a nihilist raised on violence

i look forward to seeing my friends

2009-08-29T11:22:00.000-05:00

lately, it feels like i don't have much time to sit down and do anything.
but i know that is SO not the case. i'm just tired a lot.

in less than 1 week i will be on vacation and traveling to oklahoma to see family and friends for a few days.
it used to be so far off, but now that it's almost time, i'm kind of nervous and stressed about making sure everything we need is packed and everything is taken care of before we head out.
but when we get there, it'll be nice.
i also plan on covering up a tattoo while we are there.
hopefully the work will be within my budget though.

i look forward to enjoying my mom's cooking again.
i look forward to seeing my friends. i really miss them.
i look forward to going back to my old job and seeing if anyone i know still works there.
i look forward to time off from work.
i look forward to being able to just have fun.
i look forward to being able to have a few drinks.

steve got his driver's license and bought his mom's old car recently a month or so ago.
i'm very proud of him, but i would be more proud of him if he had actually done it for himself and not because of me.

work continues to get more and more difficult and aggravating.
there are some days that i will continually think of ways that i could quit my job and still be able to live.
i have to do the job of 3 people on some days and i feel like quitting right then and there.
i wish i worked a job where i did not have to rely on other people so much.
because other people constantly call-out or are just unreliable.
i am hoping by this time next year, i will be in school and either working there only part-time or not at all.
i'm tired of working my ass off for retail companies so that they can make the big bucks while i get shit on.

i decided at the end of may that i wanted to try to lose some weight again.
i pressured steve into getting a gym membership with me.
he was pressured into buying a bunch of training sessions that neither of us needed.
and now, i go all of the time and he doesn't.
it was a poor decision, but hopefully we learned from it.
i imagine once the personal training sessions are paid off, he'll probably cancel his membership.
i managed to lose close to 55 pounds with very little personal trainer help since we signed up at the gym.
i have become obsessed with working out and diet that i mentally and physically don't have time for much of anything else.
i almost wish that i could just stop and go back to the way that i was before.
living like this is not a whole lot of fun most days.
maybe when i reach my goal weight and start to slow down on losing weight/maintain, i will feel like i have more time in the day to do other stuff.
15 pounds to go before that happens though.

i don't know if it's just my luck, that time of the year or if i look more physically appealing to perverts now, but i have had a few encounters lately with some.
just when i thought that i was safe... now i feel like i need a weapon.
when i was heavier, i did not have to worry about this. :(

another downside to losing a lot of weight is that none of my clothes fit me anymore.
i tried on my old brown leather coat that i've had since i was 16 or 17 years old.
it always fit tightly and i never buttoned the last button on it.
but even when i thought that i was slimmer, it never fit the way that it should.
i tried it on last night.
i knew that it was gonna be a little big.
but i was in utter shock at how it just hung on me.
i was drowning in old brown leather.
i kind of felt like crying because i wanted to be able to have this coat fit me properly, not be the drastic opposite.
and from there, i experienced the same with my dresses that i had only gotten to wear a couple of times.
these are like, my favorite clothes... and i never got to wear them much at all.
and now, i can't.
it probably sounds petty to everyone, but it really is hurting me.
my clothes mean so much to me. and i'm not sure why... but they do.
when i moved from oklahoma to washington, 75% of the belongings i brought with me were my clothes.
and i'll be damned if only 15% of those clothes fit now.
i want to keep my weight at maintenance level throughout the winter.
no more losing weight if it can be helped.
i want time to enjoy my new coats and clothes before i can't fit them anymore either. being able to wear my clothing is the ONLY thing holding me back from just going for the grand prize of 140 pounds.

i may someday end up on the show myself

2009-05-21T19:08:00.002-05:00

it's sad that sometimes people go such a long time without blogging, only to pop up to blog only about the negative things happening in their life. that's like saying, "friend, i'm going to ignore your ass for 3 months until i break my leg and need your sympathy and help getting around." (end rant)

i haven't blog simply because i have been busy and can't think of anything out of the ordinary to write about.

i have decided to put off going to school for yet another year. not only because i am too unmotivated to get around to filling out all necessary paperwork, but also it would potentially interfere with a project i am currently working on. i call it the new chapter in my life. i would prefer not to write about it until i feel closer to being done, but i think it's going to turn out great.

steve and i are still in a great relationship. we are still learning new stuff about each other every day. and still learning how to tolerate one another in unique ways. we just celebrated our 1 year anniversary of being together about 2 weeks ago.

in late august we are planning a road trip back to oklahoma. ideally (i've requested it already), we'd like to leave out after i get off work on wednesday the 26th and be back the following tuesday. we would fly down and save a little money and have more time to spend with the family, but that would require me to leave my doggies behind. i think we would enjoy a roadtrip together anyways.

it feels like my responsibilities at work continue to grow and grow with each week that goes by. i try to take it with stride and just delegate my tasks unto other people. lol isn't that true management? i finally received my evaluation and pay increase earlier this month. so i am satisfied with my job for the time being.

i am currently extremely addicted to the tlc show what not to wear. i curse the day steve brought cable into my home. since i am so addicted to this show now, i am even more addicted to buying nice clothes, shoes and handbags. i guess that i am afraid that i may someday end up on the show myself.

for memorial day weekend, steve and i are joining his mommy for an afternoon of bicycle riding around medical lake. it sounds like it a good time to be had, but something tells me that i'm going to regret this "leisurely" bike ride. i was determined for one whole week to wake up at 4am and take the bike out for a ride in the morning before work. but that idea got old quick. so i am in no shape whatsoever for a long ride. lucky me.

we installed our window a/c unit last week. after getting home all sweating one day after being downtown for all of maybe an hour, we decided the quickest way to get comfortable was to just sit in front of the a/c on full blast. i didn't even own this unit until august last year. i was miserable until august. it was cooler outside at ground level than it was inside my apartment on the 5th floor. we made sure to not have another summer like that.

well, i have a lot more that i could write about, but i should wrap this up now. thank you for reading. i apologize for not keeping regular updates. i forget that sometimes people care and wonder how i am doing. follow me on twitter for more current updates.

tweet like a baby chick for jesus

2009-04-01T20:35:00.002-05:00

i have been pretty unmotivated lately.
especially when it comes to writing in my blogs.

i've been working full time again. and this time it's permanent.
i spent the last two weeks training a new member of my sign team.
only to find out 2 days ago that i am training her to take over my own floor.
i am the sign team leader, so i am supposedly not supposed to have a set floor to sign.
so i will just be running around helping other people. not cool.
we'll see how long this lasts.
i like the new girl, but i don't think she can handle what she's in for.

as most of you may already know, steve and i adopted another chihuahua last week.
she's the same age as brandy, but about half her size.
it took her about a day to warm up to us, but she loves me now.
she still doesn't know what to think of steve though.
she growls at steve when he kisses me. it's pretty funny.
she's an adorable sweet little girl. and she's smarter than what she leads you to believe at first.

jim gaffigan's king baby show/dvd was actually more hilarious than i thought it was going to be.
i thought that there was no way he could out do beyond the pale.
but i think he did.

speaking of babies...
for those of you who asked or just wondered, i'm not pregnant.
it was a poor attempt at an april fool's day joke. :P
instead of a baby, we get more snow.

i am also addicted to twitter now.
i didn't think it possible.... but apparently, it is.
i like to read jim gaffigan's retarded tweets from heaven... or wherever.
i think everyone should tweet.
easter is around the corner.
tweet like a baby chick for jesus..... or me.

steve and i need haircuts really bad.
the homeless people downtown keep mistaking us for one of them.
okay, not really. but it's kinda bad.
this all goes back to being unmotivated.
unmotivated to go sit in a chair while someone else cuts my hair for me..
maybe, i'm just plain lazy. isn't that a step above unmotivated?

it may not be as 'romantic'

2009-02-19T18:17:00.002-06:00

so, it's been a couple months since i have written a blog.
i'd like to be able to say that i've been super busy, but that's not the case.

work has been going well still.
i got cut back to part-time hours for awhile.
which was a nice break from the holiday horror of macys.
but now that spring is approaching, my boss has more hours to not only give me full time hours, but to also hire a extra signer to help us all.
however, i am taking it with a grain of salt because i never know if i will be part of the next 7,000 people laid off from macys.

i got rid of my car recently.
this was a real struggle for me to make a decision on.
but in the end, i only used it to go to the grocery store.
and it would have cost me more money than what it's worth to fix everything that needed to be done.
so far, being car-less is no different than what my life was like before... except walking back and forth to the local grocery store all of the time is a hassle.
hopefully i will get over that.

i had the best valentines day ever this year.
none of my past boyfriends have ever given me flowers before.
the only other person who has was some random gay guy.
i guess i could have told my past boyfriends that i wanted flowers, but i felt like maybe they should have already known that.
it may not be as 'romantic', but you really should tell him what you want.
you can't blame your failing relationship on him if you aren't telling him what the hell you want.
i guess that's what has changed with this relationship for me.
no more of "i'm angry at him because he should have read my mind".
and this has been the best relationship by far.
there are a lot of things about our relationship that are unconventional and probably even frowned upon by friends and family if they only knew.
but it has worked for us and we have a great time spending time together.
anyways, we didn't have a super romantic vday... but it was fun anyways.
i got a shitload of fried ice cream at cyrus o'leary's and enchiladas out of it, so i can't complain.
oh, and of course i received cunnilingus so good i cried.
but i guess i should not have brought that part up, eh?

my birthday falls on friday the 13th this year.
okay, i guess that doesn't really mean anything.
but steve has told me that if he didn't get me another puppy for xmas, he would for my bday.
i hope that he is able to find a really cute little girl chihuahua for me.
i would prefer to adopt a shelter one, but those are always snatched up asap by those other greedy chihuahua lovers.

steve will be moving in this weekend.
and if not this weekend, than by the end of the month for sure.
i'm excited about it.
but sometimes i realize he is gonna be here 24/7.
and that is overwhelming sometimes.
my privacy will be gone.
but just about everything i do that i would be ashamed of, i do in front of him anyways.
i haven't lived with someone since the ex-husband (5 years ago).
so this will be fun.
but i think overall, it will be good for the both of us.

since i have been preparing for steve to move in, i got a big cart for the kitchen to put small appliances and extra pantry items on.
that helped clear out a lot of space in my closet and in the kitchen cabinets.
i also got some arm chairs for the living room.
guess who can have guests over now without having to drag in chairs from the kitchen?

i haven't had any barenjager in about a year.
i have been craving it a lot lately. a lady at work keeps bees and so she brought in bottles of honey for us all. and i am reading the secret life of bees. mmmm... honey flavored liquor.

i got a about 5 more new spices.... i really like my spice collection.
it works out really well.
yes, they are sorted in alphabetical order!

time to stop being negative

2008-12-30T18:47:00.002-06:00

*rant*
i really wish the snow would just stop already.
i'm sick of not being able to get around town without having to jump into big piles of snow
or walk in HEAVY traffic because snow removal trucks have plowed-in the sidewalks.
*end rant*

*new rant*
i'm scheduled full time hours at work next week.
i like the pay, but hate working past noon.
also means that i have to pack a lunch for 4 days out of the week.
which means one more bag to carry with me as i'm leaping over snow mountains.
*end new rant*

strangely enough, my body isn't sore anymore from all the extra effort of walking in mounds of snow.
and i'm on the tightest notch on my belt now...
so maybe steve's mom's scale was right after all?
maybe the 20 pounds i've gained back since may, i've almost lost again?

new years eve?
i wanted to go to first night downtown, but i don't have money to spend for it.
so hopefully steve will be able to make it over and i can make dinner/drinks and play quelf.
i wanna get drunk, but i can't even afford to do that.

i purchased (regrettably) an ipod touch online last week.
it is supposed to be delivered tomorrow.
but it looks like fed ex guy isn't even coming into the apartment building.
he's been leaving the notices on the front door.
so... guess who's not gonna get their ipod touch anytime soon?

okay, time to stop being negative.

the last week or two has been wonderful

2008-12-26T14:10:00.000-06:00

i would like to state that i had the best possible christmas this year, despite the fact that this is my first holiday season away from my family.

steve and his family welcomed me with open arms for thanksgiving and then for xmas.
it was definitely a christmas more about sharing experiences rather than fancy gifts.
and i am sure without a doubt in my mind, that i preferred time spent with steve and his family over anything that could have been bought.

i finally got to meet steve's brother travis and his wife erin on xmas eve.
they were just as nice and friendly as i hoped they'd be.

erin made us a yummy dinner and dessert.
then we all exchanged gifts and played apples to apples and farkle.

on christmas day, steve's mom was very patient with me and taught me how to knit (i'm still not so good yet) and she took us to the movies to see marley & me.
the movie was a lot better than what i expected because i had read the book this summer.
it's the first time i've been in a theater where you can hear a lot of people around you crying at the end.
i even cried and i was trying so hard to hold it in too.

so, i've walked away from this christmas with a few nice gifts, but a lot more cherished memories. :)

unfortunately, there has been a small black cloud looming over christmas this year for steve's family.
steve's grandma rose passed away the day before xmas eve from colon cancer.
it's something that the family had been expecting for about a month now, but it still sucks pretty bad.

my mother called me on christmas for the first time in a year.
it was nice that she finally actually called and talked to me for awhile.
it sounds like my family is not doing so well financially, which is no big shocker.
some of it couldn't be helped, but a lot of it is their own fault.
they have a constant pattern of poor choices made over the course of my life.
i feel bad for them, but i know there is nothing that i can do but offer advice.
i also found out that my sister accepted her abusive girlfriend back into her life.
it hurt to find out, but i was not surprised at all.
just another pattern of poor choices.
i love my family, but it's much better to keep them at this distance away from me so that i do not continue to make the mistakes they have made.

i never got a chance to mail out my family's xmas presents or any cards to friends.
due to all of the snow that we've gotten here, the post office was closed for a couple of days.
when i got off from work, it was closed also.
and buses in my neighborhood were not running either, so i was not going to walk a mile and a half in the snow to get to the post office only to find out it was closed again.
i hope that everyone understands and won't mind getting them late.

i just want to say that, despite the snow, leaking window in my apartment, horrible work schedules, and the overall crappiness of the weather and the misfortunes it has caused, the last week or two has been wonderful for me and i am very grateful for the people that i have in my life (especially steve). :)

stay inside and make sweets!

2008-12-18T17:27:00.000-06:00

this will just be a blog of pictures:

morale of the story: stay inside and make sweets!

baby food jar chandelier

2008-12-17T20:27:00.000-06:00

today, it has snowed more than i have seen since i lived in indianapolis.
i am used to snow.... but it's been a loooong time since i've seen so much!
brandy, on the other hand, is not used to snow.
at least, not snow that is so high that she can not stand in it and be able to see.
so..... she has not went potty outside today. :(
but we had fun running in the snow today before the sun went down.
i took off her leash for once and just let her run around behind me (as i cleared a path for her).
i hope that whatever snowfall we get for the rest of winter does not accumulate to more than this.

sometime in january, after all this holiday crap has worn off and life is back to feeling normal and boring again, i want to attempt to make this baby food jar chandelier.
i seriously think it would be awesome to hang from my living room ceiling above my coffee table.
downfall is that i will have to probably eat 12 jars of baby food.
i am hoping maybe steve's mom knows someone with a baby that has some old (matching) jars to get rid of.

i bought a bag of cranberries to make food with, instead i ended up decorating with them:

i joined freecycle over the weekend.
i had joined when i lived in indianapolis and tulsa before but never gave or got anything.
i was more annoyed by the emails than anything else.
but i am giving it a third go.
i am finding myself more needy of free stuff now than ever.
and craigslist is mostly a joke.
"free pile of dirt"...... riiiiiiiight.

i was flipping through a 3 year old edition of real simple magazine.
there was a really nifty button bracelet in it that i wanted to make.
yeah, needless to say, mine turned out bad.
it was a waste of time and effort sewing buttons onto a piece of old sweater.
maybe it will look better with more buttons on it.
but i am doubting it.

turns out target has the same hamilton beach stand mixer that i got on black friday, for only $19.99 this week.
yeah, i'm not going to lie, i was pissed that i found out i waited in line FOREVER that morning just to pay more for it.
but... it was still a great buy. and hopefully my co-worker Lil will get one this week!
i keep telling her how much i love mine...
and i know it will come in handy for her baking lots of goodies for the holidays.

it's my second round of bread baking!
and i am happy to report that it turned out even better this time. :)
i let the bread rise for a little bit longer before putting it in the oven.
next time, i will try making it with honey instead of sugar and olive oil instead of butter.
i've been told the bread turns out even better this way.
sorry for the crappy picture!

and, as requested, here is a picture of the bourbon bottle snowflake wrapping paper:

bourbon bottles arranged into snowflakes

2008-12-13T17:27:00.000-06:00

when you are engulfed in flames by david sedaris makes for a good audio book.
i was much better to listen to than dress your family in corduroy and denim (which i liked better as a book).
my favorite chapter to listen to was the understudy.
my favorite quote was david and his sister mocking one of their babysitters, "ya'lls got the same damn thing. only theys ain't poked out yet. "
i have decided that listening to audio books from time to time while at work (instead of music on my ipod) might be a good change.
i listened to most of the audio book on friday at work and it put me in a much better mood than just listening to music.

i attempted to make my first loaf of home-made bread today.
i followed trent's recipe over at the simple dollar.
it turned out better than expected considering it was my first attempt at bread making.
it actually reminded me of the pizza crusts that i make.
so, evidently, i have been making bread all along.

i also made the most delicious stew ever on thursday.
it doesn't have a name (that i am aware of), because i didn't use a recipe.
but its something i've been able to eat for lunch and dinner since thursday and still not being sick of yet.
i browned up some sausage and then put it in the crock pot with 2 cans of beef broth, water, cumin, parsley, salt, tomato sauce, onion, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and potatoes.
it really heats the spot on these really cold, snowy days. :)

maker's mark sent me free wrapping paper and ribbon in the mail.
the wrapping paper has bourbon bottles arranged into snowflakes.
so naturally, i decided to wrap all of my family's gifts in this paper.
they already think i'm an alcoholic, so what can it hurt?
i may use it to wrap a few misc gifts with as well, but honestly, who wants gifts in paper that screams, "i drink so much, i get free wrapping paper from liquor companies!"
this quote is so untrue, but that's what most people would think.

i'm a good co-worker to have...

2008-12-10T19:07:00.000-06:00

i am excited to announce that i have my very first blogger follower!
that's something that i never thought would happen. lol
i just figured most people found my blog through my myspace.
i guess not. :)
yay for zombie kitty!

i am even more excited to announce that i finally started my "financial" blog!
it has two entries already for you to read.
i don't plan on keeping myspace updated on this blog,
so if you want to be kept up-to-date on the financial blog (sunny savings),
you'll need to subscribe to the rss feed.
you can subscribe either by clicking the rss icon in your foxfire toolbar, or with the subscribe option i have given you on the blog itself.
and of course, if you are a blogspot user, you can just become a follower. :)

guess who's making peppermint bark now??
well, technically, i made some on monday night for steve to take home.
but i made some more today to take with me to work tomorrow.
the peppermint bark reminds me of the new candy cane hershey kisses.
mmmm....
oreo bark is REALLY good too!
which i made a bit of as well. :)
this blog post is also a good peppermint bark making guideline to go by.
i'm a good co-worker to have...

i have decided that audio books would make a really good xmas present for my mom.
she doesn't read, but she has always seemed to like to listen to them instead.
i was going to get her some used ones on paperback swap, but i takes 2 credits versus 1 for a book.
so that was out of the question because i have so few credits left now.
i opted to rent audio books from the library instead and rip them into mp3 format, and then re-burn them to cd.
yes, it's cheap and copyright infringement.
but it's not like i am trying to re-sell these audio books, so i think it's ethically okay to do.
and i think these are something my mom might actually enjoy.

santa's kickin' it in a new hat.
someone in my apartment building set a box of old christmas stuff by the building entrance.
i grabbed up this cute little hat.
word.

it's sweater time!

2008-12-08T11:57:00.001-06:00

spokane has had a lot of movies filmed in it's city.
but i never thought i would run into so many movie sets on a regular basis.
today, while i was at work, they filmed a protest scene for the movie oy vey! my son's gay!!.

which looks to be a rather retarded movie... i mean, it has carmen electra in it.
then i saw previews for the movie give 'em hell, malone. which was filmed downtown also near the old otis hotel.
i remembered the street being blocked off in the area everyday for about a week when i would walk to work in the mornings... but it looked like construction purposes to me.
but know i realize that was not the case.

like, i have talked about before, i love the site A Year of Crockpotting.
i have now made two recipes from this website.
I am thoroughly impressed with the second one that i tried.
it's called salsa chicken and black bean soup.
i only used one chicken breast for the entire dish, and it was enough.
first, we ate it as a dip with tortilla chips.
but, later we ate it as a real soup.
it lasted me for several meals and was good every time.
this is a new favorite for me.
it's CHEAP and EASY and GOOD.

this is one of my new favorite pictures (it's sweater time!):

i have been heavily considering creating a financial blog of my own of some kind.
maybe not one that actually offers financial advice (because i am not a trained professional),
but maybe just one of those quirky frugal ones.
i just want somewhere to share my ideas about saving money and the steps that i take (or would like to take).
because i know there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of these types of blogs out there now,
i have been kind of hesitant about it.
but i know that most of my friends do not come to my blog to read that stuff, they come to read about how i am doing. :)
does anyone have any thoughts on this idea?

so the christmas movie-athon has begun.
so far we have watched:
1. scrooged
2. a christmas story (my favorite)
3. christmas with the kranks (totally stupid)
i intend on watching the nightmare before christmas and home alone 2 sometime soon. :)

stop hurting yourself

2008-12-06T17:07:00.000-06:00

so, i've been doing a lot of complaining recently about a guy at work.
he's really slow and sometimes he doesn't show up for work.
so all of the other signers have to work twice as hard because of him.
over the thanksgiving holiday he pissed us all off.
long story short, he finally put in his two week notice today.
this makes me so happy.
he is a really nice guy, but he just can't do his job.

brandy and steve are the best of friends...

i've been baking again today like a crazy woman.
i finally made some cookies that steve liked. *shock*
they were the cooky cookies with peanut butter chips in them.
i also made some cooky cookies with regular chocolate chips and chunks of a chopped up weight watchers bar (same thing i made a couple days ago).
aaaaaaaand i baked up some cranberry sugar cookies with green sprinkles.

i feel really let down by season 4 of it's always sunny in philadelphia.
this quickly because one of my favorite shows (and only shows i watch).
but this season was just not up to par.
i re-watched the last episode "the nightman cometh" last night with steve.
it was more enjoyable to watch the second time around, but i still feel like it was lacking.
according to wikipedia, it's always sunny will run until at least a 6th season.
hopefully they will be better than season 4!

as usual, i have been scouring the internet for cool (but inexpensive) holiday things to do. i ran across beingfrugal.com's favorite christmas tradition that i thought was so cool.
unfortunately, i can't really use the idea (because i don't have kids), but i am hoping to come up with something that could play off her wonderful idea.

i have been considering following up my halloween horror movie tradition with the christmas movie tradition this year.
maybe watch 12 of my favorite xmas movies before christmas?
what's your favorite christmas movie?
mine is, without a doubt, a christmas story.
i've watched it EVERY christmas for as long as i can remember...
and it was always a big hit because it was based in Indiana (my home state).
i love everything about this movie. :) it makes me happy just thinking about it.

also, before i forget, i want to thank anyone who took the time to click my google ads the last time i blogged.
i have managed to accumulate a small amount of money from the clicks, but will not see any money until it reaches a certain dollar amount.
so please do not stop clicking.
i want to actually see this first google ads paycheck!

$5 tees again for the holiday season

2008-12-03T22:30:00.000-06:00

this is going to sound really lame.... BUT...
i still have google ads on the left side and bottom of my blog.
every click to one of these ad sites earns me a few cents.
every few cents grows into dollars.... and i am REALLY broke right now.
so if anyone wants to say merry christmas, clicking on the ads would be MUCH appreciated!
it only takes a couple seconds...
i've had thousands of hits to my blog, but very, very very few hits to my ads. :(
just make sure you come back to my blog and read though! :)

i need a cooking utensil holder.
since i moved into this apartment, i have been storing them clumsily in a party tray that i keep on top of the microwave (which also happens to be on top of the fridge).
i have not wanted to dish out money for a fancy one i can attach to the wall above my sink or stove... but i have wanted to make one myself.
i have extra shower curtain hooks that i have been trying to find a use for forever.
if i glue them upside down onto a piece of wood or something, they would be perfect for my utensils to hang from.
but i don't have a piece of wood to use.
...and i don't want to go buy any.
i considered gluing them to a spine of a hardcover book and nailing the book to the wall.
but it just wouldn't be the look that i am going for. lol

i've started a new book called "the time traveler's wife" by audrey niffenegger.
this is a book that i somehow knew i was going to enjoy so much, that i bought two copies of it by mistake. lol
i'm not too far into this thick novel, but so far, it's interesting and entertaining.
this might be a book that i would like to give the other copy to steve's mom (if she hasn't already read it).
unfortunately, i don't see myself finishing this book before the new year (i hope to stay busy doing other things).

my work schedule for this month sucks.
it's part-time... working weekends... and now i am working a few nights also because corporate has decided anytime that we have a one-day sale from now on, they are going to start it at 5pm the day before.
so that means the signers get to come in at 5pm the day before to put up new signs.
at least the holidays will be over soon and i can go back to some sort of normality... if there is such a thing.

i have decided that there is no fool-proof way for me to take a multi-vitamin and not throw up afterwards.
no matter how much i eat before taking these damn pills, i still get sick.
if you don't eat, you get REALLY sick.
if you do eat, you get mildly sick.
oh, the joys of trying to stay healthy.

i LOVE threadless.com !
they have been offering $5 tees again for the holiday season.
(i tend to only buy when they are $5 anyways)
i think everyone should visit them and show some love. :D

why does everyone give me coupons at work for $10 off a $30 purchase when i clearly can not afford to buy anything from there right now?!
i could have used these damn coupons like... 2 weeks ago!
gee, thanks for nothing.
i wish i could give them away to other people... but they are employee coupons. :(
such a waste.

the lady who writes for her blog
a year of crockpotting is so cool.
she inspired me to want to get a crockpot again.
it's amazing the kinds of meals/desserts/dips/etc she has made in her crockpots.
i did try one of the recipes (so far!) that she has written in her blog... and it was pretty darn good.
i look forward to using her blog as a reference many, many times in the future.

okay, that's all i have to say for now.

p.s. i want to learn how to knit soon.

i have cleaned nearly every inch of my apartment

2008-12-02T11:39:00.002-06:00

i found this sign in my neighborhood and thought that it was cute (click it for the full photo):

i finished reading the book "smashed : story of a drunken girlhood" by koren zailckas.
it's supposed to be a fascinating memoir on koren's "drunken girlhood".
i suppose the book was likable, but it was a little over the top.
i could have lived without the pop-culture references mentioned on nearly EVERY PAGE.
in fact, it probably would have made the book more enjoyable to read.
the memoir (like so many others) is supposed to be made into a film soon.
i can't even see myself enjoying the movie version.

i am half-way through reading the book "blink" by malcolm gladwell.
this was another book that got a lot of hype.
and i think this book actually deserved it.
it makes you question your immediate gut-instincts and what you would do in a blink of an eye.
it goes over series of various tests, statistics and algorithms to prove points.
there is also a section of the book about the music artist kenna (who i love), so that makes it even more enjoyable to me.

on sunday night i decided to make cooky cookies with my new stand-up mixer (a black friday buy that i will go into further later).
normally i follow the recipe as usual.
but this time i grated up some orange peel and added that and orange peel powder to the ingredients.
i also added chocolate chips to some.
if you don't like oranges, then you probably would not like my results.
but i love them. especially the ones i added chocolate chips to.
i plan on taking some to my co-worker (doug) tomorrow and see if he likes them or not.
he'll eat just about anything so i dunno if he is a good food critic, but maybe he will enjoy them.

i tried to call my sister on thanksgiving, but it went straight to voicemail.
and i was thinking maybe my mom would finally call me on thanksgiving... but she never did.
it is my first thanksgiving/christmas a way from family, and they did not care to call me.
mom has not even emailed me back in the last 2 or 3 months.
i guess i could continue to keep pushing for a relationship with her...
but i am the kind of person that always waits for the other person to initiate contact.
only because i feel like i am intruding.

so i spent thanksgiving with steve and his mom.
she made a nice meal that we were not able to eat until about 7 or 8pm. lol
the turkey just didn't want to cook.
but it was nice visiting with her and steve and watching Big and playing some weird dice game.
i brought sweet potatoes for our thanksgiving dinner.
i never make them because i don't like them. so it was a first for me.
i followed a recipe that said to make them with orange juice.
at first, i thought it'd like them... but no, i didn't.

even after staying awake well until midnight or 1am on thanksgiving, i decided to wake up at 5:30am to go to target for black friday shopping.
i had my list and my plan.
i was to go in and get what i needed and get the hell out.
well, when i got there a little before 6am (when the store opened), there was a line of customers wrapped all the way around the outside of the building.
as i was making my way to the back of the line, it finally started to move a bit.
it didn't take long for us all to get into the store.
i grabbed a shopping cart (bad mistake, but i needed it) and made my way to my priority items on my list.
i was surprised that there was plenty stock of the kitchen items i was going to buy (the crockpot and stand mixer).
after i made sure those two items were safely in my shopping cart, i continued on with my list.
all the while people are hitting you with their shopping carts and not really bothering to acknowledge what they just did.
then there was the task of trying to find where the check-out line begins and ends.
i ended up somehow in the electronics check-out line.
which took about 45 minutes of waiting and bonding with my fellow customers around me.
after check-out, i still had to push my way (with my cart) back through the crowds of people to get to the front of the store to leave.
by the time i exited the store, i was so mentally drained that i decided no more black friday shopping.
so this year was my FIRST and LAST time shopping black friday.

a few weeks ago, this column was posted in the Inlander under the "I Saw You" section (click it for the full photo):

naturally, i felt that steve needed to make a reply back to it.
so we emailed a response to the Inlander promptly about it:

I wasn't choking on your odor, I was choking on my pride.
I couldn't bring myself to speak to you at the time, and for that I am eternally sorry.
As an educated business-woman society tries to keep us apart, but I will no longer let society dictate my life.
You take my breath away, yet only asked for a dollar.
Would you accept my heart instead?
A 3-course dinner, a couple drinks, then relax in my jacuzzi.
You can search me for change.

my guess is that they got so many people replying back to it, they chose not to print any of them.
because ours has not gotten printed in the last couple of issues. :(
the only result of emailing them the above passage proved was that they sell your email address asap to other companies and you get hit hard with spam mail.
luckily, i used a spare email address i have laying around.

as many of you may know, i had been sick (amongst other things) the last few months.
i have finally regained all of my energy back!
and just in time to have my hours cut-back to part-time again at work.
so, this means i have cleaned nearly every inch of my apartment (and washed every article of dirty clothing) and now i am so terribly bored.
i've cooked and baked all that i can.
i've walked the dog more times than she has needed.
i'm more than half way through a book i started less than 5 days ago.
i'm in the process of researching a long list of household items (empty dish soap bottles, egg cartons, etc) and what they actually can be reused for.
i guess at the moment i feel like i am going a bit (more) crazy.

i subscribe to rss feeds for 35 financial type blogs.
one of them is even in a different language.
i just like the photos she posts. lol
i have WAAAAAAAAAAY too much time on my hands now.

i need friends?

the price you pay for a beautiful october autumn

2008-11-12T17:30:00.000-06:00

obviously, i have not written in my blog for quite awhile.
i feel like i have had a lot to say, but no energy to actually spend time typing it up (hence one reason i signed-up to get a monthly supply of eboost).

it's been a year full of firsts for me... and our nation.
since i can not share all of my "firsts" with you... i will talk about the election.
i was not able to vote because i would have had to re-register and i would have to be a washington citizen for a number of month more than what i have been.
on the night of the election, i went out and bought a coax cable so that i could get the basic tv channels.
and of course i sat on my couch in front of the tv for hours watching and hoping.
and like so many others, i did cry a bit when obama was announced our new president.
having obama as our next president has also made work some what better since i work with mostly democrats... i don't have to hear a bunch of political crap anymore.

so i had a goal for the month of october to watch 31 horror films.
unfortunately, i fell short of this goal by 3 movies.
ideally, i wanted to watch movies i had not already seen before... or had not see since childhood (such as the parents and alice sweet alice).
i did find some gems during my conquest.
i have a few new favorites such as the quirky scary movies (the signal, otis, and botched). i also have some foreign favorites (oldboy, audition, and the orphanage).
just about everything else was really not worth watching. i did watch cannibal holocaust twice.
and it was not as gross the second time around.

gwar is going to be playing downtown this friday.
they are one of the bands i have always wanted to see live... but never liked their music.
tim and his wife are going to go.
but as usual, it really is not a good time financially for me to go. :(
so i guess i will have to just have tim tell me all the crazy crap that happened.

steve and i have had our list of ups and downs in the past 6 months of our relationship, but i think something that has happened recently between us has made me feel closer to him than ever.
i can't wait until we can move in together in march and spend all of our time together.
but i think it would be even better if he got me another chihuahua first to torture him with.
one puppy constantly licking his face is just not enough.

the weather lately has been really crappy.
probably the worst i have experienced since i moved here.
it's been rainy and cold the past couple of weeks.
and it gets pitch black by 4 or 5pm.
it's been kind of depressing, but more so is helping drain my already low energy level.
i guess it's the price you pay for a beautiful october autumn.

i keep telling myself that i need to get out and make some new friends.
but like i said, lately i have no energy to do anything.
hopefully that will change soon.
and hopefully my workload will lighten a bit as well in the next month or so.
i have been working full-time since mid-september.
i like the paychecks (even though they go right back to them since i shop too much at macy's)...
but i am dead tired when i get home.
i'll just be glad when the holidays are over with.

do they still make chocolate cool whip?
anyone know???
steve and i wanted to buy some last weekend, but were sorely disappointed to not find it at our local grocery store!

the signal

2008-10-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

as of today, the elevator in my apartment building is STILL NOT fixed!
first we were told the 23rd, then friday the 26th, then monday the 29th and now it's october 1st.... still not working. it's been broken for about 2 months now.
if it's not fixed by monday, i am going to request some sort of rental discount.
it's not fair that i live on the 5th floor and have to walk up that many flights of stairs several times a day.
if i knew the elevator would be broken for TWO damn months, i would have stayed on the first floor.

i have begun my 31 days of horror movies like i did last year.
i can't remember now how many films i watched, but i am hoping to surpass it this year.
so far i have seen the signal and stay alive.
i actually liked both movies surprisingly.
some guys from work recommended some foreign horror films i plan on checking out soon too.

i rearranged my living room furniture recently.
i'm still not sure if i like it or not.
but i do have room that i didn't have before for a chair and bookcase.
maybe some day soon i will purchase one or two of those items.

one of my co-workers is on vacation with week,
so i get full-time hours.
which will probably only amount to an extra $100 on my paycheck,
but it's more than what i had before i guess.
my boss also asked me if i wouldn't mind picking up more hours for the holidays.
of course i said i would. i hope that i do not regret it.
it's been a kind of slow work week, so we have been on the 6th floor unwrapping xmas tree ornaments.
i've come home 2 out of 3 days this week so far covered in glitter.
ah, the magic of macy's.

i am starting to wish that i worked in a bakery.
i've developed such a great desire lately to bake.
i enjoy baking things and seeing and tasting how they turn out.
i love making cookies now because i used to always mess them up and would never be able to bake them right.
but now, i almost always get them right.
i imagine that i have also put on 10 pounds due to my new found love for baking.
yay new cookie sheets and muffin pans!

i finished the book 'the remains of the day'.
the book received really good reviews online, but i have to disagree.
there was nothing special about this novel in my opinion.

mom still has not called.
i told her that she could call me over 20 days ago.
i guess even when i give her permission to talk to me,
she still doesn't want to.... even though she said that she did.
i wonder if she ever realizes how unloved that can make a person feel?

my new tommy hilfiger pillows make me feel loved though and i sleep slightly better at night now.
i just wish they made a steve-shaped pillow.
maybe someday.

birthday poem

2008-09-19T18:50:00.001-05:00

i haven't really had much to say.
or rather, the desire to type it up.

about a week and a half ago someone dressed in a helmet and cape was skipping around the gazebo in the middle of the park at 5am as i was walking my dog.
he was also playing an accordion.
he reminded me of darth vader,
but it was probably just someone who watched the dark knight one too many times.

work is still going well.
today was one of the guys (colin) on the sign team's birthday.
we sat in the break room and ate cupcakes and drank punch.
then one of the other guys (doug) that i work with made a birthday poem for colin.
it was kind of strange and amusing at the same time.
you learn something new and different about your co-workers everyday.

i watched the first episode of the new season of it's always sunny in philadelphia.
in my opinion, it picked right up right off where it felt in season 3.
hilariousness.
i hope that the new season of dexter is just as good.

my mom was supposed to call me this weekend...
and of course, she didn't.
so now that it's the weekend again,
i wonder if she will remember to call?
it's been around 9 months since we have spoken.
it might be good to finally talk again... but maybe not.

last weekend steve and i went to uncle's (a game shop downtown).
steve bought a boardgame called quelf.
it's not intended for just 2 players, but we played it alone anyways.
it's was pretty hilarious and would have been even more fun with other people.
here is one video of steve playing quelf:

this was the most tame one.
i promised not to upload the belly dancing one. lol

froot loop clusters

2008-09-09T17:13:00.000-05:00

i changed my cellphone's alarm ring tone from some crappy default one to the flaming lips "do you realize?".
now i wake up every morning moderately happy.

i had to get a new library card today because the one that i had was for the valley.
i guess she failed to mention to me that i could not use it in spokane. grrr.

my sister finally called me for the first time in a few months.
i guess she changed her phone number back to her old one and thats why i was unable to get ahold of her.

steve and i went to manito park last week.
of course it was my first time going... so i ended up taking over 200 photos throughout the day.
i wasted a good deal of time just taking pictures of turtles by the pond.
we also went to riverside park for a bit and went to different areas that i had never been to.

i'm currently reading the remains of the day by kazuo ishiguro.
its supposed to be a really good book... but i'm finding it difficult to get into on the 2nd chapter/section.
hopefully it something will peak my interest soon.

i made cookies out of froot loops on friday.
they turned out pretty decent.
not too sugary and not icky either.
so i made some froot loop clusters made with white chocolate as well...

my new job is still going well.
my boss asked me the one day last week,
"can you believe you've already been here 2 weeks?"
and i honestly couldn't.
time goes by really fast there. which is good.
i got some extra time on sunday to do socializing with one of the other signers,
and we talked about the lady i replaced and how the lady was a little crazy.
so now i understand why my boss is always mentioning how calm i am.
because the other lady was all over the place.
and apparently downtown macy's employees get discounted 16oz coffees from thomas hammer downtown on the weekends.
sweet.... even though i rarely drink coffee...
i just wish i would get my macy's employee discount card already!

my apartment building's elevator has been broken for nearly 3 weeks now.
i am TOTALLY sick of walking up and down FIVE flights of stairs several times a day.
you would think it would be habit for me now walking up that many stairs, but it isn't.
i am weak and out of breath by the time i reach the 5th floor (if i don't take a mini break half way through).
i wanted to start using the stairs more... but not like this.

i ended up purchasing more stuff online from 2 of my new favorite companies.
i ordered 15 magnetic spice containers (that i can attach to the side of my fridge for easy storage) and a few more spices from monterey bay spice company .
i also ordered another sample kit and a couple small concealers from everyday minerals.
i am also getting a cheap electric mixer from amazon.
i have kept putting off getting one because i always wanted one of the fancy kitchenaid ones.
but i know i will never be able to afford one.
anyways, no more spending for me for awhile.

go me

2008-09-01T13:40:00.002-05:00

so i finally got around to opening a new bank account in washington with bank of america.
i had to switch bank accounts because washington and idaho are different than all of the rest of the states when it comes to banking with them.
so the lady opened up a total of 4 fucking accounts for me.
the reasoning for this? i'm not quite clear on.
but she said it would not cost me any special fees or anything.
so i now have a total of 3 checking accounts and 5 savings accounts.
and i don't have hardly any money. go me.

the macy's clearance on the 6th floor downtown had house slippers.
i have searched all over for house slippers but most places apparently do not carry them until fall.
so i got a really cute pair for 5 bucks. go me, again.

still liking my job. the people i work with still seem to be friendly.
i can see myself being broke from now on though because i think i want to buy everything on my sales floor.
martha stewart's macy's line is so cute.
i want to get her kitchen aid mixer and cutting boards and spice racks and everything!
i can see my employee discount might get abused a bit.
macy's also has their own reuseable shopping bags (like every store does now).
and they are pretty cute also.
so i bought two of them as well.
they are actually bigger and easier to use than my other bags i use for groceries.

steve and i went to "pig out in the park" this weekend at riverfront park.
i had a blast, but i don't think steve did because i made him go on rides with me that he was not exactly thrilled about.
we ate chinese food and elephant ears also.
i took around 130 photos and a few videos while we were there.
and we saw the dark knight at the imax.
it was my first time seeing a movie at an imax theater,
so that was a pretty awesome experience.

aaaaand i finally got to ride a gondola!
i thought it was pretty fun to see more of spokane falls.
steve and i got a gondola to ourselves.

i also finally made my own laundry detergent this weekend following this recipe:

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/
i condensed mine down a bit to make it a more concentrated version.

brandy got a cute fleece sweater from etsy.com the other day....

and she also got 3 halloween printed chew toys, which she loves to throw around the apartment and carry to bed with her.

i'm reading my 8th book this year.
my goal is to get 12 finished by the end of the year.
i figured that was a more attainable goal for me since i knew it was going to be a busy year.
and i was right.
has anyone read george orwell's animal farm?
did you like it?

making marla's mom into soap

2008-08-27T22:10:00.001-05:00

there was a fire in my building after work yesterday.
lucky it was on the first floor and no real damage was done.
but i will be getting renter's insurance soon just in case something more sever happens in the future.
the elevator in my building has been broken for about 4 or 5 days now.
it sucks walking up 5 flights of stairs several times a day...
but at least i'm getting more exercise in i guess.
hopefully they are able to get it fixed soon though!

macy's has some strange policies, but on other things they seem to have total lack of concern.
like, in order to get your employee discount, you have to sign-up for a macy's credit card or a pre-paid credit card.
i think that's a really stupid way to give their employees discounts.
but at the same time, they don't drug test.
which i think they should with it being a high-end department store.
but a good things is, i will be eligible to sign-up for health insurance through them after my first 30 days.
yay!

today was my first official day of work and it seemed to go fine.
all of my co-workers on the fifth floor and within my signing crew have been very nice and helpful.
all i did today was go around and switch out old price signs for sale signs.
and if it didn't have a sale sign, i would make one.
pretty easy stuff.
tomorrow hopefully i will do something different though.

what i find to be incredibly amusing is that a customer service manager emailed me from envirosax today about an order i placed (and never received) back in november 2007.
apparently she was unaware that i did finally receive my refund for the sacks (after being called a liar by the "founder" of the company).
this customer service manager requested i give her my credit card number to do a refund.
lol like that was gonna happen.
and she was sorry that my previous experience soured me on the company.
i made sure she knew that it more than sourer me.
and that if i changed my mind, i could contact her directly about ordering.
to me, this sounds like a scam. i would never ever trust or buy from www.envirosax.com ever!
sure, they have some cute bags, but i always place customer service first when i decide to purchase something.

i have to go to the ups branch on broadway to pick up the bicycle basket that i had shipped to me.
apparently the dumbshit that i bought it from failed to put my apartment number on the form. nice.
so i have to waste my time and money to go pick it up sometime soon.
i also had to go to the downtown post office and pick up a package of spices i ordered online because the mail man didn't want to walk up 5 flights of stairs. whaaaaaaa... lazy bastards.

anyways, the spices were bulk spices from the monterey bay spice company.
i've smelled a few of the spices, and they smell great.
my new ground cinnamon actually smells better and bolder than my crappy mccormick brand.
i have used a couple in making my black bean burgers and the spices not only smell good, but taste good.
but they are very well packaged and they even threw in some freebie teas since i also ordered a 1/4 pound of peppermint tea from them.
their prices are SUPER CHEAP.
but the minimum order is $20.00 ... which i spent a little more than.
i couldn't see paying over $6.00 for a small bottle of cumin at my local grocery store when i could get a little more than the same amount for $1.40. seriously.
i plan on getting some of these next to store all of my spices more organized in.

anyways, so yeah.. i finally got around to making black bean burgers.
if i do ever make them again, i will opt to leave out the green bell pepper.
the recipe actually yielded 8 or 9 (i lost count) patties.
so i froze them between pieces of wax paper.
they were actually decent tasting.
i have had mass-produced black bean burgers before, so i knew what to expect.
sure, its not as tasty as beef... but it's cheaper and healthier for you.
if you load your burger up with lettuce, tomato, cheese and all the condiments you normally eat on a burger, you can hardly tell the difference.
i recommend giving it a try.

i wish i could get more done on my list of goals.
http://www.43things.com/person/na0
sometimes just seeing them listed helps me want to get them done so i that i have one less goal to see on my list.

i finished reading fight club.
i've read a few of chuck palahniuk's novels and i have seen fight club the movie countless times.
i think i prefer the movie over the book.
there are maybe a handful of ideas in the book i would have liked to seen played out in the movie, but overall, i preferred the movie.
my favorite parts of the book is when tyler mentions that marla said she wanted to have tyler's abortion.
and when they making marla's mom into soap.
i guess i mostly preferred the way the sequence of events played out in the movie better.

i will start george orwell's animal farm this evening.

i should be getting chuck palahniuk's novel snuff in the mail soon through www.paperbackswap.com
but i've heard that it is not very good.

thanks to steve, i am addicted to that stupid myspace app game mobsters.
and i went ahead and joined vampires as well (just like mobsters).
i hope to not play those games much anymore because they are sucking the life out of me.

so i have found so many cool-looking shops downtown since i've started walking and taking the bus.
when i become rich and famous, i'm going to buy stuff in all of these little shops, i swear!

i dunno if anyone uses hard candy cosmetics, but they are all on sale for 75% off.
i think they are discontinuing a bunch of stuff.
might be worth checking out!
i may buy some eyeliner from them since my "good" eyeliner is almost gone.

i finally found arm & hammer washing soda in a store!
i searched high and low at every store in tulsa to find it, and then just out of curiosity i looked at the grocery store by my apartment, and it was there!
this will help me with the laundry detergent recipe i've been wanting to try for over a year now.
so i bought the washing soda, now all i really need is borax (which was on the shelf right next to it) and a 5 gallon bucket to mix it all in.
i'll save a massive amount of money on laundry soap if i can manage to make this stuff.

stubbly hobo "beard"

2008-08-23T18:25:00.000-05:00

yes, it's true... i got the job at macy's that i was hoping for. :)
i will be working on the signing crew for the 5th floor.
i walked home from my interview grinning ear to ear and so a lot of people stopped and talked to me that day. lol
so it's a little less than a mile and a half from my apartment, so i will walk to work in the mornings (because i have to be there before the buses run) and i will take a bus home everyday.
it will save me about $20 a week in gas opposed to the rgis job. :)
the bus picks up practically in front of my building and drops off at the bus plaza which is right around the block from macy's!
so there is no big hurry/worry to get my car fixed. :)
finally everything is coming back together again for the time being.
i start work on tuesday.
it's only 25 hours a week (mon-fri 6am-11am), but the pay is a dollar more an hour than rgis with quarterly evaulations/raises.
so i will be making a lot more money in no time.
the supervisor i interviewed with was very very nice and sweet and i think i will like working there a lot.
plus i don't have to go out and buy a bunch of new fashionable clothes because they don't really have a dress code (within reason).

so with the $20 saved in gas each week,
i am placing in one of my ING bank account to save for a weekend trip to seattle sometime before winter.
hopefully i will have my car fixed by then as well! :P

ming wah chinese restaurant by my neighborhood was the best chinese food i have eaten since i moved here!
i was pleasantly surprised because the place seriously looks like a run-down shack from the outside.
steve ordered us take-out of beef & broccoli and sweet & sour chicken.
we got such large portions, we had enough for two meals.
i think i found my new favorite spokane restaurant! :)

steve drank 1 entire glass of a mixed alcoholic beverage last night and he was annoying as hell.
i should have been the highly annoying one, but nope.
note to self: don't allow steve to drink unless you want to listen to him sing a bunch of random made-up songs to you all night and tickle you with his stubbly hobo "beard".

we went to riverfront park for a couple of hours today and walked around.
mostly just sat around watching the ducks and geese.
but i took some photos of more sculptures and whatnot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darksidesunny/

we also went into boo radley's for the first time ever.
i LOVE that place so much.
i would like to buy all of my xmas presents to people from there, seriously.

i am almost pretty sure that i love spokane way more than i did indianapolis now.
if indianapolis had a park like riverfront park downtown and had lots of mountains and trees, it would be a tougher call.
thank you to anyone and everyone that has helped me see some of the nicest things in spokane.
i hope that i continue to find new cool things (to me) frequently.

cooky cookies

2008-08-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

i finished "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" soon after i wrote about it in my last blog.
i had a lot of spare time on a car pool trip for work, so i took advantage of it.
the book was decent.
it was full of useless information and i was not all that impressed with the plot.
it was a quirky book... but i would not say it was worth reading.

i started up reading a new earth by eckhart tolle again and finished it.
i was afraid that it had been so long since i started reading it,
that i would have to go back and start from the beginning again.
but it was fairly easy to pick back up on.
and it's honestly just what i needed right now.
how to stay present in my life and with all of the situations that are thrown my way.
which i think i am starting to do more and more.

i had yet another good interview on tuesday afternoon at the downtown macys.
the manager seemed happy about my job history and skill level and even went out of his way to try to find out if their were any job openings in the departments i would be best suited for.
unfortunately, the managers for those departments were not answering his calls/pages, and he did not want to waste anymore of my time.
so he said he would pass along my resume to the lady in the department i was looking to be placed in.
well, the lady called me back today and requested to interview me tomorrow afternoon.
so here i go for a second interview.
i hope that i can win her over like i did the manager who first interviewed me. :)
the only bad things is... if i get this macys job, i need to buy new work clothes.
macys is kinda higher fashion than what i typically wear.

i only did 1 hour of physical work today for rgis.
my numbskull bosses forgot the printer cable they needed at the office in the valley, so they volunteered me to drive the new company car back to the valley from sprague.
so i got about 2 hours of paid time just driving around.
they didn't even ask me... "hey... you have a license, right?"

i'm sorry to anyone and everyone that i have not spoken to in a long time.
if you are reading this, you know i have been in a terrible funk the last 5 or 6 weeks and it was continually getting worse.
i HOPE that i am coming out of it now and will want to see more people and meet more people.
i'd like to actually take the time to see more people than just the people in my apartment building, at work and steve. :)
if you have some spare time and want to meet up, let me know. :)

i made a shitload of cookies today since i was in such a good mood.
i made oatmeal & raisin, cooky cookies (oatmeal, rice krispies, coconut, raisins, dried cranberries and walnuts), and lemonade cookies.
i liked them all except the oatmeal & raisin.
i must have messed something up on that recipe.
but i have a lot of them, so i'm gonna have to eat them regardless.

also, sims is slowly taking over my life.
thanks to steve and his need to be entertained at all times and wanted to play sims when he is over here,
i am now addicted to it again.
i am seriously considering upgrading my sims soon (income permitting).
i think i have like the first version or something... it's prehistoric.

dragassy

2008-08-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

people who write about their "problems" with the sole purpose of trying to gain sympathy make me want to vomit.
you can usually judge the character of a person based upon what they write about.
if you are a long-time blog reader of mine (or a friend in general), you know i will not write about anything remotely conceited or sexual about my life.
i find it to be pretty gross and i just wish more of my "friends" on myspace felt the same.

with that being said, please forgive me for the following paragraph, but it has to be said just in case something worse happens to me and i never blog again.

i have been getting light-headed a lot over the past 2 or 3 months.
sometimes it happens at work, but most of the time it happens right after having sex.
steve and i were taking a shower together on friday after having sex with me on top doing a lot of the work (so i was exhausted).
all of a sudden in the shower i got light-headed and then i stopped breathing and blacked out.
luckily steve was there to help me stand-up until i collapsed and fell in the tub.
but if he had not been there, i would have cracked my head open on something probably.
i don't know if just being exhausted (and lack of food and water) that day caused it, or if it was something more serious.
i worry that it could be anything from pregnancy to brain cancer (light-headedness and the many big knots on my head)....
all i know is that it was the worst feeling i have ever had in my life.
if it happens again, i can only hope that someone will be around to help me or at least i fall on something soft.
i could go to the doctor and take another financial blow.... but what if it turns out to be just exhaustion?
so i am hoping that with whatever new job i get soon, i will be able to sign-up for health insurance again and get this looked into.
hopefully it won't be too late.

i started reading a new book called "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time".
it's kind of a quirky book.
i had no idea what it was about at all when i started reading it.
from what i have been able to gather so far, the main character is autistic.
it seems only fitting that i would pick a book with a main character with a mental illness.
i'm almost half-way through the book, so hopefully i will be able to write about this book so more before i finish it.

it's been over 100 degrees here today.
and the only place i find this to be a miserable weather condition is in my own apartment building.
the a/c has been working 24/7 to try to keep my apartment remotely cool.
but as soon as you step out into the hallway, you wish you hadn't.
outside at ground-level, it's tolerable.
i would take 100 degree washington weather any day over 80 degree midwest weather.
luckily, it will be cooling down soon though. :)

so it looks like i am back on the work schedule for rgis.
luckily, all of the jobs i have in the next 2 weeks are ones that i can be picked-up for in the car pool.
but in september, that's a different story.
i am scheduled to work at 2am tomorrow morning.
but i have yet to be able to get ahold of anyone to make sure that i will be picked up.
so maybe i will, maybe i won't.

i have yet another job interview at macy's on tuesday.
i don't plan on fucking this one up like i did the last one by showing disinterest.
i will take just about any job possible just to get away from my current job.
plus macy's downtown is close to home for me.
that's pretty much one of the deciding factors right now sadly enough.

i made the best pancakes ever this weekend.
i was very impressed with how delicious they were.
usually, half way through eating pancakes you lose interest.
but these were the best i have ever made from scratch.
i want to make them all of the time now.
here is the link to the recipe i used:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Truck-Stop-Buttermilk-Pancakes/Detail.aspx
mine were topped with a little bit of maple syrup, powdered sugar, strawberries and cool whip topping.
friggan fattening, but worth it!

i also made a blueberry and nectarine cobbler over the weekend.
we ended up eating it all in the same night.
it was pretty damn yummy also.
this was my third time making this cobbler recipe... it's pretty much fool-proof.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Batter-Fruit-Cobbler/Detail.aspx
i will probably continue to make this cobbler for a long time to come.
i really like trying out different mixed fruit variations.
i wanna make one with blackberries next.

i also made a pizza following this pizza crust recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-and-Easy-Pizza-Crust/Detail.aspx
i have been having a lot of trouble making a good pizza crust from scratch.
this one came out better than usual, but still not right.
although the corn meal sprinkled on the pizza pan was a good idea.
i think it's either because i did not use bread flour or because i didn't let the dough sit and rise for long enough.
next time i will use bread flour and let it rise, and hope for the best.

so i got my eboost shipment in yesterday in the mail.
i feel a lot less 'dragassy' now.
this will help keep me more motivated at work and home now.
and i won't have to pay over $2 for energy drinks anymore.

i bought a cheap bicycle basket on ebay a few days ago.
i can't really afford it... but i feel like it's a need rather than a want right now.
it'll make it a lot easier to tote grocery-type items from the store to home.
and picnic-type items as well. :)
and maybe i could make a little seat in it for brandy to have a ride with me....
if she doesn't totally freak out that is.

vitamin-induced energy

2008-08-12T20:44:00.000-05:00

i think the fact that my car broke down, is pretty much a good omen.
sure, at first i thought my life was tearing a part when it happened...
but now i realize that having my car to drive was keeping me from better things.
like i always wanted to ride the city bus. because it's cheaper, safer, and eco friendly.
but you know as well as i do, i would have never rode the bus alone if my car had not taken a shit.
now, i can officially say, i have rode a city bus before... and it was actually not too bad at all.
also, i have missed a lot of work because my car broke down.
missing work at a job that i know i am better than and a job that is just mentally fucking me over.
so this has also opened up the oppurtunity to find better employment.
i would not be searching quite as hard for a new job if my car had not broken down.
sometimes, it takes a swift kick in the ass before you can get yourself in gear and actually do the things that you need to do.

two cellphone pictures taken at the plaza:

maybe next time i can somehow take video of my visit to the plaza.
when we were waiting there on monday, there were many crazy people to be seen.

steve's mom took us out for ice cream at the cold stone creamery on monday night.
that place is pretty awesome.
i had wanted to go there for a little while... but never really got the chance.
it was cool watching them mix up our ice cream.
their cotton candy ice cream does not taste like cotton candy to me.
that was a tad bit disappointing.
but the cheesecake fantasy was pretty yummy. :)

i want to think of something fun to do with the photos in my 'monsters' myspace photo album.
i want to print them all up and do something...
but i don't know what yet.
any ideas??
they might make for an interesting coffee table book.
i wish i could get monster-esque photos of everyone that i know.

here is a url for the easiest fruit cobbler recipe ever: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Batter-Fruit-Cobbler/Detail.aspx !!!!
so far, i have made it once with peaches and nectarines and once with red plums and strawberries.
the next time i make it, i will use up some more strawberries and nectarines.
the crust is more cake-like than cobbler-like.... but it's easy, cheap and yummy.
i would suggest using far less butter and sugar though if you plan on making this. :)

eboost.com finally added the coupon function back to their website, so i found a 50% off coupon at retailmenot.com and ordered a 24-pack shipment for half price.
i have been fiending for eboost for a loooooong time now.
it will be nice to get some vitamin-induced energy again. :)

i read this forum entry at an auto website, and think i have a better idea of what might be wrong with my car now:
http://www.hyundai-forums.com/t21634-horrible-grinding-rubbing-at-rear-of-car.htm
no, i do not drive a hyundai, but this guy experienced the exact same problems i am having with my car.
so i am fairly certain now it's not the transmission that is wrong with my car, but instead the drum brake pads or something parking brake related.
this makes me a little more relieved that it's not going to be a 1,000-2,000 dollar fix.
but i still can not afford to fix it any time soon.
this is what happens when you don't have an emergency fund in your budget.

special little surprise

2008-08-03T17:35:00.000-05:00

so last week was the worst week i've had in awhile!
but as a rule of thumb for me, things ALWAYS get worse before they get better.
i am hoping that it's as bad as it's gonna get though!

as i have written before, work for the month of july was very, very little.
i just barely have enough money to pay my rent for august.
i've been super stressed about this pretty much the entire month of july.
things were looking okay until wednesday. i had another promising job interview, turned in an application for a job that i really wanted, and i also called the human resources lady back for fred meyer.
i had a full week of work to look forward to as well for rgis.
wednesday came along, i called in 'sick' so that i could go to a job interview and apply for another promising job.
on my way to the job interview, my car started making sounds.
i'm pretty sure it needs a new transmission.
like i have a couple grand to pour out for that?
so i missed 3 days of work total so far and i've worked 2 days after the car problem has occurred.
1 day i walked 4 miles to a job site so that i could work.
1 day i had to be picked up by one of the grumpiest co-workers ever.
i told the district manager my car problem will probably be a long-term thing and that she should probably not put me on the work schedule anymore.
i am hoping she will do what i ask.
i hate asking for rides to places as it is... it's even worse when your co-workers try to make you feel even more guilty about it.
it wouldn't be so bad if the buses ran at the hours i work.

so what am i going to do?
i am still holding out hope that i will be employed at fred meyer soon.
that way i will work hours that the buses run and can take the bus until i have enough money saved to fix my car.
if not fred meyer, somewhere close to home.
i am continuing to apply for work in a daily basis... hoping someone nearby with a good job opening wants me.
i do have a plan... but sitting and waiting for it to happen is nerve-wrecking.

i have tried countless times to get ahold of my sister in the past week.
mostly because i wanted to see if i could borrow a bit of money from her.
has she returned my calls or text messages? no.
as soon as she heard i needed a favor, she decided not to contact me back.
she was the one person in my family that i thought would actually help me.
wow... guess i was wrong.
it kind of hurts, but i'm not too terribly upset about it.
i am kind of worried though if maybe she hasn't called me back because there is something wrong.

the only thing that has made last week tolerable was seeing steve a few times early in the week.
being with him helps me take my mind off of my current problems.
i am hoping he will come over tomorrow and stay a couple days with me.
our 3 month anniversary is coming up.... and i want to try to make it somewhat special.
although, it seems like anytime i try to make an event special, it ends horribly (ex: mom's bday, thanksgiving, christmas, my bday).
so far, i only have one special little surprise planned.
i hope to think of some more stuff before tomorrow evening. :)
if anyone has an nice anniversary ideas/plans that require very little money, send me an email. :)

so to continue on with the never-ending saga of the neighbor's unleashed dog...
i came home either tuesday or wednesday from seeing steve... and needed to take my dog outside promptly.
so as we were getting out of the elevator in my building, the neighbor's unleashed dog comes running up to me and my dog and scares my dog.
what did i do?
keep in mind, i warned this neighbor that my dog bites and that she will bite her dog if she lets her dog run around without a leash.
so.... i let my dog bite her dog a couple of times before we walked out the back door of my building.
all the neighbor did was call after her dog (as always) and talk to her dog about how mean my dog is. lol
when my dog was done doing her business outside, i emailed the apartment manager about my neighbor.
she totally sides with me and told me she would give these residents notice.
i don't know if she actually did or not, but she told me to let her know if i see the dog again without a leash.
i'm just glad i'm not going to be held responsible for my dog biting the stupid dog.

being so damn broke lately (the last 3 or 4 months lol) has encouraged me to cook and bake more often than buying pre-made meals.
and i find myself actually enjoying it.
it sometimes amazes me what can be made with flour and eggs.
the only disappointing thing about cooking is that steve does not seem to enjoy most of the things i cook/bake. :(
i'm hoping that someday i'll find something that he will like... besides pizza from pizza pipeline.

the people that have lived here in spokane all of or most of their lives crack me up when they talk about the high crime rate in certain spokane areas.
MAYBE i have not noticed or seen it because i have only lived here since the end of march...
but i really, really, really don't think that's it.
moving from tulsa to spokane was like moving from new york city to a damn country town (as far as crime is considered).
sure, i am exaggerating a bit.
i just wish people that talk about the high crime rate would first go live in my old neighborhood.
my friends were too scared sometimes to even come visit me at home because of my neighborhood!
the people here think i am crazy for living in browne's addition (addiction).
but i feel about 90% safe walking in my neighborhood at anytime of day or night.
and i feel almost as safe walking downtown with the bums and crackheads lurking around.
why? because i have dealt with them first hand for a couple of years.
i guess i have built a tolerance for them.
besides, i have met more crackheads at my own current workplace than i have on the streets of spokane.
i have only seen maybe 20-25 homeless people (that i am aware of) since i moved here.
in tulsa, i would see about 15 in any given day.
it's not because of the areas i have lived in.
i lived close to downtown in tulsa and i live close to downtown here in spokane.
homeless people are drawn to downtown areas.
there are CLEARLY less homeless, bums, drunks, and crackheads here.
but try telling the population of spokane that.
maybe they should visit www.city-data.com which even proves my point.
i think the people here are just looking for stuff to complain about because there really isn't much to ACTUALLY complain about.

corn bread!

2008-07-24T22:41:00.002-05:00

my mom finally replied back to one of my emails after i threatened to never email again if she wasn't going to reply back.
in the message it said she thinks she is developing alzheimer's.
way to blame forgetting to email me on a disease you most likely don't have.
i don't think i will email her back anytime soon.
she never responds to any questions i ask... so why bother?

this summer has been the best summer i have had in a long time.
i haven't spent all of my time working me ass off (although i wish i had done a bit more),
and i've gotten to spend more time outside than i have in previous summers.
i have a great boyfriend (who thinks he's more awesome than me) that i make come on picnics with me.
and i've gotten to just go around a see more of spokane. :)

i finally got to see riverfront park last monday with steve.
it was really pretty and i liked it a lot...
even though i hit my head on a step because a damn goose jumped out of the water determined to attack me.
if you had not already noticed, i took a lot of pictures while we were there.
most of them are on my flickr account though.

i think next time i go, i want to go on the gondola sky rides that go over spokane falls.
hopefully next time i go, i will not be broke though.
mmm flavored ice cones.
steve bought us some while we were there.
i had not had one since i was like 5 or 6 years old.
i shoulda took a picture!

for some odd reason my rgis work schedule was mailed to me instead of emailed this week.
why is it that they have me on a full-time schedule for next week and the following week?
...but they couldn't give me jackshit this week when i really needed it?
too bad for them that i will have to call off on most of my work days with them if i get the fred meyers job.

it's been a week since my interview at fred meyers.
as my interviewer had suspected,
i did not get a call this week while she has been on vacation.
she told me if i didn't get a call by tuesday, then i should call her.
i really hope this job doesn't fall through!
i am already planning out my new emergency fund savings in my head.

as steve's mom suggested, i started reading marley & me on wednesday.
it a really simple and cute read.
does not require a whole lot of concentration or thought.
but i enjoyed it anyways because i could somewhat relate to the story.
what with being the owner of a chihuahua now and having been the owner of a pair of unruly german shepherd puppies "back in the day".
needless to say, i am 2/3rds finished this 300 page book in under two days.
this book is now a movie also.... staring owen wilson and jennifer aniston.
but it won't be out in theaters until december.

since someone so kindly left a plastic shopping bag full of corn meal sitting on a window ledge on the 5th floor of my apartment building,
i decided to take one of the five pound bags back to my apartment with me.
i have been looking up recipes like a crazy person....
anything that i can make with corn meal.... besides corn bread!
anyone want to share their favs with me??
i made hush puppies tonight. :D yum yum.
and maybe johnny cake tomorrow?
or maybe sioux indiana pudding?

today's blog was brought to you by the word: F*CK

2008-07-18T21:51:00.001-05:00

i keep having dreams that i end up moving back to tulsa.
or i go back to visit tulsa, and decide i miss it there and end up moving back.
i can only imagine i keep having these dreams because it's something that i fear.
i makes me not want to go back and visit any time soon for fear of my dream going true.

i found out today that mary finally moved from tulsa to washington.
i'm not sure where, but i am assuming the seattle area.
i guess she finally did it.
pretty shocked about it actually since she never really followed through with much before.
when she heard i had moved to spokane, it must have given her courage to move as well.
"if she can do it, i can do it." type mentality.
i sent her a message today telling her i was happy for her and sorry for the way our friendship ended. i left it at that.

it seems like there are more unmarked police cars up here than normal police vehicles.
i thought it was weird that i never saw any when i first moved here.
but you learn quick that just about anything could be a police officer driving around.
you've got the dodge chargers to the suburbans to the mini vans.
i would like to see a school bus transformed into an unmarked police vehicle next.
i think that would be totally sneaky.
it's a good thing i have decided to drive the speed limit or under on the interstate now.
not only to save from getting pulled over, but to help with my gas mileage.
i need all the help i can get.

i am about $75 short of being able to pay my bills for the first of august according to my calculations.
that's a shitty feeling.
LUCKILY, it's only half way into the month and things can change for the better (hopefully not the worse).

fred meyers called me for an interview while i was at work yesterday.
i went in for an interview today and it went very, very well.
has anyone worked for them before?
what did you think of the company as a whole?
i will be working in the health and beauty department to start out and most likely transfer to a scan position once one of the fuckers leaves. :)
of course though, none of this will happen until the week after next because ms. hiring lady is going on vacation next week. grr.

i found out yesterday at work that my district supervisor for RGIS is the daughter and sister of two of the team leaders in kennewick.
favoritism much?
there are a lot of relatives working together at this damn company.
which is fine if one relative isn't a direct supervisor over the other.
which many of them are! it's not really fair and it's stupid that they allow it.
almost all other companies frown upon such behavior.
but RGIS seems to be a really backward place to work... which explains all of the crackheads that i work with that continue to get away with what they do.
can you tell that i'll be pleased to find a new job?

i really hate my local grocery store.
but i shop there because it's within walking distance.
all of the cashiers are old and grumpy.
there is not one cashier there under the age of 30.
today, one old lady cashier turned off her "i'm open sign" as soon as she saw me coming towards her check-out.
and as i make as face and head towards the other cashier she says "i'm open".
bullshit. i'd rather wait 10 minutes behind someone with a cart full of welfare food than go to her lane again.
of course, the cashier i opted to go to was not any better... as he's throwing my food at the sacker and the sacker puts all 9 of my medium-sized items into ONE plastic bag.
guess who had crushed eggs when she got home?
i'm so fed-up with that place.
i wonder if they actually have comment cards and i wonder if they take the comments to heart?
i will check online first i guess.

i wish the fat fucker that lives in my apartment building would fucking put a leash on his dog and put a fucking shirt on.
yes, that sentence had a lot of FUCK in it.
this bastard has two dogs that he only takes outside to let them shit.
one of them is a big black dog that i am SURE is over the weight limit for pets.
and the other is a chihuahua-mix that never has a leash on.
guess whos dog is always running after me and my dog?
his fucking mut.
i know the damn dog's name because he has to call after it so much.
i told him he needed to get a fucking leash today.
but he did not have a comment for me.
i have seen him way too many times outside with these dogs and the one without a leash.
if i see him one more time with the leash-less dog,
i'm emailing the apartment manager.
it's not going to be my fault if that stupid dog runs up to my dog unexpectedly and my dog bites the shit out of it.
there should also be some sort of fine for him going outside without a shirt on.
he's fucking gross. no one wants to see that.

i made snickerdoodle cookies this evening.
not as good as i remember them being as a child,
but they turned out well.
i must say that they are the best results i have had in awhile aside from my oatmeal applesauce cookies.
they took forever to actually mix since i don't have an electric mixer. :(
but it's not like i had anything else to do but spend some time hand mixing up flour crap.

i would suggest you never buy from elf cosmetics online.
if you're in the store and you buy them, fine.
online.... NO.
it took 3 weeks to get my shipment.
i was shorted 4 items.
i was charged for all of my items.
1 week later i was finally credited for my 4 missing items.
and half the items were items i went ahead and bought at target because i got tired of waiting for my order to come in the mail.
so now i have no use for them until i am finished with the other items.
their bronzer is horrible. it's just horrible. i can't even describe how HORRIBLE it is.
everything else i got was fine.

i also got my second shipment from everydayminerals.com ...
i loved this shipment even more than my first one from them.
everything i got was great. the sky blue concealer, not so much... but everything else wonderful.
hopefully next month i can afford to buy some full sized items.

i have almost used up all of my credits at paperbackswap.com ...
but before i do, please recommend some good books to me so i can place them on my wish list!
i like free books.
even better are good free books.
recommend now please.

someone looking in my window

2008-07-09T06:37:00.001-05:00

i am now the subscriber of around 40 podcasts.
it was only a few days ago that i subscribed to only 3.
i will never be bored again.

i got my free sample kit from www.everydayminerals.com in the mail recently.
it only cost shipping ($3.09 from texas to washington).
i received FIVE 1g sifter jars of foundations, concealer and blush.
i had watched several reviews on youtube about the company and their products.
almost everyone recommended them over all other mineral makeup companies.
the shipping was incredibly fast... it was packaged nicely... the samples are a very generous size... and they work very well!
i don't think i will ever go back to a liquid or pressed powder foundation again!
just check out their website and see what they have to offer.
i am actually in the process of ordering a second sample kit to see if any other foundations match my skin tone more closely.
this is probably one of the best things i have found in awhile!

i also got my hdmi/dvi cables in the mail and got my audio cables all hooked up to the macbook and tv.
i have been a couch potato ever since with my front row program and apple remote.
the picture from macbook to tv is fantastic.
even my edited home videos look pretty good. :)

why is it that the only neighbors in my building that want to be friendly are the ones with issues?
like this old drunk guy ran into me at the elevator and then tried to tell me how cute my dog was.
then he told me his name and wanted to know mine.
several hours prior to this encounter, i caught this same guy wandering the hallway in just his boxers with what looked to be a george foreman grill in his hands. why?!?

i found an empty pack of cigarettes on the fire escape right outside my bedroom window.
prior to finding the package, my bedroom window was open because it was warm in my bedroom.
i had also heard some loud movement on the other side of the wall.
i should have just stepped out into the hall to see who it was.
will i be leaving my bedroom window open anymore? NO.
this justifies to me that i am not just paranoid about someone looking in my window.
it also makes me question if someone has been in my apartment the one day i left the window open and then spent the night elsewhere.
because it is not difficult to remove a window screen.
so i think i will be sleeping on the couch for a little while until i feel somewhat safe sleeping in my own bedroom again.

steve works miracles like that

2008-07-07T00:29:00.003-05:00

steve got us dinner from qdoba saturday night.
as we are sitting at his apartment in the dark watching ghostbusters,
i take a drink from my jones soda bottle.
i ask steve what it says under the cap of the soda.
he's straining his eyes to read it in the dark for me.
under the bottle cap, it reads: you just helped save a child's eyesight. thank you.
so thanks to steve straining his eyes to read the small print on the inside of the soda cap in the dark, a child's eyesight has been saved!
isn't it just amazing?
steve works miracles like that.

i got to meet steve's grandmother (his mom's mom) on the 4th.
she's such a sweet lady.
it's funny how old people are either really super sweet or complete irritable assholes.
we all played balderdash also... and that was a lot of fun. :)
of course i had to alter my answers a bit for steve's mom and grandma's sake,
but i also got to win the game. :)

we were going to go up to cliff drive to watch fireworks on the 4th,
but when we got up there, apparently everyone else had the same idea we had.
it was just too packed to be enjoyable.
so we came back to my apartment hoping to watch it from my 5th floor fire escape,
and we would have been able to if there were not a pair of tree blocking the view.
so we saw part of the fireworks and came back inside and watched movies instead.
it was a bit disappointing.. but at least i know for next time.

follow this link, and demand jim gaffigan to come to your town! (spokane, washington):
http://eventful.com/demand/D0-001-000018366-7

the more people we can get to demand him, the more likely his chances are of coming to town.
and you know that would make my month, right?

and since i really like michael ian black as well, here are a couple of my favorite sierra mist commercials featuring michael ian black and jim gaffigan:

my new work schedule has not improved any for this month.
so i guess i will have to seek alternative employment more actively.
i'm tired to complaining about my job anyways.
i think i would be satisfied with almost any job as long as i had set days off/set work hours and if it's less than 3 miles from home.
but it seems like that's even too much to ask for. :(

i bought on ebay the cables needed (dvi to mini-dvi & dvi to hdmi) to connect my laptop or imac to my tv.
i can not wait to get these cables in the mail!
i have been eyeing them on apple.com forever... but i can't afford to pay $20 for each cable.
so hopefully the ones i am buying on ebay are not crap.
i would be great to use my macbook's front row program on my tv screen.
i knew that little apple remote would be good for something finally.

brandy is so cute (most of the time).
she really loves to lick steve.
it's like there is some sort of odor that steve gives off that attracts brandy.
one morning, i caught her on the floor sleeping underneath a pair or steve's boxers.
we weren't sure if she had actually crawled under them and went to sleep,
or if steve had accidently thrown them on top of her and she just decided to stay beneath them.
but either way it was cute. i wanted to take a picture, but she would have followed me to get my camera.
but maybe she would have followed me with the boxers still attached to her body.
i found a shirt that steve accidently left at my apartment.
i set it on the couch for a moment, and brandy was already all up in that shirt sleeping.
awww...

i'm avoiding you....

2008-06-30T11:12:00.000-05:00

i had a really great weekend.
i have an awesome boyfriend. :) x 100.
we did a little bit of geocaching on friday afternoon.
didn't find anything exciting, but i was surprised we found anything at all anyways.
we ended up finding a nice park near the area we were geocaching at, so we had a picnic at the park.
it was a nice afternoon.
we ended up spending about 3 days together in total.
i enjoyed nearly every minute of it.
he even remembered my favorite candies. :D

apparently frisbee is a big pass time here in spokane.
i almost feel like i should buy a frisbee to fit in.

so the 4th of july is coming up.
i never really was a fan of this holiday.
never liked the hot weather, and lighting off fireworks.
they are nice to watch, but i never really got into the lighting them part.
i haven't celebrated a 4th of july since i lived in indianapolis with chris.
since i live on the 5th floor, i should have a pretty good view of them this year if they are lit off downtown or whatever.
i might sit out on the fire escape that night.

it's not a very big deal, but i can now fit some cargo shorts that i have not worn in 5 years.
i kept them around in the hopes that some day i would wear them again.
i can fit into them, they are a bit tight, but i am surprised i can even button and zip them up because i couldn't last time i tried about a month ago.
i haven't lost a significant amount of weight since then, so i dunno how it's possible that i can fit them now... but i can. maybe i lost weight around my waist and gained weight elsewhere?
now if i could only fit back into my old man pants.
that's my next goal. but i'm certain i have at least 25 more pounds to drop before that happens.
i'd be almost satisfied with my weight at that point.

mom finally emailed back a month after i sent her my last email.
i guess she wasn't avoiding my emails...
she just doesn't have the wifi card much (my brother uses it more).
and she mentioned that every time she gets online she ends up crying.
i'm not sure exactly what she means by that.
but i was glad to hear back from her finally.

i hate the fact that i take up to 2 weeks sometimes to email people back.
i will dedicate today to replying back to all of my unanswered emails.
and i will also hopefully email a few people that i have been meaning to for a while now.
i don't know what the fuck is so hard about replying back to an email as soon as i read it, but i almost never do.
so if anyone is reading this and i have not communicated in awhile, don't feel like i'm avoiding you....

mental issues

2008-06-25T18:16:00.001-05:00

i would like to set up another game night sometime between thursday night and monday night.
if anyone is interested, please get a hold of me and let me know what night will be best for you.
we can have it at my apartment or wherever!
i just also bought 3 nice games at a thrift store for really cheap. so i'm pretty happy about that.

value village had the cheapest board games (between .99 - 2.99 each) out of all the places i looked.
if anyone shops at value village and come across a cool game that doesn't look like it has missing pieces or isn't more than 2 decades old, please buy it for me and i will reimburse you! :)

well, it wasn't very difficult to get back into the habit of using my online food log intake at my-calorie-counter.com .
hopefully i will continue to use it for at least another 2 months until i feel comfortable making accurate decisions on my own again.

i wonder sometimes why people feel the need to post really vicious stuff about other people in their blogs in order to get you (the readers) to hate the person they are writing about.
sure, i've done it also from time to time i guess. but usually only random bits and pieces.
one of the last "friend" blogs i read was just so hateful and vile.
maybe i am just too unbiased, but i don't care what a person does in their spare time as long as it doesn't hurt someone else.
so why would i personally give two shits if someone did a lot of "immoral" things in their life recently.
will it make me change my opinion of the person? not really.
but obviously it worked for a few people.
i guess i just give up on caring anymore.

what i find to be even more retarded is that this same "friend" of mine still has her friend(s) talking about me for some odd reason.
it's getting to the point that her friends of friends are actually sending me messages on myspace asking me what the hell *I* did to make her so upset?
gosh, i had no idea minding my own damn business can get people so angry.
maybe she just has some mental issues she needs to work out..
i just wish she would spend the time working them out on someone else.

i'm trying to get a used a/c window unit on craigslist.
the three people i have contacted, have not called back.
it would be nice to have my apartment at least as cool as it is outside.
the temperature goes up about 10-15 degrees from floor one to five.
the fans really aren't helping much anymore unless you are sitting still directly in front of it.

i found gas in cda the cheapest i have seen it in 2 months.
the cheapest here it's like 3.95 ... mostly 4.05. i found it for 3.74 ! woohoo :P
i need to get my oil changed really soon. i have highly neglected it. :\
i added 2 quarts to it today to get me by for another week or so.

i'm pleased with the speed in which my tan is developing.
i guess once you have tanned for a long period of time before,
it's not difficult to get that tan back after a few months.
of course i am nowhere near as dark as i once was,
but the progress i am making is very promising. :)

jo jos

2008-06-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

vanna white has her own line of yarn now.
yes, it's true, i saw it with my own eyes one day while i was inventorying a fabric store.
you would think she'd have a line of cosmetics/hair/clothing/hangbags/cologne... anything but YARN!
does she secretly knit in between walks to the lit-up letters and on commercial breaks?

i have started riding my bicycle again.
i try to take it out in the mornings/evenings when it is cooler.
i love riding my bike, but it's more fun when you have someone else to ride with.
it reminds me so much of being a kid again.

so not too many people had tanning salon recommendations,
i did some research of my own online, and even if the closest salon i found online (4.25 miles from me) offered a 30 day membership for a firggan $1, i would still have to pay $52 just in gas driving back and forth from there for 30 days!
so after i came to that realization,
i opted to check out the tanning salon/laundromat in my neighborhood.
they offer 30 day packages without having to sign up for a year membership (like my last one).
i also get an additional week of tanning for free.
i signed up for the cheapest package...
the bed was the most flimsy bed (tropical rayz) i have ever been in.
i seriously thought i might fall through the plexiglass and fry on the bulbs (one website says it will hold up to 360 pounds... but i don't friggan see how)!
i went in for 20 minutes, and i actually burned...
the 20 minute beds i am used to do no such thing.
i think the next time i go back, i will see if i can upgrade my package to a different bed that is less dangerous.
i don't care if i have to pay more,
because i'm not paying between $52-120 in just gas to get to the salon.
i can walk there in a matter of 10 minutes. :)

not such a great picture, but you get the idea.

so my work schedule for july is looking bleak so far.
which is good and bad.
good because mickey might be here at the end of june/early july.
i'd like to be off work to see him.
bad because i kinda need income. :P
hopefully they will add some more to the schedule by next week.
i guess it's a really good thing i've gotten full-time hours this month,
to make up for july.

yay for online coupon codes for free makeup!
if anyone is interested in getting 50% off e.l.f. makeup, let me know.
or just visit retailmenot.com ... that's where i normally go for the deals.

i finally watched be kind rewind.
i am thoroughly disappointed.
i had high hopes for the movie since it was directed by michel gondry (science of sleep / eternal sunshine of the spotless mind).
it had michel's view point for sure... which is great.
but i guess i am used to more obscure story lines for his films.
the story line for be kind rewind would have been better suited for maybe an adam sandler movie.
don't get me wrong, i also enjoyed the story line a lot (since he also wrote it)... but the story line just did not fit with the cinematography of the film.

does anyone that doesn't live in the northwest call potato wedges "jo jos"?
i've noticed at almost every deli i've been to in washington and idaho call them jo jos. WHY?!?
i seriously would like to know.

another slap in the face

2008-06-19T16:50:00.000-05:00

i pretty much got another slap in the face a few days ago.
but i think it's something i might have needed.
i needed to be knocked back down to reality.
if you live your life with your head in the clouds, nothing will be accomplished.

so i have been taking some time to myself.
trying to get back on track.
trying to get back to that mental stage i was at before i moved.
to be more goal driven, to do more intellectual things with my time, care more about my appearance and get back into a diet/exercise routine.
not for anyone else.

so i may not be online as often as i have been.
if you talk to me regularly online, and you do not see me log-in often,
i'm not avoiding you (maybe i am, who knows), i am most likely trying to do better things with my time.
i can be reached in other methods if you really want to talk/see me.

do any of my spokane friends go to tanning beds? or know of people who do?
can you make recommendations to me based on cleanliness, package prices, friendliness?
ideally, i'd like to have something close to home (browne's addition) or work (pines exit in the valley).
i have not been tanning in 3 or 4 months.
and i'm as pale as ever.
at least when i am tan i feel better about myself.

my emailed pay stub said it would be direct deposited again this time.
i compared my last pay stub and the current one, and the last one said direct deposit was set up, but it was sent to me.
this time, it says it will be direct deposited.
i'm not as worried this time if it doesn't deposit tomorrow morning,
because i won't be bouncing anything this time.
but it would still be really nice to have the damn thing direct deposited considering i signed up for it a month and a half ago.

i need eboost really bad.
and i think they know it.
they just sent me an email saying i could sign-up to get eboost sent to me automatically every month with free shipping.
and you know i'm heavily considering that offer, right?
i just wish i made as much money as i used to, to be able to afford it.

i dyed my hair two-toned a couple days ago kinda like i had it for a month last summer before i went brunette.
i'm not sure how much i like the new color. :\
the brown looks so dull against the blonde.
i may have chose the wrong color of brown.
i dunno..

"less than hilarious"

2008-06-13T21:56:00.000-05:00

well, another person canceled their partylite show on me on the 12th.
i'm so fed-up with it i just emailed the team leaders and told them i wanted out.
i can't handle partylite right now.
i'm supposed to call some 1-800 number to find out what i need to do.
but i haven't had time to do that yet.

i was calculating my pay for this pay period and i'll actually be able to pay all of my rent plus some with the paycheck i get next week. :)
that's a great feeling for once.
joliene gave me 3 extra store to do this weekend/monday.
so even my next paycheck after the coming up one will be good too because i have 5 stores one week and 6 another.
and i know more than half of them will take over 8 hours to do with travel time included. :)
the one we did today i will get paid 11.5 hours for only around 8 hours of work.

as much as i like the easy money for road trips for work,
i hate the gossiping the team leaders do about other co-workers while on the road.
i've heard waaaaay too much of it.
it makes me wonder what is said about me when i am not around.
that's why i just stay quiet and do my job and don't really state my opinion on anything.
it's just ridiculous how bad it gets.
it seems like it's stuff that should not be talked about around other auditors.

i dropped off my application at tj maxx in the valley on the 5th.
i have not gotten a call back. :(
i'd rather much work a set schedule doing something i like to do and get paid more... than work for RGIS.

i had melissa, steve and jeff over for game night on friday the 6th.
we played uno and apples to apples.
i had so much fun. :)
i spent the rest of the night obsessing over that damn game apples to apples.
i'm pretty sure i will have to buy it.
i hope to have another game night this coming wednesday.
if anyone wants to join, get ahold of me. :)

this past wednesday (the 11th) steve and i made rice krispy treats and chocolate-covered gummi bears! :D
it was a nice sugar rush.
i don't think steve cared too much for the gummi bears though. :\
it would have been better if i had not used semi-sweet chocolate.
i will make them better next time. :)

i made a steve sock puppet. but it doesn't look very good.
i need to buy some yarn for the hair.
pipe cleaners don't work out all that well.
i want to start making retarded "less than hilarious" youtube videos of steve the sock puppet.
i thought about making a sheena the sock puppet.
but that would just be mean.

a little over two months living here and i have already formed and ruined friendships.
although, it honestly was not my fault.
people with bad tempers that jump to conclusions about other people don't deserve to have friends.
well, there are a lot of things they don't deserve to have...
i'm just glad i got this shit out of the way sooner than later.
i don't need that drama in my life.
my life had been drama-free (friendship-wise) for almost a year until i moved here.

speaking of drama, don't you wish there was a way to help someone that you care a lot about but there is no way to really help them?
staci broke into my sister's house last week and my sister was supposed to get a restraining order.
actually, she's been talking about getting one for several months.
but she still has not.
how can someone be so hopelessly devoted to someone that is fucking psycho?
she thinks she can change staci.... but no one can do that but staci.
if there is one person in the entire world that i can say i hate, it's staci.
all she does is talk shit, beat on my sister, get cracked out and cheat on my sis also.
why on earth would someone put up with that?! :(
it hurts so bad to watch someone you love making such bad decisions.
she needs to go on jerry springer and have the entire audience tell her what a dumbass she is being.

jeff took me by cliff drive sometime last week since i was asking about places in spokane i should take my friend mickey to if he comes by later this month.
i took steve by there on wednesday and took some pictures.
it gives a pretty nice view of downtown spokane.

big toe war

2008-06-04T22:44:00.000-05:00

work hours have picked up a bit.
in fact, i've been informed that the kmart i inventory tomorrow will take 15 hours.
normally i would be happy for 15 hours of work...
but in ONE day?! nooooo...
i got an email of my schedule for the week of june 23rd.
4 more stores... 1 more kmart. argh.
i don't mind this job most days... but sometimes it can be very frustrating.

went shopping with jeff this evening and he took me by tjmaxx at the valley mall.
i saw on craigslist they were hiring a receiver.
so i picked up an app and will try to return it either tomorrow or friday.
i don't want to work in the valley.
but if i get the job, it will be something to get me by until something better comes along. plus it pays better than RGIS.

still no word from the post office yet.
i was really hoping they would have had time to look over my application and call me by now.
i guess it's a good thing i'm not holding my breath on getting hired there.

being completely broke sucks ass.
it's a horrible feeling trying to ration out enough money to buy gas with for work each day and hope that you bought enough because you're coasting on empty.
i can't wait until payday.
maybe they will direct deposit my paycheck tomorrow instead of friday!
not.

i might try to have another game night this friday night if anyone is interested.
melissa says she isn't busy and would like to have one.
this would be pretty awesome.
let me know if anyone wants to join us.

jeff mentioned he was going to his parents' house this weekend and invited me to go if i wanted since they have a spare bedroom.
he described the area and it sounds really pretty.
it would be nice to get away for a weekend.
i might seriously consider it.

steve and i have been spending time together again.
it's really nice. i missed it a lot.
hopefully maybe i will film a big toe war soon.
..if i'm not busy making him watch my lame favorite movies.

you people need to stay away from me

2008-05-31T16:51:00.001-05:00

friday morning for work we went to a town near moscow, idaho.
i was the only regular auditor to go.
all of the rest were supervisors.
so that made me kind of nervous.
and i guess i will never understand why i was picked.
on the way back from our job, we stopped off at a small grocery store where half the crew proceeded to buy liquor.
then we went to a smoke shop.
i was really shocked that we didn't stop by the cda casino while we were at it.
these people are supervisors.... and they are buying liquor on the clock!
but, one of the supervisors said she'd mention to the lady that makes the schedules that i want more hours.
i don't know if she will remember to tell her or not though. but it would be nice.

i worked my first grocery store today.
i liked doing it more than any other retail store i have done inventory at.
it was way easier to count and didn't require scanning anything.
i hope in the future they give me more to do.

so there is this artfest going on in my neighborhood with this little festival in cda park and roads closed off for live music.
and guess who had to walk a half mile from where she had to park her car to get to her apartment today?
instead of these people using the public shuttle to the event, they take up all of the residential parking.
needless to say, i'm peeved about it, and will be glad when it is over.

i have this nice big insect bite on my arm now.
at first i thought it was a mosquito bite, but i'm sure it's a spider bite now.
if it gets any bigger, i'll have to go to the hospital.
wouldn't you know... the one time in my life that i don't have health insurance to help.
hopefully it will go down and go away instead though.

there are seriously about 5-7 people on my friends list that are getting married really soon or JUST got married.
what's up with that?!
everyone decided summer of 2008 sounded good?
and then there are all the people on my list that have or will have babies in 2008.
it's scary... you people need to stay away from me. :P

mindless self indulgence was in town last night.
and i missed it... because i'm a broke bitch.
i probably wouldn't have went anyhow because i don't like to go to shows by myself.
but they would have been really nice to see for the 3rd time.
maybe next time.

i seriously can't be motivated to do anything.
if it can be put off, it will be... until the last possible moment.
there is a lot i should be doing. but i seriously just can't.
i need some serious positive motivation.
i should start drinking caffeine again.

sleep next to me

2008-05-29T02:44:00.000-05:00

i was laying in bed with the dog listening to a folk music playlist mix i made quite awhile back.
it immediately brought back a memory of me listening to the same playlist with headphones at night.
i was listening to the mix rather loudly as i tried to sleep and drown out the cries of my new puppy in her cage next to my bed.
brandy was crying because it was her first time in a cage by herself and all she wanted to do was sleep next to me.

i wonder if it's a coincidence that my 2 favorite movies filmed in spokane are about mental illness.
i am starting to wonder.

i let someone so quickly into my life recently.
which was a mistake and i should have known it.
he left my life just as abruptly.
i feel like i was cheated.
but it's a lesson learned.
next time, i will be more hesitant ... even if it feels right.

i have been keeping in contact with my friend mickey via email a lot recently.
i can't wait to see him ... if he comes up here on his 2 week vacation.
he said his uncle just got back from vacation and spent 1500.00 in gas alone!
but he says he is taking a vacation no matter what. :)
i really should start thinking of things we could do while he is up here.
it would be kind of weird to meet him and be like... "well, do you want to go to jack in the box?"

i found out that if i were to get a second pet,
it would cost me an additional $150 non-refundable pet deposit.
weird thing is that she won't accept a check for it. only money order or cash.
she accepted checks for my last pet deposit and monthly rent.
i find this to be a little shady. so i will not be getting a second pet anytime soon after all.

celebrated sheena's birthday.
there will be a video on youtube soon of her doing the robot.
look for it.

practically stalking

2008-05-26T19:42:00.000-05:00

i got my new RGIS schedule in the mail friday.
i have 11 new jobs through the 20th.
this schedule is considerably more than last months.
which is a very good thing...
but there are a couple in moscow, idaho again.
one of them requires me to drive there myself.
so i will probably tell them i cannot do that one.
i am not wasting 4 hours driving and my gas money to drive that far for something that will probably only take 4.5 hours in itself to do.
i just can't afford to do that.
i'll have to call the office and find out i guess.

friday and saturday we watched all episodes of it's always sunny in philadelphia from season 1 to 3.
it was good to have someone else to watch it with.

a creepy neighbor of mine was practically stalking us saturday.
he knocked on my door 3 or 4 times.
first time to borrow 10 bucks.
second time to know if we wanted a beer.
third time to see if he could hangout with us.
i think that's all.
i was surprised he didn't continue to keep coming by.
if i had been alone, i would have been slightly freaked out.
i might have made "friends" with the wrong neighbors, eh?
...but i have had far worse neighbors... so i shouldn't complain.

it has been decided that the next video i make will be of a big toe war.
similar to thumb war.. but with the big toe.
this will also involve one foot trying to tickle another person's foot.
sure to be mighty entertaining.
or not. we'll see.

i still have yet to go geo caching.
last weekend would have been perfect for it.
maybe in a couple of weekends i will give it a try.
it probably won't even be fun anyways.

i've been going through my old photo albums.
it's been decided that there are some photos i don't need anymore.
so i have been ripping up a lot of them today.
i need to order a bunch of new prints also.
so i will probably spend some time compiling a folder full of photos to order prints of.
i have been meaning to put together a new album for a long time.
it would be nice to have a few new framed photos as well.

i ordered 5 more books through paperbackswap.com.
i really, really need a bookcase or two.
i still have a tote of books in my car that i never unpacked.
then again, i have not read much lately anyways. :\

start wearing two pairs of socks

2008-05-21T19:23:00.000-05:00

i can finally fit into my "skinny" jeans again.
i have only been able to wear them a couple of times in the last 4 or 5 years because they have been too small.

i have decided i want to ride a city bus.
i have never rode one...
but this is 2008... the year of big changes for me.
so i figured i should probably ride a bus.
i'm hoping to take one downtown on friday afternoon and walk around downtown for a bit and take pictures.

it's pretty bad when someone calls and leaves you a message for a job interview,
and then when you try to return their call,
they are busy all 7 times you attempt it.
apparently they don't want to interview me too bad.

i finally got the usps application in the mail.
i was starting to wonder if rita forgot about me!
it pays $12 an hour. not super great, but better than what i am making now.
plus it's part-time graveyard.
graveyard gets pay differential rate as well.
so i will get the lengthy application filled out and mailed back in by tomorrow.

i heard one of the other auditors comment today how physically demanding our jobs are.
i was glad to hear someone else bitching about it also.
i thought it was just me because i had not actually worked in a month.
i got new work shoes today... i had them ordered from a catalog.
and i don't like them now that i have them.
they slide up and down on my heel. :(
maybe i will just start wearing two pairs of socks or something.
they will be good shoes once they are broke in.

RGIS emailed me my pay stub for the last pay period.
that's kind of nice to know ahead of time how much money you will have... or won't.
my paycheck will be a little bit more than expected. so that's really good. :)

maintenance guy should be by tomorrow to finally fix my cold faucet in the bath tub and get me some bedroom blinds.
i also found out that i can put in my own a/c window unit if i want!
i'm kind of excited about that.
so in a few weeks i will probably look into getting one.

yay for getting my partylite candles in!
i was impatiently awaiting my porch lemonade candles.
mmm...
and the soaps are so nice i don't even want to use them!

there was a little half-siamese kitten on my fire escape outside my bedroom window this evening in the rain.

luckily, i found the cat's owner not too long after i found the kitty. :)
i was so close to growing attached to the cute little thing too.

amused... not assumed

2008-05-19T22:06:00.000-05:00

well, my curiosity has been put to rest.
the irs finally issued me a notices stating how much and when i will receive my economic stimulus rebate.
i had never gotten one before stating i was due a rebate even though i filed taxes.
but finally i got the notice. so yay!
darn rebate it cutting it close.
i need it to help me pay the rent this month. eeck! :(

mom finally emailed me back and with pictures of their new home and whatnot.
so i guess she was not avoiding me, she was just busy.

doug is supposed to be getting married at the end of july.
but i guess no one thinks that's going to happen.
if it would a very good thing if it didn't happen actually.

this is really cute...

Puff Sleepin'

more random videos brought to you by me:

(should read : easily amused... not assumed.)

"ensure a good home"

2008-05-17T16:57:00.001-05:00

things have been going incredibly well in all areas except financially lately.
but i am far from complaining.

i finally got ahold of rita at the post office about a job in processing.
she is going to send me out some information and application in the mail. :)
it's a part-time night shift job... but it should be decent.

i talked to my bestest retard friend mickey thursday.
we just played catch up on each other's lives.
i hadn't talked to him in a couple of weeks, so it was really nice.
he told me he is taking vacation in a couple of weeks and might be heading up this way!
i am SO SO SO excited!
for me to be able to see a friend from tulsa right now would just be awesome.
i hope that he can stay at least a day so i can show him around a bit.
but i guess that would require me knowing of cool places to go in spokane. lol
i must do some more research soon.

steph's party is sunday afternoon.
we haven't talked a whole lot about it.
i'm hoping she can get something worked out so that more guests can attend.
the last party i did was a huge flop.
but i think even the one after steph's will be good.
i talked to lynda today and she seemed very confident that she's gonna have a lot of guests.
and i will need to send her some post card invites out in the next day or so.

i sent mom another email on thursday since she never replied back to the last.
and still no reply to this email either.
either sometime is wrong... or she isn't willing to talk to me after all.
but i think if something was wrong, someone would have called me.

met steve at merlyn's downtown thursday.
that was more fun that i anticipated it being.
i think that's something i will want to do again soon.

i need to buy a fan really, really soon.
the apartment was super warm friday and today...
so any unnecessary moving made me break out in a sweat.
therefore, i did a lot of laying about.

i need to get my ass in gear and start getting more stuff done!
i just really haven't felt like doing anything at all this week unless i am forced to.
i keep thinking back to the days i worked 2 full-time jobs last spring and barely had time to sleep in between and wonder how i did it?

i am hoping to meet melissa tonight.
i have yet to meet her, but she seems pretty cool.
her 21st birthday is wednesday.
ahhh to be 21 again. :)

i want to get a second pet.
i've been looking on craigslist constantly,
but everyone wants a damn "rehoming fee" to "ensure a good home".
that's bullshit. people with money does not automatically mean they will love the animal and take care of it.
and just because i don't want to dish out $50-$100 for a pet,
doesn't mean i'm a bad person.
i either want to get a female chihuahua/chihuahua mix or a bunny.
if anyone living in the area, has any ideas on how i could adopt a cheap/free bunny or chihuahua let me know. :)

"who is this???"

2008-05-13T22:26:00.000-05:00

the last several days have all kind of run together for me.
and i was kind of dropped back to reality today.
i have so much shit on my calendar that i need to take care of,
but keep putting off.
i feel kind of crappy.

i've spent entirely too much time drinking the last 4 or 5 days.
i am ashamed of myself.
because i am even drinking right now.
i think i drink mostly because i am stressed out about working.
but also so i won't feel so uncool when i go out.
drinking is like a nice little cushion sometimes.
because i feel bad about it now.
i've neglected a lot of stuff and i am probably also given a bad representation of who i am.
because no one here has known me much longer than a month.
and some... only a few days.
i am hoping that most people can see past that and see who i am.

but i'm not going to lie, the last several days have been fun.
whether i have been laying on the couch surfing the internet or at a karaoke bar i did not really want to be at.
i have great friends no matter how much drama is attached.
i am thankful for them.
because i really did not see myself meeting anyone here until several months down the road.

i VERY rarely mention such things in my blogs (if ever?),
but my heart is kind of fluttering for someone.
he's pretty awesome and i really do like him.
i just hope i don't regret posting this paragraph.

i have finally started catching myself missing home.
home being where my family and old friends are.
even though i hated it, i still miss it.
anyone that has moved a long distance from what they are used to can appreciate that.

my mom never replied back to the 2nd email i sent her.
that was a week ago.
i was hoping we could work towards rebuilding our relationship.
but it looks like maybe not?
i am considering sending another email just to see.
why don't i call her?
because we are not on those terms.
i would probably end up either very angry or crying.
i text messaged my sister for the first time in a couple of weeks today...
and she didn't even realize it was me.
she deleted my number from her phone.
that kind of made me feel HORRIBLE.
all i wanted to do was make sure that she was okay...
and she was like, "who is this???" :(

RGIS job is not proving itself to be much fun.
working only 1 to 3 times a week does not bring in much income.
i am starting to not mind the actual job so much,
but the work schedule is not very likable.
i will probably continue to work there until i find a job that conflicts with the RGIS schedule.

i almost still expect it to snow here.

you get pimps stopping in front of your house

2008-05-07T14:18:00.001-05:00

it's nice to be able to open the windows in my apartment.
most people would over-look such a great advantage.
i've mentioned this to a couple people,
the house i lived in the last 2 years had all of the windows nailed shut.
due to the high crime rate.
so if i wanted to air out the house, i would have to open the doors.
...and when you open the doors, you get pimps stopping in front of your house looking in for new clients.
or crackheads that think since your front door is open,
you want to be their friend.
so yay for windows that open!!!!!

new job is okay.
did not get much training, so i bothered everyone all day with questions.
i am pretty sure they hated me after awhile.
first day was only 4.5 hours instead of like 7.
so that kind of sucks ass.
but everyone i worked with seemed nice enough.

mom has not emailed me in 4 or 5 days.
so i am wondering if my email to her was harsh or something?
i thought it was polite.
but apparently what i think and what it actually is, are 2 different things.

i think sometime really soon i want to have a get together at my apartment.
all guests will be forced to play uno with me!
that sounds totally awesome to me... any takers for this weekend???

alright, nap time.

peas are a wonderful vegetable

2008-05-03T23:09:00.000-05:00

after contemplating recent events...
i decided to cave-in and get ahold of my mother.
it was just an email, but she did email back.
i hope that we can communicate like this for awhile without getting into another argument that keeps us not talking for another 5 months.

i finally dyed my hair. it was looking really bad.
and it honestly doesn't look much better now.

i've probably mentioned it like a half dozen times,
but i love jim gaffigan.

i was bored this afternoon, so i took a bunch of misc pictures with my isight, and compiled them into a narcistic video of myself. enjoy my retardedness.

peas are a wonderful vegetable.
you can add them to just about any food.

so wrong... but so hilarious

2008-05-02T01:12:00.000-05:00

sometimes i wish i could be a better person.
it's hard for me to explain.
i care about people a lot, but sometimes i feel like maybe i don't care enough.
like, i put myself before others.
i can't allow myself to fall and fail because someone else did and i am trying to help them.
does that make any sense?
or maybe it's not a feeling of compassion,
maybe it's guilt.

i know i should not be writing about this...
but i have 2 friends that are in a seriously fucked up situation right now.
i want to help them so bad...
but how do you do that without fucking your own mind up?
i keep my distance, but i am there when called upon.
is that "good enough"?
i realize they are adults and need to figure their own shit out...
but it really sucks sitting on the sideline watching. :(

so my "orientation" for RGIS went well.
it was supposed to be a group thing, but i was the only one that showed up.
i think the other people must have gotten lost...
because it was a little difficult to find.

the human resources lady gave me an aptitude test.
i fucking kid you not, a mentally retarded person could have passed it.
all the test required was for me to COUNT items in each picture.
for instance, there was a picture of 12 cans of soup.
i counted 12 cans.
halfway through counting items on this test,
i started to wonder if the test was a joke. lol

the RGIS job sounds good. they've upgraded their inventory equipment since i last dealt with RGIS,
so it's much easier than it used to be.
the pay sounds okay. $8.50 to start, after 90 days pay raise based on performance, and then every 50 stores you work after that you get another raise/performance evaluation.
i go back in for training this tuesday before i go to CDA for partylite.
luckily RGIS is also willing to work around my schedule. :)
this almost sounds too good to be true.

i've started re-watching seasons 1-3 of it's always sunny in philadelphia.
it helps make me happy.
that show is so wrong... but so hilarious.

i miss the sounds the crackheads make

2008-04-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

so, in an effort to not go completely broke,
i sold my directv stock.
i didn't have much invested in the company anyways...
but it will help me get by a little bit longer while my job search continues.

i have "orientation" for RGIS tomorrow in the valley at 1:30.
i guess orientation is a new word for interview?
i always thought interview came before orientation...
we'll see what's up with that.
if i decide to work for them, hopefully they can work around my already full schedule.

i finally got my partylite starter show submitted...
so that's a little bit of a sigh of relief.
the ordering system really hated steph's order...
so it took a little figuring out... and it still wasn't completely right.
but it's as close as it's gonna get.

i'm supposed to go out tonight for cristie's bday party.
don't have jackshit for money to spend so i will join the 'chug it in the bathroom' crowd tonight.

the seagulls here really bother me sometimes.
a lot of times, they sound like crying children to me.
and i don't know of anyone that likes that sound.

sometimes i miss the sounds the crackheads make though.

stripper pole

2008-04-29T03:04:00.003-05:00

since there are no aldis or save-a-lots out here..
i have been subjected to paying high prices for groceries.
but i found out about grocery outlet not long ago.
i bought some food there last week.
it's set up like a save-a-lot, it offered generic food and name brand at discount prices.
i can not even express how HAPPY i was when i found out about this place.
i paid $6 for enough food to last me 3 or 4 days,
compared to $25+ i was paying at the local grocery store for food that would last me just as long.
seriously... this is the best thing that has happened in like days...
it's even better than getting my car fixed. lol

steph took me around to a couple humane societies on friday.
we played with the doggies and kitties.
but neither of us adopted.
i can't believe they want $95 to adopt a dog.
yeah, it covers all the vet shit, but still.
so adopting is a little out of naomi's budget right now.

i got my way and got to play uno friday night!
it was totally awesome... until we had to play phase 10.
jeff is officially my dog's boyfriend.
sorry steph.

i met up with april saturday night for a partylite show she was doing in the valley.
she was running late, so i helped set up and everything.
and it ended up running later than i thought it would...
but the hostess had such great guests and april also made her show just look so damn easy. lol
she even got on the stripper pole. hahah
i don't think she likes me telling everyone that....

sunday night i had my own show at my apartment.
not a great turn out... but we still had fun.
and i got to meet a neighbor of mine that i would not have otherwise met.
no one drank any champagne,
sooooo i drank it by myself later that night.

my neighbor angela and i went to the regional meeting for partylite in the valley on monday evening.
that was a lot of fun and i picked up a few good ideas.
once again, i met more nice people and angela went home with a bunch of free candles for being my guest.
which i was totally jealous about... but it's still awesome that she got so much. :)

so my neighbor also goes to the same community college that i will be attending in the fall.
she takes the bus there.
and i was curious about that, so she explained which bus she takes and all that good stuff.
so i think i will probably take the bus to and from school when i start.
it will save me money in the long run.
gas prices are just ridiculous up here.
i really can't afford to drive anymore than i have to.

i found out that i will not be getting my irs stimulus check direct deposited thanks to h&r block.
if you used a tax service and had your fees deducted from your refund,
you will be issued a paper check, regardless if your refund was direct deposited or not.
so i won't see mine until like may 23rd?
that is, if it doesn't get lost because i've switched addresses 3 times in the past month.

there is a lowe's in the valley that is hiring for a part-time receiver.
that's right up my alley.
4 hours a day (early mornings 4-8), 5 days a week.
so i applied online tonight.
i need the extra income pretty bad, but i don't want it to mess with my partylites schedule and my soon-to-be school schedule.
if they don't call me back by the weekend,
i'm gonna call them myself... because it sounds like a great position for me.

kind of anxious

2008-04-23T23:22:00.001-05:00

the flyer for my partylites show looks something like this:

my car died in the valley sunday.
so i had aaa and give me a tow back home.
i found a guy on craigslist to fix my car for me.
he only charged me 50 bucks to fix it and i had to buy the alternator.
so it was half the price i would have paid at a shop.
it seems to be running a lot better now than what it did before it died.

since the unexpected car problems came about,
im kind of out of money.
so no more furniture purchases for awhile.
but oh well... guess i will have to settle for some floor cushions for company or maybe i'll find someone who has some ultra cheap chairs on craigslist.

i need to go in for placement testing friday morning.
if i don't do it soon,
i may not get it done at all.
kind of anxious about it because i have not done any studying at all. :\
i will need to also talk to financial aid while i am there and find out if they received any info on my student loan yet.
i got my copy of it in the mail a little while ago....
but it dunno if it has been approved or whatever.

my parents finally moved i guess.
my sister is still living in the old house though.
my parents moved to glenpool.
it's just outside of tulsa.
i wanted to get their new address to send a mother's day card.
i actually wanted to her get a card from me... unlike she did for me on my bday.
hopefully my sister can get that info for me soon.

i spent 4 miles walking around downtown this morning.
it wasn't so bad until it started raining heavily. lol
but i got to see a lot of things that i wouldn't normally see while driving.
but i should have not taken my dog with me.
i felt so bad when it started raining.
i'm lucky she didn't get sick.

anyways, i am trying to make more friends in spokane.
but i guess some people are just too busy to meet up or have no interest in making more friends.
which is kind of a shame.
so i put an ad on craigslist the other day. lol
that's how i met steph...
and i told myself i wouldn't put one up of my own,
but i did. :)
maybe something will pan out.
i'm hoping to meet some people in my apartment building even more though.
it would be nice to have some friends that live in the same building as me.

i think tomorrow i will walk down to the local coffee shop and be social for a minute. lol
maybe i could pass out some partylite flyers also.

handicapped trailer trash lady

2008-04-19T22:26:00.000-05:00

i've lost a little over 10 pounds since i moved to spokane.
if i knew moving to spokane would make me drop 10 pounds,
i would have done this a long time ago! ha
remember, if you sleep on the floor for 3 weeks, drink every other night and don't eat regular meals... you too can lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks.
i guess walking the dog 3-4 times a day helps.

even after getting a real bed to sleep on,
i wake up feeling achy.
i guess it's gonna take a little while to get to back to normal.

it's weird the silly things that stick in your mind, and the important things you can't remember.
like remembering the lady at the grocery store that looked at every carton of strawberries before putting a carton in her cart.
but not remember to study for my placement testing.

i guess i am feeling kind of busy and stressed the last week.
busy moving, trying to furnish my apartment on a tight budget, making and keeping friends, preparing for school, preparing for a party i am hosting next sunday, worrying that my money is running out, should probably find a job, car is acting weird...

i called mickey today.
he has to be one of my favorite people in the world.
he was telling me about a blind date he went on last week.
i don't know how his luck can be so damn bad.
i guess he ended up getting stuck with a handicapped trailer trash lady.
i told him he's just too desperate.

ended up going to another partylites show at a salon in the valley.
april was the consultant for the open house.
i need to get more training under my belt i think.
i guess it would help if i actually read the starter kit information also.

i also got my couch today.
that was a blast trying to figure out how to get it up 5 flights of stairs.
no matter how many different ways we tried,
there was no getting it into the elevator.
so needless to say, the couch is a little scratched up now.
but i'm just glad to finally have it now.
it's dark brown, not black...

so now that i have my couch,
i'm laying on it...
feeling a little less stressed.
and starting to feel complete again.
it's a weird feeling that i can't accurately describe.
but it's a great feeling.

hit me up and help me out!

2008-04-18T20:15:00.000-05:00

my dog actually seems to like the roomba (kitty) now.
i took this video of her having some fun with it.

karaoke girls gone wild:

video of my apartment:

i found my dvd player remote. yay! so i don't have to buy a new one after all.

i'm pretty much settled into the new apartment...
but i could use some decorating help.
some times my ideas aren't the best...
any takers?
hit me up and help me out!

i got a kitchen table and chairs this evening for only $10,
and they delivered them!!!!
hey, they aren't the best, but it's nothing some brown tape and a table cloth won't fix!

i really just wish the guy with the sofa would hurry up and set a time to deliver.
i guess he is waiting for a friend to use his truck...
but i want somewhere to sit!
and my apartment looks weird with no couch or chairs.

so, i have been subjected to shopping at wal-mart now.
i'm going to burn in hell.
i've shopped there twice since i moved here.
and that's 2 times too many!
but they do have some stuff that is cheaper than other places.
but remember, i hate everything wal-mart stands for!

chug it in the bathroom

2008-04-17T17:30:00.000-05:00

an old co-worker called me out of the blue the other night.
of course i couldn't answer the phone because i knew the call would just get cut off anyways.
so we played text tag for a while.
i was really shocked he cared enough to try to get ahold of me now that he isn't really obligated to.
you never realize sometimes that people are thinking about YOU.
i miss him a lot.
he was kind of like a big brother to me... except shorter.
we always had retarded family reunions when we got together.
and everyone would be like... 'dang, they're laughing too damn much'.
i am supposed to call him sometime this week.
he went out on a date with a lady that is in her mid thirties but looks 50.
he can never win.
he always makes me feel better about myself when i hear his stories.

allen sent me a text that said "just so you know, it sucks here since you left".
hahah i knew it!

i got someone on craigslist to sell me their roomba.
i got it for half the price i would have paid for it new.
it appears to work well.
my dog is not very fond of this little robot vacuum yet.
i thought the new carpet was white...
but it's more of a tan.... i dunno what i was thinking.

i got a haircut a couple days ago and found the leave-in hair treatment stuff by matrix that i have been searching for.
when i walked out of the salon, it snowed.

i hate how some things are just outrageously priced here in the grocery stores.
who the hell pays $5 for oatmeal?
seriously.
and nearly $4 a pound for nectarines.
jergens natural glow lotion was $7 !!!!
i'm used to getting it for like 3 or 4 bucks.
i need to find the lotion jennifer gave me. sheesh.

i also hate street parking.
if you don't make it home by like 7 o'clock, your fucked on parking.
and if you make it home at like 1 or 2 am... you may as well forget it!
i can't wait until someday i can get reserved parking.
i had to park like a block away from my apartment building the other night.

i have started to move into my new apartment.
little by little... the elevator sucks ass.
and i am starting to wonder if my new sofa will even fit down the narrow halls upstairs... and even more so into the doorway of my apartment.
my luck, it won't.
but the guy i am buying it from seems to think it'll work.
and i think i'm seriously going to need a man's help getting my big ass tv stand upstairs also.
why me?

i only have one more night of sleeping on the air mattress!
when i get to sleep in a real bed again after 2 1/2 weeks of practically sleeping on the floor,
i just won't know what to do with myself.
i've grown used to literally rolling out of bed every morning.

for the record,
steph is the only person i have met that brings a fifth of jager to a bar with her in her purse...
and then proceeds to chug it in the bathroom.
way to be!

anyways, i better stop typing now and go buy a blender!

weird and awkward

2008-04-14T19:41:00.000-05:00

eagle vs shark is a great movie.
it's completely weird and awkward.
just the way i like it.
it stars jemaine clement from the flight of the conchords also.
i always thought he was kind of weird,
now it's certain.

i got to see my new apartment today.
and i fell in love.
its way bigger than i expected.
it's got LOTS of windows.
it has a HUGE walk in closet.
big kitchen.
nice sized bedroom.
bathroom doesn't have the same ugly tiling this studio has.
i don't care for the white carpet though.
but it's workable.
and the unit is at the end of the hall by itself.
peace and quiet.
i move in in a few days.
i think it will probably be ready wednesday.
but i'll probably wait until thursday to start moving in.

april has invited me to attend a partylite party in coeur d alene, idaho on wednesday.
it sounds like fun and hopefully i will learn some stuff.
i like to think of it as a bit of training.
so hopefully soon i can host my own partylite party. yays!

i need to get new car insurance really soon.
i am pretty sure my currently policy does not cover washington.
anyone have an insurance company that offers them a reasonable price?
farmers insurance sent me a quote via email that looked good... but they don't even have all of my info to make the quote completely accurate.

i don't think i have mentioned this before,
but i am going to actually publish my blog this year into a book.
blurb makes it pretty and inexpensive to do.
i think it would be a great thing to have...
because i have always kept journals... just not handwritten ones recently.
i would like to have my accomplishments (and failures) down on paper.

hi, i'm poppyseed muffin today...

2008-04-13T19:04:00.001-05:00

i'm so excited!
i just found a big 3'x4' cork board outside beside the apartment dumpster!
it's exactly what i needed to create my vision board.
i'm gonna make it my bed headboard when i get settled into the other apartment.
need to spray disinfectant on it first though.
yays!!!!!

an asian couple moved out of the building on friday.
as far as i know, the only people moving out in mid-month are the people in the apartment i am supposed to be moving into.
SO maybe i will get to move into the new apartment soon?!
i will have to talk to the apartment manager monday about it.
i hate bothering her so much about it,
but i don't know how much longer i can live in this studio.
... it's really sucking the life out of me.

i finally finished all of my financial aid/loan crap for school online thursday.
now i just need to study for the placement test.
which really should not be that hard anyways.
because it turns out i won't even be taking any math courses until the second school year,
and even then, it's just PRE-algebra.
stuff i did in middle school. lol
i'm more worried about the reading/comprehion part.

for anyone that has been to seattle or western washington for that matter,
what would you suggest seeing?
i am considering going by snoqualmie and north bend (the 2 towns twin peaks was filmed in).
has anyone been there?
i think they would be kind of boring to see....
but nonetheless, i would like to go anyhow.

went and saw prom night at the theater with my new friend steph on saturday night.
it was an awesome good time,
even though the movie sucked.
must see the 80's prom night movie soon.
i'm betting its better.

i saw a little girl (maybe 5 years old?) with a bright pink mohawk.
it was real.
it's one of the strangest things i have ever seen.
and her mother was right beside her standing in line at the grocery store.
who does that to their child's hair?
at least wait like 10 years to let them do it to their own hair.
i just found it to be a bit disturbing.

i edited another video.
jennifer, i know you don't like it when i put you in my videos...
i'm sorry... but i fall into a fit of laughter every time i watch this.
hopefully michael won't care too much either.
the video quality is pretty damn bad though...
so no one will know it's you. hah

i don't fucking carry spare change!

2008-04-10T10:24:00.001-05:00

mindless self indulgence is coming to spokane may 31st.
if i go, it will be my 3rd time seeing them.
every time i have seen them, it's been awesome.
how can i pass up another time???
it's only 20 bucks...
which would be the most i have ever paid to see them...
but still... only 20.

i have been a craigslist fiend.
i got the tv on monday.
i got a microwave on tuesday.
and a tv stand delivered to me today.
all i need now is a new apartment!
...and when that happens, i'll be having a brown leather sofa delivered to me from someone of craigslist.
no, not the orange vinyl one.
i changed my mind on that.
it cost too much and orange might be too bright.

i also got a couple mixing bowls and a coffee maker today at a thrift store.
now i can drink coffee and tea at home!!!!!

well, i used the last of the money on my fuel card.
i had gotten 2 fuel cards for gas to make it up here with...
and i just used the last of it.
now, i am subjected to actually pay these kinds of prices:

it's official.
my air mattress is a piece of shit.
there is a hole in it somewhere.
i could probably lay on it for an hour??? before it goes flat now.
i feel very achy.
i don't want to get a real bed until i move into the new apartment.
plus, i don't think a "real" bed would even fit into this studio.

i went by the community college yesterday because i figured they had the forms i needed, instead of printing them out myself.
...but they didn't.
i got the financial aid data packet they need me to fill out...
but they had no compass testing study guides.
i would have thought they would have some sort of help.
but the lady told me what websites to go to.

i also went to the museum in my neighborhood (northwest museum of arts & culture).
there was not much at all to look at.
the buildings make you think there is a bunch to see... but not so much.
luckily i got the lady to give me the student price.

i wish i didn't live so close to downtown...
i thought it would be a good thing...
but the closest banks, post offices and libraries are downtown.
downtown requires paid parking.
i don't fucking carry spare change!
so i drive out of my way to get to essential places.

i went to april's partylite get together last night.
it was actually one of those get togethers to promote a side business project.
has anyone head of partylites?
she wants me to join her team...
but i don't see how i could do that right now because i don't really know ANYONE.
you have to host these little "parties" to sell candles.
how on earth am i supposed to have one of these said parties in a 150 sq ft studio apartment not knowing anyone?
i see it being a more likely thing once i get my bigger apartment and then i could ask some of my neighbors to attend.
one of the points of hosting the parties is to meet new people...
so i really like the concept and you don't have to pay for anything.
and all of your party food/decorations can be written off.
i dunno... i will have to talk to april more about it later.
it was fun meeting a few new people though.
and i got free dinner and drinks and a little party gift.
i just don't want to go back to working full time. :(

the new macbook hard drive came in the mail yesterday.
hopefully i will get time to switch the old one out today.
i'm not sure if i even have all of the right screwdrivers... argh.

who knew washington got warm enough to even have water parks??

got a library card today

2008-04-07T23:08:00.000-05:00

i noticed the other day that the squirrels up here are grey, not brown.

the kite runner is probably one of the only books made into a movie that i did not completely dislike.
i'm glad they kept some of my favorite quotes from the book in the movie.

i used the laundry room today in my building.
some random bum came in to use the bathroom.
i assumed he lived in the building since it's a secure building,
but i'm thinking he doesn't...
because he started taking a shower in the bathroom (yes there is a shower in the bathroom).
i was probably lucky that i didn't get assaulted.
although i did lose 70 cents in the vending machine in the laundry room.
i guess i didn't need those chili cheese fritos after all.

i bought something on craigslist today.
it's a year old 37" lcd tv.
it's nothing special... but it only cost me $300.
which is way less than what i would have paid for new.
no problems with it yet.
it's just way too big for this tiny studio apartment...

i don't know how much more of sleeping on an air mattress i can stand.
it's been one week now.
i've had to re-air it up around 4 times??
nothing better than finding out that you are essentially sleeping on the floor when you wake up in the morning/afternoon!

i'm going to have to put off going to seattle this weekend.
i need to focus more on studying for my placement testing.
plus i have not taken my car in for a tune-up yet...
and i just drove a 3-hour round trip to pick up that damn tv.

i also went and got a library card today.
yay me!
not that i needed to check out anything to read or anything..
but it's good to have.

i also updated my address with aaa and got some new maps and tourbooks for washington and for my trip to seattle.. whenever that is.

i went to a couple thrift stores... nothing impressive.

the boxes i sent to myself finally were delivered today.
so now i have more junk to find a place for.
but it'll be good to have my printer back to use.
i need to print some of those study guides for placement testing.
and i guess i didn't pack my remote with my dvd player.
so i'll have to buy a new remote. isn't that great? argh.

meeting new people... with candles

2008-04-06T09:51:00.003-05:00

somebody upstairs has a piano. wtf?
sadly, i think my old crackhead neighbors played better.
why me?!
i can't stand someone living above me.
i'm glad i will be on the top floor soon.
i don't know what they were doing upstairs today,
but it sounded like they were beating the shit out of their floor.

i ordered a new macbook hard drive online.
this one is bigger than the last one i fucked up.
and it was cheaper also.
so we'll see how that goes.
i just want to be able to download something or create a video without having to delete something first.

so i guess registration for school doesn't even start until mid-june.
i have to take my placement testing soon though.
so i need to start studying.
i haven't done any school related work in like 9 years?
so this will take up a lot of my time.
i don't want to rush this like i did my ged testing and not do the best i could.

i also got my final gas bill in the mail yesterday.
it was more than double the highest bill i have ever had.
i'm not sure how it could be unless someone broke into the house over the weekend and turned the oven on sky high and then took a lot of hot baths.
i'm not going to dispute it because it would be too much of a hassle.

i wonder how much a person gets back on their taxes if they are eligible to qualify eic?
i know you have to be at least 25 and make under 12,000 to qualify.
and since i don't think i will be working too much this year, i should qualify.

so there is this woman that lives in spokane valley that is inviting me to a party she is having wednesday.
it's one of those parties people have to sell stuff from their little side business.
so here i go again... starting over and meeting new people... with candles.

so i have been holding off buying things until i get settled in a bigger apartment.
i have been eating off paper plates, plastic bowls and party cups.
occasionally i wash and reuse them.
my only piece of furniture is the air mattress.
i don't even have a chair.
i don't want to buy something and then not have it look right in my new space.
so i eat my meals off of paper plates while sitting on the air mattress.
...with nothing but artificial lighting.
how depressing.

more space and more quiet

2008-04-03T18:13:00.000-05:00

i hate this damn studio.
since the little window faces the outside walkway leading into the building,
you don't actually see sun/moonlight.
so unless you have a clock, you have no fucking idea what time it is.
this is why i continue to wake up at 10 or 11 am after going to sleep at 8pm.
i need some fucking sunlight shining in my window!!!!!!
no wonder i feel more tired than usual.

this air mattress is killing me.
so i went out and bought a feather bed and 2 feather pillows that were on sale together.
i did sleep better last night... but who knows how long that will last.

the apartment manager got ahold of me today about some more units that were going to be available.
she has me signed up for a 1 bedroom on the 5th floor.
more space and more quiet!
the unit is supposed to be available in the middle of this month.
so maybe i'll only have 10 more days in this tiny shit hole studio??

spokane's elevation is 1654 feet higher than tulsa's.
my ears are still occasionally popping... unless i am imagining things.

here's a video i found on youtube for my new city:

i should have spent more time on sfcc website.
then i would have known i have to apply online for admission first.
so i applied this morning and they sent me an email back a few hours later with my student id number.
then i had to call and make my application fee payment.
so now i just have to wait for the info in the mail on placement testing and registration.
damn, i could have done all of this shit a long time ago.
oh well.

no, i have not started looking for a new job yet.
i have only been job-free for a little over a week!
i need my time to relax and weigh my options.
brandy and i are having a kickass time sleeping all of the time right now.

does anyone know of a cheap and effective way to turn a regular bicycle into a stationary one?
i'd like to cycle inside as well as outside,
so i don't want to have to keep putting back on the front tire all of the time.
all of the equipment i have found so far that will allow you to turn your bike stationary costs a lot of money and requires removing the back wheel.
if that's the case,
i may as well go buy a stationary bike, yanno?

to be more "green"

2008-04-01T20:58:00.000-05:00

so far, i really like spokane.
everyone i have encountered has been very kind.
the city seems to be more "green" than tulsa.
they have made pathways next to the streets for bicycle riders and walkers.
the speed limits are a lot lower.
gas prices are like .30 more a gallon here.
so i guess i can understand why more people are taking the bus and other forms of transportation.
i mean, there are 70 units in my building, only 10 reserved spaces.
everyone else has to park on the street ...
along with all of the other apartment buildings in the area (there are a lot).
there is no way 70 cars are parked outside.
so that means more than half the people that live here walk or take the bus.
that's incredible.
most stores encourage you to bring your own shopping bag...
and i've noticed a lot of people bringing their own.
one local grocery store even gives you .05 back for every bag you bring in and reuse!
the apartment building even has recycling bins located by the back door for the residents to use.
i was going to get some cfl bulbs today for my studio,
but when i went to check how to remove the bulbs,
the unit already has cfl bulbs!

i just can't get over how beautiful the scenery can be.
there has been several times while driving,
i just wanted to pull over and take pictures of the mountains.
i didn't think there would be so many here in town.
wrong.

i didn't get around to going to sfcc today.
i spent too much time still unpacking, buying needed items, uploading video and pictures, and backing up my hard drive on my new simple tech external hard drive.
i also had to go pay a deposit on my electric.
it was only $40.
i had set aside $100 for it since i am new to the state...
but i guess i didn't need that much.
still unloading my car.
it takes forever when you have nowhere to put the shit.
i am trying to strategize where things should go.
i bought 2 plastic totes today so it makes it easier to unload my stuff into the totes to care in and store.
plus the totes double as tables. lol

the water here is HORRIBLE.
if you think tulsa's is bad...
no friggan way.
i don't know if it's just the building or the area in general.
i had to get a pur filter for my kitchen sink so i can drink the water.

i uploaded a video of my apartment on youtube today.

threadless.com had some shirts on sale today for $5!
i was only able to get one in my size.
but it only ended up costing me $2 plus shipping because of my discounts.
i got my other shirt in the mail the day before i moved.
so that was pretty awesome.
i love threadless.com

my 7 state trip

2008-04-01T13:06:00.000-05:00

well, i made it to spokane okay.
around 1800 miles, and everything is still in one piece.

the trip wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.
if i had not gotten gps though,
i would probably be lost in the middle of nowhere.
kansas and eastern colorado were really boring.
i stayed the night in a hotel near estes park, colorado.
but it snowed over night...
so when i went to estes park,
i didn't see much because i didn't wanna risk going up a mountain too far on icy roads.

i have come to the conclusion no one really lives in wyoming or montana.
billings, montana was the most lively place i had seen in about 200 miles.
oh, and there ARE speed limits in montana despite popular belief.
although, i only saw 3 police officers in my 7 state trip.
i decided to not get a hotel when i was in montana over night.
silly me, i wanted to save money.
so i froze my ass off in my car.
and then i idiotically drove in the dark during a snow storm.
i was very lucky to have not had a wreck.
i couldn't really see anything.
but i made it to another rest area okay...
where i proceeded to freeze in my car some more.
montana's elevation made my ears pop constantly though.
which was highly annoying.
the first time my ears popped,
i thought my car had died or something, because i could no longer hear it.
montana has to be the most beautiful state i have ever visited though.
and, i almost hit a coyote (thanks brook).

the portion of idaho i drove through was nice as well.
luckily, i live close enough to montana and idaho now that i will be able to go back when i want to.
brandy was excellent through the trip.
i figured she'd be throwing up all over the place...
but she just slept a lot.

the studio is really tiny.

but it has a kitchen and closet.
i didn't think it was going to have either.
my dwelling is right next to one of the doors to the building...
so it's kind of annoying when people slam it all of the time.
this keeps brandy barking too much.
luckily, i can move into a different apartment in about a month.
i will be counting down the days until then.
and the apartment manager didn't end up charging me a higher deposit after all and i got my first month's rent free!
so i just saved a shitload of money.
the building in pretty nice.

and the neighborhood is to die for.
i can finally feel like i can walk or ride my bike without being assaulted.
i met a few neighbors in the neighborhood already.
they seem pretty friendly.
a lot better than those crackheads.
i walked my dog around a few blocked this morning and was not harassed once!

to see more pictures of my road trip and new city (and there ARE a lot) go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/darksidesunny/ and click through the pages.

i am considering not going back to work right away.
i have a nice stockpile of money saved... especially since the move was cheaper than expected.
i think i will go to seattle this weekend after i get my car tuned up.
but i don't know... it's just a thought.
i need to go get enrolled in school first.
see if i can get housing included in my student loan.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

2008-03-28T07:03:00.000-05:00

the apartment manager at westminster got my hold check and
said there was some good news.
the studio i will be moving into at first will be available when i arrive in spokane.
so i won't have to stay in a hotel after all.
i felt so much better about it,
now i can also mail some of my belongings to myself,
just in case it all won't fit into my car.

if anyone wants to send me letters or anything in the mail,
my new address is:
2301 W Pacific #108 Spokane WA 99204

so i've sold a lot of stuff on craigslist.
and when some of the people come out to my house,
they get attacked by my crackhead neighbors.
let's just say i spent the last couple of days in embarrassment.
one person offered to help me move because they felt bad for me living next to crackheads.
and one person even called the friggan police to come out and check on me!
they told the police that they thought i was being held hostage!!!
i was like ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
strangers from craigslist care about my well being??!?!?
the police had to come in my home and make sure there was no one else there and check my i.d.

i got a lady on craigslist to take almost all of the stuff that i have left.
so that's pretty awesome.
all i have left to get rid of in my reel lawn mower, my ugly floral print chair, and the misc stuff that is going to goodwill.

i have another busy day planned for myself today.
i'm not sure how i am going to fit seeing brook into my schedule today.
but i have to work something out.

i wanted to see yellow stone park on my way to spokane,
but turns out the park isn't open until mid april! :(
does anyone have any info on estes park in colorado?
i also plan on going there, but haven't had the time to view their website entirely.

feel the crunch

2008-03-26T13:52:00.001-05:00

yesterday was my last day at work.
i didn’t think it was gonna be so hard to leave.
i hate saying goodbye to people that i’ve known for awhile.
it was also hard not getting goodbyes from some other people.
and some people just really shocked me at how much they care about me.
sometimes you never realize it until something like this happens.

i am pretty much finished with the video i made for work.
i just need to add the end credits with everyone’s names.
i’m not thrilled with it like i was when i started it,
but it will be good to have when i get home sick.

here is the other video adrian did...
the end has out takes...
i prefer the other one we made though.

i’m starting to feel the crunch.
i still have a lot of stuff to get rid of.
i posted 5 or 6 major items on craigslist last night before bed.
i hope to have a lot of interest in these items today.
and then i will post more items today.
hopefully, by thursday, i will have only my tv and bed to get rid of.
but i’m guessing i will have more than that left.
jenny came by last night and got a bunch more stuff,
and promised to pick up my loveseat and treadmill on thursday.

mini pitcher

2008-03-23T10:35:00.000-05:00

so i accidently completely deleted the video i was working on of my co-workers.
i still have all of the video clips i used for the video,
but i just have to put it back together again and fine tune everything again.
which will take me a good long time.
damn fucking cough medicine.
hopefully i will work on that a bit today.

im wondering exactly how much more snot is stored in my damn face?
every time i blow my nose, i tell myself that that's the last of it.

jenny and i went out to see debbie's husband's band.
they were really good.
we mostly spent the night talking shit about people...
here is a video:

adrian agreed to star in a couple of videos.
this one was easy to edit....
his improv is excellent.
i think he practices this shit at home in front of a mirror.

i was denied because of her ass

2008-03-20T13:55:00.000-05:00

it’s the first day of spring....
and it seems like i am getting sicker with each day that passes.
i wish i felt like doing something...
anything.

i’m thinking about not getting the heat/ac fixed on my car.
the weather will be above freezing in spokane when i arrive.
so i dunno.
i just feel like i need as much money as possible now for hotel rooms while waiting for my apartment to become available.
i don’t know.
i’m not really thinking straight right now anyways.
but i am so used to working in the cold all day during winter,
that i could easily tolerate driving most of the day in the cold.

plus goddamned bedford apartments in marion, indiana is counting against me.
i never lived there!
westminster is going to approve me anyways,
just with a higher deposit.
i fucking hate my sister right now.
she knows she used my ss number...
she’s just lying to me about it because she fucked up.
so i called my sister and told her i was denied because of her ass.
maybe she will come clean now??

i can’t get online at home anymore.
the person who i have been mooching wifi from,
apparently turned off their internet connection.
i don’t blame them...
but now i have to wait to get online at work and whenever i drag the laptop to mcdonald’s parking lot.

i need to list more stuff on craigslist.
i still have far too many belongings in my home...
with only about 8 days left before i hit the road.
i just wish i felt like listing them and then dealing with people.

fucked up on cough medicine

2008-03-18T16:53:00.001-05:00

so i got a call from the service that does the application credit checks for westminster apartments this morning.
apparently some how my name comes up as having lived in bedford apartments in marion, indiana.
my sister lived here, not me.
then i was also told of some things that chris told me he took care of, but obviously did not.
so i'm feeling not so great about this application.
i have emailed a few other places also about residency also just in case.
but the apartment manager assured me that i should be fine on everything after i emailed her again today.
however, she said the apartment was taken.
SO i will probably have to wait.
i am hoping maybe a unit will be emptied out SOON and i can move in mid april?
it's good to know anyways that i will need to have a hotel arranged after all.
she said 2 more units would be available soon.
we'll see.

still sick.
still have sore throat and cough.
not getting fucked up on cough medicine anymore.

i made a new video that i can share....
although michael might not appreciate it.

i still need about 2 more minutes worth of film for my "out of service" video from work.
and i have not figured out how to blur everyone's company logos still.
so it will not be uploaded online. :(

a bunch of retarded people

2008-03-17T20:51:00.001-05:00

i got an email back from the person that posted about the sofa on spokane's craigslist.
they are willing to save the sofa set for me until i get to spokane!!!!!
can you tell i am excited?

i finally got around to taking more stuff to goodwill.
and i also posted several ads on craigslist to sell some stuff.
i've sold everything so far.
it's weird exchanging your belonging with strangers for money in your home.
this is looking very hopeful though.
i've made $45 so far on just random stuff.

i also got one of my tax return checks in the mail.
i almost expected not to get them.
now i can't wait to get the other one because it's even more money.
woohoo!!

i called to have all my utilities shut off after i am gone.
there's no turning back now.

the apartment manager for westminster emailed friday to say they did get my application and are processing it.
she did not mention whether or not the apartment is still available.
grrr...

if i get approved for westminster,
i should have an address when i arrive in spokane...
so i could send my books in the mail to my new residence.
and just await their arrival in the mail via media mail.
this would free up tons of space in the car.
because i'm pretty sure the clothes and books are going to kill me.

speaking of clothes, i was naughty.
i bought 6 new articles of clothing.
so i have to get rid of at least 6 more pieces of clothes.
but the clothes i bought, i will most likely need for work...
so that makes it okay, right?

i'm starting a new video project.
a guy from work inspired me.
i was wanting to take video of people at work anyways before i moved...
so if i get home sick,
i can watch it.
but i prefer to remember my coworkers in a special way.
as a bunch of retarded people.
so i have managed to get 11 people to let me film them.
i am holding off on making a video until i can get more people at work to participate.
so this will be about a week in the making.
unfortunately, i have chosen not to upload it online.
i fear that someone will find the video inappropriate
and call up one of the companies that one of my vendors works for
(pepsi, kraft, sara lee, etc)
and try to get them into trouble for acting retarded on video while in their uniforms.
i might try to blur out their company name or something.
i dunno.

another year closer to death

2008-03-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

if the apartment at westminster ends up coming through for me as hoped,
i will be saving such a large amount of month that i could, in theory, pay for my rent for 7 months just in what i save from not having to stay at a hotel, having a smaller deposit on apartment, only having to pay one utility, and rent being cheaper than expected. also this would include the money from my very last paycheck and pto pay. this being said, i am not feeling as anxious about the albertsons job. i won't worry myself to death about it.

as i have begun to gather up my belongs that i would like to take with me,
i am realizing that i have far too much.
what originally looked like a very small amount,
has grown massive.
i am worried if i weigh my car down too much,
i won't make it to spokane at all!
so the first thing i need to go back through are my books.
i have 2 gift wrap tubs full of books.
i need to get that down to 1 1/2 and fill the rest of the tote with my other small belongings.
the rest of my shit will be packed in shopping bags.
although i am not sure how that will work out for my imac.
maybe if i buy some bubble wrap.

this is the couch of my dreams.
i found it on spokane's craigslist.
i emailed them and it has not been taken yet.
i offered him $100 more to hold it for me until mid-april.
still awaiting a response.

i wish we had never adopted the custom to celebrate birthdays.
why is it such a great thing to tell someone "happy birthday!"?
why can't we just recognize that we are another year closer to death instead?
is that not "happy"?
when people say "happy birthday" to me,
i am generally annoyed.
but when friends or family members don't say it... (forget),
it makes you pissed off at them.
and you shouldn't be angry with them because birthdays are fucking stupid anyway.
i made this the worst birthday ever for myself...
i thought i had lowered my expectations enough,
but i suppose i haven't.
i guess i better get used to disappointment...
after all, i will be completely alone in 16 days.
i just find it funny how people can offer you money more readily than a little bit of their time.
"here's a gift card. bye!" wtf?

i finally sent my mom an email.
we have not spoken since christmas.
i had been contemplating whether to try to mend our relationship before i leave or not.
she sent me a text message for my birthday.
i thought about it all day,
and finally decided to send her this message:

please don't text message me anymore.
my phone number has changed, and i will be getting rid of my old phone soon.
your "happy birthday" message doesn't mean shit to me.
all i wanted from you was your love and attention.
instead, i was called a selfish bitch.
you lost your chance to have anything to do with me anymore.
i will be gone in a few days.
do not expect any communication from me.
i just hope dad's money will finally make you happy with yourself.

sure, it was a very harsh email.
i probably should not have sent it.
i should have just let things be and not even sunk to her level.
but sometimes it just hurts so bad.
and when you are a "selfish bitch" and you hurt,
you want other people to hurt also.
so, as you can see,
i have opted to not mend the relationship after all.

you pissed yourself laughing

2008-03-11T19:44:00.001-05:00

i have been keeping in daily contact with the manager of the westminster apartments.
i got my application and fee sent into the mail to her.
now it is just a matter of her getting it and getting me approved before someone else gets the apartment i want.
she assured me that bad credit will not rule me out.
so that made me feel much more comfortable about my likelihood of being accepted.
i am just keeping my fingers crossed for the next few days.
she emailed me back and answered all of my questions about the apartment,
so i am hoping that means she will try to hold it for me...
she also said if i did not like the apartment when i got there,
i could still move in and be put on a wait list for another apartment i might like better.
that's pretty awesome.
*crossing fingers*

i need to find a mechanic to fix the heat/air in my car still.
i should probably start calling around.
i just don't want to end up car-less while it is being fixed.

one of my most favorite people came into work yesterday to visit with me for about an hour and a half.
he told me the most hilarious thing i had heard all day.
apparently he was shopping at garden ridge last week for some stuff to make his home look better so it will finally get sold.
across the store he spots someone that looks like me.
he thought it was me.
so he goes jogging with his cart across the store and proceeds to ram his cart into hers.
her cart hits her stomach.
he realizes it isn't me.
and the lady is just standing there mortified.
i guess he was apologizing all over himself.
he said he was so embarrassed but continued his shopping trip anyways.
and i guess he kept running into this lady throughout the store.
and she continued to look at him like he was crazy.
i told him he should have just ran up to her and rammed the cart again.
why not? she already thinks you're crazy.
i just can't stop laughing at how retarded he is.

why do most ideas sound so much better when you are drunk?
and then when you are sober,
they just aren't quite as hilarious....
and you can't remember why the hell you pissed yourself laughing about it when you were drunk.

i got my sister to come over today and take some more of my stuff.
now the house is looking even more bare.
i need to go by the goodwill and drop off some totes and clothes that i have been meaning to do forever.
i will do this tomorrow. i hope.

we went back to agave.
i'm so glad jennifer told me about that place.
after our dinner, we went down this little trail that is behind agave.
because when you are drunk, you are curious.
and it was like a walking trail and people were down there.
when we turned around to go back,
it was hard as hell with all these hills to climb.
we were so out of breath we almost had to sit down and rest.
i don't know if it was because we were drunk or from laughing so much or just because we are fat asses.
but let this be a warning to anyone else that tries to venture down the trail!

too good to be true

2008-03-09T17:24:00.001-05:00

well, the 2 bedroom apartment fell through.
it's not a pet friendly apartment building.
i knew it would be too good to be true.
i will be sending out my application for westminster monday morning before work.
and look around some more for other apartment buildings.
i have emailed about 3 or 4 that never even replied back.
go figure.

incase for some odd reason,
you haven't seen my new "roll out" video...
it's the first video i have ever edited.
i'm excited about it... even though it sucks ass.
i wish retards would say stupid shit while i am filming them.

but at least i am inspired to do more and improve.
i like thinking about all of the good ideas i can come up with for another short video.

here is another video clip i made with no actually video at all...

i'm wondering if it is possible or even allowed to place a video in an ebay auction?
i believe they do allow html in their listings...
that would actually make it easier to list fairly good sized lots of books.
instead of taking a bunch of pictures.
i should probably look into this.
i only have 20 days left until the move.

i started reading "a new earth" by eckhart tolle.
i am just a little bit into chapter 3.
i was feeling kind of iffy about the book up until a few pages into chapter 2.
it really takes the saying "stop to smell the roses" to a whole new level.
i find myself asking all kind of questions.
there are a few good quotes in the book that make sense.
but i think it is going to help a lot to be apart of the web event discussion.
that way maybe it will help me understand some things that i missed or went over my head.
i almost don't want to proceed any further into the book, until i go back and re-read the first 2 chapters and try to fully understand them.
i need to get a highlighter.

never eat at an olive garden

2008-03-07T19:18:00.000-06:00

turns out i would not be subleasing from the 2 bedroom apartment.
it would be a new lease and the whole new process of becoming approved.
and there are new costs and deposits are different than what he originally listed.
i figured it would be more since he had lived there for so long.
i will still call his apartment's office and find out more about it.
even $445 for a 2 bedroom is pretty good.

i will also be sending westminster my application and application fee in the mail this weekend.
the manager did not answer all of my questions however.
so i will need to get back ahold of her.

i got a call back from an albertsons in spokane today.
but it was the service deli manager.
ummm... i thought i had made it clear that i was NOT interested in working in the deli?

i got my new cellphone battery in the mail today.
and now my new phone for spokane works!
yay!!!!

i also got a flip video camcorder today.
i was originally going to get a samsung at circuit city,
but they were not interested in assisting me....
so i went to best buy and got help and got what i really wanted anyways.
the flip video camera is pretty nice.
its fool proof.
i don't know yet if i really like the software on it though.
when i download the video to my mac,
it plays with no sound.
but if i upload the video straight from the camera to youtube.com , it plays fine.
but it takes forever!
but now i can take some easy and quick videos of my friends, family and people at work that i might miss.

i got the eckhart tolle book finally!
barnes and noble finally got it back in stock.
so hopefully i will be able to set aside more time to read this book.
i really liked the first web event for the book...
so i hope this book will be helpful. :)

olive garden in utica square sucks.
i was not impressed at all.
i will probably never eat at an olive garden again.
lesson learned.

i like how my parents are moving to glenpool and were not even going to tell me.
that right there makes me want to not even tell them when i leave.
but i am sure my sister told them,
just like she told me about them moving.

perfect strangers

2008-03-06T18:11:00.000-06:00

i am getting more excited now about moving.
i think i might have found a place to live when i move.
i am waiting until this weekend to see pictures of the apartment.
i will (hopefully) be taking over the lease on a 2 bedroom apartment in browne's addition.
the guy is moving to seattle at the end of this month and needs someone to take over beginning in april.
and the rent is incredibly cheap for a 2 bedroom and for the area.
i'm trying to figure out what the catch is.

there are also new openings at westminster for studios.
i had emailed westminster's manager back in mid february about openings.
i saw she posted a new listing on craigslist,
and turns out she has 2 new openings (maybe more).
so she gave me a link to download the application form to send in to her.
so if the guy with the 2 bedroom apartment doesn't email back this weekend with pictures,
i will send in this application for westminster on monday.

i have also emailed a few other apartment complexes and people interested in subletting.
i hope something good turns up soon.

i've called around again to several albertsons in spokane.
i am starting to feel like i am getting the run around.
i finally spoke with an assistant store director at one of the stores for 7 minutes (longest anyone took the time to speak with me) who gave me the email address to his boss and that she would be more helpful than calling around to all of the stores.
so i emailed her with my story...
she emailed back a few hours later.
i will lose my tenure with the company though.
she gave me the phone number for a lady who is in charge of "front end service departments in inland empire". whatever the fuck that means.
i am supposed to call this lady when it gets closer to time for me to move.
i guess i will just have to settle for realizing i will not have a job right away when i get there.
*sigh*

my home is looking more and more bare now.
it's feeling less and less comfortable living here.
it just doesn't feel like a home anymore.
a lot of the walls are bare and i have been taking down curtains already also.
i have been trying to keep things really clean also..
i'm expecting a surprise visit from my landlord any day now.

i have been meaning to post book lots for sale on ebay....
but i just have not gotten around to it.
i have any entire bookcase and 2 totes full that i still need to get rid of,
and i don't want to just give them away to goodwill.
and they are not selling or swapping entirely fast enough through half.com and paperbackswap.com.

sadly, the perfect strangers of the biggest loser are no more.
they were my favorites.
i will miss these little videos by them....
http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5/video/#mea=225491

i transfered some money from my ing account to my bank here in tulsa.
i plan to buy a digital camcorder either tomorrow or over the weekend.
i look forward to being able to take videos of my friends and my trip.
i want to document this part of my life the best way i know how.

geocashing

2008-03-02T17:05:00.001-06:00

so there is this mexican place called agave.
they serve excellent food and 2.99 margaritas.
needless to say, i've been there twice in the last 3 days.
first, jennifer took me there.
i got so drunk i was seeing colors.
but i think it was actually from the flash on jen's camera.
because she had just taken some pictures and then i started seeing little orange spots everywhere.
then i took my sister there last night.
i ordered the same meal as before and same drinks.
2 drinks was enough to get me drunk.
i love this place.
i wish i had found out about it sooner.

i have been trying to buy oprah's new book club book.
but "a new earth" is sold out everywhere!
so i guess i will have to wait to buy it.
even though the online class for the book start tomorrow.

i bought a gps unit today.
i couldn't wait anymore.
i made a video review on it .

i think on my road trip to spokane,
i want to make a few stops along the way,
and do some geocaching.

my car's check engine light came back on again today after having it off for a week and a half.
this angers me.
because i know the light is not on for any serious reason.
but the check engine light can prevent me from passing the emissions test in washington when i go to get new tags.
maybe i can get another auto place to reset the light for me again before my trip.
if not, i'll get it done in spokane i guess.
i still need to have my a/c and heat fixed though before i move.

mysteriously died while changing a light bulb

2008-02-27T13:57:00.000-06:00

i put a nice chunk of my dvd collection on half.com friday evening.
all of them sold by yesterday.
happy and sad about it.
but i know i can buy them again later.
i am only keeping around 20 dvds.

i thoroughly cleaned out my car and trunk saturday.
i feel like i could fit everything in that trunk...
but i know it isn't true.
but it's a lot bigger now that i threw out an old flat tire.
i think that i will be able to haul everything that i anticipate taking with me in just the trunk.

i hate the irs.
i wish they would send out my rebate checks as quickly as they cash my payments to them.
bastards.
luckily, washington state does not require you to pay or file state taxes.
yay!!!!!

i felt like a total loser on sunday.
i decided it would be a good idea at 10 am to finish off my bottle of gin.
and from there,
i proceeded to chow down on multiple bags of popcorn while drinking...
and playing sims...
and purposely killing off 2 sim characters after one of my new characters mysteriously died while changing a light bulb.

i went to officially cancel my tanning membership yesterday...
and the manager said i had to give a month notice.
what the hell?
my contract was up at the beginning of this month anyways.
i think it's bullshit.
but apparently it was stated on my contract and i did not see it.
so one more month to pay for tanning i do not even use anymore.
i guess i really should get back into the habit of going more now.
i hate wasting money.

speaking of a month's notice,
i have been writing a rough draft letter of notice to my landlord.
i need to get it in the mail by tomorrow.
i was talking to my sister yesterday about moving,
and she might be interested in moving into my house when i move out.
it would be a smooth transaction for all of us,
but i don't know if i want her living next to all of these crack heads like i have had to.

i called around to a few albertson stores in spokane.
none of them have anything available that i would really be interested in.
but i realize i may have to just settle...
just to get my foot in the door.
just to have job employment lined up.
until i can find something better when i get there.
i will probably call back tomorrow to the store closest to where i want to live and see what exactly i need to do to be hired back on with them.

oprah had a show today about freegans.
i love freegans.
i wish more people were not grossed out by what they do.
i wish i could be more freegan.
maybe i will try it after i move.
i just hate that so much stuff goes to waste.
i hate that the grocery store i work for throws out so much good food.
i wish i was allowed to take some home.

i'm struggling with some thoughts of mine.
since i will not be seeing my loved ones very often at all after i move,
i wonder if i should make peace with some people that i feel have done me wrong (a couple family members and an ex-friend).
or should i just forgive them in my own mind and heart?
i don't want any bad karma or anything for leaving on bad terms with some people....
but do they really deserve a verbal apology and a goodbye?
if it were them leaving me forever,
i think i would want an apology and goodbye.
i guess this is why i am perplexed about it

total lack of respect

2008-02-21T19:31:00.002-06:00

first off, i want to congratulate jennifer on her new baby boy (and her gas).
he was born super early, so i have not gotten to see him.
thomas had video of him that i got to see though at the hospital.
he was so tiny and his face was covered up,
but i am sure he is beautiful like her other sons. :)

i've started going through my closet for clothes to get rid of.
i have these crazy ugly pant suits that never fit right.
they are either too small or way too big.
and even if they did fit,
the are just hideous.
so those are really going bye bye.
i have dresses that are nearly ten years old.
i just kept holding on to them...
hoping i would fit back into them.
and now i realize that even if i could fit them now,
they are so outdated and not fashionable at all.
i also got rid of my wedding dress finally.

hey, and i finally took down my christmas decorations.
but of course they immediately went into a box for goodwill.
i will really miss my nutcrackers...
but there is only so much i can take with me...
and well, nutcrackers are not THAT important.
i can find more later.

i bought a new pre-paid cellphone on sunday to get a spokane phone number before the move,
but the phone doesn't really work.
i think the battery is fucked.
it never ever showed the phone had charged.
and it will not turn on when it is not on the charger.
i am able to briefly call my other cellphone from it.
so i know that it's activated and working...
i think it's just the battery.
i'm pissed.
i wonder if i buy a new battery it will do the same thing?
and the damn bluetooth won't sync with my laptop either.
piece of shit.

work makes me so damn angry.
my co-workers show such a total lack of respect for me.
i don't know if it's because i am a female or because i am young.
maybe both.
it feels like they are saying,
"hey naomi, you don't mind if we take a steamy hot shit on you, do you?...
well, i guess it doesn't matter because we're gonna do it anyways!"
so, i am counting down my actual work days until i move.
it makes me happier seeing such a small number of days left.
this company that took over our albertsons store is just fucking rude in general anyways.
i should have known that i was in for some stupid shit from the first time i met the oompa loompa owner of the company.

i got my eboost in the mail yesterday, so maybe that will help ease my current crankiness.
it has already helped me with a hangover i had this morning.

i found a way to get back at the backstabbing bitch at work that felt the need to tell everyone i was leaving...
even though she was not supposed to tell anyone.
i have been sharing some information about her with a few select people that will gossip like crazy about it.
i guess the backstabbing bitch should not have gotten shit faced at a party last month and got gang-banged by 4 guys.
no wonder she shows little respect for her co-workers...
she doesn't even respect herself.

so fasfa came back and i'm not eligible for a pell grant...
and my efc is kind of high.
i guess my need is not great enough based on my annual income and how much it would cost me to be a full time student at a community college.
so i just have to wait for the schools to get ahold of me.
i am thinking now that maybe i will not have time for this right now.
i think i pretty much have my hands full with moving as it is.
maybe i should put it off until next year?
but then again,
i will probably say that next year as well.
i guess i will just see what happens.

well, the irs cashed my check for my federal taxes i owed in 2004,
and it hasn't even been a week since i filed and sent it in the regular mail.
i really thought the state tax checks would get cashed first.
but anyways, maybe that means that i will also soon be getting checks in the mail for the federal taxes owed to me from 2005 and 2006 soon.
that would be nice.

i also got my car tuned-up today.
i was going to wait until it was almost time for me to move,
but then i didn't want to take the risk of traveling that far,
and find out the mechanics did a shitty job and fucked something up.
so after having my car for about 2 1/2 years,
i also finally found out why the check engine light was always on.
it was some vacuum tube thing that was loose.
that was all.
i got my serpentine belt replaced.
it had lots of cracks in it and would not have lasted for my trip.
i also got my tires rotated for free at sears.
now all i need to have done is get the heat a/c looked at/fixed.
that i will actually have to wait a couple weeks to afford to be able to do.
but i was able to mark 3 things off of my moving to-do list just with one stop.

frugalism

2008-02-16T18:36:00.000-06:00

things i have done to pinch pennies:

- when bar soap dwindles down to the point you can't really use it anymore,
store the remainder of that soap in the foot of an old nylon stocking.
when you run out of bar soap, you will have the remainders of bar soap bars in the nylon stocking to use. simply tie off the end of the cut stocking heel and dip it water.
it immediately suds up.

-don't clip coupons unless you get the newspaper they came in for free and if you can actually use the coupon. try to use coupons only at stores that double them and if the item is on sale.

-don't buy newspapers. they are online. same with magazines.

- plan all of your errands in one area in the same trip if possible. it will save you gas and time.

-get inspired to save money. subscribe to blogs with rss feeds for financial help blogs. i currently subscribe to 9. sure to be more as i find more worthwhile ones.

-set your home thermostat as low as you can possibly stand it. wear layers in winter and use a ceiling fan in summer.

-invest in power strips. once again, saves on the electric bill.

-sell your clutter on ebay or amazon.

-start an emergency fund by automatically having a percent of your paycheck transfered into a high yield savings account every pay period. you'll never miss it if it's a small enough amount and it's done automatically. you'll be less likely to be burned by unexpected expenses.

-if shopping makes you feel happy, find something to replace shopping with that will make you feel just as good. something that doesn't involve spending money. like walking in the park or listening to your favorite music.

-learn to sew and/or knit. i don't really know how to do either yet. but i can imagine the money you would save by sewing/knitting yourself. buy yarn and fabric on sale. buy patterns on ebay.

-stop drinking soda. flavored drink mixes and tea are extremely cheaper. but water is cheapest and best of all.

-buy your eyeglasses and/or contacts online. i save at least 75% this way.

-become a vegetarian. meats cost too much usually. vegetables are less costly and didn't once have a mother.

-if you are traveling a short distance, walk or bike. save the gas.

-cancel your cable. tv is mind numbing. pull out the rabbit ears to get your local stations. if you really like a certain television show, download it online or rent the season on dvd.

-if you don't use your home landline phone, cancel it. no sense in paying extra money for something you rarely use.

-shop generics. if generics bother you or your family, take the food out of the packaging and store it in the brand name packaging or simple plastic containers. i always take my cereal out of the box and put it in a plastic cereal container. i do the same with my dog's food.

-stop eating out. cooking at home saves a ton of money.

-flour is simply amazing. learn to cook/bake from scratch. you'll save lots of money from not having to buy doughs or dough mixes.

-if you have a big enough freezer, cook meals in bulk. if you get a good deal of a certain meat, buy it, cook up several meals in advance with it, freeze it. thaw to eat when you are ready.

-stockpile fast food condiments. you'll never have to buy ketchup or sugar again.

-partake in clearance and markdown food items at the grocery store.

-never, ever lease a car. always buy a good used vehicle. not having a car payments is a big relief.

-compare insurance rates.

-develop a budget.

-make sure you have renters or home owner's insurance. it's always better safe than sorry. it'll pay for itself if something bad happens.

-have potluck parties. this includes liquor.

-buy after holidays.

-shop thrift over retail whenever possible.

- sign-up for free offers in the mail. whether it be samples of new products or coupons. it really helps! i have even gotten full size razors in the mail.

- re-useable bottles! use your own water/soda/drink mix. don't buy from work or the store. why spent $1-2 on a bottle of water when it's essentially the same thing from your kitchen sink??? buy a pretty $20 sigg bottle and reuse it over and over and over again. it pays for itself. plus some have water filters in them! you'll save the earth and your wallet.

- if you have a surplus of paper napkins and paper towels like i do,
use them occasionally for toilet paper.... unless you are just oh so sensitive or have a bad septic tank.
it helps cut back on those $1 rolls of toilet paper.

-make your own laundry soap. i have not done this yet... but i've been to countless websites that instruct you how and give you a round number of how much $$ you will save by making your own.

- you never have a need to purchase books, music, or movies retail. go to the library or use paperbackswap.com or if you still can't find what you are looking for, buy it second-hand on half.com.

-if you are crafty, make money doing what you're good at. open an account at etsy.com and bring in more $$$. more and more, people prefer to buy one-of-a-kind items over mass-produced crap from wal-mart. if i had more time on my hands, i would consider doing this myself.

-wait 30 days before making a major purchase. after 30 days if you still think you need the item, buy it. chances are though, you won't even remember what you thought you needed.

-if you plan on making a big purchase, sign up for a rewards program first.
i am a member of mypoints.com ... it gives you points per dollar spent at certain websites. those points can be cashed in for gift cards at your favorite retailers. i have earned hundreds of dollars this way... just by purchasing things online that i was gonna buy anyways.

-if you haven't already, switch to cfl light bulbs. i was a skeptic too when i was introduced to them about 5 years ago. but they really do cut down on the electric bill!

- instead of spending so much money renting movies at your local blockbuster, sign up for netflix.com and get them cheaper and sent to your own home. and if that still isn't cheap enough for you, there are sites like joox.net that allow you to watch pirated movies online for free.

- tired of paying for high speed internet? have a laptop? mooch off your neighbor's wifi access if it isn't all locked up. or find a place that offers free wifi and use it. cancel your internet. is it really worth paying $40+ to sit on your ass in front of your computer all the time? they should be paying you!

no more nudity or fuck word

2008-02-16T13:59:00.000-06:00

tax filing session went faster and better than expected friday.
altogether i only ended up owing around $300.
if you don't count the money i might get back from the irs,
then i owed around $500 mostly to the state.
which is at least half of what i expected to pay.
i just have to await a letter from the state telling me how much i owe in interest and penalties also.

now all i really have to worry about getting done financially before i move is getting a car tune-up.
i may even get my heat / a/c fixed since it didn't cost me as much on my taxes.

i also filed my fasfa this friday.
sadly, this is my first time ever filing out and submitting one.
i hope to get some good news back on that.
so maybe i can go to community college this summer in spokane.

unless work just becomes ultra unbearable over the next few weeks,
i will wait until my original date to quit work.
that will give me 2 full paychecks and pto (which will equal a full paycheck as well).
that's a bunch of friggan extra money that i could use to have extra stuff done to my car and save for furniture when i'm settled in.

i'd also really like to buy a camcorder before i move.
i would like to have video of some of my friends...
and i'd like to document my trip.
i wanna get a flip video.
i need to find out of they sell it in stores....
because i don't have time to waste waiting for it online.

i've had headaches everyday for the last week.
the first day, i thought it was because of my clenched jaw.
but apparently not.
i'm hoping it's just eboost withdrawal.
i ran out around a week and a half ago.
so i ordered more on friday night...
and hopefully i will get it in the mail within the week.

dexter's 3rd season premiers tomorrow night on cbs.
normally i would be excited about another season of dexter,
but it's on cbs now instead of showtime.
that means no more nudity or fuck word.
and probably a lot less graphic.
those were some of my only reasons for watching.
but you know i will watch it anyways....

i finished about as much as my frugalism blog as i care to right now.
if you wanna check it out, go here.

i also wanted to offer my deepest sympathy to adrian and his family right now.
i'm really sorry for your loss.

we are all accidents

2008-02-14T14:00:00.000-06:00

i finally got around to updating my resume on tuesday and applying online at albertsons in spokane.
i will wait a week and give them a call if they do not call me first.
i feel like i've waited until the last minute to apply...
what happens if they don't have a position for me at any of their stores??
i know that's not going to happen,
but it still worries me a little bit.

i am considering quitting my job sooner than the 25th of march.
why not? everyone knows now.
and the human resources lady basically said that they aren't worried about replacing me.
she didn't say that word for word,
but it's basically what she said.
i will be able to get my last paycheck and pto pay.
and i could still move at about the same time i had planned.
but i would probably head out a little sooner and give me more adventure time.
i guess it just depends on what happens between now and then.
if everything goes as planned, i could quit earlier..
but if there is a bump in the road,
i may wait until the 25th or later.

i plan on going to h&r block on friday to get some info about filing my back taxes over the past couple of years.
hopefully it won't cost me too awful much.

i finally got in touch with my sister on wednesday.
i had her come over and go through some of my belongs that she might want.
so i got rid of two arm fulls of crap that way.

we also went to lafortune park and the casino together.
so we got a lot of talking done.
i guess my parents are planning on moving soon....
because my mom is expecting my dad's annuity fund in the mail next month.
and of course, it all goes to her... because gee... us kids didn't go through hell or anything growing up with him.
originally she said she would pay for my brother to get bariatric surgery with that money...
i guess she decided my brother was not worth living???
who's the selfish one now, mom?

so anyways, my sister was in a car accident today.
she side-swiped another car and her car is fucked now.
it just made me realize how fast your luck can change on you.
she went from winning at the casino last night, to not having a drivable car with other problems also now.
i guess we are all accidents waiting to happen.
when will my next misfortune be?

so jennifer, michael and i went to a hindu temple tonight.
it was for jen's school field trip.
i could not understand half of what was being said...
and even when he spelled what he said, it didn't make sense.
and my ass and legs hurt from sitting on the floor for the better part of an hour.
it was just kind of boring.
new experience, but boring nonetheless.

backstabbing bitches and crackhead dykes

2008-02-11T14:02:00.000-06:00

you see a lot of stupid shit when you spend so much time walking at one particular park.
why is it that 1/3 of the people that are also at this park are unisex?
you can not tell what gender they are!
and why is it when it's ONLY 30 degrees outside, this lady come jogging by me wearing ONLY a sports bra and leggings????
i thought that i was crazy for only wearing a couple of sweaters and thermal underwear.... but apparently i am pretty sane compared to her.

it's funny what your body does to you without even realizing it until it's too late.
i spend all day with a horrible headache.
no matter how many tyelnols i took, it would not go away.
i thought it was just because of all the idiots i have to work with...
having to confront backstabbing bitches and crackhead dykes.
but no,
i got home and was still pissy and angry and headachy.
i finally realized that i was clenching my teeth...
when i stopped, my headache seemed to subside.
and now it's gone since i loosened my mouth up and stopped being so tense.
i let a clenched jaw and people that don't even matter to me fuck up my day.
i had such a great record going too....oh well.

i am starting to weed through my belongings now.
i have a nice little collection of items i need to give away...
but don't want to give to goodwill or sell.
so.... i guess i will be getting ahold of some friends for this first round of give-a-ways.
i'll probably also be getting ahold of my sister ...
because i promised her some stuff awhile back.

i have been totally lazy about cleaning my house lately.
i was going to do a deep clean today...
but that has not happened due to headache and bitchiness.
so i hope to clean up more in the days to come as i prepare all my give-a-ways.
i can also sense a visit from my landlord soon for some odd reason.
it's been a year since he's been by.
so i should be prepared regardless.
plus i'll need to let him know my move date and all that good shit.

i have been composing a letter to my mom.
it's saved on my desktop so that i can edit it whenever i think of something important to write.
i hope to have it finished mid-march.
that is when i will get drunk and email it to her.
it will include my move date.
because as much as i would like to just disappear,
i think maybe she at least deserves to know i am really gone...
and maybe the chance to see me before i move.

she's gonna kill me....
my favorite candid picture of jennifer:

bloated and sleepy

2008-02-09T17:14:00.000-06:00

well, that cat's out of the bag at work.
just about everyone knows i will be leaving.
i trusted one too many people to keep their mouth's shut...
so i guess i will put in my official notice monday.
even though i will not be leaving until march 25th.
i can just see it now...
they know i am leaving,
so they demote me to grocery sacker or cashier for the remainder of my time there.

i got some resistance bands a few days ago.
i really like them.
i can use them while i am sitting down searching the web or watching tv or at work.
i am very glad i bought them.
maybe soon i will have more muscle and less flab in my arms.

one of the yummiest things i've made lately,
would have to be an apple and lemon smoothie.
blend 1 cup water, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 large apple w/ peel, and 1 lemon with half rind.
it's sooo sweet and tangy and veeeeeery filling.
it took me forever to finish drinking....

i guess i have not mentioned it on here,
but i have lost 20 pounds since mid january.
i'm pretty happy about that.
i was a little upset because i can't tell that i have lost weight until i look at my scale.
normally when i lose weight,
my pants are less snug.
but no... still fit the same.
but i noticed today as i was getting ready for work,
i am now able to wear a button-up shirt that i have owned for 4 or 5 years...
but had never really worn out in public...
because it was too snug in the arms and across the chest.
it fits great now!
i don't know why i'm losing weight on my upper body first...
but i guess i don't mind.

jennifer and i went to pei wei,

this is what we ate:

yes, that's lettuce.
i still can't believe that shit.
but it tasted yummy...
just kind of weird that they expect you to roll those things up yourself.
i guess it was a new experience for me.
now i'm bloated and sleepy.

i voted

2008-02-05T15:26:00.000-06:00

so tiger army will be playing at cain's ballroom tonight.
only 17 fucking dollars.
i wanna go so bad.
but i have to work the tomorrow at 5. :(

i voted for the first time today!
i'm pretty proud of myself for finally taking the step to act like an american.
....even though i really don't want to be one.
but maybe the new president will help me change my mind.

i think the crackheads might be moving out soon.
their landlord stopped by when i was getting home.
i told him i was sick of their fucking shit and i hope he kicks them out.
he didn't get an answer at he door.
and he didn't bother to stick around and wait for the crackheads to reappear.
they are like fucking roaches.
when the landlord or cops show up,
they scatter.
but in the dark,
they are all over the place.

i got drunk sunday night and almost emailed my mom...
to tell her how much i love her.
but that would be giving in.
i am still waiting for her apology.
but then again, i guess i will be waiting a life time for that, eh?
maybe next time i choose to drink, i will tell her.

lexus-havin-ass

2008-01-31T18:28:00.001-06:00

so john edwards dropped out of the run for presidency.
that's kind of sad because i would have most likely voted for him.
now i have to decide between a black guy and a white woman.

so the electricity went out again in my neighborhood for like an hour this morning.
panic started to set in after the electric did not come back on after about ten minutes.
i started to go into survival mode quickly.
i guess when you go through not having electricity for a week and a half right before xmas,
your mind just goes automatically back to what happened last time.
maybe like vietnam vets who have flashbacks when they hear a loud crash or something.

bernie and brittany severely crack my ass up.
they are my favorite members on the biggest loser season 5.
clip one
clip two
clip three
yes, i started watching it.
and every episode makes me cry.
but it helps that these two are hilarious.

wishbone spritzers has a new caesar flavor.
it's off the hook.
i wish they would introduce more flavors to their line.
i had stopped using the spritzers a while back because italian got old and i did not like the other 2 flavors.
now caesar is here to save the day!

i finally found a multi-vitamin that doesn't make me feel sick to my stomach right after i take it.
it's a generic walgreen's one for energy.
so yay! for being able to take multi-vitamins again. :)

i was almost in a car accident when i was coming home from jennifer's.
i wish stupid fucking people would learn that you can't just slam on your breaks in this kind of weather.
i nearly rear-ended the lexus suv in front of me because her lexus-havin-ass thought it was cute to slam her brakes instead of paying attention to the road.
i seriously came inches from hitting her.
and then a police officer happened to be really close by too.
luckily i didn't get into any trouble because of her dumb ass.

so i SERIOUSLY need to clear out my closet.
i bought three more articles of clothing today.
when i should be getting rid of the clothes.

i also need to dye my hair today.
my hair just looks horrible.
i also need to get a flat iron.
and a better haircut.
argh.

my sister text messaged me today for the first time in month.
she only wanted to know if i had gotten my dtv w2 yet.
i didn't reply back.
if you can't even ask me how i'm doing first...
then i'm not going to answer your question.

saying my goodbyes

2008-01-29T19:48:00.000-06:00

i have set a move date finally.
my last day at work will be tuesday 3/25.
that's the end of our pay period.
i will hit the road early saturday morning 3/29.
that gives me a few days to finish getting my home cleared out
and getting utilities taken care of
and saying my goodbyes.

i was looking through my aaa tour book for washington,
and it looks like it might be a little bit cheaper than expected to stay for a week in a hotel when i arrive.
there are 3 that aaa has suggested with weekly rates and allow pets free of charge.
now, i just need to call these hotels to get exact quotes.
i should save at least 10% more with my aaa membership.

i posted an entry to a community blog in livejournal for spokane.
i asked a bunch of questions that i was curious about.
and so far,
i have gotten a lot of good answers...
one person even directed me to the spokane falls community college that offers a library technician program.
i didn't know community colleges offered that!

i got my albertsons w-2 in the mail.
so, now i am still waiting on directv.
if it does not get here by when i want to file,
i guess i will just pretend i did not work at dtv part-time for 4 or 5 months.
i don't have the money to file yet anyways.
i know i am gonna owe money...
so i need to get that thought out of my head that i might actually get money back.
but it is looking like i may not have to pay as much as i originally thought...
which is kind of like getting money back, right?

i finally got up the nerve to pawn me and my ex's wedding bands.
so i will put that towards my fund to get my car tune-up and/or paying taxes.
i could put it towards my gas bill,
but then i know i will end up blowing the money instead on something else.

i thought that this article was funny.
it goes into how sometimes dieting feels like you're having road rage.

jennifer and i got pedometers.
i know they are not completely accurate,
but i guess it's a step in the direction of knowing how much we walk.
we set them to the mile markers at la fortune park.
so they are pretty close.

tofu squares marinated in soy sauce are yumminess.

writing on my bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker has helped a lot or the last few weeks.
i write my morning to-do list on my mirror.
so i don't leave the house forgetting to do anything.
i think everyone should do this.

i'm almost out of e-boost.
only a couple packets left. :(

egg rolls!

2008-01-24T19:31:00.001-06:00

so i took brandy in for her vet visit last friday.
the vet kind of aggravated me because she took my dog in the back to give her the shots.
they've never done this.
i happened to like this vet,
and hope she is being honest...
but how do i know i got the shots that i paid for??
then she says me dog has worms.
my dog has been on the heartworm pill and is an inside dog.
how on earth did my dog get worms?
i would have noticed worms...
because she had them when we got her.
i think they are lying to get more money out of me for unnecessary meds.
good thing this will be her last visit to that vet.

i got my tags renewed today.
they cost me more this year than last.
it's the same fucking car... it should have been less!
bastards.
i'm just glad i was in and out of there in under 10 minutes.

i also got my AAA membership today.
it was easy and fast.
i got lots of travel books and a map for my move.
i was under the impression that you could really only save on hotels by having a AAA membership,
but turns out there are A LOT of retail outlets that give discounts to AAA members.
so i am glad i got that taken care of.

i'm just feeling all around accomplished lately.
i even sewed my 2 missing buttons back on my coat today while doing laundry.
the buttons had come undone about a year ago...

jennifer and i have been keeping up with our walking commitment for the most part.
i wish we could walk together more often because i hate my damn treadmill.
it is very boring.

i canceled my netflix membership.
i love love love netflix,
but i am trying to save money and i really don't need to be watching so many movies.
if i get bored i can watch one online or something.

i need to buy a new pre-paid cellphone with a spokane number.
i was going to do it tuesday,
but when i got to the checkout,
i realized i forgot my debit card at home.
it's probably for the best because it was a more expensive one that i didn't need...
and i was going to buy a $25 pedometer i did not really need either.

oh yeah, and i made homemade egg rolls!
they are a little bit healthier than normal egg rolls and they are good!!!!
so now i don't have to crave chinese food as much.

treat it as if it is a potential lover

2008-01-17T15:15:00.000-06:00

i subscribe to a lot of financial blogs,
which i don't get to read as often as i would like to anymore.
but i did read a blog entry at www.getrichslowly.org that made a lot of sense.
the steps listed in this blog entry can be used for many different purposes really.
i think the main key to success is being passionate about what it is you want to achieve.
i've heard it many times in the past...
over and over and over again.
but it's really clicking for me right now.
in a lot of ways.
i'm discovering a lot of things about myself that i never took the time to realize.
some things i'm finding out about myself are great.
and some are not so good.

today is the 2 week mark.
i've been making fruit & veggie blended drinks and doing the treadmill thing for 2 weeks.
they say that it takes 2 weeks to develop a habit.
but on this one, i'm gonna have to say it's going to take longer.
sure, i've been doing it without much of a struggle...
but i have to become more passionate about it.
yup, i used the word 'passionate' again.
i don't feel like i can truly make this a habit unless i LIVE for it.

right now it seems like i LIVE for my financial happiness though.
is it possible to live for more than one thing?
i don't want to turn OCD.
but for me, the only way for me to succeed at something is to treat it as if it is a potential lover.
i have to spend a lot of time getting to know it (lots and lots of research).
i have to think about it constantly.
it has to make me happy when i think about it.
i have to dream about it.
it pretty much has to consume my life.
that's what this whole moving and saving money has done to me.
i think i have darn near succeeded at that.
but i need to make some more space in my thoughts for this energy-boosting/weight-loss management.
it's a little difficult...
but it's happening slowly.
i just need to feel like this isn't consuming so much of my time.
i catch myself thinking constantly,
"doing this extra walking on the treadmill is great and it's boosting my energy levels, but it takes too much time out of my day. i could be doing other stuff right now."
and i am wondering if this is a good or bad thought?
is it good that i am even considering being able to do other stuff?
because i have been so lazy lately that i have not wanted to do ANYTHING.
or is it a bad thought because i am trying to con myself to get off the treadmill?
i guess i am thinking too much.

i got a few sample packets of emergen-c in the mail not too long ago.
people have compared it to airborne or e-boost.
emergen-c is fucking gross!
i would rather have airborne or e-boost.

speaking of e-boost,
i took some yesterday with some random dietary pill i happened to have (i don't recall really what it was because i have a few energy pills laying around).
and i was in the best mood i've been in in weeks.
i wonder if was the e-boost/diet pill combo?
i don't know but i'm glad i could be so happy for once.

also, toothache completely gone.
which is awesome! :)
didn't have to go to the dentist or use any pain relievers.

and speaking of teeth,
white teeth by zadie smith turns out so far to be a pretty good read.
i've read every night for the 6 or 7 nights.
i am trying to also get into the habit of reading again,
after taking such a long break.

i don't know if any of you subscribe to blogs via rss,
but if you do, please add my blog to your collection. :)

junkie symphonies

2008-01-13T18:31:00.000-06:00

a few of my friends are going through hard times right now.
whether it be due to bad choices or just life shitting on you in general.
a few people have actually turned to me for advice lately.
which i am flattered about.
because i have become very, very passionate about saving money and all the tricks to do so.

this blog entry is a fun read for anyone that has tried to save money.
the ways some of these people have saved money are both hilarious and tragic.

i think sometime in the near future i will make a blog about things i have done and currently do to save money.
things that might help other people....
or disgust other people... whichever.
i will title the blog "frugalism".
look for it.
yeah, i realize frugalism is not a word.
but it should be!
or maybe frugality is good enough?

jennifer and i have decided to meet up twice a week for walking.
we walked the 3.2 miles around la fortune park saturday afternoon.
it was fun... even though i should have left the dog at home.
walking helps me feel better and gives me more energy to make it through the day.
sure, it isn't much.. but it's a start.
plus it give me quality time with my buddy.
michael will be joining us when he is out of "the states custody" as he puts it.

i'm tired of hearing the fire truck and ambulance sirens.
and why can i not understand a word crackheads say?
do you have your own language when you're fucked up?

since when are my crackhead neighbors allowed to have a piano?
and why do they compose their junkie symphonies in the middle of the night?

i am very, very close to finally being able to burn dvds.
it's such a damn long process when you aren't willing to spend any money for the fancy software to do it with.
i have found a few free options to use.
i converted harold & kumar go to white castle to a dvd file and burned it to dvd, but apparently there are a few errors in the file because it only played half way through on my dvd player.
i will attempt it again with a different movie,
hopefully with a better result.
i want to be able to burn copies of the majority of my own dvd collection, so i can sell my dvds on half.com and have less to move.

i have a toothache.
i have not had one like this since i lived with chris in indy.
so that's been about 5 years?
it's my damn wisdom tooth on the lower-right side.
it's been hurting for a couple of days now.
nothing extremely painful.
but annoying, yes.
if it continues for a few more days,
i will make a dentist appointment.
i needed to go to the dentist anyways....
but i was kind of looking to not spend much money.
maybe if i don't eat anything hard or sweet or salty....
looks like it's jello time for me.
i wish i had some orajel.

i got a $50 shell gift card in the mail saturday.
yay for mypoints.com!
this will help with my moving budget.
hopefully i will not spend it before then...

by this time next weekend,
i hope to have at least 4 more things crossed off of my list of things i need to do before i move.
1 - take brandy to the vet. shoulda took her over the summer... but didn't.
2 - get AAA premium package. i'm sure the budget package is a lot cheaper, but it doesn't have all the perks of the premium one and i need those perks incase something bad happens during the travel.
3 - renew my tags. gotta do it anyways.. it's that time of the year for me.
4 - buy a pre-paid cellphone with a spokane phone number. so potential employers and landlords won't have to dial a long distance number to reach me.

that will leave me with just the big things to get done.
like getting a tune-up on my car and filing/paying my taxes.

i think the movie juno is awesome.
it seems a little fake at times...
but overall, i loved it.
maybe cuz ellen page is so great.

i finally finished reading a book i started .....
well, i don't really recall when i started it.
but it's done.
now to move on to white teeth by zadie smith.
yet another book i've had in my possession for quite some time,
but never got a chance to read.

i dropped a fork

2008-01-09T19:02:00.001-06:00

the movie "the year of the dog" is crazy.
molly shannon kind of in a way reminds me of myself in this movie.
except maybe i'm not crazy.
but as soon as the right chihuahua comes up for adoption,
i will adopt it.

the movie "weirdsville" was kinda silly.
midgets in armor = awesomeness.

i have been making fruit/veggie smoothies everyday.
i am developing more of a taste for them now.
sometimes i add a little bit of a sugar-free pink lemonade drink mix to them.
carrots and lettuce never tasted so good.
plus it's helping me eat less.
i didn't really notice it until just now.
i don't care if it disgusts some of you.
it's healthy and may end up saving me a lot of money.

i dropped a fork on the floor in the kitchen and
when i bent down to pick it up,
it was gone.
nowhere to be found at all.
it's bothered me so bad,
i've spent an hour overall looking for it.
i know the dog didn't snatch it up before i looked down.
i looked under the fridge and stove and table and everything.

i think this website is interesting.
i wonder how accurate it really is?

i tried to use this once,
but i never got an answer back.
i wonder if i did something wrong?
it seems like a reeeeeeally good idea.
they are suppose to answer any question you have as knowledgeable as possible via text message.

for those of you with new year's resolutions ...
or just goals in general,
i still think you should check out 43things.com.
i've been a member since may,
and i've completed 90 things.
sure some are small, but some are big.
it has really helped me achieve what i want to.

i have started reading again.
i stopped for a quite some time.
i'm hoping to finish the book i started a long ass time ago by this weekend.
then maybe i can move on to a book i actually want to read.

i've decided that as soon as a female chihuahua become available for adoption via http://adopt-a-chihuahua.1-800-save-a-pet.com/ ,
i will adopt her.
brandy needs a playmate and i always wanted at least two chihuahuas.
i prefer a female because male animals tend to misbehave more from my own experience.
i was going to wait until after i move...
and i may end up still having to...
but i've noticed hardly any chihuahuas come up for adoption in spokane.
guess it's too cold to breed em up there?

thank you to anyone and everyone that has clicked the google ads to the left of my blog.
but unfortunately, for some odd reason, it isn't logging all the clicks.
in fact, it's only showing 3 whole clicks EVER.
so continue clicking if you can.
i really do appreciate it.

i have a funeral playlist

2008-01-06T15:04:00.000-06:00

i've mentioned it to a few people,
i have a funeral playlist on my itunes.
just incase.
is that weird?

i have spent more time on my treadmill the last couple of days than i have spent on it in the last couple of years.
i am trying to improve my energy level.
so far, it is working for the most part.
i get caught up watching a movie while walking and i forget that i am actually walking on the treadmill.
i hope that i am able to keep this up for the next few months.
no, i didn't have 'lose weight' as a new years resolution.
i don't make resolutions.
and i'm not doing it to lose weight,
although it is apparent that i should.
i am doing it to feel less lazy and get energy back in my life to do stuff again.

so, to go along with canceling my internet access,
i will be canceling my netflix at the end of the month.
it won't save me a bunch of money, but it'll save enough to make a little bit of a difference.
i will still be able to log on to my netflix account and make changes even if i cancel membership.
so i can continue to rate movies and receive recommendations.
and i can work on my queue down by watching movies other ways.

my electric bill was considerably less, thanks to the ice storm.
but my gas bill was considerably more.
so i guess it was a flush after all.
my electric bill is still negative due to my deposit.
so i didn't have to pay anyways.
the money i would have paid towards that bill is being transfered to savings.

so, after being able to mooch off of someone's wifi access for the last 3 days steadily, i was not able to do so this morning when i wanted to.
figures.
so i took the laptop to the tanning bed's parking lot, and no luck there either.
so like i've stated before,
please do not send me urgent messages online via email, myspace, instant messenger, etc because i won't get them right away.
but after running errands, i was able to get online by afternoon at home.

i went to the university of wash today for the first time.
not impressed.
too many people doing SEVERAL loads of laundry.
and there i am just needing to wash 2 loads.
it took me forever.
i ended up just washing the laundry and bringing the clothes home to air dry on the line outside.
i will either try a different laundry place or go back when it's less busy.

i got my haircut today.
i like it, but it's nothing awesome.
but it was better than expected for the price. :)

i also ended up going to target and buying a bunch of shit i don't need.
spent $70 there.
how on earth am i supposed to save money when i go out and splurge like that????
i did get a sweater/jacket that i will need.
and a thermal white shirt that i also need for work.
headphone i did not REALLY need.
i should not have opened them.
i should have taken them back.
damnit. bad, bad naomi.

delete hillary as a myspace friend

2008-01-03T15:39:00.001-06:00

i finally got around to canceling my internet service.
i put it off for a few days because i hate calling companies.
and of course it was a 13 minute nightmare of arguing with a customer service rep about why i want to cancel.

anyways,
if you send me a message online or whatever,
and i don't respond right away,
please remember the disconnection from the intranets...
as president bush would say.

with my new spare time i hope to start reading more again,
and maybe spend more time on the treadmill again.
but sadly, i will likely take up watching more television also while mooching wifi access in my living room.

idiocracy is a pretty funny movie.
pretty decent cast.
i got a few good laughs...
it's directed by mike judge who did office space and everyone's favorite cartoon idiots, beavis & butt-head.

the bucket list is a pretty good movie also.
it kind of makes you think about your own mortality,
and what you might do in their position.

i think everyone should check out this blog entry before you decide which presidential candidate you like the most.
i decided to delete hillary as a myspace friend. lol

also, as i mentioned before,
i signed up for a blogger account to use.
some of you have actually took the time to click the links provided,
and read my blogs there.
you guys are awesome.
the rest of you, well... apparently you have better things to do.

BUT, one reason i started using blogger was for the ads from google.
for every click on these ads, i get around .19 cents.
of course i won't see this money until i reach over 500 clicks.
so, normally i would not ask my friends to do this,
but i need as much extra money for my move and things i have to do before i move.
so if you could click a banner once or twice, and then simply close the website it directed you to,
that would be great.
i would do it myself,
but i would get into "trouble" for clicking on my own ads.
i'm not asking you to donate money to me.
i'm not asking you to buy anything.
i'm just asking for a half second of your time...
if you're reading this,
i've already wasted a good deal of your time anyhow.
so why not click one of the ads to the left of this blog??

does anyone know where i can find some healthy smoothie recipes?
or have any that you like?
i've been watching a little too much tv today and on montel williams,
there was mention of making fruit/veggie smoothies to get your daily servings in.
i wanna try this.

half curly-cue red mustache

2008-01-02T16:50:00.000-06:00

i awoke to gunshots monday night.
my first thought was "not again..."
but then i looked over at the alarm clock and realized it was midnight on new years eve.
safe for one more night.
i did however, lock my gate earlier that night.
i was bothered twice by this stoner dude looking for his girlfriend.
..."if you see jessica, tell her to come home. i got a lot of money. a lot."
didn't i just tell him i don't even know a jessica?

nothing is more traumatizing than witnessing two mildly retarded co-workers making out by the trash compactor at work.
i think i am going to be emotionally scarred for the rest of my life.
i looked over, saw them necking.
i wanted to scream at the top of my lungs.
but it turned out to be more of a loud gasp.

i have come up with a scenario i would like to act out at work.
i'd like to draw a half curly-cue red mustache on my upper lip with a sharpie.
the mustache would be just on the right side of my face.
i would be at work and i'd be sitting at my desk... pretending productiveness.
i would have my hand casually covering up the drawn-on mustache.
my boss would come into my office and sit down next to me to sign-off on his invoices.
as soon as he looks up from the invoices,
i would move my hand from my face.
i wonder what his reaction would be.
would he laugh?
would he seem concerned that maybe i did not realize the half-mustache?
would he even notice it?

this will be our year

2007-12-31T15:02:00.001-06:00

okay, so no one really cares about other people's dreams.
now that we've gotten that fact out of the way,
let me tell you about the dream i had saturday night.
i must have fallen asleep thinking about that flaming lips show in okc for nye that i will not get to attend.

because my dream was strictly about the flaming lips.
...and a few hundred wild animals.
everyone and every animal were walking in a massive field.
we were trying to get somewhere.
but i'm not certain where.
but the soundtrack was provided by the flaming lips,
that much is known.
it felt like i was in the opposite of their song "christmas at the zoo".
i need a dream book.
but i think it means 2008 is the year of the flaming lips?

so i seriously laid in bed all day after work on saturday.
and all day sunday...
watching movies, surfing the net and just doing a lot of thinking.
i finally watched "the secret" again.
and it helped pull me out of my funk for the time being.
i got up and straightened up my house a little bit.
it's still a pigpen, but it's getting better.
i am taking baby steps right now...
because of feeling like shit.

like the majority of the people i know,
i want to write a novel.
of course, this means for me i will need to spend a lot of time improving my grammar.
i finally decided what i am passionate enough to write about.
and i would like to pursue it.
it will be a lengthy process,
but i think i am able to turn out at least one good book in the next couple of years.
i think this move to washington will help in the process also.

so, one of the movies i watched during my bed rest was wristcutters : a love story
all and all i thought it was a pretty good movie.
i really liked the uniqueness of the idea behind the film.
but i still think it could have had a better story line.
i think the movie was based on a book though.
i can't remember.

so i have deiced to pretty much ignore everyone in my life.
i will not see you or talk to you,
unless you initiate it.
this might be viewed as me being a bitch.
you can view it as whatever you want to...
i just am tired of being backstabbed, lied to, put down, etc.
so if i don't talk to you,
it's not because i don't like you,
it's because i am doing it to everyone.
and if you don't initiate conversation with me by april,
then i will know how you feel.
and by that time i will be gone anyhow.
simple enough.
of course, i will probably change my mind before then
and start talking to people out of my own free will.
we will see.

this is my song for 2008:

the zombies - "this will be our year"

The warmth of your love
is like the warmth of the sun
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

don't let go of my hand
now darkness has gone
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

and I won't forget
the way you held me up when I was down
and I won't forget the way you said,
"Darling I love you"
You gave me faith to go on

Now we're there and we've only just begun
This will be our year
took a long time to come

The warmth of your smile
smile for me, little one
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

You don't have to worry
all your worried days are gone
this will be our year
took a long time to come

and I won't forget
the way you held me up when I was down
and I won't forget the way you said,
"Darling I love you"
You gave me faith to go on

Now we're there and we've only just begun
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

Yeah we only just begun
yeah this will be our year
took a long time to come

i refuse to let idiots get me down...

2007-12-29T22:12:00.000-06:00

i have to work new years day this year.
in the previous years i did not have to.
but new company, new rules.
so there will be no drinking or staying up late on nye.
no flaming lips in okc on nye either.

i have to start going to a laundry mat now to do laundry.
i don't want to go anywhere near my family's house anymore.
i don't want to be known as a user either.
so i haven't been to a laundry mat in several years.
anyone in tulsa know of any "good" ones??
like the ones where a bunch of trashy people DON'T hangout at?

my brother sent me a hateful email out of the blue last night.
i read it right before work this morning.
thats how you start your day out right...
reading crappy emails from your "loved ones".
i don't understand why he is acting like an asshole to me.
i never did him wrong.
i took him in for a week and a half for the ice storm with minimal complaining about him breaking a lot of my shit.
he probably got the best xmas present anyone received from me.
and i've always made an effort to hangout with him.
but whatever.
i refuse to let idiots get me down...
even if they are my family.

so anyways,
the internet goes off monday afternoon.
hopefully it will help me with my goal to stop wasting time online.
i don't really need to be online much anymore anyhow.

and if all goes as planned,
i will be getting my hair cut on friday.
i'm sick on my hair growing out.
it looks like complete shit.
and i have so many styling products going to waste because i can't really use them.

i opened another savings account with ing,
to keep my finances apart.
i already have all my money saved for the move.
so now i have to save for the stuff i need to do before moving...
like paying taxes, getting aaa membership, car tune-up, etc.
this way i will know i don't have to wonder/worry about the move money.

nothing matters anymore

2007-12-28T16:56:00.000-06:00

all the holiday did for me is justify more reasons for me to move away.
work, family and some friends have frustrated me to no end.
i am hoping it is just because of everything that has happened the last 2 weeks or so.
but people have shown their true colors, that's for sure.
i don't want to go into details...
because complaining never helps.
lets just say i will be spending a lot of time quiet and to myself.

i have just felt like real shit the last few weeks.
when you are constantly put down by your family,
and then constantly put down at work by management...
you just don't feel like doing anything when you come home.
you feel like sleeping.
i have not even touched the presents from xmas i got.
they are still sitting in a bag in my living room.
i can't even really have anyone over to my house because it's a wreck.
i haven't felt like cleaning.
i guess you could say i'm depressed.
there are too many managers at work that are more than happy to tell you what needs to be done,
but when you try to voice a genuine concern to them,
they blow it off.
so you're still left doing other people's work.
then you get bitched at for having overtime.
i just want to quit my job and lay in bed all day.
i need a vacation badly.
i was trying to save all my vacation time up for when i quit...
it would make for a nice last paycheck.
even if i did take vacation,
i would come back to a goddamned nightmare or work to catch-up on,
because everyone knows nothing would get done.
it just feels like nothing matters anymore.
and thats a horrible feeling.

mom got me some thermal underwear for xmas.
normally i wouldn't bother commenting about something like this...
but they are SO warm and comfortable.
i want to wear them all of the time.
Cuddl Duds are my new friends.
i plan on buying several more pairs in the up-coming months before my move.

i watched america: freedom to fascism.
i guess there is no law stating you have to pay income taxes.
but you are still expected to pay them.
turns out the money from our income taxes doesn't even go to anything important.
that's why we have all those other taxes.
in fact, most of our income tax money is undocumented and no one knows where it goes to.
yet another reason to move out of the united states.
there are supposed to be new national i.d. cards issued in may 2008 to every american citizen.
if you don't accept the card,
you will no be allowed to board airplanes, open accounts with major banks or set foot in federal buildings.
doesn't sounds so bad to me.
the film also goes into the honesty of voting....
and how it doesn't even really matter who you vote for,
if someone rigs the count.
more reasons to feel let down.

i just found out about this site http://joox.net
it allows you to watch movies free of charge without having to download them or rent them.
there are similar websites out there,
but i really like the interface of this site.
i have viewed several full-length new releases this way.
ofcourse, it only has select movies.

i still plan on canceling my cable internet in a few days.
the savings will be well worth the time spent away from the internet.
i am able to get online through wifi at home everyday sometimes.
i can take my laptop to the tanning bed's parking lot and get a stable connection.
and if all else fails,
i can pay to use wifi at mcdonalds or borders or the like for a small fee.

dance around like a retarded mick jagger

2007-12-22T19:33:00.000-06:00

this entry started off with a nice, long complaint about work.
but i realized it doesn't help to bitch about it.
no one really cares, but me.
knowing that i will be moving in 3 or 4 months is the only thing keeping me from quitting at this very moment.
that is all.

i have not had time to change out the macbook hard drive or take it in to the apple store due to work.
it'll probably have to wait until after xmas now before going for repair.
not such a big deal since i have my imac....
i guess i prefer my imac's larger screen anyhow.

went out to dinner with mom and george thursday night.
it wasn't so great...
but it was good i guess that they paid for my meal.
it was just good to spend time with them.

eboost does not mix well with alcoholic beverages.
this fact did not deter me from drinking 3 drinks this way though.
it made my gin & tonic taste better.

i have been making assorted chocolate brittle like crazy.
i've made two large batches already.
with the first batch i gave some to 6 people at work and 1 for my mom.
the second batch mostly went to jennifer and her family (tiny pieces for the boys).
i have 1 more batch i want to make for my family and a couple more people at work.
i like making these chocolates because i can get creative with them...
and they are cheap to make when gifting them to several people.
cost per gift/serving = somewhere between .65 cents - 3.00 depending on size.

i realized today as i was gathering up xmas gifts for everyone,
that i will be one of those lonely old aunts that spends a shitload of money on everyone at xmas time.
because that's all i will have to live for each year.
anyone have a relative like that?
i don't... but i know of people that do.

this is the kind of christmas i want to have:

what would make me even more happy is if adrian learned the dance to the rolling stones 'start me up' video like he did for 'miss you':

actually, being able to dance around like a retarded mick jagger to any of these videos would please me really.

ever think that david lee roth wanted to make pornos...
but just kind of fell into van halen instead?

the ice storm shuffle

2007-12-20T16:08:00.000-06:00

i guess i mishandled my macbook one too many times during the ice storm shuffle,
and now it won't boot up.
so i will change out the hard drives either tonight or tomorrow and see if that fixes it.
if not, off to apple store it goes.
i'm hoping that it isn't the hard drive though.
because i will have lost everything on it and be out the money since i installed that myself.
if it's something else, apple will take care of it.
glad i didn't sell my imac or disc my internet yet.
i'm also glad that i have apple care.
i will be buying the 3 year plan within the next 6-7 months...
just in case.

i want to know why we have such idiots as managers at work?
i had 2 managers from work call me today at home about something one of the other girls could have clearly done.
so why could they not have asked them?
i'm tired of answering to a dozen different bosses and co-workers that don't hold up their end of the workload.
i am seriously considering calling or emailing our human resources director and telling him what i think of my idiot bosses.
a lot of other people are emailing about how shitty our store director is...
maybe i should also?

so anyways, i found a good idea for holiday snacks.
peppermint brittle looked good and fairly inexpensive to make.
i just made some...
and it's off the hook!
so if you see me in the next few days,
be prepared to get some of this yummy shit...
if you're lucky. :P

i think the coo-coo clock crackhead neighbor wants to be the next american idol.
he sings really loud... and horribly.
i yelled through the walls for him to "shut the fuck up"...
but he didn't. :(

so my parent's neighborhood finally got electric back on yesterday afternoon.
so i took my brother back home and my parents will be home today.
i also had to take lucy back to mom's house today.
it'll be sad to see her go,
because i have grown so attached to her over the last couple of weeks.
but as soon as my parents hit the road again,
i'll have to take care of her again.

it's only 5 days until christmas.
i lost that holiday thrill years ago...
and i especially don't have it since i work retail.
i just look forward to giving my gifts to my friends and family.
hoping that they take my gifts to heart.
and i also look forward to receiving gifts from my parents.
because my mom is going all out this year with the presents i guess.
so hopefully i got a gas card with a lot of $$$ on it.

i rented the future we will create from netflix sometime during the ice storm.
didn't get a chance to watch it until the electricity was restored.
and even then,
i didn't get to REALLY watch it.
so i watched it again today.
it's about the TED conventions.
it's interesting to see what new technology there is
and what new ideas there are for sustainability.