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.

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.

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.