Amandaland

Baby Platypus

2011-08-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

I mean, seriously?

How cute are THEY?

Random Thought:

2011-05-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Pedicures. Totally worth the $20.

THIS is my life...

2011-05-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

So far, I've got to say that 2011 has been a rough ride on all fronts. Not going into the gritty details [because it's just depressing and who needs that kind of self-pity anyways, am I right?]. So instead I will tell you a funny story.

Today I walked in the doors at work [I work in a shabby old grocery store as a department head] and immediately see the vultures circling. So to speak. There were a few guys with blueprints [remodel starts in 2 weeks] and the VP of our company. [Now, a word about the VP. He has a reputation. The kind that makes you tread lightly around him and hope to God you aren't on his shit list.] Anyhoo, I did a mental break down of my department at lightning speed, trying to remember if I left my department in good shape or not. It was. So then, silly me, I thought there was nothing to worry about.

Except that I got called to check (cashier) and, who do you think came through my line? That's right! The VP. The Vice President of the company. The man who I've heard scary stories about marching in and demanding peoples jobs in a very unsavory manner. I smiled and to my delight he teased me about my department and there was cheerful banter...until I screwed up his order. He handed me cash, a $20, for about a $4 purchase. I--because God forbid I miss a chance to embarrass myself--hit the wrong button and had to call the store manager to come save me because I made a boo-boo that I didn't know how to fix. Mortifying.

Thankfully the VP was good humored about the whole thing [I was totally freaking out on the inside]. I half expected them to make me a bagger again.

This is all in true Amanda style. I'm not suave. I'm not cool and collected. Obviously. AND I babble when I'm nervous. God knows what I said to the man.

Oh well, can't undo it so might as well get over it. Tomorrow's another day.

Wowza.

2011-05-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in ages. So here's what's new:

I have moved in with the boyfriend.
We have adopted a cute [if not quirky] red heeler named Sammy
I have been promoted on the work front. I now run my own department and stress way more about not being a super hero.
I have gained back EVERY. LAST. POUND. That I lost.
I am trying to get back on the Weight Loss Wagon because, well, I'm feeling a bit like a fat cow ;)

Cheers.

A Blurb About My New Paper Shredder

2010-12-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

This Christmas my Dad bought me a paper shredder (which I have been asking for for about 3 years now.)

It shreds magnificently. Its all I can do not to scour my entire apartment and shred Every. Spare. Scrap. Or perhaps the box FULL of sensitive documents to be destroyed. The only thing stopping me is that it would probably annoy the crap out of my neighbors.

Teehee. What fun.

:)

Cheers

2010-12-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

This morning I was sitting in my car, minding my own business, patiently waiting for the barista to GIMME my freakin' latte when suddenly CRASH the lady behind me takes her foot off the break (mistakenly thinking it was in park) and rear-ends me. Assessing that the damage isn't of epic proportions and no one is hurt I proceeded to calm the lady down [She was freaking out a little. I was strangely zen about it all], collect my latte [lets not underestimate the healing powers of white coffee with a splash of white chocolate and vanilla], and pull out of the way so we could exchange our insurance info and all that fabulousness.

Aside from my latte stand adventure there's all kinds of stuffs going on in the world of Amanda. I'm being promoted as of January which is scary and exciting in equal measures.

I've been preparing for Christmas with lots of shopping. I'd take pictures of the mountain of presents except my camera battery is d-e-a-d and I seem to have completely lost my battery charger for it. I suspect I left it somewhere in my travels this year. Time for a new one, oh darn.

Oh, AND I'm getting a Wii for Christmas.

Does it get any better? I feel like a little kid. Normally I have a serious case of the Bah-Humbugs but I'm feelin' the whole holiday season this year.

Things have been a little crazy lately.

2010-12-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was awesome, we [my mother's family, my boyfriend, and I] ate lots of delectable holiday goodness and then tried to play Apples to Apples...but the food-coma we were all in made it difficult to go on. Eventually we gave up and waddled/rolled our separate ways.

Meanwhile, there have been all kinds of crazy things going on at work. I'm interviewing for a promotion this coming friday. Yikes.

I'm thinking 2011 could be a big year for me. It will certainly be a year for change. I can only hope that all the change is for the better.

Confession:

2010-11-09T17:11:00.001-08:00

I just ate waffles for dinner.

I should probably be feeling more guilty than I am at the moment but I'm currently in the upswing of a sugar high.

Whee.

The Danger of Thrift Store Shopping...

2010-10-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

...is in leaving with more crap than you meant to.

I went to my local Goodwill today after work looking for one item. One. A black pair of pants [that didn't make my ass look huge]. Sounds reasonable, right?

Instead I left with:

one pair black pants [jury"s still out on how they make my ass look...]
one white sweater [silk! with beads!]
two soup bowls [vintage looking with handles--perfect!]
one board game [Worst Case Scenario board game which may or may not be missing pieces...]
one book [The Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield, in new condition]

On the bright side, I got all this for $23 and some change.

I love thrift store shopping!

Smashing Pumpkins

2010-09-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a concert with two of my besties. Smashing Pumpkins
rocked the house. However, it was so freaking hot in the concert house we had to keep leaving the concert area to go cool down. Apparently Billy Corgan (I call him Q-ball) had them crank up the heat because it's better for his vocal cords. Thanks pal.

We ended up leaving before they finished the encore because we couldn't take it anymore.

It was still awesome.

Women's Retreat

2010-09-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I went to a women's retreat at Camp Swayolakan with my pal Denise and some of her other friends. It was a blast!

There was archery

Lots of lounging and taking in the scenery

Kayaking

And a ropes course that was nearly the end of me...

...or so I thought.

What a wonderful new tradition. We all can't wait to go back.

My Summer So Far

2010-08-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

Sitting here looking at a big empty white space, I have no idea what I've been doing this summer. But I've been busy. Tragedy of tragedies, I have not been taking my camera along on my little adventures like a total slacker.

But here's some of what I've been up to:

lots of barbecues/game nights with my nerdy family
lots of fresh lemonade and walks through Manito Park
a trip to Portland with some friends
spending time with a boy (wink)
camping with said boy and his redneck friends
eating entirely too much of the wrong things (I'm up about 5lbs. gasp!)
watching Shark Week
learning to cable knit
working of course...
hm, thats about it...

Anyhoo, I still have some fun planned for this summer even though it's winding down. Denise and I are going on one more kayaking adventure (there will be wine tasting on this one. Yum.) and I'm hoping to squeeze in another camping trip, though that's looking questionable. The Boy is planning on dragging me to a few mud racing events (Oh, boy...) and if I get my way I'm going to make it to Silverwood at some point. Oh and somewhere in there I need to get back on the weight loss wagon. Sigh.

Wish me luck.

WOW

2010-08-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

You know you've been gone a while when you can't remember your blogger password...

I've been a busy bee. More on that later.

My Fabulous Weekend in a Nutshell

2010-06-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday I scored a free ticket to see Star Wars in Concert, which was amazing. My inner nerd rejoiced. I'm thinking I need to watch them all in order now, which I've never done. (Nerd. Yeah.)

Then Sunday I went to my dad's house and made Eggs Benedict (Y.U.M.) and promptly ran off to have a kayaking adventure with my friends Sara and Denise. It was SO. MUCH. FUN.

We're so doing that again.

RanDumbs

2010-06-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

(Denise, I stole this picture from you. Thanks, friend! Bwahaha.)

I've been slacking on the bloggage lately, largely due to the fact that my life is boring. However here are some tidbits.

Yesterday I went to Farm Chicks with some friends. I just love looking at all the stuff and imagining what I would put in my own home if I didn't rent a tiny apartment. It's all just so cute!

I saw this mini survey on another blog and stole it. Feel free to do the same. I figured it would serve as sufficient fluff for my blog since I don't have anything truly scintillating to share today.

1. If you were about to eat your last meal. What would it be?

Pizza. Fresh, take and bake pizza from Pappa Murphies. I'm lactose intolerant but at that point, why the heck not?

2. You got front row seats and backstage passes to your favorite music artist. Who would you want to see?

This one's hard. Probably Aerosmith just because they are awesome and well, they are getting older. And Stephen Tyler keeps hurting himself. God only knows how long they're going to be able to keep on rockin'.

3. If you went back and did High School over. Would you change anything? Why?
I spent a lot of time in my own head in high school. I think if I could do it again I would be more outgoing in general.

4. What's a movie you watched growing up that brings back memories of your childhood?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The Wizard of Oz.

Marry Poppins.

The Little Mermaid.

etc, etc.

5. Introvert or Extrovert?

Introvert.
6. You can inherit one talent.... what would you choose?
Telekinesis would be fun.

7. What is your signature scent/perfume?
Bulgari Omina Crystalline
8. Are you a phone, email, text, and/or chat type of person?
email, phone and text in that order

Wow. That was thrilling!

Making the Hard Choices

2010-05-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

Life is full of tough choices. Here are some I've been mulling over obsessively.

When I go camping this weekend:

What books do I take? And how many? I'm going to be gone for 4 days and it will be raining so...
How many pairs of socks/pants/etc. should I pack?
Which shoes? [I agonized over this almost as long as the books. Again, it's supposed to rain. All. Weekend.]
How will I make it through the whole weekend without gaining a bazillion pounds? I want to have my cake and eat it too. Or beer. Or chili dogs, whatever the particular "camping food/beverage" of choice happens to be.

And then of course there's the "what am I forgetting?" that haunts me. I'm sure I'll remember whatever it is once I'm 2.5 hours away and in the middle of the woods.

Things I have forgotten on past camping trips:

pajamas
toothbrush (yeah, ew.)
toothpaste
deodorant
sunblock
bug spray

Thankfully, never all at once.

Spring Has Sprung

2010-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from my favorite place in Spokane.

Feed Me!

2010-05-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

"Feed me, Seymore!"*

There's an interesting phenomenon that I've noticed recently. People want to feed me. My parents, my friends, my co-workers. I'm not starving (trying to lose weight actually). I'm not [that] broke. I'm not sad and alone and pathetic [at least I don't think so]. I'm not incapable of cooking. But for some reason others feel the need to invite me over, bring me food [at work] etc.

And, really, who am I to turn my nose up at a free meal?

Maybe I send out a helpless vibe that makes others want to nurture me. Like this:

This will have to be studied most carefully. Maybe I can harness the power and use it ~~to conquer the world~~ for other things.

*Seriously, if you don't get that quote--you suck at life. Watch THIS.

I WANT

2010-05-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten that tonight is Taco Tuesday at Azteca, which is funny because I've been craving Mexican food all day. (Must be all the talk of cinco de mayo). But even more so, I have been craving a strawberry margarita like nobodies business. For months, actually. I've completely given up alcohol for I-don't-know-how-long but tonight...screw it. I'm having a margarita. It's gonna be good.

Don't Touch the Pudge

2010-05-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have a general "hands off" policy when it comes to my chub. So when I'm at my gym frowning at the sign that says "Now offering one free personal training session" it's because I know better. Because I've done it before. And while there is nothing more helpful to those of us on a weight-loss journey than a personal trainer, there is also no greater nemesis than someone who will grab and measure the fat in various places of your body to find out what percentage of your body is indeed FAT.

I've lost around 25 lbs., which I'm proud of but damn if I haven't hit a wall. This would be a good time to have a session or two with a personal trainer but I just don't feel up to it. The whole fat grabbing/calculating thing turns me off (in more way than one).

On a completely different note, I've been considering going back to school--something I swore I'd never do. What can I say? I've had some time to get a little perspective. Mostly what it comes down to, school and weight-loss too for that matter, is that I need to take control of my life. I've tried being the passive "go with the flow" type and it just isn't me. I'm a planner. I am a control freak. I'm not happy any other way.

I'm okay with that.

Places I Want To Go Someday (in no particular order)

2010-04-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

India

Tibet

China

Norway

Scotland

Ireland

London

Spain

(yes, I would totally go see the bullfights)

Rome

Athens

Safari in Africa

I'd better start saving my pennies.

My Staycation

2010-04-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of my staycation (Stay Home Vacation) but I try not to think too much about that. Not that I've done anything exciting the last five days--sometimes it's nice to do nothing. And I have. A lot of nothing.

I've done some shopping (definite non-scale victory with sizing!) spent some time with family (I totally dominated at Scrabble) and read a few books, watched a few movies, knit, worked out and...that's about it. Rough weekend, I know.

It's been a little challenging on the weight loss front. My schedule at work allows for a nice, structured meal plan and I behave myself more than when I'm home or out with friends/family for meals. Our final weigh in for the Biggest Loser competition at work is in about three weeks.

Time to get my game face on.

How To Train Your Dragon Widget

2010-04-11T21:29:00.001-07:00

Why Spinning is the Bestest

2010-04-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Fabulous facts about spinning:

you can burn 500+ calories in one session [WAY more than doing just about anything else for the same amount of time]
anyone at any fitness level can do it because you control the tension of the bike [and its low impact]
I personally get a way better workout with an instructor there pushing and encouraging me and there's a class full of people to keep up with [the instructors also make sure you're riding with good form so you don't injure yourself]
it's free with most gym memberships
it sculpts your legs and your booty [not to mention what it does for your heart and muscular endurance]

Meanwhile, I've got a serious sweet tooth and it's been rearing it's ugly head ever since the annual appearance of girl scout cookies. The sugar monster is getting out of control. So I found a chocolate chip cookie recipe (along with some others) I think I'll have to try.

Low Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Cooks.com

1 c. sifted flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter
4 tsp. sugar substitute
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips (3 oz.)

Sift together the dry ingredients. Cream butter, add sugar substitute, vanilla and eggs, blending well. Add flour mixture and beat well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by level teaspoons on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a moderate oven, 375 degrees, for 10 minutes.

Makes 36 cookies, each 48 calories.

...mmm, cookie dough...

My New Roommates

2010-04-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

So I have some new roommates. My place is pretty small but they don't seem to mind that. In fact, they've been moving the whole family in. Goody for me.

Yep. That's right. Carpenter ants.

Have I mentioned I don't like bugs?

It started with one or two ants [apparently they are the scouts for the colony] here and there and didn't think much of it. Until suddenly there were more, and more and more and they were getting bigger and bigger. My response was to declare war.

I bought ant bait/poison and sprayed *Raid around the window they seemed to find appealing [just so happens to be the window closest to my bed]. The next morning I woke up, rolled over and looked down at the floor where I found what looked like a small battlefield...little bodies everywhere. But they just kept coming.

Finally a few nights ago I decided I was losing the battle after I heard them falling from the window to the floor in the middle of the night and promptly relocated myself to the couch. I called my landlord the next day and he's evicting my roommates.

Good riddance!

*FYI an exterminator told me not to use Raid ever ever ever. It can make it harder to get rid of the problem.

Yoga and Other Things

2010-03-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

My body hurts a bit. I did a strength training workout Sunday that left me sore for a few days and then I went to yoga with Denise. Apparently I was a little overzealous in my stretching because the following day my hamstrings and quads were killing me. Not that I let that deter me from going to spin class last night...still working off those damn girl scout cookies. Which are the devil.

I think I'll take it easy a day or two.

Back to the yoga. The yoga instructor, we'll call him "Bob," cracks me up. He's always so Zen. Either that or he's stoned. I know most yoga instructors work on having a soothing, calm voice during class but sometimes, while my head is inverted and the blood is rushing to my brain, it just makes me want to giggle.

On another note, some friends and I signed up for a kayaking day trip this summer. I. CAN'T. WAIT.

Damn the Girl Scouts!

2010-03-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

Damn the Girl Scouts and their:

-cute little uniforms
-cute little smiles
-delicious cookies (Notice how the price tag is never even a deterrent?)

...did I mention the cookies? I've partaken of far to many this week...but we're not gonna talk about that.

Seriously, how do you say no to this face?

I need a battle plan. Because if I happen to walk by a stand with all the cuteness and all the cookies, I just might break and buy more Samoas or Tagalongs. Sigh.

Communicating in this Modern Age

2010-03-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

I crack myself up.

Today

2010-02-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

Sleeping in
Red nail polish
Flip flops
More than one cup of coffee
Sushi
Bookstores [is it weird that I love the way they smell?]
Sunshine

Yep. It was a good day.

A Rant

2010-02-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

I'm in a weird place right now with the whole making-my-ass-smaller thing. [Please excuse my French.] Here's why.

1. My scale is a $8 analog scale from WalMart. Which means that it really doesn't give me my exact weight, it just ballparks it for me. Most of the time. Other times it just teases me. [It's ~~a little bit of a lying whore~~ a little unreliable shall we say.]

At least it seems to be trending downward.

2. My clothes don't really fit right. My jeans are all too big and kinda baggy. BUT the next size down is too tight. As in, I can suck it in and button them but I cannot zip them up. Repeat, I cannot.

3. Temptation is everywhere. A really good friend of mine just got back after being away for a few years and, well, I've been a bad, bad girl. See:
-1 beer
-1 lemon drop shooter
-1 double cheeseburger
-1 small fry

I'll be pondering the mystery that is deep fried oreos tonight at the spinning class at my gym. No, I didn't have any. But I better stay the hell away from the Onion [where they serve the deep fried ~~heaven~~ oreos.]

Sigh.

Devil Birds

2010-02-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

I work in a grocery store, a big, old, grocery store. And every winter some cute little birdies sneak in seeking refuge. They fly around for a while ripping into our backstock bags of birdseed or venturing out to the produce department to help themselves to the smorgasbord of fruits and veggies. Until this year I'd been a sympathizer. Lets face it, there are two ways to get rid of these guys. Option one involves catching them in a box/net/trap of some sort [good luck with that] OR there's option two--pulling an Elmer Fudd and shooting the poor little bastards. Poor Tweetie.

Until this year I'd been horrified by the idea that during the wee hours of the morning our night crew was doing a little "pest control" with an airsoft gun.

And then one day I was minding my own business, doing my job, when I felt something hit the outside part of my hand. That's right, folks. It was bird poo. That was when I decided we couldn't be friends any more and crossed over to the dark side. It was on.

Fast-forward to today when I found bird crap on some of my merchandise along with a slew of nesting type debris and, well...I hope they get every last one of 'em. Freakin' birds. It made me think of this:

Happy V-Day Peeps

2010-02-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

People react differently to the singles of the world. Me, being 24, fabulous, and therefore "of a marriageable age" and in my "childbearing years" [did I miss the memo? When did this happen?] I suddenly find myself being pitied, envied, and/or suspected of foul-play because of my single status. Valentines day tends to magnify this effect. And while most of the time I'm perfectly happy being single [or not, it's all good] I find myself feeling defensive on V-day.

No. I don't have a date for valentines day. People often take a second to gauge your reaction when you tell them this. Some of them are even brazen enough to ask "Really? Why don't you have a boyfriend?" Seriously? I'm too young to be a spinster, this isn't the 18th century. We'll reassess the situation in about another 16-20 years, k?

So, seeings as I am free today and it's the lovey, dovey, hallmark holiday of couples, I figured my options were these:

1. Party Like a Rock Star

2. Sit Around Pining for a Boyfriend With A Pint of Ben & Jerry's

3. Pretend It's Just Another Day

Now. There are some problems with these possibilities.

1. A) I'm not drinking much these days--it's expensive and a lot of empty calories and I'm trying to lose weight.

B) All the other good stuff is "illegal"

C) I have to work in the morning

2. A) I'm really not the pining type

B) I'm especially not the pining type when it comes to men, my pride gets in my way

C) I'm lactose intolerant anyways

So that leaves me with option C. Awesome. I'm going to go see a chick flick with a friend of mine who has forsaken the men in her life to have some girl time and pretend that today is not a hallmark invented holiday to rub my singleness in my face.

O.M.G.

2010-02-13T23:39:00.000-08:00

This blog made me laugh out loud: http://www.fupenguin.com/

Check out the post on baby bats.

Seriously. They're kinda cute, huh?

OK, I Was Wrong

2010-02-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

Don't tell anyone.

I saw previews for Julie and Julia a while back and thought, "Wow. That looks stupid. Definitely gonna skip that one."

I take it back. It was funny and sweet and fabulous.

Watch it will a full stomach. [You've been warned.]

Ladies and Gentleman

2010-02-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

I am no longer an Extra Large. That's right. I went to buy myself some new gym clothes yesterday and went down to size Large! WOOT!

I decided to splurge a little with my tax return and bought:
-2 new gym shirts
-1 pair of yoga pants (for my *contraband yoga)
-Jillian Michael's 30 day shred
-15 Minute Gentle Yoga
-a fancy shmancy new water bottle for the gym

At work we just finished a 90 day Biggest Loser contest (I only lost 6 lbs. The holidays are not my friend) and my lovely friend Denise won. We also decided to do another contest since some of us (myself included) still plan on losing more. I'm feeling more prepared this time around.

So here I sit with my coffee, letting my iPod charge a little, before I vibrate off the the gym to kick my butt a little. I think I'm going to take it easy so that I can go to the spinning class tomorrow without being in more agony than usual.

*This brings me to the contraband yoga. My friend Denise got me a guest pass to her gym back in December to check out the yoga class (for beginners) and it was great. Unfortunately I have a gym membership elsewhere and her gym is quite a drive for me--so joining was out. BUT. The yoga instructor moved the class to a sort of annexed building meaning that you can just walk right on in and he has no idea if you're actually a member or not. So I'm planning to do a juvenile sneak-in session or two. Bwahaha.

Knitting

2010-01-31T09:34:00.000-08:00

Denise took these with her Blackberry Friday night. Some of us have started meeting for a "sit and knit" at Hastings Hardback Cafe. People's reactions to seeing us knitting is always interesting. Some people are flat out fascinated ( I think a lot of people have never actually seen it done, I hadn't before I learned). Some are amused (and tease a little) and still others are knitters/crocheters themselves and as I mentioned before in another blog they tend to come visit and see what you're working on.

I love it. ♥

Okay, now I have to confess something. I keep telling myself that every time I do it it will be the last time. But then I see another one I just can't wait to start and...well...I'm currently reading (in the middle of, actually) four different books. I know, it's sick.

People ask me, "How do you keep them straight when you read that many books at a time?" The answer is simple. They are all so different as far as story line and the characters that I have no trouble keeping them seperate or remembering what's going on. Which is why it keeps happening. Oh well. Embrace it, that's what I think.

Yep. Definite book nerd.

Oh well.

the Behemoth

2010-01-24T14:26:00.000-08:00

the Behemoth

My grandmother bought this some time ago for a pretty penny and made it known that it was to be mine one day. I had no idea until my mother called me a few weeks ago and told me that my grandparents were moving and "downsizing" and that they were wondering if I could take the Behemoth now.

So after my mother gave me the dimensions of said beasty I aimlessly wandered around my small apartment trying to figure out where I was going to put it without subtracting furnature or blocking a window, door, outlet, or appliance. There was only one such place. The far corner of my living room, where it towers today thanks to help from my brother, uncle and cousin.

Now. What do I put in it? Because it is woefully empty.

I've never been a collector of anything because I get hung up on the functionality issue. What good is a box full of old coins or bookfulls of postage stamps? Fine China? It's pretty but not something I would use. It would sit around and collect dust.

I thought about starting to collect some antique or funky looking teapots ('cause they're pretty) but there's that whole functionality thing again.

An Early WTF Wednesday

2010-01-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

Forgive me, I have been remiss. Today Denise informed me, in a very ~~demanding~~ concerned tone, that I needed to blog.

So here it is--prepare yourself! I decided to do a WTF Wednesday post even though it's tuesday (wtf?)

Item #1: WTF Facebook?

Suddenly everyone is on facebook. I don't know when it happened but even my parents have joined the webiverse [I just made that up. hah.] I'm even getting friend requests from people I don't really know.

For instance, yesterday I got a friend request from an old friend's boyfriend [did ya get that?] with whom I've maybe exchanged two sentences. She and I weren't even facebook friends until this point.

What is one to do in this instance? I work with his girlfiriend's mother [again, did you get that?] The way I see it I have two options, 1) ignore this person at the risk of being seen as an uppity be-otch OR 2) accept the friend request and hope they aren't cyber stalking me.

...So I accepted the friend request. Making friends shouldn't be this complicated, am I right?

Item #2: WTF Inventory People?

Denise and I get to have the pleasure of counting our abundant gm backstock in preperation for inventory for the second time this month (usually it's every 3 months) because the inventory crew that came into the store botched the job so bad that our District Manager sent them packing. Fabulous.

Item #3 WTF Knitters? (this is more of a cheer than a jeer)

When I took a knitting class this last spring the instructor mentioned something about approaching other knitters for help or to talk about knitting. This was not the first time I'd heard a knitter say something about just walking up to a stranger with needles and striking up a conversation. Which apparently is very common.

Behold, the power of yarn.

So a few weeks ago a friend and I were at Hastings Hard Back Cafe knitting and gossiping when a fabulous twenty-something (much like myself) walked up to us and started chatting about knitting and crocheting and the whole thing ended with us exchanging phone numbers and emails and making a knitting date.

Crazy. But fun.

the Dreaded Black Screen

2010-01-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

Last night my computerscreen went all funny with black and white diagonal lines. I restarted it and got the same thing so I figured I'd shut it off and then it would be magically better in the morning. Nope. Now the screen is black and the tower was making a whirring sound like a revving engine. Not good.

Fastforward to a panicked call to my computer ~~nerd~~ savvy dad who told me to clean out the fan etc. Still a black screen. God help me.

I have my laptop but my PC had all of my iTunes on it, which, of course, I have never backed up.

Initiating freak out sequence in 3...2...1...

Random Thought

2010-01-05T07:32:00.001-08:00

I miss the sun.

2010

2010-01-02T23:04:00.000-08:00

I never make new years resolutions because I usually lack the conviction needed to follow through for an entire year. I'm thinking monthly resolutions might be more my speed.

Nevertheless, here's my general 2010 list:

I will continue working on being a healthier/happier me

I will continue to lose weight and go down at least one pant size

I will learn to crochet

I will spend more time outside/admiring the beauty of the world

I will walk Bloomsday

I will participate in NaNoWriMo even though it will make me crazy

I will not obsess about things I cannot control

Happy New Year

Movies I Have to See

2009-12-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have not see Avatar, get off your computer and go see it. Right now.

Fritzi Lou's Peach Cobler

2009-12-25T19:28:00.001-08:00

Earlier this year my Grandma Frizi passed away. It wasn't until her memorial that I began to understand how little I knew her. To me she had always been the big, boisterous, baking grandma who made a mean peach cobbler and made sure there was steamed broccoli on the table just for me.

As it turns out she sang opera when she was younger--they played a song she recorded for Mesiah in her youth that literally moved most if not all in the room to tears. She also was a poet. Fritzi wrote the kind of poetry that, like her peach cobler, stirs the soul if not the heart.

My cousin and his wife were kind enough to compile a booklet of some of her poetry and recipes for all of us (a daunting task, I'm sure) for Christmas. So here is a tidbit for you.

Peach Cobbler

2009-12-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

You will need:
1 cube butter OR add 2 tb olive oil and grease the pan
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
2 16oz. cans of peaches, with juice

Place the butter in an 8" baking pan. Put the pan in the oven as it preheats to melt it.

In a bowl mix the dry ingredients together then add the milk and mix thoroughly.

Remove the pan from the oven and pour the batter evenly over the butter. DO NOT STIR!!! With a slotted spoon place the peaches evenly across the batter then pour the juice over the top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

For an extra delicious dessert sprinkle one cup of huckleberries over the peaches before baking.

Poetry and Peach Cobbler

2009-12-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

These two poems were written by my grandmother. I couldn't decide between them so I put them both.

Reincarnation (1963)

I have loved you through
the endless corridors of time,
as far away as memory can reach.
Measureless, eternal beatings
of some ancient heart are binding
each to everlasting each.

And when the white-capped waves
have ceased to hurl themselves
against the shore,
my immortal self will love you
still the same,
because I cannot love you more.

What does God Do? (1938)

What does God do
during the day?
He counts his silver
and stores it away.

What does he do
all through the night?
He counts his gold
and locks it up tight.

What does he do with
his silver and gold?
Why, he gives it to you
all you can hold.

He counts it all out
day by day and gives
it to angels to
scatter away.

To ripen the fruit
and richen the soil,
to gladden the hearts
of men who toil.

To urge all the buds
to hurry and bloom,
to stream through the window
of a poor garret room.

To nourish the wheat
into ripe golden grain.
It streams down the mountains
and floods on the plains.

And deep in the shade
helps the grasses grow taller.
On each leaf in the forest
shines one silver dollar.

My Lack of Bloggage

2009-12-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in almost two weeks. No, I wasn't in a turkey coma [long] I just haven't been feeling very inspired.

It's been f-f-freezing here in Spokane. I've spent most of my time huddled under blankets reading/knitting/watching t.v. I can't go out without wrapping up in several layers ~~because I'm a sissy~~ because it's c-c-cold. I don't want to go anywhere because I'm usually halfway to my destination before the car heater is working and it's hard to drive when you're all wrapped up like Randy from A Christmas Story.

I'm just thankful there's been very little snow. I got my fill last year.

Random Fact: By March 30, 2009 the National Weather Service in Spokane had recorded a seasonal snow total of 93.6 inches at Spokane International Airport, besting the previous record set in 1949-50 by a mere tenth of an inch.

Happy Turkey Day

2009-11-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Random Fact Friday

2009-11-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

Ok, so it's not really a fact. It's more of an Urban Legend.

But still...

As a Book Nerd, I thought that was funny.

Another random fact: spinning classes make your tailbone feel like it's going to crack. I went to check out the spinning class at my gym today for the first time and OH, my aching pieces!

But I felt great afterward.

Lying Liar and Other Things

2009-11-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

A bunch of us at work are trying to loose weight in our own "Biggest Loser" type competition. Lucky me, I lost about 10 lbs. before the weigh in [flu bug] which means that it didn't count towards the competition. Although it still counts toward my personal goal [no numbers!]

I've developed this habit in the morning of stepping onto the scale first thing [after using the bathroom] and discovered that my $8 scale from Walmart is a lying liar. Apparenly my weight fluctuates around 5 lbs. throughout the day with what I'm assuming is waterweight and such. Still, it said I'd lost almost 20 lbs. I know that's not entirely true, but it looked pretty. :)

My sister and I are going to see the Lion King on Sunday. I'm SO excited ['cause I'm a nerd like that].

Also, I finished my very first knit hat. Very exciting. It's a little large and I managed to invert my stitches when I was finishing it but, whatever. Yay!

Michael Jackson and the Tooth Fairy

2009-11-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to my Dad's house for dinner. Afterward we all sat down to play Imagine If [highly recommended, it's awesome] and in that game you write down the names of all the players along the outside of the board. There are 8 places so if you have less than 8 players you fill in the spaces with names of people and they don't have to be living or real. [In the past we've used Brittany Spears and Kevin Costner for instance.] This time we used Michael Jackson, Santa and the Toothfairy.

Now before I continue, let me just say that I sometimes say things before I think about them and how other people will react to the words that jump out of my mouth. So there I am staring at these names on the board and I laugh and say, "Wow. Out of all these names one is dead and two aren't real." There was a moment of shocked silence in which my dad gave me his sideways-bug-eyes look and my step-mom stared over at me with her jaw on the floor. This was at the exact same time that my sister was shouting "THEY ARE TOO REAL!" and my brother chimed in "Are not!"

Apparently my kid sister hadn't discovered the truth about the tooth fairy and Santa yet. Oops. My bad.

To quote Homer Simpson, "Doh!"

Random Fact Friday

2009-11-13T06:33:00.000-08:00

French kissing involves all 34 muscles in the face. A pucker kiss involves only two.

On a different note, I had an optometrist appointment last Wednesday. Is it me, or is it kind of stressful? They're asking you all these crazy questions "Which is better, 1, 2, or 3?" or "How about now? and now?" I felt like I was back in school and the professor was messing with my head.

Apparently I passed the test though, I got my prescription for contacts renewed. Yes!

It's Good to be Queen

2009-11-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today at work I went to my locker in search for a spoon and found this little lovely taped to the front:

I had to smile because I knew my friend Denise was the culprit. And it's totally true. So, as she suggested, I renamed my blog.

Thanks Denise!

NaNoWriMo

2009-11-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

So apparently it's NaNoWriMo which, for those of you who have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, is National Novel Writing Month. Who knew there was such a thing?

All kinds of people. I'd heard it so much that I finally googled it.

Basically, all the writers of the world (?) professional and aspiring write a 50,000 word novel just for a challenge. Deadline is November 30 at midnight. Just to give you an idea, the average novel is around 100,000 words.

Sounds like fun. I write only as a hobby (and I guard my writing viciously, people rarely read it--the most anyone has read my stuff was when I took a creative writing class last year [loved it!]) I might even be tempted to try it but it's already the 8th, almost the 9th, and 50,000 words is a tall order, and I'm kind of a sissy.

But still. Totally awesome idea.

The Lady With the Cookie

2009-11-01T01:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was hectic. It was Halloween and it was busy. On top of all the fun things I already needed to do I periodically ended up in a check stand [I work at a grocery store]. At one point a woman in one of those electric wheelchairs came through my line. She bought only one item; a shortbread cookie that was shaped like a pumpkin and had the words "Happy Birthday" scrawled across them in neon green frosting. I thought it was cute but I refrained from commenting on it as I helped her count out the exact change for her purchase.

Some time later I was off on the floor doing my own thing when the woman wheeled up to me and asked to use the phone to make a call and find out when the city bus would be stopping. So I walked her to our office and helped her make the call. Afterward she told me that when she first arrived at our bus stop today her wheels got stuck and a deaf man helped her get unstuck and off the bus. They got to talking and he told her that he was having an awful day. It was his birthday and he felt like no one cared. So she came inside and went to our bakery to pick out a cookie and asked one of the girls behind the counter to write "Happy Birthday" on the cookie. She then came through my line, bought said cookie, and tracked the guy down to give him his birthday cookie. She told me he cried and I could sympathize. That cookie had probably made his day; it made mine.

It's nice to know that there are people in the world that care, even if you're a complete stranger.

Happy Birthday, Man From the Bus.

Here's Johhny

2009-10-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

It's here.

Every fall there comes a day when I realize that the holiday season has begun.

Today was that day.

The days are shorter/darker/colder, people become more and more frantic and difficult, and the days seem more and more chaotic. Suddenly anyone that works in retail is swept up in the whirlwind of the holidays just trying to keep their heads up--forget about swimming upstream. All you can do is try to get through it. And we do. But it also means the inevitable change from autumn to winter.

I hate winter.

I am not psychologically prepared for winter. But it's coming. It actually snowed yesterday [thank goodness none of it stuck]. All of us here are just hoping this winter is better than the last two. We had so much snow last winter that Spokane effectively shut down for days. Roofs collapsed, people were stranded in their homes because they couldn't get out of their driveways or the streets; it was chaos.

BUT

The holidays have their perks too:

Halloween
-candy and scary movies [although Hocus Pocus is my usual Halloween movie of choice]

Thanksgiving
-Turkey Soup is a delicious inevitability at my Dad's house
-my Step-dad's sweet potatoes [my mom and I fight over them every year]
-pumpkin pie

Christmas
-well having a paid day off is always great
-playing Santa's Little Helper at work is fun, plus we always have a smorgasbord of yummy holiday goodness [including prime rib] set up for us in the back of the store on Christmas Eve

Have At Thee, Germs!

2009-10-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

I feel a little like I've lost a few days. Poof. Gone. Being sick will do that. I've spent the last four days ~~dying of plague~~ in the fetal position either on the couch or in bed fighting what I suspect is the flu. Today was the first day back at work, for which I was thankful. [One can only stand a certain amount of daytime television before wishing that whatever ails them will finish them off.]

I've decided that from now on I'm going to get the flu shot. The only reason I didn't this year was because I was too much of a tightwad. Lesson learned.

Now begins the daunting task of ~~decontaminating~~ disinfecting everything.

Sigh.

I Love This Song

2009-10-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

I heard this on the way home today. I tried to embed the actual music video but the links have all been disabled and you have to watch it HERE but here's the song:

I've also been very into this song too:

Happy Happy Happy

2009-10-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

Stephenie Meyer's book The Host is going to be a movie!

Hurray!

Tacoma

2009-10-11T11:34:00.001-07:00

I went with my dad and siblings to Tacoma to visit in September here's a few pics.

Left to right is Cyndal, Casey, Me, Jamie, Tami, and Dad. We were short one, my brother Andy missed the trip.

We went for a walk [in the pouring rain] and Dad, Casey and Jamie stopped several times to pick "nature's candy" a.k.a. Blackberries while the rest of us milled around getting wetter. This was right after breakfast, I might ad.

We found this little guy on our trek. He seemed to be enjoying the rain more than we were.

I feel like I'm repeating myself...

2009-10-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm loving that it's really fall now. The trees are starting to turn and the air has that crisp, sweet smell. The nights are pretty chilly, but I suppose that's an acceptable trade off. The shorter days aren't though.

I'm hoping to go to Green Bluff soon for the harvest festival [every weekend in October] and to wander through the corn maze, which never gets old. [Except when people cheat and ruin it for you.] Getting lost and having to backtrack is part of the fun. So is frozen fingers, sticky caramel apple lips, and heaving around pumpkins and gallon jugs of fresh squeezed apple cider. Yum.

I love the fall.

On a side note, I killed a large spider yesterday in my bathroom after only minimal amounts of squealing and jumping around.

Mama would be so proud.

Wild Things

2009-10-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to see this movie. I remember loving the book as a child and the previews look great.

Happy Friday

2009-10-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time thinking of something "blog-worthy" at the moment so I'm going to be brief.

Brain hurts, want daiquiri but have to work early. Inventory sucks.

The End. [ha.]

Actually that sums up life nicely at the moment.

Happy VGNO!

Forbidden Fruit

2009-09-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

Recently the two coke machines in the back of the store have been removed due to our Coke vendors neglecting the machines [Either the machines didn't work or they were out of everything. Always.] And I rarely, if ever, drink pop [soda, sodapop, depending on where you live] for a variety of reasons [the sugar, the calories, the way it strips the enamel off your teeth, the link to obesity and problems with bone density, etc.] and I found that I really didn't miss it. Oh, I'd have a Dr.Pepper now and then but only on rare occasion. I'm more interested in coffee for my caffeine fix. I love coffee like a fat kid loves cake.

But then, the coke machine was gone. Suddenly I had Coca Cola on the brain. I've been craving it ever since, I even had a dream about it last night. So today at lunch I bought one of the 20oz. bottles for $1.61 and drank [almost] the entire 240 calories of it. Which is saying something because normally I'm a terrible pop-drinker. I'm the type that will open a can, drink half, and throw the rest away.

I think it's that whole forbidden fruit thing.

Yes.

2009-09-26T21:30:00.001-07:00

Another post about tattoos. What can I say, I have ink on the brain.

So I've been thinking about what kind of tattoo I want. What I want it to represent and what it will mean to me. I think I have a pretty good idea.

First off, I wanted something that had some meaning. I said I was going to stay away from more floral. I lied. I am a lying liar.

The lotus is a symbol [and has been for thousands of years] of rebirth and the cycle of life, probably because of the way they drop below the water at night and resurface with the sun. This seems appropriate as this tattoo is kind of a post-graduation thing for myself and graduation was [as far as I'm concerned] the first day of the rest of my life.

But what kind of lotus? There are so many different styles of tattoos. I like the tribal tatts, the bold, flowing lines, but everyone has one and I want to be different [just like everyone else]. So I've been thinking about henna tattoos. I love the style of henna. Again, with the flowing bold lines but with henna the lines are softer and less severe. Which I like. So here are some pictures that are kind of along the lines of what I'm thinking.

I'm thinking the best way to go about this is to print off some of these and take them into the guy that I'm going to have do it so that he can use these to design something for me. [Incidentally this tattoo artist did the one on my ankle for me and the one on my moms ankle when I was a kid.]

Thoughts? Comments? Don't be shy!

I Want

2009-09-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

...another tattoo.

Every now and then I surf the net looking for inspiration. I know I want my next one to be a small one and I want it on the front of my left shoulder like this:
...but I can't decide what I want. I keep coming back to things like dragonflies, stars, etc. You know, the same thing everyone else has these days. I already have a rose on my ankle so I'm thinking floral is out. My first one kind of just came to me and I've wanted another one since I had that one done six years ago. I promised myself I'd wait until I graduated college for tatt #2. Which I did. As a sort of victory thing, so that it would have some sort of meaning aside from just being pretty.

I just can't make up my mind.

Ugh.

Ready or Not

2009-09-16T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here I am, ready to usher in the new Year of Amanda, year 24. I always find my birthday to be a bit of a relief [when it’s over]. I hate being on the cusp of a birthday, it makes me feel a little discombobulated. Don’t ask me why. I feel better when I have a solid number to compare myself with. 24 rather than 23 and 7/10. Maybe it’s because I found myself actually looking forward to turning 24.

24 will be the first school free year since preschool (if you want to get technical about it, which I do). Makes me feel a little like a real grown up. Even if that is the only real change, my being graduated, it is a big one. I’m currently struggling to recalibrate myself so to speak. College, ultimately, was a huge part of my life for years and years. It was the reason I gave a crap about graduating from high school. It influenced almost every decision I made from where to live to what groceries to buy. It made me a different person than I was before. It was (I thought) the driving force in my life.

Then I graduated.

Suddenly, I find, I am not working towards anything in my life.

Apparently I’m goal oriented.

Who knew?

It isn’t that I don’t have other goals, but some goals are more tangible than others, we can only control our lives so much. For instance, here’s a general list:

• Graduate College
• Meet Prince Charming
• Buy Charming house in suburbs
• Buy Pooch Charming
• Have multiple Charming Children with Prince Charming
• Oh and have Charming Job (interesting that that’s on the bottom of the list, isn’t it?)
• Live happily ever after, retired and living a charmed life vacationing in Italy/Spain/Ireland/etc.

Now then, does anyone have Prince Charming’s phone number?

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

2009-09-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today I had an interesting conversation with my all-time favorite customer at work, Nan Something-or-rather. (I know I shouldn't play favorites but it's true.) She's the sort of person you always walk away from feeling good after a conversation, no matter how brief. Unbeknown to her, she is the one that got me to start knitting [which I now love] and she's handed me all kinds of little nuggets of wisdom over the six years I've had my job.

Today Nan was smiling and bursting with happy, bouncing around like a kid while she told me in a singsong voice that she was in love. A little background about Nan, she's sixty-something and very independent. In her own way, she reminds me that its okay to be a happily single, independent woman. Which may sound funny, but sometimes I forget.

She went on and on about how wonderful this man was and how much they had in common [they are in the same *Gold-Wing club] and I couldn't help but grin along with her. Because, as she said, there's hope for everyone. Our society has this idea that once you hit a certain age you'd better be paired up or else. Apparently that's crap. Good to know.

*A Gold-Wing is a kind of Harley. Yes, Nan rides a Harley. Which she loves more than she has ever loved or probably will ever love any man. [I can't help but admire her for this, because I'm too chicken to ride unless as a passenger.]

Holy Leapin' Arachnids, Batman!

2009-09-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

So here I am packing odds and ends for a weekend away and making sure I have clean laundry to come back to. On the way to the washing machine I find that there is one ~~small~~ large [fuzzy, eight-legged] obstacle that looked something like this:

Now, it's no secret that I'm an absolute girl about insects with a special place in my ~~heart~~ own personal hell for arachnids.

It's my parents fault. Really.

I mean what sane parent allows their small child to watch the movie "Arachnophobia." I have a hard time killing the little buggers too. I know it's ridiculous to think that they will rally the troops and attack or something, but every time I see one I think about this:

[If you were wondering, I check my shower every time.]

So, as we have established, I am much to much of a girl to kill said nasty. So what was my solution? I contemplated skipping the laundry all together but there were things I wanted to take with me. So I tip-toed around the spider hoping I would not provoke it. [Some spiders will actually run at you {e.g. Hobo Spiders and yes, we have them}]

So far, so good, but I still haven't gotten my stuff out of the the dryer.

Soaring Part 1

2009-08-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

For graduation my dad bought me a gift certificate for the Spokane Soaring Society. You sit in a little glider plane that's towed up about 3000 feet or so and then release to ride the air currents. It was pretty awesome. (At least until my stomach had had enough, which is weird for me. I NEVER get car sick or motion sickness.) I didn't actually get sick but I was feeling queasy enough that the pilot headed back sooner than we otherwise would have.

Still, absolutely a memorable experience. Thanks Dad!

Here's some pictures I took. I'll be getting more from my dad in the next few days of me in/next to the glider.

This is the plane that towed us up.
This is the glider I rode in.
The Cockpit
The view

Hugs

2009-08-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

I saw this video on Mine to Thine and it made me think about an experience I had. I and a few friends were camping out at the Gorge for Creation 2000 when I was in junior high school. It was HOT, the showers were freezing, drinking water stayed cold for seconds only, and using the outhouse was a horrific and traumatizing experience every time. It was a three day weekend and by morning number two, I was cranky.

I rolled out of my sleeping bag, donned a pair of sandals and went shuffling off to the outhouse, still in my pajamas, contemplating the niceties of civilization [plumbing, for instance] and I must have been scowling. Or frowning. Because as I was about to walk by a gaggle of [very cute] boys one of them says, "Aww, someone needs a hug."

And before I knew it there were about four [very cute] guys giving me a group hug. How could that not make me smile?

I have no idea who they were, and I never saw them again but I remember the hug and it still makes me smile.

Early Morning Shenanigans

2009-08-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

I currently have a friend staying with me a few weeks while she's looking for her own place. I live in a small, one-bedroom apartment so this means she's sleeping in the living room. This morning I had to work at Dark'o'clock and I made darn sure that my coffee pot was set to go off and be ready for me when I ~~crawled~~ made my way to the kitchen.

I grabbed my enormous plastic coffee mug [about 32 oz., no joke] and filled it by the light of my refrigerator so as not to wake my guest. From there I tip-toed to the bathroom [did I mention it was dark] thinking 'Wow, it would really suck if I dropped this...'

And then...guess what I did.

I. Dropped. My. Coffee.

Just as I was about to set it on the bathroom counter I lost my grip [or something?] and fumbled, trying to catch it [which of course made it worse]. Luckily most of the coffee fell into the sink and down the drain but because I fumbled trying to catch it in my ~~zombie-like stupor~~ surprise, it had splattered all over the walls, sink, toilette, bathtub and my floor. And I giggled. How could I not?

I asked my friend later if she heard any of the commotion and she hadn't, she'd been dead asleep. Figures.

Note to Self, hold coffee with both hands next time.

What a tease

2009-08-17T07:28:00.001-07:00

I ordered a book and a movie from www.amazon.com last Wednesday and qualified for their free shipping. This means that the items will be shipped together and at the speed of a slug crawling uphill. I checked the status this morning and was elated to find that my package was in transit [somewhere areound Illinois] ...and then I glanced down and saw the arrival date. Friday. Ugh.

If I wasn't being a cheepskate I would probably have it tomorrow.

:(

Side Note:

2009-08-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

After a persistently hot, dry summer it's suddenly cooled off these last few days. It's 62 degrees out right now, the air is crisp and smells like the promise of rain. I know it's only a teaser, mother nature is baiting me, and Autumn [my favorite season] wont truly begin for at least another month. But its nice. It makes me happy.

I'm ready for hot cider, scarves, sweaters, and the bright colored leaves.

Oh and happy VGNO!

But it's a Classic...

2009-08-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

"'And I pray one prayer--I repeat it till my tongue stiffens--Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you--haunt me, then! The murdered DO haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts HAVE wandered on earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad! only DO not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I CANNOT live without my life! I CANNOT live without my soul!'"

- Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights, Ch. 16

This last weekend I reread Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I'd read it almost ten years ago so I'd forgotten most of the story. I usually avoid books that I think will be painful or disturbing but this one's a classic so I read it again. I'd forgotten how dark and twisted it was. The main characters make you want to scream up till the end where the author attempts to turn the story around with a happy ending (which is kind of like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound.)

Still, it's a great book. But now I feel the need to read something bright and happy. Maybe Pride and Prejudice (even though I just read it not too long ago). I could use a stroll in the park with Mr. Darcy.

;)

Hello, Mr. President

2009-08-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Between working and shopping at the grocery store I work at I think I spend enough time there. So it irks me to no end when I dream about being there. But last night I had a dream that the President came in [he bought something like a coke and some peanuts] and we had a short and awkward conversation that went something like this.

Me: How are you today?

The President: Good, thank you, and you?

Me: Good. Good.

The President: Good. It's all good. Well...not THAT good. (he smiles and I think he's talking about recession)

Me: (I shrug and bite back a smart-ass comment about politicians talking in circles while he walks away) Have a nice day.

Then in my dream I started chiding myself and telling myself that of all the people I have meaningless conversations with every day, why was it so weird to have a meaningless conversation with the man that runs the country?

It was actually pretty funny, I woke up laughing. I guess you had to be there.

This and That

2009-08-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Things I don’t understand:

• Men in kilts
• Why most women absolutely cannot put on mascara with their mouth shut but I can [maybe it’s my super power]
• People that wear flip-flops in sub-freezing temperatures
• Why I always seem to lose chap stick before I use it all up
• How ladybugs get into my apartment
• Infomercials
• The phrase: “For Pete’s sake!” Who is Pete?
• Leg/arm warmers
• What happened to the other sock [one of life’s greatest mysteries]
• Boys in skinny jeans…why?
• Why later shifts feel longer

Tidbits:

Today my official Bachelor's degree arrived. [Hurray!] And for the record, it's prettier than I thought it would be. Imagine my horror then to discover that I do not have a frame it will fit into.

Drat.

It's been pretty hot in these here parts but today, just now, it's raining! This is good news for the grass/plant life, those of us with allergies, and those of us who love the smell of rain. There also is an accompanying light show and what my family calls "Thunder-Boomers."

So...I'm gonna go watch for lightning.

This is Totally Blogworthy

2009-08-04T07:34:00.001-07:00

A friend sent me this on facebook and it's just great. Watch.

It's too bad I have no rhythm because I'd totally do this if I ever got married. What a fun way to mix up the traditional wedding.

Home Sweet Home

2009-08-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

rediscovering an old favorite [CD/book/movie]
being able to sit and enjoy a cup [or two] of coffee without being in a hurry to go somewhere/do something
flipping through magazines/reading a good book
a good, hot shower after camping or a day at the lake
coming home after being away
sleeping in my own bed
the way dogs get excited to see you EVERY TIME you walk through the door
my air conditioner [ha.]

OMG, Me Too!

2009-07-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've been following Single Girl's blog since it showed up as a blog of note some time back. Today she posted This and it made me laugh because I saw this very secret on Post Secret this week and nodded my agreement* [to my computer monitor, but whatever.]

*granted, I'm not actually 24 for another month and a half or something [I just round up at this point, there's no fighting it.]

Anyhoo, I'm off to go see if:

-my laundry is done washing
-my sink is unclogged
-I can allocate all/most of my camping gear for this weekend
-the dollar store has any of the stuff on my shopping list for said camping trip [let's hear it for cutting corners!]

Wish me luck.

Liked This

2009-07-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

--George Bernard Shaw

Feeling Uninspired

2009-07-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

...and forcing myself to blog.

But what to blog about?

I guess I could talk smack about the latest installment of the Harry Potter movies. It was, to be frank, boring and unmemorable. Sorry Mr. Potter.

I was disappointed [not that it will stop me from going to see the next two movies when they come out, because yes, I am that much of a nerd.]

On a completely different note...

I just read the Host by Stephenie Meyer. It. Was. Fantastic. I enjoyed the Twilight books but this book, I think, is her best piece thus far.

The Host was a completely different take on the whole body-snatchers idea [although it's a science-fiction piece, it's more about the people than anything]. It picks up after the invasion of these creatures, after they've taken over and the wild humans are trying to stay "wild." It's a story of friendship, tolerance, self-sacrifice and survival. The sort of story that makes you react emotionally. I loved it. I can't wait to see what Stephenie Meyer comes up with next.

Renaissance Fair

2009-07-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my sister, a friend and I went to the Northwest Renaissance Fair. If nothing else, the picture below of my sister made the whole trip worthwhile.

I heart you sis, haha.

This one is of the "gypsy camp" where they told/acted out a story of a magic pasta pot.

Some random Peacock that was roaming around.

The castle, where the games and jousting were to take place. (Sadly I missed the jousts, which was the reason I wanted to go.)

It was fun to see all these people "in character" and all the skits and things they did. Hey, it's something to do.

This weekend is my mom's birthday so tomorrow there will be Cake and Sunday I'm going to see the new Harry Potter movie [Yes!] and maybe go to the lake.

Get Your Geek On

2009-07-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a friend and I went to check out the "Out of this World" exhibit at the MAC. As you might imagine, my inner nerd was very impressed. There were costumes from several movies (you can kind of see below) and notes on who wore them and what inspired the costume. Obviously the Darth Vader costume was the coolest. It was huge. "Vader" stands 6'6" and if you walk out into the next room there's a picture of Vader on the wall so that you can stand next to him and see how you measure up. I felt short. [Sadly, I didn't bring my camera.]

There was also a Batman suit, the Wicked Witch of the West's hat, Indiana Jones's leather jacket, whip, and the chalice used in the last crusade, along with various other Star Trek and Star Wars stuffs [technical word, that].

Totally worth the $7.

I decided to blog about my little excursion after being told that I "needed to blog" by Denise. Admittedly, I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time knitting and googling things to do with knitting lately. But I did finish my very first project (a chunky, blue scarf) and it's beautiful. I've been proudly toting it around with me, whipping it out to show anyone that will look at it. [I don't feel like messing with my camera at the moment so you don't get a picture.]

Happy 4th

2009-07-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Good to Go

2009-06-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

Some friends and I are going to meet for our very own Stitch and Bitch session (which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like). We're all beginning knitters.

friends

Knitting project

chips and salsa

Tequila*

*WARNING: Tequila may cause lopsided, backward, extra, or lost stitches.

There was also talk of the super hula hoop on the Wii. With any luck, there will be no photographic evidence.

:)

Oh, and welcome VGNOers.

Mt. St. Helens area

2009-06-22T15:55:00.001-07:00

Ape Caves

2009-06-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is the mouth of the Ape Caves. The caves were formed by lava flows and make two tubes that you can hike up/down and check out. It was neato. This is what it looked like inside.

Seaside Aquarium

2009-06-22T07:33:00.001-07:00

We went to the Seaside Aquarium and got to feed the seals. They were pretty funny. Some of them would slap their sides or splash with their tails to try and get your attention (and fish).

Vacation

2009-06-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

After graduation I flew down to the Portland area to visit my friend Erin and be a tourist. Here's some pics from the trip.

These are from Seaside. I've always loved the ocean even though I don't swim well. My earliest memory is of water, which might explain my fascination.

Confession

2009-06-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I go to the Spokanimal website and look at all the animals they have in and pick out which ones I would adopt if I could.

Sigh.

Victory!

2009-06-13T15:47:00.001-07:00

EWU class of 2009 had about 2000 graduates. Phew, it was a LOT of people...

...this is just a fraction of everyone that was there...

More on all that later. For now, on with the celebration!

Weirdest Commercial EVER

2009-06-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

I saw this on t.v. one day and sat there slack-jawed the entire time. Then when it was over (and the shock wore off a little) I couldn't stop laughing. Don't ask me why.

Graduation is tomorrow, HURRAY!

Welcome

2009-06-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

I missed blogging ~~because I'm a nerd~~ because it's fun and maybe even a little cathartic. So, here it is. My spiffy, brand new blog.

Welcome.

p.s. Graduation in approximately 1.5 days, WOOT!