating a banana.

It sounds disgusting. It sounds like someone attempting to eat hard food when they have no teeth and they just - gum the fucking thing until it becomes the consistency of baby food. And then, it gives this odd after-smack sound of someone who has just gulped down a generous amount of milk and is trying to get the film of dairy out of their mouth.

So, needless to say I am utterly disgusted and amazed at the audacity of this woman who has taken over what was supposed to be my relaxing break. Thankfully, Jen called shortly after she started to ingest her banana and I left.

I just don't get some people.

taking advantage

2011-09-20T15:25:00.000-05:00

Got really pissed today.

Already vented to Dayna, so the point is moot at the moment- because the purpose of venting is to make you feel better and I already did that. Now the rage has subsided and I'm still seriously peeved at the situation, but not enough to describe again the source of my anger.

I'll just get pissed off all over again, and the paranoia of the unlikely chance that it will come back to bite me in the ass should the right person ever read a post detailing the issues I have with this company... leads me to reason that it's probably better left off the internet. {Damn that's a great run-on sentence. Bite me.}

What am I taking from this? I see my path clearly.
Now just to wait and see how it merges with others' paths.

party rock

2011-09-18T18:19:00.001-05:00

Ummm I'm totally a fan of this commercial- even if the hamster has a fupa.

also

2011-09-18T10:27:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago I gave my credit card to my mom to hide so I wouldn't use it while I was trying to pay it off.

Today, I got it back. That's right, zero dollar balance. It's sucked not having extra spending money and looking at double digit bank account balances for a few months, but it's worth it.

Also, Hello, Netflix.

Also, I woke up today with the worst cramps I've had since I hit puberty. What the hell, body?

Also,

Also, this is strangely cute, especially at the end.

games

2011-09-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

So Ashley got me this game, The Game of Things, for my birthday a few years ago, and it was around the time that my social life plunged and my studying soared, so it's been sitting in the game drawer for a while.
Last night I finally played it at Scott & Dayna's, and it was a lot of fun! It's definitely going to be thrown into the rotation whenever we do eventually have game nights. Or the power goes out, or we have another hurricane. (which, I might not mind considering the drought and the stress level at work.)

Still trying to get my skin to clear up. I changed cleansers and started using the same one I used back when I hit puberty. It cleared up a little, but doesn't seem to be solving the problem. Sooo I took advice from my sister and got a Clarisonic, which I love. It exfoliates gently and leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft. So I'll add it to the rotation and give it a while to work.

I also realized that I've been using the same makeup for years. And I figured my brushes were probably in need of a cleaning. So I cleaned my brushes, threw out the old stuff and got brand new stuff. While I was at it, I took the opportunity to clean out/ organize my makeup. I wear very little makeup, especially now since I wake up so early and spend all day hidden in the lab. For a girl who doesn't wear makeup, I sure have a lot of it. So I grabbed some wine, parked it on the floor, and dumped the entire drawer out.

I discovered that I had kept makeup from dance team- really, who honestly uses that color blush? I had so much shimmer powder that I'd never get a chance wear it all. I had purple lipstick... that smelled funny. I filled my trash can halfway, and kept the things I thought I'd use again. I ended up with all this, organized neatly back into the drawer.

So. New cleanser, new Clarisonic, new makeup. Less zits. Hopefully.

If that doesn't work, I'll start using Proactiv again. I like/dislike Proactiv. I've used it before and it works to clear up breakouts, but it also makes me really shiny and I don't like the texture of my skin when I use it. And it's pretty pricey.

Does anyone else have any advice for me? It's ridiculous that I'm 26 and breaking out like I'm 16. Come ON.

piss on that

2011-09-12T14:41:00.001-05:00

I didn't wake up this morning and think to myself, "I think I'll be pissy today." But, I've managed to be in a crabsauce mood all day anyway. Trying to get myself out of it. Here we go.

Little things to love:

1. Freshly laundered rugs. Especially the bathroom rugs, because they come out of the dryer all fluffy and they're not mashed down yet, and when you step out of the shower you're like, "OMG fluffy" and you kind stand there for a second taking in the fluffiness with WAY too much happiness.

2. Piles of chocolate chip waffles, for the second week in a row.

3. Changing something around and the cat's all, "You changed something? Why did you change this? I must investigate. I don't like this change. OMG CHANGE!" *tear around the room in a cat frenzy before settling down on the couch and going to sleep*

4. This:

Ok so here's the deal. There was a youtube video here. I had drafted part of this post yesterday and I finished it up today. However, right before I hit "Publish," I accidentally deleted the video that I had embedded. And I have absolutely NO IDEA what video it was. At all. Not even a little bit- I'm totally blank. But apparently I loved it enough yesterday to include it as a little thing to love. If I ever figure out what it was, I'll totally clue you guys in. But for now... nada.

9/11

2011-09-11T08:53:00.001-05:00

I was a senior in high school. I had the first two periods off, so I was getting ready for school. We always kept news on the tv in the mornings, which I usually ignored. When I passed by the living room on the way to the kitchen, I glanced at the tv. They were showing footage of the first tower, and I thought it looked interesting so I stopped and grabbed the remote to turn the volume up. It didn't hit me immediately- I figured it was some tragic accident or explosion and I didn't even realize a plane had flown into the building.

As I was watching and in the process of turning up the volume, the second tower was hit. Um... what? That's a little strange. I called mom, who was in her room, telling her she needed to see this. She came out and we sat there and watched in silence, letting the story sink in. Then my boyfriend at the time arrived to take us to school, and he hadn't heard anything yet, so we watched the news for a few minutes before we left. I don't know why we went- we did nothing but watch the news all day in every class. Over and over, we saw the footage. It's still surreal to watch it.

Oh, God. Can you imagine the horror of the passengers on the planes? I remember thinking how I'd feel if I was one of the people on the airplanes, taking a normal flight, reading Sky Mall, wondering if this is the time I'm really going to order the enormous crossword puzzle- and in an instant the crossword puzzle doesn't mean shit and I'm fearing for my life.

How I'd feel if it was my family member on the plane, calling me to tell me they were going to die and they loved me.
How about the people in the towers, working a normal day one second and surrounded by carnage the next? The helpless terror.
The full magnitude of what happened has never really hit me. The lives, the people, our country.We take our safety for granted, and that day I was incredibly thankful for my life.
I can't believe it's already been ten years.

ha

2011-09-10T09:43:00.002-05:00

I slept so incredibly soundly last night.
Was woken up this morning by a phone call from Chris. Enjoyed a decent conversation- it's been a while. Man I miss him. They find out Sep 21st when they're coming home.

I got this text from Ashley last night with the message: I got takeout from Jade Cafe

It's hard to read, but once I got it I laughed really hard for a good 5 minutes. You can't make this shit up, haha

Also, I have none of these.

peruse

2011-09-09T16:19:00.000-05:00

This post is not for me. *cough*ashley*cough*

Today. The boss, though we love her, was off today, so the new guy busted out his smart phone and pulled up Pandora. He placed it on the STAT rack and we jammed. It was very nice. I miss having music in the lab. I mean, I know that my random outbursts of singing the songs in my head are awesome (ha!), but real music... it really makes the job more pleasant, especially when things get stressful. And not going to even mention the new stressors we were faced with today. Keep on keepin' on.

I got an email from one of my many subscriptions, and literally laughed out loud at this recipe: Boxed Wine Cupcakes.

How deliciously trashy! However, I'm not going to waste perfectly good wine in cupcakes. Someone try them and tell me how they taste.

Moving on...

Stumbled upon this gem while perusing the interwebs this week: Beyonce. Another literal lol. The picture of the chicken at the front door really made me lose it, probably because I can see my mom or my sisters doing this.

Pretty beat. And the cat just came in covered in dirt. Time to deliver a whore shower.

PS. It was pretty trippy to drive through Bastrop last weekend, only to discover a few hours later that it was on fire. While driving we did note that the land was dry and crispy, and it wouldn't take much to light up the fields of (essentially) kindling. And all those homes... tragic.

hmph

2011-09-06T16:03:00.003-05:00

I really miss my Suzy Bear!
and I'm hungry but don't know what to make for dinner. There's no food in the fridge. Except for a block of cheese and some chicken broth & milk-- both questionable.

I really want nachos from Eduardo's, but am too lazy and don't want to get out of my workout clothes. And also I don't really want to feel like a fatty with indigestion.

Hmph.

today

2011-09-05T14:46:00.000-05:00

chocolate chip waffles (enough for a week of second breakfasts)

naps with kitty

and not much else

whew

2011-09-04T19:35:00.001-05:00

What a freaking day.

Woke up at 7, packed the majority of Suzy's stuff into my car and dad's truck, drove the 150 miles to Austin, unpacked both vehicles, carried it all up to the 3rd floor, got back in our cars, and drove another 150 miles back to home. And my dad likes to take the ass-backwards country roads in lieu of the main freeways, so it was a bunch of winding roads that felt like I was going nowhere. It would have been great on a nice Sunday drive, but not when you've got shit to do and 300 miles to drive.

It wasn't all that bad, but a few things really made the day trying.
It's over a hundred degrees outside. And I felt every degree of it, with every stair I climbed. I swear I could feel my heart beating in every single blood vessel. Talk about a workout!
It's also incredibly windy. I had to keep my hands glued to the steering wheel and constantly fighting to keep the car on the road. For 300 miles. That's a lot of freaking miles.
I came home stiff, sore, sweaty, and with a headache.

But oh my gosh. That is the cutest little apartment; it's really really nice. And I can't wait to see what she does with it. And no, we didn't get to see her because it's rush week and she was out doing rush-type things.
So we set up her bed so that when she came home she'd have a nice bed made all up with freshly washed sheets. That's pretty much the only thing we unpacked, and I made sure to set the ice maker to make ice before we left, because nobody likes an empty ice bucket. I'm so excited for her- her first apartment. And by the way, I'd kill right now for her tub. It's one of those deep ones that are great for bubble baths. And it was clean... much cleaner than any of the tubs I have access to now.

Other things I did this weekend.

Me and Akhtar hit up IKEA and I got a new desk chair, as well as a duvet cover that I'd been eyeing the last time we were there and was still thinking about it months later. The thread count sucks but it's so pretty.

Then I asked Akhtar to come over and help me put the chair together. Except I got all excited and would up putting it together myself and not really letting him help, haha. He supervised and made sure I didn't put the parts on backwards... which I almost did. I love it. It's got support and cushion, which the old hand-me-down I was using before seriously lacked.

Anyway. I'm tired. Hope something good is on tv so I can zone out for a while.

trapped

2011-09-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

Last night I had another dream that I was getting married.

My dad knows a guy whose family owns a wedding planning business and they are currently filming a reality show. If you want to participate in the show, they pay for and plan your wedding. Then you get to be on tv.

So my dad was telling me about it and he was like, "Heyyyy if you want to get married any time soon, this is what's up. And you know they [america.. the people who own the company... the producers?] LOVE military weddings."

Me on a reality show? Getting married? Probably will not happen, but I guess the seed for another strange dream was planted.

In my dream I was getting married the next day and I, for some reason, was having my bachelorette party with only my mom at some hotel pool. And she wanted to make it all crazy but I was tired because I'd worked all day. I was a wet blanket at my own damn bachelorette party! And why was I suddenly friend-less and sister-less?? At least my mom's got my back, haha.

So then flash forward to later that night when the party never really happened. I was in a hotel room with my fiancee and we started getting busy.

Except his moves were really not doing it for me, so I went to the bathroom. I noticed the door had this neat feature where you could push a button and there was a tv that basically acted like a two-way mirror- I could see into the room but he could not see me. So I pushed it and apparently my fiancee was my ex Robert, who was, at the moment, picking at a zit on his arm. Oh, what the fuck.

I was horrified and couldn't remember exactly how I had wound up in this situation. So I went back out into the room and tried to break off the engagement, but it wouldn't stick. Like, I'd say that we were breaking up but then a few seconds later the universe rewound and we were engaged again.

So I called Collin to come help me out, and a few seconds later he was knocking at the door. Brother-in-law to the rescue! I grabbed my shit and got the hell out of there, and then in real life pumpkin started meowing for food so I woke up.

I can see the obvious theme, but I don't really know why I'm having these dreams. Or why I'm paired up with people who I'd never, ever be with.

Why can't I be dream-marrying Ewan McGregor? Damn that man is sexy.

dodged a dreamy bullet

2011-09-01T19:13:00.000-05:00

Last night I had a dream that I got engaged.

But not with who you might think.

I dreamed that my sister's friend proposed to me out of nowhere, and he was dead serious. And I had to say yes because it was a very public proposal, and it was in front of all his friends - and I didn't want to embarrass him. I figured I'd say yes at that moment, then say no later in private-- and give back the huge diamond ring. But some event (that I can't remember what it was) made being married to him seem like it'd be a good idea. Maybe it was the huge ring? I jest...

In my dream I remember wondering why he was proposing, because he doesn't even know me. But for some reason it was very serious and it was so real. The weird thing is, in real life (and in the dream), I have never even said more than a few words to the guy, and he's got his own serious girlfriend. And he's not even that great of friends with my sister. But here I was, engaged to someone I don't know and considering actually marrying him. Strange indeed.
I am quite glad I was not engaged when I woke up, haha.

Also, I got through the day by having periodic dance parties while singing this. I'm so glad I have kickass coworkers that participate in my spontaneous and celebratory dance parties. Finished a phlebotomist's rack full of tubes? Dance party. Found a lost tube? Dance party. With a little bit of the Whoop Whoop that got stuck in my head 5 years ago when I caught the Wendy Williams show one morning at the oil change place and never really got it out of my head. Computers back up and running? Dance party. You get the idea- dance party in the lab. whoop whoop...

catty

2011-08-30T15:02:00.000-05:00

My mom and my sister bought Pumpkin a lobster Halloween costume today.

Oh, God. Hilarity.

Speaking of the cat, yesterday she barfed alllll over my desk chair.
I've been meaning to get a new one for a while, and that pretty much sealed the deal.

S'ok

2011-08-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

Bought it, brought it home, washed it, dried it, went to hang it up, and.... crap.

What a pain in the ass, but s'ok.

That's my motto for this week: I've decided that things are the way they are, and all I can do right now is go with the flow and make the best of it. My life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

Let's make it a week where I feel good about what I've done at the end of it.

Saturday, wait

2011-08-27T13:09:00.000-05:00

(it's the wrong day-but it's in my head anyway!)

I'm holed up with the AC on full blast and dark curtains over the windows. Can't shake this effing headache.

Trying to put a positive spin on these work-related issues. It's okay; it's just work. At least I'm getting paid to deal with it. I'm going to take whatever happens and run with it, and do a great job. Kuz that's what I do... no half-assing here.

Taking some comfort in the fact that deployment is on its second half. We're getting notices that soon we won't be able to send packages or mail. Just a few short months until I get to squeeze my hunk of manly Marine. (I just noticed that Chris is in one of the 4th platoon albums, neat)

This absence thing is really putting things into perspective for me. See, if it was all about needing someone to keep me company, I'd have moved on to someone else already. But that just won't do- it's gotta be him. Not that I'm super surprised, we all know I've been smitten since the beginning.

Starting to consider some things that I initially scoffed at-- but no details yet because they're just in the beginning stages of consideration. But still. Stuff's swirling around up there in my head.

Have you ever read the back of the Craisins bag? I know, I'm kind of obsessed with them. But there's a recipe for these amazing-sounding cookies: Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
I've read the recipe while noshing on craisins so many times and have always wanted to make them. Except I need to go to the Whole Foods all the way over on Bellaire to get my favorite gluten free oats.
Would I do that just for a cookie? I might. If I didn't have this headache.

Back to bed, oh hell yes. And my cat who is currently sprawled out on the windowsill. Sometimes, I wish I lived the life of my cat.

mr. jones wishes

2011-08-25T17:15:00.000-05:00

he was someone just a little more funky.

Not going to talk about work.

I just spent 35 minutes on the (fixed!) treadmill burning off some steam. We'll see what happens. Just go with the flow, Jen. Take it one day at a time, and tomorrow is Friday.

I keep getting whiffs of bbq as I type. I just ate some grilled pork chops. Guess I should have washed my hands better. Mm, love it when dad cooks.

Currently trying to eat only a modest hunk of chocolate. I loathe raisins and avoid them in anything. I am 26 years old and will still pick them out of cereal, a cookie, or a muffin. But I will happily eat them in that chocolate bar.

Project Runway always makes me want to bust out my sewing machine and create something fabulous. But I just don't have the skill, so I watch it on tv instead.

Suzy, glass of wine and early night sound good to me.

can you teach me how to dance

2011-08-24T15:04:00.001-05:00

real slow?

It was an incredibly stressful morning.

One of those where you almost cry (several times). And then you remind yourself that you are at work, you must try to be professional, and crying will do nothing but give you a headache- then you'll have your problem + a headache. And you don't want to look like a spazz in front of your coworkers. (Oops, too late.)

So I took it one thing (okay, five things) at a time, and eventually fixed the problem. Of course not until after I woke my boss up. It turns out the thing to fix it was something I've already done before, I just didn't realize that it would be the logical next step in fixing the problem. I felt kinda dumb like I shouldn't have had to ask for help.

Come to think of it, lots of things didn't go right today. And I never did cry, but I still ended up with a headache. Not fair.

Heard this lengthy sing-a-long on the way home today.

Also, WHAT. THE. HECK. love it. Akhtar invited me to a party based on this video. What a great idea.

I met a girl who sang the blues, and I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away

money$

2011-08-22T10:00:00.013-05:00

Got my credit card balance down to 1200 bucks. It's always hardest to keep paying it off and not use it when the balance gets lower, so I gave it to my mom and told her to hide it.

My reward for paying off the balance will be a Netflix subscription, which I've wanted for a while. Then, I will use it only for the things that are charged automatically every month, which will add up to a low balance to pay in full every month.

Then, I can use some of the money that I've been pouring into the card to put into savings or chip away at the student loans.

See, I have a PLAN.

Growl

2011-08-21T09:35:00.001-05:00

Mk, so this is another strange coworker story.

There's this one phlebotomist, and she's a mousy, shy-looking woman. Except then you get to talking to her and you realize that's not the case. She's a pretty nice person to work with. She's definitely got her quirks though.

So a few weeks ago, she had gone out to draw some ammonias, which is a little more involved than most of the things we test. She had brought the specimens in, let me know they were there, and put them in the deep freeze.

I guess she hadn't marked the draws correctly on the paperwork and they didn't get ordered, but by that time I had already left. When the reference laboratory came to pick up all of our specimens at the end of the day, they must have picked up those two un-ordered specimens by accident, and since there were no orders, they were never tested.

The next day we had to send someone else out to draw them again, and she was upset because she had already done it. To be completely honest, I'm not confident that they were handled properly anyway and was happy they were getting re-drawn.

So I'm at the microscope reading a slide the next morning when I hear... growling... behind me. So I looked up and turned around and there she was, growling. At me. I asked her what was going on, and she asked me, still growling, why those ammonias were getting re-drawn. How do you growl and talk at the same time?? Especially if you're a tiny woman? She did it well.

I explained in about 10 seconds that it looked like it was a problem with paperwork and the accidental pickup (and that, honey, it's, um, not your fault...ish), and went back to reading my slide. I didn't have time to get into an argument with a growling woman about something that had already been decided.

I think she stuck around behind me for a few seconds, but I wasn't going to look back up and give her an opportunity to keep arguing. Eventually she left, growling.

Fun Day

2011-08-20T22:42:00.002-05:00

Pinot's & baseball was great fun. The painting isn't my favorite, but it was a really fun time. And, the Astros won. AND, we did the wave AND I got nachos. You know, the important stuff.

I thought it would be fun to stick up a slideshow of the pictures I took instead of having to upload a bunch.

Now I'm kinda tired, kinda grungy, and have the rest of my Saturday night to completely veg out. And also a sweet kitty waiting patiently for pets.

duuuuude

2011-08-20T10:45:00.005-05:00

I love Serenity's parties. I think it's because of the chip bowls. Not really... although they are quite nice. I think it's because she knows really great people. To be honest, most of the good friends I have today I met through her. If I make an hour drive both ways to go to a party, you know it's good.

That being said, I have a headache today and it's hard to get my ass moving. So I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee crouched over my desk trying to wake up.

The parentals are back from a job in Wyoming or Colorado or something. It was a quiet week around here. I'm comforted by the sound of dad playing on his computer and mom shuffling around.

I finally got a respectable phone call from Chris last night. A Marine in their Company was killed last week, hence the no phones or internet for a while. I've always been sad to hear of news of any soldier that's been killed, but now it hits so much closer to home. In a split second, it could be my loved one. My heart still goes out to that hero's family... only now in a different way.

Anyway, lighter note. Akhtar, ever the one coming up with unique things to do, has signed us up for Pinot's Palette at the ballpark. Painting, wine, and a baseball game. Diggin' it. Nachos and those frozen Minute Maid things, here I come.

P.S. If you ever find limp celery in the back of your fridge, cut off the end and stand the stalks in a glass of water. They'll go from limp to... err... crunchy... in a few hours.

Whose house?

2011-08-18T17:25:00.000-05:00

Getting excited about Cougar Football... Gunna be goooood.

I'd grab a mini-plan ticket right now if they didn't include Thursday night games.

Which reminds me, I should totally join the alumni association already.

forgot to put a title on this one

2011-08-16T15:49:00.001-05:00

I poured myself a bowl of cereal this morning and I noticed it looked kinda funny, so I took a quick sniff of the carton. Holy cow. That milk was funky.

It was a strangely mellow day at work. A random slow Tuesday. I needed it, but I find myself lacking any kind of energy this afternoon. I want to work out, but I'm so incredibly bored with the Curves thing. I desperately want the treadmill to work, or for it to be not so hot outside. GAY SAUCE.

[I think] I'm about to start my period. I signed up for this monthly period tracker thing that's supposed to send you emails right before you ovulate or start your period, but so far... no email. Not even in the junk mail folder. More disappointed about that than I probably should be. So maybe I'm just crabby and bitchy.

Ooh! The Will & Grace dvds I borrowed from Ashley should boost my mood.