All that is Psolaris

In Memoriam

2010-04-05T10:34:00.004-04:00

Dear Claudette,

You've been a very wonderful friend to me and my mother for a long time now. I feel very blessed to have had you in my life. I looked forward to our brunches and dinners, and I enjoyed your stories of your growing up. I know you are with your husband, Benny, now...and although that I'm sad that you've left us, I am happy that you are joined together again. I will never forget you for as long as I live. I will miss you tremendously.

I want to thank everyone that help in this search. All of you that put the word out, especially Carol, LOL...the word spread as far as Serbia due to your ladies on the forum. Please let them know that I appreciated all of the kind words and all of the support. It is wonderful to know that there are people out there that do still care.

There is a lesson to be learned in all of this...do not ever trust the Fairfield Police department. The only thing they did to help was to put out the Silver Alert. They didn't search for Claudette at all, they didn't alert the family when they couldn't find her in her home after TRIAD (a group that calls the elderly that live on their own on a daily basis to check up on them) told them there was no answer at the house. It was up to Claudette's best friend to tell the family that she was unable to get ahold of her. Only then did the family know that Claudette was missing. Claudette was found barely 100 yards from where she was last seen, and they didn't even bother doing a standard immediate search of the area when the alert went out. They owe all of Claudette's friends and family a very PUBLIC apology for handling this so poorly!!

Claudette, you will always be in our hearts and minds. We love you very much!

MISSING PERSON AND FRIEND!!!!

2010-03-31T13:18:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends!!

I need help! One of my friends has gone missing and we all need to find her. Her name is Claudette Douglas, she's from Fairfield, Ohio, and the last time she was seen was this past Sunday, getting her car washed at Mike's Car Wash in Fairfield. I am terribly frightened for her safety. I need a favor from you!

Can you get on your Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook accounts and post this information??? It would be a great help. Please tell your friends to forward this information on! We want her to come home safely!! She does not have a history of dementia or Alzheimer's, and there is absoltely no reason she would ever leave somewhere without telling family and friends. Please forward the link below!!!

http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Fairfield-Family-Desperate-To-Find-Missing-Grandma/f8YEEb07QkGmT_O6euEtZw.cspx

Claudette, where ever you are, we are trying to find you and we won't stop until we do!!

Time for an update

2010-03-11T09:28:00.003-05:00

Yikes, been a couple of months! Guess I need to update ya'll...all three or four of you that read this thing. LOL.

First off, wedding plans. We have the church, the reception hall, the photographer, and the cake decorator all lined up. We're still on budget so far (thankfully!). All of the bridesmaids have their dresses and I've got mine. So things are chugging along for the most part. I still need to buy invitations and get them printed off. Chris' family is planning the bridal shower, and we've got almost 30 ladies invited to this thing. That's a crapload of folks, but it's all family and very close friends. The thing is...both of us have a very large family, so the numbers add up quite quickly. I'm already at the point where I just want this to be done and over with. Plus, I'm constantly getting the question at work, "Hey, how are the wedding plans going??" Honestly, I'm sick of hearing the question because I have to say the same thing over and over and over again. I should probably print off some index cards with my status of the plans and just hand them over when someone asks me this.

Upgraded my computer over the past few days. Chris has been dying to play Star Trek Online for a while, and my computer was about 5 years old and too slow to play the thing, so he asked permission to buy the parts that we needed to upgrade the thing; something I wanted to do anyway, since my pc has too much stuff on it, so it was time to just rip off the bandaid so to speak and just get it done. Lots of trial and error, lots of taking parts back and swapping them out with new ones, lots of headache to try to get Windows to load. But with persistance and the help of friends that just wouldn't give up (Thanks Scott!! You're a saint! And Joe!! Even while you were sick!) we finally got it up and running. Whew! So now it's just a matter of transferring data over to the new hard drive and putting my settings where I want them. Most importantly though, this was a learning experience for Chris. It's the first time he's cracked open a tower and he learned quite a bit in the process. It taught me that I still know how to put a computer together for the most part...but I'm still no good when it comes to the motherboard BIOS settings.

March Madness is upon us! Next Tuesday will be the first round and I can't....freaking....wait! They'll be creating the brackets on Sunday and I have a hunch where a few of my favorites will land this year. It'd be nice to see UK win it this year...they'd been on a dry spell for a long time, but now that Tubby Smith is long gone, and Billy Gillispie let go, that allowed John Calipari to step in and take over...and thank the maker they're back on track! Not getting my hopes up yet, mind you, but I am hopeful. :)

Lots of house projects to work on. Some landscaping I'd like to do, some trim painting that I'd like to get done since the doors and trim are faded from the sun, I'd like to get started working on a garden (but I need some garden tools for such a project). Lots of ideas swarming in my head. It makes it a little difficult that Chris and I have weird schedules for the weekend. I'm off on Saturdays and Sundays, but on Sundays I have Tai Chi and dance practices. He works on Saturdays and has Sundays off. So it makes it a little difficult for us to take on a project together, and a lot of the projects I have in mind require the work of two people. But I'm confident we'll get it done none-the-less.

Ok, I guess that does it for now. Stay tuned...my life is hectic right now because of the wedding plans, but I'll try to keep updating my blog for those of you on the edge of your seats. ;)

Dear Mike Brown

2010-01-11T09:06:00.004-05:00

You, sir, are an ass!

You have taken everything that your great father, the late Paul Brown, has worked for his whole life, and flushed it down the toilet. He started this team from nothing, and worked tooth and nail to make the team something to be proud of. You, on the other hand, are nothing but a spoiled rich kid who inherited daddy's hard work. You don't know how to run it, you don't know what hard work is. The only thing you know is that you already have millions, and you make more millions because the NFL dictates that you get a certain cut every year, and that is all you care about. You don't care about the team, you don't care about the fans, and you don't care about Cincinnati. Personally I think you should be ASHAMED of yourself. Instead of taking that money and investing it well to make The Bengals into a team that you can be proud of, you simply sit back and make your millions and do nothing more for the team. Bravo, sir, bravo.

Your father is turning over in his grave. I'm sure he's ashamed of you himself. Way to go.....jackass.

It Shines and Sparkles!!

2009-12-31T12:59:00.003-05:00

Well, I have some wonderful news!

Chris and I are really, officially, finally...ENGAGED!!!

Yeah, I know...we've been referring to each other as "fiance" for a while now, we already bought the house together, and already booked the church so that we wouldn't lose the wedding date we wanted. But on Christmas morning, he got down on one knee and woke me up with a question and a shiny, beautiful, sparkly ring! It's the most beautiful ring ever!!! White gold, 1-carat diamond with emeralds on either side of it, and a Celtic design around the band. It's perfect!! I always catch myself looking at it because it's just that hard to take your eyes off of.

So, now I have all of 6 months to plan a wedding and a big after-party / pig roast. And to make a wedding dress...with the help of some artistic friends of mine that is ;)

I cannot wait!!

My favorite holiday movies

2009-12-15T10:11:00.004-05:00

With the holidays upon us, I've been listening to a radio station that plays all Christmas, all day, until the holiday season is over. They've been discussing their favorite holiday movies, and I thought to myself...I've actually never written up a list and shared it with anyone. So for those few of you that read my blog, I've decided to share my favorite holiday movies with you. And if this inspires you, please do the same on your blog too and tell your readers what Christmas time movies you love the best.

1) White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye (always the classic!)
2) Elf
3) Miracle on 34th Street with Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood (made in 1947)
4) Holiday Inn
5) A Christmas Story
6) The Polar Express
7) Jesus of Nazareth (more of a mini-series, but still good to watch over the holidays)
8) A Christmas Carol
9) The Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov

I wish the list was longer, and I'm sure I'll catch some flack for not putting It's a Wonderful Life on my list, but it's not really one of my favorites. I love the message in that movie however, so maybe one day it will appear on this list, but not yet.

So how about you? What are your favorite holiday movies? The ones that you just can't do without. :)

The Women of Nefrew

2009-11-18T11:40:00.004-05:00

So, I've been bellydancing for right at three years now. Finally had my first performance last week. Friends and family showed up to give their support. And we all had so much fun that we are definitely going to do this again.

Are we hot or what?

Halloween 2009

2009-10-26T10:01:00.006-04:00

Well, it came and went. We Thrilled the World dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller attemting to get ourselves into the Guiness Book of World Records for the most people dancing Thriller simultaneously around the world. From what I understand, last year only 4,000 people around the world participated. This year, it was 23,000. So who knows...you just might see my name in that book someday.

This year was the 10th year that Scott and Donna held their party. Each year there has been a theme, and this year the theme was to revisit the past themes. So we could pick our favorite theme from the past and do a new costume, or use a past costume and re-imagine it a little for this year. So, I sat and jotted down all of the past themes, then started writing down costume ideas based on those themes. Once I wrote down Big Trouble in Little China, I stopped. Brilliant! Perfect! A movie so bad it's awesome, and both Chris and I love this movie. Besides, I've already got the green eyes!

We only got a couple of votes in the costume contest, but it was awesome that pretty much everyone knew exactly who we were; Jack Burton and Grace Law. But, then again, all of our friends are a bunch of geeks just like us, so of course everyone is going to understand, LOL. So here are the results, pictures from the movie...followed by us. Tell me what you think??

Tribute to a fellow dancer.

2009-09-15T09:39:00.006-04:00

I'm not sure if he'd ever remember, but I met him once. Very humble and kind to all these 13-16 year old girls hyperventilating in his presence. Right around the time the movie, Dirty Dancing came out, a few of us girls from Debbie's Dance Place were enrolled in a dance caravan. Well known choreographers from all over went all over the US, teaching us the newest dance moves for the better part of a week. It was a yearly event, held at the Drawbridge Inn in Florence, Ky. One of the choreographers? Bambi Swayze...his sister. He came to visit her...and we bumped into him at the restaurant inside the Inn. The name of the restaurant now escapes me, but I'll never forget the experience. He signed my napkin, which I've unfortunately lost over time, he laughed, thanked us for being fans, gave us all hugs, and almost seemed embarrassed over the attention he garnered, but he was gracious and kind through it all. A Hollywood star with a heart of gold.

To borrow a quote from The Outsiders, stay gold Patrick...stay gold.

Tai Chi

2009-08-10T15:50:00.002-04:00

So, on the advice of a friend (ahem, Jen!!), I took my first Tai Chi class on Sunday.

Picked up my first 4 moves pretty quickly, sweated my ass off, and thoroughly loved every minute of it. Can't wait for class number 2!

My next new purchase!!!

2009-07-14T09:49:00.006-04:00

I got a car! I finally, after 2 years of bemoaning the piece of shit I had to drive, I was finally able to get a new car! It's a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Loredo, 4x4, black exterior, tan leather interior. And as an added bonus, there are heated seats and the gas & brake pedals adjust to the driver. Not even our selling point, we were impressed with the car without those things. I didn't even realize it had those until after we shook hands on the deal! It's so beautiful I just love standing in my garage just looking at it. It's gonna feel weird having to make car payments again though. I've had the Monte Carlo paid off for the last 5 years. But we still made a great deal with it. It was a deal that we were completely happy with, and the customer service we got at the dealership was unexpected. It was phenomenal customer service! While I'm no fan of Hyundai's in general, the salesman at Columbia Hyundai treated us really well, didn't pressure us into buying, worked out the deal so that I was paying a monthly rate I was comfortable with. So yesterday, I drove past my old car, saying Sayonara to that headache, and drove out onto the highway with my new piece of happiness! I smile just thinking about it.

Isn't she pretty??? I need to think of a name for her!

New home...new car...Hmmmm, I wonder what could be next! ;)

Ahem!! Chris and I would like to announce........

2009-06-30T09:38:00.004-04:00

That we are officially home owners!

It's been a very long trip to get this house, but it finally happened. We closed a little later than we thought, and moved in just before our deadline to get out of our apartment, and we still had to wait for the seller's paperwork to show up, signed and notorized, so that our mortgage company could then send the payment and papers up to the bank that currently holds the mortgage, and as of 5:00 yesterday, that was all completed.

So, now on to the unpacking, rearranging, roof fixing, ant repelling, and general cleaning up of the house to make it look like home!

I'd like to send a thank you to all of you that helped us!

Carol and Joe, you've been there every step of the way. And Carol, I think you worked harder than I did, LOL. And I want to thank you guys for the home-coming present. And the tarp. And the help getting everything into the house. And the help you gave in hooking up stuff. And the help in finding all the information we needed for the house. And the use of the tools when I couldn't find my own. And the....well, and everything!!! Even for the shoulders to cry on! My mother has often said that she's comforted by the fact that you guys are just across the street from me, and that you guys (plus Chris) are the answer to her prayers. :)

Scott and Donna! Both of you have been so supportive! You came in helped us get stuff moved at the last minute when the movers were late. You let us borrow multiple things, and gave us the extra grass fertilizer and grub repellent. And you and Carol removed those rows of ragweed that was growing and planted lots of pretty flowers so that when we moved in, it already looked like a home! It's all meant so much.

Scott and Joan! You've come and cut our weeds, and took pictures of the house damage, gave us use of one of your tarps, called and offered whatever help I may need, called when you heard stuff was messed up at the bank and asked if there was anything you could do to help, and just in case the bank didn't get the paperwork done in time for the deadline, which would in turn leave us homeless for a while, you offered your extra bedroom to us so that we had a roof over our head in our time of need. I don't even have the words to tell you how much that meant.

Jen Johnson, you've offered an ear, a shoulder, you've been a cheerleader, and a great friend in all of this. All of your crossed fingers and prayers have helped us through this stress. Once we get everything unpacked and arranged in the house...it'll be time for painting! And you have offered your help in getting our house decorated and painted, and trust me, we'll definitely need that help!

And finally Pat Winchell, our realtor. Carol's mom! I know that you went above and beyond the call of duty, and I feel like there's no way I can thank you enough. You've been there to answer all of our questions, address any of our concerns, and you absolutely worked your ASS off to get this deal to work out, come hell or high water. And I know there was a lot of hell that we had to fight through, but you fought and fought and fought....and fought more. You've just been amazing...and amazing doesn't even come close to describing what you've done. Chris and I don't put our trust in people easily...trust is earned. But we completely trusted you...100%. We knew that we were in good hands with you. And we feel lucky that we had the best realtor on this planet! (Oh, and thank you for the oodles of wine! Definitely needed that!)

All of you have been the best of friends to both of us. All of you know that I've had a pretty hard path to walk down in my life...and for the last 5+ years, I've been working on getting everything back on track. And for the last 3.5 years, I've really been getting to that point in my life where I'm absolutely happy. Chris in my life was a blessing, and I've come to learn to love myself again. And with the help of all of you, I've gained my life back. But with the trials and troubles we had with getting this house, all of you stepped up when both Chris and I needed help the most...and you all did it without giving it a second thought. You just came in and did everything possible. And this really proves to me that my life is completely fulfilled. I have a wonderful man, I have only the best friends in the world, and I am now the happiest I've ever been in my life. It's hard to find the words to convey how important all of this is to me...and you all mean so very much to me, you mean so very much to the both of us. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again!!!

Housing News!

2009-06-01T10:39:00.005-04:00

Well, it's finally been approved! The bank finally approved our offer! It only took 9 months and an email to the BBB and a tv interview with Howard Ain, but hey, who's counting?

So, as it stands right now...we close on June 18th, and we move in on June 24th. We figured it'd probably be a good idea to go into the house before then and make sure that there was no structural damage to the house since the roof blew off last September when Ike decided to pay us a visit. There was a small patch of wood exposed, and we feared the worst! So I called my Uncle Mike, who is a foreman for his own construction company, and asked if he'd be willing to stop by and take a quick look. Well, believe it or not, once he got up in the attic, there wasn't any damage!!! Color me shocked! The only damage we did sustain was in a small section of carpet below window in the front of the house. The water that did come in, rather than coming into the attic, went down the wall and onto the floor. So when we walked in, the carpet there was wet and a little discolored, and a couple of mold spores were growing since the house inside was quite humid (being that the A/C unit wasn't on). So we wanted to take a picture of the damage just so we could document it. I called Scott and Joan who brought over their camera, and took pictures for us (thank you!!!!) Then we vacuumed up the mold spores, and Carol brought over her steamer and started steaming the carpet (and thank you!!!). The discoloration started coming right out immediately. So we thought it'd be easier if we just tore up that part of the carpet and set it up on some wooden braces to let it air dry, we tore up the padding underneath and just went ahead and pitched it (easy and cheap enough to replace), and let the wood floor under all of that dry out. Thankfully enough the wood is not warped or soft. It kept its shape! So we caught this just in the nick of time. Carol and Joan brought over their extra tarps and Uncle Mike tarped the roof so that further water is prevented from getting in, and Scott brought over his weed whacker and started trimming our weeds (thanks Scott!!!). And in the next couple of weeks before we move, Carol and I will go in and continue steaming the carpet until it's all the right color again and it's clean and sanitized. I'm going to get something called Kill Mold Fast (something Pat recommended) and that way it will prevent any more mold from growing. That way it'll be ready to move into by the time we actually move.

I went ahead and called Duke Energy, and the Clermont County water company, and Time Warner, and I've got everything switched over and scheduled to be turned on. We have to test the pipes to make sure none of them are leaking, and we need to check each breaker circuit to make sure all the electricity is running through the wires properly and we have to check for gas leaks. The house has been vacant for 2 years now, and there's lots of work to be done to it, but it's work I don't mind doing. This time it's different...this time it's for our home. I've never, in my life, been so excited to pack and move, and this time I'm very excited about it!

Countdown to close: 17 days
Countdown to move: 23 days.

IMAX!!!!!!!

2009-05-06T09:21:00.003-04:00

So we get to go early!! I ordered tickets to see Star Trek, at a special advanced screening on Thursday, May 7th, in the IMAX!!!! Picked them up yesterday!

And on Twitter, the old cast of TNG are already telling us that they LOVE this movie!

SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!

Exactly ONE month from now and counting!!!

2009-04-09T08:55:00.008-04:00

Space...the final frontier.

That's right folks...you know what I'm talking about! The movie opened in Australia already, and only one month from today, on May 9th, it opens here in the states! Fans waited with held breath when we heard they were making a new movie, we moaned when we heard they were casting younger versions of our beloved characters, and we were pleasantly surprised when we watched, one by one, actors that we all respected in one way or another get cast into the perfect roles. Zachary Quinto as a young Spock?!? Have you seen the pictures?? He's a dead ringer!!! A bunch of us were waiting so impatiently for it to open last December and were crushed when they pushed the opening back to open in the Summer Blockbuster months. So we impatiently waited some more, and now it's almost upon us. We're going to the midnight showing!! All these handsome men in one movie? What's a girl to do?

Tweet Tweet!

2009-03-05T13:57:00.004-05:00

Well, I can't believe I've done this...but I did. I hardly really keep up my myspace page, so I don't see any reason to get onto Facebook, however Chris had signed up for Twitter, both for himself and for his band patientZero. He said he enjoyed it, and that I should try it. I did. I signed up for an account and it's already addicting. So, for anyone that reads this, you can find me at http://twitter.com/Psolaris. So far I've got mostly just friends in my "Following" list, but I've also added Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner (for those that don't know who they are, Wesley Crusher and Data, respectively, from Star Trek: The Next Generation). Wil hasn't said much today, but Brent has said just a little bit. He's heard of this perfume line that is named after the Star Trek characters...hmmm, I'm intrigued. I'd never wear it mind you, I hate perfume - but I just might buy a bottle up for the mere principle of the thing.

Yet another piece of technology that I now have to keep up with. Is there such a thing as "Techo Exhaustion?"

Biological Clock

2009-02-18T14:21:00.003-05:00

Recently a couple of friends just had their first little baby just a couple of weeks ago. Congratulations to Keith and Farrah on becoming first time parents!!! I'm so excited for the both of you!

Then two other of my friends from college that got married are expecting their 2nd little one. I just got the text message the other day from them, they got the results back from their sonogram. It's a boy!! Way to go Bill and Karla! Now you'll have one of each! :)

Then I just got an email from another couple that are also friends of mine. They just had their 3rd child. Another little boy. So they've got a boy, a girl, and a boy. Yay to Beau and Ally on their latest edition! And kudos to Ally especially, for going all natural with no epidural shot to kill the pain.

And tomorrow's my birthday......

I'll be 34........................

And I have yet to experience the joys of having my own family. Makes my heart sad.

So...about growing gracefully with age.........

2009-02-05T11:02:00.003-05:00

Ok, so far I've been pretty lucky with my aging. Getting close to 34 years old and I've been thankfully blessed with my mother's genes. She's 60+ and still gets mistaken as a 40 something. Recently I had told my age to some people here at work and they all were shocked that I was halfway through my 30's already...they always thought I was at least 28 or 29. Personally I think they were just being nice, however all of my life I've always been mistaken for looking younger than I really am. I've been lucky enough to not have found any grey hairs or any wrinkles yet. And although I'm not looking my age, I will admit that I do feel my age. I think I'm getting arthritis in my right hip, and my lower back tends to hurt more than usual. I've gone through some odd health issues recently that have sent me from one specialist to the next. It was like once my 30th birthday hit, my warranty ran out. Thankfully I've been successfully treated for everything and I'm getting better again...but...I found something over the weekend that bothers me.

I FOUND MY FIRST AGE SPOT!!!! It's on the left side of my forehead near the hair line!! Thankfully I can conceal it with makeup and my hair mostly covers it, but STILL!!!

Sigh...now I'm going to have to start buying face cream! :(

Thanks Carol!

2009-01-15T15:13:00.002-05:00

KAAAAHHHHN!!! KAAAAHHHN!!!

2009-01-14T16:54:00.001-05:00

It's a sad day.

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=347793&GT1=28103

Thanks for the memories!

2009! We're off and runnin!

2009-01-07T16:27:00.002-05:00

We welcomed 2009 at the Kirschbaums! It was great to see everyone again! Chris brought his band's manager, Jim, along...and he also had a really great time. Jim is the kind of guy that gets along with everyone (much like Chris), so he fit in pretty easily. He was taken with the talents of Scott and Donna when we showed him their Halloween costume turned Christmas tree, and then was wowed by the talents of Carol when he saw her mural on the wall in her house. I have a feeling he's gonna wanna talk to the three of you in the future when it comes to some extra help in putting on stage shows. Chris had already told him of my theatre background, and couple that with what he saw there, I think his head started swirling with some ideas!

I was completely spoiled this past Christmas too! Chris had asked me what I wanted and I told him that I really needed some new clothes...mine are getting old, and most don't fit anymore, and I had just recently found out that Old Navy had a line just for talls!! Well, he got me a gift certificate for an insane amount of money for a whole new wardrobe! And I went online and ordered just a few items so that I could try them on to see if they did actually fit. AND THEY DO!! 36" ineams! My pants finally go all the way to the floor! And my sleeves actually go all the way down to cover my wrists! Let me explain just how exciting this is to me...Never, ever, ever in my life have I been able to find clothes that fit a woman as tall as me. I hated shopping, with a passion! Hated, loathed, dispised...no woman should hate shopping as much as I do. But all through grade school and high school, I was often teased for having to wear clothes that didn't fit, or wearing my father's hand-me-downs (as he's 6'7"). It had gotten to the point that whenever we did go out to buy new clothes, I would cry from the embarassment of not being able to find anything that fit. So by the time I got to college, I quit shopping for myself altogether. I would only buy clothes that were extra-large just to get the sleeves to fit, and even at that, I'm not an extra-large person, so it'd be a tent on me. So for years and years, I wore oversized clothes. And I would wear those clothes out because I refused to go out and buy new clothes. A few years ago, Old Navy started producing LONG, and that was about the closest I got to something that fit...but it still wasn't enough. The pants and sleeves were still just a little too short, but it was the best I had. So about 9 - 10 years ago, I stocked up on some LONGS, and I've been wearing those ever since. Yup, that means all of my clothes are 10 years old now. Once I found out that they had a TALL line on their website, I checked into it. They explained that their inseams were for women 5'9" and above, and as I'm 5'10", I was thrilled to find out that I just may have, for the first time in my life, found clothes that I can actually wear without feeling embarassed. My first batch of clothes came in today...and instead of tears of embarassment, I shed a few tears of joy. And after trying them on, I emailed Old Navy, thanking them over and over and over for finally making clothes for us tall women. I have no words to express the joy I feel over this!

I can't wait til he gets home so that I can show him my new clothes! For the first time, in my LIFE, I'm excited about clothes! (Uh-oh, this could be a bad thing, LOL)

It's already almost over.

2008-12-02T14:59:00.002-05:00

Where has the year gone? Heh. December.

Thanksgiving was great. Chris and I took mom down to Frankfort, Ky to my uncle's house for Thanksgiving dinner. About 30 people showed up in all, lots of family and friends, lots of food, lots of playing with the kids. Grandma got to come this year...it was good to see her. She doesn't get out much anymore, she's 84, uses a walker, has problems with memory, gets tired easily; you know, the stuff that comes with age. She gets confused when so many people are around, but she worked hard to remember everyone there, and she ended up having a great time after all. We're not sure how much longer she'll be with us, but she's got some spunk left in her yet, I think we'll have her for just a little while. Well, I hope so anyway.

The oldest of my cousin's kids is almost a teenager already. He's 12. Ugh! There it is, the next generation already hitting puberty. That hurts. First my baby brother turns 30 this past November, then Austin is going to be 13 in April. Well, the youngest of our generation has yet to hit 30, that's a few years off, thankfully enough.

Got the tree up. I had to buy 2 new strands of lights for it...I get the tree assembled, then start on my first string of lights, then once I plug in strand number 2 into the end of the strand number 1, the 2nd strand doesn't light up. So I go to another plug just to test it to make sure it wasn't the other strand's plug that didn't work, sure enough, it stays dark. Ok, so I pull out my third and final strand...dark. What?? You've got to be kidding! So I change out the fuses, I change out light bulbs...still nothing. So I am forced to go out, on Black Friday, to get more lights. Thankfully I went to the Milford Kroger, which isn't incredibly busy (whew!). I was able to get in and out and back home to finish. It literally took me most of the day, however, from start to finish. I think it looks good, but in looking at some of the old ornaments I have, I'm realizing that I'm really needing to update my supply. Most of mine are old. I mean, there are some that have sentimental value, and those I will always put up, but there are some that I've just had for a while that need to be replaced with something else. I'll probably wait until after Christmas for sales and stuff to start and then buy a few.

Oh yeah...Christmas! Well, I've got one gift already bought. It's for Chris, and I think he'll really like it. I haven't gotten anything else yet though. I don't even know where to start. And especially since this year, the economy went from toilet bowl, to sewer, to whatever is below the sewer, it's not like I can spend all that much. I normally live on a tight budget anyway, but I've always been able to get something for each family member and each of my friends. This year, I'm not so sure, and it's really kind of depressing. I know that Christmas isn't about getting things, but still, it made me feel good giving something to those that I love. I'll figure something out though...I just need to put some hard thought into it.

New Star Trek Trailer Out!!!

2008-11-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!

/drool

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/startrek/large_trailer2.html

We Don't Need Another Hero

2008-10-27T09:36:00.006-04:00

So, the famous Halloween party has taken place...and it was an absolute blast! We had aliens, we had rocket men, we had a pseudo midget, we had Jedi, and a Hellboy. It was good to see some old friends that I hadn't seen in a while. And I finally got to introduce Chris to some people that I've been dying to introduce him to.

It was a Sci-Fi theme of course. And Chris and I went as Master-Blaster and Aunty Entity from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. It was the first time in a long time that I had to wear a wig...and I had forgotten just how hot it gets under those things. Randy and Mandy came as Leia and Han Solo, and then Allan arrived in the exact same Leia costume as Mandy...which was way to funny. Chris and Dave, who was Hellboy, instantly clicked (they did last year too, so this time we decided to exchange email information to keep in touch). John and Kelly dressed up in their best Martian costumes from Mars Attacks, Keith and Farrah (who is 4 months pregnant) came as Anakin and pregnant Padme, and Carol and Joe did the vintage Sci-Fi and dressed up as The Rocketeer. The hosts, Scott and Donna, won the costume contest this year. They were dressed as the cast to Aliens, with a working exoskeleton from the movie. There were aliens coming out of the walls and one in the bathroom sneaking out of the shower, we got to eat things like Soylent Green and asteroids, and drink Romulan Ale and Trania. Games were produced, and I was assigned to Team Starship Troopers. There was a slew of sci-fi trivia that they gave to us, which was perfect...that's right up my ally! The only problem was that a good portion of us are all geeks anyway, so all of the questions were way to easy for us, LOL. But Team Starship Troopers came out on top at the end, and beat everyone at this game, thanks to Brian sounding like a Wookie, me speaking some Klingon, & Dave doing some Yoda...we came out victorious! It really was a great party this year...and there were a LOT of great costumes this year too. We're really gonna have our work cut out for us next year to come up with the best costume!

I can't wait until Scott and Donna announce next year's theme for their 10th year! Bring it on guys, we're ready for it!! :)

Sooooo, I guess it's time for an update!

2008-10-08T09:55:00.003-04:00

Lots has been going on! So I guess I should post something since I know that all of you MUST be jonesing for news from me, so here you go...time to get your fix :)

Been working hard on our Halloween costumes, getting stuff done a little bit at a time. And for the first time, I'm actually doing most of it on my own. Last year, I had a lot of help from Carol since I was unfamiliar with using a sewing machine. I knew how to use one, but wasn't confident enough to actually use the one that I owned, but she helped me get past that last year. So this year I wanted to actually attempt to do most of this on my own. I do get advice from Carol still on how to do something, but I don't have her watching over my shoulder like I did last year. This time she says, "here's how to make this work" then I go home and do it. I've almost gotten most of our costumes done already (only 16 more days until the party!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHH!!!), and I must admit that they look pretty decent. Not anywhere near the calibre of Carol's costumes, LOL, but not bad for my first attempt at doing this on my own. Plus, my old theatre instincts are kicking in. Once upon a time, in college, I was a Theatre Major (notice the "-re" at the end of that word...the right way to spell it!!), and I worked in the scene shop and the prop shop, and I enjoyed every minute of it, building sets from scratch and making props that looked like the real thing. I never did work in the costume shop, however I was always mesmerized by watching the ladies in the shop take the material that they bought and create an elaborate costume with it. I have always wanted to have that kind of ability. So now that I'm making props for our costumes, and actually making the costumes themselves, all of those memories of the Theatre at Miami University are coming back to me...and it's a lot of fun.

Dance class is still going strong! I'm really enjoying all of it! I ordered Zils finally since we've been working on those. It's been about a year since I started, and I really am starting to see some progress, like my snakey arms are getting better, and my hip rolls are really good. I'm still having trouble doing the belly rolls however. I just cannot seem to seperate my top stomach muscle from my bottom no matter how hard I try, but none-the-less, I keep trying. I'll get the hang of it one day! Went to Andy's Mediterranean Grill the other day with a couple of the girls from dance class...well one of them is a friend of mine, Jen, and the other I'm just getting to know, Gunilla (is that how you spell it Jen??). We had gone to see one of Anaya Gypsy Dance troupe girls dance there. Robin is one of the girls in our instructor's troupe, and she helps us warm up from time to time before our dance class. And sometimes she stays to help Katy out with us beginners. So the food was yummy, the entertainment was of course excellent, and I'm definitely going to go again!

Went to the Renaissance Festival with a couple of friends recently. Scott and Joan called one weekend and asked if we wanted to come along, so we did. We had a great time!!! We met up with Scott's brother and his new bride, who is from Japan and was unfamiliar with a Renaissance Festival. She got to see a real live joust for the very first time in her life. And then we all got lost in the maze and once we found our way out, we slid down the slide at the exit. Joan got some great actions shots! For the first time ever, we sat pretty close to the stage at the Mudde Show (about 7 rows from the front). We got there late and, well, those were about the only seats open...and for good reason since your ARE going to get mud on you if you sit close. However since we were off to the left side of the stage, we didn't get mud on us. Two of the actors, caked with mud, chase each other through the audience and they ran through the row right in front of us. Scott tried to make some room for them and fell backward into the lap of the man behind him (gracefully done my friend!). We did some walking and window shopping, but for the most part, we just enjoyed each other's company. After we got back, Chris and I just hung out with Scott and Joan at their house, talking about gaming, music, had a couple of drinks, watch a movie. Chris and I hardly ever have one of those days where we can play it by ear since he does a lot of practicing with his band, so it was nice to just have a day where we did just that, and enjoyed the day with a couple of great friends!

Ok, that should be about it. We're still waiting on word from the bank that is trying to sell that house. We knew we'd be playing the waiting game since the house was in foreclosure, and those type of sales seem to take longer. Keep your fingers crossed for us!! :)

Gather Thy Tools for Hunting and Gathering

2008-09-15T15:02:00.003-04:00

Kinda funny to think about, but after the storms that ripped through the Ohio Valley yesterday left 90% of us without power, and having to throw out everything in our refridgerators because it's gone bad by now...and grocery stores are mostly still closed and even restaurants...I am this close to fashioning a spear made of a large stick (easily found, since there are downed branches everywhere), and what flint stone I can find, and then start the hunt for food.

Ok, it's not all that bad, I'll admit. There are stores that are open, and even some fast food places, so we won't go hungry, but the repercussions from that mini hurricane really kind of make you realize what it was like to live with absolutely NO electricity at all. Trying to read a book by flashlight since there's nothing else to do...but at least I got some reading in. Hopefully I'll be one of the lucky ones that has my electricity turned back on by the time I get home. Chris has been out driving and he said that the gas station right down the road from where we live has electricity, so maybe that's a good sign *fingers crossed!!* If we still don't have electricity, I have some friends that offered us their spare bedroom for the night, so that we can use the hot water shower and everything (my apartment is electric only, so my water heater is cold by now, I'm sure). It feels good to have friends that reach out and help :) (Thanks Scott and Joan!!)

One piece of bad news...the house that Chris and I bid on...well apparently it lost a GREAT portion of shingles, and some wood to the roof is exposed. My realtor contacted the other realtor that is actually representing the house, and she let them know that they need to do one of a few things. Either get the bank that owns the house to hurry up with their decision to sell it at our asking price so that we can fix it quickly, or have them send someone out to at least put a tarp over the roof, otherwise they'll lose a whole lot of money in the long run if damage occurs. So, I hope that something is at least done. But if it's not, then at least we have a huge bargaining chip. Thankfully Joan got a ton of detailed pictures of the house for me. I'm gonna swing by after work to assess the damage myself. I'm already dreading the worst. But if everyone could say a quick prayer that things are taken care of the way they should be, it'd be greatly appreciated. :)

I am a Phelps Phan!

2008-08-18T12:08:00.010-04:00

Congratulations Michael Phelps.

You are one hell of an American Superman!! Congratulations on going 8 for 8!

The Dark Knight = Awesome

2008-07-21T09:58:00.003-04:00

Wow...just, wow!

All of you have heard the hype, all of you have heard the rumblings of Oscar nomination talk, all of you have heard of the record breaking weekend. Let me tell you...it's all true!

First of all, I'm pretty critical of movies I watch. I suppose that's thanks to my theatre background all through college. I became more critical of films when I became a Theatre Major, paying more attention to actors' performances, paying more attention to the plot / storyline and whether or not it was believable, paying more attention to the cinematography and direction. And I, too, had heard all of the hype concerning this movie, and of Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. I was intrigued, but didn't get my hopes up. I had watched Ledger in other movies, I witnessed his progression from Hollywood Hottie to serious performer. But the thought that kept rolling through my head was that this, after all, is a movie based on a comic book / graphic novel: And the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards tend to steer clear from such genre when nominating actors. With that in mind, I paid attention to the trailers I saw on tv or on the internet, and what I saw just in those few seconds of time was a darker Joker...one that I wasn't familiar with. I never did read any of the Batman graphic novels, and therefore the only Joker that I knew of was the one that Cesar Romero created from the old Batman series on tv; or the one that Jack Nicholson created in the Batman movie from 1989. Each Joker that they created was a little crazy, and a lot, well, campy. Lots of laughing, lots of jokes, lots of throwing around a punchline that really isn't all that funny, but they laugh at it anyway in their "HAHA, HEHE!!!!" way. Skipping around, blowing in those funny party favors that make noise, throwing confetti in the air...making the Joker into a jokester. The only problem is, the Joker is anything BUT funny. To all of those that have read the graphic novels, the Joker is the devil incarnate.

So I go with Chris and a couple of his friends over the weekend, and we watch the movie. And Heath Leder's performance was EXACTLY what the Joker is supposed to be. He was a meniacle, devilish, dark, chaotic genius that caused havoc everywhere he went...and why does he cause such havoc? Just because he can. He doesn't care about money, he doesn't fear death, he doesn't fear getting caught, he just wants chaos. And he will do whatever he can do to cause it. On top of it all, he's able to get away with it because his genius is such that he is able to figure out a way to be one step ahead of the law the entire time. I mean, I'm an adult, and Ledger's Joker scared the shit out of me. I was enthralled! I had absolutely NO idea that the Joker was anything like this! Plus, I should add, that this weekend they played the 1989 movie with Michael Keaton and Nicholson on cable, and try as I might to watch that movie again, I just couldn't. Why? Because Ledger's Joker makes Nicholson's Joker into, no pun intended, a joke! Oscar winner Jack Nicholson's performance is a JOKE compared to Heath Ledger's. Once upon a time, we all thought that 1989's Batman was awesome...but now it's camp compared to The Dark Knight. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch the old Batman movie again.

Let's not forget Christian Bale either. You watch him, and you see the torment that goes through Bruce Wayne. Not just what the man is thinking, but you FEEL what he's feeling. You go through the full range of emotion that Bale takes you through. Believe it or not, there's a moment where you almost find yourself shedding a tear over what Bruce Wayne is going through. I won't spoil it for anyone who plans on going to the movie, but I swear, he will pull at your heart-strings. Again, as in the graphic novels, Bruce Wayne is a very tormented individual. Michael Keaton did a pretty good job in the old movie, but Bale takes Wayne to places that even Keaton didn't go. You see some torment with Keaton, but you don't feel it. Bale makes you feel it.

As for Gary Oldman...well, he's just freaking awesome in whatever he does.

All in all, this was perfectly cast, perfectly performed, perfectly directed...and it makes you forget you're watching a movie based on a graphic novel. Does Ledger deserve a nomination? Hell. Yes! Not because of the sentimental factor, but because he takes you places that you never thought possible...and THAT'S the kind of performance that the Academy nominates. I fear that the Academy will still stay away from nominating him just because it's still a "graphic novel," but they'd be fools. Fuck this "graphic novel" shit...give that man the nomination he deserves!

You must go watch GET SMART!!!

2008-06-12T10:12:00.002-04:00

Ok, for all of you that know me, you all know that I was a theatre major in college at Miami University, focusing on Stage Management. I loved doing it, and yes, I miss it! I made some really good friends in the theatre there, some of whom I loved very much and I still stay in contact with. Anyway, one of these friends is living her dream, and I couldn't be prouder of her.

Her name is Lindsay Hollister. She was a couple of years behind me in school, but she was one of those that you're just immediately drawn to because she has one of those magnetic personalities. She was always full of life, full of laughter, full of love, one of the funniest people I had met up to that point (Chris is the funniest person I know now, but I'll admit, she rivals him!). No one, and I mean NO ONE disliked her, not an enemy in the world. She was the one that would light up a room once she came in. We'd all hang out after rehearsals, grabbing a drink, or something to eat since we had rehearsed through dinner. We had taken trips to Chicago, and to Columbus together...stuck in one of those Miami University School vans. And even though we were stuck in a van for hours, the trip was not a boring one with her to sit beside! After graduating from Miami, she moved out to L.A. and started acting out there. She was in an episode each of Scrubs, My Name is Earl, Nip/Tuck, played God in 2 episodes of Joan of Arcadia, was a re-occurring character on Boston Public. Anytime I know she's going to be on, I do my best to catch the show. And yes, I do still stay in contact with her. Anyway, most recently, she was cast in the movie Get Smart, as Maxwell Smart's dance partner!!! I was already planning on going to see this movie, but you better believe I'm going now!!!! So all of you, go watch Get Smart, and see this wonderful, beautiful human being that is my friend! I guarantee that she will have you falling out of your chair in laughter!

Way to go Linds!! I am so proud of you!!!

Harvey and the Unknown Amazons

2008-05-30T09:26:00.004-04:00

So I do my morning routine when I get into my office in the morning. I sit down, get out my coffee creamer, turn on my computer and let my email load in, I get coffee and make some toast, then come back and sit down and read up on the news of the day. Quite a bit amazed me today.

First off, Harvey Korman died overnight. I'm saddened by this news. A classic comedian from days gone. He and Tim Conway were one of the best comedic duo I've ever seen. I remember as a child, watching The Carol Burnett Show with my parents. It was one of the first shows I remember watching actually, so he and Tim and Carol Burnett had become my first favorite comedians ever. The two skits that I remember the most were the spoof of Gone with the Wind and The Dentist routine. Never in my life have I ever laughed so hard. To this day, thinking back on them, I cannot help but chuckle. He was wonderfully hysterical in Blazing Saddles and in History of the World Part 1. Harvey, thanks for the laughs, thanks for the memories, we'll never forget you.

As I continued reading the news, I see a headline that caught my attention. Uncontacted Amazon Tribe photographed. Huh? What's this all about? So I click and read, and I'm greeted by the picture of these Amazonian Indians pointing arrows at the aircraft overhead taking the pictures. Wow! I guess I never really thought about it before, so I guess I was stunned that there are tribes out there that have absolutely no contact with the outside world. It's really quite interesting to see these pictures and read about these people...because if you think about it (although they're from the Amazon), these people represent what we were, once upon a time. We've got this opportunity to see into our past. The news page had a link to the Survival International website which shows you more pictures of these people (scroll down to the bottom of the page). I think I just stared for a good 10 minutes, trying to imagine what must have been going through their heads upon seeing this flying machine overhead, and trying to imagine what their lives must be like, trying to imagine my own Cherokee ancestors and how they must have lived. Then I got to thinking, should we really go in there and study them? I would argue that it'd be incredibly fascinating and hugely educational for us to see what these people are like, however is it really right for us to "contaminate" their way of life? Reminds me of Star Trek and the prime directive. There have even been quite a few episodes concerning primitive cultures and contaminating them. An episode of Voyager comes to mind actually, where Seven of Nine and Chakotay crash land on a moon full of primitive people. This moon was protected by a shield, which of course they were able to penetrate, but in order to rescue them, Voyager had to disable the shield. Once it was disabled, the people that live on the planet nearby started going in so that they could study these people. These primitive people were a picture of the planet's inhabitants' past. They were excited to be able to study up close and personal what they were like centuries ago. But in order to keep the primitive culture from being contaminated with technology, Voyager closed up the energy shield to protect them once again. Why? Because they felt that this society needed to evolve on it's own, it had the right to evolve on it's own, without any outside influences.

So there inlies the conundrum. I'd love the opportunity to study more about this tribe, however I would run the risk of changing their way of life and contaminating their natural evolutionary process. So how does one study these people? Do we even bother?

There really is an order of Jedi's in the world!

2008-05-14T13:09:00.004-04:00

What the deuce?? I guess anything is possible in this day and age. But Darth Vader has actually attacked a Jedi Order, and was sentenced to jail time and a fine for the attack. I wonder if they wear Jedi clothing (robes) as well. The article didn't say, but I am curious if they do. I did a little searching about this order on the internet. They have a website, but I can't find any pictures of them. And I read up on their philosophy (Public Doctrine), which actually makes a lot of sense. These guys have really put a lot of thought into it.

Hey, if L. Ron Hubbard can do it, why can't George Lucas?

Edit: they have a myspace page. I found this.

I'm considering a hunger strike!

2008-05-06T16:03:00.004-04:00

They expect gas to go up even higher...like $4/gallon...by summer. The cost of food & groceries continues to rise because of the gas prices. So, since it looks like I'll be choosing between food and gas pretty soon anyway, I thought about going on a hunger strike. Might as well put my going hungry to some good use. Not that the government cares, but if it got media coverage, it might anger enough folks to rally. Right?

Freaking dub-ya! I piss in your general direction.

Ok, I know that I probably won't get anywhere with it, but it sure feels good thinking it. I recently read that the housing slump has not only hit us, but in Germany and Ireland and the UK, it's in the freaking trash can. We thought we had it bad. The whole planet is in crisis, about to implode in on itself, and then I come to find out from the BBC news* that our prez's cabinet all have investments in oil (hmm, interesting)...and that the smallest amount that any one of them have gained this year alone is $8billion (that's right, with a B). And here we are, living paycheck to paycheck, choosing between gas and groceries.

Nice.

*I find that you get more accurate information from BBC news than you do from our own news outlets, which a lot of the time are forced to report what they're told to report so that the general public are kept in the dark about a lot of things. Easier for our gov't to pull the covers one over on us if we're kept in the dark. Plus, our news outlets are all incredibly slanted, so it's hard to find the truth.

Edit: also an update on the gentleman that killed himself a couple of weeks back. My own former youth group leader, who was a member of his church, went to his funeral. She talked to his mother, who just happened to comment on how his best years were in high school, and after that, he just reverted into himself. Without even knowing what was going through my head about all of this, she shared this with my mother, (who talks to her on a weekly basis and teaches her daughter piano lessons) because she knew that I went on to become his youth group leader and thought that I might want to know this. My mother shared this news with me, which I think was exactly what I needed to hear. Laura and I really did make a difference, and this was his and God's way of letting us know.

Some Sadness

2008-04-21T10:47:00.005-04:00

I got some bad news over the weekend. Someone that I knew had killed himself over the weekend. He was the same age as my brother (almost 30), and was friends with my brother in grade school. His older brother was in my class through grade school and high school, and his oldest brother was a year older than me. The oldest brother is still friends with Laura, who has been my best friend since first grade (although I'm not able to see her as much as I'd like, she lives about an hour away). What also makes this doubly hard is that Laura and I, when we graduated high school, went on to become Youth Group Leaders in our church, and this guy was in our group. We started with them as freshmen and continued being their YG leaders as they continued on in their high school development, up until they graduated from High School, and even had our own graduation celebration for them. He was always the quiet one, shy, reserved, would participate in each meeting, but still kept to himself for the most part. Last year he had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia (which, at his age, is late in life to be diagnosed as it's normally caught earlier on these days). I think that this is due to the fact that because he was so quiet and reserved, that he could have been suffering from depression for years and it went undiagnosed this whole time. The thought that keeps going through my head is, "Maybe I could have reached out to him just a little harder when he was in high school. Maybe I could have noticed the signs back then....maybe I could have helped at an age when it mattered...." I talked to Laura this morning, to see how she was holding up. I told her what keeps going through my mind, and she reminded me that there was nothing more we could have done. She reminded me that when he remained reserved at our meetings, that we did everything we could to make sure he felt included in everything, and she reminded me that we had asked the other kids who were more outgoing to make sure he felt included and welcome since we didn't want him to feel left out because of his shyness. We had remembered that his older brother, the one that was in our class, always kind of felt left out in school, so we didn't want him to feel the same way. I had completely forgotten about all of that, and it helped that she reminded me. She also told me that she had talked to his oldest brother since they are still close friends, and he's holding up well, and he blames no one for this because he knows that everyone loved and cared for his brother, and this was just "one of those unfortunate things." He even told her not to beat herself up over anything, and she, in turn, told me the same.

Still...my heart hurts. For him, for his family, for all of us that knew him as a gentle, kind person. I hope that now he's in a better place, maybe it's where he needed to be in order to find peace. For anyone that prays or meditates or whatever, say a little prayer, or keep the family in your thoughts. His parents are inconsolable at the moment, understandably so.

Congratulations are in order!

2008-03-31T09:47:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Scott and Joan for tying the knot! All the happiness in the world to you both!

Basketball and My Friends' Whereabouts!

2008-03-28T09:15:00.004-04:00

So as the first few rounds of March Madness have been played, there are only two left from my original 6. Xavier and Louisville have both progressed to the Elite 8. Western Kentucky went all the way to the Sweet 16 this year. I was incredibly impressed how far they went. My dad went there, once upon a time, and played basketball, and even went to the NCAA's while there. So we're all proud of how far they got this time around. Hopefully this will keep up in years to come and you'll be seeing much more of the Hilltoppers! Unfortunately, UK and IU were stopped at the first round, and Notre Dame at the second. That's okay though, there's always next year!

I've got some friends in Vegas! Hi Joe, Carol, Scott, and Donna! I expect pictures!! They're having a load of fun, as I've been getting texted updates from Carol from time to time. And more importantly, I got a phone call from Joe, informing me that they were all having epiphanies! (It's a running gag!). Then the proof was sent to me in a picture text message of why they were all stark raving drunk. Scoot, nicely done!!

Let the March Madness Begin!!

2008-03-20T11:28:00.014-04:00

Anyone that knows me well at all, knows that I ADORE college ball. I love the University of Kentucky in particular because I've got a lot of family connection to the team-yes, it's more than the fact that my family comes from there, but because my cousin was a student manager for the team when he went to the school, and because my father and Richie Farmer's father went to high school together and were best friends, and Richie grew up idolizing my dad. For those of you that don't know who Richie Farmer is, he was a player on the team in the early 90's, just when Rick Pitino became head coach. So we got to go see games, I had to bring back autographed pictures of the team to my fellow classmates in high school once they found out that I knew the guys on the team...so on and so forth. Unfortunately, UK isn't ranked as high as I would like, they haven't had that great of a year (well, past few years really...because Tubby Smith, who became head coach after Pitino left, is a freaking idiot...thank God he's gone!). But no worries, there are other local colleges that are in the tournament. I've got 6 that I need to root for this year. I hope at least one of them goes all the way:

Randomness

2008-03-10T12:41:00.003-04:00

Ok, I've decided. I'm never going back to the salon I've been using to cut my hair. They've changed staff there and they just can't seem to get it right. This is the second time they've cut my hair so short that they've cut off my curls. The first time the girl they had cut my hair (new staffer mind you) was so busy talking to one of the other girls that she didn't pay much attention to the length of my hair. This last time, I am sitting in the chair of an even newer girl and the girl that was so talkative the last time was watching over her shoulder and everytime she was not doing something right, talky would say "STOP!!" because this newer girl was about to screw something up. Great!! I've got the newbie. Who obviously needs some more schooling in hair care. So here they are, talky and newbie, cutting my hair. And yet again, they cut it so short that my curls are gone. I'm not going back. There's one closer to my home anyway. This one was close to where I work. I'm just never going back there again.

And then my computer went down over the weekend. Well, sort of anyway. All of my information is still there, nothing crashed yet. Chris was on it and visiting his myspace page and opened a bulletin, then all of a sudden he starts getting these popups and error messages from my virus protection saying that there was a threat found. So he keeps clicking on "Heal" but I don't think it was working properly. Then there were all of these messages popping up saying that there was spyware on my PC and that I needed to run Anti-Spyware software and to "Click here for more information." I already have Anti-Spyware software so I start to run it. But that "click here" message continually pops up and then tells me of software that I can buy to prevent this from happening. DUH!! Computer!! I'm already running software, you can shut up now! But it keeps telling me to buy other software. UGH! I unplug it from the internet so that nothing out there can get in, and I run my antivirus scan as I'm running my anti-spyware stuff, and a trojan is found. L.O.V.E.L.Y. So I call big brother, Joe! I'm gonna drop off my computer and have him take a quick look. I was able to save all of the files that I want to save into a folder so that he can transfer that to a seperate disc or something and reload if he has to. It's been a good couple of years since I've reloaded my machine anyway, and I knew that I needed to do it soon. This just forces me to do so. I was also having problems getting it to communicate with my new digital camera. So maybe now I'll be able to get that to work too.

Thankfully, I have already done and e-filed my taxes before this started happening. And on the plus side, I'm getting a nice refund. New glasses!! Here I come!!! New brakes, here comes my car!!!

Chris will be out of town this week. Starting Thursday, he's going to a music festival in Texas called South by Southwest. Great opportunity for his band. Bands from all over the world show up to this thing, signed and unsigned, big name popular bands to indie bands. Good chance for him to rub elbows with labels and other artists and stuff. This is their second year that they've been invited to go, and the guys are really excited. I'll certainly miss him and I'll probably have to take a few sleeping aids to help me get to sleep (I have the worst trouble sleeping when he's not there). Or I guess I could just buy a bottle of wine, hehe. But this is a great opportunity for him and I hope he has a good time. I also hope he makes it there safely and comes back in one piece since the roads in Texas make no sense what so ever. And the drivers there are even worse. So everyone keep their fingers crossed, or pray, or whatever you do, so that they have a safe journey! :)

Mother Nature, please be kind

2008-02-28T09:43:00.002-05:00

I can take cold weather. I don't like it much, mind you, but it's something I can tolerate. But this constant snow, ice, freezing rain, sleet, slush, etc., is really getting old already. I'm tired of getting that magnesium chloride stuff (or whatever it is) on my car, and on my windshield. And you can never really get it off properly as your driving at highway speeds. Because you're driving so fast, it almost immediately dries and when you go to turn on your windshield wipers, it just smears, so then you have to use your wiper fluid to see where you're going, but for a few seconds it's still hard to see since there's fluid all over the place. And it doesn't stay clean for long because the person in front of you is still in front of you and you're windshield is still catching the splatter from his back tires. So then the whole process starts all over again.

Might as well buy stock in wiper fluid with as much as we have to use.

So, when does spring come again?

More importantly...how does one get to Punxsutawney ? Because I'm going to find that little, rotten groundhog, Phil, that supposedly saw his shadow at 5:30 am when it was still dark out (ok, I'm not sure what exact time it was, but I know for a fact that the ceremony takes place before sunrise). Once I find him I'll have to come up with something diabolical to get him to predict an early spring more often. Anyone have any suggestions??

Sickie part 2

2008-02-11T08:58:00.000-05:00

Just when you think you get over it...it comes back.

Friday I was starting to feel pretty bad again. I thought I had gotten over the illness I had over the New Year. The dry heaving, the coughing, the sore throat, the "runs." Think again. I get up on Friday morning to a tight chest and congestion, sinus pressure, more coughing, another sore throat. Oh great! Then as the day goes on...the aches in the muscles and joints, slight chills...uh oh. I stop by the store to pick up Theraflu and Nyquil and go home and take my temp. 99.6 degrees. Ok, not terribly bad, but not normal. I make dinner since Chris is on his way home, but he's only going to be able to eat and run since he and his band has a show at Molly Malone's in Covington. I was planning to go...was being the choice of words here. Obviously with the way I'm feeling, and considering the fact that in Kentucky there's no ban on smoking yet, so there's going to be LOTS of cigarette smoke, everywhere, which will not help my condition any...it would only worsen it. So unfortunately I stay home. The first show they have in a while (they've been busy in the recording studio so they haven't had a lot of shows recently), and I get to miss it. Welp, might as well take that Nyquil early then and go to bed. Hoping that this will go away by Saturday...since I've got a full day planned!

Morning comes and I've got a headache like it's nobody's business. I can't even make enough noise to sound like I'm talking. Cough, cough, cough...OH LOOK!! Phlegm!! Fan-friggin-tastic! So there I am, on the couch, sucking down the Theraflu, taking my temp (which stayed around 99.6 to 99.9 most of the day, went up to 100.3, at one point, then it started back down again). I called the Kirschbaums since our D&D session was Saturday. I wanted to go, but I didn't want to get anyone else sick. Now I'm going to be one whole level behind everyone else which is going to be incredibly frustrating. I had also seriously considered going to a Belly Dance demo at the studio that I take the class from, but with all the sinus pressure I was feeling it was making me too dizzy to even walk across the damn living room (sorry Jen!! I didn't have your number or I would've called ya). Thankfully Chris went out and got me more Orange Juice and took care of me most of the day. Sunday was pretty much more of the same, except that I HAD to do laundry. There was so many dirty clothes that it was overflowing from my laundry hamper. My fever finally broke and went back to normal, but I still feel this pressure in my head and the chest congestion. It's a little hard to breathe, my throat hurts, my temples are pounding, I feel dizzy and I hope to God that I don't wind up on the bathroom floor here at work with vertigo since I'm sensitive to that with the Meniere's disease. I'll probably go home early if this doesn't go away.

I also get to work and read up on my friend's blog and her daughter's friend just tried to commit suicide. And I think to myself that my suffering is nothing compared to this girl's family's suffering. So please pray for that little girl and her family. She's still alive at the moment, but still in the hospital and still unconsious. Signs don't look great, but any miracle can happen if you pray hard enough.

Star Trek, Star Trek, Star Trek!!!!

2008-01-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

Got this from a friend on another blog! I usually can't stand Wil Wheaton, but thank God for him today. Check out these pictures from the Star Trek tour!!

Now, please excuse me while I wipe off the drool from my keyboard before I short it out!

The new year has begun!

2008-01-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

So much has happened already, and it's only the third week!

I guess the first thing...my cousin finally got married. That's right, the one that we all thought would remain a bachelor for the rest of his life. He finally tied the knot. I'm incredibly happy for him that he found someone that he can be happy with. He was very "flavor of the month" and we used to tease him about it, so we just never thought he was happy being tied down. I hate to phrase it like that though, because marriage can be such a wonderful thing. But there are just some people out there that don't like the thought of only being with one person forever and ever. We just thought he was going to be like that. But sure enough, someone came along, someone that wasn't like the type he normally dated, and she made him feel complete. I had been working on a cross stitch project for the past month and a half that has this beautiful floral pattern with the words "To have and to hold from this day forward" along with their names and the wedding date. However, unfortunately, I wasn't able to get it done in time for the wedding. UGH! I was so frustrated with myself over it. But I got sick and it put me a full week behind schedule. So now that I'm almost done, I'll have to FedEx it to him or something. Or Chris and I can just meet them both for dinner as he lives in Covington anyway, which is about 30 minutes from my place...whichever is easier. But I'm getting it to them one way or another.

Sick...it was the worst. I had heard about this G.I. virus going around. Nasty bug. Thankfully I didn't get the full blown virus that involved vomitting and "the runs" as my mom would put it. But I did dry-heave an awful lot, nauseated, low grade fever. And being nauseated prevented me from picking up that cross stitch project. When you're counting your cross stitching, you don't want to miss count and mess the whole thing up. Not to mention that I didn't want to spread any germs to the thing then give it to them. Some wedding present, LOL. A few people here at work caught the bug too, but they got the full blown version. I also ended up missing a couple of weeks of my belly dancing class, which I hated missing, but I didn't want to get the others sick. Then I was working away on that wedding gift trying to make up for lost time. I almost made up for it too...Oh well.

So, D&D. Chris and I had to miss the first session...a friend of his was getting married that same day. He forgot to tell me about it until two days before that his friend was getting married. What is it with guys and dates? *sigh* Anyway, I hear that Randy and Allan showed up! Next session is this weekend and I cannot wait to get to go. I will finally get to see them after about 5 years. I still can't find my damn dice, which means their in a box that I have in storage and Chris' enormous closet at his apartment (the one he doesn't stay in anymore because he's always at my place...I told him before he moved into that place that we should consider getting a place together to save the money but I think he's afraid of the 'next step' for some reason...what is it with guys and that next step?). I'll need to go to the nearest gaming store either today or tomorrow and pick up some more dice then. No biggie. They're not that expensive anyway. Only problem is that Chris has to work this weekend...of course. Because he had last Saturday off because of my cousin's wedding, his manager has him working this Saturday. I really cannot freaking WAIT until he finds some other job. I can never make any plans with my own boyfriend because his job has him working long hours, closing the branch at 8:30 at night most nights. Making him work on holidays and weekends. What kind of bank is open on holidays????????? AND weekends????????? AND until 8:30 at night??????? Fucking bank! It's hard to even have a date night with him. Anyway, hopefully by the next D&D session, we'll FINALLY get him in there.

I about fell out of my chair when I heard on the news that Star Trek is coming to Cincinnati! I immediately went online and read up on it. A 5 year tour, 40 cities selected, and we're one of them. All I have to say is it's about freaking time we get picked for something like this. Apparently William Shatner will be randomly showing up to a few of the cities...as if I wasn't already excited enough about the tour...if I actually saw The Shat show up, I'd die. They've got his captain chair that people can sit in, so you better believe I'm sitting my butt in that chair! Plus they've got the bridge of the Enterprise-D along with Picard's chair, Picard's living quarters, Dr. Crusher's sick bay, Enterprise-D's engine room and transporter room, they've got a Shuttle Pod simulation ride, plus various costumes and prosthetic heads and make-up pieces that they'll be showing off. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. There have been no dates announced as of yet for us, they've only got the schedule up so far for Long Beach, CA which is where this thing started last week. As each month passes, they're supposedly going to put up the next month's schedule. So you better damn well believe that I'm going to check this website monthly to see when Cincinnati shows up on it.

On a sad note, all of you know about Heath Ledger at this point. I'm so incredibly saddened by the news. And it's more and more looking like it was just accidental. They found prescription anti-anxiety medication that he'd been given by his doctors and prescription sleeping pills that were also given by his doctors. I know the man had mentioned that his stress levels had shot up, that he was having problems sleeping, and that he was emotionally and mentally drained. I can personally attest to being emotionally and mentally drained. I've been there, done that...as I'm sure we all have. And when you're desparate to get peaceful again, you'd do just about anything. I'd be willing to bet he didn't realize that there may be a drug interaction with some of the stuff he was prescribed. My heart goes out to anyone in this situation. I feel so sad for his little girl who'll never really get to know her dad. I feel sad for his family and friends. Losing someone you love, all of a sudden like that, someone being ripped from you too early...it just tears you apart inside. My cousin died from a drunk driver who struck her car. She too had a little girl who was only 1 year old at the time...and although we always tell her of the kind of person her mother was, and there are pictures of her mother everywhere so that she knows who she was, she'll never get to experience first hand who her mother was. To this day I am still angry and hurt about losing Amy, which happened about 8 years ago now. I do hope and pray that his family can heal during this time. And please don't let his little girl forget just how much her daddy loved her.

I have updates!!

2007-12-31T15:45:00.000-05:00

I've been requested to update my blog (hehe, Hi Jen!). I do have updates!! And away we go!

So Christmas has come and gone. And the whole season is almost a blur. First of all, we did get the new girl hired, and she's been working HARD!! I love it! The stacks of tickets that weren't archived by the last assistant...she archived all of those. So you can actually see my office again! There's still much more to go, but with her help, we've made such a huge dent that it will be done in no time. Once we get it all done, we're moving her into this office with me. I have a HUGE office right now, and we're turning it into the billing office, with myself (Billing Coordinater) and her (billing assistant) working away. Don't worry, I don't mind sharing the office. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to from time to time. Not that I don't have people to talk to...the whole finance department is in this hallway, and we're a close knit group of ladies, but the company will still be nice in here. I feel kinda weird having the huge office just to myself anyway. I was even able to take a few extra days off before Christmas because we've been working really hard at it all. I had 52 hours of vacation time that I have to use or I lose. I can only carry half of that over to the new year so that meant I had 2 days to use up...so I took them the Thursday and Friday before Christmas...and since we were closed on Christmas eve, I had a good 6 day vacation. I totally needed it! It was good to get away from this desk for a while.

As the holiday season approached, I had pretty much most of my shopping done, except for one or two things for the office secret santa, and Chris' family's secret santa. I had already ordered Chris' present which was season 1 of Star Trek: Enterprise. You thought I was a trekkie...he's even more so than me. He never got to see the show in its entirety when it was out, and he ends up missing most of the Enterprise marathon that the Sci-Fi Channel has every Monday because most Mondays he's at band practice. So I got him the first season with the plan to progressively buy him each one until all 4 seasons are obtained. He told me not to spend over $20 on him, but by the time he told me that, it was already too late...I had this on order and it was over $100. Oh well, he's worth it. Previously he had asked me what I had wanted for Christmas, and I'm not one that thinks about that kind of stuff on a regular basis. I pretty much have everything that I really want, and what I don't have, I usually go and get. But there were a few things that I knew I'd like so I went ahead and gave him a list of ideas. I don't have a matching skillet set, I'd love a dutch oven for cooking, I didn't have a digital camera, and there were some movies that I'd love to obtain someday. I already had the Extended version of The Fellowhip of the Ring, but I never did get extended versions of The Two Towers or Return of the King. I knew eventually I'd get the last two, but I wasn't in that much of a hurry. I live on a tight budget. So when the time came for us to exchange gifts, he had me close my eyes since he didn't wrap them (he didn't know how to wrap them very well...but that's okay!). I heard him rummage around and then tells me to open my eyes. There he was, standing in front of me, with his hands behind his back. He pulls out present number 1: the extended version of The Two Towers!! Then he says, "and present number 2": the extended version of The Return of the King! I was floored! He got me BOTH of them!! I was so happy to finally have them. "But wait!!" he says, and reaches behind me..."Present number 3!!" It was a digital camera!!! He completely spoiled me rotten! I almost cried knowing that he had spent waaaaay too much on me! But at the same time, it made me feel incredibly loved :) He opened his present from me and was happy to see Enterprise. I think he already figured out it was Star Trek since the shape of the package looked like the packages he's been seeing all of the Star Trek series packaged in, but he didn't know which one. So he's excited that he finally gets to see the show from beginning to end.

Now let's not forget the Holiday Hoffle (did I even spell that right?) Jen, Carol, Cassie, and I all take a belly dancing class. We had the party at the class on the same day as Jen's birthday! I sure hope that Jen got all the presents she wants! And I hope she had a very good birthday indeed. She looked amazing in the colors she chose to wear and with the way she did her makeup, she reminded me of a Spanish Dancer (quite exotic!). Carol had worked diligently on her and Cassie's costumes. Lots of stuff in their hair, and fox tails, and sparkles, and jingles, and lace. They got plenty of compliments on their costumes. We ended up having a lot of fun. We danced, then ate, then watched some of the others do some solo dances. I think the four of us decided we should Hoffle every month, LOL.

My friend from work actually did end up contacting me via email right before Christmas. I was careful not to offer much advice other than the good old stand by of "keep your chin up." She tells me that she's been doing a lot of crying lately, but that her mother's been helping her out quite a bit, and that she actually went to an agency that helps those with financial problems...not one of those paycheck advance places though, thank goodness. It was called St. Aloysius or something like that. A non-profit organization that helps families out financially. I was actually proud of her for doing that one on her own. She's signed up for a couple of different temp agencies but was a little disappointed that no one had called her yet. I reminded her that many companies won't look to get people in until after the new year, and she said that the temp agency told her the same thing. If she keeps helping herself the way she is, then she should have work in no time. Hopefully her life is on an upswing finally. I think sometimes that you just have to hit rock bottom and learn a hard lesson, then by getting yourself back up and brushing yourself back off, you start to realize just what you are capable of and that you don't need to lean on anyone to fix your life. I mean, sure, sometimes you just can't get there on your own and sometimes it's helpful to have those people to lean on, but you should never lean on them all of the time...only when it's absolutely necessary. I think that she's at this point in her life right now.

I'm playing D&D again. Joe is starting up another campaign and I'm looking forward to playing. I've actually never played one of Joe's campaign's before, and from what I remember watching before, his are a little harder than what I'm used to. My friend Dustin had run a campaign once and I played his, but I know that he was a little more lenient in the rules. We've convinced Chris to give it a try since he loves strategy type games. He's never "roleplayed" before, but with this genre, and with the guys playing, I think he'll enjoy it quite a bit. He's busy reading up on the races and classes so that he can create a character he really likes. I can't wait for the thing to start.

Well, I think that's about it. That's Dawn's life for the year of 2007. What shall 2008 bring? Only time will tell...so stay tuned!

And Happy New Year Everyone!!!

There's a light!

2007-11-28T11:17:00.000-05:00

Yup, finally they are hiring on the girl that has been temping here as the billing assistant. So I can finally start to pass off the rest of these billing duties to her so that I can focus on my own work. HR is still finalizing stuff, but they tell us that they should have everything done by the time the holidays role around. I know, should have and actually doing it are two different things, but still, it's a good sign. I'm relieved that I'll finally have the help I need...and she has an incredible attention to detail. Thank the maker! So my office will finally stop swimming in paperwork and archiving since she'll be able to help file up this mess.

On a sad note, one of my friends got let go from here about a week ago...right before Thanksgiving. It sucks, but to tell you the truth, it was bound to happen. She had a hard time seperating her personal life from her professional one...so any time something in her personal life took a turn for the worse, her work suffered. Now, I know what you're thinking...shit happens and everyone should be understanding. And although this is true, there's only so many times you can get away with using the problems in your personal life as an excuse as to why your work isn't getting done. Not to mention the fact that when she couldn't use her personal life as an excuse, she would place the blame on anyone else but herself if something wasn't done properly. Her managers had to put her on corrective action twice, which is once too many times in this place. If you don't get it together in a year's time after your corrective action, you get let go. But they gave her yet another chance because of what she was going through in her personal life. And it wasn't getting any better even after the second chance. She still made excuses, she still misplaced files, she still forgot to do 60% of a project, she still reported incorrect data. So it was just a matter of time before her manager's manager said enough is enough. I have to admit that even I was getting a little weary of the excuses and her coming to me asking me what to do, and I was getting incredibly tired of always telling her what she needed to do to fix her problems. It was almost as if she was having all sorts of trouble thinking and making decisions on her own. What's odd is the fact that she hasn't called me at all after this has happened. I'm the one she'd always come crying to about everything...even after hours she'd call me at home with her personal problems. Always asking what she should do because she didn't know. And I'd always have to tell her, but it was more than just telling her what needed to be done, it became more of a hand holding. She wasn't able to do something without someone giving her some kind of head start, or doing a little leg work first for her so that she could pick up where you left off (now you see why I was getting tired of it). So for her not to call is a little weird. This could be for one of two reasons:

Since she was horrible at budgeting money, her phone has been turned off yet again and she can't make the phone call... or...
Because I had to copy her manager on all emails I sent to her regarding work related issues (at her manager's request) she feels that I might be partly responsible for her losing her job and is angry.

Either way, there's a part of me that doesn't really care anymore. I have my own life I have to work through, I can't be the one to lead someone else through life. She was constantly depending on me too much for that. It was almost like trying to raise an adult child, who was the same age as me, and who had a child of her own. It became incredibly frustrating...so much that in the final month of her employement here, I pretty much did what I could to avoid her. The plus side of the huge workload I had was that I didn't have the time to hold her hand through everything. She was forced to stand on her own two feet and think for herself for once. Obviously she wasn't able to do it, for now she's not here anymore. I hope she's ok, and I hope she can find some kind of job that she can keep up with. But I woulnd't be surprised if she never calls at this point.

On my final note...Carol K still needs to play tag. That is all.

I got Tagged!

2007-11-13T16:03:00.000-05:00

Welp, here goes...I got tagged by my friend Brian, so now I must come up with 6 random things about myself. If I tag you, you must do the same and in turn tag 6 other people. No tag backs!!

1)I cannot stand to be in a dark room without some source of light. Scares the shit out of me.

2)Tangled phone chords MUST BE UNTAGLED ASAP!!! If I see one, I have to untangle it or it will bother me for the rest of the day.

3) If I were to ever meet William Shatner in real life, I'd probably pee my pants.

4) Dolly Parton fucking rocks and anyone that says differently will get my boot up their ass!

5) One of my favorite shows on tv, ever, will always be Little House on the Prairie.

6) I'm a JRR Tolkien authority!

Ok, I'm done. Now on to the tagging:

1-Carol, 2-Megs, 3-Scoot, 4-Maufry, 5-Neuma_Break, and 6-Joe

Ever have one of those......

2007-10-16T16:07:00.000-04:00

I sat in my bathroom that's in my office and cried yesterday. It's been a while since I've had a cry, and yesterday I guess a lot of stuff has gotten to me as of late and I cried for a little while. They still haven't found a Billing Assistant to help me out...so I'm still doing overtime and doing the job of two people. I feel like I'm never going to get out from underneath this work that needs to be done. Our HR department likes to take its dear sweet time in hiring new people. They'll have the first interview, then promptly forget about bringing them back for another one. For some reason their priorities are all freaking screwed up and it takes over 4 to 6 months just to hire someone on. Ridiculous you say? Abso-freaking-lutely! By the time we actually make an offer to someone with promise, that person's already lost interest and found another job with someone that made them an offer within one week of their initial interview. So this has left me still dealing with all of this financial work that has to be done. I'm getting paid the overtime, which I guess I can't complain about, but I'm getting burned out since I'm here until late, and I'm taking work home on top of it. *sigh*

And I'm also starting to get really self consious. I'm completely disgusted with myself for gaining the weight that I did and I feel like I'm gross. I've been trying to eat less, and I cut out the snacking, but that didn't seem to make much of a dent...and then I started a dance class, which I guess has helped, but not enough. I don't have a workout room in my new apartment complex (I did in my last one and use of it was included in our rent each month), and my new complex doesn't have much of a parking lot to take walks in, and I can't afford a gym membership. I completely fear that one day Chris will start finding me disgusting too and it's killing me on the inside. My energy level is so low and I fear that I'm slipping back into some depression that I had emerged from years ago. Thankfully Carol goes to the YMCA and I can go with her for $6 per day or something...I can afford that at least. I sure hope I can do more to feel better about myself...because this feeling sucks. *sigh more*

And I'm beginning to think that I'm never going to have a family of my own someday. All I've ever wanted to be was a good wife and mother. I never feard not having one before, but I'm now 32 years old and I STILL don't have kids yet. Not because of not trying...I was married once, but the man was a drug addict and abusive, and not to mention that he didn't want children after all...so I had to move on. I dated someone else for a couple of years...and go freaking figure, he turns out just like my ex husband. Time to move on once again. I'm now dating a really wonderful guy, but getting married and having kids are just not on his priority list right now. He's about 4 1/2 years younger than I am, and a musician, and likes to travel with his music, and doesn't want to have kids right now, for if he were to have kids and then traveled with his music, he would then feel guilty for not being there to watch them grow, watch them take their first step, hear their first words, and leaving me with all of the work with a new baby. He doesn't want to do that, and I completely understand and respect that...but at the same time I'm not getting any younger either. We've been together for going on two years...and I only have about 3 more good years before it starts to get harder to have a family...only 3! This scares the shit out of me. I'm starting to think I should just give up my dream since this doesn't seem like its going to happen for me. Will someone explain to me why someone as irresponsible as Brittany freaking Spears is allowed to have kids...while someone like me, who is full of love and is ready for a family, still struggles to accomplish this goal. *cries*

Overtime!

2007-09-17T13:36:00.000-04:00

Yeah, overtime at work for me. And it had to be approved of first. Normally I don't mind getting overtime...a little extra cash in the wallet is always a good thing. But when you have to do the overtime because someone else neglected to do their job, then it's a burden that you hate. I absolutely despise cleaning up after someone else.

The billing specialist that we had here was a temp to hire...but she was still in "temp" status. Because our HR department takes forever to hire someone on, she decided to look for other work. I completely don't even blame her for that. As a temp she was working without benefits and she has a child that she needs to take care of. And the job she ended up leaving us for also was a bigger paycheck, so you can't blame her for that either. But what she did was neglected to do her job the last two weeks she was here...all the while swearing to the fact that she was getting everything caught up so that I wouldn't have to clean up after her...it'd be a smooth transition. Being the billing coordinator, I manage all of the processes that she had to perform. So ultimately I'm responsible for the work. Then when she leaves, we end up finding two weeks worth of work that just sat there, not getting done, that she promised was being done. Two freaking weeks! So now I have to make up two weeks worth of someone else's work, as well as do my job and her job at the same time. Thankfully my boss approved me to get paid overtime as it's going to take many hours of it to get all of this done. But what pisses me off to no end is that I was the one that praised her work, I was the one that defended her, I was the one who trusted her...and this is my reward.

Gee, thanks!

In other news...I've been taking belly dancing classes with Carol and Cassie. Met Jen, who I really like, and Kelly just recently joined in. I've been learning about muscles that i didn't even know I had, or that there are muscles that work seperately and I always thought worked together. But the problem...I have this pinched nerve in my shoulder that keeps acting up. Ugh! I really don't want to have to go back to the chiropracter to get this fixed again. Anyway, I hope that this will help me in my quest to lose about 10 lbs. I've been eating more healthy, and exercising two more days out of the week. Fingers crossed!

By the way, Carol, next time I come over to your house, can you help me with my settings? I only want people with blogger identities to comment, and I have that marked on my settings...but I still can't figure out why it forces you to make a new identity if you log in with your already existing profile...I'm stumped!

Archery = F U N

2007-07-30T09:22:00.000-04:00

Carol and I and her daughter Cassie went to take an archery class this past weekend. Just for the hell of it. It was something that has always interested us, so when the class was offered, and for only $3 per person, we jumped at the chance. There was something just zen about concentrating on the target that was about 40 feet away and then letting loose your arrow and hearing it whiz through the air and "thunk" into the target. It was the first time that the three of us had ever done it. We've never touched a bow and arrow before (save the bow and arrow game at the Renaissance Festival, and those bows and arrows are the cheap kiddie set that you'll find in K-Mart or something). We used the compound bows rather than long bows, although Carol is in the process of making us some long bows just for the sake of practicing with them and getting good at shooting the old fashioned way. The instructor was amazed at our accuracy at hitting the target. We were first time beginners, never touching a real bow and arrow, and we were consistantly hitting the target...not the center of the target every time, but we were at least on the target somewhere. So when we left after the class was over, we decided to look up some information on regular classes. I think it'd be fun for the three of us to do this together! Girls time! I don't think we'll ever go gaming or anything...but it's just kinda cool knowing how to shoot a target with a bow and arrow. My Uncle Mike (the deer hunter) would be so proud.

Guess it's time for an update

2007-07-24T09:12:00.000-04:00

Hmmm, well same old same old I guess. I have absolutely nothing to complain about! So what's going on in my life? Well, that tomato plant that I bought is coming along nicely. I had 4 yellow blossoms starting to grow, (tomatoes come out of those blossoms), but two of them wilted so now I only have 2 yellow blossoms. I do, however, have 3 small little green buds that will turn into yellow blossoms, so I'm not too depressed just yet. So we'll see just how green of a thumb I have. I have to admit, before I've never really been very good at growing things. But back then, I never really had a desire to do it...but as of recently, nature has really been calling me. I can't quite explain it, but out of nowhere, I have been missing the smell of the earth as you work in it, the warmth of the dirt on your hands, the taste of things as you freshly pick them. Maybe I'm getting to a more mature stage of life where I realize the important things, where I learn to better appreciate the more important things. I cannot wait until I have a home of my own, with a yard in the back, so that I can plant a garden and start working with the earth to produce beauty.

Chris' job still tends to put stress on him. He's looking further into certain actions taken by his boss that could be considered illegal (the act of forcing his employees to buy him a gift to show their appreciation). He's talking to those employees to get the exact story and then he'll probably go talk to HR. So we'll see how that goes. He's been having problems sleeping at night however, because of his job. He says he'll have these weird dreams about work and he'll jolt awake. I've never seen him so stressed out before. So after the year is out, he's going to start looking for other work. So if anyone out there knows of a place that is hiring, let me know.

OH! I guess I should tell you guys that I got a haircut. It's curly! I have curls! I went to the hair salon the other day because I was tired of my hair. I just wanted something different! I felt like I looked matronly. When I tell people that, they all say that I didn't, but still, that's how it felt. And I have to tell ya, I really felt unsexy. So I needed this. I have always like the asymmetrical haircut, but I was afraid that it wouldn't look very good on me. So I started doing some research on hairstyles and face shapes (I have an oval shaped face) and I came to find out that anyone with oval faces are lucky because ANY hairstyle tends to look good on them. Then I noticed the new haircut that Katie Holmes got (since pictures are ALL over the internet) and I noticed that she too has an oval shape, so I figured, "Hey, if she can pull it off, so can I...." So I printed off a picture, took it to the hair salon. The hair stylist had to use a special razor to whisp the cut, and as she cut, my hair curled right up. What had happened was that my hair is so thick, that the weight of it pulled my curls right out. So I have curls!! And for the first time, I LOVE my hair!!

I bought a 'Mater plant!!!

2007-07-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

For a very long time now I've wanted to get a tomato plant...but I've never really had a garden of my own. When I was a child, my parents grew one. We grew all of our vegetables at home, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, beans, cabbage, asparagus, corn, etc...you name it, we had it. Now keep in mind we didn't have HUGE commercial style gardens, but on the acre of land that my parents own, we had two good size gardens, just big enough to feed us. I loved the smell of the earth when we dug in it. I miss that. And what I miss the most are the tomatoes. Red and ripe off of the vine, still warm from the sun, washing off the dirt and cutting it up into bite size pieces, and sprinkling salt all over them...eating them right then and there. For the longest time I've wanted to start planting my own garden again...but living in an apartment, well, just doesn't cater to that desire. But finally, in my new apartment, I have a balcony that's big enough to make a small "patio" garden. They now carry "patio" vegetable plants that are small enough to be put in pots. They don't grow too big, but they're big enough to be satisfying. So I went out over the weekend and bought a tomato plant, and repotted the thing. Right now, it's the only plant on my balcony, so it's a little lonely...and over the course of the next few weeks I'll get more plants, flowers, vegetables, etc so that my tomato plant will have neighbors to grow with. I just hope I don't kill the things off.

So, what's your opinion

2007-07-12T16:38:00.000-04:00

What would you do if you had a boss that decided he or she wanted recognition for their so-called hard work (or what they perceive as hard work) and they demand a day that their employees make a "special" day for them and buy them something? I have to admit, I'd probably point and laugh, even if the boss was worthy. Basically because that's just not something you do. You don't demand a special day, it's something that's earned. That's what Chris is dealing with right now...the branch manager that he works with demanded such a day for himself. Here's how it went down:

About 2 and a half weeks ago, the Manager In Training (MIT), Scott, went on an extended vacation. He had plans to travel Europe, backpacking with a couple of friends. That left Chris, who is the assistant branch manager, and the branch manager who is also named Chris, to always be on duty. One has to open, the other has to close...every day. No days off, it's either you open, or you close. Well, that's how it was scheduled to happen...but that's far from the truth. How it really happened...BM Chris (we'll call him BM for short) has always half-assed his job. He's literally one of those nightmare bosses that decided to come in when they want, even though they're scheduled to come in at a certain time...takes extended lunches, leaves early, all of the "managerial" duties that need to be performed, he doesn't feel like doing so he "delegates" the job to my Chris. So basically, Chris is running the branch while BM sits on his ass and does nothing. And because Scott has been gone, Chris is doing ALL of the managerial duties by himself. His time is stretched thin, his patience for his job is almost non-existant at this point.

Fastforward to about a week and a half ago. I had called in to talk to see if he had left already to go to his parents for their 4th of July party (yes, the bank is opened on the 4th...hell, it's opened on Thanksgiving, this place SUCKS!). He had already left, but before I hung up, one of the girls said that they've been planning on getting him something to show him how much they appreciate all of the hard work he's been putting in. Not only that, but they also wanted to show him that they don't believe the lies that the BM has been telling about him behind his back, stuff like, "Chris better not complain like he always does about doing this...I do so much more work than he does." First of all, he doesn't complain about things...if you ask his opinion, he's up front and honest, but he doesn't gripe. Thankfully the employees of the branch see through the BS and decided they wanted to do something nice for him for putting putting up with the BS. So, while I was still on the phone, Jessica (the employee) asked what he likes, if I had any ideas of something he might really enjoy that they can afford. I told her that he's an avid comic book collector, and he's not been to his favorite comic book store in weeks because he's had no time. Thankfully the store is near the branch and they can get a gift cert, so that was their plan.

Well, just a few days later, the BM catches wind of this plan, gets jealous, and tells everyone that HE wants to be appreciated too since he puts in SOOOO much more hours than Chris does. Now, thankfully again, the employees realized what shit this also is, so they got him a card, and that's pretty much it. Signed it and gave it to him. Card is all of $2, so they weren't spending much money at all on him.

But what really gets to me is that this fucker had the AUDACITY to ask for a day of recognition for himself. Now I ask...just who in their right mind would actually do that????

Gee Wiz!!

2007-07-10T16:46:00.001-04:00

OK FINE!! I'll post another...sheesh. And this from the lady that never blogged herself. Here Carol, you happy? ;)

Anyhoo, I got moved (with the help of my friends...to whom I THANK!!!). New place is coming along nicely...everything now in it's place. Just have two boxes that I need to put into storage now (and by storage, I mean Chris' extra large walk in closet that can be considered a room in its own right). I've got pictures hung, display things on display, furniture moved where I want it. It's looking downright homey. I enjoy going home and just looking at the place. Next goal, shelving. And curtains. And curtains for the shelving. And groceries...since I'm at the bare minimum until payday. OH, but I do have one gripe...the darn burners on the stove don't fit the holes on the range top...they're too big. Do they sell burners anywhere? And if so, where? And how much? I always thought these things were standard sizes, but I guess I was wrong. It's really annoying since everything is uneven, my skillet slants when I'm trying to cook anything in it, so trying to cook spaghetti sauce is a little difficult at the moment. Anyone have ideas???

GRRR!!

2007-06-28T13:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I'm getting ready to move soon...this weekend as a matter of fact, and I've been busy packing for a week now. HOWEVER, with all that I have packed up already, it doesn't look like I've even made any kind of a dent in clearing stuff out...why you ask? Because my brother, who is living with me at the moment, is a pack rat. He has been cleaning out his own stuff, however he's a complete clutter bug so there is still shit everywhere! It's completely frustrating! I cannot stand clutter. It's one of my pet peeves. I told him yesterday that as of tonight, when he comes home from work, he needs to clean out everything that's his, everything! I can't vaccuum because he leaves his things on the floor...I can't dust my coffee table because he leaves more things on that. My kitchen counter is a mess, and all of it is his. I cannot wait to finally move and I don't have to worry about it anymore. I keep counting down the days that he's living somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my brother, and I was helping him out in a time of need when he had no where else to live, but his lifestyle of laziness is completely ridiculous and I'm sick of dealing with it. Only two more days Dawn...two more days!

My starter!

2007-06-25T14:37:00.000-04:00

Ok, I have three blogs now...you happy? I figured since you guys don't seem to get on the myspace one anymore, and you don't see my stuff posted there...and since you guys don't have a Live Journal blog (which is a sweet site by the way), I'll make another one just for you. Now keep in mind...I don't blog much anyway. How ironic for someone that doesn't do much blogging to have three sites to blog on now.

Ok, I'm bored at work...Only a couple more hours to go until I get outta here to go home and do more packing for my upcoming move. I just can't wait to get this done and over with! Packing SUCKS!