So, on my day off yesterday, I made beef stew. Nice chunky, homey stew...red potatoes, carrots, onions, green beans, and some really tasty beef. It was a good reminder of why I love my crockpot. Throw everything in with a little liquid and seasonings, let it do its thing...4-6 hours later, delicious dinner! And getting to smell it cook all day and make all the neighbors on my floor jealous=bonus points. I just had my second helping of leftovers. Nothing like a little stew for a midnight snack.
I've decided that, if it were healthy/practical/not something that would make my husband cry, I would love to eat this sort of thing everyday (well, while it's cold out). The warmth...the blend of hearty ingredients and savory broth...getting all that yumminess in one spoonful...it's perfect! I also inexplicably really prefer eating from a bowl, as opposed to a plate. Yep, my week could go something like this:
Monday--chicken and gnocchi (something like Olive Garden's...but lighter on the salt)
Tuesday--beef stew (from my crockpot!)
Wednesday--tomato basil soup (Panera has a really tasty version. As does Target Cafe, surprisingly.)
Thursday--miso soup (Sushi House! Or Oyama.)
Friday--baked potato soup (I actually can't think of a restaurant where I love this soup...I just know that I love it, in general.)
Saturday--chili (Texas Roadhouse has good chili, don't you think?)
Sunday--chicken tortilla soup (I think this is best homemade. Maybe for my next crockpot day!)
Mmmm.
As for other, more relevant bits of life...well, I'm not in the best of moods lately. Really excited for Christmas with my family next weekend, but otherwise feeling pretty blah-tastic. So let's just leave on the happy, cozy thought of "mmmm." Also, my warm puppies snuggling me.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Where did fall go?
I know, it isn't technically winter until the end of December...but it sure feels like winter, doesn't it? The best of fall goes by too fast. :(
Thanksgiving was last week. Jordan and I had a really great time with my family. It was good to see my grandparents and aunt and uncles. And Matt! Grant and Nikcole were absent, of course...we skyped with them after dinner. This was the first year Grant hasn't been home for Thanksgiving, but they'll be here for Christmas. (Have you seen that stupid Folgers coffee commercial with the brother and sister? The brother comes home from Africa for Christmas, gives his sister a present...she sticks the bow on his shirt and says "you're my present this year." Yeah, that makes me tear up. How lame am I?) My mom made all the typical Thanksgiving dishes--the turkey, corn casserole (my favorite!), mashed potatoes, sweet potato and apple casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce...yum. I contributed with a pumpkin cobbler. Jordan had to go back home in the evening because he was working third shift at the hotel. I stayed in Burlington til Friday...stayed up late watching Food Network with mom, ate hash browns and scrambled eggs for breakfast in the morning (have I mentioned that my dad makes the best breakfasts ever?), and had my parents drive me home in time for my Black Friday shift at Target.
Black Friday...I hate it. And I HATE that Target, and several other stores, decided to open at midnight this year. As if 4 AM wasn't ridiculous enough. I was very grateful to have been scheduled as the closer. My shift was 1:00-11:30. As far as busyness, it wasn't that bad at the cafe, at least not while I was there. (Apparently, it was completely crazy from midnight to 8:00 AM...and they only had two people there at that time, with no one scheduled to cover their breaks. Smart, Target.) Pretty much like a busy Saturday or Sunday afternoon. They were even taking my cafe team members away to work in other parts of the store, since the four of us that were there from 1:00-6:00 were bored and tripping over each other. The worst part was cleaning up at the end of the night. Since we had been opened for basically 24 hours straight instead of the usual 15, everything was really, really dirty. But overall, it wasn't too bad. Just a long day, really.
What else? Oh, my birthday was last week, too. I'm twenty-four now. Whoo. My parents got me a cookbook, a sugar cookie candle (love!), some candy, and a stand mixer. Sooo excited to have a stand mixer! My hand mixer is a hand-me-down from my parents, like thirty years old, and smells like it might burst into flames when I run it for more than a minute. I want to make something fancy now, like divinity. You definitely won't catch me buying any cans of frosting at the store.
Ah, and I guess I haven't mentioned--we have a new puppy! Bentley, an eight-month old shih-tzu. He is such a sweetheart! He came with a few problems...fleas, worms, not potty-trained (though the woman we bought him from said he was housebroken), not neutered. We've gotten the first two taken care of, still working on the potty-training, and Jordan is calling the vet today to get him an appointment to be neutered. So, it's been a bit more work than we thought it would be, but I guess that's usually the case. Bentley and Crosby's relationship is a work in progress. They're still figuring each other out. But when Bentley isn't in ultra-playful mode, they get along really well. They're cuddling with each other on the couch next to me as I'm typing this. :)
Guess I should get going...working 4:00 to midnight tonight. In softlines! Can you believe that? I haven't worked in softlines since the cafe was being remodeled in February and March. And even then, I didn't work there much. To be honest, I kind of hate softlines. There are no aisles or actual locations--you just sorta have to know where things go. And do I know where things go? Of course not! They shouldn't expect me to, given that I work at Target cafe 99.5% of the time, but I'm kind of a perfectionist at work--whatever I do, I want to do it perfectly (the fact that I don't like working at Target is irrelevant...I just have a crazy good work ethic). I hate being unsure of myself--that's a big reason why I like the cafe so much...I really know what I'm doing over there. But softlines? I might as well be a new hire. /sigh. So it's going to be a long night. If I have to fold a thousand pairs of jeans and workout pants, I'm going to scream. I hate folding pants.
Thanksgiving was last week. Jordan and I had a really great time with my family. It was good to see my grandparents and aunt and uncles. And Matt! Grant and Nikcole were absent, of course...we skyped with them after dinner. This was the first year Grant hasn't been home for Thanksgiving, but they'll be here for Christmas. (Have you seen that stupid Folgers coffee commercial with the brother and sister? The brother comes home from Africa for Christmas, gives his sister a present...she sticks the bow on his shirt and says "you're my present this year." Yeah, that makes me tear up. How lame am I?) My mom made all the typical Thanksgiving dishes--the turkey, corn casserole (my favorite!), mashed potatoes, sweet potato and apple casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce...yum. I contributed with a pumpkin cobbler. Jordan had to go back home in the evening because he was working third shift at the hotel. I stayed in Burlington til Friday...stayed up late watching Food Network with mom, ate hash browns and scrambled eggs for breakfast in the morning (have I mentioned that my dad makes the best breakfasts ever?), and had my parents drive me home in time for my Black Friday shift at Target.
Black Friday...I hate it. And I HATE that Target, and several other stores, decided to open at midnight this year. As if 4 AM wasn't ridiculous enough. I was very grateful to have been scheduled as the closer. My shift was 1:00-11:30. As far as busyness, it wasn't that bad at the cafe, at least not while I was there. (Apparently, it was completely crazy from midnight to 8:00 AM...and they only had two people there at that time, with no one scheduled to cover their breaks. Smart, Target.) Pretty much like a busy Saturday or Sunday afternoon. They were even taking my cafe team members away to work in other parts of the store, since the four of us that were there from 1:00-6:00 were bored and tripping over each other. The worst part was cleaning up at the end of the night. Since we had been opened for basically 24 hours straight instead of the usual 15, everything was really, really dirty. But overall, it wasn't too bad. Just a long day, really.
What else? Oh, my birthday was last week, too. I'm twenty-four now. Whoo. My parents got me a cookbook, a sugar cookie candle (love!), some candy, and a stand mixer. Sooo excited to have a stand mixer! My hand mixer is a hand-me-down from my parents, like thirty years old, and smells like it might burst into flames when I run it for more than a minute. I want to make something fancy now, like divinity. You definitely won't catch me buying any cans of frosting at the store.
Ah, and I guess I haven't mentioned--we have a new puppy! Bentley, an eight-month old shih-tzu. He is such a sweetheart! He came with a few problems...fleas, worms, not potty-trained (though the woman we bought him from said he was housebroken), not neutered. We've gotten the first two taken care of, still working on the potty-training, and Jordan is calling the vet today to get him an appointment to be neutered. So, it's been a bit more work than we thought it would be, but I guess that's usually the case. Bentley and Crosby's relationship is a work in progress. They're still figuring each other out. But when Bentley isn't in ultra-playful mode, they get along really well. They're cuddling with each other on the couch next to me as I'm typing this. :)
Guess I should get going...working 4:00 to midnight tonight. In softlines! Can you believe that? I haven't worked in softlines since the cafe was being remodeled in February and March. And even then, I didn't work there much. To be honest, I kind of hate softlines. There are no aisles or actual locations--you just sorta have to know where things go. And do I know where things go? Of course not! They shouldn't expect me to, given that I work at Target cafe 99.5% of the time, but I'm kind of a perfectionist at work--whatever I do, I want to do it perfectly (the fact that I don't like working at Target is irrelevant...I just have a crazy good work ethic). I hate being unsure of myself--that's a big reason why I like the cafe so much...I really know what I'm doing over there. But softlines? I might as well be a new hire. /sigh. So it's going to be a long night. If I have to fold a thousand pairs of jeans and workout pants, I'm going to scream. I hate folding pants.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Busy!
Boy have I been busy. Pretty obvious though, right, when I haven't written in months?
In the last month or two, I was very preoccupied with preparing my MFA applications. But since I've recently decided to take yet another year off before applying, that's no longer my top priority. That's right...I'm giving myself another year. I admit that it feels wrong to be changing my game plan at this point, but I just wasn't feeling at all confident in my applications. I was rushing through my endings and edits, and the results were bad. It doesn't matter how great the beginning of a story is...if the end is crap, or clearly wasn't given as much love and attention as the rest of the story, then the whole thing fails. Although I think a lot of what I had prepared to submit was truly great, I still don't feel that it's my best work. And I just can't bear to go through the whole application process and all the fees if I'm only going to be rejected and have to do it all again next year. I would rather do it right, and feel totally confident, the first time around. So that's the new game plan--use the next twelve months to write write write and improve improve improve so I'm ready next fall. I think I'm going to have to buy myself a lovely new notebook and go back to my "write something everyday" challenge. It's not easy, but the last time I tried it, the results were surprisingly amazing.
I've also been working a lot at Target...blah. Gotta pay those bills. I won't bore you with my many complaints about the job. They did, though, make me the Target Cafe team trainer. Nice to be recognized as super knowledgeable about my area, but it's basically a promotion without the raise. They did give me a new name tag with an oh-so-prestigious "TRAINER" label, and a candy bar. Whoo. Still keeping an eye out for a job where I can work fewer hours and make more money.
Speaking of new jobs--I got one this week! But it's not substantial enough to replace my current job. It's more of a supplement. It's a virtual position, roughly twenty hours a week. It doesn't pay well at all, but that's because the company is just starting up. It's a guest post company (aptly named GuestPostU)--writes quality articles on a variety of subjects for a variety of websites and blogs. While I was hoping to be a content writer or editor, those positions were filled pretty fast and I ended up as the email relationship manager. So I'm the one matching up potential clients with relevant articles and handling all the communications via email. It's easy, and I can do it from home. It is, however, quite time consuming. Today was my first day and I couldn't believe how long it took me to make ten pitches. But now that I have the process pretty much figured out, I'm sure I'll be able to do the job faster.
I've also been crocheting a lot. Learning how to make amigurumi toys, for one. I've only made gingerbread men and an elephant so far...but they turned out super cute! I'm planning to make a whole fleet of gingerbread men to give away at Christmas. They're too freaking cute not to share. :) I'm also working on a hat and a scarf...must be prepared for the chilly days ahead.
Oh, baking, too. It's fall (my favorite season!) so I can't help but want to bake all the time. I've been cooking more real meals, too...rather than pasta or easy ready made skillet meals almost every night. In fact, I have mini brown sugar meatloafs in the oven at the moment and tasty potatoes waiting to be fattened up with milk and butter and mashed to creamy deliciousness. I love making comfort food.
And now that it's almost November, I'm going to be busy working on my NaNoWriMo novel! Might be tricky with all this busyness talk...but that won't stop me from trying. I have a fun chick lit (think romantic comedy) plot in mind. I hope I have time to at least top last year's word count, which was around 10,500 words (bit short of the goal of 50,000...).
So that's what I've been up to...and am going to be up to.
In the last month or two, I was very preoccupied with preparing my MFA applications. But since I've recently decided to take yet another year off before applying, that's no longer my top priority. That's right...I'm giving myself another year. I admit that it feels wrong to be changing my game plan at this point, but I just wasn't feeling at all confident in my applications. I was rushing through my endings and edits, and the results were bad. It doesn't matter how great the beginning of a story is...if the end is crap, or clearly wasn't given as much love and attention as the rest of the story, then the whole thing fails. Although I think a lot of what I had prepared to submit was truly great, I still don't feel that it's my best work. And I just can't bear to go through the whole application process and all the fees if I'm only going to be rejected and have to do it all again next year. I would rather do it right, and feel totally confident, the first time around. So that's the new game plan--use the next twelve months to write write write and improve improve improve so I'm ready next fall. I think I'm going to have to buy myself a lovely new notebook and go back to my "write something everyday" challenge. It's not easy, but the last time I tried it, the results were surprisingly amazing.
I've also been working a lot at Target...blah. Gotta pay those bills. I won't bore you with my many complaints about the job. They did, though, make me the Target Cafe team trainer. Nice to be recognized as super knowledgeable about my area, but it's basically a promotion without the raise. They did give me a new name tag with an oh-so-prestigious "TRAINER" label, and a candy bar. Whoo. Still keeping an eye out for a job where I can work fewer hours and make more money.
Speaking of new jobs--I got one this week! But it's not substantial enough to replace my current job. It's more of a supplement. It's a virtual position, roughly twenty hours a week. It doesn't pay well at all, but that's because the company is just starting up. It's a guest post company (aptly named GuestPostU)--writes quality articles on a variety of subjects for a variety of websites and blogs. While I was hoping to be a content writer or editor, those positions were filled pretty fast and I ended up as the email relationship manager. So I'm the one matching up potential clients with relevant articles and handling all the communications via email. It's easy, and I can do it from home. It is, however, quite time consuming. Today was my first day and I couldn't believe how long it took me to make ten pitches. But now that I have the process pretty much figured out, I'm sure I'll be able to do the job faster.
I've also been crocheting a lot. Learning how to make amigurumi toys, for one. I've only made gingerbread men and an elephant so far...but they turned out super cute! I'm planning to make a whole fleet of gingerbread men to give away at Christmas. They're too freaking cute not to share. :) I'm also working on a hat and a scarf...must be prepared for the chilly days ahead.
Oh, baking, too. It's fall (my favorite season!) so I can't help but want to bake all the time. I've been cooking more real meals, too...rather than pasta or easy ready made skillet meals almost every night. In fact, I have mini brown sugar meatloafs in the oven at the moment and tasty potatoes waiting to be fattened up with milk and butter and mashed to creamy deliciousness. I love making comfort food.
And now that it's almost November, I'm going to be busy working on my NaNoWriMo novel! Might be tricky with all this busyness talk...but that won't stop me from trying. I have a fun chick lit (think romantic comedy) plot in mind. I hope I have time to at least top last year's word count, which was around 10,500 words (bit short of the goal of 50,000...).
So that's what I've been up to...and am going to be up to.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Settled In
Well, it's been two weeks since we moved in...it feels like we've been here months, though, now that we're settled in. Love it here. It's so bright and sunny and roomy but also cozy because of the floor plan. Don't even get me started on how much I love the covered deck (especially on days like today when it feels like fall in the morning) and having my own office (no more desk and keyboard squashed in the living room, yay!) and the gigantic kitchen (in which I've already baked brownies and an apple crisp, in addition to many meals). Basically, we're very happy here. When I'm at work, I'm actually excited to come home and be here. That's new, and I like it.
I'm looking for a new job. I can't take Target much longer. It's no surprise that I'm miserable right now, though, during the back to school rush. In my opinion, back to school is worse than the Christmas rush...especially when you're working weekend shifts. UGH. Now, I'm aware that things will be much much better once it's September. And until late November, it will probably be blissfully slow. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm working very hard for only seventy cents above minimum wage...and that's AFTER my big yearly raise! Pfft.
I like working at Target, really. I'm great at my job, all my bosses love and appreciate me, and my immediate supervisor Judy has given me a lot of responsibility at the cafe--letting me fill out and scan our weekly food orders, having me train new team members, etc. And if they paid me $9.00/hour, I would be completely content to stay there until I have to quit for graduate school. But they don't. Sooo, looking for a new job. Thus far, I've applied for an editorial assistant position and a customer service rep position. I think I would be quite qualified for either position, what with the English degree and the five years of customer service experience and all...so hopefully I get a call soon for an interview.
Still obsessed with crocheting. I've made...six purses now. Heh. Not all for me, though--I gave a couple away as gifts. I'm working on a small afghan now, in super soft "autumn red" yarn. It's so pretty, I can't wait til it's finished. Jordan says it's too small, though, so I guess next I'll try making a full sized one. And pretty sure I'll be crocheting at least a couple things for Christmas presents this year. Maybe I'll be brave enough to try making socks by then!
I didn't think it was possible, but I love Regina Spektor even more now. Stumbled upon some songs of hers I had never listened to before...man. They've been stuck in my head constantly for the past two days. <3
UPDATE: I have an interview on Friday, yay! Its for the customer service position, at a specialty lightbulb company. Hope it goes well!! Did I mention this is a Monday-Friday, 8-5 job? After a year of working mostly evenings and pretty much every weekend, that sounds beyond wonderful.
I'm looking for a new job. I can't take Target much longer. It's no surprise that I'm miserable right now, though, during the back to school rush. In my opinion, back to school is worse than the Christmas rush...especially when you're working weekend shifts. UGH. Now, I'm aware that things will be much much better once it's September. And until late November, it will probably be blissfully slow. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm working very hard for only seventy cents above minimum wage...and that's AFTER my big yearly raise! Pfft.
I like working at Target, really. I'm great at my job, all my bosses love and appreciate me, and my immediate supervisor Judy has given me a lot of responsibility at the cafe--letting me fill out and scan our weekly food orders, having me train new team members, etc. And if they paid me $9.00/hour, I would be completely content to stay there until I have to quit for graduate school. But they don't. Sooo, looking for a new job. Thus far, I've applied for an editorial assistant position and a customer service rep position. I think I would be quite qualified for either position, what with the English degree and the five years of customer service experience and all...so hopefully I get a call soon for an interview.
Still obsessed with crocheting. I've made...six purses now. Heh. Not all for me, though--I gave a couple away as gifts. I'm working on a small afghan now, in super soft "autumn red" yarn. It's so pretty, I can't wait til it's finished. Jordan says it's too small, though, so I guess next I'll try making a full sized one. And pretty sure I'll be crocheting at least a couple things for Christmas presents this year. Maybe I'll be brave enough to try making socks by then!
I didn't think it was possible, but I love Regina Spektor even more now. Stumbled upon some songs of hers I had never listened to before...man. They've been stuck in my head constantly for the past two days. <3
UPDATE: I have an interview on Friday, yay! Its for the customer service position, at a specialty lightbulb company. Hope it goes well!! Did I mention this is a Monday-Friday, 8-5 job? After a year of working mostly evenings and pretty much every weekend, that sounds beyond wonderful.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
SO STRESSED
Ugh, this move is killing me.
Okay, moving sucks to begin with. Trying to figure out which kitchen/bathroom items can't be packed til the last minute and which ones are nonessential enough to be taped into a box...running out of boxes...running out of space for the boxes you do have. It's miserable! Add to that the fact that Jordan and I are both working through the whole process, opposite shifts of each other (but team work and joint decision-making are overrated, right...?). And the fact that we don't have 5-7 able bodied family members helping us, as we were lucky enough to have the last few times we moved. My parents are the only ones who can help this year (though Carissa has volunteered her dear husband to help, as well).
So...feeling a bit stressed. Not really sure how it's all going to get done. To keep the panic attacks at bay, I just keep thinking of Monday. By Monday, we'll be completely moved in to our new place...hanging pictures and clocks on our walls, using OUR VERY OWN WASHER AND DRYER, enjoying the deck, maybe baking something in the big beautiful kitchen. Monday is my day off, and our two year wedding anniversary. It will be a lovely lovely day.
I should be getting to bed, really. I have a lot to do in the morning/early afternoon before work. But I am thinking way too hard and fast to fall asleep. So...survey?
How much does the last person you talked to mean to you? He's my best friend, life partner, soul mate, etc...so I'd say he means quite a lot. As much as a person can mean to someone, really.
Do you have plans for tomorrow? Yes, very unpleasant plans.
What's the last movie you saw? Shawshank Redemption.
Have you heard of Google Plus? Yeah. Haven't really looked into it, though.
Can you take a joke? Yeah, usually.
Do you look okay? In general, yeah. At the moment, ehh.
What's something big that you're looking forward to? Getting into graduate school...having babies...buying a house. Fun grown up stuff like that.
Do you accept all of your friend requests on Facebook? No, only people I actually know.
What do you want right now? For it to be Monday.
Are you dramatic? Not really.
Ever experienced tornado or a hurricane? Tornado, yes.
Are you feeling lonely? Not really.
When do you start school? Hopefully next fall...but who knows.
Do you fight back? Depends on the situation.
Is it possible to miss someone so much that it hurts? Of course.
What do you have pierced? My ears.
If you could change your natural hair color, would you & what color? Some pretty shade of red or strawberry blonde might be nice...
Even though cigarettes are bad for you, do you smoke them anyways? No.
What happened last night? I went to work.
Do thunder & storms scare you? No.
Do you find it annoying when others fake being 'high' or 'drunk'? I don't know anyone who fakes being high or drunk...that just seems dumb. So yeah, it would probably annoy me.
What's the last video game you played? Terraria
Are you the kind of person who over-thinks everything? Yeah, generally.
Google, Bing, or Yahoo? Google.
When were you the happiest in your life? I don't think that's the sort of thing you can reasonably measure. Or at least I can't.
Have you ever played in the snow? Yeah.
Do you tend to take things too far? No, don't think so.
Did someone say 'Goodnight' to you last night? Yeah.
Okay, moving sucks to begin with. Trying to figure out which kitchen/bathroom items can't be packed til the last minute and which ones are nonessential enough to be taped into a box...running out of boxes...running out of space for the boxes you do have. It's miserable! Add to that the fact that Jordan and I are both working through the whole process, opposite shifts of each other (but team work and joint decision-making are overrated, right...?). And the fact that we don't have 5-7 able bodied family members helping us, as we were lucky enough to have the last few times we moved. My parents are the only ones who can help this year (though Carissa has volunteered her dear husband to help, as well).
So...feeling a bit stressed. Not really sure how it's all going to get done. To keep the panic attacks at bay, I just keep thinking of Monday. By Monday, we'll be completely moved in to our new place...hanging pictures and clocks on our walls, using OUR VERY OWN WASHER AND DRYER, enjoying the deck, maybe baking something in the big beautiful kitchen. Monday is my day off, and our two year wedding anniversary. It will be a lovely lovely day.
I should be getting to bed, really. I have a lot to do in the morning/early afternoon before work. But I am thinking way too hard and fast to fall asleep. So...survey?
How much does the last person you talked to mean to you? He's my best friend, life partner, soul mate, etc...so I'd say he means quite a lot. As much as a person can mean to someone, really.
Do you have plans for tomorrow? Yes, very unpleasant plans.
What's the last movie you saw? Shawshank Redemption.
Have you heard of Google Plus? Yeah. Haven't really looked into it, though.
Can you take a joke? Yeah, usually.
Do you look okay? In general, yeah. At the moment, ehh.
What's something big that you're looking forward to? Getting into graduate school...having babies...buying a house. Fun grown up stuff like that.
Do you accept all of your friend requests on Facebook? No, only people I actually know.
What do you want right now? For it to be Monday.
Are you dramatic? Not really.
Ever experienced tornado or a hurricane? Tornado, yes.
Are you feeling lonely? Not really.
When do you start school? Hopefully next fall...but who knows.
Do you fight back? Depends on the situation.
Is it possible to miss someone so much that it hurts? Of course.
What do you have pierced? My ears.
If you could change your natural hair color, would you & what color? Some pretty shade of red or strawberry blonde might be nice...
Even though cigarettes are bad for you, do you smoke them anyways? No.
What happened last night? I went to work.
Do thunder & storms scare you? No.
Do you find it annoying when others fake being 'high' or 'drunk'? I don't know anyone who fakes being high or drunk...that just seems dumb. So yeah, it would probably annoy me.
What's the last video game you played? Terraria
Are you the kind of person who over-thinks everything? Yeah, generally.
Google, Bing, or Yahoo? Google.
When were you the happiest in your life? I don't think that's the sort of thing you can reasonably measure. Or at least I can't.
Have you ever played in the snow? Yeah.
Do you tend to take things too far? No, don't think so.
Did someone say 'Goodnight' to you last night? Yeah.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Yep, addicted
Well, I'm to the point where I get an awful headache if I don't have my daily cup(s) of coffee. Definitely addicted. Oh well, I totally saw this coming. I come from a long line of passionate coffee drinkers. Pretty sure my dad has no less than three cups a day. Perhaps I should work some half-caff blends onto my coffee shelf.
Speaking of addictions...I've started crocheting, and I'm a little obsessed. I've been at it for a week and a half and I've already made two purses and a hat. There's something incredibly satisfying about creating something useful and lovely out of nothing more than a straight piece of yarn. Also, I love having my fingers busy, especially when I'm just sitting around, listening to music or watching TV. Last night, I watched four episodes of Glee and crocheted the whole time. As soon as we're out of super-save mode (which we're in at the moment because of an upcoming big fat pet deposit and a raise in our rent...oh, and multiple recent car repairs), I'm going to go buy the dozen or so skeins of yarn needed to start an afghan. I'm looking forward to trying a big project that will take me more than two days to finish.
What else is going on in my life... Work is pretty much the same. We've hired a new cafe team member, though--yay! So I'm getting better days off. Judy was especially nice to me for this week and next--Friday and Saturday off this week, Sunday and Monday off next. That's right, four day weekend! And I actually have July 4th off--I can't believe I got it off without actually requesting it. Probably going to spend two of those days with the family in Burlington and two here in town. Definitely going to be doing lots of writing and crocheting. And some preemptive cleaning and packing, I suppose. One month until we move to North Liberty! I am unspeakably excited about our new place (especially since I hate our current apartment more and more every day)...but dreading the actual move. I hate packing, I hate unpacking....I HATE shuffling a thousand boxes from one apartment to another, in the unbearable summer heat of late July/early August. Boo.
I'm going on a little vacation with my family (sans Grant--one of his good friends is getting married that weekend and he's in the wedding party) in a few weeks. All of our Maryland family (my Dad's side) are getting together for a reunion. I'm looking forward to it. It will be interesting, since I haven't seen any of these people since I was, oh, eight or nine. I'm eager to see the state, since I don't remember anything about it. Except for the reunions we went to when I was a kid, I've never really been that far east. I'm a little sad that Jordan isn't coming along...but both of us taking five days off from work is probably a bad idea. Plus Crosby would be so depressed if we both left him for that long!
Mmk, enough blogging. Time to get ready for work...
Speaking of addictions...I've started crocheting, and I'm a little obsessed. I've been at it for a week and a half and I've already made two purses and a hat. There's something incredibly satisfying about creating something useful and lovely out of nothing more than a straight piece of yarn. Also, I love having my fingers busy, especially when I'm just sitting around, listening to music or watching TV. Last night, I watched four episodes of Glee and crocheted the whole time. As soon as we're out of super-save mode (which we're in at the moment because of an upcoming big fat pet deposit and a raise in our rent...oh, and multiple recent car repairs), I'm going to go buy the dozen or so skeins of yarn needed to start an afghan. I'm looking forward to trying a big project that will take me more than two days to finish.
What else is going on in my life... Work is pretty much the same. We've hired a new cafe team member, though--yay! So I'm getting better days off. Judy was especially nice to me for this week and next--Friday and Saturday off this week, Sunday and Monday off next. That's right, four day weekend! And I actually have July 4th off--I can't believe I got it off without actually requesting it. Probably going to spend two of those days with the family in Burlington and two here in town. Definitely going to be doing lots of writing and crocheting. And some preemptive cleaning and packing, I suppose. One month until we move to North Liberty! I am unspeakably excited about our new place (especially since I hate our current apartment more and more every day)...but dreading the actual move. I hate packing, I hate unpacking....I HATE shuffling a thousand boxes from one apartment to another, in the unbearable summer heat of late July/early August. Boo.
I'm going on a little vacation with my family (sans Grant--one of his good friends is getting married that weekend and he's in the wedding party) in a few weeks. All of our Maryland family (my Dad's side) are getting together for a reunion. I'm looking forward to it. It will be interesting, since I haven't seen any of these people since I was, oh, eight or nine. I'm eager to see the state, since I don't remember anything about it. Except for the reunions we went to when I was a kid, I've never really been that far east. I'm a little sad that Jordan isn't coming along...but both of us taking five days off from work is probably a bad idea. Plus Crosby would be so depressed if we both left him for that long!
Mmk, enough blogging. Time to get ready for work...
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Seriously?
Have I really not written in a month? Wow.
Guess I've been busy. And yet I don't feel like I have any super interesting updates to give...just been working five days a week. Work has kind of sucked. I like my job all right--on quieter days, I legitimately enjoy it, and it makes me think about how I would like running my own cafe/bakery at some point in my life. But I get discouraged/pissed off by inconsiderate guests, and coworkers that leave me with extra work...but more than anything, it's really difficult to stay positive about my job when the pay is SO TERRIBLE. Blah. Thinking about quitting and waiting tables again...we'll see. I've been visiting my family a lot on my days off...I've seen them nearly once a week for the past month or two, which I love.
So yes, busy. While I read and write a lot in my free time, it doesn't ever feel like enough. Every day, more or less, I find myself wistfully longing to stop working altogether so I can focus more on writing. Impossible, of course. I guess should have married a doctor (kidding). I am utterly terrified that my MFA applications are due in five months. Still waiting for that spectacular story to fall out of my head...
If you were stuck in a room with your ex for 24 hours, what would you do? I don't know. We'd probably just talk, or politely ignore each other.
What's your favorite kind of smoothie? Raspberry banana.
What's the beverage you drink most often? Coffee. And according to some random article I read today, it might be giving me cancer! It's been linked to that in recent studies, apparently. I'm really sick of hearing about how everything we do and come in contact with is giving us cancer...
What song are you listening to? I don't know what it's called...some trance track that Jordan is streaming.
You can read people's minds or see the future, what would you choose? Read people's minds. Having either power would be hard to deal with, but I think knowing the future would drive me insane.
have you read the twilight series? No.
What is your favorite thing to do when your at the beach? Depends on the weather. I like to swim, if it's really hot. But most of the times I've been to a beach, it's been too cold. In that case, I like sitting with my feet in the sand, people watching.
Are you ears pierced? Yes.
If you were to get a tattoo, what would it be? Something related to/symbolic of music, or Jordan, or my family.
If you were given a chance for free plastic surgery,what would you get done? I would be really, really tempted to have my ears pinned back...but I don't think I would. Jordan would be upset with me, and I think all my family would be, too.
Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi. Though I try not to drink pop. My coffee addiction is bad enough.
Your favorite boy's name? Ugh, I have too many! If I were pregnant right now, here are the names I would be begging Jordan to consider: William (Will or Liam for short), Sam, Alan, Alexander (Alex), Bennett (Ben), Grady.
Favorite Girl's name? Same story, too many. Elizabeth (Lizzie or Ellie for short), Alice, Margaret (Maggie or Greta), Fiona, Catriona, Marlena (Lena).
What's your favorite website? Monkeybicycle.net when I'm in a literary mood, cheezburger.com when I'm in the mood to laugh, facebook when I'm in the mood to waste time.
What's the song you have most on repeat? Somedays by Regina Spektor.
Favorites!
Lotion? Burt's Bees milk and honey.
Drink? Good coffee with a little sugar in it. Or a caramel latte.
Color? Green.
Book? Too many to name.
Song? ^
Artist? Tie between Regina Spektor and Nichole Nordeman. Two very different female vocalists.
Dog? As in breed...? Jordan and I are partial to shih-tzus. I like small-ish apartment friendly dogs that are fairly hypoallergenic.
This Or That.
Iced Tea or Soda? Iced tea, if it's sweetened or flavored.
Pink or Blue? Depends on the shade. Probably blue.
Sundress or shorts? Sundress.
Back To Random ;)
What's your age? 23.
Would you change that? Nah.
What's your name? Amy.
Do you have a zillion nicknames? No. Aim or Ames. Though I guess Katie still calls me Asrl now and then.
Do you believe that the world will end in 2012? No.
What is your favorite alcoholic beverage? Moscato wine. Or any tasty sweet white wine, really.
Do you like coffee? Yes, we've established this.
Are you freakishly obsessed with Rob Pattinson? Not in the least.
What's your favorite way to wear your hair? Down.
What time did you wake up today? Around noon, since I was up til 3:00 AM.
What year do/did you graduate high school? 2006.
Do you like hot or cold weather? Hot. Well, warm is my favorite--like 65-70 degrees. Spring/fall temperatures.
Guess I've been busy. And yet I don't feel like I have any super interesting updates to give...just been working five days a week. Work has kind of sucked. I like my job all right--on quieter days, I legitimately enjoy it, and it makes me think about how I would like running my own cafe/bakery at some point in my life. But I get discouraged/pissed off by inconsiderate guests, and coworkers that leave me with extra work...but more than anything, it's really difficult to stay positive about my job when the pay is SO TERRIBLE. Blah. Thinking about quitting and waiting tables again...we'll see. I've been visiting my family a lot on my days off...I've seen them nearly once a week for the past month or two, which I love.
So yes, busy. While I read and write a lot in my free time, it doesn't ever feel like enough. Every day, more or less, I find myself wistfully longing to stop working altogether so I can focus more on writing. Impossible, of course. I guess should have married a doctor (kidding). I am utterly terrified that my MFA applications are due in five months. Still waiting for that spectacular story to fall out of my head...
If you were stuck in a room with your ex for 24 hours, what would you do? I don't know. We'd probably just talk, or politely ignore each other.
What's your favorite kind of smoothie? Raspberry banana.
What's the beverage you drink most often? Coffee. And according to some random article I read today, it might be giving me cancer! It's been linked to that in recent studies, apparently. I'm really sick of hearing about how everything we do and come in contact with is giving us cancer...
What song are you listening to? I don't know what it's called...some trance track that Jordan is streaming.
You can read people's minds or see the future, what would you choose? Read people's minds. Having either power would be hard to deal with, but I think knowing the future would drive me insane.
have you read the twilight series? No.
What is your favorite thing to do when your at the beach? Depends on the weather. I like to swim, if it's really hot. But most of the times I've been to a beach, it's been too cold. In that case, I like sitting with my feet in the sand, people watching.
Are you ears pierced? Yes.
If you were to get a tattoo, what would it be? Something related to/symbolic of music, or Jordan, or my family.
If you were given a chance for free plastic surgery,what would you get done? I would be really, really tempted to have my ears pinned back...but I don't think I would. Jordan would be upset with me, and I think all my family would be, too.
Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi. Though I try not to drink pop. My coffee addiction is bad enough.
Your favorite boy's name? Ugh, I have too many! If I were pregnant right now, here are the names I would be begging Jordan to consider: William (Will or Liam for short), Sam, Alan, Alexander (Alex), Bennett (Ben), Grady.
Favorite Girl's name? Same story, too many. Elizabeth (Lizzie or Ellie for short), Alice, Margaret (Maggie or Greta), Fiona, Catriona, Marlena (Lena).
What's your favorite website? Monkeybicycle.net when I'm in a literary mood, cheezburger.com when I'm in the mood to laugh, facebook when I'm in the mood to waste time.
What's the song you have most on repeat? Somedays by Regina Spektor.
Favorites!
Lotion? Burt's Bees milk and honey.
Drink? Good coffee with a little sugar in it. Or a caramel latte.
Color? Green.
Book? Too many to name.
Song? ^
Artist? Tie between Regina Spektor and Nichole Nordeman. Two very different female vocalists.
Dog? As in breed...? Jordan and I are partial to shih-tzus. I like small-ish apartment friendly dogs that are fairly hypoallergenic.
This Or That.
Iced Tea or Soda? Iced tea, if it's sweetened or flavored.
Pink or Blue? Depends on the shade. Probably blue.
Sundress or shorts? Sundress.
Back To Random ;)
What's your age? 23.
Would you change that? Nah.
What's your name? Amy.
Do you have a zillion nicknames? No. Aim or Ames. Though I guess Katie still calls me Asrl now and then.
Do you believe that the world will end in 2012? No.
What is your favorite alcoholic beverage? Moscato wine. Or any tasty sweet white wine, really.
Do you like coffee? Yes, we've established this.
Are you freakishly obsessed with Rob Pattinson? Not in the least.
What's your favorite way to wear your hair? Down.
What time did you wake up today? Around noon, since I was up til 3:00 AM.
What year do/did you graduate high school? 2006.
Do you like hot or cold weather? Hot. Well, warm is my favorite--like 65-70 degrees. Spring/fall temperatures.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
I just want to say...
It is wonderful to be reminded that Jordan and I are perfect for each other...so happy to be utterly in love with my husband.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
SURVEY! Because I'm feeling lazy before work and I haven't done one in months.
Have you ever had a controlling boyfriend/girlfriend? Eh, no, not really.
How many true heart breaks have you had in your lifetime? Two.
Who last grabbed your ass? Hubby.
Do you have any gay family members? No.
Where did you get the shirt you are wearing? At a performance of The Wizard of Oz that I went to with my eighth grade class.
Do any of your friends dislike each other? Not that I'm aware of.
Who is your last missed call from? I don't know. My phone is completely screwed up. I don't get missed call notifications. Or text messages. I only get notifications when someone leaves me a voicemail. Stupid.
Do you feel like everything is falling apart around you? Not at all.
Was your first kiss romantic? It seemed romantic to me.
Do you miss any of your ex's right now? No. Well, sometimes I miss having them as friends.
Have you ever overdosed on anything? No.
Is your dad really strict? Nope.
What would you say if you found out your last ex was in a relationship? Cool story, bro.
How many chances do you tend to give people before enough is enough? I've never told someone "enough is enough." But then again, no one has really pushed me very far in that sense.
Do you know anybody whose last name is a color? Yes.
Where was your last kiss? Outside our apartment door.
Do you get along with your siblings? Yes. We're starting to get closer, now that we're adults.
Who was your date to Prom? Tony.
Do you still talk to your first love? Nope.
Whos wedding did you go to first? I don't remember. I went to tons of weddings all through my childhood, with my Dad always singing at them.
When is the last time you went to the beach? Does a lake beach count? If so, then in 2006, at teen camp.
Do you ever feel like life is going by too fast? Yes. I can't believe Jordan is turning twenty-four in less than a week. Weren't we just nineteen and twenty like five seconds ago?
Have you ever made out with someone in a pool? Yes.
What are you doing this weekend? I have Friday and Saturday off :) so possibly hanging out with Carissa, or maybe going to Burlington for a quick visit. Unfortunately, I have to work on Sunday.
Whos the last person that slept over your house? Katie.
Do you still talk to the last person you kissed? Ha, yes. It's rather unavoidable.
Are you frustrated with anyone right now? Yes.
Have you ever kissed someone with a tongue ring? Nope.
Was your mom ever a stripper? Ha, no.
What did you dream about last night? I don't remember.
Do you regret any of the relationships you were in? No.
How many tattoos do you have? None.
Do you have good or bad dreams more often? They're usual pretty neutral. More weird than good or bad.
Do alot of people think bad things about you? I don't think so.
Do you wear a toe ring? No.
Who's the last person you said I Love You to? Jordan.
Is there someone that always intimidates you? Yes.
Have you ever liked anyone that was in a relationship with someone else? Yeah.
Are you afraid of clowns? No, but I don't like that.
Do you think that you're classy? Eh, I don't know about that.
Have you ever wanted to be famous? Not really.
Would you ever get a boob job? Only if I had horribly asymmetrical boobs, like one A and one C. That would be awful.
Did your last relationship end because of you or the other person? We mutually agreed to end it, based mostly on his stupidity.
Have you ever tried to break up anyone because YOU liked the guy/girl? No.
Is your belly pierced? No.
Have you ever cried cuz you missed someone so much? Yes.
When is the last time you felt left out? At work. But it isn't a negative thing to me. I prefer to have my space. I really hate polite chit chat with my coworkers.
What would you think if you found out your ex was gay? I would be rather surprised.
Why aren't you texting the last person you kissed? Because I live with him. And my phone is stupid. And why do I need to be texting someone right now?
Who are you texting right now? No one...
Would you ever take someone back if you found out they cheated on you? It depends on the situation. If he cheated because he's in love with someone else, obviously not. But in other circumstances, I believe I would.
What color is your hair right now? Brown.
Do you keep a diary/journal? Yeah.
When is the last time you ate chocolate? Yesterday. Had a brownie at work.
Do people ever compliment your eyes? Yeah.
Do people ever tell you that your funny? Sometimes.
When is the last time you saw one of your ex's? Easter.
Who was the last person you hung out with? Jordan.
Which one of your ex's do you hate the most? I don't hate any of them. Joey is the only one that I have negative feelings about. I feel perfectly neutral toward the rest of them.
Would you be upset if you caught your boyfriend looking at porn? No.
Do you regret alot of things you did in the past? Nah.
Whos the last person that called you in the middle of the night? I don't remember.
What would you say if your last ex told you they still loved you? "It's a little late for that."
How many people have you kissed this year? Just the one.
Have any of your ex's ever given you roses? No.
What's the last song you listened to? Mr. Brightside.
Who is the last person you went to the movies with? Carissa and Brian.
Are you an only child? No.
Whats your Zodiac sign? Sagittarius.
How long have you known the last person you kissed? Almost five years.
Do you think one of your friends is a slut? No.
Do you think your last ex ever thinks about you? I doubt it.
Would you ever take any of your ex's back? No.
Are you a bitch? No.
Do you look intimidating? Ha, hardly.
When is your birthday? Nov. 24th.
Have you ever had a controlling boyfriend/girlfriend? Eh, no, not really.
How many true heart breaks have you had in your lifetime? Two.
Who last grabbed your ass? Hubby.
Do you have any gay family members? No.
Where did you get the shirt you are wearing? At a performance of The Wizard of Oz that I went to with my eighth grade class.
Do any of your friends dislike each other? Not that I'm aware of.
Who is your last missed call from? I don't know. My phone is completely screwed up. I don't get missed call notifications. Or text messages. I only get notifications when someone leaves me a voicemail. Stupid.
Do you feel like everything is falling apart around you? Not at all.
Was your first kiss romantic? It seemed romantic to me.
Do you miss any of your ex's right now? No. Well, sometimes I miss having them as friends.
Have you ever overdosed on anything? No.
Is your dad really strict? Nope.
What would you say if you found out your last ex was in a relationship? Cool story, bro.
How many chances do you tend to give people before enough is enough? I've never told someone "enough is enough." But then again, no one has really pushed me very far in that sense.
Do you know anybody whose last name is a color? Yes.
Where was your last kiss? Outside our apartment door.
Do you get along with your siblings? Yes. We're starting to get closer, now that we're adults.
Who was your date to Prom? Tony.
Do you still talk to your first love? Nope.
Whos wedding did you go to first? I don't remember. I went to tons of weddings all through my childhood, with my Dad always singing at them.
When is the last time you went to the beach? Does a lake beach count? If so, then in 2006, at teen camp.
Do you ever feel like life is going by too fast? Yes. I can't believe Jordan is turning twenty-four in less than a week. Weren't we just nineteen and twenty like five seconds ago?
Have you ever made out with someone in a pool? Yes.
What are you doing this weekend? I have Friday and Saturday off :) so possibly hanging out with Carissa, or maybe going to Burlington for a quick visit. Unfortunately, I have to work on Sunday.
Whos the last person that slept over your house? Katie.
Do you still talk to the last person you kissed? Ha, yes. It's rather unavoidable.
Are you frustrated with anyone right now? Yes.
Have you ever kissed someone with a tongue ring? Nope.
Was your mom ever a stripper? Ha, no.
What did you dream about last night? I don't remember.
Do you regret any of the relationships you were in? No.
How many tattoos do you have? None.
Do you have good or bad dreams more often? They're usual pretty neutral. More weird than good or bad.
Do alot of people think bad things about you? I don't think so.
Do you wear a toe ring? No.
Who's the last person you said I Love You to? Jordan.
Is there someone that always intimidates you? Yes.
Have you ever liked anyone that was in a relationship with someone else? Yeah.
Are you afraid of clowns? No, but I don't like that.
Do you think that you're classy? Eh, I don't know about that.
Have you ever wanted to be famous? Not really.
Would you ever get a boob job? Only if I had horribly asymmetrical boobs, like one A and one C. That would be awful.
Did your last relationship end because of you or the other person? We mutually agreed to end it, based mostly on his stupidity.
Have you ever tried to break up anyone because YOU liked the guy/girl? No.
Is your belly pierced? No.
Have you ever cried cuz you missed someone so much? Yes.
When is the last time you felt left out? At work. But it isn't a negative thing to me. I prefer to have my space. I really hate polite chit chat with my coworkers.
What would you think if you found out your ex was gay? I would be rather surprised.
Why aren't you texting the last person you kissed? Because I live with him. And my phone is stupid. And why do I need to be texting someone right now?
Who are you texting right now? No one...
Would you ever take someone back if you found out they cheated on you? It depends on the situation. If he cheated because he's in love with someone else, obviously not. But in other circumstances, I believe I would.
What color is your hair right now? Brown.
Do you keep a diary/journal? Yeah.
When is the last time you ate chocolate? Yesterday. Had a brownie at work.
Do people ever compliment your eyes? Yeah.
Do people ever tell you that your funny? Sometimes.
When is the last time you saw one of your ex's? Easter.
Who was the last person you hung out with? Jordan.
Which one of your ex's do you hate the most? I don't hate any of them. Joey is the only one that I have negative feelings about. I feel perfectly neutral toward the rest of them.
Would you be upset if you caught your boyfriend looking at porn? No.
Do you regret alot of things you did in the past? Nah.
Whos the last person that called you in the middle of the night? I don't remember.
What would you say if your last ex told you they still loved you? "It's a little late for that."
How many people have you kissed this year? Just the one.
Have any of your ex's ever given you roses? No.
What's the last song you listened to? Mr. Brightside.
Who is the last person you went to the movies with? Carissa and Brian.
Are you an only child? No.
Whats your Zodiac sign? Sagittarius.
How long have you known the last person you kissed? Almost five years.
Do you think one of your friends is a slut? No.
Do you think your last ex ever thinks about you? I doubt it.
Would you ever take any of your ex's back? No.
Are you a bitch? No.
Do you look intimidating? Ha, hardly.
When is your birthday? Nov. 24th.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Today, I hate my job.
Ah, blog. It's been a while.
I've been busy lately. Working five days a week (and pining for the days when I was a student and had an excuse to only work fifteen hours a week), visiting Matt in Michigan (he had his junior recital and he was AMAZING! I'm so proud to be related to such a great artist/composer), reading and writing a lot.
Oh, the reading.../contented sigh. I'm reading a few classics, rereading Jane Eyre (one of my favorites)...but for the past week, I've been focused on The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. It just came out last month--book two in his Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy. (The first book is The Name of the Wind. Friends reading this, you should get in on this series. Seriously, it's incredible. I typically don't even read fantasy and I'm in love with these books.) It's about a thousand pages long, which I actually love. If it were normal novel length, I would have finished it in one or two days and then been depressed that it ended so fast. (Plus my beloved Kindle keeps me from having to deal with lugging around a cumbersome book the size of a bible.) Anyway...great book. It's been demanding several hours of my attention every day.
Now here's something wonderful and sad. Patrick Rothfuss is coming HERE, tonight, to read in a bookstore downtown. Like most authors, he typically plans his readings months in advance. This was more spur of the moment, though, only decided a week ago. He's coming here to have his brain photographed, apparently for a study of the way creative people's minds work. He decided to try to do a reading/book signing while in the area, since he has no idea when he might be coming back to Iowa for anything. I read this on his blog two days ago. I only look at his blog once or twice a month...obviously, I could have easily read that post this weekend, after he had come and gone. The timing seems like a minor miracle, right? So OF COURSE I would be scheduled to work tonight. And OF COURSE the cafe opener today couldn't possibly swap shifts with me. And OF COURSE there was no one else who could cover my shift because only 4 out of 180 team members know how to properly work at the cafe.
So while Patrick Rothfuss is reading and signing and being generally delightful downtown, I'll be at Target...popping popcorn.
The good news is that Spencer and Jordan are going. Spencer is the one who told me I HAD to read The Name of the Wind a couple years ago, that it was the best book ever, etc. He hadn't heard about the reading tonight, either. When Jordan called to tell him about it and see if he wanted to go, he wouldn't stop screaming on the phone. He's ecstatic. So I'm happy that he gets to go and enjoy it. Jordan is just going to buy copies of the books and have them signed for me. He also claims that he's going to start reading them, on his breaks at work. That would make me super happy, since he normally hates reading. Yes, I married a man who doesn't like to read. Shameful, isn't it?
Well, it's about time for me to go to work and sulk all night. Oh, on a random note, if you enjoy the spicy deliciousness of ginger, you have to try Tazo green ginger tea. I've been drinking it as I've been writing this entry, and it's quite good. I believe I would occasionally choose this over a cup of coffee, and that's saying something for me!
I've been busy lately. Working five days a week (and pining for the days when I was a student and had an excuse to only work fifteen hours a week), visiting Matt in Michigan (he had his junior recital and he was AMAZING! I'm so proud to be related to such a great artist/composer), reading and writing a lot.
Oh, the reading.../contented sigh. I'm reading a few classics, rereading Jane Eyre (one of my favorites)...but for the past week, I've been focused on The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. It just came out last month--book two in his Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy. (The first book is The Name of the Wind. Friends reading this, you should get in on this series. Seriously, it's incredible. I typically don't even read fantasy and I'm in love with these books.) It's about a thousand pages long, which I actually love. If it were normal novel length, I would have finished it in one or two days and then been depressed that it ended so fast. (Plus my beloved Kindle keeps me from having to deal with lugging around a cumbersome book the size of a bible.) Anyway...great book. It's been demanding several hours of my attention every day.
Now here's something wonderful and sad. Patrick Rothfuss is coming HERE, tonight, to read in a bookstore downtown. Like most authors, he typically plans his readings months in advance. This was more spur of the moment, though, only decided a week ago. He's coming here to have his brain photographed, apparently for a study of the way creative people's minds work. He decided to try to do a reading/book signing while in the area, since he has no idea when he might be coming back to Iowa for anything. I read this on his blog two days ago. I only look at his blog once or twice a month...obviously, I could have easily read that post this weekend, after he had come and gone. The timing seems like a minor miracle, right? So OF COURSE I would be scheduled to work tonight. And OF COURSE the cafe opener today couldn't possibly swap shifts with me. And OF COURSE there was no one else who could cover my shift because only 4 out of 180 team members know how to properly work at the cafe.
So while Patrick Rothfuss is reading and signing and being generally delightful downtown, I'll be at Target...popping popcorn.
The good news is that Spencer and Jordan are going. Spencer is the one who told me I HAD to read The Name of the Wind a couple years ago, that it was the best book ever, etc. He hadn't heard about the reading tonight, either. When Jordan called to tell him about it and see if he wanted to go, he wouldn't stop screaming on the phone. He's ecstatic. So I'm happy that he gets to go and enjoy it. Jordan is just going to buy copies of the books and have them signed for me. He also claims that he's going to start reading them, on his breaks at work. That would make me super happy, since he normally hates reading. Yes, I married a man who doesn't like to read. Shameful, isn't it?
Well, it's about time for me to go to work and sulk all night. Oh, on a random note, if you enjoy the spicy deliciousness of ginger, you have to try Tazo green ginger tea. I've been drinking it as I've been writing this entry, and it's quite good. I believe I would occasionally choose this over a cup of coffee, and that's saying something for me!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
MFA Freakout
So, lately I've been compiling a list of MFA programs that I'm interested in. There are fourteen traditional programs on my list. Five low-residency. To be honest, I'm probably going to scrap the idea of low-residency all together because the funding is so terrible. Low-residency=taking out loans and needing to keep working as I'm in school. As much as I would love to stay here and complete most of the program online, financially that's not so desirable. Traditional=probably being awarded an assistantship, having tuition waived and getting a stipend (at least at the schools on my list). So, yeah. We'll probably have to move and live in a different state for a few years...but totally worth it. It might be kind of fun to live somewhere else, temporarily. Jordan is all for it, as long as we don't move anywhere that's colder than Iowa (he wasn't too happy to hear that one of my top picks is in Michigan).
Even with forgetting about low-residency programs, I still have fourteen on my list. Not too thrilled about dropping $800 in application fees, though, so I'll probably narrow my list down a bit. I'm incredibly tempted to skip the ones that require the GRE...because I don't want to take it! Taking the ACT in high school was just awful, and I was really counting on never having to do anything similar in the future, ever. Obviously the most important part of all this MFA crap is making sure my writing sample is really good. I'm having a hard enough time with that--I don't need to add STUDYING for a stupid test to my list of things to do. There are six programs on my list that do not require the GRE. Is that a reasonable way of narrowing things down? Or should I just take the damn test, save up some money, and apply to all of them? I don't know!
In other news...it's 70 degrees out! Feels fabulous. Back to regular semi-cold April weather after today, though. Oh well. I'm hoping the warm weather will keep people OUT of the mall...out of Target, specifically. I hate busy Sundays afternoons. Speaking of, guess it's time to get ready for work. /sigh.
Even with forgetting about low-residency programs, I still have fourteen on my list. Not too thrilled about dropping $800 in application fees, though, so I'll probably narrow my list down a bit. I'm incredibly tempted to skip the ones that require the GRE...because I don't want to take it! Taking the ACT in high school was just awful, and I was really counting on never having to do anything similar in the future, ever. Obviously the most important part of all this MFA crap is making sure my writing sample is really good. I'm having a hard enough time with that--I don't need to add STUDYING for a stupid test to my list of things to do. There are six programs on my list that do not require the GRE. Is that a reasonable way of narrowing things down? Or should I just take the damn test, save up some money, and apply to all of them? I don't know!
In other news...it's 70 degrees out! Feels fabulous. Back to regular semi-cold April weather after today, though. Oh well. I'm hoping the warm weather will keep people OUT of the mall...out of Target, specifically. I hate busy Sundays afternoons. Speaking of, guess it's time to get ready for work. /sigh.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Caramel Macchiato=Happiness in a Cup
Three day weekend! Even though I just had two days off last week, I feel like I need this so badly. Probably because last week's days off were filled with traveling and busyness and fun--all the things that make days practically evaporate. I had a really long week at work...with lots of stupid moments (backroom flooded from a clogged drain, preparing for a visit from our auditors, accidentally throwing away my cafe keys and thinking that a customer had picked them up, etc), so I'm ready to decompress. And probably force myself to do the dishes and laundry at some point, as well.
I have a Kindle now. :) When I first heard about e-readers, I believe I shook my head, scoffed...probably even half-seriously vowed to never own one. I like the feel of a book in my hand, and the look of them on my bookcase...I like turning and dog-earring pages and writing in margins and I adore bookstores. So why would I want to give all that up for...portability?
But Carissa talked me into giving it a try, primarily because it would make it easy for us to read the same books and have a...book club, of sorts. And I have to say, I kind of love it. Maybe this is just leftover baggage from being an English major and taking multiple literary classes each semester, but I really like reading several books at once. I enjoy the option to switch gears, based on what I'm in the mood to read at any given moment. Right now, I'm reading a book of newly crafted fairy tales (My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me by forty really fabulous writers), a Victorian novel (Villette by Charlotte Bronte), and a contemporary historical novel (Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen). Being able to have all three books in my purse at the same time is AMAZING. In print, they're a collective 1500 pages. In print, all three in the purse wouldn't really be an option. So, that's the main perk. There's other little things I love about it...the design makes it really easy for me to eat and read at the same time (which I do often, on my lunch break at work). With an actual book, it's always a challenge...trying to keep the pages from flipping on me with my elbow and such. Kindle can read to me, which is awesome. It's just a computery voice, not dramatized of course, but it gets the point across. I know I'll totally be making use of that during a long drive at some point in the future. Oh, and everything on Amazon is cheaper in Kindle version (and ridiculously cheaper than Barnes and Noble's in-store prices).
So, all of the above (plus even more little things that I won't bore you by mentioning) is why I abandoned my initial "e-readers are stupid" stance, and now happily own a Kindle. Besides, I'll still buy actual books, as well as electronic ones--just not as often.
Okay, I think I've devoted enough of my afternoon to blogging/gushing over Kindle. Time to pay attention to my keyboard. <3
I have a Kindle now. :) When I first heard about e-readers, I believe I shook my head, scoffed...probably even half-seriously vowed to never own one. I like the feel of a book in my hand, and the look of them on my bookcase...I like turning and dog-earring pages and writing in margins and I adore bookstores. So why would I want to give all that up for...portability?
But Carissa talked me into giving it a try, primarily because it would make it easy for us to read the same books and have a...book club, of sorts. And I have to say, I kind of love it. Maybe this is just leftover baggage from being an English major and taking multiple literary classes each semester, but I really like reading several books at once. I enjoy the option to switch gears, based on what I'm in the mood to read at any given moment. Right now, I'm reading a book of newly crafted fairy tales (My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me by forty really fabulous writers), a Victorian novel (Villette by Charlotte Bronte), and a contemporary historical novel (Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen). Being able to have all three books in my purse at the same time is AMAZING. In print, they're a collective 1500 pages. In print, all three in the purse wouldn't really be an option. So, that's the main perk. There's other little things I love about it...the design makes it really easy for me to eat and read at the same time (which I do often, on my lunch break at work). With an actual book, it's always a challenge...trying to keep the pages from flipping on me with my elbow and such. Kindle can read to me, which is awesome. It's just a computery voice, not dramatized of course, but it gets the point across. I know I'll totally be making use of that during a long drive at some point in the future. Oh, and everything on Amazon is cheaper in Kindle version (and ridiculously cheaper than Barnes and Noble's in-store prices).
So, all of the above (plus even more little things that I won't bore you by mentioning) is why I abandoned my initial "e-readers are stupid" stance, and now happily own a Kindle. Besides, I'll still buy actual books, as well as electronic ones--just not as often.
Okay, I think I've devoted enough of my afternoon to blogging/gushing over Kindle. Time to pay attention to my keyboard. <3
Friday, March 11, 2011
You know you needed a day off badly when you're enjoying yourself CLEANING THE APARTMENT. Sounds crazy (for me), but it feels so good to have the time to get our place looking nice. I enjoy being home so much more when there isn't crap everywhere.
Target Cafe is officially reopened, as of today. :) It looks pretty great, and we have some tasty new menu items, including two flat bread sandwiches (chicken spinach artichoke and chicken marinara!! How good do those sound?). It actually looks like somewhere you might want to sit down and eat now...so I imagine we'll be a lot busier than before.
Parents are coming to visit tomorrow! Since they recently put all new furniture in their living room, they're giving us their old coffee table. Can't wait! All we have right now is a tiny end table, which I love, but you can barely fit one plate of food on it. I'm feeding them, for once--making a pot roast with carrots and potatoes. Mmm. Hope it turns out (but really, what can go wrong with pot roast in the slow cooker?). I'll probably do a little shopping with them while they're here, and they also want to check out the pet store. They're thinking of getting a puppy! I know, pet stores are bad and ideally, all new pets would be adopted from animal shelters...but with my mom's allergies, they're really limited in the breeds they can have. My mom wants to have a chance to hold a poodle, or another supposed hypoallergenic dog, to see if she has a reaction or not. So we'll see how that goes.
Okay, oatmeal creme pies are way too delicious. One of my favorite cookies growing up...my brothers and I were so vicious about each getting our third of the box. I hadn't had them in a long time, but tossed a box in the old grocery cart earlier this week on a whim. How did I ever stop eating these?! I think I might like to try making a homemade version sometime...there's a ton of recipes for them on the internet.
Target Cafe is officially reopened, as of today. :) It looks pretty great, and we have some tasty new menu items, including two flat bread sandwiches (chicken spinach artichoke and chicken marinara!! How good do those sound?). It actually looks like somewhere you might want to sit down and eat now...so I imagine we'll be a lot busier than before.
Parents are coming to visit tomorrow! Since they recently put all new furniture in their living room, they're giving us their old coffee table. Can't wait! All we have right now is a tiny end table, which I love, but you can barely fit one plate of food on it. I'm feeding them, for once--making a pot roast with carrots and potatoes. Mmm. Hope it turns out (but really, what can go wrong with pot roast in the slow cooker?). I'll probably do a little shopping with them while they're here, and they also want to check out the pet store. They're thinking of getting a puppy! I know, pet stores are bad and ideally, all new pets would be adopted from animal shelters...but with my mom's allergies, they're really limited in the breeds they can have. My mom wants to have a chance to hold a poodle, or another supposed hypoallergenic dog, to see if she has a reaction or not. So we'll see how that goes.
Okay, oatmeal creme pies are way too delicious. One of my favorite cookies growing up...my brothers and I were so vicious about each getting our third of the box. I hadn't had them in a long time, but tossed a box in the old grocery cart earlier this week on a whim. How did I ever stop eating these?! I think I might like to try making a homemade version sometime...there's a ton of recipes for them on the internet.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
A decent day.
I love morning shifts. Yes, it really sucked to wake up at 6:30 after a mere five hours of sleep...but my shift went by super fast. And now I'm home, with a whole afternoon and evening left to enjoy. Good stuff. One week left on the sales floor...
Well, two of my former teachers have agreed to write letters of recommendation for me. Yay! I was really nervous about this, for some reason. But so far, no doors have been slammed in my face. (Two letters is enough for some of the programs I want to apply for...for the Writer's Workshop, I need three. So one more to go.) In response to my saying that I would appreciate any advice, one of these teachers asked me what specific questions I had. Hmm. To be honest, this whole process is so daunting that I don't even know what to ask. Well, no, actually I want to ask "can you tell me to which programs, exactly, I should apply? And what pieces of writing I should use for my writing sample?" But that's asking a little too much.
Heading down to Burlington tomorrow after work. It's going to be a really short trip--I'll get there around 5:00 tomorrow, and I'll be leaving by noon on Tuesday. Matt's home on spring break this week and my parents wanted me to come down so we could have a nice family supper. I wish I could stay for a couple days but I happen to be scheduled for a full forty hours this week. That almost never happens...kinda crappy timing. Oh well. It'll still be a good time--love visiting the family. :)
And now...time to decompress with music and a survey.
If you could be fluent in any language, which would it be? French, for the literature.
What (or who) would you really like to hold right now? Jordan and/or Crosby are the obvious answers, but I can hold them any time I want. So, I'm going to say a bunny.
And what would you like to let go of? The extra pounds that are chilling on my midsection.
Was your first car a hand me down or brand new? A hand me down.
Speaking of cars, how did your first drivers test go? For my permit, I had to take the test twice. For my driver's license, I aced the classroom portion and barely passed the driving portion, lol.
Sunrise or sunset: which did you see last? Sunrise.
What was the first picture of that you ever took on your mobile phone? On my current phone, the first picture was of my living room.
Did you ever collect any type of cards? (Baseball cards, etc.) No.
Do your eyes ever change color? Yes.
How many lamps are currently in this room? Two.
Do you wish that there were more lamps in this room? Nope. Both of these lamps have multiple bulbs--they're very bright.
So, what's the earliest you've woken up this week? 6:30.
And what's the latest you've stayed up? 2:00.
What commercial are you tired of seeing on TV? The stupid new Old Navy commercial with the Kim Kardashian look-alike singing a dumb song about how cute she is.
Would you rather ride a zebra or hug a gorilla? Assuming that I'd be perfectly safe doing either, I think I would rather hug a gorilla.
When you drop food, do you eat it (five second rule!) or leave it? Generally, I wouldn't eat it, but it depends on where I dropped it. And what type of food it is.
Would you consider yourself more optimistic or pessimistic? More optimistic.
Do you have any stickers or anything on your laptop? Just the ones that came with it.
When was the last time you got a haircut? Yesterday.
What is your opinion on minivans? Do you own one? I always liked my parents' minivan. I don't own one. Once we have kids, though, I wouldn't mind having one.
Where did you go to college? Or, where do/did you want to go? I went to SCC and the U of I.
Ehehehe...so umm, Republican or Democrat? Pretty moderate...but I lean more to the right.
Have you learned to love your body yet? Meh. I wouldn't say I love it, but I don't hate it.
CUZ BABY YOU'RE A FIREWORKKK....overplayed, yes? YES, terribly overplayed.
How many of the 'Rocky' movies have you seen? None.
What was the last sport you watched on TV? Basketball was on the TV at work recently, but I wasn't actually watching.
Have you ever showered with a significant other? Yes.
Do you have a friend who takes food out of your fridge and its not rude? I don't think my friends have ever taken food out of my fridge, but if they did, it wouldn't be rude.
Do you know anyone with a name that forms a word? (ex: Shanda Leer) Not that I can think of...
How did your parents meet? They met in college, I think in music classes they were taking together.
Would you rather swim in a pool or relax in a hot tub? Depends on my mood...but generally, I'd rather be in the hot tub.
Do you know your best friend's mom's name? Yes.
Your last significant other: How many family members of theirs did you meet? Almost all of them.
Tight pants on rockstars: yay or nay? Meh. Some people can pull it off, some can't.
When did you last get a sunburn and where was it? I got a little burnt in Florida last April.
Do you know any Japanese words? Nope.
Can people usually tell if you're sad? I guess. Though people do tend to think I'm sad when I'm not. I just have one of those faces--if I'm not smiling, I look upset, even when I'm totally not.
Finish the sentence: I can eat a whole bag of... Andes mints. YUM.
Well, two of my former teachers have agreed to write letters of recommendation for me. Yay! I was really nervous about this, for some reason. But so far, no doors have been slammed in my face. (Two letters is enough for some of the programs I want to apply for...for the Writer's Workshop, I need three. So one more to go.) In response to my saying that I would appreciate any advice, one of these teachers asked me what specific questions I had. Hmm. To be honest, this whole process is so daunting that I don't even know what to ask. Well, no, actually I want to ask "can you tell me to which programs, exactly, I should apply? And what pieces of writing I should use for my writing sample?" But that's asking a little too much.
Heading down to Burlington tomorrow after work. It's going to be a really short trip--I'll get there around 5:00 tomorrow, and I'll be leaving by noon on Tuesday. Matt's home on spring break this week and my parents wanted me to come down so we could have a nice family supper. I wish I could stay for a couple days but I happen to be scheduled for a full forty hours this week. That almost never happens...kinda crappy timing. Oh well. It'll still be a good time--love visiting the family. :)
And now...time to decompress with music and a survey.
If you could be fluent in any language, which would it be? French, for the literature.
What (or who) would you really like to hold right now? Jordan and/or Crosby are the obvious answers, but I can hold them any time I want. So, I'm going to say a bunny.
And what would you like to let go of? The extra pounds that are chilling on my midsection.
Was your first car a hand me down or brand new? A hand me down.
Speaking of cars, how did your first drivers test go? For my permit, I had to take the test twice. For my driver's license, I aced the classroom portion and barely passed the driving portion, lol.
Sunrise or sunset: which did you see last? Sunrise.
What was the first picture of that you ever took on your mobile phone? On my current phone, the first picture was of my living room.
Did you ever collect any type of cards? (Baseball cards, etc.) No.
Do your eyes ever change color? Yes.
How many lamps are currently in this room? Two.
Do you wish that there were more lamps in this room? Nope. Both of these lamps have multiple bulbs--they're very bright.
So, what's the earliest you've woken up this week? 6:30.
And what's the latest you've stayed up? 2:00.
What commercial are you tired of seeing on TV? The stupid new Old Navy commercial with the Kim Kardashian look-alike singing a dumb song about how cute she is.
Would you rather ride a zebra or hug a gorilla? Assuming that I'd be perfectly safe doing either, I think I would rather hug a gorilla.
When you drop food, do you eat it (five second rule!) or leave it? Generally, I wouldn't eat it, but it depends on where I dropped it. And what type of food it is.
Would you consider yourself more optimistic or pessimistic? More optimistic.
Do you have any stickers or anything on your laptop? Just the ones that came with it.
When was the last time you got a haircut? Yesterday.
What is your opinion on minivans? Do you own one? I always liked my parents' minivan. I don't own one. Once we have kids, though, I wouldn't mind having one.
Where did you go to college? Or, where do/did you want to go? I went to SCC and the U of I.
Ehehehe...so umm, Republican or Democrat? Pretty moderate...but I lean more to the right.
Have you learned to love your body yet? Meh. I wouldn't say I love it, but I don't hate it.
CUZ BABY YOU'RE A FIREWORKKK....overplayed, yes? YES, terribly overplayed.
How many of the 'Rocky' movies have you seen? None.
What was the last sport you watched on TV? Basketball was on the TV at work recently, but I wasn't actually watching.
Have you ever showered with a significant other? Yes.
Do you have a friend who takes food out of your fridge and its not rude? I don't think my friends have ever taken food out of my fridge, but if they did, it wouldn't be rude.
Do you know anyone with a name that forms a word? (ex: Shanda Leer) Not that I can think of...
How did your parents meet? They met in college, I think in music classes they were taking together.
Would you rather swim in a pool or relax in a hot tub? Depends on my mood...but generally, I'd rather be in the hot tub.
Do you know your best friend's mom's name? Yes.
Your last significant other: How many family members of theirs did you meet? Almost all of them.
Tight pants on rockstars: yay or nay? Meh. Some people can pull it off, some can't.
When did you last get a sunburn and where was it? I got a little burnt in Florida last April.
Do you know any Japanese words? Nope.
Can people usually tell if you're sad? I guess. Though people do tend to think I'm sad when I'm not. I just have one of those faces--if I'm not smiling, I look upset, even when I'm totally not.
Finish the sentence: I can eat a whole bag of... Andes mints. YUM.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Potato
Somewhat on a whim, I bought a big bag of russet potatoes earlier this week. Best grocery-related decision ever! Such a great, cheap lunch...or dinner side dish...or late night snack. And eating the skin makes it healthy-ish, too. :)
So, sales floor isn't too bad...but I definitely prefer Food Avenue. I would rather be in my own area, doing things my way, than running around the entire store trying to coordinate with everyone else. And I can't say how frustrating it is to get an aisle or a display so neat, and then see a guest come over and make a HUGE mess of it. Honestly, it's a lot of hard work for very little recognition. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually looking forward to the cashiering shifts I have coming up this week. Cashiering may be almost unbearably monotonous, but it is sooo much easier than sales floor. It'll be nice to just stand in one spot and mindlessly check items.
Valentine's Day is the day after tomorrow. As usual, our plans are pretty low key. I'm going to make a nice dinner--fettuccine alfredo with chicken and sun dried tomatoes. YUM, right? I've never made it before, so hopefully it turns out well. We're probably going to see a movie, too.
And now...an exciting survey.
When was the last time you blew out a candle? Yesterday.
Do you own any name brand clothing that starts with the letter "B"? Don't think so.
What does your shirt look like? It's black with gold lettering and says "Writers Gone Public...Nonfiction writing program reading series...The University of Iowa"
When was the last time you vacuumed? I used our hand vac for about five seconds last week, if that counts.
What's a food you like that is an "acquired taste"? Coffee, chili, mustard, grapefruit--hated all of those when I was a kid, love them now.
Do you live with your parents? No.
Do you like Jason Mraz? I only know two of his songs. Based on those two songs, yes.
Have you ever had a colored lightbulb in your room? No.
Do you have any idea how to jumpstart a car? Yes, I have an idea...but I don't know exactly how to do it. However, I know the instructions are in my owner's manual and I do have jumper cables...so I could do it, if needed.
When was the last time you did laundry? Last week.
Have you ever had a Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty? Yeah. Not bad. Tastes like a jamocha shake from Arby's.
Are you currently confused about anything? Not really.
Do you frequently go on YouTube? Not too often.
How many people know your deepest, darkest secret? I'm not sure what my deepest, darkest secret is, honestly. Whatever it is, I'm sure that Carissa and/or Jordan know it.
Do you own any guitar picks? Yeah.
When was the last time your received a package? If you mean by mail, sometime during the summer.
Do you like seafood? I like fish, but not shellfish.
Are you the type of person that likes sulking? No.
Did you do fundraisers in school back in the day? Every now and then.
Have you ever seen your favorite artist play live? I saw Nichole Nordeman when I was in junior high, I've always loved her. That's about it, though.
What version of Windows are you currently using? Stupid vista.
Have you ever been to Boston? No.
Do you watch the Superbowl? No.
Do you need to clean your room? I need to clean my entire apartment. Blah.
What's the most random thing you did today? Didn't really do anything random, to tell you the truth. Pretty normal day.
Can you whistle a tune? Yes.
Who was the last person to disappoint you? Applebees, for failing to send me my W-2! Now I have to call and harass them about it.
What grade will you be going to this upcoming year? I've been out of grades for a while now...
Would you ever get an abortion? Extremely unlikely. I would only resort to that if giving birth would certainly kill me and/or the baby.
Is there anything plugged into the closest electrical socket to you? Yeah, a lamp.
Do you write your dreams down? No.
Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life is? Yes.
Do you post surveys on MySpace? I forgot I even had a myspace until you just mentioned it. Poor myspace.
Do you ever dip your fingers in wet candle wax? I have before. I love the way it feels, but cleaning the dried wax off is annoying.
Who was the last person to call you "baby"? Jordan.
What was the most expensive thing you bought this past week? A hotel room.
When was the last time you had ice cream? Like a month? It's been far too long.
Do you prefer sugary drinks, or water? "Sugary drinks"...that's pretty vague, there. It depends--if I'm just thirsty, I want water. If I want something that tastes good, I would enjoy a "sugary drink."
Do you have any Muslim neighbors? Not that I'm aware of...but I don't know the religious beliefs of any of my neighbors.
So, sales floor isn't too bad...but I definitely prefer Food Avenue. I would rather be in my own area, doing things my way, than running around the entire store trying to coordinate with everyone else. And I can't say how frustrating it is to get an aisle or a display so neat, and then see a guest come over and make a HUGE mess of it. Honestly, it's a lot of hard work for very little recognition. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually looking forward to the cashiering shifts I have coming up this week. Cashiering may be almost unbearably monotonous, but it is sooo much easier than sales floor. It'll be nice to just stand in one spot and mindlessly check items.
Valentine's Day is the day after tomorrow. As usual, our plans are pretty low key. I'm going to make a nice dinner--fettuccine alfredo with chicken and sun dried tomatoes. YUM, right? I've never made it before, so hopefully it turns out well. We're probably going to see a movie, too.
And now...an exciting survey.
When was the last time you blew out a candle? Yesterday.
Do you own any name brand clothing that starts with the letter "B"? Don't think so.
What does your shirt look like? It's black with gold lettering and says "Writers Gone Public...Nonfiction writing program reading series...The University of Iowa"
When was the last time you vacuumed? I used our hand vac for about five seconds last week, if that counts.
What's a food you like that is an "acquired taste"? Coffee, chili, mustard, grapefruit--hated all of those when I was a kid, love them now.
Do you live with your parents? No.
Do you like Jason Mraz? I only know two of his songs. Based on those two songs, yes.
Have you ever had a colored lightbulb in your room? No.
Do you have any idea how to jumpstart a car? Yes, I have an idea...but I don't know exactly how to do it. However, I know the instructions are in my owner's manual and I do have jumper cables...so I could do it, if needed.
When was the last time you did laundry? Last week.
Have you ever had a Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty? Yeah. Not bad. Tastes like a jamocha shake from Arby's.
Are you currently confused about anything? Not really.
Do you frequently go on YouTube? Not too often.
How many people know your deepest, darkest secret? I'm not sure what my deepest, darkest secret is, honestly. Whatever it is, I'm sure that Carissa and/or Jordan know it.
Do you own any guitar picks? Yeah.
When was the last time your received a package? If you mean by mail, sometime during the summer.
Do you like seafood? I like fish, but not shellfish.
Are you the type of person that likes sulking? No.
Did you do fundraisers in school back in the day? Every now and then.
Have you ever seen your favorite artist play live? I saw Nichole Nordeman when I was in junior high, I've always loved her. That's about it, though.
What version of Windows are you currently using? Stupid vista.
Have you ever been to Boston? No.
Do you watch the Superbowl? No.
Do you need to clean your room? I need to clean my entire apartment. Blah.
What's the most random thing you did today? Didn't really do anything random, to tell you the truth. Pretty normal day.
Can you whistle a tune? Yes.
Who was the last person to disappoint you? Applebees, for failing to send me my W-2! Now I have to call and harass them about it.
What grade will you be going to this upcoming year? I've been out of grades for a while now...
Would you ever get an abortion? Extremely unlikely. I would only resort to that if giving birth would certainly kill me and/or the baby.
Is there anything plugged into the closest electrical socket to you? Yeah, a lamp.
Do you write your dreams down? No.
Have you ever wondered what your purpose in life is? Yes.
Do you post surveys on MySpace? I forgot I even had a myspace until you just mentioned it. Poor myspace.
Do you ever dip your fingers in wet candle wax? I have before. I love the way it feels, but cleaning the dried wax off is annoying.
Who was the last person to call you "baby"? Jordan.
What was the most expensive thing you bought this past week? A hotel room.
When was the last time you had ice cream? Like a month? It's been far too long.
Do you prefer sugary drinks, or water? "Sugary drinks"...that's pretty vague, there. It depends--if I'm just thirsty, I want water. If I want something that tastes good, I would enjoy a "sugary drink."
Do you have any Muslim neighbors? Not that I'm aware of...but I don't know the religious beliefs of any of my neighbors.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Snow day?
So...little scary outside. The drifts in our parking lot are ridiculous! Being able to watch the crazy blizzard from our warm apartment makes it kinda fun. I just wish I didn't have to work tomorrow. But I don't have to go in til 4:00...I'm sure the roads will be drivable by then.
Jordan and I ventured out for a minute or two, to do something slightly evil. We took Crosby out for his usual nightly potty break and tossed him into the snow. It was up to his little chin...he just stood there and stared at us like "you guys are the meanest parents ever." Sooo sad/cute/funny. We rescued him, of course.
Well, I did clean my kitchen earlier today...but I just made cupcakes and frosting, so it's a mess again. Oh well--worth it. I made snickerdoodle cupcakes, with cinnamon buttercream. Yum! The cake seems just a bit dry, but probably because I haven't made a cake from scratch in a long time. I use a lot of box mixes, and they're always a ton moister. Regardless, I'm happy with them.
First day on the sales floor tomorrow. Whoo. We'll see how that goes. Now...time to have another cupcake while watching Cupcake Wars. :)
EDIT--one of my coworkers updated on facebook that she made it home from work safely, but that several people are STAYING THE NIGHT at Target. How much does that suck? Very grateful to be stranded in my own home and not elsewhere.
Jordan and I ventured out for a minute or two, to do something slightly evil. We took Crosby out for his usual nightly potty break and tossed him into the snow. It was up to his little chin...he just stood there and stared at us like "you guys are the meanest parents ever." Sooo sad/cute/funny. We rescued him, of course.
Well, I did clean my kitchen earlier today...but I just made cupcakes and frosting, so it's a mess again. Oh well--worth it. I made snickerdoodle cupcakes, with cinnamon buttercream. Yum! The cake seems just a bit dry, but probably because I haven't made a cake from scratch in a long time. I use a lot of box mixes, and they're always a ton moister. Regardless, I'm happy with them.
First day on the sales floor tomorrow. Whoo. We'll see how that goes. Now...time to have another cupcake while watching Cupcake Wars. :)
EDIT--one of my coworkers updated on facebook that she made it home from work safely, but that several people are STAYING THE NIGHT at Target. How much does that suck? Very grateful to be stranded in my own home and not elsewhere.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
LONG update.
Well, this past week has been quite nice. I had TWO stories published, which was crazy exciting. The first one, at Bewilderingstories.com, I've been anticipating for many weeks. The second one, at Monkeybicycle.net, was a huge surprise. I wasn't expecting to hear back from them so soon (their responses take up to twelve weeks--I only submitted a month ago) and I really wasn't expecting to be accepted, either (based on the fact that they declined my last submission). Furthermore, I had no idea that they would put my story up a mere twelve hours after telling me they wanted to publish it! So all that was a bit of a whirlwind.
I had to work a lot this past week, but all my shifts went by fast. Everything is winding down at Food Avenue...we're shutting down a week from tomorrow. I'm going to miss it. Last month I was so ready for this...but that's only because holiday shoppers were making every shift miserably busy. Now that things are back to normal, I actually enjoy my job. This probably makes me a bad Target employee, but one of the things I like the most is that I'm not so much a part of "the team." There's no team leader lurking around to watch my every move, I don't have to update everyone with what I'm working on, I don't have to respond to backups for other parts of the store...I'm just doing my own thing. I really enjoy that independence. But it will be nice to be cross-trained for sales floor. Maybe I'll actually learn how the store runs and stays organized. Since I've been in my Food Ave bubble for these seven months, I know a shamefully small amount about the daily operations of the store.
Yesterday, my parents came up to bring me my new phone. It's a Kin One...which apparently failed as a smart phone last year and is now being sold as a feature phone. Fine by me since I had no intention of getting a smart phone, anyway...my parents don't want to pay for the data plan (yep, my parents still pay for my cell phone. But they pay for Grant's, too, and he's 25, so that makes me feel a little better). I really like the phone. It has a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard that slides out and it's small and SQUARE! Pretty much adorable. My Dad bought me a dark pink clip-on case, too, which just adds to the cuteness. The camera is really nice, for a feature phone. All the other ones I looked at had 2.0 megapixels and this one has 5.0. However...I can't send any picture messages. I just get this stupid "try again later" message. I was able to send one last night but every attempt since then has failed. Kind of infuriating. If it's not working by tomorrow, I guess I'll take it to the Verizon place at the mall and see if they can figure out what's wrong.
In addition to bringing me my phone, my parents also bought me a new printer/scanner, since ours broke a couple months ago. They didn't think it was acceptable for a real (aka published) writer to not have a working printer. And to be honest, I've kind of been going crazy without one...so that was pretty great of them. They spoil me a bit, don't they?
On today's agenda, grocery shopping! Whoo. I don't know when I'll get around to that. I'm trying to get over a cold, so I sort of feel like lying around and watching movies all day.
Do you have an alarm clock? What time is it set to wake you up? Yes. Right now it's set to 9:30.
Do you like knock-knock jokes? Meh. Not in particular.
Are you currently more hungry or thirsty? More thirsty.
Are you waiting on anything right now? Not really.
Do you prefer your singing voice or your talking voice more? Singing. My speaking voice is too delicate and girly. I lower my natural pitch a lot to sound less ridiculous.
The last person you met for the first time: What do you think of them? I thought he was shyer and quieter than me...something I don't see too often in a guy.
Have you ever been described as shy? Is it true? ^ Somewhat.
Name the last awkward moment you encountered: Being stuck in the hallway with one of our neighbors, trying to figure out what to do with the random cat that was sitting out there. Apparently, another neighbor accidentally locked it out of her apartment while she was leaving.
If I could make you anything to eat right now, what would you want? I could go for a really good grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of tomato soup.
Do you prefer earphones or the ear-muff style headphones? Meh, I don't really care. Both irritate my ears.
What colour are your pants? I'm not wearing any pants...rocking the bathrobe at the moment.
Name something you're a complete sucker for: Puppies.
Do you type pretty quickly? Yes.
Do you remember when you first went on the internet? AOL on the good ol' Acer 95. I was probably around ten when my parents let me get online by myself for the first time. I was only allowed to use it to email my friends from church.
What do you smell of currently? Coffee, soap.
What was the last gift you received? My printer.
Are you religious? Is this something you were raised with or developed? I don't like that term. And religion is frustrating. I'd rather say that I'm someone looking for spiritual fulfillment. And yes, that's how I was raised.
When was the last time you saw rain? Um...I don't remember. Somewhat recently.
How often do you forget important things? I guess it depends on what you mean by important. I forget to pay bills sometimes, or put gas in the car--stuff like that, I forget kind of often.
What is one way someone could completely put you off on a first date? Rudeness to strangers, like the server if we're at a restaurant.
What about one way someone could make you like them more on a first date? Making me laugh.
What was the last music video you watched? Did you like it? I don't even remember.
Do you ever buy people random gifts? (When it's not their birthday, etc) Sometimes.
Are you more prone to blackheads or spots / pimples? Pimples.
Do you fiddle with the phone cord when you talk on the phone? What phone cord?
Do you refuse to use public toilets? No. Definitely not a fan of them, though.
Do you save your online browsing history? Firefox saves it automatically.
How many books have you read this year? Since we're only three weeks into this year, I've only read one. But in the past twelve months, around 30.
Are you good at guessing things correctly? It depends on what I'm guessing! In general, I imagine I'm not any better or worse than most people.
If you could have any colour as your natural hair, which would you choose? Auburn.
Does your voice change when you talk to certain people? Yeah.
How often does your computer freeze up? Not very often.
What do you do when you're nervous? Fidget, blush, lose my train of thought...sometimes my voice quivers. Embarrassing stuff like that.
I had to work a lot this past week, but all my shifts went by fast. Everything is winding down at Food Avenue...we're shutting down a week from tomorrow. I'm going to miss it. Last month I was so ready for this...but that's only because holiday shoppers were making every shift miserably busy. Now that things are back to normal, I actually enjoy my job. This probably makes me a bad Target employee, but one of the things I like the most is that I'm not so much a part of "the team." There's no team leader lurking around to watch my every move, I don't have to update everyone with what I'm working on, I don't have to respond to backups for other parts of the store...I'm just doing my own thing. I really enjoy that independence. But it will be nice to be cross-trained for sales floor. Maybe I'll actually learn how the store runs and stays organized. Since I've been in my Food Ave bubble for these seven months, I know a shamefully small amount about the daily operations of the store.
Yesterday, my parents came up to bring me my new phone. It's a Kin One...which apparently failed as a smart phone last year and is now being sold as a feature phone. Fine by me since I had no intention of getting a smart phone, anyway...my parents don't want to pay for the data plan (yep, my parents still pay for my cell phone. But they pay for Grant's, too, and he's 25, so that makes me feel a little better). I really like the phone. It has a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard that slides out and it's small and SQUARE! Pretty much adorable. My Dad bought me a dark pink clip-on case, too, which just adds to the cuteness. The camera is really nice, for a feature phone. All the other ones I looked at had 2.0 megapixels and this one has 5.0. However...I can't send any picture messages. I just get this stupid "try again later" message. I was able to send one last night but every attempt since then has failed. Kind of infuriating. If it's not working by tomorrow, I guess I'll take it to the Verizon place at the mall and see if they can figure out what's wrong.
In addition to bringing me my phone, my parents also bought me a new printer/scanner, since ours broke a couple months ago. They didn't think it was acceptable for a real (aka published) writer to not have a working printer. And to be honest, I've kind of been going crazy without one...so that was pretty great of them. They spoil me a bit, don't they?
On today's agenda, grocery shopping! Whoo. I don't know when I'll get around to that. I'm trying to get over a cold, so I sort of feel like lying around and watching movies all day.
Do you have an alarm clock? What time is it set to wake you up? Yes. Right now it's set to 9:30.
Do you like knock-knock jokes? Meh. Not in particular.
Are you currently more hungry or thirsty? More thirsty.
Are you waiting on anything right now? Not really.
Do you prefer your singing voice or your talking voice more? Singing. My speaking voice is too delicate and girly. I lower my natural pitch a lot to sound less ridiculous.
The last person you met for the first time: What do you think of them? I thought he was shyer and quieter than me...something I don't see too often in a guy.
Have you ever been described as shy? Is it true? ^ Somewhat.
Name the last awkward moment you encountered: Being stuck in the hallway with one of our neighbors, trying to figure out what to do with the random cat that was sitting out there. Apparently, another neighbor accidentally locked it out of her apartment while she was leaving.
If I could make you anything to eat right now, what would you want? I could go for a really good grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of tomato soup.
Do you prefer earphones or the ear-muff style headphones? Meh, I don't really care. Both irritate my ears.
What colour are your pants? I'm not wearing any pants...rocking the bathrobe at the moment.
Name something you're a complete sucker for: Puppies.
Do you type pretty quickly? Yes.
Do you remember when you first went on the internet? AOL on the good ol' Acer 95. I was probably around ten when my parents let me get online by myself for the first time. I was only allowed to use it to email my friends from church.
What do you smell of currently? Coffee, soap.
What was the last gift you received? My printer.
Are you religious? Is this something you were raised with or developed? I don't like that term. And religion is frustrating. I'd rather say that I'm someone looking for spiritual fulfillment. And yes, that's how I was raised.
When was the last time you saw rain? Um...I don't remember. Somewhat recently.
How often do you forget important things? I guess it depends on what you mean by important. I forget to pay bills sometimes, or put gas in the car--stuff like that, I forget kind of often.
What is one way someone could completely put you off on a first date? Rudeness to strangers, like the server if we're at a restaurant.
What about one way someone could make you like them more on a first date? Making me laugh.
What was the last music video you watched? Did you like it? I don't even remember.
Do you ever buy people random gifts? (When it's not their birthday, etc) Sometimes.
Are you more prone to blackheads or spots / pimples? Pimples.
Do you fiddle with the phone cord when you talk on the phone? What phone cord?
Do you refuse to use public toilets? No. Definitely not a fan of them, though.
Do you save your online browsing history? Firefox saves it automatically.
How many books have you read this year? Since we're only three weeks into this year, I've only read one. But in the past twelve months, around 30.
Are you good at guessing things correctly? It depends on what I'm guessing! In general, I imagine I'm not any better or worse than most people.
If you could have any colour as your natural hair, which would you choose? Auburn.
Does your voice change when you talk to certain people? Yeah.
How often does your computer freeze up? Not very often.
What do you do when you're nervous? Fidget, blush, lose my train of thought...sometimes my voice quivers. Embarrassing stuff like that.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Taking the edge off.
Not in the best of moods tonight. In addition to having a sore throat all day (aka the start of a cold), I've had too many "oh, you're a college graduate and you work at Target? " moments this week. So I'm listening to music and filling out a survey (yes, another one...) to take the edge off. And I may or may not have had several spoonfuls of vanilla frosting, straight out of the can...
Choose: The ability to speak every language or play every instrument? Oh, both would be so cool. But I think I would pick the ability to speak every language.
Are you planning to spend a large sum of money any time soon? No.
Do you prefer listening to music through speakers or headphones? Speakers. Headphones are uncomfortable.
The last time you injured yourself: How did it happen? Today. Running into something at work, as usual.
If you met yourself, would you befriend them? That depends--am I myself meeting myself, or am I someone else meeting myself? Wow, what a headache this question is.
In your opinion, what's the best cure for the hiccups? Distract yourself so you forget you have them.
The shoes you wore today: What do they look like? Tan and white...kinda look like tennis shoes, but they're slip on thingers.
If you have a garage, do you tend to just fill it with junk? I don't have a garage.
Would you prefer to live in an apartment, house or other? I like living in an apartment because maintenance issues and yard upkeep and all that are someone else's problems...but ultimately, I would rather live in a house.
The room you're in currently: Does it have carpet, tiles or other? Carpet.
How cold are you currently? Slightly chilly.
Do you ever feel that people don't actually know The Real You? All the time.
What's your current occupation? Would you change it, if you could? I work at Target. I want to and plan on changing it...just not this instant.
Are you wearing perfume today? What does it smell of? Yes. Fruitiness and vanilla.
The last time you cried: Why were you upset? (Or happy, as the case may be) Because Jordan was crying.
What are you planning to have for dinner tonight? (Or what did you have) I already had dinner...shells and cheese.
What's your favourite hot drink? Caramel latte. I could really go for one right now.
When was the last time you sneezed? Today.
If you had the day off tomorrow, what would you do with your time? Sleep in, clean up the apartment, go to the bank, go grocery shopping, write. Wow, kinda wish I did have tomorrow off...I have a lot of stuff to do.
Do you prefer laptops or computers? I like laptops because that's what I'm used to and the portability is nice...but really, either is fine with me.
Does your mobile phone have a touch screen? My NEW phone does. I don't have it yet, though...it was delivered to my parents' house and they're bringing it to me this Saturday.
Name one food item you eat fairly often: Toast.
The last thing you took a photo of: What was it? I think it was my donut-hole maker that I got for Christmas. Or Crosby.
Name one place you'd like to visit as soon as possible: Chicago. Not as soon as possible, but in the near future. Like the next six months.
What's one good thing that happened today? I had a good day at work. It went by fast.
Name the last good movie you watched: I watched Alice in Wonderland on my day off.
Do you prefer plain, coloured or patterned socks? I like all of the above. My favorite socks tend to be argyle.
When it's Winter, do you wish it could just be warm already? Oh, only about seventy times a day.
When you wake, what is it that you think of most? Depends on what I have to do that day...and what's going on in my life.
Are you home alone currently? No.
Choose: The ability to speak every language or play every instrument? Oh, both would be so cool. But I think I would pick the ability to speak every language.
Are you planning to spend a large sum of money any time soon? No.
Do you prefer listening to music through speakers or headphones? Speakers. Headphones are uncomfortable.
The last time you injured yourself: How did it happen? Today. Running into something at work, as usual.
If you met yourself, would you befriend them? That depends--am I myself meeting myself, or am I someone else meeting myself? Wow, what a headache this question is.
In your opinion, what's the best cure for the hiccups? Distract yourself so you forget you have them.
The shoes you wore today: What do they look like? Tan and white...kinda look like tennis shoes, but they're slip on thingers.
If you have a garage, do you tend to just fill it with junk? I don't have a garage.
Would you prefer to live in an apartment, house or other? I like living in an apartment because maintenance issues and yard upkeep and all that are someone else's problems...but ultimately, I would rather live in a house.
The room you're in currently: Does it have carpet, tiles or other? Carpet.
How cold are you currently? Slightly chilly.
Do you ever feel that people don't actually know The Real You? All the time.
What's your current occupation? Would you change it, if you could? I work at Target. I want to and plan on changing it...just not this instant.
Are you wearing perfume today? What does it smell of? Yes. Fruitiness and vanilla.
The last time you cried: Why were you upset? (Or happy, as the case may be) Because Jordan was crying.
What are you planning to have for dinner tonight? (Or what did you have) I already had dinner...shells and cheese.
What's your favourite hot drink? Caramel latte. I could really go for one right now.
When was the last time you sneezed? Today.
If you had the day off tomorrow, what would you do with your time? Sleep in, clean up the apartment, go to the bank, go grocery shopping, write. Wow, kinda wish I did have tomorrow off...I have a lot of stuff to do.
Do you prefer laptops or computers? I like laptops because that's what I'm used to and the portability is nice...but really, either is fine with me.
Does your mobile phone have a touch screen? My NEW phone does. I don't have it yet, though...it was delivered to my parents' house and they're bringing it to me this Saturday.
Name one food item you eat fairly often: Toast.
The last thing you took a photo of: What was it? I think it was my donut-hole maker that I got for Christmas. Or Crosby.
Name one place you'd like to visit as soon as possible: Chicago. Not as soon as possible, but in the near future. Like the next six months.
What's one good thing that happened today? I had a good day at work. It went by fast.
Name the last good movie you watched: I watched Alice in Wonderland on my day off.
Do you prefer plain, coloured or patterned socks? I like all of the above. My favorite socks tend to be argyle.
When it's Winter, do you wish it could just be warm already? Oh, only about seventy times a day.
When you wake, what is it that you think of most? Depends on what I have to do that day...and what's going on in my life.
Are you home alone currently? No.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Oh hey, it's 2011
Happy new year and stuff. Hasn't been the best year so far, but I'm feeling optimistic, nonetheless.
Last week, Jordan and I found out that his parents are getting a divorce. :( I'm not in the mood to recount all the details, so I will merely say that it sucks.
Work has been all right...the week after Christmas was annoyingly busy, thanks to an endless stream of kids on Christmas vacation wanting to use their gift cards. But things have slowed down now, thankfully. And holiday hours are over! It's so nice to be back to closing Food Ave. at 9:00. In three weeks, I'll be learning sales floor...kind of nervous that I'm going to hate it. I guess if I do, I can ask to cashier until Food Ave reopens. We'll see.
I am super irritated with all this snow. It's funny to think back to only a month ago, when snow was enchanting and exciting and beautiful. Now that Christmas is over, and after having slid into a ditch during our last snow storm, I hate snow. I want it to go away and not come back for eleven months.
Is your sense of humor crude (toilet, crotch) or highbrow (sarcasm, irony)? More highbrow. But I enjoy crude humor from time to time, too.
When was the last time you built a sandcastle? I'm not sure if I've ever built one.
If you HAD to change one physical trait, what would it be? My ears.
If you HAD to change one personality trait, what would it be? My tendency to worry too much.
What is the best part of your life? I have a really great family.
Do you like the game Monopoly? No, it takes way too long. And isn't that fun.
What do you think of skater kids? Meh. I don't have much of an opinion of them, really. Mostly I just associate them with my little brother in his preteen years.
Do you, yourself, know how to skateboard? No.
You must live in a different country for one year. Where do you move? Ooh, I don't know. I would have to research different countries for hours. But probably somewhere in the United Kingdom...or Australia.
What color are your eyes? Blue or green...depends on what I'm wearing. The older I get, the more green they seem, though.
What is your living situation? (Who do you live with) I live with my husband and our dog.
Would you ever consider getting a facial piercing? No--it wouldn't look right on me.
Ever pretended to have tourettes so you could scream obscenities in public? Nope.
What was the last vegetable you ate? Potatoes.
What time did you get up his morning? I woke up at 9:00 then went back to sleep. Finally got out of bed at 11:30.
Who is your favorite teacher, and why? I don't have a single favorite teacher. My favorite teachers/professors/TAs were always the ones that were laid back and funny, but passionate about what they were teaching.
Describe your favorite article of jewelery: My engagement ring. It's a sterling silver band, four prongs, with a 3/4 carat solitaire diamond.
Are you wearing it right now? No. I don't wear it very often because of my job.
Have you ever touched a starfish? If so, was it the smooth or rough kind? I don't think so.
What kind of smiley face do you type most often? :)
Do you add extra letters on the ends of your wordsss, likeee thisss? No. And it tends to annoy me when people do.
What kind of MP3 player do you own, if any? I have an ipod, but I rarely use it.
Choose one: red, blue, or black pens? Black.
Do you prefer pens to pencils? Why? I use them both pretty equally...and I dislike both, really. When I use a pencil, the words smudge...when I use a pen, I have to scribble out mistakes.
How many pictures do you have on your MySpace/Facebook? Around 500.
Do you have a favorite letter of the alphabet? Not really.
Do you listen to grunge music? I don't have any in my usual playlist, but I do enjoy it.
Do you listen to 80's metal? Not sure much.
What about 90's pop? I like some.
What do you think of today's music? (Popular, top 40, etc.) It's pretty bad.
First and middle name of your future son and/or daughter: Currently, I like Elizabeth Pearl for a girl and William Robert for a boy.
Do you know how to use a fax machine? Yes.
How often do you order pizza? Probably once a month.
Do you have a favorite pizza chain? We usually get Pizza Hut or Papa John's.
Explain one of your scars: I was taking a meatloaf out of the oven and burnt myself because the stupid oven mitt didn't cover my wrist.
Are you happy with your hair? Meh. Somewhat. Some days I really like the length, other days, I really want to chop it off. I am happy with the color and texture, though, for the most part.
Have you ever worn leather gloves? Were they fingerless? Yes...no.
Do you think sea lions are cute? Yes.
Have you ever touched a chinchilla? I don't think so.
Have you ever been drunk? Yes.
Do you think underage drinking is irresponsible and stupid? Oftentimes, yes.
As for yourself, would you say that you're a party animal? Not at all.
Do you know the difference between 'their', 'they're', and 'there'? Of course.
Do you plan on graduating anytime soon? No.
What is your favorite online game? Um, spider solitaire. lol.
Do you like acoustic or electric guitar better? Acoustic.
When was the last time you laid out, under the stars? The last time I remember doing that was in 2006, when Jordan and I first started dating.
What are you doing tomorrow? Working 7:30-3:00...cleaning the house once I get home, then relaxing.
Current favorite song? Raindrops by Regina Spektor.
Last week, Jordan and I found out that his parents are getting a divorce. :( I'm not in the mood to recount all the details, so I will merely say that it sucks.
Work has been all right...the week after Christmas was annoyingly busy, thanks to an endless stream of kids on Christmas vacation wanting to use their gift cards. But things have slowed down now, thankfully. And holiday hours are over! It's so nice to be back to closing Food Ave. at 9:00. In three weeks, I'll be learning sales floor...kind of nervous that I'm going to hate it. I guess if I do, I can ask to cashier until Food Ave reopens. We'll see.
I am super irritated with all this snow. It's funny to think back to only a month ago, when snow was enchanting and exciting and beautiful. Now that Christmas is over, and after having slid into a ditch during our last snow storm, I hate snow. I want it to go away and not come back for eleven months.
Is your sense of humor crude (toilet, crotch) or highbrow (sarcasm, irony)? More highbrow. But I enjoy crude humor from time to time, too.
When was the last time you built a sandcastle? I'm not sure if I've ever built one.
If you HAD to change one physical trait, what would it be? My ears.
If you HAD to change one personality trait, what would it be? My tendency to worry too much.
What is the best part of your life? I have a really great family.
Do you like the game Monopoly? No, it takes way too long. And isn't that fun.
What do you think of skater kids? Meh. I don't have much of an opinion of them, really. Mostly I just associate them with my little brother in his preteen years.
Do you, yourself, know how to skateboard? No.
You must live in a different country for one year. Where do you move? Ooh, I don't know. I would have to research different countries for hours. But probably somewhere in the United Kingdom...or Australia.
What color are your eyes? Blue or green...depends on what I'm wearing. The older I get, the more green they seem, though.
What is your living situation? (Who do you live with) I live with my husband and our dog.
Would you ever consider getting a facial piercing? No--it wouldn't look right on me.
Ever pretended to have tourettes so you could scream obscenities in public? Nope.
What was the last vegetable you ate? Potatoes.
What time did you get up his morning? I woke up at 9:00 then went back to sleep. Finally got out of bed at 11:30.
Who is your favorite teacher, and why? I don't have a single favorite teacher. My favorite teachers/professors/TAs were always the ones that were laid back and funny, but passionate about what they were teaching.
Describe your favorite article of jewelery: My engagement ring. It's a sterling silver band, four prongs, with a 3/4 carat solitaire diamond.
Are you wearing it right now? No. I don't wear it very often because of my job.
Have you ever touched a starfish? If so, was it the smooth or rough kind? I don't think so.
What kind of smiley face do you type most often? :)
Do you add extra letters on the ends of your wordsss, likeee thisss? No. And it tends to annoy me when people do.
What kind of MP3 player do you own, if any? I have an ipod, but I rarely use it.
Choose one: red, blue, or black pens? Black.
Do you prefer pens to pencils? Why? I use them both pretty equally...and I dislike both, really. When I use a pencil, the words smudge...when I use a pen, I have to scribble out mistakes.
How many pictures do you have on your MySpace/Facebook? Around 500.
Do you have a favorite letter of the alphabet? Not really.
Do you listen to grunge music? I don't have any in my usual playlist, but I do enjoy it.
Do you listen to 80's metal? Not sure much.
What about 90's pop? I like some.
What do you think of today's music? (Popular, top 40, etc.) It's pretty bad.
First and middle name of your future son and/or daughter: Currently, I like Elizabeth Pearl for a girl and William Robert for a boy.
Do you know how to use a fax machine? Yes.
How often do you order pizza? Probably once a month.
Do you have a favorite pizza chain? We usually get Pizza Hut or Papa John's.
Explain one of your scars: I was taking a meatloaf out of the oven and burnt myself because the stupid oven mitt didn't cover my wrist.
Are you happy with your hair? Meh. Somewhat. Some days I really like the length, other days, I really want to chop it off. I am happy with the color and texture, though, for the most part.
Have you ever worn leather gloves? Were they fingerless? Yes...no.
Do you think sea lions are cute? Yes.
Have you ever touched a chinchilla? I don't think so.
Have you ever been drunk? Yes.
Do you think underage drinking is irresponsible and stupid? Oftentimes, yes.
As for yourself, would you say that you're a party animal? Not at all.
Do you know the difference between 'their', 'they're', and 'there'? Of course.
Do you plan on graduating anytime soon? No.
What is your favorite online game? Um, spider solitaire. lol.
Do you like acoustic or electric guitar better? Acoustic.
When was the last time you laid out, under the stars? The last time I remember doing that was in 2006, when Jordan and I first started dating.
What are you doing tomorrow? Working 7:30-3:00...cleaning the house once I get home, then relaxing.
Current favorite song? Raindrops by Regina Spektor.
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